The Apostles Preached Salvation by Faith Alone
Two of the disciples in the inner circle were Peter and John. Both of them heard Jesus say the words recorded in Mark 16. Yet both of them taught that the only condition of eternal salvation was trusting in Christ and Him alone.
Peter proclaimed the Gospel to Cornelius and his family. He led them to faith in Christ before he even mentioned baptism (cf. Acts 10:34-44). Only after they were saved and baptized by the Holy Spirit did Peter mention Christian baptism and give them the opportunity to be baptized (Acts 10:45-48).
The apostle John wrote an evangelistic book that we call the Gospel of John. He repeatedly indicated that faith is the only condition of eternal salvation. Yet not once in all of John's Gospel, written after the event recorded in Mark 16:16 occurred, did John condition eternal salvation upon water baptism. (In fact, Christian water baptism is not even mentioned in John's Gospel.)
The Gospel Never Changes
"What about the thief on the cross?" I would say. "Jesus said he would be with Him that day in Paradise, yet he was never baptized."
The response I would get was inevitably this: That was before Pentecost. After Pentecost, you have to be baptized in order to be saved.
What these students were telling me was that the Gospel had changed. Before Jesus' resurrection and the coming of the Spirit a person was saved without water baptism. After that water baptism is required.
That is an impossible position to defend since the apostle Paul clearly indicates that we are saved in this age the same way Abraham and David were saved in their age (cf. Rom 4:1-8; Gal 3:6-14). The Gospel has always been, and always will be, by grace through faith plus nothing. We find this in the first book in the Bible (Gen 3:15; 15:6) and in the last book in the Bible (Rev 22:17).
The NT Gives Examples of Salvation Before Baptism
In addition to the thief on the cross, there are other NT examples of people who were saved without being baptized. Martha (John 11:25-27) is one. Another is Cornelius and his household. According to Acts 10:43-48, they were saved the moment they heard Peter tell them that all who believe in the Lord Jesus receive remission of sins. At that very moment, before they were baptized with water, they were baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ.
These four points prove that Mark 16:16 is not teaching that you must be water baptized to go to heaven. However, the question still remains as to what Mark 16:16 does mean.
Mark 16:16 Is Teaching That All Who Respond to the Great Commission Will Go to Heaven
The key to understanding these verses is to recognize that they are a summary statement of the Great Commission. Mark is not reporting everything that Jesus said about the Great Commission. He is recording one summary statement that Jesus made of it.
The Great Commission was communicated by the Lord on five different occasions (once each in the Gospels and Acts). There is a lot of variety in the way the Great Com- mission is expressed in these five instances. In some of those statements only evangelism is mentioned (e.g., Luke 24:47, though it could possibly be dealing with both evangelism and discipleship, and Acts 1:8). In some only discipleship is mentioned (Matt 28:18-20; John 21:15-17). The Great Commission in Mark 16:15-16 includes both evangelism and discipleship. Preaching the Gospel to every creature (v 15) is evangelism. Baptizing those who believe (v 16) is the first step in discipleship.
What Jesus is saying in Mark 16:15-16 is this:
Preach the Gospel to everyone on earth (v 15).
Tell people to believe in Him and to be baptized (implied in v 16).
Those who believe and are baptized will be saved.
Those who don't believe will be condemned.
It is, of course, true that all who believe and are baptized will be eternally saved. That is not to say, however, that those who either refuse to be baptized or who fail to be baptized through procrastination, ignorance, or lack of opportunity (for example, some people have died immediately after trusting in Christ) will not be saved. They will. At the very moment they believe, they are saved from the penalty of sin, eternal condemnation.
We must be careful not to read into Scripture. Jesus does not say or even imply that the one who isn't baptized won't be saved. We know that is not true from other Scripture, and even from the second half of v 16.*
Conclusion
Mark 16:16 does not contradict salvation by faith alone. Rather, it affirms it. Jesus clearly and unmistakably indicates that the sole basis of eternal condemnation is unbelief. The sole basis for eternal salvation is believing the Lord Jesus, and Him alone, for it.
*Another understanding of Mark 16:16 is that it refers to Holy Spirit baptism (see, for example, Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol 6, p. 150). Except for some exceptional cases in the Book of Acts, Holy Spirit baptism has always occurred at the point of faith. Compare 1 Cor 12:13. While that view is possible, I don't believe it fits the context as well as the one that has been articulated here.
...Another MUST vs grace?
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
ARE WE WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS??
From: tiaan gildenhuys Pretoria Gauteng South Africa 19 April 2009
Dear friend…
ARE WE WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS?
“God's prophets and ministers are as watchmen in the city in a time of peace, to see that all is safe. As watchmen in the camp in time of war, to warn of the motions of the enemy.” (Matthew Henry)
Should you be of the opinion that Matthew Henry is only referring to ordained preachers, ministers or prophets in his quotation, quickly read the following verse with me:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained THEE a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
“And hast made US unto our God kings and PRIESTS: and we shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:10)
So friend, you and I are in reality those “prophets” ordained by God. To “ordain” also means to enact, establish or appoint. So WE were so APPOINTED as watchmen! By whom? By God Himself! We, who have given our lives to Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, are those prophets and ministers.
Prophets who are as watchmen on God’s city’s walls, who must see that all is safe and who must warn the people of the present and future “motions of the enemy” – Satan! The second scripture I quoted states that He made US kings and PRIESTS - in other words ministers - so that we may reign and live according to God’s Word, here on earth.
The question is, are God’s prophets and ministers - YOU AND I - really doing what we were appointed to do? With this book, I hope to come a step closer to fulfilling the instructions I received from my Heavenly Father. And you friend? What are you doing to fulfill yours?
MY PERSONAL INSTRUCTION
I cannot think of any better way to describe that which the Lord has put on my heart to write in this book, other than Matthew Henry’s quotation which I gave in Chapter 1 above. So, I will start with the scripture that the Lord gave me personally early in the year 2000, and work from there, from time to time returning to Matthew Henry’s statements as quoted in Chapter 1 above. The quotations below are all from Ezekiel 3:17-21.
“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them WARNING from me.”
Is your heart ready before the Lord, Jesus Christ, to be warned, dear reader? Do you have a teachable spirit? Are you open to be taught from God’s Word, no matter who you are and no matter how long you may have walked with the Lord? And no matter who the one is that is doing the warning?
“When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”
If you, dear reader, have as yet never given your heart to Jesus Christ, if you have never received Him as your Lord and Savior, this book may be your last chance to come out of a life of unrighteousness and wickedness. Who knows whether you will live to see tomorrow? Are you willing to gamble on spending an eternity separated from God, just because you are unwilling to heed the warnings contained in the Bible – or in this book? The choice is yours, but after holding this book in your hand, you will never be able to stand before God’s throne of judgment and say: “But Lord, I never knew…” If you wish to rectify the situation in your life, please pray the short prayer I quoted after the scriptures below out loud, so that the whole world, including Satan and his demons can hear you make a choice for Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
“Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.” (Ezekiel 3:17-21)
And you, Christian reader, have you been walking a long road with the Lord, but feel that you have “backslidden” because of things that happened in your life? Have you “turned from your righteousness” too? If so, are you willing to be warned and turn back from those things, repent of your sins before your Lord, Jesus Christ, and return to a life of holiness and righteousness? If so, won’t you also pray the following prayer out loud, so that the world - and Satan - can hear you decided to return to the life of holiness that God wants you to live:
PRAYER:
“Lord Jesus Christ, I hereby confirm that I am a sinner and pray that you will hear my prayer. I know that without your grace and mercy I am lost forever Lord. Therefore I now confess all the sins I have committed to this day Lord Jesus, whether they were wrong thoughts, wrong words or wrong deeds, You know them all Lord.
Lord Jesus I believe with my whole heart that You came to earth and died on a cross as atonement for all my sins and I now accept and receive You as my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer and my King. Please teach me from Your Word Lord, and give me a new hunger for the Bible. Holy Spirit, please reveal the Bible to me, and teach me to live the holy life that Jesus wants me to.
Thank you Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit, that I can now know that I am safe in your heavenly arms and that nothing can ever separate me from Your wonderful love. I glorify and exalt Your Holy Name! Amen.”
Wonderful! You have just ensured that nothing can ever separate you from God’s love ever again! So, let’s proceed with this book.
The Lord repeated the instruction He gave to me in 2000 more than once in later years. Initially I just asked: “Lord, who am I that you want to give me such an important instruction? I am not a theologically learned man.” The answer I received on more than one occasion was: “Tiaan, do you wish to be obedient to Me and My Word, or not?” Could I ever argue with that? So, I started writing books during June 2000 and my prayer to our mighty Heavenly Father, is that each and every book I have written since then, will have an everlasting spiritual impact on some person’s life, somewhere on earth. So, dear friend, whoever you are, and wherever you are at this very moment, my prayer is that the Holy Spirit of God will touch your spirit and your soul through the reading of this humble book.
I pray that you will have a teachable spirit that is open and willing to be advised, taught, and WARNED. May this book open new spiritual truths to you on your walk with Jesus Christ. In Hebrew He is called YESHUA HA MASCHIACH, Jesus the Messiah! Praise His Mighty Name!
WATCHMEN MUST WARN OF THE MOTIONS OF THE ENEMY
In the first place, the watchman’s purpose is to see that all is safe in times of peace, and to warn of the motions of the enemy in times of war. Question: Are we presently in a time of peace? I do not think anyone who knows anything about spiritual matters will contend that we actually are in a time of peace. No!
We most definitely are in a time of the greatest war of all times! And this war is a spiritual war. How do we know that we are in this great war? Because we all know that we are living in the end-times, and look what the Bible says about this time:
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
I repeat, God’s watchmen have to warn His people of the motions of the enemy in these times. What warning do we get from these scriptures? Let us look at these scriptures in more detail, in order to ascertain in what way they represent the “motions of the enemy” especially in our lives today:
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
We all know that the times we live in today, are indeed perilous. People can’t dare to walk alone in street at night anymore. Lives are not worth a penny to many robbers and thieves roaming the streets.
