Bible Interpretation?

 

The video for this post is available at the URL:

 

https://youtu.be/53LDjmePdlI

 

Hello, I’m Pastor Amos and this is the study: Bible Interpretation?

 

I've been a Christian for most of my life and I've always been conditioned to think and say that our act of interpreting the Bible is the right thing to do.  Even while I was in Divinity School, I had classes and books on biblical interpretation.

 

This study explains that our act of interpreting the Bible is actually incorrect.  Nevertheless, I want to make clear that I'm not talking about translating (Nehemiah 8:8) or studying (John 5:39), which are expected of us.

 

Deuteronomy 30:11a teaches, “For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you.”  This verse tells us that the Bible is written in such a way that we can all understand it.

 

All throughout the Scriptures (especially in Proverbs) over and over again, God is asking us to understand His words.  Nowhere does God ask us to interpret His words.

 

Understand and interpret are two very different words.  To understand means to perceive the meaning of the information.  To interpret means to explain the meaning of the information.  When we don't understand something, we ask the speaker to explain what he or she said.  The only time we seek an explanation from a third party, is when the original speaker has a problem communicating with us.

 

Now I'm going to go right out and say it plainly: God is not a child, nor is He dead, that He would need us to “explain” His words for Him.

 

The only interpreters assigned by God during the Old Testament were those that interpreted dreams.  God did NOT assign interpreters to His Word.

 

During the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, the Jews developed religious traditions that were not a part of God's Law.  For example: synagogues, Pharisees, Sadducee, the Talmud and experts in Mosaic Law.

 

The New Testament refers to these experts as lawyers because they made the Law their business.  Among other things, these lawyers claimed to have the ability to interpret God’s Word.  But as far as Jesus was concerned, He always referred to these lawyers in a negative way because the position of being a lawyer or an expert or an interpreter of the Word is not a position established by God.

 

You see, interpreters are manmade.  Not everyone is an interpreter.  But understanding comes from God and all healthy minded humans have the ability to understand.

 

Now according to Jesus, Salvation is from the Jews.  So that if God did not grant the Jews the privilege of interpreting the Scriptures, why would He give us the honor?

 

Interpreting the Bible is not an option for us Christians.  The only gift of interpretation that has been given to the church is the one that has to do with speaking in tongues.

 

2^nd Peter 1:20 is clear, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.”  Therefore, if the men that had the honor of writing down the words of God were not allowed to put their own interpretation onto it; what would make any of us think that we have such authority?

 

Our interpretation of God’s Word has led to errors that have resulted in many calamities, divisions, sufferings, slavery, deaths, crusades and wars.

 

And our interpretive meddling into God's Word is not just something that we did in the past.  Today, millions of us misinterpret God's Word.

 

For example: Malachi 3:10 clearly reads, “that there may be food in my house.”  Now I know that I know that we all understand the meaning of the word ‘food.’  It is something edible and most of us enjoy it on a daily basis.  You don't need an education to know what food is.  No interpretation is needed.  It’s one of the first words we learn to say.  Yet even today, millions of us interpret the word ‘food’ in Malachi 3:10 as ‘money.’

 

Jesus made it clear when He said, “Let the reader understand.”  Matthew 24:15.  The reader; not the pastor, nor the teacher, nor the prophet.

 

Therefore, the Bible is a book for us to understand, not interpret.  We don’t need to bring it up to date, for God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  No changes are required to the text, because not the smallest letter nor the least stroke of a pen shall pass until all is accomplished.  (Matthew 5:18)  No human mediator is needed to take the place of the reader.  You don’t need a pair of sacred eyeglasses to perceive it.  There’s no need to decode a secret message.  You don't need to go out and buy the latest bestseller on Bible interpretation to understand it.

 

And even if an angel comes down to us from Heaven and brings us a new interpretation of the Bible, let that angel be cursed for all eternity.

 

Now, what is required of us is to obey God’s simple instructions...

 

“Let the reader understand.”

 

Simple, read and understand.  And if I were to add anything to that, I would say, enjoy.

 

Thank you for listening.  Until next time, remember, God loves you, not your money.

 

God bless.

