The Abundance of Freely Giving

I am so glad to attend a local church body that does NOT believe in a mandatory monetary tithe. The church I attend does NOT teach a mandatory monetary tithe. In fact, we don't even pass a plate or have those little "tithe sermons" that guilt you into giving. We don't even have "tithe" envelopes, but we have "offering" envelopes instead.

Yet, many people may wonder, "How do these churches survive without a mandatory monetary tithing?
There is an offering box in the back of the church on the way in and out. Every Sunday morning we get a little program handout before we enter the church sanctuary, and on the back it has the attendance the week before, the budget to date, the offering to date, weekly budget, last week's offering, the benevolence fund balance and building fund balance. No where is there a place to "tithe." I didn't even mention all the missionaries, foreign and domestic, we support and all the other smaller side ministries as well.

Now, we had a budget to date of $600,000.00 for 2012 in December. The offering to date for 2012 was $621,790.66.
Now, tell me "pro-tithers," how does a church that does NOT teach the mandatory monetary tithe go over their budget in abundance without manipulating people into giving without twisting OT scriptures, without passing a plate every Sunday morning or without giving a little guilt "tithing sermon" before service?
Has God richly blessed our church or are our finances cursed?

We have a benevolence fund of $15,611.32 that is used for church members only! It is a fund that is used to help our own members pay bills, get food, etc. and/or if they ever get into a financial bind; yet, it is not at a zero balance.
You would think that if a church that doesn't teach tithing would have over half the church members struggling financially because they don't "tithe" at all. Evidently, this is not the case and our members are blessed instead. Could this be because they are NOT giving out of compulsion but instead giving because of Spirit led and purposeful giving?

It just goes to show that the lies taught by those who have fallen into the trap of money and worldly possessions have only one thing on their minds. That is, "How can I get from God, if I give my 10%?" Maybe you should renew your mind and change the way you think by saying to yourself, "How can I be a blessing to others and not expect anything in return?" Then, you will be blessed and then you will store up treasures in heaven.

The Paranormal

First let me just say that curiosity is not a sin. It is only when we are weak in our faith that we can be tempted. “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death (Js 1:14-15).” If you are not tempted, then there is no sin. “If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning, for you are not following your convictions.” Romans 14:23

I believe that if you know God, and have a personal relationship with Christ and that you know your faith is strong, and that you are not tempted or influenced to carry out any types of wandering, and if the Holy Spirit has NOT convicted you of anything being wrong, and you are NOT violating your conscience then there's nothing wrong with watching silly TV shows about the paranormal, witches or vampires. In other words, if you watch TV shows or movies about these types of themes and you are watching for pure entertainment value and nothing more, then you are basking in Christian freedom. You merely doing what God has permitted for you to do in your Christian liberty granted by Christ’s death and resurrection. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:12, "You say, "I am allowed to do anything" -but not everything is good for you. And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything." It is not my place to tell you what you can and cannot do with your own liberty in Christ. Just remember who you are and who you belong to.

The gift of freewill that was given to us through Christ has not limited us to what we can and cannot do. There are no rules of don’t touch this, don’t watch that, and don’t eat this or don’t do that on that day. Men-made traditions are the only things that limit us in what we can and cannot do, touch, see or eat. Paul said, “You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right.” - Romans 14:22

I believe that not that all things that are “good” are profitable for you either, and not all things that are “bad” are inherently wrong either. I believe there are some good things that can come from some bad things. Isn't that what God does? What Joseph’s brothers meant for evil, God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20). Even our worst sins and actions have turned out to teach us what is wrong and what is right. We learn from them and if we had not seen, heard or experienced the bad, how would we not appreciate the good? How can we appreciate God's wonderful grace, without knowing God's hard and loving truth?  

“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? - Romans 6:2 

How can we appreciate God's wonderful grace, without knowing God's hard and loving truth? The one person, who is forgiven much, loves much more. “But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love (Luke 7:47).” When we finally understand that God’s love and grace is stronger than our sin, we are not moved by trivial, worldly things that have no power over us.

Now, getting a little more specific; TV shows and movies about witches, ghosts, demons, vampires, zombies and werewolves are not sinful. They are no more sinful than reading a story mentioned in the bible. The difference is that the TV and movies are illustrated with video, audio and special effects and the bible are only illustrated with words that describe the story.

