The Facts About the Body of Christ
There is no doubt in John’s mind that he wasn’t a part of the bride, and he was happy with that.
Should you wish to be part of the bride instead of part of the “general assembly” seek out a scriptural New Testament church, and speak to their pastor.
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The Facts About Church Giving
Many a minister has preached on tithing, using the Old Testament patriarchs as examples of pledging ten percent of their increases to God. They do this while reminding us we should be doing this in a cheerful attitude for the right reason.
During Prayer Meeting back in the early 1960s at Sunset Drive Baptist Church, we’d just finished a song when the power went out at the church. Pastor Newcombe laughed and said that this would be the best time to take up an offering.
For a moment, the church was dead quiet as the congregation wasn’t too sure how to react. While a few then laughed with him, there were those who seemed to think this was some sort of a threat.
I’ve read about churches that have launched building projects, and to make sure that the project could be financed, had asked for the membership to make a written commitment to tithing.
This might seem alright to some, but if hardship falls on a member, they were still expected to come up with their offering, because they had committed to it. I don’t know what the punishment was if they didn’t, but it is things like this that has turned many off to giving to the Lord.
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The Facts About Church Giving
Collections should not be treated as pledging.
Some of these ministers rarely preach from the Old Testament, except when it comes to finances where they forget what Jesus said and instead impart what Moses taught.
In this lesson we’ll look at the difference between Old Testament tithing and New Testament collections. This will remind us of another difference between Law and Grace, and how attitude fits into the equation.
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The Facts About Church Giving
Two Biblical Examples on Giving
We all heard or used the phrase “There, but for the grace of God, go I”. It’s the realization that we are all where we are in this moment, not because of anything we’ve done, but due to circumstances we don’t control. It’s also acknowledging that our circumstances can change without warning or reason, and not always for the better. This is both humbling, and should fill us with gratitude for what we have.
It should also allow us to identify with those less fortunate than us. The hand we might be slipping some money into might one day be slipping money into ours. This is a wonderful rule to live by:
Matthew 7:12
¶ Therefore all things whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do ye even so to
them: for this is the law and the prophets.
And yes, there are secularists and atheists who say that living by the Golden Rule covers everything, and is good enough to replace most of our laws.
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The Facts About Church Giving
What many of them don’t realize is that the Golden Rule comes from the Bible, specifically the Sermon on the Mount. What this rule pertains to is how we treat our fellow man. There would be less murder, theft, unfaithfulness, and even bullying if the world could only live by this precept.
The Gentile churches put themselves in the place of the poor saints in Jerusalem, and knew what they would hope others would do for them if that were the case. They then acted accordingly.
2 Corinthians 8:14
But by an equality, that now at this time your
abundance may be a supply for their want,
that their abundance also may be a supply
for your want: that there may be equality:
God has always cared for everyone, and this includes His poor. Gleaning was part of the law specifically so that the poor would be provided for. This was the practice of leaving the corners of the fields untouched during harvest, allowing the poor to gather grain for food.
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The Facts About Church Giving
This wasn’t a handout: the grain wasn’t collected, cleaned, processed, and handed out to the unfortunate; those who needed the gleanings still had to work to get the grain ready to eat.
The best recorded example of this is in the book of Ruth, where Ruth gleaned in the field of Boaz before he became her kinsman redeemer. Despite the fact it isn’t witnessed past Ruth, that doesn’t mean it stopped after that incident. This was all under Jewish rule.
Under Roman rule that might have changed: if anyone could afford to leave gleanings in their field, they obviously had an overabundance, and the Roman army was a hungry army.
Some of the payments of the properties that were sold and given to the church in Acts were for the poor. At first, the church was small enough that all who were less fortunate were able to get what they needed, but as the church expanded after Pentecost, the poor and the widows were unable to receive their assistances.
This was when the apostles showed how important the poor and widows were to them: They went Old Testament on them.
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The Facts About Church Giving
Numbers 11
16 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses,
Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of
Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders
of the people, and officers over them; and
bring them unto the tabernacle of the
congregation, that they may stand there with
thee. 17 And I will come down and talk with
thee there: and I will take of the spirit which
is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and
they shall bear the burden of the people with
thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.
God has never expected the clergy to carry the spiritual and physical needs of His people. Many of us seem like we expect that, but this shouldn’t be the case.
The ministry of the church is important: it is its core value and principle. But because caring for the congregation’s widows and poor is also important, the office of deacon was created: laity would see to this physical need so clergy could continue with the spiritual needs of the church.
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The Facts About Church Giving
Acts 6
1 And in those days, when the number of the
disciples was multiplied, there arose a
murmuring of the Grecians against the
Hebrews, because their widows were
neglected in the daily ministration. 2 Then
the twelve called the multitude of the
disciples unto them, and said, It is not
reason that we should leave the word of
God, and serve tables. 3 Wherefore,
brethren, look ye out among you seven men
of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and
wisdom, whom we may appoint over this
business. 4 But we will give ourselves
continually to prayer, and to the ministry of
the word. 5 And the saying pleased the
whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a
man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and
Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and
Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a
proselyte of Antioch: 6 Whom they set
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The Facts About Church Giving
before the apostles: and when they had
prayed, they laid their hands on them.
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The Facts About Church Giving
Giving Under the Law (The Tithe)
The Hebrews were commanded to give a tithe. This wasn’t limited to money, but to cattle, fruit and grain, wine and oil, and even their land.
Leviticus 27
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the
seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is
the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD. 31
And if a man will at all redeem ought of his
tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part
thereof. 32 And concerning the tithe of the
herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever
passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be