 

 

 

Video Description:

 

Words have meanings.  When someone doesn't like the meaning of the words, they seek an interpretation that will be more to their liking.  The words in the Bible are our food.  In the relationship between a pastor and his sheep, the pastor leads the sheep to green pastures but the pastor does not put the food into the sheep's mouth.  Sheep know what food is.  They understand and can identify their food and they know how to eat it.  The pastor does not need to explain this to them.  In the same way, Moses did not gather the manna for the Israelites.  Nor did he stuff it into their mouths.  This simple concept is understood in the words of Jesus, “Let the reader understand.”  When it comes to the nourishment that lay members get from God's Word, this verse (Matthew 24:15) removes the interpreters from the equation.  Yes, even if said interpreter is the pastor, because interpreters sabotage the readers opportunity to do their part, which is to read and understand.

Once we know the Bible Truth about the Tithe... What do we do Next?

 

The video for this post is available at the URL:

 https://youtu.be/WGau-Wa4c0s

Hello, I'm Pastor Amós and this is the study: Once we know the Bible Truth about the Tithe… What do we do Next?

For years, my studies have guided many of you to see God's truth about the tithe through His Word the Bible.  Now some of you might have come to the point in which you might be asking; What do we do with this information?  The answer depends on where you are with our Lord.

 If you are just starting out (a newborn in Christ) your job is to get to know the Lord and grow.  “So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” [Matthew 23:3]  This means that, if you're in a church that demands 10% of your income, you should keep in mind that money is only money.  It will perish.  Your salvation is worth infinitely more.

So, for the time being, stay where you are, learn and grow.  Kick off your spiritual growth.  “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” [1 Peter 2:2]

 Then, just like a child goes from milk to solid food, you too must do the same.  Keep in mind the dangers spoken of in Hebrews chapter 5 regarding those that do not move on to solid food.  “Everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.” [Hebrews 5:13]

 When we were children, we spoke as children, we understood as children, we thought as children: but when we became adults, we put away childish things. [1 Corinthians 13:11]  This means that sooner or later, we have to stop speaking, understanding and thinking like children.

 A Christian that does not put away the milk of childhood in exchange for the solid food of adulthood is not growing.  The only way for you to stay spiritually healthy is to grow.  And this is something you must do through the study of God’s Word the Bible.  The only one that can give you growth is God, because “only God makes things grow.” [1 Corinthians 3:7b] 

Therefore, “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” [James 1:5]

 Finally, for those that have reached the stage of spiritual maturity, the time has come for you to “come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.” [2 Corinthians 6:17]  For “you have no need for anyone to teach you, because His anointing teaches you about all things.” [1 John 2:27]  Don't be afraid to be on your own.  “For God has not given us a spirit of fear.” [2 Timothy 1:7b]  Don't be like the folks in John chapter 12 that were afraid of being kicked out of a synagogue.

 Walking alone with Jesus is joyful, pleasant, uplifting, fulfilling, it truly is beyond words.  And your church-walk with Jesus is as simple as getting together with one other believer.  That's all you need to have a church and to worship God and to have communion.  Although, there is some truth to the saying, “the more the merrier,” a more spiritual truth is that all you need to have a church is one other believer because “where two or three are gathered together in His name, He is there in the midst of them.” [Matthew 18:20]  “You also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”  [Colossians 2:10]

 So, the idea is not so much a matter of finding a new church to attend.  This is not an argument about what others should do for us so that we can have a church to attend.  We are the church.  Although, if you do find a congregation that teaches the truth about the tithe, it might be a good idea to stay with them.  These studies, on the other hand, are more a matter of getting closer to the Man that died for you and getting to know Him better.  God wants you to have knowledge of Him. [Hosea 6:6]  Even more, He wants you to “know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge.” [Ephesians 3:19a]  Understand this, a love that requires your continual payments is NOT a love that surpasses knowledge.

 Just because someone uses the word love doesn't mean that what they're doing is good.  Not all love is good.  The love of money, for example, is a root of all kinds of evil.  And the cash-tithe is one of those evil roots created by money-lovers.  And because the cash-tithe is a root of evil, it prevents believers from knowing and experiencing the fullness of God's love.  The cash-tithe also makes accomplices of all those that, while knowing better, play along with the scheme just to prevent from getting thrown out of their churches.

