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Should I Be A Channel?


Donald

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A popular teaching in the IFB Churches that I have been in, is the idea that the Lord wants us to be channels of money...
“When ever we receive unexpected money, we are to simply hold on to it and wait for the Lord to tell us who He wants us to give it to.”

The result of being a good channel(we are told), is it proves to the Lord that you can be trusted with more and more money; Never using any of it for yourself but always giving it to others.

Now this does sound appealing, but is it Scriptural?
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I personally know a pastor who practices it, yet regularly talks about the areas of “need” in his life and his family’s life.
I can’t help but think that maybe the Lord’s intent, for some of this money that he gets, is to take care of him and his family’s needs.

  Note: Just so you know, this has nothing to do with our tithe.  This is taught to be over and above our tithe.
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Can anybody give me some “Scripture” about being a channel, that I may be overlooking.
 

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I can't think of anywhere in scripture something like this is taught. It seems it me that if the Lord wants someone to have money, He doesn't need to give it to someone else in need, to give to someone else in need, while leaving the first person still in need.  Now perhaps someone who already 'has', the Lord may direct to give to someone who 'has not', but I suspect if the Lord is going to give an unexpected bit of money to someone who needs it, He probably is meeting that person's needs.

 

tithe is not NT scriptural, but that's anothe subject.

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I can't think of anywhere in scripture something like this is taught. It seems it me that if the Lord wants someone to have money, He doesn't need to give it to someone else in need, to give to someone else in need, while leaving the first person still in need.  Now perhaps someone who already 'has', the Lord may direct to give to someone who 'has not', but I suspect if the Lord is going to give an unexpected bit of money to someone who needs it, He probably is meeting that person's needs.

 

tithe is not NT scriptural, but that's anothe subject.

2 Corinthians 8:12-13 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:

You are correct.  There is no Scripture that teaches us to tithe our money.  Funny so many believe that we are to practice tithing.

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This is another of those areas I've noticed similarities between some IFBs and the "prosperity preachers", who are most often identified as Charismatic or Pentacostal. They preach the same message of taking a financial blessing from the Lord and giving it away so they will get an even bigger financial blessing from the Lord.

 

If a man hasn't eaten in three days and someone hands him a Happy Meal from McDonald's should he thank the Lord and eat that Happy Meal, or does it really seem the Lord would have him give that Happy Meal away so he can then wait for the Lord to provide a supersize double quarter pounder with cheese meal?

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Giving to get is NOT a biblical concept in the first place whether you "tithe" or not, the idea is to give without thought of return.   Many times we have the "give to get" attitude with rewards too.  If we obey the Lord simply to keep our "reward" we may have already lost it!

 

By the way, don't fall for Satan's tricks in holding back the tithe, this has been hashed over and over here, and gotten nowhere.  Let's give (whether we call it a tithe or not), and let the Lord work it out.

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Giving to get is NOT a biblical concept in the first place whether you "tithe" or not, the idea is to give without thought of return.   Many times we have the "give to get" attitude with rewards too.  If we obey the Lord simply to keep our "reward" we may have already lost it!

 

By the way, don't fall for Satan's tricks in holding back the tithe, this has been hashed over and over here, and gotten nowhere.  Let's give (whether we call it a tithe or not), and let the Lord work it out.

For the same reason you mention about our attitude in giving, it matters whether or not one "tithes", which means giving 10%, because they think they have to, or whether they give out of love, according to the Lord's leading after prayer. Many tithe with the wrong attitude of "I have to do this", while some tithe for the same reason stated above, because they've been told time and again that if they tithe God will pour out blessings to them, including financial blessings. It's the same "give to get" message and attitude whether it involves a tithe or other giving.

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with realizing that God will bless our giving if done rightly, but I do agree that if we are giving only, or even primarily, because we expect the Lord to give us much more in return, that's the wrong attitude for giving.

 

We should so love the Lord that we want to give what we can to Him as an act of love, worship and thanksgiving. This is giving with a cheerful heart. Scripture already tells us the Lord will meet our needs, and He does. What a blessing when the Lord does grant us blessings as we faithfully serve Him, including in our giving, but our giving should be out of a heart of love toward God, not out of a heart seeking reward.

