Spiritual Christianity

Christian Giving: What You May Not Have Been Told

Ken

God does not need your money. The Church may be able to use your money. You may barely be able to pay your bills. Why should you feel compelled to give? God admits it. He owns everything. “For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10 KJV). The Church is made up of people like you and me, who are trying to do God’s work in spreading the Gospel. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2Corinthians 5:19). We come to the Father with whatever income we have and acknowledge everything we have belongs to Him, because we belong to Him. “Ye are bought with a price” (1Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). Now, how much does He want us to give? Evidently, the answer to that question is strictly a matter of trust between you and Him, for He is looking to develop a living, working relationship with you. “Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him [raptured him home to Heaven without dying]” (Genesis 5:24). 

God is seeking to grow our confidence in Him. 

First, tithes or giving a tenth of one’s income, as a sign of you taking care of God’s business, so He takes care of your business (Genesis 28:20, 22), were given by Abram to Melchizedec (14:20) long before their was an OT Mosaic Law requiring it (Leviticus 27:30), since God uses tithing to develop our relationship of trust with Him. 

Second, we should especially support the local church, which ministers to us, even though tithes belong to the LORD, not the Church, Christian ministry, or missionary enterprise. “All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s” (Leviticus 27:30). God directs you to place it wherever He sees fit. But, shouldn’t we support those who labor for us? “And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house” (Luke 10:7). 

Third, those who minister to us are trusting the LORD to minister to their needs, even as we are trusting the LORD to provide for our needs. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38). 

Fourth, the LORD seeks to bless His people through their giving, “not because I [Paul] desire a gift; but I desire fruit that may abound to your account… but my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:17, 19). 

Fifth, the LORD challenges His people to test and prove Him, if He will not bless you more than you can bless Him. “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” (Malachi 3:10). 

Sixth, regarding our tithes and offerings, Is there not a God in the Church today, as there was with David, as he fought the Nephilim Goliath? Okay, here’s our chance to see God deliver us and our respective local churches, Christian ministries, and missionary enterprises. “This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (1Samuel 17:46). 

Seventh, offerings as well as tithes, God may be directing you to give, for offerings may be unrighteously withheld from God, also (Malachi 3:8). We are not taking the initiative in our giving, if we neglect to cultivate the giving of the firstfruits offering — celebrating the surplus above the normal — understanding it to be only a further opportunity for God to bless us (and Himself) further. “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10). 

Conclusion

Especially, when giving is a subject of difficulty or testing for ourselves, then it is so valuable in developing us. God has a right to challenge us concerning our giving, because it is a test of our trust in Him. Wise Christian ministers are careful to beg for money. But, Church members, who listen, should take their que, when they catch hints of need, in conversation with leadership. Treat giving to the LORD’s Church and ministry, as if it was being done to the LORD. “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me” (Matthew 25:40). 

Father, bless Your people with a new or renewed sense of understanding about the opportunity of giving to grow Your kingdom, provide for the Church, and draw us closer in understanding and dependence upon You. In Jesus’ name, come quickly, we pray. Amen and amen. 

Waiting for Christ’s Return

Ken

How often do you hear a sermon about waiting for the return of Christ? “And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come” (1Thessalonians 1:10 KJV). Paul devoted two entire books of the NT to the theme of waiting for the return of Christ. “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ” (2Thessalonians 3:5). This demonstrates the practical nature of properly teaching Bible prophecy. The Thessalonians lived as if they were waiting for Christ’s return, which, if properly taught, always promotes godly living (1Thessalonians 4-5). Sanctification was not simply a theoretical doctrine, but Spirit empowered daily living. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Thessalonians 5:23). LORD, may we, like the Thessalonians, be waiting for the return of Christ, and may we be full of your Spirit, as we live our daily lives, until You return. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. 

Father of Lies

Ken

When we lie, we own the devil as our father and practice the same evil desires as Lucifer, when he coveted God’s glory. Lucifer murdered the Almighty in his heart, when he refused the truth that all glory belongs to the Most High. Denying the truth of our Creator’s worthiness of all glory is the foundation of all lies. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44 KJV). If simply not declaring all the facts about a circumstance is lying, then would a photograph where a house appears larger than it is, be lying? Intention is obviously the point. Do we see God as unworthy of His glory? Then we murder God in our heart. LORD, may we exalt You in our heart as worthy of the glory due You. May we not be those, who say, I know You, and keep not Your commandments, and be accounted a “liar, and the truth is not in [us]” (1John 2:4). Bless Yourself. Return quickly. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Ordinary People

Ken

What does “ordinary people” mean? We want the happiness of people needing people, but we fall prey to enshrining the needs of someone other than God as the bedrock of our happiness. “Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD” (Psalm 144:15 KJV). We live in exceptional times, or as Charles Dickens wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” in A Tale of Two Cities (1859). Our sense of “happiness” and “ordinary people” must be tied to the LORD, for Hollywood’s “Ordinary People” (1980) or Broadway’s “People” (1964) [“needing people”] are only a facsimile of the truly blessed people Jesus described. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). These are the ordinary people, who are the happiest people on earth. Only when our heartfelt sympathy is defined by the LORD, then Charles Dickens’ Sydney Carton’s sacrifice for the happiness of another becomes at all significant. “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done.” LORD, may our motivation and aspiration be of Thee, and may the world receive the benefit. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Why Didn’t I Think of That?

