Hearing and Believing, Part II

There is a very important lesson to be learned through the Parable of the Soils. When Jesus said, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?" He was admonishing the reader of this parables great importance. Although Jesus explains the parable, Mark 4:15 should cause believers to become keenly aware that a battle rages in the spirit to try and stop faith from growing in believers. This is a very important key, because everything that believers receive from God comes the same way, through faith.

Notice the first thing that happens when the Word is sown, "Satan comes IMMEDIATELY to take away the  WORD that was sown." It does not matter if you are sitting in a pew, watching a preacher on television, reading the Bible or listening to the word on radio, Jesus tells us that Satan will come and do one of the things that he does best, STEAL."The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy..."
(John 10:10)

Take note to where the word was sown, IN THEIR HEARTS. This is a very personal invasion and believers should NOT permit Satan access to their hearts. I say it this way because that is exactly what believers do.
I John 3:8 says, "He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." Jesus has destroyed the works of the devil! Satan has no authority over the believer unless the believer CHOOSES to give him place. So yes, it become the choice of the believer to permit Satan access to their heart.

The heart is the seat of spiritual life, moral nature, and affections, so an attack such as this should be seem as horrible a rape. Also take notice that the scripture says, “In their HEARTS” (plural). Satan’s interest is not in a couple of people, but as many as he can steal the word from. His assault is to the very core of ones faith. Take the word from ones heart, faith will never grow and if faith doesn't grow believers will never come to know the privileges and receive the promises of God through Christ.

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

Living in the Flesh?

One of the greatest passages of scripture that believers should embrace daily and be encouraged in is...

Galatians 2:20-3:5 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain — if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? —

Paul was not only pressing home the point of what he was in Christ, but also driving home the point of what all believers also have in Christ. Paul contends that dying to Christ, freed him from the Law, because it is by faith, spiritual things, not works, natural things that he has procured his position in Christ. He continues, I do not frustrate, despise, displace, abrogate God working within me, helping me want to OBEY HIM, and then helping me do WHAT HE WANTS. He then rebukes the Galatians (the church) for frustrating, despising, displacing, abrogating Gods grace for their so called rules of life, especially when their faith in Christ was evidenced by the Holy Spirit working miracles. In the same way believers today must use caution when they abide in rules of Christian life (man made laws in the church) rather than the grace that God has poured out in Christ. In doing so they may find themselves frustrating, despising, displacing, abrogating, Gods grace.

But the good news is how the Apostle Paul nails it when he said, "Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by FAITH in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." That's it! If you are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, then Christ lives in you also. What great news this should be to all believers. Living by grace through faith is freedom, not living by laws that foolish men want believers to live under, this is bondage. As it was in the church at Galatia so it should be today. Our faith in Christ should not be evidenced by laws that we live by, but our faith in Christ should be evidenced by the Holy Spirit working miracles.

God Bless You...

God gave the Law which showed humanity the difference between right and wrong, but grace gives believers the ability to live a life of obedience to God through faith in Jesus Christ…Philippians 2:13 For God is at work within you, helping you want to OBEY HIM, and then helping you do WHAT HE WANTS. (TLB)

We see Gods grace at work in the early church. Power was being released, souls being saved, the oneness of heart and mind, their affection toward one another, etc. The grace was so evident that Barnabas was sent from Jerusalem to Antioch and upon his arrival …Acts 11:23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.

The early church (as well as the church today needs) needed Gods help. The book of Acts shows us many things for the church today to gleen from. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and God was working in them giving them the desire and ability to do His will in great ways. They were witnessing Christ, that is preaching the resurrection of Christ who confirmed the word with signs, wonders and miracles. They were of one heart and one soul, their views and opinions were the same and they had great affection toward one another, Gods grace is amazing. They were also people of great faith and they reflected in their lives the power and unity of covenant.

