Flowers are a gift from God
Creation Grace: Flowers
What do Joel Osteen and the Timothy McVeigh have in common? Mother Teresa and Hitler?
Pastor Don Green of Truth Community Fellowship preached an excellent sermon on February 2, 2014 titled Who is Satan?
He posed a question at the beginning of the sermon, asking, “Have we underestimated satan?” It is a question that I believe has a resounding ‘yes’ for an answer. I recommend the sermon, which is unvarnished truth about satan, satanic schemes, and the demonic horde, combined with a look at the grace of Jesus. Meanwhile, here are some transcribed excerpts,
Paul wrote, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1 Timothy 4:1)
These doctrines of demons, Pastor Green said, are “not necessarily going to be fiery displays of evil, it will be things cloaked in things that sound palatable to the human ear, things that sound plausible. Things that give you the sense that you can work your way into heaven, or that ultimately God is going forgive everyone and no one will go to hell. Or perhaps that God isn’t as holy, or that you’re not as bad as the scripture says you to be. The vast diversity of evil that the devil propagates through so many different systems shouldn’t confuse us to the ultimate fact that there is a common root.“
Pastor Green made the point that there are only two sides. There is the Spirit of truth, and the father of lies. There is no in between. He said, “Satan is the father of every lie that opposes the Gospel. He is a liar and the father of lies.“
You know that if someone is not from God, they are of the devil. Truth is not relative. Biblical truth is either/or. (Mark 9:40).
Pastor Green explained,
When we see false doctrine being taught, we need to understand there is more going on than a man who is mistaken. There is a spiritual force at work whether the man is aware of it or not. Men become the mouthpiece of the deceiver of souls. What should frighten us is that satan has the supernatural capacity to make himself look like, to present himself as one who is bringing light, not darkness.
In my never-ending quest to starkly illustrate the truth of the bible’s words, and that it is the same evil behind all that opposes God, no matter how ‘gentle’ it first appears, here are a series of paired photographs.
The same evil that spurred Charles Manson to become a cult leader and a murderer is behind the Pope, too, who is also a cult leader and a murderer of truth and souls, creating sons of hell. (Matthew 23:15)
The same evil that whispered to Hitler to roast Jews in ovens
is behind the Catholic Mother Teresa, whose refusal to share the Gospel sent many to roasting in hell forever, and who said, “There are so many religions and each one has its different ways of following God. I follow Christ”.
The same evil that is behind Timothy McVeigh and his bombing of the Murrah building in Oklahoma City, killing children in the daycare there along with many others,
is behind Joel Osteen, whose doctrines of demons delude millions every week. Many wither on his vine and die weekly
Too awful to contemplate? Yes, it is. The murderous, unsaved men such as Manson, Hitler and McVeigh are children of the father of lies and it is the same spirit that popes, preachers, and religious workers in false religions serve, too. When they die, unless they repent, they all will go to the place where the father of lies is prepared for, hell. Popes, “Mother” Teresa, and Joel Osteen all present themselves as workers of light, but they are in fact all darkness and their evil deeds are the same as the aforementioned men in the murderous category. They all have a common root. Satan.
Here is another either/or:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8)
The good news is that satan has been vanquished by our holy and wonderful Jesus. Jesus came to live as a man for 33 years, teaching and preaching for the last three. He was unjustly killed, shedding His blood for sinners, and exhausted God’s wrath for us. Pleased with His Son’s sacrifice, Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of God on the third day, and has ascended to the Father. Jesus will return in glory to judge the living and the dead.
I’ll paraphrase what Pastor Green said about the urgency of the message. I don’t know if you will be here tomorrow to read these things on this blog or any other blog. I don’t know if I’ll be here tomorrow to repeat them. Your eternal soul is at stake. Please take this seriously. Satan is real, he is a devourer of souls, and if you’re not in Christ at this moment, you’re blinded to the fact that you’re standing on a gossamer web hanging over hell. Your foot shall slide in due time, and your fate will be sealed. Come to Christ now,
“And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain– for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION.” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)
"Times are hard, I can’t find work…" The bible On Working
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| Unemployed men outside a soup kitchen in Chicago, 1931. |
For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10)
God has been working up to now and Jesus is working too. (John 5:17). God created man to work. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15).
As God told Adam after the Fall, labor is a curse but it is commanded and expected. (Genesis 3). Even before the Fall, God set Adam in the Garden and told him to shepherd it. (The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Gen 2:15). In the very next verse, God said to Adam, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,” First work, then eat.
Jesus was referred to as “the carpenter” in Mark 6:3. Several of the Apostles were fishermen, and Matthew was a tax-collector. Paul worked ceaselessly. He was a tentmaker and even at times lived with fellow tentmakers. (Acts 18:3).