 I'll leave you with this thought.  What is a church that teaches lies?  “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?” [James 3:11]

 Until next time.  May your walk with our Lord be free of those “who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” [1 Timothy 6:5b] 

God bless you.

 

Can Wages be Tithes?

 

The video for this post is available at the URL:

 https://youtu.be/mHhhC-n2cGs

  

Hello, I’m Pastor Amos and this is the study; Can Wages be Tithes?

 Malachi 3:10 is probably the most ill-quoted Bible verse in modern history.

 Although it reads, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food…” (and thus identifies God’s tithe as being food), money lovers emphatically claim that when God said “food” what He really meant was “money”.

 Some money lovers even claim that people didn’t work for money during biblical times.  According to these pastors, workers were paid with food because wages did not exist when God said, “that there may be food.”

 But look here, we don’t have to go far to learn that wages did exist when God said, “that there may be food” because wages are mentioned in Malachi chapter 3.  That’s right, the word wages and the word tithes are both found in Malachi chapter 3.

 In verse 5 the Lord speaks of a coming judgment, “against those who defraud laborers of their wages.” 

Note that it does not say those who defraud laborers of their food, because workers were not paid with food.  They earned wages.

 By mentioning labor wages on verse 5 and a food tithe on verse 10, God has made a distinction between labor wages and the food tithe.  And in so doing He has separated earned income from tithes.

 There is another chapter in the Bible with a similar verse structure in which God makes a distinction between money and tithes.  In Nehemiah chapter 10; on verse32 God speaks of money for the service of the Temple, then on verse 37 God speaks about a tithe from the ground.

 There is even a third chapter in the Bible in which God makes a distinction between their currency (called shekels) and the food tithe.  Leviticus chapter 27; on verse 3 God speaks of vow assessments in shekels; then on verse 30 He speaks of a tithe of seeds and fruits.

 Believe it or not, there are more chapters like these in the Bible, but for now these will do.

 Thus far, we’ve seen a chapter in which God separates wages from tithe, a chapter in which God separates money from tithes, and a chapter in which God separates currency from tithes; nevertheless, for the sake of argument, let’s give money lovers the benefit of the doubt by asking the following question:

 Could an Omniscient God that declares to have numbered the hairs on our heads have mistaken the words labor wages for the words food tithes—or the words temple money for the words tithe of the ground—or the words silver shekels for the words seeds and fruits, each of these within just a few verses of Scripture?

 Well, coming from an Omniscient God, that kind of oversight would be a contradiction in terms.  It would be the equivalent of saying that our Omniscient God had an Omniscient memory lapse.

 The God that said, “the worker is worth his keep,” would never say that we have robbed Him of what He has already we are worthy of.

 A key component of wages is merit.  When the Lord says that “the wages of sin is death,” He means that sin causes us to deserve death.  This same merit principle is true of the wages we work for.  We merit our paycheck.  God would never request or demand a percentage of the wages that we merit.  To do so would open the door for wicked men to merit salvation (or at least 10% of salvation).  And that would be disadvantageous to our doctrine of Salvation by Grace.

 Dear brethren, God said that if you are a worker, then you deserve the money you earn.  It’s yours.  I’ve read the Bible from cover to cover many times over and I have not found a single verse where God requires us to pay tithes from our income.

 If you’re struggling to pay your bills and are being pressured to pay 10% of your income to the local church, it’s time to let go of that tithe burden.  The cash-tithe idea did not come from God.  That’s why it’s so heavy for you to carry it.

 While money lovers are placing burdens on you (which they don’t carry themselves), God wants to do the opposite.  He’s saying, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.

 Do as the Pilgrim’s Progress did.  Present yourself before the Lord and in the name of Jesus, allow Him to set you free of that guilt-burden that you’re carrying.

 It’s like our sister Elvina M. Hall wrote in one of the greatest hymns ever written, “Jesus paid it all.”

 Thank you for listening.  Until next time, please keep in mind that God loves you, not your money.  God bless you.