Now, the people who are involved in the “reality TV” of ghost hunting are very brave, very ingenious, very ignorant or very stupid! I don’t know if what they experience in front of the camera are staged, added special effects, just coincidences or if they are actual manifestations of the demonic kind. However, with all this in mind, these kinds of things are known throughout human history and they may or may not exist. 

In Isaiah 29:4 it says, “Then deep from the earth you will speak; from low in the dust your words will come. Your voice will whisper from the ground like a ghost conjured up from the grave.” – Ghosts exist?

In Mark 6:49, the Jesus’ disciples were in a boat in the middle of a lake and during a storm, “but when they saw him [Jesus] walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost.” – Ghosts exist?

In Luke 8:27, “As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town.” – Demon possessed people exist?

In 1 Samuel 28:7 it says, “Then Saul said to his servants, “Find a woman for me who can speak with spirits, that I may go to her and ask her what I should do.” His servants said to him, “See, there is a woman at Endor who can speak with spirits.” – Mediums exist and people can come up from the grave?

In Ezekiel 37:1-10 the prophet writes, “The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”

So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army (NLT).” - That's Ezekiel 37:1-10, and that's him raising an army of the undead?

In Proverbs 30:15 it says, “The vampire, hath two daughters, Give! Give! Three, there are, will not be satisfied, four, have not said, Enough! (REB)” - Vampires exist?

In Psalm 29:6 it says, “He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn (KJV).” - Unicorns exist?

What makes the bible anymore “playing with fire” than the TV or movies? Where these stories of “supernatural causes? Did these stories distract you from the truth of Jesus Christ?

The answer is, “No.” Nothing can separate us from Jesus, not even scary movies, scary TV shows or stories about the paranormal. Now, the question should be, can these types of things distract a non-believer from the truth of the gospel of Christ? Hmm…maybe, but from my own experience before I came to believe in Christ, I wasn’t really “distracted” as I was much more interested. Thankfully, with my interests, I never really delved too deep in these things, but I was merely excited about their great wonder and the curiosity of the unknown. However, since I heard the truth of Jesus Christ, all of those things seemed to take second place and didn’t mean much to me anymore. Maybe I can say that the idea of believing in the unseen, invisible and unknown actually taught me to believe in the things that would come later, much like a child is taught to believe in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. If you think about it, I was taught to believe in a lot of things that are untrue. I was taught in seventh grade in science class that I “evolved” from a monkey. Hmm…you know there are people who still believe in that fairy tale. I fell for it and through that I believed in a lot of things, but honestly I believe it prepared me to believe in Jesus, in whom I could not see, not hear and not touch.

Since then, I have discovered that I don’t know if all these other things actually exist but I do know that Jesus is more than a fairy-tale and I now know He is real, and the only thing that is real to me.

Dear LGBTQIA Persons

The first thing I want to let you know is that Christians are NOT supposed to be making judgmental statements or jokes about you, your lifestyle or sexual preferences. The second thing is that we are not supposed to be grouping you all in one category and assume that you are feel the same way and all agree with each other. I would hope that you all would do the same with us Christians.

Let me remind you that under the Law given to Israel from God, it says:

Leviticus 18:22 – “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.”

Leviticus 20:13 – ““If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense.”

Now, I can’t speak for all the other Christians in the world but I do know what we are all “supposed” to be doing. So, with that in mind let me inform you all of this. Did you know that there are homosexual Christians, Bi-sexual Christians, Lesbian Christians and Transgender Christians? Well, there are and they will go to heaven, and you will not. They will go to heaven because they have trusted in Christ for their salvation. They have trusted and believed in Christ despite their sexual and lustful weaknesses. They have realized that they ARE sinners and that there is nothing “good” that they can do in order to earn or buy their way into heaven. If you have repented of your old selfish ways and “dead works” life, and have believed in Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you will have eternal life and be in heaven.

They have laid down their arms, so to speak, and have given themselves over to Christ and have accepted Christ as their sin substitute. They understand that Jesus Christ paid their sin penalty for them, for all eternity. Did you think that Jesus came to earth to start another hypocritical, bigoted, useless man-made religion that is practically worthless except to those who believe in it? No. The whole purpose of God coming to earth was to live a holy life as Christ, die as an innocent man and to be raised to life after being dead 3 days in the tomb! Yes, Jesus came to earth to save you! Would you rather be a gay going to hell or a gay going to heaven?

