The principle, as Les Feldick presents it, is that giving is a free-will sowing as God prospers you — not a mandatory tithe — and you reap what you sow.
Les Feldick teaches that New Testament giving is not a legal tithe but a free-will offering made as God has prospered the believer. While 10 percent is a guideline going back to Abraham, the believer is under no mandate. The scriptural principle that 'whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap' applies to the believer's giving, and Les connects it to reward in glory.
Galatians 6:7 — Les quotes this as the principle 'you reap what you sow,' which underlies the question of sowing and reaping in giving.
1 Corinthians 16:2 — Paul's instruction to give as God has prospered is the verse Les emphasizes for New Testament giving.
Scripture connects giving and reaping in several places. Paul's instruction to the Corinthians was to lay by in store on the first day of the week as God had prospered them (1 Corinthians 16:2). In the same epistle he speaks of the ministering to the saints, the collection for the poor believers in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 9:1). Under the law, God told Israel not to wholly reap the corners of the field, but to leave the gleanings for the poor (Leviticus 19:9). The principle that a person reaps what he sows is stated in Galatians 6:7, and Hosea warns that those who sow to the wind reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7). Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20).
Les Feldick teaches that Christian giving is a matter of grace, not law. Paul never mandates a 10 percent tithe; instead, believers give as the Lord has prospered them and as the Spirit lays it on their hearts. Ten percent is a guideline, rooted in Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek, but God does not 'zap' a believer who gives less — though that believer may lose some reward in glory. Les connects giving to the scriptural law of sowing and reaping: what a man sows, he reaps, and 'what goes around comes around.' The collection Paul organized was for the poor saints in Jerusalem, and even poor Macedonian churches gave because they first gave themselves to the Lord. Giving, for Les, is the free-will outworking of grace, not a set of rules and regulations.
Les Feldick emphatically teaches that believers are not under a mandate to give 10 percent. He says God 'more or less lets it be known that 10 percent is a guideline for a giver,' but under grace, 'we can give as much as we want' because Paul's teaching does not put a thumb on the believer's head. Mandating a tithe, he says, puts a person 'back under the law.' Instead, Paul's instruction is to give as God has prospered you.
Les quotes the Old Testament statement that if you 'sow to the whirlwind you reap it,' and Paul's words that 'you'll reap what you sow.' He summarizes this as 'what goes around comes around.' Because giving is a seed the believer sows as God has prospered him, the principle of reaping applies — though Les does not present it as a guarantee of material wealth; he specifically mentions that a believer who withholds the guideline amount may lose reward in glory.
In the Corinthian context, Les explains that Paul was collecting for 'the poor saints in Jerusalem who had been left destitute' and that Paul boasted of the Corinthians' zeal in making these collections. The men carrying the offering, headed by Titus, were men of integrity, so every penny would get to Jerusalem. Under the law, God had instructed Israel to leave the corners and gleanings of the harvest for the poor, and the Macedonian believers gave themselves first to the Lord, which was the foundation of their giving to Paul's ministry.
Giving for the Poor Saints
Les describes Paul's collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem and the integrity of the men handling the offering, showing the practical object of Christian giving.
What Does "First Resurrection" Really Mean? Bible Study
Now the instructions are that when you reap the harvest of your land, "...thou shalt not wholly or completely reap the corners of thy field, neither shall you gather the gleanings." Why? "...thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of the vineyard, thou shalt leave them for the poor." Now of course there was a physical need.
Giving as God Has Prospered
Les teaches that believers give as God has prospered them, not under a mandated 10 percent; 10 percent is merely a guideline and failure to give it may cost reward in glory but is not a legal offense.
The 10 Percent Guideline
Les traces the 10 percent guideline back to Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek, but insists that mandating a tithe puts believers back under the law. Giving is to be Spirit-led and according to God's prospering.
Grace-Driven Giving
Les shows that believers are not to give under legal binding but as the Lord lays it on their hearts; the Macedonians first gave themselves to the Lord, which is the foundation of true giving.
Why a Seed Must Die Before It Can Live — 1 Corinthians 15:36 Explained
Well if I did this, I'd be at the board all the time, and we wouldn't get anywheres for sure. So I hope she bears with me, and I'll try and repeat it often enough. Romans chapter 6 verse 5. For Paul says, if we have been planted, what's the difference? If you sow something, you plant it.
Leaving Harvest for the Poor
Les explains God's law to Israel to leave the corners and gleanings of the harvest for the poor, showing a biblical pattern of giving to those in need.
Reaping What You Sow
Les quotes the scriptural principle that you reap what you sow — 'what goes around comes around' — establishing the general law of sowing and reaping that underlies Christian behavior.
2 Corinthians 9:1: For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you.
Paul's introduction to the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem, the giving context Les discusses.
1 Corinthians 16:2: Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
The verse behind Les's instruction that believers give as God has prospered them.
Galatians 6:7: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
The sowing-and-reaping principle Les quotes.
Hosea 8:7: For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.
The Old Testament warning Les cites that you reap what you sow.
Leviticus 19:9: And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.
God's law telling Israel to leave part of the harvest for the poor.
Genesis 14:20: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek, which Les calls the basis of the 10 percent guideline.
Les Feldick teaches that 10 percent is a guideline, not a mandate. Under grace, believers give as God has prospered them and as the Spirit leads, and Paul never commands a set percentage. A believer who does not give 10 percent is not under God's judgment, but may lose some reward in glory.
Les does not teach a prosperity guarantee. He presents the principle that what you sow, you reap — but in the context of grace giving, the reward he specifically mentions is in glory, not necessarily material return in this life.
According to Les, the Macedonians first gave themselves to the Lord. Because they stepped into God's saving grace, they were then open to Paul's ministry and gave out of their poverty, showing that true giving flows from grace and a heart surrendered to God.
Watch the Teaching: Are Christians Required to Tithe? 2 Corinthians 8:7-9 Explained