Signs of a Cult

 

The video for this post is available at the URL:

https://youtu.be/qe3046BMU8c

 Signs of a Cult

 

 Hello, I'm Pastor Amós and this is the study: Signs of a Cult.

 

There are many things that can identify a cult, but on average all cults share these three points in common.

 

1. A portion of the money you earn belongs to them.
2. They dictate something of your lifestyle.  It could be what you can wear, or where you can go, or what you can eat, or who you can listen to, etc.
3. If you leave them, you will end up in a very, very bad place—where you don't want to be.

 

The first cult identifier shows that many of our churches (which are constantly demanding a cash-tithe and are quick to curse with a curse all those that don't hand over their money) are in the minimal leaning towards cultism.

 

Remember, 2^nd Peter 2:3a helps us identify money lovers by telling us that, “in their greed they will exploit you with false words.”

For more information on the cash-tithe, please see my YouTube video: Jesus and the Tithe.

 

On the second identifier, while the Bible does tell us to dress modestly, it does not tell us that women can't wear pants, or that men must wear sacred underwear, or how long our hair should be, etc.

 

As an adult Christian you know what you must do.  So, if your church has agents that go lurking about trying to see where you’re going, or what you’re eating, or what you’re doing, or who you're with, then I would say that you are in somewhat of a cult.

 

On the third identifier, if you want to visit another church, or attempt to leave, and your church implies that that is not a good idea or that you will be worst off without them, then I would say that you’re in somewhat of a cult.

If your church is not a cult then you should be able to freely go and worship in any church you want to.  Who you listen to and communicate with is your personal and private matter.

 

You might have noticed that these common points have to do with control.  Cults thrive on the control they have over their followers.

 

Information gives us control.  Hence, cult-pastors don't want their followers to get information from others.  They don’t want their followers to learn, because when people learn, they become independent thinkers.  Which is what God wants.  You see, God shares His information with all of mankind so we can decide.

 

Although my purpose is not to point out what others do wrong, but moreover my purpose is to lift God's Word; due to the Mega-Deceptions we are experiencing in these latter days, I will give you a few more helpful cult identifiers.  Most of the cult identifiers that I'm about to give you are tactics used to get you to act based on your emotions, instead of relying on God's Word.

 

Number one, the fear of going to Hell.  This is the strongest emotional motivator used to get you to join a cult.  It is that fear of eternal condemnation or finding yourself on the wrong side of God's judgment.

 

Number two, big rewards.  Cults will promise you God's heavenly riches (which you cannot see or touch) in exchange for your loyalty.

 

Number three, scarcity.  Cults create the notion that their group is rare because they are the only ones with a privileged knowledge of God.  Hence, they make themselves out to be extremely valuable to--lucky you.  Cults pitch three kinds of scarcity: first, product (their prophetic words are the only ones), second, time (this is the end time and the door is closing so you must act fast) and third, hurry because there will only be a few winners (like, only 144,000 will be able to get in).

 

Number four, God's authority.  Cults want you to believe that they are backed up by a heavenly source of credibility.  They will do all they can to convince you that they are God's chief agents, or earthly representatives; thus, giving their organization a protective cover of spiritual authority.

 

Number five, commitment/guilt trip.  Cults know that most people have an innate desire to do what they say they will.  So they get you to make a commitment, such as to recite their oath or follow their instructions.  Later, when you resist, they will accuse you of going back on your word.

 

Six, quid pro quo.  Cults will make you believe that they have done something great and marvelous for you, ergo, it is only natural and ethical for you to return the favor.  Some cults will bless you with small favors then expect your loyalty in return.

 

And seven, cult-leaders love money.  Therefore, be wise like a serpent (Matthew 10:16) and follow the money trail.  It will lead you right to the false teacher, because the money will always end up in the hands of the cult leader.

 

In closing, I want you to know that...

 

Most people get into cults because of a family member or a friend.  You see, because of the love we have for our relationships, we will get into things that we know are wrong.  This is one of the reasons that Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26.

 

Also know that, cult leaders are not dummies; they are extremely smart.  Therefore, they are NOT to be confronted.  Always keep this in mind; cult leaders possess a lot of worldly wisdom.