Keep in mind that the early church was filled with people like you and I. They also had different personalities, opinions and views, but the influence of Christ in their lives was so strong that their individuality was no longer the issue. The issue became, what was right in Gods sight. Gods grace is still the same today as it was in the early church, but do we really see it in operation like they did in the early church.

Let's Do It Right

According to recent 3 year study by a well known group that looks at trends in the church in the USA, people from 16 – 29 years of age describe Christians as, judgmental, hypocritical, old fashion, too political, out of touch with reality, insensitive to others and boring So what makes you and I (believers) attractive to others, and I am not talking about what society determines attractive. What has made Christianity so attractive and respected in the past but seems out of touch today? Could it be our approach to be appealing to man rather than pleasing to God that has young people so turned off? If Jesus has restored humanity (He did) to what God had intended for Adam and if God is inexhaustible in power, love, wisdom and resources (to name a few and He is) then why is the report of young people according to this poll so negative? Maybe all we need to do is observe and implement the principle and practices that gave the early church such great success for nearly 300 years. They were not problem free, but their impact on society was far above than ours is or ever was in the USA.

I believe that there is a natural attraction which occurs to those who are un-churched, to the church when there is genuine fellowship among ALL believers. I believer this occurs when believers truly understand the cohesiveness that they have with one another in Christ and live it out daily, for example (not all inclusive)...

• We are united together in His death – Together in the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:5)
• Suffer together with Christ – Glorified together with Christ (Romans 8:17)
• Perfectly joined together in the same mind and judgment in Christ (I Corinthians 1:10)
• Laborers together in Christ (I Corinthians 3:9)
• Made alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5, Colossians 2:13)
• Joined together in Christ (Ephesians 4:16, Colossians 2:19)
• Knit together in love, in Christ (Colossians 2:2)
• Comfort each other together in Christ (I Thessalonians 5:11)
• Heirs together of the grace of God in Christ (I Peter 3:7)

Honestly, who would not be attracted to a people who not only know these things but act upon them and live them out together? There were no arguments over church names, formulas, rituals, traditions, creeds, baptism, style of music, order of worship, which church to join or doctrine and if there were it was worked out, it was dealt with because the fear of the LORD and not the fear of man was in place. The early believers were unified, magnified and multiplied which was an attractive, powerful testimony of Christ to the unsaved which brought many to salvation. When the church today acts like the church that we see in the Bible, it is very attractive to those outside the church.
Acts 2:47 "Praising God and having favor with all the people..." The lifestyle of the early church gained the admiration of all the common people who observed them. They acted like Christ, there was a comradery among them as well as compassion and love towards the unbelievers around them. They did not fail to preach the good news of redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ nor did they lack the faith to demonstrate Gods power. The early church did nothing more than doing exactly what Jesus commissioned them to do, can we say the same?
Having favor with all the people may be hard for us to comprehend today, but the days are coming when the church will be restored. It will no longer be about rituals, traditions, laws, rules, regulations and flesh pleasing entertainment, but about exalting Jesus Christ and glorifying the Father. The church will be filled once again with the fear of the LORD, be lead by the Holy Spirit and believers will once again truly live by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. PTL

Do You Have Your Part?

Ephesians 4:11-16 tells us that the LORD gave to the church five gifts to build the church up to do the work of ministry. So what is the work of ministry? Every saint using the grace and faith that God has given to build up the church, people, one another, etc. Verses 13 & 14 reveal the reasons why each believer is to constantly function by grace through faith building up the church. If believers are not being built up or if the are but will not do their share then we must assume that verse 13 & 14 will take on a different bent.

In other words if each believer does not take the initiative and responsibility to do the work of ministry individually and corporately, then it stifles the entire church from coming to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ and keeps the church from maturity. This then opens the door to being tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. This translates into believers accepting high minded theologians promoting the wisdom of men over the demonstration of spirit and power, which we see in many sectors of the church in the USA today.

