Every way does not lead to the best life for everybody.
Jesus says He is the Way that leads to the best life for everybody. Now. Forever.
Cost: Everything. Because everything matters much.
Beyond the cliché: more than words…
The Good News: Doing life Jesus’ Way is innate for every human being; there is a strange familiarity with The Way in all of us.
The Bad News: We have become so unfamiliar with the Way that it is more foreign than familiar.
The Need: Holistic Recalibration. New wardrobe. New lens. New mindset. New paradigm. New Way of life. This is the primary mission of the Church.
Gather, Grow, Give… all because of Grace
Gather: You cannot do it alone, nor will you.
o You need large groups (worship) to remind you you’re in a movement. Make weekly worship a priority!
o Smaller groups where you can’t hide from reality. Coming soon.
o Close relationships where you can bare your soul without fear.
Grow: We don’t know much, no matter how much we know!
o Grow through weekly teachings of many kinds. Even Pete’s.
o Dialogue in smaller groups where you can sort stuff out.
o Daily devotional reading to give God the chance to speak into your life. Are you in the Life Journal? Are your doing SOAP?
Give: Everybody has much to give to impact the world for good.
o Love those closest to you well. If you stink at loving those closest to you, you’ll be stinkier with those who aren’t.
o Use your skill set in the marketplace to the best of your ability – “work as unto the Lord.” Where you spend most of your time is one of your biggest opportunities to be a Kingdom conduit. This is your primary mission field.
o Use your gifts to help the church – the Bride – to be as beautiful as she can be. Find a place to serve that fits and help out – many hands make light work! Don’t be a pew potato.
o Spend some time serving a local or global need – Coats for Kids, AA, NA, NAMI, Al Anon, Food Pantry, Project Hope (serving meals to homeless), Deborah’s House (Tijuana Women’s Shelter), Furaha (Nairobi, Kenya school for orphans and clinic for HIV+ women). Do something beyond your normal scope!
o Budget your financial support. Not everyone can tithe (10% of income) right now, but every can work toward it, and should. Disciplined giving to Kingdom causes keeps personal spending balanced, and blesses the world in ways we cannot fully comprehend. CrossWalk and the missions we support is incapacitated when financial support is limited. We need help to reach this community. What is your current monthly income? What is ten percent of that? What are you currently able to give? Are you willing to take steps to discover where you can shift your budget to get on the road to the full tithe?
Grace: If you look at Christ long enough, you’ll start looking like Him. Have you taken at look at Jesus lately? Have you fallen in love with Jesus yet? Is He “Lord” yet? See Matthew 7:21-23. To know is to master – those whom Jesus did not know never gave themselves over to the ways of God, and missed God their whole lives. Listen up! Until you surrender, you are missing it. You are already surrendered to something or someone; make it Jesus and begin living. Now. Forever.
May you give it all to Jesus.
May it be more than words.
May every aspect of your life be radically transformed by Christ.
May you then live.
1 comment:
I agree with most of your comments.
TITHING IN A NUTSHELL
by Russell Earl Kelly, Ph. D.
www.tithing-russkelly.com
(see web site for all texts)
November 6, 2008
1. Post-Calvary Christian giving principles in Second Corinthians are superior to tithing. (1) Giving is a "grace.” (2) Give yourself to God first. (3) Give yourself to knowing God’s will. (4) Give in response to Christ’s gift. (5) Give out of a sincere desire. (6) Do not give because of any commandment (8:8, 10; 9:7). (7) Give beyond your ability. (8) Give to produce equality. (9) Give joyfully (8:2). (10) Give because you are growing spiritually. (11) Give to continue growing spiritually. (12) Give because you are hearing the gospel preached.