For men shall be:
lovers of their own selves,
Can there be any doubt today that men are “lovers of their own selves”? Status, material possessions and personal ability has become more important to most people, than what God really put them on earth for, namely to make disciples of all nations. To tell nations about Jesus Christ and what He did for us, and to do THAT in real Christ-like humility.
covetous,
To be covetous means “inordinately desirious (of something – especially something belonging to someone else), avaricious, greedy”. Man’s greed is very clear in these last days, especially if we look at the fact that status and material possessions have become all-important to most people. The thousands of court cases where people are being charged with corruption also proves this point. In the same manner embezzlement of company monies is at the order of the day.
boasters,
The “I am better than you”-syndrome is very clear. Or “my car is better than yours”. Or “my house is bigger than yours”. This is in direct contradiction to Jesus’ instruction to deny the “self”. Just listen to conversations around the barbeque, or at lunches, or at sports venues, if you need any confirmation of the statement that men most definitely are “boasters” in these times we live in.
proud,
Pride and haughtiness flows from, and forms part of the boasting of people today. The Bible is clear that pride comes before the fall. We must never forget that pride is exactly that which made Satan fall from grace and from heaven. So it makes quite good sense that he will use the same weapon against man to this day. If it was good enough to make him fall from grace, it must be good enough to use against man in order to try and pull them away from God too. You see, Satan knows the Bible and he knows that Christ requires humility from us. If he can get us to be disobedient to God’s word through pride, he may eventually get us to a place where he can pull us away from God, in the same way that he fell away from God.
blasphemers,
You only need to listen to any conversation in the street, or watch any movie or video, to understand how big the problem of blasphemy has become. However, it is very interesting to note that only the names: “Jesus Christ”, or “Oh my God!” is used in a blasphemous way on a daily basis all over the world. You never hear anyone say: “O Allah!” in a movie or video; or even “Oh Buddha!” Why not? Because there is no power in any of those names. There is only power in the one Name above all names, the Name of Jesus Christ. That is exactly the reason why Satan attacks this Name – the Name above all names - in such a public way all over the world, and tries to belittle, discredit and dishonor it. Obviously he hopes that in this way he will be able to reduce the power of the Name of Jesus. What Satan, and all other blasphemers seem to forget, is that the Bible states clearly that there will be a day when EVERY KNEE shall bow and EVERY TONGUE, including Satan’s own tongue, will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Hallelujah Lord Jesus!
disobedient to parents,
Children’s behavior towards their parents or teachers proves this part of the verse. The reason for this also lies in the fact that Satan ensures, through so-called human rights, the breakdown of Biblical discipline in homes, schools, and even countries. Parents aren’t even allowed to discipline their own children anymore, for fear that their own children may have them prosecuted by law. This leads to more and more anarchy in schools, towns, cities and even countries.
unthankful,
People just accept that things HAVE TO be given to them, without even thanking the person rendering the service to them. Just ask any fuel attendant or waitress how many people really thank them for the services they render. People have the attitude of: “She is getting paid to do her job, so why should I thank her?” Well, one reason stays that it is only good manners, and the second reason is that Jesus instructs us to be thankful towards each other.
unholy,
All the different false religions on earth today, including New Age, atheism, Buddhism, Hinduism, etcetera, confirm this fact that people have become “unholy”. As only God is “holy”, anything else claiming attributes of God, is unholy. Anything else is abominable, impure, cursed, polluted, wicked and worldly to God. In God’s eyes ANY other so-called “god” is an idol. “For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For ALL the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.” (Psalm 96:4, 5) Very clearly then, every other religion is unholy in God’s eyes, as are their gods. In the same manner people’s attitudes have become “unholy” in these days.
Without natural affection,
“Affection” means to have a good disposition, or kind feelings toward each other. With racism, hate, anti-Semitism and other similar emotions, Satan ensures that man has no “kind feelings” toward each other anymore. Of course all these things are opposites of the love that Jesus teaches us to have. Any opposition to what Christ teaches, is rebellion and the Bible is clear that such conduct effectively constitutes witchcraft. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:23) As long as we live in opposition to Jesus’ teachings, and reject His word, we are actually practicing witchcraft and will we also lose our appointment as kings and priests for God.
trucebreakers,
All the so-called “peace agreements” between nations, that are broken nearly as fast as they are drawn up - after much pomp and ceremony -, is proof of this fact.
false accusers,
People have no qualms at all to accuse others falsely about things they have not even done. This is found in families where kids blame each other from the youngest ages, but also in politics, in churches, in governments and all over the world. It is nothing new however, as Adam also falsely accused Eve – and actually even God - for his mistake in not taking up his authority against Satan’s attack.
incontinent,
“Incontinent” means: “exercising no control over the appetites, especially sexual passion; unchaste.” Any person who watches present-day movies or videos can attest to the fact that people are most definitely “incontinent” today. Satan’s sexual spirits of lust, adultery and perversion make sure that people think unchaste lives are acceptable, or even the norm, while it is most definitely not acceptable to God.
fierce,
Most people today have violent and cruel or savage tempers, as a result of Satan’s attacks on their lives and thoughts, which they don’t capture to the obedience of Christ. All the incidents of road rage on many countries’ national roads, also attest to this fact. Through videos and films this aggression and fierceness is built up even more.
despisers of those that are good,
If you look at the slogans and pictures on clothes, cars, posters, etcetera, you will most definitely see that the trend today, is to despise those that are good. The more wicked, ugly or evil something can be depicted, the better, it seems.
Traitors,
Traitors are people who betray someone else’s trust. In other words, people who act deceitfully and falsely. Open any newspaper or magazine today, anywhere in the world, and the proof of this fact, is plain for all to see.
heady,
“Heady” means to be headstrong, stubbornly bent on having one’s own way, and obstinate. As a result of the fact that the world does not obey the Word’s instruction to die to the “self”, people are most definitely “heady” in today’s society.
highminded,
To be “highminded” means to be haughty or arrogant, in other words prideful. We have already discussed this negative attribute earlier.
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
If we need any proof of this statement, we need only look at the number of people attending sport venues on Sundays, in comparison with the people attending churches at the same time.
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:
As long as our religion consists of dead rituals, traditions and form, instead of a personal relationship with the Way, the Truth and the Life – JESUS CHRIST Himself – we will most assuredly only have a “form of godliness” with no power at all. You see, the power flows directly from a personal relationship with our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. And Jesus Himself warned us against ever elevating traditions above the Word of God: “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition…Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” (Mark 7:9 & 13) Traditions undoubtedly have a “form” of godliness, but no power at all. How can I say this? I am just reading what Jesus said. God’s commandments and word bring power, and Jesus said traditions makes that power of no effect.
Now then, the question arises, what should we do with any of these people whose characteristics we have discussed so far. What does the Bible say?
from such turn away.”
Oh wow! This is truly a hard word! Can Jesus really be serious about this? I do believe if He wasn’t serious about this, this Scripture wouldn’t have been in the Bible. All the above most definitely represents the “motions of the enemy” today. Satan is still trying his best to pull away God’s people from the Truth, and the watchmen must speak up and warn His people. That is why God’s children must “turn away” from these people, because the characteristics they display are clear signs of enemy movements, and definitely not something God’s children want to be part of.
If any of God’s children may have identified themselves in what I wrote so far, it is time for them to take heed and STOP doing these things and return to a place of holiness before God.
(From the book: “Watchmen on the walls” – tiaan gildenhuys)
Dear friend…
ARE WE WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS?
“God's prophets and ministers are as watchmen in the city in a time of peace, to see that all is safe. As watchmen in the camp in time of war, to warn of the motions of the enemy.” (Matthew Henry)
Should you be of the opinion that Matthew Henry is only referring to ordained preachers, ministers or prophets in his quotation, quickly read the following verse with me:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained THEE a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
“And hast made US unto our God kings and PRIESTS: and we shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:10)
So friend, you and I are in reality those “prophets” ordained by God. To “ordain” also means to enact, establish or appoint. So WE were so APPOINTED as watchmen! By whom? By God Himself! We, who have given our lives to Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, are those prophets and ministers.
Prophets who are as watchmen on God’s city’s walls, who must see that all is safe and who must warn the people of the present and future “motions of the enemy” – Satan! The second scripture I quoted states that He made US kings and PRIESTS - in other words ministers - so that we may reign and live according to God’s Word, here on earth.
The question is, are God’s prophets and ministers - YOU AND I - really doing what we were appointed to do? With this book, I hope to come a step closer to fulfilling the instructions I received from my Heavenly Father. And you friend? What are you doing to fulfill yours?
MY PERSONAL INSTRUCTION
I cannot think of any better way to describe that which the Lord has put on my heart to write in this book, other than Matthew Henry’s quotation which I gave in Chapter 1 above. So, I will start with the scripture that the Lord gave me personally early in the year 2000, and work from there, from time to time returning to Matthew Henry’s statements as quoted in Chapter 1 above. The quotations below are all from Ezekiel 3:17-21.
“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them WARNING from me.”
Is your heart ready before the Lord, Jesus Christ, to be warned, dear reader? Do you have a teachable spirit? Are you open to be taught from God’s Word, no matter who you are and no matter how long you may have walked with the Lord? And no matter who the one is that is doing the warning?
“When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”
If you, dear reader, have as yet never given your heart to Jesus Christ, if you have never received Him as your Lord and Savior, this book may be your last chance to come out of a life of unrighteousness and wickedness. Who knows whether you will live to see tomorrow? Are you willing to gamble on spending an eternity separated from God, just because you are unwilling to heed the warnings contained in the Bible – or in this book? The choice is yours, but after holding this book in your hand, you will never be able to stand before God’s throne of judgment and say: “But Lord, I never knew…” If you wish to rectify the situation in your life, please pray the short prayer I quoted after the scriptures below out loud, so that the whole world, including Satan and his demons can hear you make a choice for Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
“Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.” (Ezekiel 3:17-21)
And you, Christian reader, have you been walking a long road with the Lord, but feel that you have “backslidden” because of things that happened in your life? Have you “turned from your righteousness” too? If so, are you willing to be warned and turn back from those things, repent of your sins before your Lord, Jesus Christ, and return to a life of holiness and righteousness? If so, won’t you also pray the following prayer out loud, so that the world - and Satan - can hear you decided to return to the life of holiness that God wants you to live:
PRAYER:
“Lord Jesus Christ, I hereby confirm that I am a sinner and pray that you will hear my prayer. I know that without your grace and mercy I am lost forever Lord. Therefore I now confess all the sins I have committed to this day Lord Jesus, whether they were wrong thoughts, wrong words or wrong deeds, You know them all Lord.
