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770. The Tithe – It Was About Food for the Tribe of the Levites

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The tithe became part of the Mosaic law, which has now been replaced by the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. The priestly tribe of the Levites did not receive the inheritance of land to grow crops and tend to animals as the other tribes from Israel, and were not allowed to work and toil for their food. Instead, God set up the system of the tithe for the other tribes to provide for their needs when it came to food, as they gave a tenth of their produce.

The Levites were to stay focused on the work of the ministry via the priesthood. What about Abraham? It is recorded that he (once) gave a tenth to Melchizedek and that was before the law. With that argument, we should also follow his example of sacrificing animals for a sin offering … but it’s part of our conversation on this week’s program. 

A couple of tithe-related articles written by Joel are mentioned on the program:

1. Freed from Tithing, Free to Give - 10 part series, with an alternative 4 part audio/video series.
2. Abraham Gave Melchizedek a Tithe of ALL? - An article debunking the silly notion that Abraham gave a tithe of everything he possessed to Melchizedek.




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769. The Tithe – It’s Never Been About Money

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Someone from Religion Ville told you it’s required to give at least 10% of your finances to God in order to be blessed and not cursed … and that a pastor, church corporation or non-profit, government-approved tax exempt ministry is now the representative to receive the levy or obligation.

The tithe is one of the most misunderstood subjects from the Bible, and has been twisted into something very different from the intent it had under the Mosaic law and the purpose for which it was meant for Israel under the Old Covenant.

The tithe was never about giving 10% of one’s money. It was about providing food to the priestly tribe of the Levites who didn’t inherit land and livestock. And there is nothing in the written pages that states the church building is the storehouse. That old priesthood came to an end and we are in a very different and better covenant.



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How the Church can shine during COVID-19

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Last Sunday in New Zealand, we set a record for the lowest church attendance in living memory. Next Sunday will smash that record because we have just begun a four week lockdown. No one is going anywhere. In an attempt to curtail the spread of COVID-19, many governments are banning public gatherings. Churches, along with schools, restaurants, shops, and cinemas, are closing and no one knows when they will reopen. What should we do? How should we adjust? My strong conviction is that we are on the threshold of an unprecedented opportunity. As the world slips into the Valley of Shadow, the church has a chance to shine brighter than ever. People are hungry for hope. Their distractions have been taken away, and they want to hear good news. This is the church’s time to step up and display the manifold wisdom of God (Eph 3:10). Here are three needs and three corresponding opportunities that weren’t so keenly felt a month ago: 1. People are scared We need peace. Fear and anxiety are assailing us from all quarters. Every day, the news is bleak and the numbers are bad. The stress we are facing is greater than our ability to [...]

Should we close the church for the coronavirus?

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“Please don’t come to Mongolia.” I have been asked to visit many countries, but Mongolia’s the only place I’ve been asked to avoid. In 2003 I was heading to Ulaanbaatar for a church conference. I was packed, I had my visa, but at the last minute the organizers asked me to stay home. Why? Because I was from Hong Kong, ground zero for the deadly SARS outbreak. The SARS virus actually originated in China. But an infected doctor came across the border, passed the virus to tourists staying at the Metropole Hotel, and those travelers carried the virus to 26 nations. By the time the virus burned out, nearly 800 people had died. It was a scary time for Hong Kong. Everyone wore masks. A colleague working three floors beneath my office caught the bug. Companies and schools closed down. As a pastor, I had to ask an important question: Should we close the church for the duration of the outbreak? Many pastors are facing the same decision today in regards to the coronavirus. They are getting calls and texts from concerned Christians suggesting they close doors and cancel services. What should they do? At the time of the SARS [...]

Good news for small churches

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Jesus said the Philadelphians were doing well, “because you have a little power, have kept my word, and have not denied my name” (Rev. 3:8b).

What does it mean to have little power? A church with little power is a small or weak church. The Philadelphians weren’t anything special. They lacked the resources of their Laodicean neighbors, and they didn’t have the reputation of the Sardians. Like David, the shepherd boy, they were of little account in the eyes of man. But weakness is no barrier to God. If anything, it’s an advantage because God chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Cor. 1:27).

A God who shares the stage with no one seems to delight in choosing the least qualified and the most unlikely. When he needed a man to lead Israel against the Midianites, he chose chicken-hearted Gideon. When he needed a herald for the gospel of grace, he chose law-loving Saul. And when he needed a father of many nations, he chose grey-haired Abram. In the economy of grace, the weak and unqualified seem to have the inside track.

