Lately, I have heard many people speaking about the Bible and conjuring up their own ideas of what this or that means. I went into a church before I was born again, to be a part of a wedding party. I was a part of the groomsman, who were all childhood friends of mine. It all looked nice, like a wedding is expected to look; flowers, candles, music, and a beautiful wedding dress. A nostalgic atmosphere filled the room. It was a formal wedding, I guess you could say, in that there was a white shot gun.
I had broken every law in the book to get there, in that I was working out of town a hundred miles away. With that being the case I did not even have time to go home and get cleaned up. We were working in a glass plant and I was covered with grease, worse than a grease monkey. Every exposed area of my body was covered with soot and grime. What to do was foremost on my mind, so I stopped in a service station to change into the tuxedo. However, I was a filthy mess, first I washed my hands and arms up to my elbows, washed and scrubbed my hair with 20 mule team borax. I washed my neck which was so black I looked like I has a beard.
Then came the tuxedo with a tuxedo shirt and all the buttons, bow tie, black patent shoes, cuff links, all the works. What people did not realize was I was so filthy under what they could see, it would take me a couple of hours in a shower to get the grit off, later that evening.
It was in the back, behind the pulpit, I found something. Even before I had given my heart to Christ, what I saw disturbed me to the core of my being.
I picked up a song book and every song about the blood had been cut out. I asked them why they did this and they said, "it was too gory and disturbing to think about or make reference to." I was not even saved at this time but I knew this couldn't fly, if you know what I mean. You have already thought of where I may be going with this thought. First of all they could sing, I'll MEET YOU IN THE MORNING till they were blue in the face and without the BLOOD OF JESUS, there will be no endless night for them. I was a proverb in the house for a wedding, dressed up on the outside but miserable and not thoroughly clean on the inside. They must have thought membership meant redemption to them, but they were sadly mistaken. They had divorced themselves from the need - the need to be purged - or as David would have said, "Wash me and I shall be clean." I needed all of that and I knew it. This all took place in 1961, and today that denomination embraces same sex marriage, alternate life styles, hatred of Israel, and many other anti-Biblical positions. It is called the DRIFT. It is casual and will catch you by surprise. Today that denomination is caught in the rapids of time.
As a pastor, all these years later, I have watched as people and denominations have removed things they were not comfortable with in the Bible. I preached on one of those last Sunday. Let me take another shot at it as you read our weekly letter from Heritage.
We will do this by letting the Bible speak for itself.
To Understand what Biblical tithing means, there is no better place to start than asking, who does THE TITHE BELONG TO?
Leviticus 27:30 states clearly: "THE TITHE BELONGS TO THE LORD."
Explore tithing in the Old and New Testaments
THE NEW TESTAMENT FIRST, MATTHEW 23:23 and Luke 11:42.
But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every [little] herb, but disregard and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone.
IN TODAY'S LANGUAGE
"I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but manage to find loopholes for getting around basic matters of justice and God's love. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required.
NO MATTER WHAT THE LANGUAGE MIGHT BE CONCERNING THE TITHE, IT IS THE LANGUAGE OF FAVOR AND BLESSING.
"THE TITHE IS HOLY TO THE LORD"
LEVITICUS 27:30-34
Tithing can strengthen your faith in that it is an expression of your sacred trust in God.
YOU CAN SEE THAT JESUS TAUGHT THAT GIVING AND GENEROSITY SHOULD BE ROOTED IN A PURE HEART OF LOVE FOR GOD.
HE EMPHASIZES THIS IN THE PARABLE OF THE PHARISEE AND TAX COLLECTOR. JESUS REBUKES THE PHARISEE TELLING THEM YOUR EMPHASIS IS IN THE WRONG PLACE AND YOU HAVE LEFT SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT UNATTENDED.
TITHING ISN'T ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU HAVE; IT IS ABOUT, WHO YOU TRUST.
GOD HAD YOU IN MIND WHEN HE SAYS: "I WOULD THAT YOU WOULD PROSPER AND BE IN HEALTH EVEN AS YOUR SOUL PROSPERS."
THE TITHE IS THE FIRST FRUIT AND NOT THE SECOND OR THIRD. IT IS GIVING RIGHT OFF THE TOP AND THE LORD, LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.
