Deuteronomy 16:16

Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the Lord empty-handed:

Why do some churches collect offerings 7 times per year,
when God's Word says to collect them 3 times?

By Don Haney
 

We cannot speak as to why all the various fellowships do what they do. But the simple answer for many is TRADITION. Most seem to base their beliefs according to as they were taught. True unity comes not from our traditions, respected teachers or individual beliefs, but from keeping God's Word and Spirit. For unless the Lord builds the house, the labor is in vain, and what is built will not stand. (Ps.127:1) So lets see what God's Word says, and build our beliefs upon the Rock. (Matt.7:24-27)

There are primarily two synoptic passages that primarily deal with the freewill Holy Day offerings. They are in Exodus 23 and Deuteronomy 16.

Exod 23:14 "Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); 16 and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17 Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD. (NKJ)

To willingly give an offering seven times instead of three, is not wrong, but neither do we want to attempt to "add" to the Word of God or "require" it. (Deut.4:2)

There's an account of Israel keeping seven additional days after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (2 Chron.30:23) God did not punish Israel for that, but it was not and is not required. This one time event, they all did willingly, not as a command. Neither does the scripture require males to appear seven times before the Lord to give freewill offerings but God does require three. If freewill offerings on all seven Holy Days were actually commanded by God, this would have been born out in the context of scriptures. But the context of the passages dealing with this topic are very clear in specifically discussing giving freewill offerings only once during the Feasts of Unleavened Bread (not twice), once on Pentecost (or First-fruits) and once at the Feast of Tabernacles - for a total of three times.

There is one more related point worth mentioning about this same topic. That being giving Holy Day offerings at a time and place that differs from what God says. In years past, many may remember being taught to give the special tithe by dividing the 10% given in the 3^rd and 6^th years by 7, and giving that much (2.85%) each year ? instead of 10% on the 3^rd and 6^th years as God's Word says. (Deut.26:12) The only problem with that was that it was not the way God commanded it to be done. There are many well meaning ideas and leaders, but wisdom and the law comes from God not man. That was leaning to our own understanding (human reasoning instead of scriptural reasoning). It did not lead to trusting and obeying God in faith. The same can be said of the practice of mailing the Holy Day offerings in ahead of time or after the fact when traveling abroad for the feast, in order to get credit for your offerings in your home country. Deuteronomy 12 is pretty clear that offerings were to be presented at the location where God put His name and at the appointed time during the feast, not at some other time or location according to our convenience, or by the teaching of men contrary to God's command.

Deut 12:6 There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, heave offerings of your hand, your vows, your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:7 And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice in all that you put your hand unto, you and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed you. 8 You shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man doing whatsoever is right in his own eyes.

It's not that God is trying to "catch" us. It is that God's ways bring maximum blessings. It?s not being "strict." We don?t try to "enforce" this and our opinions are not important. And neither did any of us make this law, so it?s not ours to tamper with or judge. I do not judge others. I am only trying to teach the wonderful truth of God's Word to those interested, so we don't go awry by teaching and practicing doctrines of men ? and then attribute them to God. (Mk.7:7) God does not want us to each do what we think is right in our own eyes in the keeping of His Holy Days, or His Holy Day offerings. What we think individually or as a group is not important, so don't believe or follow me - or any man. What God says is important! Believe and follow Him and His Son, the Teacher and the Christ! (Mt.23:7-12) Neither should we judge one another or bicker over differing beliefs. (2 Tim.2:24-26) Before God we stand or fall, but God's love and mercy will make us each stand in His time. (Rom.14:4)

We each do the best we can according to our strength of faith and understanding. It's best not to judge another's faith. God helps each of us to rightly divide His Word according to our faith, maturity and willingness to obey Him at the time. What others do is their business, as God judges us all. We must teach the truth, not according to men as man pleasers, but according to the love and truth of God's Word. (Gal.1:10) Giving offerings is a godly principle. The fact that I may understand or teach these verses differently than another fellowship of God's Church, does not make me at odds with them or better than them in any way. Perhaps they are better than I. My words are not the focus. Let's seek to be at peace with our brethren in as many branches of the true vine as we can. We don't all grow at the same rate. The more we recognize what God requires of us, the more freely we are able to exercise His will within the framework of His law and love for us. As men, we all err. Only God's Word can be relied upon as TRUTH. (Jn.17:17) That TRUTH, when followed faithfully, MAKES US FREE! (Jn.8:32) Don?t believe me or any man, over God's Word. Seek peace. Be humble. And believe God. Let's do it!