Ken

If every good thought comes from above, then we didn’t think of something before because God did not give it to us then. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17 KJV). Ownership of our thoughts means we take responsibility for our thinking, but that doesn’t mean we originate the thought. Some people do not like to use commentaries to gain better understanding of Scripture because they do not want the contamination of man’s thoughts. If that were so, then we shouldn’t listen to someone’s preaching or teaching for fear of agreeing with someone else’s thoughts. “There is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). That is not a vain thought, since every good thought first proceeds from the mind of God. Spirit of God, cause me to be open to Your directions. May I not be surprised or offended by the ease which Your people may accept Your leading. May I be more open to think Your thoughts, so I can be just as led by You as Philip, when You directed him toward Gaza on the way to Egypt for his encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch. Make me readily acceptable to Your thoughts. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Overconfidence: Not a Gift of the Spirit

Ken

There is an American epidemic of overconfidence. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1Corinthians 10:12 KJV). A study of eight developed countries found that American students were dead last in math skills but number one in confidence in math skills. Atheist Bill Maher wrote, “We are number one in thinking we’re number one” (from “What This Comedian Said Will Shock You”). He continues, “Kids now have too much self-esteem, and it’s turning them into angry, screaming grievance collectors. All of that childhood tolerance is resulting in grown-up tyrants. It’s no wonder that by the time they get to college, just having to listen to an opinion they don’t agree with is considered an act of ‘violence.’” Those with true confidence see themselves and everything else from God’s point of view. LORD, grant to us the confidence that comes with standing with You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. 

Mysteries of the LORD

Ken

God is not trying to exclude anyone from His company, but we block ourselves from receiving privileges from Him depending on how much we fear Him. “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear Him; and He will shew [shō] them His covenant” (Psalm 25:14 KJV). “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29), but He can also be a fearful master, if we do not give Him the respect He deserves. God is not like an object we purchase to be discarded, when we tire of Him. We are His creation, and we do well to find how best to approach Him. His covenant is simple. “Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you” (Jeremiah 7:23). He gives us our own personal comforter (John 14:16), advocate (1John 2:1), teacher (John 14:26), guide (Isaiah 30:21), mentor (1John 2:27), coach (1Corinthians 12:1-11), body guard (Isaiah 52:12), reminder to walk humbly because the Spirit draws attention to Jesus not Himself (John 16:13), reminder of His love (2Corinthians 13:14), and insurance that we can obey His commands (Ezekiel 36:27), when we took our loyalty oath of water baptism to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Though we want to encourage all those around us to embrace the understanding He has given us, we are not to slow down or hold back in our seeking to understand more about our Master, even if our fellow disciples do not yet share all our appreciation of Him. Father, cause us to hunger and thirst for Your righteousness. Cause us to be drawn to a better understanding of who You are. Cause us to be drawn into greater love with You (16:02). Show us Jesus. In His precious name, we pray. Amen. 

Why Am I Still Here?

Ken

Ever hear an extremely elderly individual voice that question, or something like it? Probably not nor may you ever. But, it’s still a good question. Paul answered it. “21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot [know] not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:21-24 KJV). Evidently, your presence on this planet is still necessary, as far as our Heavenly Father is concerned, if not for your spiritual benefit, then for someone else, or both. Occupy yourself with the LORD, until He calls you Home, for you will occupy yourself with Him forever. It will never get old! LORD, cause us not to be weary in well doing. Give us the strength to match our days. Instruct us to be useful to You, others, and ourselves. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Righteousness Solves the World’s Problems

Ken

Read story after story of investigative reporting, and it reveals the wrong actions of people in society, where untold damage takes place. When will we ever learn? Instead of attempting to only put out all the fires of the arsonist, catch the fire bug. Even better, deal with the fire of the human heart. Government attempts to use force to maintain society — as it must — but, right action or righteousness is primarily the domain of God dealing with the human heart. “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34 KJV). As much as we desire the miraculous to solve the problems of humanity, miracles do not necessarily fix the problem of our lack of understanding of how or why God wants the world to act. “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130). Righteousness is right action, and we still need miracles to survive the opposition our adversary, as a “roaring lion” (1Peter 5:8), who dearly opposes righteousness. LORD, You are our Righteousness. Only Your Spirit working in anyone can cause right action. Work righteousness in us here below that it may continue into Your heavenly presence. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. 

Talking About Jesus

Ken

If we were talking more about Jesus, then we wouldn’t be doing all the things we shouldn’t be doing. Would we be so brash to say we can talk more about Jesus later in Heaven, but there are more interesting things to talk about now? “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2Corinthians 10:5 KJV). Obviously, brushing aside Jesus so easily, is dancing on the edge of Hell with little thought of the eternal stakes. Danger signs should be erected to prevent the uninformed: “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts” (Psalm 10:4). Profession alone is not possession. “4 He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him. 5 But whoso keepeth His word, in Him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. 6 He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked” (1John 2:4-6). LORD, may we accustom ourselves to talking to You and about You now, for we covet Your conversation in Eternity. Wake up the Sleeping Professed Church and rescue us from the pit of Hell. Keep us from waving  a false document of eternal security in front of You, while we do not the things You tell us to do. Return quickly, in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.