If you were to tour the churches of Asia, you might be dazzled by the energetic Ephesians, the affluent Laodiceans, and the spiritual Sardians. And you might be tempted to dismiss the small Philadelphian church as inconsequential.

But Philadelphia was where the action was. Jesus had given this little church an open door that no one could shut. What a wonderful encouragement for those of us who think we have nothing to offer.

You may have no money, no reputation, no ability, no connections, no education, and no chance, but as long as you have the Lord, you have everything you need. You may have no power, but the Lord-with-the-key (see Rev. 3:7) has given you authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19).

How had they kept his word? They believed Jesus and took him at his word.

What made the Philadelphians special was this: They were believing believers who were persuaded that the Lord is good and trustworthy. This is the only clue to their commendation. Nothing else is recorded. Search the letter to the Philadelphians and you will not find seven steps to success, or twelve strategies for church outreach. The Philadelphians simply believed Jesus, and that made all the difference.

The question to ask is not why the Philadelphians had an open door, but why some of the other churches weren’t as fruitful. The answer is they were captive to unbelief. They put little stock in the grace of God.

The Ephesians’ unbelief was evident in the way they were working themselves to death. The Sardians’ unbelief was in their refusal to receive the gospel. And the Laodiceans’ unbelief was in their boast that they needed nothing from God. Unbelief takes many forms and not even believers, strangely, are immune from its insidious effects.

Whenever the promises of God are dismissed or doubted, the result is barrenness. Apart from him we can do nothing.

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Extracted from Letters from Jesus, a finalist at this year’s International Book Awards.

The accepting church

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Freedom is found in knowing that God loves and accepts you. When you know beyond all doubt that you are your Daddy’s delight, you will be free from the need to please others. The pressure to perform will lift and the unholy expectations of men will seem ridiculous. My Father is pleased with me. I don’t have to prove a thing! If thoughts of rejection should enter your head, you will dismiss them without a care. God is for me! Who can be against me?

Religion says you have to work hard to make yourself acceptable to God, but the good news declares that in Christ you have been made acceptable for eternity. Nothing you do can make you more or less pleasing to God than you already are. There’s nothing you can do to make him love you more, and nothing you can do to make him love you less.

The good news of God’s acceptance will change the world but first it must change the church.

For too long the church has been known as a place of rejection, judgment, and condemnation. This is the inevitable consequence of a preaching a message that mixes grace with law. This mixed-up message makes the children of God fearful of their heavenly Father. It causes the saints to hang back in the fringes of the kingdom, and it paints a frown on the face of Love.

Can you imagine God the Father frowning at Jesus? Of course not. Then neither is he frowning at you.

In the old covenant they prayed for the day when the Lord would make his face shine upon you, be gracious to you, and give you peace. The good news is that you are living in that day. He is looking at you full in the face and beaming with a galaxy-sized smile. You are the apple of his eye, and he rejoices over you with singing.

When we see that our heavenly Father accepts us, it will transform us from the inhospitable church we are to the accepting church we are called to be.

“Accept one another, as Christ accepted you” (Rom. 15:7). Imagine if we did that. We would open our hearts as we would no longer exclude the rabble and the riff-raff from our congregations and communion tables. Instead, we would have to start making welcome announcements like this:

We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, gay, filthy rich, black and proud, y no habla Ingles. We extend a special welcome to those who are newborns, poor as dirt, skinny as a rail, or got a hitch in their git-along. You’re welcome here if you’re “just browsing,” just woke up, or just got out of jail. We don’t care if you’re more Lutheran than Luther, or more Catholic than the Pope, or haven’t been in church since little Sophia’s dedication. We offer a special welcome to those who could lose a few pounds, think the earth is flat, work too hard, can’t spell, or came because grandma’s in town and wanted to go to church. We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, are three-times divorced, had religion shoved down your throat as a kid, or got lost in traffic and wound up here by mistake. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. If you blew all your offering money at the dog track, you are welcome here. We welcome tourists, seekers, doubters, bleeding hearts … and you. Welcome Home!

Extracted and adapted from The Gospel in Ten Words

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Who are the pillars in the church?