 

Tithing and the Law

 

The video for this post is available at the URL:

https://youtu.be/6X-xUt3w2w8

 

Hello, I’m Pastor Amós and this is the study: Tithing and the Law.

The apostolic church debated whether Christian gentiles should keep the Law of Moses, or not.  The conclusion of their argument is found in Acts 15:28-29a it reads…

“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”

Because it is clear that we are not to be burdened with matters of the Law (among which we find God’s tithe), money lovers tell us that God’s tithe is not a part of the Law.  By doing this, money lovers turn their cash-tithe scheme into a requirement of our Salvation by Grace.

In good faith towards money lovers, I have done an exhaustive search of the Bible, trying to find the verse, or verses, to back up their idea about God’s tithe not being a part of the Law, and, well, I’m still searching for such a verse.

Nevertheless, while I have not been able to find scriptures to support their fake tithe, I have found a few scriptures that identify God’s tithe as being a part of the Law.

In the first scripture I found, the Law says that tithing is a part of the Law.  One of the purposes of the book of Leviticus is to list the laws, and in chapter 27, verses 30, 31 and 32, the tithe is included in the list of laws.  Therefore, as per the Law, tithing is a command of the Law.

In the second verse I found, the Prophets say tithing is part of the Law.  Nehemiah 12:44 clearly expresses that the tithes are “the portions required by the Law.”

In the third verse I found, the Apostol Paul says tithing is part of the Law.  Hebrews 7:5a reads “they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the Law…”

In the fourth verse I found, Jesus says tithing is part of the Law.  In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said “you tithe mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law.”

Therefore, as far as I’ve been able to research: The Law, the Prophets, the Apostles and Jesus, say that God’s tithe is part of the Law of Moses.

Because of this, I challenge anyone that believes that God’s tithe is not a part of the Law, to leave a comment with the scripture verse or verses that back up their idea.

Prove me wrong by means of God’s Word and I will recant.  For I derive NO monetary benefit from teaching God’s truth.

I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet.  But this much I do know; it is not safe for us to go against the testimony of Scripture.

Now, I understand that many of us are concerned over supporting our churches and that’s fine—except if it is being done based on lies.  God’s church cannot have a foundation of lies.  Extortion is not an acceptable behavior for Christian leaders.

For information on how to finance your church without accepting the cash-tithe lie, please see my study video titled, “How to Finance a Church.”

For as Christians we should not base our giving on lies.  It is because many of us have accepted the cash-tithe lie, that many of us have never experience the fulness of God’s burden-free love for us.

So, let money lovers continue searching for ways to promote their schemes.

As for the rest of us, we should stand on God’s Word, and we should all go by the verses that are on the board which empower us to say that without a doubt—God’s tithe is a part of the Law of Moses.

God wants you to “have the power, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”  Ephesians 3:18.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”  Romans 8:35a.

Is a money lover’s guilt-trip preventing YOU from experiencing the fullness of God’s love?

I pray that this study and the knowledge of God’s Word has empowered you to a closer walk with our Lord.

 

Thank you for listening.  Until next time, remember… God loves you, not your money.  God bless.

 

The Tithe Challenge

The video for this post is available at the URL:

https://youtu.be/UtXrziHmD00

The Tithe Challenge

Hello, I’m Pastor Amos, and this is the study: The Tithe Challenge.

According to the Bible, God challenged Israel to tithe in Malachi 3:10b.  It reads, “Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

As we have learned, the Bible teaches that God’s tithe is food—not money.  Today, we can test the validity of this biblical truth.  You see the same tithe challenge that God gave Israel can also be used to prove that the modern cash-tithe is a scam.

In the tithe challenge, God clearly promises that He will bless the tither in such a way that, “there will not be room enough to store it.”  Now I ask you, do these words make sense if we’re talking about money?  When in the history of banking has there ever been a bank that said, “Sorry sir, but you have too much money.  There’s not enough room in our bank to store it?”

This proves, yet again, that the Lord’s tithe is food, because we can understand that the amount of space needed to store food is limited, but when it comes to money there will always be plenty of room in the bank for more.  Not even Bill Gates has problems storing money.