For you straight [heterosexual] skeptics, let me ask you this; are you worthy of heaven or hell? Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever taken something that wasn’t your? So, you are a lying thief according to God’s standard. Why do you judge others who sin differently than you? How do you expect to get into heaven if you keep sinning? But, you cannot stop sinning, can you? Yes, you can have victory in the penalty of sin and you can have the power to help you overcome but as long as you live in your fleshly body, you will continue to sin until the end. What makes you different from any other sinner? So, what makes you think that a sinner like you can get into heaven but a lesbian cannot? Aren’t you both sinners? Yes, but it is only by repentance and believing in Christ to pay the price for your homosexuality and lying and thieving that you will make it into heaven. But, please don’t use Jesus as fire insurance. Let’s make sure your salvation is genuine, okay?

So, just to let the LGBT communities know; yes, the Christians who follow biblical principles will not agree with your personal choices to continue in your gay lifestyle. However, it’s really none of our business what you do behind closed doors. And, out of respect for others [if you have any respect for others], you should not be pushing your sexual preferences down the throats of society either. And, even though Christians don’t agree with your choices, that doesn’t mean that they hate you.

Allow me to say again; Christians do NOT hate the LGBTQIA Community [Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and asexual.]. As a matter of fact, we love you! You guys and gals are the best example of God’s truth, mercy and grace. Jesus came to save gays, lesbians, transsexuals, straights, liars, murderers, thieves, adulterers, fornicators and all the other sins that seem natural to every man and woman. Just to let you all in a secret, that includes every man and woman of every race, nation, creed and color that calls them selves human. How can Christians hate the people Jesus came to save? That just doesn’t make any sense.

Now, you may be wondering; if homosexuality is a sin and so is adultery, then how can I get into heaven?

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.”

Doesn’t that include just about everyone in the world? So, who will be saved? 

Paul continued with 1 Corinthians 6:11, “Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Thus, you should turn from a life of sinning [not just homosexuality, but lying and thieving too] and trust in Jesus that He became sin for you, paid your penalty for sinning against God and for nailing your sins to the cross on Him. Believe in Jesus Christ and he will save you from eternal separation from God.

Therefore, let me finish this with a final thought. I suspect that as life goes on and time keeps ticking away, the nation of America and others around the world will probably move toward the gradual acceptance and normalcy of homosexuality; some may even call it “the new normal.” But, in the event that people still stand for what they believe, that is, homosexuality is immorally wrong, you still have no right to call them names, verbally assault them or believe they are haters. Unless you know the thoughts of their hearts, you can no more judge them no more than they can judge you. After all, what makes the Gay Community or religious Christians so self-righteous as to believe that they are the only ones who have rights?

STOP JUDGING OTHER BELIEVERS!!!!!!

I recently commented on a link that a Christian “friend” named Frank had posted on facebook concerning that “masturbators” will go to hell. So, I simply just commented “Frank, we are all sinners.”

Then a day later, some guy named “Helmut” commented on Franks post saying: “ to [my name]...if you like "iron maiden" that shows you belong to the whore and not to the bride...cause the BRIDE loves holiness and hates demonic filth...so dont tell us we are all sinners-you live in sin but if you repent you can still become the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS...so decide whom you will serve and dont tell us your lukewarm oppinions here...” ~ Helmut

I assume that Helmut went to my profile and saw that I recently posted a link to an Iron Maiden song on my wall. This is what I responded to him with:

Helmut,
If liking a metal band called “Iron Maiden” is the evidence of belonging to the whore, then I guess believing upon the name of Jesus Christ means nothing to you. Listening to a certain kind of music is not a sin. Where in Scripture does it state this? Just so you know Iron Maiden is a band that has some Christian members. They quote prayers, excerpts from old Hymns and use some Scripture cited in their music and songs. They are just a band from England who uses a outrageous gimmick to make a living at what they love to do, which is to make music. But, that’s beside the point.
God’s Word tells me that I am His because of my FAITH in Christ and it is by His GRACE I am saved, it is a GIFT from God, not of works lest any man should boast. I am with the Bride because of what Christ has done for me, not because of what kind of music I listen too.It was in my place Jesus took my sins upon Himself in order to save me and all those who believe upon the name of Jesus Christ. I have put my faith and trust in Christ and His Word says that NOTHING can separate me from His love for me; not listening to a metal band or even my own sins. Why? Jesus took all of my sins upon Himself when He was upon the cross and He paid the penalty for my sin; and all the rest of the world’s sins as well.
People will not go to hell because of sin! People will go to hell because they do not have eternal life. And, the only thing that will send them to hell is unbelief and unrepentance. Without faith, no one can please God and without belief in the Son, no one has eternal life.
1 John 2:2 - “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
John 6:47 – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life (KJV).”
John 3:17-18 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (KJV).”
“Salvation is a gift, it cannot be earned, nor is it deserved, it is freely given by God.  Our part in this transaction is to “believe.” We must understand that we have a sin problem, about which we can do nothing, but that God did do something about, and we must believe this to be true. Then there are the two results:  Eternal life which comes to those who believe, and death which comes to those who don’t believe.
The key is repentance.  Unbelievers must repent, not only of their unbelief, but of all their sins.  Repentance was the message of every Jewish prophet as well as John the Baptist and Jesus Christ himself (Matthew 4:17).  Repentance is turning away from our life of sin and turning toward God in faith.  The only reason repentance works is because Jesus paved the way for us to turn in repentance with his atoning death on the cross.  God can’t ignore our sin debt because he is completely holy and just and cannot look on our sin (Habakkuk 1:13).  Sin must be paid for and we cannot pay it, so God sent his Son to pay it in our stead.”
Jesus died for SINNERS, not self-righteous bigots who think that their crap doesn’t stink (Yes, he did but you get the point). Yes, we are forgiven of all of our sins but as long as we still live in the human body, we will continue to sin until the day we get our new bodies. Yes, it is a struggle and yes, it is not easy. Even if we do sin, God is faithful to forgive us. Just so you know, I do pursue holiness but that’s nothing I have to prove to you. Only God knows the heart of man and I serve to please Him, not you. Therefore, for you to cast judgment upon me with without knowing the intentions of my heart are incredibly invalid and unbecoming of a Christian.”

Since then, I have checked back on that post and there was no response. I also “unfriended” Frank on facebook since then. I am not on facebook to argue back and forth about things most mature Christians should already know.

Here’s my advice to all Christians: STOP JUDGING OTHER BELIEVERS!!!!!!

It’s time for you to grow up. Get off the milk and baby food and get into the meat and potatoes! Our salvation is not based upon do’s and don’t, this day or that day or this food or that food. It is based upon what Christ did for us. It's called "grace!" Learn to exercise your grace with other believers! Our choice of music, art and our occupation do not matter to God. What does matter is our hearts. We did nothing to earn salvation (except believe in Jesus) and we can do nothing to lose it. The Apostle Paul said that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. If God loves us, who can stand against us? Iron Maiden? I don’t think so. Besides, it’s not any of your business if I like Iron Maiden or not.

Legalism, judgment of other believers or prejudices are not becoming of us. We shouldn’t even be mentioning to unbelievers the sins they commit while in private. Homosexuality and witchcraft are off limits. Yes, they are sinning but it’s not any of our business and we have no place to condemn people for what they choose to do wrong. Even Jesus didn’t condemn people during his earthly ministry, why should you? Sin is between the sinner and God, not you or any pastor, church or denomination. Yes, homosexuals are proud of their sins because they are convinced they are not sinning. Weren’t you convinced at one time that you were not sinning when you actually were?

However, if you were to tell them that, they would most likely hate you and be pushed away from the truth. Don’t you remember when you were sinning like that? Yes, they are wrong but we can show them God through our love and acceptance of them and not their sins without being offensive.

The best way to approach homosexuals and witches with the truth of the gospel is to ignore the homosexual and witchcraft issue and concentrate on the thief, lying and name in vain commandments. You should only use the Law for its original and intended purpose, which is to show people they are sinners. If the person is sincere in their personal relationship with God, the homosexuality and occult issue will eventually be repented against and forgotten. Their story will be a testimony and a witness of victory through Christ.