Lord Jesus I believe with my whole heart that You came to earth and died on a cross as atonement for all my sins and I now accept and receive You as my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer and my King. Please teach me from Your Word Lord, and give me a new hunger for the Bible. Holy Spirit, please reveal the Bible to me, and teach me to live the holy life that Jesus wants me to.
Thank you Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit, that I can now know that I am safe in your heavenly arms and that nothing can ever separate me from Your wonderful love. I glorify and exalt Your Holy Name! Amen.”
Wonderful! You have just ensured that nothing can ever separate you from God’s love ever again! So, let’s proceed with this book.
The Lord repeated the instruction He gave to me in 2000 more than once in later years. Initially I just asked: “Lord, who am I that you want to give me such an important instruction? I am not a theologically learned man.” The answer I received on more than one occasion was: “Tiaan, do you wish to be obedient to Me and My Word, or not?” Could I ever argue with that? So, I started writing books during June 2000 and my prayer to our mighty Heavenly Father, is that each and every book I have written since then, will have an everlasting spiritual impact on some person’s life, somewhere on earth. So, dear friend, whoever you are, and wherever you are at this very moment, my prayer is that the Holy Spirit of God will touch your spirit and your soul through the reading of this humble book.
I pray that you will have a teachable spirit that is open and willing to be advised, taught, and WARNED. May this book open new spiritual truths to you on your walk with Jesus Christ. In Hebrew He is called YESHUA HA MASCHIACH, Jesus the Messiah! Praise His Mighty Name!
WATCHMEN MUST WARN OF THE MOTIONS OF THE ENEMY
In the first place, the watchman’s purpose is to see that all is safe in times of peace, and to warn of the motions of the enemy in times of war. Question: Are we presently in a time of peace? I do not think anyone who knows anything about spiritual matters will contend that we actually are in a time of peace. No!
We most definitely are in a time of the greatest war of all times! And this war is a spiritual war. How do we know that we are in this great war? Because we all know that we are living in the end-times, and look what the Bible says about this time:
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
I repeat, God’s watchmen have to warn His people of the motions of the enemy in these times. What warning do we get from these scriptures? Let us look at these scriptures in more detail, in order to ascertain in what way they represent the “motions of the enemy” especially in our lives today:
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
We all know that the times we live in today, are indeed perilous. People can’t dare to walk alone in street at night anymore. Lives are not worth a penny to many robbers and thieves roaming the streets.
For men shall be:
lovers of their own selves,
Can there be any doubt today that men are “lovers of their own selves”? Status, material possessions and personal ability has become more important to most people, than what God really put them on earth for, namely to make disciples of all nations. To tell nations about Jesus Christ and what He did for us, and to do THAT in real Christ-like humility.
covetous,
To be covetous means “inordinately desirious (of something – especially something belonging to someone else), avaricious, greedy”. Man’s greed is very clear in these last days, especially if we look at the fact that status and material possessions have become all-important to most people. The thousands of court cases where people are being charged with corruption also proves this point. In the same manner embezzlement of company monies is at the order of the day.
boasters,
The “I am better than you”-syndrome is very clear. Or “my car is better than yours”. Or “my house is bigger than yours”. This is in direct contradiction to Jesus’ instruction to deny the “self”. Just listen to conversations around the barbeque, or at lunches, or at sports venues, if you need any confirmation of the statement that men most definitely are “boasters” in these times we live in.
proud,
Pride and haughtiness flows from, and forms part of the boasting of people today. The Bible is clear that pride comes before the fall. We must never forget that pride is exactly that which made Satan fall from grace and from heaven. So it makes quite good sense that he will use the same weapon against man to this day. If it was good enough to make him fall from grace, it must be good enough to use against man in order to try and pull them away from God too. You see, Satan knows the Bible and he knows that Christ requires humility from us. If he can get us to be disobedient to God’s word through pride, he may eventually get us to a place where he can pull us away from God, in the same way that he fell away from God.
blasphemers,
You only need to listen to any conversation in the street, or watch any movie or video, to understand how big the problem of blasphemy has become. However, it is very interesting to note that only the names: “Jesus Christ”, or “Oh my God!” is used in a blasphemous way on a daily basis all over the world. You never hear anyone say: “O Allah!” in a movie or video; or even “Oh Buddha!” Why not? Because there is no power in any of those names. There is only power in the one Name above all names, the Name of Jesus Christ. That is exactly the reason why Satan attacks this Name – the Name above all names - in such a public way all over the world, and tries to belittle, discredit and dishonor it. Obviously he hopes that in this way he will be able to reduce the power of the Name of Jesus. What Satan, and all other blasphemers seem to forget, is that the Bible states clearly that there will be a day when EVERY KNEE shall bow and EVERY TONGUE, including Satan’s own tongue, will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Hallelujah Lord Jesus!
disobedient to parents,
Children’s behavior towards their parents or teachers proves this part of the verse. The reason for this also lies in the fact that Satan ensures, through so-called human rights, the breakdown of Biblical discipline in homes, schools, and even countries. Parents aren’t even allowed to discipline their own children anymore, for fear that their own children may have them prosecuted by law. This leads to more and more anarchy in schools, towns, cities and even countries.
unthankful,
People just accept that things HAVE TO be given to them, without even thanking the person rendering the service to them. Just ask any fuel attendant or waitress how many people really thank them for the services they render. People have the attitude of: “She is getting paid to do her job, so why should I thank her?” Well, one reason stays that it is only good manners, and the second reason is that Jesus instructs us to be thankful towards each other.
unholy,
All the different false religions on earth today, including New Age, atheism, Buddhism, Hinduism, etcetera, confirm this fact that people have become “unholy”. As only God is “holy”, anything else claiming attributes of God, is unholy. Anything else is abominable, impure, cursed, polluted, wicked and worldly to God. In God’s eyes ANY other so-called “god” is an idol. “For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For ALL the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.” (Psalm 96:4, 5) Very clearly then, every other religion is unholy in God’s eyes, as are their gods. In the same manner people’s attitudes have become “unholy” in these days.
Without natural affection,
“Affection” means to have a good disposition, or kind feelings toward each other. With racism, hate, anti-Semitism and other similar emotions, Satan ensures that man has no “kind feelings” toward each other anymore. Of course all these things are opposites of the love that Jesus teaches us to have. Any opposition to what Christ teaches, is rebellion and the Bible is clear that such conduct effectively constitutes witchcraft. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:23) As long as we live in opposition to Jesus’ teachings, and reject His word, we are actually practicing witchcraft and will we also lose our appointment as kings and priests for God.
trucebreakers,
All the so-called “peace agreements” between nations, that are broken nearly as fast as they are drawn up - after much pomp and ceremony -, is proof of this fact.
false accusers,
People have no qualms at all to accuse others falsely about things they have not even done. This is found in families where kids blame each other from the youngest ages, but also in politics, in churches, in governments and all over the world. It is nothing new however, as Adam also falsely accused Eve – and actually even God - for his mistake in not taking up his authority against Satan’s attack.
incontinent,
“Incontinent” means: “exercising no control over the appetites, especially sexual passion; unchaste.” Any person who watches present-day movies or videos can attest to the fact that people are most definitely “incontinent” today. Satan’s sexual spirits of lust, adultery and perversion make sure that people think unchaste lives are acceptable, or even the norm, while it is most definitely not acceptable to God.
fierce,
Most people today have violent and cruel or savage tempers, as a result of Satan’s attacks on their lives and thoughts, which they don’t capture to the obedience of Christ. All the incidents of road rage on many countries’ national roads, also attest to this fact. Through videos and films this aggression and fierceness is built up even more.
despisers of those that are good,
If you look at the slogans and pictures on clothes, cars, posters, etcetera, you will most definitely see that the trend today, is to despise those that are good. The more wicked, ugly or evil something can be depicted, the better, it seems.
Traitors,
Traitors are people who betray someone else’s trust. In other words, people who act deceitfully and falsely. Open any newspaper or magazine today, anywhere in the world, and the proof of this fact, is plain for all to see.
heady,
“Heady” means to be headstrong, stubbornly bent on having one’s own way, and obstinate. As a result of the fact that the world does not obey the Word’s instruction to die to the “self”, people are most definitely “heady” in today’s society.
highminded,
To be “highminded” means to be haughty or arrogant, in other words prideful. We have already discussed this negative attribute earlier.
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
If we need any proof of this statement, we need only look at the number of people attending sport venues on Sundays, in comparison with the people attending churches at the same time.
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:
As long as our religion consists of dead rituals, traditions and form, instead of a personal relationship with the Way, the Truth and the Life – JESUS CHRIST Himself – we will most assuredly only have a “form of godliness” with no power at all. You see, the power flows directly from a personal relationship with our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. And Jesus Himself warned us against ever elevating traditions above the Word of God: “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition…Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” (Mark 7:9 & 13) Traditions undoubtedly have a “form” of godliness, but no power at all. How can I say this? I am just reading what Jesus said. God’s commandments and word bring power, and Jesus said traditions makes that power of no effect.
Now then, the question arises, what should we do with any of these people whose characteristics we have discussed so far. What does the Bible say?
from such turn away.”
Oh wow! This is truly a hard word! Can Jesus really be serious about this? I do believe if He wasn’t serious about this, this Scripture wouldn’t have been in the Bible. All the above most definitely represents the “motions of the enemy” today. Satan is still trying his best to pull away God’s people from the Truth, and the watchmen must speak up and warn His people. That is why God’s children must “turn away” from these people, because the characteristics they display are clear signs of enemy movements, and definitely not something God’s children want to be part of.