Just think about it.  If the tithe challenge in Malachi 3:10 is applicable to money, then money tithing would become the greatest enterprise on earth.  The whole world would be tithing.  Just imagine, you give ten percent of your income and soon the Lord will give you so much money that the bankers are telling you they don’t have enough room to store it.  Then, you take ten percent of that blessing (which is already so big that banks are turning you down) and you tithe that.  You continue this way until you’re filthy rich.  Imagine, after tithing for just two or three months, you won’t have to work another day in your life.  Think about it, you won’t have to pay rent anymore.  You can buy a mansion without taking out a mortgage.  You won’t need to pay the electric bill because you can buy the electric company.  Forget about high prices at the supermarket, you can buy the farm.  You’ll be better off than the wealthiest CEO of the richest company on earth.  If Malachi 3:10 is applicable to money, then tithing would replace social security and the stock market.

Sounds too good to be true, correct?  That’s because it is.  In Malachi 3:10 God clearly identifies His tithe as edible when He instructs Israel to bring it into the “storehouse, that there may be food…”

Now I’ve been around cash-tithing Christians for over 50 years and I’m yet to see a money tither receive so much money from the Lord that there is not enough room to store it.  When it comes to money, the most I’ve witnessed is a one for one blessing.  In other words, some people get back what they put in.  And this is in accordance with the words of Jesus when He said, “with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38b

Of course, if you don’t believe that God’s tithe is food, you are welcome to take the tithe challenge.  It shouldn’t take long for you to realize that you are NOT going to get back so much money that there is no room to store it.

Now some people may say that the tithe “blessing” with no room to store it doesn’t necessarily have to be food or money.  It could be anything.  To which I answer, regardless of what form the “blessing” takes; in over 50 years, I am yet to see a Christian receive a tithe blessing that is so big that there is no room to store it.  The reason for this is that tithing is not a part of the Gospel of Jesus.

Now some money-loving ministers will tell you, “The Lord is talking about Heaven.  In Heaven, that’s where there will be no room to contain our blessing.”  But that answer only proves that when we lie about God’s Word, other areas of the Bible don’t make sense.  In this case, the part that doesn’t make sense is verse 11.  Malachi 3:11a reads, “I will prevent pests from devouring your crops.”  Therefore, if the blessing (with no room to store it) is in Heaven, then there are problems in Heaven.  One problem would be that storage space is limited and another problem would be that there are devouring pests in Heaven.  And if an idea doesn’t make sense—it’s wrong.

I understand that because the Bible is ancient many of us believe that it is out of date with our modern society.  Therefore, for today’s modern Christians, God has a modern tithe challenge.  Simply ask a modern rabbi.

Our faith came from the Jewish faith.  It was started by a rabbi.  This is why we refer to our faith as a Judeo-Christian faith.  Therefore, although the writings are ancient, modern Jews live all around us.  And we are blessed to have many rabbis with us here today.

You owe it to yourself to know the truth.  So, why not take the modern tithe challenge?  Why don’t you see for yourself whether God’s tithe is food or money?  You have nothing to lose.  Just go to your nearest Synagogue and ask to speak with the rabbi.  Go ahead, ask the rabbi if the Jews tithe their income.  Ask him if they tithe cash-money.

And when you get your answer, go back home and thank the Lord Jesus for having paid it all for you.  Salvation is a gift.  And tithing our income does not show appreciation for the gift of salvation.  It shows contempt towards God’s holy tithe and it belittles the Grace that we have been given.

And so, I pray that all those who hear these words and believe be set free from the shackles of the modern cash-tithe fraud, in the name of Jesus.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1.

Thank you for listening.  Until next time, God bless you.

Money and the Bible

The video for this post is available at the URL:

https://youtu.be/tMg71YwUW-s

Money and the Bible

Hello, I’m Pastor Amós and this is the study: Money and the Bible.

In an attempt to promote the use of cash as a form of tithing, many pastors claim that the biblical tithe was food only because the Israelites did not use cash money. These pastors allege that because of this, God was forced to establish a food-tithe in place of a cash-tithe.

Nevertheless, the Bible contains plenty of evidence of money being used.

That said, this study is not about tithing or percentages, this study is not about the Law or faith, and this most certainly is not a study about what you should do with your money. Like the widow that gave two mites, you are free to do whatever you want with your money. Even if you want to give 100% of it to your pastor, that’s your prerogative.