As mature Christians our job is simple:

1. We are to love God with everything we have.

2. Love our brothers and sisters as God has loved us (and accepted us as sinners)

3. Tell unbelievers about the Good News of Jesus Christ.

That’s it. Get over it, move on.

Is Tithing the Same as Giving?

Matthew 23:23 – “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye give pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone (KJV- emphasis mine).”

The reason that the word “give” is not included in this verse above is because the Old Testament tithe was a command, an ordinance or a “rule” under the Law of Moses. In contrast, the principle of grace “giving” is found in Genesis 14:20, which is under God’s grace before the Law.

Genesis 14:20 – “And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he paid gave him tithes of all (KJV - emphasis mine).”

Please allow me to elaborate. In other words, tithing is not giving and giving is not tithing. Tithing is tithing and giving is giving. The difference is that in Genesis 14, Abram freely “gave” Melchezidek his spoils of war, which we can equate with monetary gain [property he stole and did not previously own as his very own]. May I re-emphasize that Abram was every wealthy BEFORE he was blessed by Melchezidek and his financial blessing was not a result of the “giving” of his voluntary Tenth (tithe). As a matter of fact, Abram kept nothing from his victory of war against his enemies.

Just to recap on our understanding, we must realize that the “tithe” is not money. It never was and never will be.

Tithe is Agricultural

Leviticus 27:30 – “all the tithe of the land”

Leviticus 27:32 – “the tithe of the herd”

Rules for Eating the Tithe

Deuteronomy 12:17 - “the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock”

Deuteronomy 14:22 – “tithe all the increase of thy seed”

Deuteronomy 14:23 – “the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks”

Deuteronomy 14:28 – “the tithe of thine increase [from the land]”

Tithes to Priests

2 Chronicles 31:5 – “the tithe of all things [the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field]”

2 Chronicles 31:6 – “the tithe of oxen and sheep”

2 Chronicles 31:6 - “the tithe of holy things [whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree” …it is holy unto the LORD- Lev. 27:30.]”

Nehemiah 10:37 – “the tithes of our ground”

Nehemiah 10:37 – “the tithes…of our tillage”

Nehemiah 12:44 – “the tithes…out of the fields”

Nehemiah 13:12 – “the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil”

Priests’ failure to Tithe […”even this whole nation”]

Malachi 3:8 – “all the tithes…may be meat in my house”

Tithing is Nothing to Boast About

Matthew 23:23 – “tithe of mint and anise and cummin”

Luke 11:42 – “tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs”

Thus, now that we know that the tithe is of agriculture and cattle origin, tithing is food and as we all know food must be eaten by the possessor…in the presence of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 14:23 – “thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God”

Deuteronomy 26:12 – “they may eat within thy gates, and be filled”

Who is “they” supposed to receive and eat the tithe besides the possessor?

Deuteronomy 26:12 – “the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow”

How often is this tithing supposed to be done?

Deuteronomy 26:12 – “all the tithes of thine [the possessor] increase the third year, which is the year of tithing”

The Israelite farmer or cattle owner tithed every year and every third year, not every Sunday morning or every week with an on-going income or money. The “tithe” under the Law was food, agriculture and cattle or flocks in the Land of Israel. To disobey the Law, was punishable as a crime against God Himself. Not even the idea of tithing itself is giving; it was a mandate, something that Israel must do! How can a “tither” be a “cheerful giver” without the privilege of choice?

The “giving” of the “tenth” from Abram was a free choice; it was voluntary, at a random event, with monetary gain, once! This is “grace giving” not tithing. The two are not even in the same category!

Zombies Ignore Bible Warnings - "Once Saved Always Saved"

This was a post on facebook that I replied to and the responses from Franks "friends" and myself. Frank posted this link (Zombies Ignore Bible Warnings to Stare At Pastors and Believe "Once Saved Always Saved") and this is what was said.

Zombies Ignore Bible Warnings to Stare At Pastors and Believe "Once Saved Always Saved"

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fconditionalsalvation.com%2Fonline_books%2Fa_doctrine_of_demons&h=0AQEIv3D-AQGNW-WV59Iok51V-vdBWxxBqYoTt9lFYPo80g

My response to this post.

Me: I believe in "Once Saved, Always saved."