As Pulpit Commentary says, given our fallen nature “idleness is the parent of many crimes.”
We are called to live a quiet life, work with our hands. “…and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,” (1 Thessalonians 4:11).
So what happens if your company downsizes and you’re left without a job?
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| flickr cc, Maia C |
This Free Bible Study Guide is a very good study on the topic of unemployment. It begins with a testimony of a Christian in Georgia,
“Life was good working for a major automobile manufacturer. I found myself suddenly unemployed when I was fired because I kept God’s Sabbath. I had one small child, and my wife was pregnant with our second. Money was now scarce, but the bills were plentiful. I prayed to God for help. The only job I could find was construction work. Pay was sporadic, and I was away from home a lot. More than once there was no food in the house for my expecting wife and young daughter. But God kept watch on us, as many times neighbors would bring food, or invite them over for breakfast or dinner.”
“The construction work dried up, so I took a job with a recycling facility making barely above minimum wage. As grateful for the job as I was, the pay would not cover all my bills. I couldn’t afford my car anymore. But once again, God came through. My supervisor discovered that I qualified for an apprentice program, which increased my pay by exactly one dollar more than my car payment! It was almost two years before I got my job back with the automobile manufacturer. But when I got my job back, I also received all of my back pay! Yes, during this trial God always took care of me and my family.”
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
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| Depression |
But that doesn’t mean that once you’ve made your request to God, to lay around and wait for God to show up and deliver you a job or a pile of money. It means plea for provision but also go out and beat the bushes for a job.
The Study Guide poses the following question. Where is the first place you should go for help when you become unemployed?
To your Sunday School class? To the church? To Mom and Dad? To the unemployment office? No. To God.
In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. (Psalm 18:6)
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
The Free Bible Study Guide divides the rest of the essay into a series of good questions.
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| flickr cc, by photologue_np |
Why should you turn to God for help?
What attitude should you have while you’re unemployed?
How did the patriarch Job react after he lost everything?
What does God expect you to be doing while you’re unemployed?
What must you be doing to receive God’s blessings?
How will God help you find work?
How will God help you pay your bills while you’re unemployed?
What was King David’s observation of those who live God’s way and trust in Him?
[Excerpts posted by permission, Credit is given to United Church of God, an International
Association (www.ucg.org), authors of Free Bible Study Guide]
Proverbs 19:15 says “Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.”
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| flickr cc, the half-blood prince |
We are to remember to help the weak (Acts 20:35). We are supposed to help real widows (1 Tim 5:3), which just goes to show, even in the very first church, there were some who tried to take advantage of the generosity of others and live on the dole when they were able bodied. (1 Tim 5:1-11). If younger widows are enrolled for temple dole, they learn to be idlers, says the verse in 1 Timothy 5:13.
As for those non-believers who take advantage of the system to be idle, do not envy them. Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” Therefore, to be a sluggard is UNwise. Do not envy those who instead of earnestly seeking a job, choose to sit around the unemployment office having a party and collecting checks. Would YOU want to be on the angry side of our Holy God?
God always deals with sinners. Do not be surprised when a non-believer does these things. It’s what they do…they sin.
If a believer does them, they will reap the consequences of their sin, if they do not repent.
Meanwhile, I draw your attention back to the Georgian Christian’s testimony posted at the top. Our wonderful God looks out for us, and He is just as concerned as we are, if not more, when we lose a job. He is not surprised by it, and in fact all things are working to the good for those who love Him. (Romans 8:28). It may not feel so, when you’re love a job and you’re wondering how to feed the kids. But that stomach-clenching feeling of being on the cliff is the perfect time for God to show off. And He will!
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Further Reading
God Opened (Or Closed) The Door … The good and bad ways of using “open door” language
Adding to or taking away from scripture
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| Plus minus icon, Wiki cc |
Did you know if you add to scripture you’re cursed? Equally, if you take away from scripture you’re cursed.
We’re often familiar with false preachers like Joel Osteen, who take away from scripture on a regular basis. Preachers like Osteen and others fail to preach the whole counsel of God, deeming some parts of the Gospel less important than others. They say, “It’s not my calling to preach sin.” Below is just one link among many that confirms Osteen’s stance that preaching the whole message of God is not necessary.
Osteen believes homosexuality is a sin, but won’t preach on it.
Here is Osteen quoted in another article from Christianity Today:
Host Katie Couric suggested that the popular minister does not “spend a lot of time in (his) sermons talking about good and evil, sin and redemption. It is a very overall positive message.” She asked, “Why don’t you give people more of a moral template?”
Osteen insisted that he does, but “in a positive way.”
