Youth Corner

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.  Ecclesiastes 12:1  

Question and Answer Corner

Question: Is it mandatory for a Christian to pay tithe according to the Bible and SOP.

Answer: Yes, the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy both agree that we should return our tithes to God.

He gave us everything we have in the first place, so we do this to acknowledge that.  

According to Malachi 3:8-11, if we do not pay tithe we are robbing God. 
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.  
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.  
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.  
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:8-11

In the following texts, we see that tithe is one tenth of all our increase.
Deuteronomy 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.  
Leviticus 27:32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, [even] of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.  

In the New Testament, Jesus spoke of paying tithe.  Notice that even though He is rebuking the Pharisees, He says of tithe, "these ought ye to have done". Matthew 23:1, 23 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 

The SOP in this quote makes it simple and to the point.
"Every church member should be taught to be faithful in paying an honest tithe.--9T 250, 251."  {Counsels on Stewardship 104.2} 
 
Here, in the SOP, it says that there is no safety in withholding tithe.
"A faithful tithe is the Lord's portion. To withhold it is to rob God. Every man should freely and willingly and gladly bring tithes and offerings into the storehouse of the Lord, because in so doing there is a blessing. There is no safety in withholding from God His own portion."-- MS 159, 1899.  {CS 66.4}

So, yes, it is a very good idea to return your tithes to God.  God blesses us when we do.  There are many people that have experienced this blessing, but here is just one story to consider.  
"One day as an African church member in Rhodesia was reading the third chapter of Malachi, he was impressed that in addition to paying tithe on his money he should pay tithe on his cattle. True to his convictions he gave every tenth cow that came out of the gate as a tithe to the Lord. His relatives and neighbors told him he was crazy.
But soon after that a lion came into the area. In a neighbors kraal it killed four cows. In another nearby kraal he killed several more cows.
But when he came to the church member’s kraal, he circled and made several attempts to jump in but was unsuccessful even though the walls were only as tall as a man. The lion even came halfway inside the kraal door, but could not seem to go any farther.
The next morning excited people went from kraal to kraal, noting the heavy losses. With wonder they inspected the kraal of the faithful tithe payer. Large tracks surrounded the pen and even indicated that the lion had stepped inside, but all the cattle were safe.
“Give us your medicine so that our cattle will be safe,” urged his neighbors. “I have no medicine. I paid my tithe, and God protected my cattle. You said that I was crazy. No one is crazy who obeys God.”



To view previous questions and answers see our

Do you have a question you would like answered? Email us at biblepathways@hotmail.com. Please put Attention Youth Corner in the subject box.

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The Marked Bible

A book for Youth+. The story of of a drunkard and a criminal who wanted nothing to do with religion. His Christian mother placed a marked Bible in his luggage just before he went out to sea. While on the ship, in a moment of anger, he threw the Bible far out into the sea. After his mother died, he found a marked Bible, just like his previous one. A man told him to take it, that it was "marked for him." On the ship, he met a missionary. Many people on the ship became involved in a continuing Bible study, although, some pastors disagreed with the missionary. One day, a lady fell overboard and was drowning. What happens next? Read the book to find out.






The Marked Bible.pdf The Marked Bible.pdf
Size : 8238.259 Kb
Type : pdf

Family Night Activities 

 The Rhyming Game 

In this game someone says a word (for example, the word clock), and the other players in order, must come up with words that rhyme, (like dock, mock, sock, shock, knock, rock, etc.). When someone can no longer think of a word, they drop out until no one can think of another word. Then the last one that was left can chose the next word and start another round. 


For previous activities visit our

Family Activity Archive 

Check out our newest video short below or find more shorts on the "Shorts for Sharing" Page

 Read the 

"A Battle with Leviathan" 
E-booklet

by clicking 
on the picture


Youth Corner Video

Are you trying to quit watching Hollywood Television? Can you not find anything interesting to watch? 

Youth Corner is excited to announce that we have begun to produce short video clips, that have a point but are also interesting to watch. 

We hope to continue to add to our collection. So check back periodically for more clips.


       Sabbath  Afternoon Activities  

   Bible Memory Verse Bee- Like the old fashioned spelling bee only everyone has to repeat a memory verse and the text until some people can’t think of any more. Variation: See if you can repeat verses that start with each letter of the alphabet..            

  

Sabbath  Activity Archive

Music Video - Treasures of the Messiah 

A Youth's Last Written Message 

Trenton, the teen pictured below, that put together Treasures of the Messiah wrote the following. This was his last written message to the world and to his fellow youth, before he died at the age of 14, on June 9, 2013. Remember as you read it that the Pony Express' motto was, "the mail must go through."


                  The Mail Must Go Through

"I, ......, do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors and Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane language, that I will drink no intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that in every respect I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers, so help me God."  

As Jack Keetley swore this oath he didn’t know that he would make history by making the longest ride on the Pony Express. Jack usually rode 40 miles from Marysville, Kansas to Big Sandy, Nebraska but one day when he got to Big Sandy the next rider was unable to take the mail to the next station so Jack took it on, when he finally stopped at Seneca, Kansas, he had ridden over 335 miles in thirty-one hours without stopping except to change horses.

We are in a similar situation to Jack Keetley. We have mail, a message straight from heaven and we don’t even have to carry it 335 miles, we may just have to carry it down the street, and yet we are sitting at home on the couch watching TV, having parties, and listening to music not even fit to listen to. What are we doing for God? Why is the mail pouch that’s worth much more than the Pony Express’s $3, 500 mail pouch, sitting on the shelf collecting dust? The time is now to carry the mail from heaven through wind, rain, sleet, and snow because, “The mail must get through.”


If you would like to read more about Trenton visit the Leukemia Lessons page.