If any of God’s children may have identified themselves in what I wrote so far, it is time for them to take heed and STOP doing these things and return to a place of holiness before God.
(From the book: “Watchmen on the walls” – tiaan gildenhuys)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
My prayer
Thank You for keeping me whole...
my body, mind and my soul.
Thank you for keeping me sane...
when I sometimes feel it's all in vain
Thank You for Your wonderful blessings...
like my children's confessions
thank You for a Spirit of discernment...
Your child's highest requirement
For nourishing bread and waters...
for beautiful sons and daughters
Thank You for a sister and brothers..
my wife, family, friends and others
for the hope that You will come...
when all You said... is done
For the cross on the hills...
and the emptiness it fills
thank You for mercy and grace...
all we need, to see Your Face.
my body, mind and my soul.
Thank you for keeping me sane...
when I sometimes feel it's all in vain
Thank You for Your wonderful blessings...
like my children's confessions
thank You for a Spirit of discernment...
Your child's highest requirement
For nourishing bread and waters...
for beautiful sons and daughters
Thank You for a sister and brothers..
my wife, family, friends and others
for the hope that You will come...
when all You said... is done
For the cross on the hills...
and the emptiness it fills
thank You for mercy and grace...
all we need, to see Your Face.
Monday, April 27, 2009
NIGHTVISION - by Natalie
Natalie... God's angel who became my inspirationNight Vision
"I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness" (Isaiah 45:3)
Sometimes God doesn't tell us why because He wants us to know Who. In Psalm 23, David goes from talking about God, "The Lord is my Shepherd", to talking with Him, "Thou art with me". What happened inbetween? David learned that no matter how dark the way is, the Lord is there to guide us. He discovered that it's better to walk through the valley with God than stand on the mountain top alone. God doesn't always light the path in advance, but He promises, "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown" (Isaiah 43:2).
When you feel like you're out of your depth or in over your head, claim the promise! Job had many unanswered questions, but when he began to understand the difference between reason and relationship, he told God, "I ... heard about You before, but now I have seen You" (Job 42:5). When you can't find the reason, trust the relationship. God won't fail you.
Contrary to what you may think, darkness isn't always the work of the enemy. Sometimes it's one of God's best teaching tools. "About the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea ... And when they saw Him ... they were greatly amazed ... beyond measure, and marvelled" (Mark 6:48-51). You get to know the Lord by going through storms with Him. The Psalmist said, "To You the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to You" (Psalm 139:12). So instead of running from your problems, ask God to develop your night vision, to show you 'the treasures of darkness ... hidden in secret places" (Isaiah 45:3).
From the previous writing of Night Vision
1. God promises us peace, but not smooth sailing or immunity from life's problems.
2. Faith is like film; it's developed in the dark.
3. Dark days make us lean on God in ways we normally wouldn't.
4. If our faith was never tested we wouldn't be motivated to pursue God and draw closer to Him.
It's easy to praise God when your health is good and your bills are paid. It's when light suddenly turns to darkness that we discover what our faith is made of and where our trust truly lies. It's in those seasons that we develop night vision.
My own thought ...
If God uses darkness (tests and trials) to teach us, then we must make a distinction between 2 darknesses, i.e. darkness that is purposed to destroy us is from satan, but darkness used as a teaching tool to form us is from God.
"I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness" (Isaiah 45:3)
Sometimes God doesn't tell us why because He wants us to know Who. In Psalm 23, David goes from talking about God, "The Lord is my Shepherd", to talking with Him, "Thou art with me". What happened inbetween? David learned that no matter how dark the way is, the Lord is there to guide us. He discovered that it's better to walk through the valley with God than stand on the mountain top alone. God doesn't always light the path in advance, but He promises, "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown" (Isaiah 43:2).
When you feel like you're out of your depth or in over your head, claim the promise! Job had many unanswered questions, but when he began to understand the difference between reason and relationship, he told God, "I ... heard about You before, but now I have seen You" (Job 42:5). When you can't find the reason, trust the relationship. God won't fail you.
Contrary to what you may think, darkness isn't always the work of the enemy. Sometimes it's one of God's best teaching tools. "About the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea ... And when they saw Him ... they were greatly amazed ... beyond measure, and marvelled" (Mark 6:48-51). You get to know the Lord by going through storms with Him. The Psalmist said, "To You the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to You" (Psalm 139:12). So instead of running from your problems, ask God to develop your night vision, to show you 'the treasures of darkness ... hidden in secret places" (Isaiah 45:3).
From the previous writing of Night Vision
1. God promises us peace, but not smooth sailing or immunity from life's problems.
2. Faith is like film; it's developed in the dark.
3. Dark days make us lean on God in ways we normally wouldn't.
4. If our faith was never tested we wouldn't be motivated to pursue God and draw closer to Him.
It's easy to praise God when your health is good and your bills are paid. It's when light suddenly turns to darkness that we discover what our faith is made of and where our trust truly lies. It's in those seasons that we develop night vision.
My own thought ...
If God uses darkness (tests and trials) to teach us, then we must make a distinction between 2 darknesses, i.e. darkness that is purposed to destroy us is from satan, but darkness used as a teaching tool to form us is from God.
Night Vision - Conclusion
When the darkness you're experiencing is God-ordained, don't try to create your own light: "You who live in your own light .. will soon fall down in great torment" (Isaiah 50:11).Abraham decided to kindle his own fire when God's promise of an heir didn't materialise quickly enough. Tired of waiting, he decided to go it alone by fathering Ishmael and ended up creating problems that would last for generations. God had already promised to liberate Israel, but Moses took it upon himself to do things his way. As a result he killed an Egyptian slave master and spent the next 40 years in the wilderness (Exodus 2:11-15). Peter promised to follow Jesus to prison and to death (Luke 22:33), but because he didn't wait for instructions he ended up lopping off an innocent man's ear.
When you're in darkness by divine design you don't have to be afraid. God will bring you through. Why are we so sure? Because the Bible gives us great promises like: "Light arises in ... darkness for the upright" (Psalm 112:4), and "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5). The 40 days Moses spent alone on the mountain, Elijah's stay on Mount Horeb, and Paul's years in the Arabian desert weren't wasted experiences; they were part of God's plan.
Jesus said, "What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight" (Matthew 10:27). Notice two things in this Scripture: (1) It's in your worst moments that God gives you some of your best insights. (2) People will listen to you because you've 'earned the right to speak'. So sit tight and let God teach you things which can only be learned in the dark.
Lief jou baie Robbie!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Pretentiousness
Pretentiousness
pretend —v. 1 claim or assert falsely so as to deceive (pretend knowledge; pretended to be rich). 2 imagine to oneself in play (pretended it was night). 3 (as pretended adj.) falsely claim to be such (a pretended friend). 4 (foll. by to) a lay claim to (a right or title etc.). b profess to have (a quality etc.). —adj. colloq. pretended; in pretence (pretend money). [Latin praetendo: related to *tend1]
pretender n. person who claims a throne, title, etc.
pretense n. (Brit. pretence) 1 pretending, make-believe. 2 a pretext, excuse. b false show of intentions or motives. 3 (foll. by to) claim, esp. a false one (to merit etc.). 4 display; ostentation. [Anglo-Latin: related to *pretend]
pretension n. 1 (often foll. by to) a assertion of a claim. b justifiable claim. 2 pretentiousness. [medieval Latin: related to *pretend]
pretentious adj. 1 making an excessive claim to merit or importance. 2 ostentatious. pretentiously adv. pretentiousness n.
I wonder how many people “sings” this song-
“Oh yes, I’m the great, pretender”
One just have to browse the internet, enter some of the chat rooms or even “facebook”, and who do you meet? – Tarzan and Jane, Superman and Wonder woman.
I sit and wonder what God thinks about pretend?
What makes people pretend they are what they’re not?
Is it pride that leads people to deceive the ones opposite?
What leads to pretentious acts that makes it so easy for people to LIE blatantly about their statuses whether financial or social?
And in the meantime, God knows the truth and this is what He says to those consumed with pride.
1 Sam 17 : 28
I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart…
Mark 7:22 & 23
Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
1 Thessalonians 3:5 & 6
(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
1 John 2: 15 & 16
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
pretend —v. 1 claim or assert falsely so as to deceive (pretend knowledge; pretended to be rich). 2 imagine to oneself in play (pretended it was night). 3 (as pretended adj.) falsely claim to be such (a pretended friend). 4 (foll. by to) a lay claim to (a right or title etc.). b profess to have (a quality etc.). —adj. colloq. pretended; in pretence (pretend money). [Latin praetendo: related to *tend1]
pretender n. person who claims a throne, title, etc.
pretense n. (Brit. pretence) 1 pretending, make-believe. 2 a pretext, excuse. b false show of intentions or motives. 3 (foll. by to) claim, esp. a false one (to merit etc.). 4 display; ostentation. [Anglo-Latin: related to *pretend]
pretension n. 1 (often foll. by to) a assertion of a claim. b justifiable claim. 2 pretentiousness. [medieval Latin: related to *pretend]
pretentious adj. 1 making an excessive claim to merit or importance. 2 ostentatious. pretentiously adv. pretentiousness n.
I wonder how many people “sings” this song-
“Oh yes, I’m the great, pretender”
One just have to browse the internet, enter some of the chat rooms or even “facebook”, and who do you meet? – Tarzan and Jane, Superman and Wonder woman.
I sit and wonder what God thinks about pretend?
What makes people pretend they are what they’re not?
Is it pride that leads people to deceive the ones opposite?
What leads to pretentious acts that makes it so easy for people to LIE blatantly about their statuses whether financial or social?
And in the meantime, God knows the truth and this is what He says to those consumed with pride.
1 Sam 17 : 28
I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart…
Mark 7:22 & 23
Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
1 Thessalonians 3:5 & 6
(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
1 John 2: 15 & 16
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
There are 50 or so verses in the Bible referring to Pride... none of them approves. In fact, God HATES pride - so much more false pride.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
LEGALISM (Law vs Grace)
2 Corinthians 3 : If we read the Bible as law (legalist overly-concerned with rule-keeping) separation will exist between God and us, and prevents a proper relationship. If we are legalistic, we will read legalism into everything the Bible says. We will exalt rules above relationship.