This study is about how Satan has infiltrated the Church with his lies and has made liars out of many pastors. This study is about liars on our pulpits, and one of their lies is this: “the Israelites did not use cash money during biblical times.” That is a lie. The Bible evidence about cash-money being used is overwhelming. Hence, for the sake of this short study I will only go over these few Bible references. Here’s the biblical truth about money…

1. Genesis 17:12 Abraham was able to buy servants because he had enough money.
2. Genesis 42:35 Joseph’s brothers had pouches full of money.
3. Exodus 38:26 over 600,000 Israelites paid the atonement money.
4. Leviticus 25:37 the Israelites were warned not to charge interest when lending money.
5. Numbers 3:48 the parents of first-born were ordered to pay the redemption money.
6. 2^nd Kings 5:26 Elisha’s servant thought it was a good idea to ask Naaman for money.
7. 2^nd Chronicles 24:5 the Israelites paid their annual temple dues with money.
8. Nehemiah 5:4 the Israelites paid the king’s tax with borrowed money.
9. Esther 4:7 the destruction of the Jews was funded with money.
10. Micah 3:11 some prophets told fortunes for money.
11. Matthew 17:27 even in the mouth of a fish, Peter found money.
12. Matthew 21:12 there were tables full of money.
13. Matthew 22:21 Caesar’s image was on the tax money.
14. Matthew 25:27 the Israelites went to the bankers to deposit their money.
15. Matthew 26:9 perfumes could be sold at a high price so the poor could be given money.
16. Matthew 28:12 the soldiers were given a large sum of bribe money.
17. Luke 16:14 (like today’s money-loving ministers) the Pharisees loved money.
18. John 2:14 one of the businesses within the temple courts was the exchange of money.
19. Acts 3:3 some people begged for money.
20. Acts 4:34 houses were being sold and church members were supported with the money.
21. Acts 5:3 (like today’s money-loving ministers) Ananias and Sapphira lied about the money.
22. Acts 8:18 the Spirit was given at the laying of hands, but someone offered to buy it with money.
23. Acts 16:16 by fortune telling, a young girl earned a great deal of money.
24. Acts 22:28 Roman citizenship could be purchased with a lot of money.
25. Above all these, Matthew 27:3, even our Lord Jesus was betrayed for money.

But don’t take my word for it. You can do a Bible search by using the key words on this board to see for yourself the many Bible references on money.

So there we have it, straight from God’s Word. Therefore, “let God be true, but every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4a)

We cannot promote the Gospel of Jesus with lies and expect to have God’s approval. God does not work salvation through lies. Lies are the work of Satan, for “there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44b) And “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8b)

The Bible makes it clear that lying is not an option for us. Unfortunately, many liars have infiltrated the Church. Even if your pastor has blessed your life with a healing miracle but then lies about money in the Bible, he is a child of Satan. For it is written, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’” (Matthew 7:22-23) And the Lord’s answer will be, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

We are in the midst of a savage spiritual war. In the past, Satan’s attacks were a direct assault against the Church by means of persecution. But in these last days, Satan’s attacks are coming from within the Church. By poisoning the Church with the cash-tithe lies, Satan has neutralized many Church leaders and is slowly putting the Church to sleep; many are already dormant. The only way for us to survive is to stay alert by means of God’s written word. We must never lose sight of the fact that one day our Lord will return for “a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:27)

While we cannot put an end to the surmountable amount of money-loving liars that have infiltrated the Church, I urge you to take a stand for the truth by sharing this video with every Christian you know. I honestly wish you success during this life, and I look forward to spending time with you in the heavenly realms.

Thank you for listening. Until next time, God bless you.

How to Finance a Church

The video for this post is available at the URL:

https://youtu.be/bikYv7z-518

How to Finance a Church

Hello, I’m the Rev. Ortiz, and this is the study: How to Finance a Church.

Over the years, thousands of you have watched my videos and learned that God’s tithe has absolutely nothing to do with our income. In light of this fact, a few of you have expressed concerns about how to finance a church. Thus, with the help of my accounting degree, I’ve prepared this study to answer your questions.