 

And finally, cult-pastors should be identified by their fruits, not their appearances.  Matthew 7:15-16a, “Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.”

 

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

 

God bless you.

Eye-for-eye

 The video for this post is available at the URL:

https://youtu.be/_MHDckFPmQI

Eye-for-eye

Hello, I’m Pastor Amós and this is the study: Eye-for-eye.

A man once said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”  Unfortunately for that man, he was blind to the treasures contained within these words.

The first mention of eye-for-eye is found in Exodus 21:22-25.  This reading gives a fetus equal value to that of a full-grown adult male.  So that the eye of a fetus, although it is not fully developed yet, is worth the same to God as our eyes are.  Therefore, the first mention of eye-for-eye allows us to see the unquestionable value of the unborn.

The second mention of eye-for-eye is found in Leviticus 24:17-23.  This reading makes the eye-for-eye rule applicable to all of us.  So that God ascribes equal value to every living human being in this world, not just the Jews.  Through eye-for-eye, God places us (the gentiles) in equal value to His chosen people.

You see, eye-for-eye does away with racism.  It says in effect, no matter what country, religion, or ethnic background you are from, I am not worth more than you are, and you are not worth more than I am.

Thus, the brown eye is worth as much as the blue eye.  Woolly hair is worth as much as goldilocks.  Black is worth as much as white.  And female is worth as much as a male; thus, eye-for-eye also does away with sexism.

Eye-for-eye even does away with elderly discrimination.  The old eye that has lost its ability to see, is worth as much as the young eye that can see without the aid of glasses.  Thus, old is worth as much as young.  And so on… Like, poor is worth as much as rich.  Trade workers are worth as much as the highly educated, etcetera.

One of the tools used in slavery and genocide is the dehumanization or devaluing of others.  Those of us that have been victims of this should welcome the God-spoken treasures of eye-for-eye.  By default, anyone that mocks eye-for-eye sides with racists, bigots, white supremacists, and all others that can’t view their fellow man as their equal.

By the way, I must tell you that God Almighty is NOT white.  Read it in Revelation 4:3a.  Here is a conservative example of God’s color.

The third mention of eye-for-eye is found in Deuteronomy 19:21.  This reading reinforces the equity of law.  You see, we have a justice system, but we do NOT have equality within our justice system.  For example.  I’ve heard of murderers that serve only five years for killing someone.  Now we might call that justice, but it is far from equitable.  In many of these cases, the family of the victim must grief in silence, while the murderer enjoys life.  It could be that because of our judicial shortfall, many of us fail to see that eye-for-eye also means—equal justice.

During the theocracy, and other ancient Israeli forms of government that followed, eye-for-eye was necessary to avoid the skirmishes that come with vengeance or attempting restoration.  This is important because of our tendency to disproportionately punish the wrong that others do.  Thus, eye-for-eye makes it so that in one’s anger, one is not allowed to go beyond the damage or hurt that started the problem.  This makes eye-for-eye a way of avoiding wars.

Here’s an example from our era of what can go wrong:

The assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, led to WWI.  The number of military and civilian casualties in WWI was about 40 million people.  Thus, the application of eye-for-eye would’ve saved 40 million lives.  Without a doubt, given the chance, these 40 million lives would’ve preferred to have eye-for-eye applied to the assassins of one man, then to have died in such a horrifying and bloody way.

The fourth and final mention of eye-for-eye is found in Matthew 5:38.  In this reading Jesus puts an end to the rule.  It's like saying, ‘instead of eye-for-eye, let’s work on the kingdom of grace.’

Now, I’m not saying that we should reintroduce the practice of eye-for-eye, or that we should make the death penalty universal.  What I am saying is that we should respect God’s words.  Many of the statements we hear about eye-for-eye, and other scriptures, are sarcastic to say the least.  And we should be very careful before siding with anyone that belittles what God has said.

Because in the first place, He is God; and in the second place every word that comes out of His mouth is life to us.

The point & purpose of this study is to get us all to honor God’s Word above & beyond, everyone & everything in this world.  We should be very careful not to use God’s words in vain.

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

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.