We need to come to God with an open heart. The law was given to show people their need for a Saviour. We absolutely cannot keep the law. We need to humble ourselves and ask God to help us – in JESUS – we need a personal relationship NOT religion. The law can’t save us – ONLY JESUS CAN! The law kills – the Spirit gives life – 2 Corinthians 3:6.
Galatians 5 : If you choose to be justified by the law (live by the law) you are separated from Christ and have fallen away from God’s grace.
Romans 10:4 : Christ was the end of the law. He accomplished and fulfilled the law for us. We no longer live by law, we live by grace.
Galatians 3:10-13 : If you depend on the law for justification, you are cursed and doomed to disappointment and destruction. Legalism is a curse. It prevents God’s blessings in your life. You can only be justified by grace through faith in what Jesus did for you. The law does not rest on faith. Jesus purchased our freedom from the curse of the law by becoming the curse for us. He fulfilled the law for us, knowing that we could never do it in our own strength.
Romans 3:20-31 : The law was given so that we can be conscience of and recognize our sin which works towards repentance. God’s righteousness is separate from the law. Righteousness is only found in believing, with personal trust, in Jesus Christ. We are justified and made right with God by his grace, through Jesus.
We are justified apart from good deeds (works of the law). Observing the law has nothing to do with justification. Does our faith make the law of no effect? NO! We confirm and establish and uphold the law.
Our faith in JESUS (NOT THE LAW) confirms and establishes fulfillment of the law through Him – and through strength received from Him we uphold the law.
*** oOo ***
If we truly desire to succeed at being ourselves, we absolutely must have a thorough understanding of what justifies us and makes us right with God. Romans 3:28 says that we are justified by faith in Christ alone and not by our works (Ephesians 2:8-9 : For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favour) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this (salvation) is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but t is the gift of God; not because of works [not the fulfillment of the law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no-one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself].)
If we have real faith, we will do good works, but our dependence will not be on works. Our works will be done as acts of love for God – in obedience to Him – rather than as ‘works of the flesh’ by which we hope to gain right standing and acceptance with Him.
Is God your Judge (law) or your Father (grace)? Is He Yahweh or Abba? Through Jesus we are able to boldly approach the throne of grace – to cry out “Abba, Father!”
We need to come to God with an open heart. The law was given to show people their need for a Saviour. We absolutely cannot keep the law. We need to humble ourselves and ask God to help us – in JESUS – we need a personal relationship NOT religion. The law can’t save us – ONLY JESUS CAN! The law kills – the Spirit gives life – 2 Corinthians 3:6.
Galatians 5 : If you choose to be justified by the law (live by the law) you are separated from Christ and have fallen away from God’s grace.
Romans 10:4 : Christ was the end of the law. He accomplished and fulfilled the law for us. We no longer live by law, we live by grace.
Galatians 3:10-13 : If you depend on the law for justification, you are cursed and doomed to disappointment and destruction. Legalism is a curse. It prevents God’s blessings in your life. You can only be justified by grace through faith in what Jesus did for you. The law does not rest on faith. Jesus purchased our freedom from the curse of the law by becoming the curse for us. He fulfilled the law for us, knowing that we could never do it in our own strength.
Romans 3:20-31 : The law was given so that we can be conscience of and recognize our sin which works towards repentance. God’s righteousness is separate from the law. Righteousness is only found in believing, with personal trust, in Jesus Christ. We are justified and made right with God by his grace, through Jesus.
We are justified apart from good deeds (works of the law). Observing the law has nothing to do with justification. Does our faith make the law of no effect? NO! We confirm and establish and uphold the law.
Our faith in JESUS (NOT THE LAW) confirms and establishes fulfillment of the law through Him – and through strength received from Him we uphold the law.
*** oOo ***
If we truly desire to succeed at being ourselves, we absolutely must have a thorough understanding of what justifies us and makes us right with God. Romans 3:28 says that we are justified by faith in Christ alone and not by our works (Ephesians 2:8-9 : For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favour) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this (salvation) is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but t is the gift of God; not because of works [not the fulfillment of the law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no-one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself].)
If we have real faith, we will do good works, but our dependence will not be on works. Our works will be done as acts of love for God – in obedience to Him – rather than as ‘works of the flesh’ by which we hope to gain right standing and acceptance with Him.
Is God your Judge (law) or your Father (grace)? Is He Yahweh or Abba? Through Jesus we are able to boldly approach the throne of grace – to cry out “Abba, Father!”
WHERE IS HEAVEN?
God showed me a beautiful way to explain and locate Heaven. This was one of the prominent questions asked by teenagers during my Sunday school teaching days.
Where is Heaven?
According to God’s Word...
Ps. 48:2 – Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King
Isa. 14:13 – For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
And Ezekiel also refers to the house of the Lord which is “towards the north”
“On the sides of the north” is where heaven is. And that is exactly where a compass points to – to the “sides of the north” and NOT directly north – as we were taught in grade 5 geography.
Where is Heaven?
According to God’s Word...
Ps. 48:2 – Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King
Isa. 14:13 – For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
And Ezekiel also refers to the house of the Lord which is “towards the north”
“On the sides of the north” is where heaven is. And that is exactly where a compass points to – to the “sides of the north” and NOT directly north – as we were taught in grade 5 geography.
If one looks at a map of the world, top is north, bottom is south, east is right and west is left. Let’s say that heaven is north, and hell is south. Then we pick the Bible, open it up, and hold it in front of us. The Bible becomes our map and compass now. It shows us the way not?
By picking it up, (direction north) with the intention to read it, it starts showing the way to salvation (heaven). By putting it down (direction south) without reading it, we miss the opportunity of being guided on track, which means we fail to get “direction”... and south we agreed points to hell...
Every time we pick up the bible just to put it down without reading it, we miss a message (that’s suppose to guide us) - from God. Directionless we put it down.
The Old Testament talks about sin and the fall of man. The New Testament again is all about forgiveness and mercy through Jesus Christ. If we once again pick up the Bible and open it up where the Old and New Testaments split, it indicates eats and west... and God says... “Your sins will be removed as far as the east is from the west”. (By the way... that is ... bl... VERY far)
So, north is heaven if you pick up your “map” to read, south is hell if you put it down without reading, west is sin and death and east is mercy and grace we got at the cross.
Now let us continue confirming the location of Heaven.
In the book of Genesis, it takes little to understand that heaven and earth are two separate creations AWAY from each other. Heaven is NOT a place on earth Belinda Carlisle!!
By picking it up, (direction north) with the intention to read it, it starts showing the way to salvation (heaven). By putting it down (direction south) without reading it, we miss the opportunity of being guided on track, which means we fail to get “direction”... and south we agreed points to hell...
Every time we pick up the bible just to put it down without reading it, we miss a message (that’s suppose to guide us) - from God. Directionless we put it down.
The Old Testament talks about sin and the fall of man. The New Testament again is all about forgiveness and mercy through Jesus Christ. If we once again pick up the Bible and open it up where the Old and New Testaments split, it indicates eats and west... and God says... “Your sins will be removed as far as the east is from the west”. (By the way... that is ... bl... VERY far)
So, north is heaven if you pick up your “map” to read, south is hell if you put it down without reading, west is sin and death and east is mercy and grace we got at the cross.
Now let us continue confirming the location of Heaven.
In the book of Genesis, it takes little to understand that heaven and earth are two separate creations AWAY from each other. Heaven is NOT a place on earth Belinda Carlisle!!
God made the heavens ABOVE the earth!! To the north... where Jesus rose up to!
God rained brimstone from heaven
God called to His people from heaven
God opens the windows of Heaven when He sends rain
God refer to the stars of Heaven – Do I see any stars on earth?
God sends dew from Heaven above
God wants no graven images to be made, that is in Heaven above or below here on earth.
The sun, moon and stars are the hosts of heaven God says. (now we are getting closer, but not there yet)
Everything that is in the Heavens, and that is upon the earth, belongs to God
Jos 2:11
And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
Jos 10:13
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
2 Sa 22:14
The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.
Ps 102:19
For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;
God rained brimstone from heaven
God called to His people from heaven
God opens the windows of Heaven when He sends rain
God refer to the stars of Heaven – Do I see any stars on earth?
God sends dew from Heaven above
God wants no graven images to be made, that is in Heaven above or below here on earth.
The sun, moon and stars are the hosts of heaven God says. (now we are getting closer, but not there yet)
Everything that is in the Heavens, and that is upon the earth, belongs to God
Jos 2:11
And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
Jos 10:13
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
2 Sa 22:14
The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.
Ps 102:19
For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;
Amen.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
To tithe or not to tithe...
This was copied from a blog... and I ask myself, how did I feel when I submit my tenth in an envelope and drop it into the "hands" of the deacon?
I continue to ask: How do I feel when God inspires (instructs) me to pay for someone's groceries?
- Bragging about the good deed removes the glory from God and so does "not admitting" that the gift is from God....
"Often: I drove past a beautiful church building and I can see the the congregation is "proud" of it.
Then on my way to town, I would drive past a group of Africans, singing, dancing and praising in the field,
... NO building, only covered by soft rain." - Robbie
"...PROVE ALL THINGS; HOLD FAST TO THAT WHICH IS GOOD..." 1TH 5:21
I continue to ask: How do I feel when God inspires (instructs) me to pay for someone's groceries?
- Bragging about the good deed removes the glory from God and so does "not admitting" that the gift is from God....
"Often: I drove past a beautiful church building and I can see the the congregation is "proud" of it.
Then on my way to town, I would drive past a group of Africans, singing, dancing and praising in the field,
... NO building, only covered by soft rain." - Robbie
"...PROVE ALL THINGS; HOLD FAST TO THAT WHICH IS GOOD..." 1TH 5:21
TO TITHE OR NOT TO TITHE?