I BELIEVE IN GOD'S WORD AND I HAVE FOUND IT TO BE MY PASSAGE, MANY TIMES INTO A FULLER LIFE OR LIFE MORE ABUNDANT.
Sincerely,
Pastor Cleddie
I had broken every law in the book to get there, in that I was working out of town a hundred miles away. With that being the case I did not even have time to go home and get cleaned up. We were working in a glass plant and I was covered with grease, worse than a grease monkey. Every exposed area of my body was covered with soot and grime. What to do was foremost on my mind, so I stopped in a service station to change into the tuxedo. However, I was a filthy mess, first I washed my hands and arms up to my elbows, washed and scrubbed my hair with 20 mule team borax. I washed my neck which was so black I looked like I has a beard.
Then came the tuxedo with a tuxedo shirt and all the buttons, bow tie, black patent shoes, cuff links, all the works. What people did not realize was I was so filthy under what they could see, it would take me a couple of hours in a shower to get the grit off, later that evening.
It was in the back, behind the pulpit, I found something. Even before I had given my heart to Christ, what I saw disturbed me to the core of my being.
I picked up a song book and every song about the blood had been cut out. I asked them why they did this and they said, "it was too gory and disturbing to think about or make reference to." I was not even saved at this time but I knew this couldn't fly, if you know what I mean. You have already thought of where I may be going with this thought. First of all they could sing, I'll MEET YOU IN THE MORNING till they were blue in the face and without the BLOOD OF JESUS, there will be no endless night for them. I was a proverb in the house for a wedding, dressed up on the outside but miserable and not thoroughly clean on the inside. They must have thought membership meant redemption to them, but they were sadly mistaken. They had divorced themselves from the need - the need to be purged - or as David would have said, "Wash me and I shall be clean." I needed all of that and I knew it. This all took place in 1961, and today that denomination embraces same sex marriage, alternate life styles, hatred of Israel, and many other anti-Biblical positions. It is called the DRIFT. It is casual and will catch you by surprise. Today that denomination is caught in the rapids of time.
As a pastor, all these years later, I have watched as people and denominations have removed things they were not comfortable with in the Bible. I preached on one of those last Sunday. Let me take another shot at it as you read our weekly letter from Heritage.
We will do this by letting the Bible speak for itself.
To Understand what Biblical tithing means, there is no better place to start than asking, who does THE TITHE BELONG TO?
Leviticus 27:30 states clearly: "THE TITHE BELONGS TO THE LORD."
Explore tithing in the Old and New Testaments
THE NEW TESTAMENT FIRST, MATTHEW 23:23 and Luke 11:42.
But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every [little] herb, but disregard and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone.
IN TODAY'S LANGUAGE
"I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but manage to find loopholes for getting around basic matters of justice and God's love. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required.
NO MATTER WHAT THE LANGUAGE MIGHT BE CONCERNING THE TITHE, IT IS THE LANGUAGE OF FAVOR AND BLESSING.
"THE TITHE IS HOLY TO THE LORD"
LEVITICUS 27:30-34
Tithing can strengthen your faith in that it is an expression of your sacred trust in God.
YOU CAN SEE THAT JESUS TAUGHT THAT GIVING AND GENEROSITY SHOULD BE ROOTED IN A PURE HEART OF LOVE FOR GOD.
HE EMPHASIZES THIS IN THE PARABLE OF THE PHARISEE AND TAX COLLECTOR. JESUS REBUKES THE PHARISEE TELLING THEM YOUR EMPHASIS IS IN THE WRONG PLACE AND YOU HAVE LEFT SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT UNATTENDED.
TITHING ISN'T ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU HAVE; IT IS ABOUT, WHO YOU TRUST.
GOD HAD YOU IN MIND WHEN HE SAYS: "I WOULD THAT YOU WOULD PROSPER AND BE IN HEALTH EVEN AS YOUR SOUL PROSPERS."
THE TITHE IS THE FIRST FRUIT AND NOT THE SECOND OR THIRD. IT IS GIVING RIGHT OFF THE TOP AND THE LORD, LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.
I BELIEVE IN GOD'S WORD AND I HAVE FOUND IT TO BE MY PASSAGE, MANY TIMES INTO A FULLER LIFE OR LIFE MORE ABUNDANT.
Sincerely,
Pastor Cleddie