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| Joel Osteen, photo flickr from yourfaithchurch |
“There’s enough pushing people down in life already,” he added. “When they come to my church, or our meetings, I want them to be lifted up. I want them to know that God’s good, that they can move forward, that they can break an addiction, that they can become who God’s created them to be.“
But the bible says,
“You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take anything from it” (Deuteronomy 4:2, also Deuteronomy 12:32). The reason God is so adamant on this is because “The entirety of Your word is truth” (Psalms 119:160).
In Revelation is says the same.
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this Book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this Book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the Book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this Book.” (Revelation 22:18-19).
Adding to the word of God is just as fearful for the person adding as it is for the person taking away. He is God! And this is His word! Far be it for us to change it or delete parts or dishonor it in any way. What you think of the Word is what you think of Jesus. (John 1:1-5).
Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. Proverbs 30:6
We are tempted toward both tendencies, adding and deleting. Obviously, satan is maniacally gleeful if he can get God’s children to do either. See how it went for the first person in the bible to add to His word, Eve.
“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” (Genesis 3:2b-3).
That is not what God said. In Genesis 2:16-17 it records what God actually said,
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
The ‘no eating from this tree’ rule is the one and only Law God gave the man at the time when there were only two human beings. And thus we can see how we humans can and do easily mess things up.
Today we have a plethora of both issues happening today, adding to and taking from. Not only are there a scourge of preachers who deem various parts of the Word unnecessary to preach, but we have so many more who add to them by claiming to have had visions and audible commands from on high.
The people who say they have heard from God are adding to His word. I want you to understand something. Every preacher, teacher, or prophecy speaker who says he has heard from the Lord and is teaching what He supposedly said, is adding to His word. They are therefore cursed. Every one. Joyce Meyer, cursed. Jesse DuPlantis, cursed. Mark Driscoll, cursed. Beth Moore is cursed. Sarah Young, cursed. Each one of these I’ve mentioned and so many more have added to His word and thus are going to have plagues added to them. They will be proved liars.
Yes this is harsh, but it is biblical. I want us to think about what it means when God says not to add to His word nor take away from it. We read the word but it is not abstract. There is a now, today, boots on the ground application.
When Beth Moore says Jesus visited her and told her to teach that “My bride is paralyzed by unbelief” and to “teach it as often as I give you utterance to say it” she added to God’s word. Therefore, she is a liar. THAT is what it means.
When Joel Osteen says it is not his calling to preach sin, he is directly contradicting the very first public ministry words of Jesus, who said, Repent. (Matthew 4:17). Joel Osteen takes away from God’s word, thus is going to be proved a liar and is due for a rebuke. THAT is what it means.
I hear people make excuses for false teachers, overlooking their added words or subtracted words, and say, “But they love Jesus so much!” They make excuses. Eve perhaps was trying to be helpful when she added to the word, by saying we may not eat of the fruit, nor touch it. But once you add to it, the adding to takes on a life of its own and it gets added to more and more. The Pharisees were initially perhaps trying to be obedient, and added a law here and a law there, until there were 613 extra laws God never spoke, and His word was buried so deep in religiosity that it was hard to find Him at all.
No, seeming external motivations don’t matter. What matters is what they say or don’t say, and whether it matches up with the word we’re called to believe, hide in our hearts, and preach.
Finally, husbands, where are you? Let’s go back to Genesis, where we were when this essay began. Adam was with Eve when the serpent seduced her. (Gen 3:16-17). Eve wasn’t even created yet when God told Adam the Law. It was his responsibility as the head of the household to tell her about God’s law and to shepherd her within it. Yet when Eve told the serpent that we may not touch the fruit, is any correction on Adam’s part recorded? No. He was with her and not only don’t we see a correction on his part, he allowed her to take the fruit. It is the husband’s responsibility to look out for his bride, as Jesus watches over His Bride. It’s why scripture records the first sin coming through the man, and not the woman (though the woman is not excused, she was cursed for disobeying too). Sin came through Adam. (Hosea 6:7, Romans 5:12, 5:14, 1 Corinthians 15:22).
And here is the point of the essay: please have a high view of the word. Understanding the importance of not adding to it or taking away from it is essential, but also important is recognizing when someone today is doing those things. I’m not talking about a young wet behind the ears preacher who may say a thing or two that doesn’t set well. I’m talking about a teacher’s willful subtraction of parts of the bible due to pride, preference or rebellion. I’m talking about people adding to His word by claiming to have had conversations with God. God is looking for those who have a high view of His word. Why?
You have magnified your word above all your name. (Psalm 138:2)
Why would we even want to add to or take away from that which He himself has magnified?