Frank: Link has hundreds of verses showing it is not biblical and the same presumptive lie Eve believe from Satan.

Me: Frank, the way I see it is that if I can't do anything to earn it, then I can't do anything to lose it.

Kim: To be "safe" ... why not live as though salvation can be lost, Jason? I try to be daily congnizant of Christ's suffering for my salvation. I do not want to do anything to demonstrate that His suffering allows me to continue in the flesh without repentance for any ongoing sin-nature that is part of my human-ness. Make sense?

Kim: What good is our own redemption if we continue to behave as the lost do? The main point is to share the good news of the Gospel and the forgiveness of Jesus Christ ... without taking that forgiveness for granted.

Bob: Ever lost or neglected or had a "gift" stolen from u Jason. This is Eternal Life we r talking about, we must listen to what the Scripture says. :).

Steve: ofcourse you belive it jason that way you can have your cake and eat it to..you dont really need to worry abouut holiness and youc an keep indulging in the worldy lifestyle and rock music and other things cause its all good right? any reading of teh first century writtings proives this osas notion to be from the pit of hell

Bruce: 

Jason, the modern church has perverted eternal security. the Bible is clear and says that you (I, we) must be found "worthy" of heaven to be saved. this whole belief that there is nothing we do to be saved is a lie too. you have to hear the Word, believe the Word, live the Word, repent and fave faith to be saved and all of those things are things that you do... Paul said, "work out your salvation with fear and trembling"... if we did NOTHING to get to heaven, like the modern apostate church have you believe... then why work out your salvation? doesnt make sense. of course we have things to do. we have to abide. remain in covenent. bear fruit. love our enemies, forgive everyone... you are taking one verse and perverting it and that leads you to believing osas... you have to take the Bible as a whole to come to a conclusion of what it teaches. here a little there a little. precept upon precept. line upon line. the sum of the Word is truth...

Bob: wow a whole bunch of "conditional salvationists" feel free to request my friendship guys.

Me: 

I love just the way everyone assumes I live a life of sin-filled indulgence without actually knowing my hearts intentions. Steve, rock music is irrelevant just as any other style of music. By the way, only God can judge me so please stop and think before you "assume" anything about me because of my outside appearance.
Everyone else, just because I believe in God's gracious "gift" of eternal salvation does not mean that I abuse it by a sinful lifestyle. Just so you all know, I do pursue holiness every single day and I am working out my own salvation through Christ. I do live as if my salvation can be lost but I don't live my life dwelling on my sin either. Yes, I sin just like you all do, but I know that if I do sin that God is faithful and just to forgive me because of my faith in Christ and what He has done for me. I am found worthy of salvation because of Christ not because of anything I have done. I cannot earn my way into heaven or buy my salvation, I have put my faith and my trust in Christ alone for salvation and it is what He has done for me that makes me right with God. He paid the price for my sins, He died on the cross and spilled His precious blood for me, He was the one who rose from the grave and it is through Him alone that if I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart that I am saved.

I checked back a few days later and no one commented further.

No Religion In Heaven

I don’t care if you call yourself a Baptist, a Mormon, Agnostic, Muslim, Wiccan, Catholic, Methodist, Buddhist, Atheist, Lutheran, Amish or even from the Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth. There will be no religions, philosophies or denominations in heaven. If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then you don’t have anything.

Titus on False Teachers

Titus 1:10-11 says, “There are many men who will not listen or will not obey the truth. Their teaching is foolish and they lead people to believe a lie. Some Jews believe their lies. This must be stopped. It turns whole families from the truth. They teach these things to make money (New Life Version).”

Take this phrase in Titus 1:10, “There are many men who will not listen or will not obey the truth.” Generally, I can honestly say that I may know a few men like this description. They are cowards, afraid to confront scriptures about what they really say. And, when I say “what they really say,” I’m not talking about some sort of weird interpretation that what I think it means. I am talking about what it says at face value, within the context provided in Scripture.

Titus 1:11 says, “They teach these things to make money.” My question is, “what” kind of things to they “teach” in order to make money? Could it be about circumcision? I don’t think so: there’s no money to be made in teaching circumcision is there? The only thing I can think of is that they may charge a price for the circumcision; are there really back alley circumcisions, as they might say?

