Posted on 08/19/2015 8:46:44 AM PDT by Morgana
On this matter, you don’t have all the facts, and as an onlooker, God has not given you the right to judge. He will do it, and He will also judge you if you are out of line, and it looks like you are.
Do you believe a future lottery winning would allow me to buy away some past sin in regards to a future judgement by Christ?
omg dude. that is NOT how God works. That is living under the LAW, not grace. You give from your heart not a mandate from the church.
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained that we should
walk in them.
Do you think a disciple experiencing Christ's love should keep a little back and not give his all? or at least a tenth of his/her income provided by God? "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33 AV).
I think my past sins are my past sins.
I don’t pretend if I catch up in payments I didn’t sin.
That may be, but until you confess and repent from them, God is liable to keep his correction mode active until you do. Just sayin' that's His instruction and my experience as His child:
(a) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
(b) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(c} If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 Jn. 1:8-10)
confess = homologehoh = agree with concerning not only about the sinful behavior, but also about the need to stop doing it.
(d) And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
(e) For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
(f) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
(g) But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. (Heb. 12:5-8)
Check out the context. If one is erring as a life-style, and not being corrected by God, then that person is probably not saved. But God does judge on the one hand, and chasten on the other hand. Both proceed out of both holiness and love.
I've taken a licking from Him more than once, and greatly edified into better obedience thereby. Yep, carrot and whip--that's the way a balky mulish person is trained into spiritual maturity. Part of repentance is making restitution, and as I said, God has a plan for catching up with unpaid tithes. I can attest to that, also.
(h) And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. (Lev. 27:31)
Still valid. His graciousness has not done away with the need for His earthly servants to provide resources He sends them to (1) provide for our common, ordinary personal living expenses, (2) remember the needs of God's needy saints, widows, fatherless, and men of God, (3) provide for His own programs without borrowing from secular lenders, and (4) let the Name of God be glorified through the obedience and generosity of His committed, trusting bond-servants.
Hope you're getting all of this --
Respectfully --
Hope you’re getting all of this —
Respectfully —
- - - - -
I appreciate the time and effort in the conversation. I agree with most of your specific points.
I believe if one is walking with God, God will lead if the individual will listen.
I don’t agree that everyone owes a lifetime of 10% income to their church. I don’t believe that “short” giving to my past church is owed to them or my current church.
I believe some will be called to give more, others will be called to give more of time, talents, prayers, witness, etc.
I don’t believe it is upon us to tell others they don’t give enough. I do believe scripture is the source of what we are called to do, along with what God lays on our hearts.
I do believe I need to serve God, and I believe He will judge me where I fall short. I don’t believe God’s work is limited to my current choice of Church attendance.
August 19, 2015 Stewardship Investment
Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesars; and unto God the things that are Gods.
(Matthew 22:21)
Taxes have been a part of civilizations for thousands of years. Even our Lord Jesus found the subject important enough to comment on. We all have responsibilities to pay tribute or taxes to those in authority over us.
But tribute money is not ours! In fact, the whole concept of a tribute was initiated by God Himself in the tithe. God said that one tenth of the firstfruits belonged to Him (Malachi 3:8-10; 1 Corinthians 16:2). The Creator God, of course, is the ultimate Owner of all things (Psalm 50:7-12). We are to be His stewards (Luke 12:42; 1 Corinthians 4:2) and have been delegated the responsibility to occupy until He comes back (Luke 19:13; Matthew 25:14).
Although we have use of money, we also have certain obligations for that money. We may have freedom to do with the money whatever we wish, but we will suffer consequences if we choose to ignore the responsibilities to render, or pay, our tribute to whom tribute is due (Romans 13:7).
HMM III
Providential, almost exact backup for what I suggested for your POV revisions. Pls take heed.
With cordial regards --
You're right. You don't owe it to your church. You owe it to your God and my God, to your Father and my Father. And the place to deposit is at the/a genuine local branch of His Bank, the local assembly of Christians doing His business as Christ's Body. Anything above that 10% He counts as a "gift."
But if there are any arrears, His assessment of 12% will catch up in time without breaking your piggy bank. (smile)
The storehouse, the local granary from which you are fed Spiritual food and of which spiritual building you ought to be a supporting member with your tithes and your offerings, is the first place to bring them. And if you go deliberately shy or divert funds elsewhere before meeting the tithe, I will prophesy confidently that you will not get to keep the retained amount for your own use. The god of this world and its cares will take it away:
"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 3:10-11)
(*meat here translates in modern English to be "food" which in the New Covenant I believe means both material and spiritual food, but you don't have to agree with me on that)
Be warned.
We will have to disagree that cash that belongs to God is required to be sent through the Church.
Have a blessed evening!
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