But before I begin, I want to make it clear that Jesus never used the word “church” to refer to a building. He only used the word “church” to refer to us, His followers. We’re the ones that have changed the meaning of the word” church” so that it also refers to buildings; however, if having a building were a necessary part of the church, then Jesus would’ve built a church building, because He was a carpenter by trade. In spite of having this ability, Jesus did not build a building for the church, nor did He tell us to start building.

On the contrary, when Jesus was told about the temple buildings, He said “Not one stone will be left on another.” (Matthew 24:2b) And when Peter said “Let us put up three shelters…” (Mark 9:5) Jesus ignored him.

Jesus knew that if a building became a requirement for the church, then God’s children would be burdened with the costs necessary to maintain a brick and mortar structure. He also knew that we would start accumulating treasures here on Earth. Unfortunately, we have overlooked this lesson and, like Martha, we have become “worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed”—God’s Word. (Luke 10:41-42a)

This might come as a surprise to you, but God never established worship buildings. The only structure that God requested was the portable Tabernacle, also known as the tent of meeting. Aside from the sacred portable tent, the Israelites were told to worship in their houses at the start of every Sabbath. The idea of a temple came from King David, not God. It was the Jews that wanted a temple, and it was the Jews that later built synagogues on their own accord.

Although Jesus did not establish a church building, I do believe that He agrees with our idea of having church buildings, in the same way that God accepted the ideas of a temple and synagogues. That said, I now present to you five easy ways to finance a church without turning God’s holy tithe into a scam.

First, we have the Synagogue Method. The Jews have a long-standing relationship with the Almighty, longer than any other ethnic group on Earth, and they do not tithe their income. So, if what they’re doing has kept synagogues open for thousands of years, then it will work for us too. Ecclesiastes 5:4-7 speaks of the promises made to support synagogues. At the start of each year, those willing and able make a freewill promise to support their synagogue. In addition to promises, the Jews also collect offerings. In Luke 21:1-4, Jesus observed that the widow gave more. This means that Jewish offerings are also based on freewill. These two sources of income support synagogues all around the world.

Next we have the House Church Method. This is the same method used by the Primitive/Apostolic Church. As the name implies, these believers worshiped in private houses. The Bible does not mention any intention to acquire a church building; therefore, the first Christians were content to worship in their homes. According to 1^st Corinthians 16:2, on the first day of every week, a freewill love offering is collected based on how the Lord has blessed each member. And with that, these believers have done away with the overhead costs of maintaining a building. They can now direct their love offerings to the needs of the poor. An online search will allow you to see that there are many house churches today.

The third form of church financing is the Amish Method. The Amish do not tithe, nor do they collect a weekly offering. Instead, they give alms twice a year, and give freely whenever a need arises. Search as you may, but you will never find an Amish church building. That’s because our Amish brothers and sisters have been worshiping in their houses for hundreds of years. But instead of designating one house to hold all of their worship services in, they use all of the houses within their community. Every week, a different house is designated to serve as the house church of the week. This way, the burden of preparation and cleanup is shared by everyone.

This brings us to the fourth method of church financing which I call the Christian Transparency Method. In this method, all expenses are presented to the church for approval, and even voted on if necessary. Then we simply take the total monthly expenses, minus the weekly offerings, and let the church know the amount required to keep the church afloat. The transparency method works, because when Christians are allowed to see the needs of their church, they give. The only obstacle this method has is that money-loving pastors do not want church members to see where their hard-earned money is going.

My last form of church finance is a combination of any of these four methods. We shouldn’t limit ourselves to only one of the financial methods. As Christians we should use all available tools to promote the Gospel. What we shouldn’t do is lie about God’s tithe. Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons doesn’t work with God. Remember that Abraham tried to help God’s plan by having a child with the slave woman, and we all know how that ended.

Lying about God’s Word is a very serious matter, especially when pastors are doing it to exploit the poor in spirit. Those that continue the modern practice of making a fraudulent scheme out of God’s Holy Tithe will soon discover that “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31.

If you find this study useful, please share it with others so we can get these churches financed.  And remember, God loves you, not your money.

Thank you for listening. Until next time, God bless you.