The Old Testament provides a wonderful example of God's people doing the work of ministry, per se. Nehemiah is known for having a heart for Judah's political and geographical restoration. Jerusalem was in fact the spiritual and political center of Judah so the first order of business was to rebuild the city walls. In the same way that Nehemiah pulled together a remnant to rebuild, believers must purpose in their hearts and minds to exercise faith, walk in Gods grace and say and do what the builders of the wall all said and did, “Let us rise up and build.” "Then they set their hands to do this good work”. (Nehemiah 2:18)

So let's begin to yield more to the Holy Spirit and see "God's Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven", for His glory. This will be accomplished through faith in Christ "from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in LOVE.

I Won't Grow Up

The character of Peter Pan is most remembered by his constant attitude of wanting his own way. He verbalized this by saying "I won't grow up". The writer of Hebrews sternly challenges the church to "grow up" in Christ. He tells them that enough time has passed and they should be mature believers and yet they seem to be having difficultly moving beyond elementary Christianity. The Apostle Paul tells the church at Corinth that a time came in his life when he "Became a man and put away childish things".

When raising children, parents are to bring correction and direction to their children for the purpose conforming to a standard of right and wrong as well as to bring them into maturity, that is, to "Grow Up". But why does it seem to be the opposite in the lives of many believers in the church in the USA? Why do we read scripture that challenges us to maturity, yet act childish by rejecting correction and direction? Could it be that maturity is based on ones own standard and not the Word of God?

This appears to be one of the problems with some of the churches that the writers of the New Testament seemed to be dealing with as time progressed. Today we have God's Word to draw from to show us what we should do, how we should live and who we are to become. The book of Acts paints a wonderful picture of how the church should and can be in Christ when believers give up their ways and by grace through faith live in Christ.

The early church was a unified body of individuals; individuals sharing common interests, characteristics, policies, activities and joint ownership.To the early church, their Christian faith was a day to day reality not a once or twice a week routine. This was because the risen Christ was a living reality to them and it was evidenced in the resurrection power at work in their lives through the Holy Spirit.

“With one accord” speaks of the same mind or with one mind. The early church seemed to have an entirely different perspective of God's Kingdom than the church seems to have today. To them Christ is King, they were under grace not the Law, they lived through faith not feelings, were directed by the Word of God and continuously witnessed a demonstration of spirit and power. The very things that gave the early church unparalleled success are the very things that liberal theology and the wisdom of men have rejected as not for today. The same grace that was available almost 2000 years ago to save, heal and deliver, comes from the same God who DOES NOT CHANGE, and is available today for everyone who believes.

Today the USA has a president who has said that the USA is NOT a Christian country. Millions of dollars are spent each year to support missions abroad and yet the USA is deemed "NOT CHRISTIAN". (Selah) It is time for the church in the USA to put away childish things, grow up and be of one mind. The church is to turn the world upside down but is failing to do so in a country who believes (or maybe one time believed) that the USA is "One Nation under GOD"!!! Just think how powerful the church would be if we were more concerned about Jesus and His Kingdom than us and our kingdoms...

Twenty Three and One Third Percent, No Way

In this next discussion concerning tithing vs giving we will discover that not only was the tithe under the Law crops and consumable animals but it was not limited to only ten percent, hummmm.

Deuteronomy 14:22-27 tells us that a second tithe was required by Israel that was a ceremonial or festival tithe and differs from the tithe given to the LORD for the Levites. This particular tithe was also a tenth of the crops, but now it was required to give the firstborn of the herds and flocks. This tithe also shows us that they had markets and income since verses 24-26 says to exchange (sell) the items for money, and then use the money to buy the food and drink for the festival.

Next, Deuteronomy 14:28-29 reveals a third tithe which was called the poor tithe, or the third-year tithe. Every third year the people were commanded to keep a third tithe that was stored at a local storehouse so those who were in need could partake of it. Once again we see that tithing is not about money nor is it a standard or obligation for the church. When you add the percents together, we find out that Israel was required to give two tithes during each year which equals twenty percent and a third tithe every third year. If we break this down into tithing each year we see that Israel was to give twenty three and one third percent each year (using three and one third percent each year for the poor tithe, which equals ten percent in three years). Even under the Law through obligation the people gave more than ten percent. How much more should the church give being under grace and exercising faith.