('CP' denotes 'compare passage')
It needs to be established at the very outset here that this study does not teach against Christians giving into the work of God. It is about how they give - whether spontaneously, or by compulsion. A teaching persists in the contemporary church that Christians under grace in the New Testament are obligated to tithe as the Jews under the law had to tithe in the Old Testament. There are no defining scriptures anywhere in the Bible however, to validate such teaching. Nevertheless the proponents of tithing do use scriptures to argue their position.
The purpose of this study is to examine those scriptures in context to determine if they really can be used for that purpose. But first let us find out exactly what the tithe is.
(CP Lev 27:30-34). We see from this that the tithe is a tenth part. Under the law here the Old Testament Jews had to pay ten percent of the produce of the earth and the increase of their herds and flocks to God. It had nothing to do with money then, as it has today.
Today the tithe is stipulated as ten percent of one's gross income which has to be paid to the local church. Those who argue for the tithe use Mal 3:8-11 to teach that the local church, being the place where Christians are spiritually fed, is the New Testament equivalent to the Old Testament storehouse where the tithes had to be taken, and that New Testament Christians who withhold their tithes will be cursed the same as the Old Testament Jews.
(CP Mal 3:8-11). Nothing that God says here can be applied to New Testament Christians. God rebuked the Jews who were under the law and obligated to tithe. New Testament Christians are not under the law because it has been fulfilled in Christ, and they have been redeemed from its curse (CP Ro 10:4; Ga 3:13-14).
The tithe is first mentioned in scripture when Abraham tithed to Melchizedec - a priest of the most high God - from the spoils of war after the slaughter of the kings, when Abraham rescued his nephew Lot and the women captives, in Gen 14 (CP Gen 14:18-20). We will learn more about this tithe and how it is represented by the proponents of tithing in the contemporary church a little later when we study He 7.
Another argument for tithing is said to be found in Mt 23:23 (CP 23:23). Many in the church believe that by acknowledging the obligation of the Jews to tithe here Jesus is teaching that tithing is also obligatory for New Testament Christians. Tithing is not even the issue though. Jesus was rebuking Scribes and Pharisees who were subject to the law and obligated to tithe anyway.
Mt 23:23
A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you make men give a tenth of all sorts of sweet-smelling plants, but you give no thought to the more important things of the law, righteousness, and mercy, and faith; but it is right for you to do these, and not to let the others be undone.
The issue Jesus was addressing was not their tithes, but their neglect of justice, mercy and faithfulness toward others. To practice these was more important then being sticklers for the smallest detail of tithing (CP Mt 23:24-33). This is what Jesus was really leading up to in Mt 23, which precludes V23 from being used to teach that Jesus was sanctioning tithing for New Testament Christians.
Compulsory tithing under the law in the Old Testament does not translate to giving under grace in the New Testament. The New Testament does not compel Christians, but rather invites them to give generously in response to the needs of others, and as an expression of their love for God
(CP 1Cor 16:1-2; 2Cor 8:1-15; 9:1-15; Ga 6:6-8; Jas 2:13-17; 1Jn 3:16-19). We learn from these scriptures that New Testament giving is voluntary, spontaneous and freely given, not from a sense of obligation nor with an intent to merit blessings. Giving is to be seen as a privilege, not an obligation. 1Cor 16:1-2 is used by those who promote tithing to teach that the money the Corinthians were to put aside each Sunday represented the tithe. 2Cor 8:2-4 is used to encourage Christians to tithe, yet in V8 Paul clearly states that he was not commanding the Corinthians to give; he only wanted them to prove the sincerity of their love for their brothers and sisters in Christ. In V7 he calls their giving an act of grace, which is the exact opposite of mandatory tithing.
In 2Cor 9:5 Paul stresses the importance of the collection being seen as a willing gift, not as money that has been extorted from themc (CP 1Cor 16:3-4 with 2Cor 8:2-4, 7-8 and 9:5). The clear teaching in all these scriptures is that New Testament giving under grace comes from what one has, not from what one does not have. Christians are only expected to give according to their means, and although there must a readiness and eagerness in giving, Christians do not have to run themselves into debt or reduce themselves to poverty level in order to give into God's work. This is acceptable to God. The issue is one's willingness to give - not the amount (CP Lu 11:41; 2Cor 8:11-12; 9:7). Christians must not feel bad if they are ever unable to give (CP 2Cor 8:13-15). This teaches that Christians who are well off should meet the needs of those who are not. In this way none will lack, and there will be equality for all, just like God directed the Israelites with the manna in the wilderness (CP Ex 16:16-18).
There are four things Christians must do in giving: they must give willingly from the heart, they must not give grudgingly; they must not give of compulsion; they must give cheerfully (CP 2Cor 8:12; 9:5, 7). Christians who give what they can to those in need will find that the grace of God furnishes a sufficiency for their own needs, and even more, in order that they may abound in good works for others (CP Psa 41:1-2; Pr 11:24-25; 19:17; 22:9; Ecc 11:1; Lu 6:38; 2Cor 9:6, 8-15). At the heart of all Christian giving is the acknowledgement that God is the creator, the owner, and the giver of all things, and what we give back to God is only a part of what He has given to us in the first place (CP Gen 1:1; Ex 19:5; De 8:7-20; 1Chr 29:10-16; Psa 24:1; 50:10-12; Hag 2:8; Jn 1:1-3; Jas 1:17; 2Pe 1:3). Everything Christians have belongs to the Lord. No one has anything that they had not first received from God.
Those who hold that tithing is obligatory for New Testament Christians also use He 7: 1-10 to teach that, as Abraham was the antecedent of all New Testament Christians and paid a tithe to Melchizedec, it is incumbent upon all New Testament Christians to tithe. They contend that Abraham was the representative tithe payer of all his seed to come, which Christians are (CP Ga 3:29). Now let us look at He 7:1-10, but in the context of the whole chapter to see what it really means (CP He 7:1-28). When kept in the context of the whole of Ch 7 it is plain to see that tithing, as being obligatory for New Testament Christians, is not being taught in V1-10 at all. Melchizedec is the subject, not Jesus, and tithing is mentioned only in the context of demonstrating the superiority of Melchizedec over Abraham and Levi in the first place, and the superiority of Christ's eternal priesthood over the temporary Levitical priesthood in the second place, which makes the New Covenant superior to the Old. That is the theme of He 7, not tithing. Tithing is only incidental to proving that the New Covenant, of which Jesus is the mediator, is by far superior to the Old Covenant, and it cannot be made to mean anything else (CP He 7:19, 22-28; 8:6-13; 9:11-15). We also learn in these scriptures that the Old Covenant has been made obsolete in Christ and done way with in its entirety. That was how God designed it: the Old Covenant was only temporary; the New Covenant under Christ is everlasting
(CP Hos 2;11 with Ro 3:21-22; 10:4; 2Cor 3;7-14; Ga 3:19-26; 4:21-31; 5:1-4; Eph 2:13-16; He 7:12, 18:22; 8:6-13; 9:8 -15; 10:1-10).The clear teaching in all these scriptures is that the Old Covenant, which includes the law on tithing, has been completely abolished in Christ and has no relevance for New Testament Christians. Yet those who stand for tithing argue that the tithe itself was not abolished, because it was established by Abraham four hundred and thirty years prior to the law when he tithed to Melchizedec in Gen 14:18-20, which we looked at earlier, and therefore it should be carried on by New Testament Christians.
They use Ga 3:17-18 as their proof text. Let us see what it says, but also in context (CP Ga 3:13-18). This scripture cannot be used to teach that Abraham's tithe to Melchizedec should be continued. This has nothing to do with tithing, or Melchizedec. It is about the Covenant God made with Abraham. Paul is using the analogy of God's Covenant with Abraham, and a legal agreement made between humans, to show that once the parties to it ratify an agreement, it stands forever - it cannot be annulled or voided. What Paul is teaching here is that the blessings God promised Abraham stand forever too. They were not affected by the law in any way (CP Gen 12:1-3, 7; 13:14-18; 15:1-18; 17:4-8; 22:15-18; 26:1-8; 28:1-4, 10-15 with Ro 4;1-25). This is the Covenant God made with Abraham. The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until the seed of Abraham - Christ - came to inherit the promise, and distribute the blessings to all who receive Him by faith as saviour (CP Ga 3:6-16, 19-29). Everyone in Christ, regardless of nationality or sex, is the seed of Abraham and heir of God's Covenant promise.
It is patently obvious from the scriptures studied thus far that none of them can be legitimately used to promote tithing as a New Testament Christian obligation. As stated at the outset of this study, there is no defining scripture anywhere in the bible to validate any teaching that it is incumbent upon New Testament Christians to tithe. As also stated previously, compulsory tithing under the law in the Old Testament does not translate to giving under grace in the New Testament. New Testament giving is centred entirety around stewardship - Christians giving of themselves completely to the work of God - which includes their time, their finances, and their material possessions
(CP Mt 10:37-39; Mk 8:34-38; Lu 14:26-35).
None of this is teaching against New Testament Christians giving in to the work of God through their local church. Scriptures are very clear on the subject of giving - only those who sow into the Kingdom will reap the Kingdom benefits (CP Ga 6:6-10). Paul is defining God's law of sowing and reaping here. It applies to every aspect of the Christian walk: Christians giving of themselves, their finances and their time to others; their financial support of the ministry, their moral behaviour, and their Christian service. Ga 6:9-10 teaches that while ever Christians keep doing good, in spite of the opposition they may encounter, in due course they will reap the fruit of the harvest. And notwithstanding that they are to do good unto all men, they are to be particularly concerned with the well - being of other Christians (CP Mt 25:31-46). All Christian giving has to be as to God, the Christians' source, for whatever Christians do they are doing it as unto Jesus. Jesus equates Christians' treatment of those in need with their treatment of Himself: what Christians do for them, they do for Him. The Christian walk is not only a spiritual walk, it must also serve the material needs of others, especially other Christians
(CP Jas 2:13-17).