 

More directly to the point in the OP, whether our money comes from work, a gift or some unexpected source, our first response should be to thank the Lord, and then we should pray with regards to how the Lord would have us use that money. The Lord will let us know if we should save it, give it to someone, donate it to the church, missions or such, or use it for our needs.

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A popular teaching in the IFB Churches that I have been in, is the idea that the Lord wants us to be channels of money...
“When ever we receive unexpected money, we are to simply hold on to it and wait for the Lord to tell us who He wants us to give it to.”

The result of being a good channel(we are told), is it proves to the Lord that you can be trusted with more and more money; Never using any of it for yourself but always giving it to others.

Now this does sound appealing, but is it Scriptural?
------------------------     
I personally know a pastor who practices it, yet regularly talks about the areas of “need” in his life and his family’s life.
I can’t help but think that maybe the Lord’s intent, for some of this money that he gets, is to take care of him and his family’s needs.

  Note: Just so you know, this has nothing to do with our tithe.  This is taught to be over and above our tithe.
------------------------
Can anybody give me some “Scripture” about being a channel, that I may be overlooking.
 

Your exposure to IFB churches is not an accurate measuring rod.  I have been in IFB churches all over the USA and have never heard it, so maybe it is not as "popular" as you think.  It may be "popular" in certain circles, but not within the all encompassing umbrella of IFB

That being said, it is most certainly NOT Scriptural.  It is nothing more than another way to fleece the flock of everything they have - see Jer. 23:1-2.  Too many in our IFB circles are far too preoccupied with buildings, increasing attendance, which increases offerings, which increases their salary.  They have borrowed their ideas from the charismatics and evangelicals, instead of preaching old-fashioned, fundamental, Bible Doctrine, Bible separation, and Biblical holiness.  

 

There is no doubt in my mind that we are in the last days.

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This subject came up, because not only have I been hearing this “channel” message from my pastor over the last two years, but I have also heard this same message, from almost every guest speaker and visiting pastor that has come to our Church during that time.

And the last time I heard it, was last Sunday night; When a visiting missionary on deputation, talked about it(in no uncertain terms), and he also pointed out how this was not your tithe, because as He put it.... “Our tithe is the Lord’s and He will get it one way or the other, by a flat tire or a broken water pipe, etc.”

Now in my mind, I “accepted this”, because of what the Bible says in.........
Mal 3:8-12
V.8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
V.9 Ye [are] cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, [even] this whole nation.
V.10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].
V.11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
V.12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.


Not only does God ask in this passage, “Will a man rob God?”, but in the New Testament we are told to support God’s Work........
Ga 6:6-8
V.6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
V.7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
V.8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.


Therefore, the issue of the “tithe” is somewhat settled my mind.
But if this “channel teaching” stuff is not as widespread as some say here, than how or why does this message keep coming up in my Church?
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Another thing that I have been taught(and seen for myself in Scripture), is that the Tithe(10%) is certainly and Old Testament teaching, because the New Testament teaches that we owe the Lord 100%, therefore 10% is just kind of a starting place.

Oh, by the way I don’t really want this thread to be hijacked over to a “tithe” thread, but if I can learn more clearly WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS about it, than so be it.
 

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I'm in agreement with John, Irishman, and Steve about and purpose behind such a "channel giving" concept as described in the OP. Giving to get is not at all the attitude God wants and does not reflect the heart of a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7). What comes to mind for me is Luke 6:38:

 

38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

 

and Matthew 6:30:

 

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

 

and the parable of the rich man in Luke 12:16-23. I think all of these show that God does not want us the hoarde the blessings He gives.  Rather to bless other people through the abundance He's granted, expecting nothing in return and trusting that should an unplanned need arise later that God will provide for that need. This, I think, is the concept of grace giving.

 

For example, my wife and I knew a girl at one of our former churches whose husband had just left her and their two girls for another man (no...that's not a typo, but I certainly wish it was). She found herself without a vehicle and thus no way to get to a job or run errands with/for her kids. At the time, I was still in the Air Force and my wife was still working (we didn't have any kids yet) and we were doing rather well financially and working hard to pay off all of our debt. We decided to forego our extra debt payments for a couple months and anonymously bought her a car to help get her back on her feet. Since then, I can't count the times that God has provided for us in difficult times through unexpected income or unrequested help from others. That's Luke 6:38 in action. In that sense, I do believe we are to be a conduit of God's blessing and not merely a repository.