The question comes down to, have I given my all to Him or have I excluded my finances? What is meant by this is, do I give cheerfully and bountifully because my faith bears witness that "The earth is the LORD'S and all its fullness, the world and all who dwell therein" or do I hold back and give because as a Christian I am are called to give. Do I give not expecting a return or do I give and demand that God make good on His word and give me, give me, give me?

Today is the day for all believers, especially in the USA, to stop striving for more material things (not that they are evil, but the motivation that drives believers to wanting more is) and seek the things that do not perish...

Where the Buck Stops

Another aspect of tithing for today in the church comes from Malachi 3: 8-12. There is hardly an offering taken in the evangelical church that dose not refer to this passage of scripture. The problem that we have is this scripture has been spiritualized to support tithing in the NT church. However, a closer look at Malachi as well as Nehemiah who were of the same time frame will uncover the truth of this passage.

In Nehemiah 10:37-38 we see that the firstfruits, dough, offerings, the fruit, new wine and oil were taken to the temple for the priests, and the tithes were taken to the Levites from the farming communities. This is an indication that only those who grew food and raised animals did indeed tithe. We also see that the Levites were to take a tithe of the tithe given to them to the temple. It is this tithe, the tithe from the Levites that went to the storehouse, not the tithe directly from the people.

Next we see the issue as to why God spoke to Malachi about the people robbing Him. Remember Numbers 18:22-28 shows us that the tithes were paid to the LORD, and the LORD gave the tithes to the Levites as their inheritance and then the Levites would tithe the tithe to Aaron the priest (his decendants also). This is an important key. Nehemiah 13:10 tells us that the Levites were not receiving support (tithes) from the people and had to go to work. Because they had not been receiving the tithe their tithe was not given to the priests to put in the Temple Storehouse. Therefore the people under the Law were robbing God not the people under grace, the church.

Next Malachi tells us that God places a challenge before the people to bring the tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in His house. If they responded to this, God promises to open the windows of heaven and will pour out for them such blessing that they would not have room enough to receive it. Genesis 7:11, 8:1-2 reveals what the windows of heaven means. Opening the windows of heaven is God causing the rains to come which causes crops to grow, which the animals also were fed from. So what were Gods blessings that there would not be room enough to receive? It was the abundance food, that is, crops and animals, God's provision, not man's labors. The tithe is not money, but agruculture produce and food animals. The storehouse is not the local church, but the storehouse in the temple. The food is literal food not spiritual food. Opening the windows of heaven is rain that produces abundance of food to tithe (sell or trade) but not specifically for believers to get rich.

If believers want to call what they give to the church a tithe but not limit God to ten percent, then they will begin to have a biblical understanding of giving cheerfully and bountifully by grace through faith and not out of obligation or through a standard that has no place in the church. Giving should never be an act of Law even if it is a law devised and accepted by the church, but an act of love in which there is no law.

Give me my Portion

Joshua, the servant of Moses lead Israel in the conquest of Canaan. The LORD gave Joshua the details of dividing up the land among the tribes as their inheritance. However, in Joshua 13:14 we read that the tribe of Levi did not receive any land as their inheritance like the other tribes, but why was that?

We find out in Numbers 18:21 that Levi's inheritance was all the tithes of Israel in return for the work they performed at the tabernacle of meeting. Further investigation, Numbers 18:22-28 reveals that the tithe of Israel was actually given to the LORD who in turn gave to the Levites and then the Levites would tithe the tithe to Aaron the preist. So what was the tithe?