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Further Reading
The bible says in several places not to add to or take away from His word
Volcanic Twisters: Sinabung volcano’s eruption spawns dust devils. Plus other volcano news
There was a terrible volcanic eruption in Indonesia. Fifteen people died as the pyroclastic flow overcame them. A heartbreaking photo of an ash strewn roadway with an empty and overturned motor scooter told the story of vainly trying to outrun the fiery flow that swept away fifteen lives.
Sinabung, the volcano that erupted, is one of many on the volcanically active nation. As of this week, the authorities placed 19 other volcanoes on alert.
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| Above, location on google maps of the Indonesian volcano Sinabung |
Below is James Reynold’s video of Sinabung erupting and also spawning two ash tornadoes. He said on twitter that it was “Two amazing forces of nature at work, twisters AND eruptions! Sinabung volcano’s incredible dust devils” but we know it wasn’t Mother Nature but God.
UPI reports, 19 more Indonesian volcanoes placed on alert category
“Indonesia Tuesday added 19 more volcanoes to its second-highest alert level status following the eruption of Mount Sinabung that killed at least 15 people. Besides the 19 volcanoes, three others — the Lokon and Karangetang in North Sulawesi and the Rokatenda in East Nusa Tenggara — already have been on the high alert status since last year, the Jakarta Post reported.”
Meanwhile, in South America, Ecuador’s Tungahura erupted. This volcano is in the Valley of the Volcanoes and it specifically about 80 km from the bustling capital of Quito.
Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano spews lava and rocks
“Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano erupted three times over the weekend, sending huge clouds of ash and smoke into the sky, authorities said. Two moderate explosions on Saturday were followed by a third of greater size. Local reports say the blast created a column of ash of about 8kms (5 miles) above the volcano, which is located in Penipe province.”
Here is geology professor Erik Klemetti with a weekly roundup of all the ashy activity
Eruption Update for February 5, 2014: Indonesia, Ubinas, Tungurahua, Kavachi
Perú: In South America, Perú’s Ubinas is again showing signs of new activity. Since the end of January, seismicity has increased at the volcano, with 100+ earthquakes under the volcano per day. Small steam and ash plumes have been noted at Ubinas as well, but all the activity over the last few months has been attributed to water seeping into the heated interior of the volcano (i.e., no new magma involved so far).
Ecuador: Tungurahua remains on high alert after the weekend’s large explosive eruption. The volcano remains restless, with earthquakes are continuing at the volcano along with small explosions. The eruption over the weekend did dust the capital of Quito and a large swath of Ecuador with ash. Work has been started to reopen the roads around the volcano that were blocked after the eruption as they are some of the few escape routes for people who live near Tungurahua. If you’ve ever wondered what it might look like to be directly under a large volcano plume (see above), check out this video taken from Baños during the February 2 eruption. Be sure to check out this time-lapse of the eruption as well.
Did you know that there are volcanoes in the contiguous US? And I’m not talking the Cascades. Yellowstone is a supervolcano and the Old Faithful geyser is actually part of that underground network of magma movement and steam release and uplift and all that jazz.
Over at Yellowstone, Yellowstone Geyser Erupts For First Time in Years
“Yellowstone National Park’s Giantess Geyser is erupting for the first time in two-and-a-half years, park rangers said today. The usually quiet geyser is shooting off bursts of water that reach 50 feet (15 meters) into the air, said Annie Carlson, the supervisory park ranger at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center. Giantess Geyser is nearby the more famous Old Faithful, but it is far less regular.”
This awakening of this Giantess geyser isn’t the only volcanic-related activity in the Park. There has seemed to be an increase in activity and magma movement, but the USGS is dampening those reports by saying the stories circulating reporting abnormally strong earthquake activity in Yellowstone National Park are wrong. The USGS says “earthquake activity in Yellowstone has been at normal levels for the past several months. The story appears to be based on a misinterpretation of public “webicorders”, which are graphics depicting seismic data, on the University of Utah Seismographic Station (UUSS) web site (UU operates the Yellowstone Seismic Network). Therefore, the USGS is hosting a live streamed talk, headed by Jake Lowenstern, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. He will talk at 6 p.m. on Thursday about what is happening.
Though the bible doesn’t say anything specific to my knowledge about volcanoes, we do see some verses which could indicate volcanic eruptions. As in this from Nahum 1:5-
The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it
Or this from Psalm 97:5-
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.
We see in scripture perhaps the results of an eruption, also.
Revelation 6:12 says, “And I beheld when He had opened the Sixth Seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.”
