B
Matthew 6:19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek
for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
And such as it is with the life of an individual believer, so it is with the collection in the church. This is why tithing is not mentioned in the letters for the churches to do for God shall raise up cheerful givers. He is to provide as Jesus multiplied the fishes and the loaves.
It is out of the bounty collected that there are instructions to put aside an amount for the ministry unto the saints. It was to be done beforehand so as to not take up any "special offering" to meet any particular need unless there come an appearance of covetousness.
2 Corinthians 9: 5Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. 6But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Note verse 6 above in how it is on God to provide, and thus out of that bounty, the thankful do administer in the same manner of faith. So there is no need for pledges nor tithings for it is on God to raise up cheerful givers. They made sure that no pressure was on the giver at all.
7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
Once again, God in His Providence provides for the church.
9(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness 11Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. 12For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; 13Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; 14And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. 15Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
So faith in God's Providence is a glory also belonging to God by which thanksgiving is known and not done in vain.
Matthew 6:1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
It is not a sin to have your tax deductions, but as He has spoken, you already have your reward.
It is not a sin to have tithings and pledges, but the faith in God's Providence and the glory thereof cannot be seen.
Should not the faith of the church in God's Providence when they come together, reflect the faith of every member of that assembly when they go home?
Then where is the community church of today that meets the immediate needs of the poor of their congregation as in food from starvation and clothes and shelter to protect from the elements? How is it that some churches have a huge trust account to bear interest on to help provide for the church? "Ichabod" means... the glory of the Lord has left as churches that lack faith in God's Providence give thanksgiving in vain for the bounty collected when it is simply a congregation meeting their tithes and pledges.
The churches today are nowhere near what the churches were in the New Testament. If they had been, then America would not be trying to remove the phrase" In God We Trust" from the currency when it would be obvious of God providing for all those churches by faith in USA.
May God exhort those that hear to return to the faith in God's Providence to be a witness of how the Father takes care of us individually and as an assembly so that the words "In God We Trust" will have meaning to those that believe not as well as to those that believe.
The just shall live by faith. That includes the assembly as well. It is foolishness to the religious world, but to those that know God, they trust Him to provide for His Word says so.
for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.And such as it is with the life of an individual believer, so it is with the collection in the church. This is why tithing is not mentioned in the letters for the churches to do for God shall raise up cheerful givers. He is to provide as Jesus multiplied the fishes and the loaves.
It is out of the bounty collected that there are instructions to put aside an amount for the ministry unto the saints. It was to be done beforehand so as to not take up any "special offering" to meet any particular need unless there come an appearance of covetousness.
2 Corinthians 9: 5Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. 6But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Note verse 6 above in how it is on God to provide, and thus out of that bounty, the thankful do administer in the same manner of faith. So there is no need for pledges nor tithings for it is on God to raise up cheerful givers. They made sure that no pressure was on the giver at all.
7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
Once again, God in His Providence provides for the church.
9(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness
11Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. 12For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; 13Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; 14And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. 15Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.So faith in God's Providence is a glory also belonging to God by which thanksgiving is known and not done in vain.
Matthew 6:1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
It is not a sin to have your tax deductions, but as He has spoken, you already have your reward.
It is not a sin to have tithings and pledges, but the faith in God's Providence and the glory thereof cannot be seen.
Should not the faith of the church in God's Providence when they come together, reflect the faith of every member of that assembly when they go home?
Then where is the community church of today that meets the immediate needs of the poor of their congregation as in food from starvation and clothes and shelter to protect from the elements? How is it that some churches have a huge trust account to bear interest on to help provide for the church? "Ichabod" means... the glory of the Lord has left as churches that lack faith in God's Providence give thanksgiving in vain for the bounty collected when it is simply a congregation meeting their tithes and pledges.
The churches today are nowhere near what the churches were in the New Testament. If they had been, then America would not be trying to remove the phrase" In God We Trust" from the currency when it would be obvious of God providing for all those churches by faith in USA.
May God exhort those that hear to return to the faith in God's Providence to be a witness of how the Father takes care of us individually and as an assembly so that the words "In God We Trust" will have meaning to those that believe not as well as to those that believe.
The just shall live by faith. That includes the assembly as well. It is foolishness to the religious world, but to those that know God, they trust Him to provide for His Word says so.