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As a young man, I was told I was a pillar in the church. It made me feel good to hear the pastor say this, and I could hardly disagree. Of course I was a pillar. I was a good boy. I didn’t drink or smoke or do burnouts in the church car park. I arrived early on Sundays to put out chairs and I stayed back to pack up the AV equipment. I served on the worship team and got to share the Word on occasion. I was not only a pillar; I was a rocket going places. Watch me soar! I cringe to write about this now. I cringe to think how the label “pillar” separated me from those Jesus loves. Yet in the church, we divide people like this all the time: • We have the reliable pillars and the nonpillars who show up late and bleary-eyed bearing the unmistakable smell of cigarette smoke • We have those worthy to take communion and those who are not • We have the happily-marrieds and the shamefully divorceds • We have the mums-with-bubs fulfilling God’s call to be fruitful and the childless women who can compensate for their deficiencies [...]

The Media and The Church

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Cross News

President Trump has made his conflict with the media very public, though he has his own version. It is not the first time elected officials have fought with the media.

We are bombarded with the vitriol of the fighting. Many of my friends have stopped listening to any of the news outlets. It seems that anger and frustration are stirred any time we stop long enough to listen to the spin. The media are either blamed or praised for moving society ideologically according to an agenda commonly held by its proponents. It is inevitably biased according to the ideology being promoted.

Objectivity is an ideal, but is not achievable by biased people. What is reported is interpreted by those doing the reporting. Those who agree with the bias are glad, while those who disagree claim "foul." For some time now, the mainstream media has embraced an ideology far different than the one that held sway for centuries. Secularism has been exalted as the religion of the day. Some who are deeply disturbed by that direction are looking for an alternative media. There is one I suggest.

The Good News Media

God gave the church to the world as his media. The followers of Christ were and are commissioned to proclaim news -- good news. It is the news that gives a framework of interpreting all events in history. Understanding the story of creation, fall into sin, and redemption allows us to participate in earth's story in a meaningful way.

The church has been silenced by its own cowardice. Refusing to address the issues that matter in current society, it has been thwarted by the religion of secularism.

The problem we currently face is that the church has dropped the ball in this area. When no alternative voice is heard, the secular voice rules supreme.

The Form Without Power

The church has been silenced by its own cowardice. Refusing to address the issues that matter in current society, while claiming success in numbers and buildings, it has been thwarted by the religion of secularism. To become relevant, it has adopted a message of human compassion without divine power. This form without power is embarrassed by the claim that all are broken and that the resurrection of Jesus Christ can transform anyone. And an increasing number of people are leaving it because of this hollow message.

Reduced to a marginal role in a society that features civil government as the power to respect and fear, the church -- though still tolerated by some -- is mocked by many.

Help us champion truth, freedom, limited government and human dignity. Support The Stream >>

Without competition in announcing news, the secular media are dominating the field. For a long time, movies and TV shows have depicted preachers as weird, judgmental, and irrelevant characters, while villains are heroes. The foibles of some TV preachers have added to the cynicism that makes mocking so easy. It is no wonder that recent surveys reflect a growing trend to disassociate with church-going.

But, beware! The true church is the body of Christ, and it is empowered by the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.

Jesus put his reputation on the line when he declared that the gates of hell would not prevail against his church. Just as the demonic religion of the Jewish leaders and the tyrannical power of Roman government could not prevent Jesus from rising from the dead, neither can the intimidating forces of secularism keep down the true church, whose head is Jesus Christ the Lord.

God’s News Organization

God emphasizes the household of relationships rather than structures and rituals. He works through his children to bless all people.

God builds his church with his children, not programs and buildings. (Psalm 127) He works through human partners. He always has. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus testify that God has linked his work on earth to humans who relate to him as Father. In his gracious salvation, he offers all a second chance at a healthy childhood. All who receive Jesus as God's only solution to human alienation become children of God. (John 1:12-13)

God emphasizes the household of relationships rather than structures and rituals. He works through his children to bless all people. He gives them access to him and promises to hear their prayers. (John 14:13-14) Finally, everyone has a chance to enjoy a healthy family life where the inevitable wounds of natural family dysfunction are healed.

As the darkness of deception grows, the children are waking up, suiting up, and showing up. No longer afraid of being mocked, they are standing in the gates of the city, and proclaiming the radical good news that there is a way -- not only to heaven, but to living a life of meaning now. They are finding that their unity is not in race, ritual, or rage, but in sharing the same life with the Father and the Son.

It has happened before in history when most thought the church had gone out of business. It had just gone underground, only to explode into life that honors the one who is the head.

It is our time. The media are ruling now, but the source of news -- good news, is making his voice heard again. Listen, join the news service.

