Tithes and Offerings: What are they, and what are they good for?

Many people mistakenly do not distinguish between tithes and offerings - I myself thought that they were the same thing for most of my life! The usual picture that people get when they hear either of these words is an "offering plate" being passed around in a church on Sunday with people putting in various amounts of cash, and the ideas of tithes and offerings are one and the same. This modern tradition is not according to biblical understanding.

Do You Obey God Rather Than Men?

Christianity as a whole in today’s world has a diverse range of beliefs. It seems that some of them are so drastically far-removed from each other that the only thing that they have in common is that they claim to follow the same book. Is it really possible that all of these denominations are right? Is it okay for everyone to have his own interpretation of the bible? Not only do I believe that this is not okay – I can show you from the bible that it’s not okay:

1 Peter 1:20-21

No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

There was no such thing as a denomination in the day of the Apostles. There were groups of churches that were close enough together to keep correspondence and visit with one another, but they were all considered part of the “church of God” and they all held to the same doctrines. But which doctrines did they have? And how did they get them? Just as Peter stated in the above scripture, there is only one correct interpretation of the bible: God’s interpretation.

Unfulfilled Aspects of God’s Law: The Day of Atonement

This is a second installment of a series on unfulfilled aspects of God’s law, focusing on the Holy Days (the first part can be found here). To quickly review, the premise of this argument is that God’s Law cannot yet be taken out of effect because, according to Matthew 5:17, a new heaven and a new earth must come before even the smallest part of the law passes away. Furthermore, it says that this won’t happen until everything has been fulfilled. God’s Holy Days, commanded in Leviticus 23, are aspects of God’s Law that have not yet been fulfilled, which demonstrates that we should still be keeping God’s Law – ALL OF IT. The application and administration of certain things may change, such as how Christ is our once-for-all Sacrifice and our High Priest now instead of the Levites, but there is no scriptural evidence that any of it has been annulled. Therefore, we must strive to satisfy all of God’s law to the best of our ability and with the help of God’s Spirit. If you don’t already know about the Holy Days, I hope this gets your attention so that you’ll open your heart to understand. Remember what the scripture says:

Romans 15:4

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

The Second Commandment – Is it Different from the First?

It occurred to me that the 1^st and 2^nd of the Ten Commandments are redundant if you do not have the proper understanding of what each one means. Read them and think about it:

Exodus 20:3 – You shall have no other gods before Me.

Exodus 20:4 – You shall not make for yourself a carved image – any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them…

Depending on what you believe about how these two commandments are interpreted, they may appear redundant. The 1^st commandment says that you should have no other gods besides the true God. Some mistakenly assume that the 2^nd commandment is exclusively talking about idols. If so, then it is redundant, since an idol is a false god, and is therefore prohibited by the 1^st commandment. This begs the question: is the 2^nd commandment simply an elaboration on the 1^st, or is it addressing a separate issue?

Unfulfilled Aspects of God’s Law: Trumpets

The previous article (What Does God Want?) touched on the fact that God’s law must be fulfilled – that’s why Christ is our sacrifice, so that the laws concerning sacrifice can be satisfied. I’d like to further develop this principle that God’s Law (all of it) is in effect today because it must be fulfilled. A fundamental scripture to this concept is found in the sermon on the mount, where Christ said:

Matthew 5:17

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Most Christian denominations teach that Christ fulfilled the entire Law, making it unnecessary for Christians today to observe God’s laws, such as the Sabbath and Holy Days. However, this interpretation is not consistent with the above verse, which clearly says that the law must be in effect today because heaven and earth have not passed away and because not everything has been accomplished. Unfortunately, many people read this verse and disregard all of that, latching on to the word “fulfill,” and say that the entire Law has been “fulfilled” once for all by Christ, making it unnecessary for us to follow it. Even with this reckless overlooking of what is actually being said, they are still wrong – Christ has not fulfilled the entire Law… yet.

What Does God Want?

Hosea 6:6 

“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” 

We are given record of Christ quoting the first half of this verse on two occasions: both times He was speaking to Pharisees, and both times He emphasized that we need to understand what “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” means. Some people believe that Christ was speaking against the Law in saying this, indicating that God is not (or was not) pleased with observances of the Law, such as the sacrifices and burnt offerings mentioned. This is one of many scriptures that people twist to try to invalidate God’s law.