Here Christians are presented with the real test of their faith. Christians are not justified by works, but because they are justified by faith, they do the works. This proves their consecration to God's service and confirms their love for God and for each other (CP 1Jn 3:16-19). The only faith that saves is that demonstrated by works out of Christians' love for God. This scripture is the exact counterpart of Jn 3:16: "Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life". 1Jn 3:16-19 is the acid test of Christianity by which Christians know whether they are following the example of God's love to others. If Christians are not willing to give of material things to others in need, they certainly would not lay down their lives for them. It is not enough that wealth and material possessions are acquired for self-gratification. They must always be made available for the work of God (CP Mt 6:19-24; Lu 12:13-21; 2Cor 9:5-6). Although God's law of sowing and reaping dictates that blessings will always be returned for generosity, Christians must never give in order to receive. Giving must always be motivated by love.
It is the duty of all who are taught the word to help provide material support for those who teach the word. Those who minister the word are entitled to live off the word (CP 1Cor 9:7-14; Ga 6:6; 3 Jn 5-8). No workers of the word should have to seek help in any form outside the church. Christians have a duty, which should be seen as a privilege, to contribute to the needs of every worker of the word. They must not be treated like beggars, but received, sent, and supported in a manner worthy of God (CP Mt 10:40-42; Lu 10:3-7; 1Ti 5:17-18). In Mt 10:41-42 Jesus promises that "he that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward". This teaches Christians how important it is in God's purposes to receive and support true messengers of the gospel.In bringing this study to a close here it needs to be re-stated that while there is extensive teaching on Christians giving into the work of God in the New Testament, there are no scriptures whatever that teach tithing. What they do teach is that Christians belong to God and what they have is held as a trust for him. Their giving is done to help those in need and to advance the Kingdom of God. They are only obliged to give in accordance with their means, out of what they have, and the amount they give is not as important as their willingness to give it. Giving is seen as proof of their love. It is done sacrificially and voluntarily. In their giving Christians sow not only money, but also faith, time and service. To sum up, their giving is characterized by what Paul said in 2Cor 9:7, "every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."
('CP' denotes 'compare passage')
It needs to be established at the very outset here that this study does not teach against Christians giving into the work of God. It is about how they give - whether spontaneously, or by compulsion. A teaching persists in the contemporary church that Christians under grace in the New Testament are obligated to tithe as the Jews under the law had to tithe in the Old Testament. There are no defining scriptures anywhere in the Bible however, to validate such teaching. Nevertheless the proponents of tithing do use scriptures to argue their position.
The purpose of this study is to examine those scriptures in context to determine if they really can be used for that purpose. But first let us find out exactly what the tithe is.
(CP Lev 27:30-34). We see from this that the tithe is a tenth part. Under the law here the Old Testament Jews had to pay ten percent of the produce of the earth and the increase of their herds and flocks to God. It had nothing to do with money then, as it has today.
Today the tithe is stipulated as ten percent of one's gross income which has to be paid to the local church. Those who argue for the tithe use Mal 3:8-11 to teach that the local church, being the place where Christians are spiritually fed, is the New Testament equivalent to the Old Testament storehouse where the tithes had to be taken, and that New Testament Christians who withhold their tithes will be cursed the same as the Old Testament Jews.
(CP Mal 3:8-11). Nothing that God says here can be applied to New Testament Christians. God rebuked the Jews who were under the law and obligated to tithe. New Testament Christians are not under the law because it has been fulfilled in Christ, and they have been redeemed from its curse (CP Ro 10:4; Ga 3:13-14).
The tithe is first mentioned in scripture when Abraham tithed to Melchizedec - a priest of the most high God - from the spoils of war after the slaughter of the kings, when Abraham rescued his nephew Lot and the women captives, in Gen 14 (CP Gen 14:18-20). We will learn more about this tithe and how it is represented by the proponents of tithing in the contemporary church a little later when we study He 7.
Another argument for tithing is said to be found in Mt 23:23 (CP 23:23). Many in the church believe that by acknowledging the obligation of the Jews to tithe here Jesus is teaching that tithing is also obligatory for New Testament Christians. Tithing is not even the issue though. Jesus was rebuking Scribes and Pharisees who were subject to the law and obligated to tithe anyway.
Mt 23:23
A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you make men give a tenth of all sorts of sweet-smelling plants, but you give no thought to the more important things of the law, righteousness, and mercy, and faith; but it is right for you to do these, and not to let the others be undone.
The issue Jesus was addressing was not their tithes, but their neglect of justice, mercy and faithfulness toward others. To practice these was more important then being sticklers for the smallest detail of tithing (CP Mt 23:24-33). This is what Jesus was really leading up to in Mt 23, which precludes V23 from being used to teach that Jesus was sanctioning tithing for New Testament Christians.
Compulsory tithing under the law in the Old Testament does not translate to giving under grace in the New Testament. The New Testament does not compel Christians, but rather invites them to give generously in response to the needs of others, and as an expression of their love for God
(CP 1Cor 16:1-2; 2Cor 8:1-15; 9:1-15; Ga 6:6-8; Jas 2:13-17; 1Jn 3:16-19). We learn from these scriptures that New Testament giving is voluntary, spontaneous and freely given, not from a sense of obligation nor with an intent to merit blessings. Giving is to be seen as a privilege, not an obligation. 1Cor 16:1-2 is used by those who promote tithing to teach that the money the Corinthians were to put aside each Sunday represented the tithe. 2Cor 8:2-4 is used to encourage Christians to tithe, yet in V8 Paul clearly states that he was not commanding the Corinthians to give; he only wanted them to prove the sincerity of their love for their brothers and sisters in Christ. In V7 he calls their giving an act of grace, which is the exact opposite of mandatory tithing.
In 2Cor 9:5 Paul stresses the importance of the collection being seen as a willing gift, not as money that has been extorted from themc (CP 1Cor 16:3-4 with 2Cor 8:2-4, 7-8 and 9:5). The clear teaching in all these scriptures is that New Testament giving under grace comes from what one has, not from what one does not have. Christians are only expected to give according to their means, and although there must a readiness and eagerness in giving, Christians do not have to run themselves into debt or reduce themselves to poverty level in order to give into God's work. This is acceptable to God. The issue is one's willingness to give - not the amount (CP Lu 11:41; 2Cor 8:11-12; 9:7). Christians must not feel bad if they are ever unable to give (CP 2Cor 8:13-15). This teaches that Christians who are well off should meet the needs of those who are not. In this way none will lack, and there will be equality for all, just like God directed the Israelites with the manna in the wilderness (CP Ex 16:16-18).
There are four things Christians must do in giving: they must give willingly from the heart, they must not give grudgingly; they must not give of compulsion; they must give cheerfully (CP 2Cor 8:12; 9:5, 7). Christians who give what they can to those in need will find that the grace of God furnishes a sufficiency for their own needs, and even more, in order that they may abound in good works for others (CP Psa 41:1-2; Pr 11:24-25; 19:17; 22:9; Ecc 11:1; Lu 6:38; 2Cor 9:6, 8-15). At the heart of all Christian giving is the acknowledgement that God is the creator, the owner, and the giver of all things, and what we give back to God is only a part of what He has given to us in the first place (CP Gen 1:1; Ex 19:5; De 8:7-20; 1Chr 29:10-16; Psa 24:1; 50:10-12; Hag 2:8; Jn 1:1-3; Jas 1:17; 2Pe 1:3). Everything Christians have belongs to the Lord. No one has anything that they had not first received from God.
Those who hold that tithing is obligatory for New Testament Christians also use He 7: 1-10 to teach that, as Abraham was the antecedent of all New Testament Christians and paid a tithe to Melchizedec, it is incumbent upon all New Testament Christians to tithe. They contend that Abraham was the representative tithe payer of all his seed to come, which Christians are (CP Ga 3:29). Now let us look at He 7:1-10, but in the context of the whole chapter to see what it really means (CP He 7:1-28). When kept in the context of the whole of Ch 7 it is plain to see that tithing, as being obligatory for New Testament Christians, is not being taught in V1-10 at all. Melchizedec is the subject, not Jesus, and tithing is mentioned only in the context of demonstrating the superiority of Melchizedec over Abraham and Levi in the first place, and the superiority of Christ's eternal priesthood over the temporary Levitical priesthood in the second place, which makes the New Covenant superior to the Old. That is the theme of He 7, not tithing. Tithing is only incidental to proving that the New Covenant, of which Jesus is the mediator, is by far superior to the Old Covenant, and it cannot be made to mean anything else (CP He 7:19, 22-28; 8:6-13; 9:11-15). We also learn in these scriptures that the Old Covenant has been made obsolete in Christ and done way with in its entirety. That was how God designed it: the Old Covenant was only temporary; the New Covenant under Christ is everlasting
(CP Hos 2;11 with Ro 3:21-22; 10:4; 2Cor 3;7-14; Ga 3:19-26; 4:21-31; 5:1-4; Eph 2:13-16; He 7:12, 18:22; 8:6-13; 9:8 -15; 10:1-10).The clear teaching in all these scriptures is that the Old Covenant, which includes the law on tithing, has been completely abolished in Christ and has no relevance for New Testament Christians. Yet those who stand for tithing argue that the tithe itself was not abolished, because it was established by Abraham four hundred and thirty years prior to the law when he tithed to Melchizedec in Gen 14:18-20, which we looked at earlier, and therefore it should be carried on by New Testament Christians.
They use Ga 3:17-18 as their proof text. Let us see what it says, but also in context (CP Ga 3:13-18). This scripture cannot be used to teach that Abraham's tithe to Melchizedec should be continued. This has nothing to do with tithing, or Melchizedec. It is about the Covenant God made with Abraham. Paul is using the analogy of God's Covenant with Abraham, and a legal agreement made between humans, to show that once the parties to it ratify an agreement, it stands forever - it cannot be annulled or voided. What Paul is teaching here is that the blessings God promised Abraham stand forever too. They were not affected by the law in any way (CP Gen 12:1-3, 7; 13:14-18; 15:1-18; 17:4-8; 22:15-18; 26:1-8; 28:1-4, 10-15 with Ro 4;1-25). This is the Covenant God made with Abraham. The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until the seed of Abraham - Christ - came to inherit the promise, and distribute the blessings to all who receive Him by faith as saviour (CP Ga 3:6-16, 19-29). Everyone in Christ, regardless of nationality or sex, is the seed of Abraham and heir of God's Covenant promise.
