Oh yes, another example of someone getting out of debt by tithing. Read the story here “CBN.com“. I have to be careful here, because i do believe God honors faith, as well as sacrificial giving, which means that i believe giving 10% isn’t the only way to receive blessing. According to the story, apparently, a couple has paid of $125,000 worth of debt since they started tithing. I do not doubt that God’s blessing is upon them, i just wish people do not think that tithing is the magical bullet for their lives.
For every tithing success story, you could probably find an equal story where an individual is tithing and getting in even more debt then before. In my tithing testimony you will read that my own family suffered the consequences of debt, and legalistic tithing. People don’t understand that God blesses the sacrifice not the animal. So it isn’t because this couple reached the 10% benchmark, that God decided to finally bless them. It’s the sacrifice that they made that God blessed.
I’m not preaching another form of the health/wealth gospel here. God’s word says he blesses faith. I couldn’t tell you the form that your blessing will come in, or even if it is now or in eternity, but God does reward faith, not that personal gain is why you should give.
Many more have gotten out of debt, through practical stewardship principles rather than waiting for the windows of heaven to open up. Typically, money doesn’t fall from the sky. Usually, financial planning is the key to financial success. There are no tricks to being wealthy, or even financially stable. There is only planning, and implementing.
I just found out that a new iphone app is out there for those of you who have trouble figuring out 1/10 of your income {sarcasm}. Come get your iphone tithing calculator today. If you don’t know how to divide or multiply by 10, or if you do not know how to move 2 decimal places to the left, then this tithe iphone app is for you.
I wonder if they’ll come out with an iphone app that helps you calculate your offerings as well.
Under a tithing system, a pimps financial security is not dependent upon freewill givers guided by spiritual discernment. For this fact alone, tithing in the Spirit led Church incubates heretical teaching.
The law has no authority to command support for a ministry that the law did not commission. If the Spirit is calling a ministry, then let the Holy Spirit validate His work by also calling others to give. Otherwise you will get those who say they are led by the Spirit, but truly are misled, and yet still feel the need to obligate others into supporting him.
So now we have the problem that a man claims the Spirit is calling his fellowship in one direction, and then on the other hand God’s people are obligated to pay for a humanistic decision. It’s a catch-22. You disagree with a pastor and yet, you are obligated to fund his operation. What do you do? On top of that, throw in the often mis-interpreted phrase, “touch not God’s anointed”, and there you have it, no accountability, no questioning, lots of money, and all consuming power all rested in the finger tips of one man with a vision(whatever that may be).
So what’s going to stop this train wreck? We know one thing for sure, lack of money isn’t stopping it as long as God’s people know they are obligated to tithe.
The quotes i am about to write in this blog almost don’t sound real. The original news article is found at PressTelegram.com. You can see for yourself how the Church is way off track with what our mission is suppose to be. For those of you who don’t want to read the article, the basic premises is that a church is in a lot of debt, and they don’t have a lot of money to pay for it. So they are contemplating turning their facility into a community center so they can attract more revenue in order to keep their doors open. So let’s start blowing your mind. Here are the quotes from this article.
Mind boggling statement #1
“I’ve perceived a real need for a center in the community” . . .
. . . “We’ve seen the facility as a real potential asset for the community as a whole”
Mind boggling statement #2
“The answer may be found in what other communities nationwide have called “adaptive reuse” of churches that have opened their doors to community purposes in order to survive.”
Mind Boggling statement #3
“I am of the opinion that some of the ideas that have worked across the country in adaptive reuse could work here if there is a proper process in educating the community and allowing the community to participate.”
Why does it all of a sudden become a necessity to be involved in community, when you face extinction? How messed up have we been if now we realize that we should start being an asset to the community around us? Since when did we realize that our doors need to be opened to community? And finally, since when did we realize that educating and allowing the community to participate was a good idea?
Holy, stinkin moley! Are you kidding me? These church leaders all of a sudden received an epiphany about their relevancy in the community? Being relevant is hardly about whether you’ve got the right clothing styles, modern worship band, great equipment, and a nice place to gather. I can tell you that as a parent, if simulating my child’s wardrobe and music mixes makes me relevant than that’s the last thing on my list to do.
The definition of relevant is: “Having a bearing on or connection with the matter at hand.” What specific matters does the church have a good bearing on right now? I’m sure we have a good hold on the “cool” matter. I’m sure we have a good hold on the “big and popular” matter. I’m sure we’ve done a great job connecting the Godly culture with the wordly culture. But what matters should we actually have a bearing on? That’s the relevant question we should be answering.
I just posted a tithe rap video yesterday, and now i found another video on tithing. This tight economy must really be crunching church budgets. I’ve never seen such an increase of videos on tithing and giving.
Watch the video below to get your dose of legalistic guilt for the day.
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