No, seriously. I don’t think it’s about that. I believe it may be more about how to gain money or financial profit through deceptive teaching. In other words, they probably twist Scripture in order to make it sound true, but it really isn’t. It’s kind of like the false teachers we have these days that do the same thing. They teach that tithing is actually money and you must “tithe” 10% of your on-going income every week in order to:

1. Appease the anger of God
2. To receive financial blessings back 100-fold.

 A false teacher these days will tell you that a “tithe” is actually 10% of your income when actually it’s not. That is a lie. Some false teachers today have even named this tithe money as “seed money.” Don’t forget what Titus said, “Their teaching is foolish and they lead people to believe a lie.” It’s foolish. Why? Because it’s not true and it’s foolish to think that it’s true when it isn’t.

Believe me when I say that out of the entire New Testament, there is not one recorded event of any Christians “tithing” money to a church or a ministry. As a matter of fact, no where in the entire New Testament is there any recorded event of any Christian ever “tithing” anything at all!

I sincerely challenge you to find out and do some research for yourself. Tithing is what Hebrews (Israelites, Jews) did under the Mosaic Law in Israel. Surely, you do not have to believe me but you should believe God’s Word when it says that “holy tithe” MUST be from all the produce of the land in Israel.

Leviticus 27:30 - “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 (KJV).”

Deuteronomy 14:22 – “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year (KJV).”

According to Strong’s Lexicon the English word “seed” mentioned here in Deuteronomy 14:22 is the Hebrew word “zera,” which actually means “seed” as in “to sow seed, scatter seed, produce.” Can you imagine that? In other words, it doesn’t mean MONEY!

Not only did the holy tithe include produce from the land but it also included all cattle and flocks that ate from the land of Israel. Notice that the Scriptures do not say ten percent but the “tenth.” In other words, if you only had nine cattle, you would not tithe but only when you gained (increased) to the tenth one.

Leviticus 27:32 – “And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD (KJV).”

Conclusion

There was a reason for this topic to be in God’s Word. If your pastor is trying to get you to “tithe” by giving more sermons on money, tithing or stewardship then he probably needs more money to pay his bills, remodel his house or pay his Lexus payment.  Your pastor should not desire to make money. His payment should be just as Paul’s was; which was, the opportunity to preach the gospel; that, should be his payment. If he really wants to live by faith, then he should do just that and allow the congregation to freely tithe give what God has laid upon their hearts in order to help the priest pastor.

Open Tithing Challenge

1. I invite anyone, regardless of biblical education or not, to please show me where in the bible that it specifically states that the holy "tithe" is money.

2. I ask for anyone to please show me where it specifically states in the bible that any Christian in the entire New Testament "tithed" money to a church or pastor.

Go ahead, make it happen.

Why?

Why are atheists so concerned with the affairs of the Christian church? Why do they build up huge organizations and collaborate together in order to bring down and debunk the beliefs of Christians and other religions? Is it any of their business what I believe? How does what I believe about God personally effect them? Why are atheists so compassionate about mocking and ridiculing my beliefs? Why does it matter to them what I believe about creation or the virgin birth? Do they think that it’s profitable to make fun of Jesus Christ? How does what I believe effect them in their daily lives? How does my personal religion cause them to publicly and verbally persecute me?

Could it be that they hate me because I believe in a god that they hate as well? Do they hate God and if they do, why do they hate God? Is it possible that they actually know that God exists but are too afraid to admit it? Could atheists actually be secret agnostics instead and are using the disguise of atheism to hide their true feelings about God?

Why do atheists purposely take a biblical verse out of context and try to fool Christians into believing that the bible is wrong? How come when Christians explain something in the bible, they don’t get it? Why is it, when an atheist finds a supposed “contradiction” in the bible that when you clearly explain it, they still deny it?

How does believing that the earth is about 6000 years old personally affect an atheist? How does believing that Noah’s Flood took place nearly 4400 years ago concern an atheist?

I found the answer.

“People who believe in nothing resent the beliefs of others, because unconsciously they know that they are lacking something.” - Unknown

Stop Believing the Lies

First of all, God created man and woman "sinless." Then, they deliberately disobeyed God and brought sin into the world by disobedience.

Second, it was the Holy Spirit that caused Mary to conceive the child, not Jesus.