LEVITICUS 27:30-32 shows us what the tithe really was. The tithe was agricultural produce, crops and animals for food and not money. This is important to understand if believers are to be free from the laws the church leaders have placed upon them concerning tithing as a standard and or obligation in the church. We also see that the tithe was a tenth of the crops, as well as every tenth animal that passed under the shepherd's rod, not the first. Contrary to popular teaching in the church, there is no scripture where God had ever command tithing to be on the first ten percent. Next we notice something else the is very interesting. There was a penalty for someone who wanted to exchange their tithe for money which indicates that it was no longer a tithe because it was now 12%. God was discouraging tithing money by adding a penalty if it was exchanged for money.

The crops and animals were miracles of God, not from the labor of man. God was not commanding pay back of a tenth of what man created or earned. It had nothing to do with man’s labors but God’s provision. Israel was to trust the LORD and He would provide. It is the same for believers today. Although we may labor in our places of employment, faith says it has nothing to do with my labors, it is God who is providing. When believers think this way, then giving bountifully and cheerfully is a freedom because it is of grace not obligation, that is, Law.

I'll Tithe, But...

We've been exploring the idea of tithing for the church. We looked at one of the scriptures used to support tithing in the church prior to the Law which was Abram giving a tithe to Melchizedek. When viewing this in a sound way we see that there is no evidence to support the claim that tithing for the church should be a standard or and obligation. However, to be fair, we will now explore the second passage of scripture that certain sects of the church uses to support tithing as a standard or obligation in the church.

Genesis 28:20-22 we see some serious differences between what Jacob does and the churches approach to tithing...

• First, this appears to be a one time act and not an on going obligation or standard...
• Scripture does not reveal that Jacob ever tithed again for the rest of his life...
• Jacob’s tithe was on the condition that God first blessed and protected him...
• This tithe was voluntary...
• In all that God had promised (Genesis 28:13-15) there was no requirement made by God or nothing said by God that Jacob was obligated to tithe...
• Finally, there is no evidence in scripture the Jacob taught his sons to tithe...

Do you see the similarities with the two passages of scripture Genesis 14:15-24, Genesis 28:20-22? Although these two passages of scripture are used in the many sects of the church to support tithing as an standard or obligation, we can honestly see that what the church teaches and what we actually see in the scripture are quite different.

Just think about this one thing. Jacob’s tithe was on the condition that God first blessed and protected him. So if God does not bless and protect Jacob, then Jacob does not have to tithe. This is completely opposite to what the church teaches on tithing. It teaches that believers are to tithe first then God will bless and protect. What do we suppose the reaction would be if a believer went their pastor and said, “If God blesses and protects me first then I will tithe”. Of course that would be absurd. Believers receive blessings and protection through their faith in Jesus Christ not through tithing.

The point is, Laws keep believers from operating by grace through faith in which there is freedom. The Apostle Paul said in his letter to the church at Galatia, " Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us FREE, and DO NOT be ENTANGLED again with a yoke of BONDAGE". He was talking about freedom by grace verses bondage serving the Law.

Which would you prefer to do, tithe because as a believer that is what you are obligated to do or give cheerfully and bountifully because the grace of God is abounding on you?

A Law in Disguise?

Hold on to you faith, because we are going to address an issue in the church that should not be, but still causes confusion and mixed feeling among many believers today. Believer's today must throw aside the laws that the "wisdom of men" has so cunningly slipped in among the ranks if believer's are to truly experience the freedom that Christ has paid for, that is grace. So, what does the Bible say about tithing? Is tithing the standard of giving in the church? Is tithing an obligation for every believer? Is tithing part of the Law? Naturally this controversial subject will take some time to discuss, but hopefully by the end there will be no more questions or confusion when it come to giving in the church.

In this article we will look at the first of two passages of scripture that the evangelical church uses to support tithing by believer's as a standard and or obligation because both passages of scripture show tithing before the Law.