After particularly violent eruptions, the sun or moon look like they are surrounded by a hairy short, this is known as dry fog. The Icelandic volcano Laki erupted in 1783. It was such a violent eruption that the world climate changed for over a year. Gilbert White recorded his perceptions of the event at Selborne, Hampshire, England:
The summer of the year 1783 was an amazing and portentous one, and full of horrible phaenomena; for besides the alarming meteors and tremendous thunder-storms that affrighted and distressed the different counties of this kingdom, the peculiar haze, or smokey fog, that prevailed for many weeks in this island, and in every part of Europe, and even beyond its limits, was a most extraordinary appearance, unlike anything known within the memory of man. By my journal I find that I had noticed this strange occurrence from June 23 to July 20 inclusive, during which period the wind varied to every quarter without making any alteration in the air. The sun, at noon, looked as blank as a clouded moon, and shed a rust-coloured ferruginous light on the ground, and floors of rooms; but was particularly lurid and blood-coloured at rising and setting. All the time the heat was so intense that butchers’ meat could hardly be eaten on the day after it was killed; and the flies swarmed so in the lanes and hedges that they rendered the horses half frantic, and riding irksome. The country people began to look, with a superstitious awe, at the red, louring aspect of the sun. (source)
The Lord holds the earth in His hand. All things will come to pass. As the earth decays and eventually melts in the great destruction, volcanoes will surely play a part in hastening the earth’s demise. (Revelation 21:1, 2 peter 3:10, (Isaiah 24:20). Praise Him that He has prepared a place for us, and we will dwell with Him forever. (John 14:3).
If you would like to enter your name for consideration on the rolls of the heavenly citizenship, then repent of your sins, and ask Jesus to forgive them. If you are sorrowful, knowing that the sins are blasphemes of an enemy against God, then He will justify you, declaring you righteous. And that is all it takes to become a child of God and dwell in heaven with Him forever.
Does the New Testament teach Christians to offer a 10% tithe?
Short answer? No.
For many Christians in a New Testament church it might come as a surprise that a 10% tithe, or a tithe at all, is not required.
Lon Hetrick at Average Us wrote a blog entry titled Why Pastors Should’t Teach Tithing and it begins this way–
Were you taught the tithing system? I was. I believed it, practiced it, and even preached it myself. But no more. … The system goes like this:
- Tithing is commanded by God.
- Therefore, Christians should give 10% of their income to their “storehouse” (i.e. the church you attend).
- God promises to bless people who tithe.
- Failing to tithe is disobedient to God, robs Him of His due, and shows that you don’t trust Him to provide for your needs with the remaining 90% of your income.
- God withholds His blessing from non-tithers, and they forfeit the peace of mind and security which tithers alone enjoy.
And then Mr Hetrick continues with 4 reasons why he thinks Pastors shouldn’t teach tithing.
As much as I love church life, there is one thing that I have a peeve about. It is when a church decides to carry debt, the tithes and offerings start to decline, the powers-that-be get nervous, and the pastor decides to browbeat preach a series of guilts messages to the congregation on tithing. I am not speaking of my own church but I have seen it happen.
Here is Dr MacArthur at Grace to You on tithing:
Does God require me to give a tithe of all I earn?
Leviticus 27:30-33; Deuteronomy 14:22-29; Exodus 25:2; 1 Chronicles 29:9
Two kinds of giving are taught consistently throughout Scripture: giving to the government (always compulsory), and giving to God (always voluntary).
The issue has been greatly confused, however, by some who misunderstand the nature of the Old Testament tithes. Tithes were not primarily gifts to God, but taxes for funding the national budget in Israel.
Because Israel was a theocracy, the Levitical priests acted as the civil government. So the Levite’s tithe (Leviticus 27:30-33) was a precursor to today’s income tax, as was a second annual tithe required by God to fund a national festival (Deuteronomy 14:22-29). Smaller taxes were also imposed on the people by the law (Leviticus 19:9-10; Exodus 23:10-11). So the total giving required of the Israelites was not 10 percent, but well over 20 percent. All that money was used to operate the nation.
All giving apart from that required to run the government was purely voluntary (cf. Exodus 25:2; 1 Chronicles 29:9). Each person gave whatever was in his heart to give; no percentage or amount was specified.
New Testament believers are never commanded to tithe. Matthew 22:15-22 and Romans 13:1-7 tell us about the only required giving in the church age, which is the paying of taxes to the government. Interestingly enough, we in America presently pay between 20 and 30 percent of our income to the government–a figure very similar to the requirement under the theocracy of Israel.
The guideline for our giving to God and His work is found in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7: “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.”
“This article originally appeared here at Grace to You” in accordance with their general copyright policies.
Personally I believe the bible is clear on giving. We are to meet each other’s needs, to give generously, and sacrificially. We are to support our pastor and staff at the church. I believe firmly the bible teaches this.