Remember Your Journey

 In Micah 6:1-8, God lays out His case for judgment against Israel. He reminds them of some of the things that He has done for them as proof of His commitment to the covenant that He had made with them in verse 5:

Micah 6:5

My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.

When I read this, I did remember the story of Balak and Balaam (you can read it in Numbers 22 for a refresher.) Balak, the king of Moab, sought out Balaam, a prophet, to prophesy victory for the Moabites over the Israelites in battle (this was during their first journey to the promised land.) God, however, would not allow Balaam to speak any false prophecy, and he instead prophesied victory for the Israelites, much to the frustration of Balak, the lesson being that the Word of God is true and that the will of God cannot be changed by any man, prophet or not.

On the other hand, when I tried to remember the “journey from Shittim to Gilgal,” I didn’t have a clue what God was talking about!

Profane Fire

The bible can, in some sense, be thought of as an instruction manual for how God wants us to live. If the bible were written the way that most instruction manuals today are written, there would be fairly large sections entitled “How to Worship God” and “How NOT to Worship God.” Unfortunately, most people today who believe in God are unaware of most of what would be in the “How to” section and would be shocked by some of the things that they find acceptable that would end up in the “How NOT to” section. 

The Measure You Use

When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray in what has come to be known as the Lord’s Prayer, one of the points that he emphasized was forgiving “those who trespass against us.” Afterwards, he expounds on this:

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

That sounds scary – the only way that we can be forgiven (and therefore saved) is if God forgives us of our sin, but he will not do that unless we forgive those who sin against us! 

Reflections from my Father's Funeral

The following scriptures and comments are what I read at my father's funeral on Saturday, May 8. I'm posting this message because it gives a concise insight into what the bible says about those who die, and it is from this that I derive the hope that I will see my father again. Also, the previous post entitled "This Mortal Life" speaks to this further, although the point of that article is directed toward a different purpose. Read the following words slowly, deliberately, and with power, because that's how I read it at his funeral and how I hear it when I read it for myself.

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One scripture that has really resonated with me in the past few days is Matthew 22:31-32, where Christ responds to the Pharisees when they test Him about the resurrection of the dead. He said to them

Matthew 22:31-32 

“Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living!”

He is the God of the living, and Christ’s response verifies the reality that this mortal life is not all that God has planned for us. Paul also wrote about the resurrection of the dead in 1 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 15:20-22

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

Christ gives us more words of encouragement in Revelation. In chapter 1, Jesus is speaking to John in a vision, and John sees Him in His glory. John says in verses 17 and 18

Revelation 1:17-18

When I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, and the one who lives! I was dead, but look, now I am alive – forever and ever – and I hold the keys of death and the grave!”

It is Christ who has been given power over death and the grave, and, for this reason, He told John not to be afraid, and He gave His own resurrection as an example to assure him of this. And further in the book of Revelation, Christ reveals the Kingdom that He has gone before us to receive.

Revelation 21:1-6

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and there was no more sea. And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The dwelling of God is among men. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God Himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have passed away.

Indeed, many encouraging things have been prophesied about that time. Because of what my father went through, I found the following scripture to be especially meaningful:

Isaiah 35:1-6

Even the wilderness and the desert will rejoice in those days; the desert will blossom with flowers. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! … for the Lord will display his glory there, the excellency of our God. With this news bring cheer to all discouraged ones. Encourage those who are afraid. Tell them, “Be strong, fear not, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf. The lame man will leap up like a deer, and those who could not speak will shout and sing!  

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I felt many of these scriptures in a very personal and emotional way as I was writing it and practicing what I would say, and I cried at certain places during that process until I could read it without crying so that I would be able to keep my composure during the service. I did cry some while reading it at Deddy's funeral, but, interestingly, I did so at a verse that I did not expect. When I read Revelation 1:17, I started crying because I realized that just as Jesus put His right hand on John when he fell down, so also He has put His right hand on me. And just as He told John "Do not be afraid!" so also He has told me "Do not be afraid!" And the reason that he said "Look, I was dead, but now I am alive" is to verify that just as Christ was dead and now lives, so also all who have fallen asleep and are dead will again live.