2. Abraham's tithed in Genesis 14 in obedience to pagan tradition. (1) He did not "freely" give. (2) His was NOT a holy tithe from God’s holy land by God’s holy people under God’s holy Covenant. (3) His was only from pagan spoils of war required in many nations. (4) In Num. 31, God required 1% of spoils. (5) His tithe to his priest-king was a one-time event. (6) Not from his personal property. (7) Kept nothing for himself. (8) Is not quoted to endorse tithing. (9) Most commentaries explain 14:21 as pagan Arab tradition, it is contradictory to explain the 90% of 14:21 as pagan, while insisting the 10% of 14:20 was obedience to God’s will. (10) If Abraham were an example for Christians to give 10%, he should also be an example for Christians to give the other 90% to Satan, or to the king of Sodom! (11) As priests, neither Abraham nor Jacob had a Levitical priesthood to support; they probably left food for the poor at their altars.
3. Although money was common and essential for worship for over 1500 years, biblical tithes were always only food increased by God from inside Israel (Lev. 27:30, 32; see site for all 16 texts).
4. Since only farmers and herdsmen tithed, there was no minimum standard requirement for most. Tradesmen such as carpenters (Jesus), Peter (fishermen) and Paul (tentmakers) did not qualify as tithe-payers. The poor and Gentiles did not tithe.
5. Tithing was only commanded to national Israel under the terms of the Old Covenant. Tithing was never commanded to the Church after Calvary (Ex 19:5-6; Lev 27:34; Mal 4:4; Mt 23:23 matters of the law).
6. Those who received the first whole tithe did not minister atonement (Num. 18:21-24; Neh10:37b). Priests only received 1% (a tenth of the tithe) (Num 18:25-28; Neh 10:38).
7. In exchange for receiving tithes, both Levites and priests forfeited all rights to permanent land inheritance inside Israel (Num. 18:20-26).
8. Firstfruits are not the same as tithes. Firstfruits were a very small token offering (Deu 26:1-4; Neh 10:35-37; Num 18:13-17). Tithes were the tenth and not the best; only 1% of the tithes included the best (Lev. 27:32, 33).
9. There were 4 O.T. tithes: (1) Government taxes (1 Sam 8:14-17). (2) Levitical (Num. 18:21-28; Neh. 10:37-39). (3) Festival (Deu 12:1-19; 14:22-26). (3) Poor tithe every 3rd year (Deu 14:28-29; 26:12-13).
10. Tithes were often taxes used to support Levite [politicians (1 Chron, chap 23 to 26; esp 23:2-5; 26:29-32; 27:5). Tithes never supported mission work (Ex 23:32; Heb 7:12-18).
11. OT Levitical tithes were brought first to the Levitical cities and not to the Temple (Num 18; Neh 10:37-39; 2 Chron 31:15-19). Most Levites required tithes in their Levitical cities where 98% stayed (Num 35, Josh 20, 21).
12. Malachi 3 is the most abused tithing text in the Bible. (1) Malachi is OT and is never quoted in the New Covenant to validate tithing. (2) Tithes are still only food. (3) His audience reaffirmed the OT curses (Neh.10:28-29). (4) The blessings and curses of tithing are identical to and inseparable from those of the entire Mosaic Law (Deu 28:12, 23-24; Gal 3:10/Deu 27:26). (5) “You” in Malachi refers to the dishonest priests and not the people (1:6-14; 2:1-10; 2:13 to 3:1-5). (6) The “whole” tithe never went to the Temple! (Neh 10:37b). (7) The Levitical cities must be included in a correct interpretation. (8) The 24 courses of Levites and priests must be included. (9) The “storehouse” in the Temple was only several rooms (Neh 13:5, 9). (9) “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” only makes contextual sense if it is only commanding dishonest priests to replace the tithes they had removed from it or had failed to bring to it.
13. The OT Temple and priesthood have been replaced by the priesthood of every believer. NT elders and pastors more closely resemble OT prophets who were not supported by tithes.
14. Tithing was not legalized as a church law until AD 777. If was not introduced as a local regional law until the 6th century. See any reputable encyclopedia.
15. NT giving principles are: freewill, sacrificial, generous, joyful, not by commandment or percentage and motivated by love for God and lost souls.
From the book, Should the Church Teach Tithing?
www.tithing-russkelly.com russell-kelly@att.net
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