But I don’t like it when pastors who don’t preach verse by verse feel free to pick and choose topics to preach on depending on their personal preference, fears, wants, vengeances, or perceived needs of the church members or the church in general. In this way, when money is tight, their go-to passage is Malachi and we’re off and running with the pressure to give. (‘Oh, nooo, the balloon payment is coming up!) This often means that people are targeted, or passages get left unpreached, and sometimes the meaning gets twisted, as so often the Malachi verse does. Worse, the giving that is done after these sermons tends to be emotional rather than cheerfully biblical.
If a pastor preaches verse-by-verse, money sermons will only come up when the text demands it. Everyone will be clear that the sermon isn’t a personal point he’s making to drive home, targeted at a church need, a controversy only a few know about, or personal likes or dislikes of the pastor, but simply a providential organization of sermons ordained by God as His under-shepherd preaches through the text.
Giving sacrificially doesn’t mean giving wantonly or recklessly. So often the Malachi verse on tithing is not only incorrectly applied to New Testament churches but is taken a step further by telling people to sow a seed, and you will reap a harvest, meaning, give money you don’t have and it will come back to you ten fold just because God will be so impressed with you. We are to shepherd our finances, not throw money away on a great adventure of testing God. You notice the Christians in the book of Acts sold property to give to the church, but they didn’t take a loan, give the loan money, and expect God to subsidize the debt until the property was sold off. They sacrificed, had the money in hand first, and laid it at the Apostles feet. (Acts 4:34).
Here is an essay called Their Greed, Your Seed: Apostasy in the Church Part 3, addressing the ‘sow a seed’ issue.
I urge you to search out the New Testament biblical stance on tithing, and giving- because the two are not the same. Be sure to give generously as your finances allow, biblically and cheerfully!
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Further reading:
Does the teaching on tithing in Malachi 3:9-10 apply to us today?
Turkey in prophecy
‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. “I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords; Persia, Ethiopia and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples with you. (Ezekiel 38:3-6)
The LORD God told Ezekiel to record a prophecy about the last of the last days. Russia and other nations will attack Israel. The allied nations that will join Russia in this surprise attack will be Iran, Ethiopia, other northern African states, Armenia, part of the Baltic States (the -stans), and Turkey.
Turkey has spent the last 20 years aiming to meld with the west, to show the West up, even, diplomatically, politically, and economically. In past decades, the nation of Turkey had subdued its rabidly Muslim religious tendency in favor of a more tolerant, democritized attitude. It had sought to join the European Union, revive itself as a player in the Middle East, and to be friend to both Muslim nations and democracies near and far.
It has failed.
During the time of Turkey’s upward trajectory, it seemed impossible that the nation would join in a dastardly alliance and attack the only other democracy in the Mid-East. Their pinnacle of world favor was reached a few years ago, but now it seems all of Turkey’s goals are slowly unraveling. Since Turkey is a major player in the area specifically concerned with last days prophecy, let’s take a look at the following news stories and see how Turkey is doing:
Turkey’s once-worldly aims falter, even close allies concerned
From a political perspective, defending Turkey’s blend of political Islam and neoliberal economic policies was not terribly difficult a decade ago. After all, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan helped build the 17th largest economy in the world and what would be the sixth largest among European Union countries. His plan was to be a top-10 economy by 2023, and operating under free-market fundamentals, Turkey was quickly tacking toward that goal. Externally, Turkey seemed to be the perfect partner for Washington. She was the second-largest troop contributor to Afghanistan, backed the invasion of Libya, armed the rebels in Syria, denounced the military coup in Egypt and came to the rescue of countless Tsunami-stricken regions from Indonesia to Japan. Internally, however, the country was falling apart.”
The article goes on to show that internal corruption, crackdowns and a power-hungry Prime Minister has all combined to plummet Turkey’s standing with other nations in both the east and the west.
In the economic areas, Turkey isn’t faring much better.
A Leader Shows Vulnerability in Turkey’s Cash Crisis
“First, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the bold move by Turkey’s central bank this week to raise interest rates sharply to halt the decline in the country’s currency, telling reporters that higher borrowing costs would lead to inflation — an argument that contravenes accepted economic logic. Mr. Erdogan’s economic adviser, Yigit Bulut, then did little to reassure skittish investors, suggesting that the prime minister would do something that would be “very positive for the markets,” but did not say exactly what Mr. Erdogan’s plans were. The remarks only added to jitters in financial markets, which have battered the Turkish stock market and in recent weeks sent the currency, the lira, to historic lows.”