Third, Jesus never killed himself; he was killed by the Romans and Jews as he was crucified on a cross.

Fourth, Christ is the sacrifice for all of mankind's "sin" that Adam and Eve brought into the world. He did not sacrifice himself to himself; that's just stupid.

Fifth, He came to save you from your own sins that YOU committed.

Stop believing the lies!!

False Fruits

Titus 1:10-16 “For there are a lot of rebels out there, full of loose, confusing, and deceiving talk. Those who were brought up religious and ought to know better are the worst. They've got to be shut up. They're disrupting entire families with their teaching, and all for the sake of a fast buck. One of their own prophets said it best: “The Cretans are liars from the womb, barking dogs, lazy bellies.”
He certainly spoke the truth. Get on them right away. Stop that diseased talk of Jewish make-believe and made-up rules so they can recover a robust faith. Everything is clean to the clean-minded; nothing is clean to dirty-minded unbelievers. They leave their dirty fingerprints on every thought and act. They say they know God, but their actions speak louder than their words. They're real creeps, disobedient good-for-nothings (MSG).”

Until the day that Jesus returns to rule on earth for a thousand years, there will always be false teachers. Titus mentioned it; Paul mentioned them, Jesus, Jude, John and Peter also talked about false teachers. Allow me clarify, a false teacher is not just a “teacher,” it means anyone who teaches others such as a pastor, prophets, an elder, a bishop, a deacon or any other Christian who is in a ministry of preaching, leadership, service or teaching.

When a Christian "discerns" truth from a lie, it is not "judging" another Christian. It's called "discernment." It's nothing personal as long as you don't judge their character or motives. When we study the truth and weigh it against what teachers preach and teach, the question we ask is, "Does this line up with what the bible teaches?" That is called discernment, not judging.

Do not be ignorant brothers and sisters, there were false brethren in the days of Peter and Paul and there will false brethren in our days as well. Be aware of them, they look like sheep but inside they are wolves.

If you or anyone you know is “doing church” or preaching for the sole purpose of monetary gain, teaching new doctrines that people want to hear, they are wrong and in error. If they are in a ministry for the sole purpose of pastoral service, teaching directly from the bible on topics that may seem uncomfortable, then the appropriate compensation is due them. The question is, how can you tell the difference between the one of pure heart and motives versus the one who is in it for the money? Jesus said that you can tell a false teacher by their fruits. What is the “fruit” of a false teacher?

Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

In 2 Peter Chapter 2, Peter lists a few things to help us identify a false teacher:

1. They will turn against Christ who bought them with His blood (v. 1).
2. They bring fast death on themselves (v. 1).
3. Many people will follow their wrong ways (v. 2).
4. Because of what they do, people will speak bad things against the way of truth (v. 2).
5. They will tell lies and false stories so they can use you to get things for themselves (v. 3).
6. They want to please themselves and are not afraid when they laugh and say bad things about the powers in heaven (v. 10). 
7. They speak bad words against that which they do not understand (v. 12).
8. Their eyes are full of sex sins (v. 14).
9. They get weak people to go along with them (v. 14).
10. Their hearts always want something (v. 14).
11. They have followed the way of Balaam, who was the son of Beor. He loved the money he got for his sin (v.15).
12. They speak big-sounding words which show they are proud (v.18).
13. They get men who are trying to keep away from sinful men to give in to the sinful desires of the flesh (v.18).

Why did Jesus warn us about false teachers? I believe it was because he knew that true believers can only come from hearing correct doctrine. This gospel truth and proper doctrine is explained and taught in the bible, God's Word. When a person who believes hears the truth, he or she recognizes it and begins to believe and trusts in God’s Word. When you know the truth well, it’s easy to recognize the counterfeit. False teaching cannot produce true believers. Yes, there may be believers in a false church but the believers are false as well. Remember what Jesus said, “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.” There may be some true believers in the false church but they only became true believers by searching elsewhere to see what the bible actually teaches.

How can false teachers fool so many people? Look at 1 Corinthians 2:14 “But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. ” I believe the reason that false teachers fool so many people is because they are completely convinced that they’ve interpreted God’s Word correctly. Thus, with the lack of the Holy Spirit within, they have interpreted God’s Word completely wrong and they don’t even realize it.

Hebrews 13:9 - “So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas.”