657. When Church Teaching Misses the Gospel Target

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We are not against the church. But it’s unfortunate that much of what has been heard and taught through various denominations and organizations has led people down the wrong path. Sometimes they are taught a mixture of law and grace which will lead to more sinning and more guilt instead of less. We have heard from people around the world through our podcast ministry, and in some cases they needed to seek professional counseling for various kinds of depression and fear which resulted in having medication prescribed to treat their condition… and it was related to their church experiences or Bible teaching that brought them to this place. The gospel is meant to bring a blessed assurance, and God’s unconditional love and grace has been given to us in abundance to bring peace of mind and to equip us for every good work. Our intention at Growing in Grace is to teach and remind people of how God has freely given us all things that are good.



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God is Building His Church. Just Keep the Light On

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Church Lights at Night

When I left my little country church and went off to the university to prepare for my calling as a minister, I felt a little intimidated by those who came from larger churches with more sophisticated ministries. After all, there wasn't much in the way of entertaining church services at my church.

Mr. Jack would lead the congregational singing, but many of the hymns seemed to drag unnecessarily. Mrs. Mildred would play the piano in a kind of staccato style. The same deacons took up the offering every Sunday. The pastor was in training at a Bible school and came to the church field only on weekends. Well, you get the picture. I was tempted to be embarrassed by my church.

But, we must remember that God has not made provision for a plan B. It is his Church, and he is committed to its success.

God is Building His Church

It seems there are many today who embarrassed by the Church. It takes a beating in the media, which is to be expected, but it also is being dismissed by its own. Some are even demanding it catch up with the culture as if the culture were the norm for truth and morality.

It is easy to find things wrong with churches and even the Church at large. After all, it is made up of humans who have confessed to being sinners and needy of God's grace. The Lord we worship is perfect, but all the rest of us are in-process, discovering more of his love and being transformed at different paces.

But, we must remember that God has not made provision for a plan B. It is his Church, and he is committed to its success. He is building it. When all other social structures have fallen, it will still be standing.

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Keep the Light On

Here's the rest of the story (as Paul Harvey used to say). It was a Wednesday night prayer meeting at my country church. The usual 15-20 people were there. The same folks were praying similar prayers. A visitor slipped in. Of course, in such a small, tight-knit group, he stood out. You could see whispers during the prayer meeting as members were asking each other who it might be.

Finally, just before the benediction, he stood and asked if he could say something.

You don't know me, but I am a traveling salesman. My route brings me by this church on Wednesdays twice a month, on my way to Atlanta. I have been doing this for most of twenty years. I did not go to church as a boy and have not seen the need for whatever churches do. But, I always noticed that regardless of the weather there was a light on here. I have been by on cold rainy nights when only three cars were parked, but your light was on, and you were here.

I've had some hard times lately, and in the middle of it all, I have come to know Jesus as my Savior and Lord. One of the reasons I could never fully dismiss the reality of God was my memory of this church and the light always being on. Thank you.

Not perfect. Not sophisticated. Not highly trained. Not entertaining. But they kept the light on. So, will the Church of the living God.

The body of Christ working together is a beautiful thing

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Welcome to Forward Church! We don’t do it perfectly but we put God’s love for you first and we encourage others to step out and share what God has placed on their heart. This week in my blog I wanted you to experience one of our recent gatherings. I had a sermon planned but the night before it became clear that God had other plans for Sunday morning. Actually all week long the message didn’t seem to be

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The post The body of Christ working together is a beautiful thing appeared first on Forward Ministries.

Bullying in the Church

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As a parent of four, I regularly encounter bullying. No, my kids aren’t getting abused at school. But we often receive messages from educators informing us of the symptoms and types of bullying. Honestly, it must be hard to be a bully these days, either at school or in the workplace, with everyone so well informed. But what about bullying at church? Hardly anyone talks about this – unless it’s sexual abuse, in which case it’ll make the front page. But there are other types of bullying. I’ve heard hundreds of stories from readers and church leaders. You wouldn’t believe the damage done to people in the name of God. Jesus is not a bully and his church ought to be a safe place. But religion turns people into bullies. (By religion I am referring to that pseudo-spiritual system of self-improvement that Jesus condemned.) Bullying is using power to control, harm, or intimidate others, which sounds a lot like what religion does all the time. In essence, religion is a system to control and coerce people through intimidation and manipulation. Which makes religion pretty stinkin’ evil. So why aren’t we talking about this? If we are to stand up for [...]

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