It is patently obvious from the scriptures studied thus far that none of them can be legitimately used to promote tithing as a New Testament Christian obligation. As stated at the outset of this study, there is no defining scripture anywhere in the bible to validate any teaching that it is incumbent upon New Testament Christians to tithe. As also stated previously, compulsory tithing under the law in the Old Testament does not translate to giving under grace in the New Testament. New Testament giving is centred entirety around stewardship - Christians giving of themselves completely to the work of God - which includes their time, their finances, and their material possessions
(CP Mt 10:37-39; Mk 8:34-38; Lu 14:26-35).
None of this is teaching against New Testament Christians giving in to the work of God through their local church. Scriptures are very clear on the subject of giving - only those who sow into the Kingdom will reap the Kingdom benefits (CP Ga 6:6-10). Paul is defining God's law of sowing and reaping here. It applies to every aspect of the Christian walk: Christians giving of themselves, their finances and their time to others; their financial support of the ministry, their moral behaviour, and their Christian service. Ga 6:9-10 teaches that while ever Christians keep doing good, in spite of the opposition they may encounter, in due course they will reap the fruit of the harvest. And notwithstanding that they are to do good unto all men, they are to be particularly concerned with the well - being of other Christians (CP Mt 25:31-46). All Christian giving has to be as to God, the Christians' source, for whatever Christians do they are doing it as unto Jesus. Jesus equates Christians' treatment of those in need with their treatment of Himself: what Christians do for them, they do for Him. The Christian walk is not only a spiritual walk, it must also serve the material needs of others, especially other Christians
(CP Jas 2:13-17).
Here Christians are presented with the real test of their faith. Christians are not justified by works, but because they are justified by faith, they do the works. This proves their consecration to God's service and confirms their love for God and for each other (CP 1Jn 3:16-19). The only faith that saves is that demonstrated by works out of Christians' love for God. This scripture is the exact counterpart of Jn 3:16: "Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life". 1Jn 3:16-19 is the acid test of Christianity by which Christians know whether they are following the example of God's love to others. If Christians are not willing to give of material things to others in need, they certainly would not lay down their lives for them. It is not enough that wealth and material possessions are acquired for self-gratification. They must always be made available for the work of God (CP Mt 6:19-24; Lu 12:13-21; 2Cor 9:5-6). Although God's law of sowing and reaping dictates that blessings will always be returned for generosity, Christians must never give in order to receive. Giving must always be motivated by love.
It is the duty of all who are taught the word to help provide material support for those who teach the word. Those who minister the word are entitled to live off the word (CP 1Cor 9:7-14; Ga 6:6; 3 Jn 5-8). No workers of the word should have to seek help in any form outside the church. Christians have a duty, which should be seen as a privilege, to contribute to the needs of every worker of the word. They must not be treated like beggars, but received, sent, and supported in a manner worthy of God (CP Mt 10:40-42; Lu 10:3-7; 1Ti 5:17-18). In Mt 10:41-42 Jesus promises that "he that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward". This teaches Christians how important it is in God's purposes to receive and support true messengers of the gospel.In bringing this study to a close here it needs to be re-stated that while there is extensive teaching on Christians giving into the work of God in the New Testament, there are no scriptures whatever that teach tithing. What they do teach is that Christians belong to God and what they have is held as a trust for him. Their giving is done to help those in need and to advance the Kingdom of God. They are only obliged to give in accordance with their means, out of what they have, and the amount they give is not as important as their willingness to give it. Giving is seen as proof of their love. It is done sacrificially and voluntarily. In their giving Christians sow not only money, but also faith, time and service. To sum up, their giving is characterized by what Paul said in 2Cor 9:7, "every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."
Monday, April 6, 2009
Presumptuous faith
Trust my faith or trust my God?
“To be presumptuous with your faith and with God, means to take Him and His goodness for granted and to assume that He will always bless us. One of the clearest indicators of a presumptuous Christian is their weak prayer life. ...”
This sounds like logic to me as a presumptuous believer would not see the need to pray or ask.
As Christians we can be sure of our faith, not because of who we are, but because of what God has done. Being sure is not being presumptuous; it is not arrogance, because it doesn't depend on what we do or who we are. ...
Shouting “give” to the audience because God shall “return the favour 7 fold” is not testing God but tempting Him.
It is obvious that the line remains very fine…
“You can be SURE of your faith” does not mean trust it with your life!
Faith is not God, it is trusting God.
It is not presumptuous for us to be sure we are saved when God is the One who makes it possible for us to be sure." God tells us we can know and He makes it possible for us to know. Yes, and we can say without any doubt that we are saved and separated from the rest.
It was NOT faith that healed people in the bible but it was faith that made them turn to Jesus. Because of their faith… they approached Him first! And the He healed them.
It is the same for us today. Presumptuous faith will result in us NOT approaching God because we believe faith is enough.
It is NOT in fact faith that is sufficient and referred to; GRACE is the only reliable asset, and Grace is a God given gift.
Twisting these words “your faith has saved you” into “faith is your saviour” is a total deviation from the truth.
Your faith has made you whole actually means, it has brought you to Me first - and then I (Jesus) healed you.
The two blind men were asked… “Do you believe I can heal you”? and the assumption is clear that - that is the reason they approached Jesus... to be healed.
Not ONE of these cases stated that, my faith is so strong that I do not even have to ask… God will save me anyway.
It is like running across a busy street blindly, because God will protect me anyway.
When the disciples saw Jesus coming towards them, walking on the water, they even doubted that it was indeed Him. Peter therefore said... If it is you…let me come to you on the water.
Jesus allowed Peter to walk on the water but then he began to sink. Not because he did not have the faith but because he doubted that it was in fact Jesus in the flesh standing before him. That was after Jesus said to them. “It is I” (the disciples initially thought it was a ghost)
Jesus then stretched out His hand and caught Peter before he could sink… And then peter realised… It is Him.
Ok, let us make the distinction clear…
Faith TURNS you to God, it does not turn into God…
Faith is not the tool that provokes you to give more that you can afford, but faith is believing God when He says, Give what you can then trust Me.
Faith is not your protector when you blindly cross a busy street but is you asking God for His protection before you do.
Always be careful not to tempt God with selfish requests.
Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Following this verse, it will be fair to say that to need faith, one has to doubt.
The bigger and stronger the faith, the less the doubt – but doubt there will be. If not, none of the mountains on this earth would still be in place.
Friday, April 3, 2009
musts vs Grace
I never realised how majestic the authority of the word Grace was, untill I was inspired to look it up. I was brought up in an environment where tithing, going to church, be baptised and attending sunday school was the ONE condition for having your soul saved.
But then God said, "you are not growing!.. what am I going to do with you?" for many years after that I clung to my old traditions until - somewhere in May of 2005 - I was woken up one night in a dream... "I want you to build an Ark" ... Someone said.
It was about two am in the morning and I got out of bed. Still dazed by the what happened, I went outside to the front porch after grabbing the Bible from the couch. I started reading it... looking for answers... or reality anyway because I was still doubting the "happening"
It was a "one year version" of the bible and I paged to the specific date. The reading that day was about the building of the temple and then my eye caught a paragraph where God instructed that a certain room of the temple must be "7 yards in all directions".
I was going to build an ark... 7 yards in all directions... in my backyard!.
Well, it was not the ark mentioned in Genesis, but a place where a couple of people could meet - With God - on any day. I knew this because I always dreamt of having my own little church where I could worship. Never thought it'd be in my backyard though.
Natalie and I prayed about this when I told her the story and we were both extremely excited.
Shortly after that day, I walked out the 7 yards on a spot that was ideal for digging the foundation for the Ark. Just to make sure it was size... I walked 8 yards in al directions instead of 7. I got some steel rods from the garage and hammered them into the corners of what was to become the foundation.
What followed after that day, can only be called a miracle.
Natalie and I went to the bank to get a small loan for the building process. I had to start with tools because what I had in the garage would never be sufficient for any constuction of that kind.
Soon after the loan was approved, I got the tools what I thought was enough to at least start.
Since then I regularly (to my boss's discontent) took the opportunity to split my annual leave into VERY shorter periods that usually fell over weekends, so that I could obey the instruction and build the Ark. Casual labour was a plenty and digging the foundation took a long time thanks to the boulders just under my lawn.
.jpg)
The "ark" - to be continued...
But then God said, "you are not growing!.. what am I going to do with you?" for many years after that I clung to my old traditions until - somewhere in May of 2005 - I was woken up one night in a dream... "I want you to build an Ark" ... Someone said.
It was about two am in the morning and I got out of bed. Still dazed by the what happened, I went outside to the front porch after grabbing the Bible from the couch. I started reading it... looking for answers... or reality anyway because I was still doubting the "happening"
It was a "one year version" of the bible and I paged to the specific date. The reading that day was about the building of the temple and then my eye caught a paragraph where God instructed that a certain room of the temple must be "7 yards in all directions".
I was going to build an ark... 7 yards in all directions... in my backyard!.
Well, it was not the ark mentioned in Genesis, but a place where a couple of people could meet - With God - on any day. I knew this because I always dreamt of having my own little church where I could worship. Never thought it'd be in my backyard though.
Natalie and I prayed about this when I told her the story and we were both extremely excited.
Shortly after that day, I walked out the 7 yards on a spot that was ideal for digging the foundation for the Ark. Just to make sure it was size... I walked 8 yards in al directions instead of 7. I got some steel rods from the garage and hammered them into the corners of what was to become the foundation.
What followed after that day, can only be called a miracle.
Natalie and I went to the bank to get a small loan for the building process. I had to start with tools because what I had in the garage would never be sufficient for any constuction of that kind.
Soon after the loan was approved, I got the tools what I thought was enough to at least start.
Since then I regularly (to my boss's discontent) took the opportunity to split my annual leave into VERY shorter periods that usually fell over weekends, so that I could obey the instruction and build the Ark. Casual labour was a plenty and digging the foundation took a long time thanks to the boulders just under my lawn.
.jpg)
The "ark" - to be continued...
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