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Ukulelemike

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Sermon Comments posted by Ukulelemike

    It's in the Bible!

    It seems to me that the OT and the NT have a similarity in proper giving, as the church(es) today are to practice it:

     In the OT, we have many examples, all the way back from the Israelites in the wilderness at Sinai, and through the time of the kings, that when there was a need to be met, usually having to do with the tabernacle/temple, a freewill offering was taken up. When the tabernacle was first being built, the call was put out to everyone to give as the were led to the needs to build the tabernacle. There was no specific requirement-they gave as much or as little as they chose. Later, we see a few times mentioned that when there were needed repairs for the temple, a box was put out and money was given, again, as a free will offering, to be used for the needs of rebuilding, or repairing of the temple. And people gave as they chose, as they saw the importance.

    This seems to be the kind of giving that is given to the churches-we see that people gave as they were prospered, according to the importance they saw of the project. No amount was required, and in fact, no one was required TO give-they gave in amounts as they were able and as they loved he Lord: where their hearts were, that was where their treasure went. And since much of the giving today in a church is to the maintaining of the facilities, much like the temple, so the giving is freewill, as it was then.

    It's in the Bible!

    I grew up in churches that taught the 10% tithe as biblical for a believer, but it wasn't until my father wrote a dissertation on it for college and later let me read it, that I began to understand it wasn't the case.

    The problems we face when pushing this view, is that A: too often if believers don't feel almost forced to give, they won't. B: Too often, many believe that teaching the tithe is not for believers today, that means we are teaching people NOT to give. When I began to teach this in my church, with the full of scripture behind me, immediately i was told "If people aren't taught to tithe, they won't give!" Sadly, that is borne out to be quite true. But I won't perpetuate something I find to be untrue, for the sake of getting people to give: if they cannot be a cheerful giver, and love the Lord and the wor enough to give freely, then I must place that into God's hands.

  1. Good post and timely.

    Sunday I am preaching a lesson on Hezekiah, particularly when he opened the doors of the temple, and called on Judah and Manasseh and the others of the southern kingdom to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and to humble themselves before the Lord, after 16 years of his wicked father building up paganism and idolatry. And how, even though it was the command of the king to do that which God commanded, yet many who read the message mocked and scorned the very idea. I will bring this around to how many good, godly churches, teaching the truth of God and just wanting to Honor and obey Him, are often more and more emptying out, as people become 'seekers' seeking entertainment, and distraction and programs.

    We have grown pretty small, and inevitable, someone looks around and says, "Is this all today?" It can be discouraging, but my point it, right is still right, and even a minority of people doing God's will, is still the right thing to do, and with the Lord, we are never the minority, and we WILL be blessed if we continue to do well, though so few might want to.

    Building a church is tough-so is maintaining it. Solomon built the temple, and later kings kept shutting it down and turning the people to idolatry, and then another king would have to start from scratch. I'm celebrating 14 years as pastor and we are running about 7 right now. One person is a mess-he wants to raise his hands during prayer, just to do it because someone, sometime, ONE time said to him that it was what Christians do in church. Now, last Sunday, during a song, he put his book down and laid prostrate on the floor until the song was over. Apparently he saw or heard something about that. And of course, we had a guest family, who I suspect we won't see again. And while it is a small disturbance, it's not really anything WRONG I can point to, but I suspect he doesn't help anyone want to be here. Not like open sin or rebellion that I can send him out for.

    Sorry, starting to complain. God lesson above. Thanks 

    Believers and the Law

    Just now, LindaR said:

    I would think that the Adamic covenant would involve blood.  After the fall (after Adam ate of the forbidden fruit), didn't God provide a "covering" for Adam and Eve's nakedness?  An animal (which might have been a lamb/sheep) had to be killed to provide that "covering"?  Adam and Eve tried to cover their "nakedness" with fig leaves (works), but God provided His covering (coats of skins):

    Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

    Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

     I had thought about that, but while I know that an animal was slain with which to cover them, the blood doesn't seem connected to the covenant-it MAY have been, but the passage doesn't seem to indicate it. Perhaps it had more to do with a blood sacrifice for their sin, the blood covering their sin, as the skins covered their flesh, but not sure it was part of the covenant, per se. But I may be wrong.

    Believers and the Law

    1 hour ago, LindaR said:

    This is an excellent Bible study on the Eight Covenants of the Bible by Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, who is a Jewish believer in Jesus Christ.

    The Eight Covenants of the Bible by Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum

     

     

    http://www.messianicassociation.org/ezine17-af.covenants.htm (Part 1): The Edenic, Adamic, Noahic, and Abrahamic Covenants

     

     

    http://www.messianicassociation.org/ezine18-af.covenants.htm (Part 2): The Mosaic Covenant

     

     

    http://www.messianicassociation.org/ezine19-af.covenants.htm (Part 3): The Land (Palestinian), Davidic, and New Covenants

     

     

    Here’s the Conclusion of all three parts:

    CONCLUSION

     

     

    All spiritual blessings are for believers in the Messiah, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. And through His death on the cross for their sins, believers reap spiritual benefits that would never be theirs otherwise. The eight covenants of the Bible are very explicit in their provisions and are valuable for a proper understanding of Scripture.

     

     

    Interesting-the difference with my study, however, is that I was working from the point of the blood covenants-the Edenic, Adamic, Noahidic, and others were not covenants of blood, and the point there, is that they are very specific as to whom they apply. It is a very legal matter when dealing with the blood covenants. But there are interesting to read, and certainly true.

    Believers and the Law

    I did make a couple scribal errors I need to fix-I included the clean creeping things, (grasshoppers, locust), with the unclean creeping things, (mice, lizards, moles, etc).

    9 hours ago, Standing Firm In Christ said:

    Scripture showing we as Gentiles today are not under any part of the Mosaic Law...

    Psalm 147:19 (KJV) 19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

    Psalm 147:20 (KJV) 20 He hath not dealt so with any nation: and [as for his] judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.

    Acts 15:5 (KJV) 5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command [them] to keep the law of Moses.

    Acts 15:10 (KJV) 10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

    Acts 15:19 (KJV) 19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

    Acts 15:20 (KJV) 20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and [from] fornication, and [from] things strangled, and [from] blood.

    Galatians 3:24 (KJV) 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

    Galatians 3:25 (KJV) 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

     

    Yet as clear as those are, when I use them with any person who believes we have to keep the law, they ignore them, or try to explain them away-never successfully, of course, but they are so stuck in it. I have recently begun to use the blood covenant position because it makes it abundantly clear. To ignore it is to ignore something that our entire salvation is dependent upon. The term "dispensation', really could just be coined as blood covenants-the covenant with Abraham, the covenant at Sinai and the covenant at Calvary.

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