GENESIS 14:15-24 Abram goes out to rescue his nephew Lot from the king of Elam and other kings that join him to overthrown Sodom and Gomorrah. Abram defeats these kings, take all their goods, rescues Lot and all of Lot’s good and as he was heading back to his dwelling place is met by the priest of God Most High, whose name is Melchizedek. God is about to make a covenant with Abram, so Melchizedek meets Abram with bread and wine, a Biblical symbol of covenant. In turn Abram gives Melchizedek a tithe of all. What is the all that Abram gave him?

HEBREWS 7:4 tells us that the tithe was the "spoils" or the goods that he took after he defeated the kings while rescuing his nephew Lot. This is an important key, because this is one of two passages of scripture that is used to support tithing as an obligation or standard for the church prior to the Law. Let’s not only consider what Abram did, but also what he did not do as well, which is equally important.

• This appears to be a one time act and not an on going obligation or standard...
• Scripture does not reveal that Abram ever tithed again for the rest of his life...
• Note that the tithe (tenth) that Abram gave to Melchizedek was not from his personal possessions or wealth but the spoils that he took from the kings...
• We also see Abram giving the 90% of the spoils to the king of Sodom so that the king of Sodom could not boast the Abram wealth was from him...
• Next this tithe was voluntary. There is no indication that he was obligated to do this. There is no indication that God or anyone else had told him to do this...
• Scripture does not indicate at all that Abram taught his son Isaac to tithe...

You may also find it interesting that for approximately 2000 before Abram the Bible is silent concerning tithing. Now you may have your reason(s) for this but I find it altogether interesting that if tithing was so important to God, why was it not a part of man's economy from the beginning? Why is the Bible silent on this issue over 2000 years? Well as we can see in the above scripture, what is taught in the church concerning tithing being a standard or obligation of giving prior to the Law is not what the Bible clearly shows.

LORD willing we will eventually uncover what the Bible teaches concerning tithing as a standard or obligation verse cheerful, bountiful giving through grace. So what do you think?

What Group Are You Hangin' With?

As Jesus continues His teaching on true stewardship in Matthew Gospel after His encounter with "The Rich Young Ruler", we come to the Parable of the Landowner, Matthew 20:1-16. This parable reveals some very important foundational truths if believers are to be faithful and wise stewards of Christ.

We see that there are five groups of workers at different times of the day that the landowner employs to work in His field. How the various groups respond to the landowner before they go into the field to work is a key to understanding true stewardship. The first group who start work at 6 AM agree with the landowners terms of wages for their work, one denarius. However, looking at the groups that the landowner hired at 9 AM, 12 PM, 3 PM and 5 PM we see that the landowner makes no promise of a set wage, but only that he would give them "whatever is right", yet they still go into the field and work. What we see here is that the first group of workers agree for a set wage for their labors and the other four groups of workers trust that the landowner will be fair in return for their labors. This is very important.

Finally the end of the day comes and the workers come in from the field to receive their wage. However, the landowner reverses the order in which he pays the workers starting from the last group hired to the first. The first group of worker see that the other groups receive the same pay, a denarius. They supposed that they would receive more because they worked longer. Seeing that they received the same, a denarius, they complain to the landowner. The landowner bring their attention to his faithfulness of him honoring his agreement with them. He also makes them aware that it is lawful to do what he wishes with his own things and then concludes with, "Or is your eye evil because I an good?"

The focus of this parable concerns how believers see and approach Jesus Christ. Do you suppose that your works should be rewarded? Do you become angry when another believer seems to be more blessed than you even when you have worked longer or harder? Why did the first group respond so negatively? They thought that their "Works" would make a way for the landowner to bless them, whereas the other four groups trusted the landowner and got to experience the landowners abundant "Grace".

Jesus concludes by saying, "For many are called, but few are chosen". It takes faith to walk as faithful and wise steward of Jesus Christ, because it's not about money or possessions, nor is it about how much money or possessions that we give or don't give, it's about our relationship with the landowner. So, what group are you honestly hangin' with?