“Officials in Western capitals, including President Obama, came to see him as the prime example of a leader who could meld democratic values, Islam and economic prosperity. But much of the money was funneled to a group of insiders who made fortunes while building malls and other developments that increasingly lacked sound economic underpinnings. Now, with bond investors fleeing and interest rates rising, Mr. Erdogan’s economic turnaround is in jeopardy of unraveling in a toxic stew of bad loans, accusations of cronyism and the appearance of seat-of-the-pants economic stewardship.“
Turkey is a powerhouse in the region. Its fortunes are changing, and in my opinion the new conditions for Turkey show more closely it is being readied to fulfill prophecy. Any nation at this junctue in time on a downward spiral should be watched closely, and more so becase of the ptomise of Turkey’s activity in coming against Israel inthe last days.
Keep an eye on the nations that are specifically mentioned in prophecy (Ethiopia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, etc) and also of course keep an eye on the region in general. (the peace talks between Israel and Palestine led by Secretary of State Kerry, Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda…). God is always at work and it is a wonder to know that he is, and when it’s possible, to actually see His works.
But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” (John 5:17)
God raised up Pharaoh so that God’s glory would be shown. Pharaoh lived many, many years and who would have guessed at the time of the plagues and the confrontation of Moses that all the prior years of raising up it was for a specific time such as that and for the specific reason. It is the same now with the kings of the earth earth.
But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. (Exodus 9:16)
Has God raised up Erdogan…Putin…Netanyahu…Morsi…to show His works and His glory for the fulfillment of the long-ago prophesied deeds? Or will they be other men at a future time when the prophecies come to fulfillment? Time will tell, but never fear, the Father is working.
Creation Grace: A Glassy Sea
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| EPrata photo |
This picture was taken in Lubec Harbor, easternmost point in the US and next to New Brunswick Canada. The waters are part of the Bay of Fundy, known for having the highest tidal range in the world. A large volume of water has to rush in and out within a few hours. The more water that needs to come in, the more it roils. When the tide comes in, the roiling starts abruptly and for a while it almost looks like it’s boiling. The weather in northern Maine and Canada is rough, too, with constant wind and storm.
This picture was taken because it is unusual to see such calm waters in this area of the world. Calm mid-tide, no storm, no fog, no wind.
The world isn’t calm now, not for more than mere moments in a few places, sometimes. There will come a day when the sea will be glassy always, and hearts will be calm. We will fully know peace.
Sunday Martyr Moment: A Phyrgian city burned
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. According to this summary from Christian Book Summaries,
Writing in the mid-1500s, John Foxe was living in the midst of intense religious persecution at the hands of the dominant Roman Catholic Church. In graphic detail, he offers accounts of Christians being martyred for their belief in Jesus Christ, describing how God gave them extraordinary courage and stamina to endure unthinkable torture.
From the same link, the book’s purpose was fourfold:
- Showcase the courage of true believers who have willingly taken a stand for Jesus Christ throughout the ages, even if it meant death,
- Demonstrate the grace of God in the lives of those martyred for their faith,
- Expose the ruthlessness of religious and political leaders as they sought to suppress those with differing beliefs,
- Celebrate the courage of those who risked their lives to translate the Bible into the common language of the people.
Text from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
[Phyrgia was in west-central Turkey]
A city of Phrygia, consisting entirely of Christians, was burnt, and all the inhabitants perished in the flames.
Tired with slaughter, at length, several governors of provinces represented to the imperial court, the impropriety of such conduct. Hence many were respited from execution, but, though they were not put to death, as much as possible was done to render their lives miserable, many of them having their ears cut off, their noses slit, their right eyes put out, their limbs rendered useless by dreadful dislocations, and their flesh seared in conspicuous places with red-hot irons.
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Johnnie Moore said this week in his opinion piece, “We must stand up for Middle East’s persecuted Christians“
Christianity began in the East, not the West, yet today Christians in the East are enduring an all-out-assault by Islamic terrorists, while Christians in the West live their lives largely oblivious to it all. This has to change. This is no imaginary persecution; in Syria alone there have been reports of kidnappings, Christian communities intentionally displaced by militants and, worst of all, shootings and beheadings of Christians who refused to convert to Islam. In Egypt radicals have recently destroyed dozens of churches, and the once vibrant Christian population in Iraq has been decimated.
Qanta Ahmed wrote in the Jerusalem Post this week, Persecution of Christians in the Muslim world: We are what we tolerate“
“Syrian Christians, long protected by Syrian President Bashar Assad, bear the ultimate price at the hands of rebel Islamists. Egyptian Islamist have destroyed 43 Orthodox churches and attacked 207 churches in the past year alone. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, where there is no Arab Spring, where democracy is mature, Christian persecution is as integral to daily Pakistani life as the weather. In 2013 alone, Pakistan witnessed the razing of 178 homes in Christian residential area Joseph Colony in Lahore and the execution of 82 Christians at worship at Peshawar’s historic All Saints Church, leaving another 200 congregants wounded.