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Right - that is giving out of our abundance to help those who are less fortunate, but the fact is that your NEEDS were met.

What these clowns are advocating is giving even when your own basic needs are NOT met....and that is not scriptural at all.

 

by the way, great testimony.  It is always good to hear how the Lord uses people.  It is giving out of a true concern for your brothers and sisters in Christ.  I have solicited funds from some individuals in our church (and I chipped in too) when we had a young man whose car was totaled by an uninsured, underaged teenager.  He didn't have the money to replace it (liability only!), and no money for a lawyer either.  So between a few of us at church, we raised enough money to buy him a car.  I was glad to do it.  We have done other things over the years as well.  It truly is "more blessed to give than to receive." 

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Your exposure to IFB churches is not an accurate measuring rod.  I have been in IFB churches all over the USA and have never heard it, so maybe it is not as "popular" as you think.  It may be "popular" in certain circles, but not within the all encompassing umbrella of IFB

That being said, it is most certainly NOT Scriptural.  It is nothing more than another way to fleece the flock of everything they have - see Jer. 23:1-2.  Too many in our IFB circles are far too preoccupied with buildings, increasing attendance, which increases offerings, which increases their salary.  They have borrowed their ideas from the charismatics and evangelicals, instead of preaching old-fashioned, fundamental, Bible Doctrine, Bible separation, and Biblical holiness.  

 

There is no doubt in my mind that we are in the last days.

 

One thing is quite amazing to me there's some who set in the IFB churches, churches with Baptist in their names & what they say they hear the pastor say is not what the pastor says.

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This subject came up, because not only have I been hearing this “channel” message from my pastor over the last two years, but I have also heard this same message, from almost every guest speaker and visiting pastor that has come to our Church during that time.

And the last time I heard it, was last Sunday night; When a visiting missionary on deputation, talked about it(in no uncertain terms), and he also pointed out how this was not your tithe, because as He put it.... “Our tithe is the Lord’s and He will get it one way or the other, by a flat tire or a broken water pipe, etc.”

 

Well, your pastor has this view, and he wants to reinforce that view with his guest speakers.  Just like I make sure the guest preachers I have won't undermine what I have been preaching and teaching.  So this is no surprise to me that he is doing this.  However, this does not mean that this is necessarily a widespread teaching in IFB churches.  As several here have stated, we have never heard of this in our churches, and our churches are a fairly wide cross-section of the IFB movement, though not a complete picture of it.

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Oh, by the way I don’t really want this thread to be hijacked over to a “tithe” thread, but if I can learn more clearly WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS about it, than so be it.
 

What does Scripture say about God's Holy tithe? 

Well, for one, it was not money. (Deut. 14:22-27)  (if it was money, why sell it for money and then buy it back?)

It was food and livestock (Lev. 27:30-33; Deut. 12:17; Deut. 14:22, 23, 28; Deut 26:12; Neh. 10:37; Neh. 13:5,12; Mal. 3:10; Matt. 23:23; Lu. 11:42)

It was for the children of Israel, not other nations (Lev. 27:34)

It was to be given to the Levites (Num. 18:24,26; Neh. 10:38 )

It was an ordinance (Mal 3:7)

It was abolished by Jesus Christ Himself (Eph 2:14-15; Col. 2:14; Heb 7:18)

It was never taught by the Apostles... probably because of the fact that it had been abolished by Jesus Christ.

Yes, Abram did tithe before the Law. (Ge. 14:20 )  But what the Bible says He tithed was not even his own property. (Heb. 7:4)  He promised God he would not keep any of the spoils for himself lest he give Bera occasion to say he had made Abram rich. (Ge. 14:22-24)

The Apostle Peter attested that those who teach the tithe (a part of the Mosaic Law) are tempting God (Acts 15:10 )

The Apostle taught that those who tithe (putting themselves under the Law from which all had been freed) are under a curse if they don't keep ALL the Law (Gal. 3:10 )

The Bible has much to say concerning the tithe, if only people would open their Bibles and study it out.

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