Persecution is not new. “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (2 Timothy 3:12). Nor are the ways people are wounded, tortured, or killed new. Evil men are and always have been evil. This is what hostility to the Gospel looks like. Do not be surprised that such wickedness against holy Jesus and His children exists. (1 John 3:13). Without Christ there is no peace, but where there is Christianity, Christians, and the Spirit, there will be hostility against the testimony of Jesus. They tried to kill Jesus several times before they actually did.
And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. (Luke 4:29).
The fact that persecution has always existed doesn’t make reports like these from JPost or FoxNews any easier to read. But there is an additional element to the persecution story. Though persecution has always existed, it is prophesied to become worse and worse as the ages progress.
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:12-13).
This persecution will find it ultimate, completely saturated expression in the Tribulation, when satan persecutes the Jews and then the Christians:
Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 12:17).
Even though persecution is an ugly thing, we can take heart from it. First, we know that there are strong Christians in the world willing to suffer and die for the spotless name of Jesus. We know that as persecution becomes worse and worse, that the word of God is perfect in its certainty. We also know that as it increases, the time of His appearing draws closer. We can also imagine the homecoming of the martyred Christians in Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan… are receiving in heaven.
The topic of martyrdom is a difficult one but it has its joys too.
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal“. (2 Corinthians 4:17)
Whether death comes from sickness, age or by another man’s hand, a life lived for the Lord has everlasting value and glory unto Jesus.
Chick-fil-a feeds people during Atlanta snowstorm
The Onion, a digital news satire organization, published the following spoof news article a few weeks ago.
January 3, 2014:
Local Church Full Of Brainwashed Idiots Feeds Town’s Poor Every Week
MACON, GA—Sources confirmed today that the brainwashed morons at First Baptist Assembly of Christ, all of whom blindly accept whatever simplistic fairy tales are fed to them, volunteer each Wednesday night to provide meals to impoverished members of the community. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of people in town who have fallen on hard times and are unable to afford to put food on the table, so we try to help out as best we can,” said 48-year-old Kerri Bellamy, one of the mindless sheep who adheres to a backward ideology and is incapable of thinking for herself, while spooning out homemade shepherd’s pie to a line of poor and homeless individuals. “It feels great to share our blessings with the less fortunate. Plus, it’s fun to work alongside all the members of our [corrupt institution of propaganda and lies] who come out each week.” As of press time, the brainless, unthinking lemmings had donated winter clothing they no longer wore to several needy families and still hadn’t opened their eyes to reality
During the SnowLanta crisis this week, The Onion’s headline came true, sort of. The Universal Free Press published the following real news article this week:
Guess What Chick-Fil-A is Forcing on People Now!
As we can all recall, Chick-Fil-A was the center of controversy as they were accused of “forcing their religious views” on others when president Dan Cathy made his political leanings known regarding gay marriage. You’ll never guess what the once demonized business is now forcing on others now – FOOD. Yep, that’s right, food. According to Fox News, a local Chick-Fil-A came to the rescue as a rare snowstorm in the South left citizens stranded on icy interstates and highways, including Highway 280 in Birmingham, Alabama. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of the restaurant employees and owner, Mark Meadows, a good number of stranded motorists were able to find food and shelter from the storm.
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| Birmingham, Ala. Chick-Fil-A owner Mark Meadows (Courtesy Lauren Dango) |
Stranded drivers were surprised by the free sandwiches and grateful for the hot meal. Why didn’t Chick-Fil-A choose to make some extra money during the storm? They had a captive crowd of customers, unable to go to another restaurant, so why did they choose to give the food away? Audrey explained, “This company is based on taking care of people and loving people before you’re worried about money or profit. We were just trying to follow the model that we’ve all worked under for so long and the model that we’ve come to love. There was really nothing else we could have done but try to help people any way we could.”
The world will never understand the Light that is in a Christian, but that is why it is so important to keep sharing it, no matter what the reaction. Serving humanity in the name of Jesus and through the Spirit will affect untold many, even if we don’t see it. It is a revolutionary act.
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God
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| Creative Commons, “Feet” by stacyjeanxo |
and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:3-5)
When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (John 13:12-17).
To trudge through the snow and hand out bags of food, to open a place of business and exchange no commerce but only offer for free, to sacrifice…these things are revolutionary. Love your enemy, slaves are brethren, Samaritans are good. These things are revolutionary because they are of Christ.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
Christ has set the example, as Gill’s Exposition says,
For I have given you an example,…. Christ is an example to his people, in many things; not in his miraculous performances and mediatorial work, but in the exercise of grace, of meekness,
humility, love, patience, …
Lord, give to me a servant’s heart.
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| Flickr cc, by Kevin Dooley |
