Matthew 7:21-23(AMP)Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?23And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].
I once heard a preacher say he had pondered on those verses and still did not fully understand. For the past few years, I, myself, had pondered on those verses to ask the Lord to give me the understanding.
If one believed in the "once saved always saved" they will never understand the full significance of it. Unless one has the biblical FEAR of God, one will have a difficult time understanding those verses.
From verse 21, we can see they who are pleading with the Lord are not unbelievers as they call out "Lord, Lord." Sadly, Jesus said, "Many!"
Many Christians will fall into this category as scripture implies. So what is the significance of those verses?
Luke 13:23-24 (AMP) And someone asked Him, Lord, will only a few be saved (rescued, delivered from the penalties of the last judgment, and made partakers of the salvation by Christ)? And He said to them, 24Strive to enter by the narrow door [force yourselves through it], for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able
I have come to realized that many Christians rely on the authenticity of their salvation and relationship with the Lord through their gifts and self created "faith." Many assume just because God speaks with them or have spiritual gifts, they assume they are on good terms with God. They assume they are rapture ready or heaven bound with some form of guarantee. Until we actually make it home, nothing is guaranteed. I have heard testimonies of people who were alive on earth that had been taken to heaven but at the end they ended up in hell. In fact, I am told there is a special place in hell for such people who had the privileged of visiting heaven while alive but did not make it.
What is the true purpose of man? Or what is the whole duty of man? We were created to Glorify God.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 (AMP) All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God's providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man.
It does not matter how much a person can hear God or prophecy. It does not matter whether a person had visited heaven or hell. It does not matter if a person can cast demons out, lay hands on the sick for them to get well, or speak in new tongues. IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW HIS COMMANDMENTS, WALKING IN LOVE AND IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, THEN ON THAT DAY YOU WILL BE TOLD TO DEPART FROM HIM!!
Many today think the 10 Commandments no longer apply. At least many do not think the 4th commandment still applies (Sundays). Many today think they no longer have to tithe. Many are in error even though they can still possess many spiritual gifts and still hear God. However, the gifts can be on the way to corruption. Many do not realize how Grace is working for them. Grace is there giving us the time to grow to spiritual maturity and completeness. It is spiritual meat that will begin to separate the wheat and tares.
MAY THE LORD REVEAL HIS TRUTH TO ALL OF US. MAY HE PUT US IN AGREEMENT WITH HIM. Ask for the Wisdom of the Lord but know the door to Wisdom is the Fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 66:2 (AMP) For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands.
FIRE OF GOD
Steve Yong Kim
Isaiah 66:2 (AMP)
ReplyDelete2For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands.
Many today THINK they pay the Lord's tithe.
ReplyDeleteLeviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18: The First Tithe - a tenth of crops and animals and commanded to take the tithe to the Levites.
Deuteronomy 14:22-27: The Second Tithe aka The Festival Tithe - a tenth of crops, plus add to that the firstborn animals, and take for the yearly feast.
Deuteronomy 14:28-29: The Third Tithe aka The Three-Year Tithe aka The Poor Tithe - a tenth of crops, kept at home, and invite the Levites, widows, orphans, stranger to eat.
Now, tell me. Which of the above three tithes commanded by God does anyone follow today?
The ONLY people in the Old Testament that were commanded to tithe were those who INHERITED THE PROMISED LAND WITH EVERYTHING ON IT. They got the land, house, animals, crops, etc. ALL FREE AND CLEAR. No mortgage payment or rent to pay. And THEY were commanded to tithe on the crops and animals and take it to the Levites who INHERITED the tithe INSTEAD OF the promised land with everything on it. No one else tithed. Wage earners did not tithe. Jesus did not tithe as a carpenter. Paul did not tithe as a tent maker. Peter did not tithe as a fisherman.
Those who tithe on their income instead are disobeying God's tithing commands. Those who take the tithe to the church are disobeying God's command to take His tithe to the Levites.
Few really understand the tithe. It has everything to do with God and NOTHING to do with man. It belongs to God. It comes from God's miracles, not man's income.
I truly feel sorry that you feel and believe this way, Gary. But the report from those who are being taken to heaven and hell is that many are going to HELL for not tithing.
ReplyDeleteFor the sake of argument, even if I was wrong, no will go to hell for tithing 10% to their churches. In fact, they will all become blessed.
However, if you are wrong, all those you have led in such a way, their blood will be on your hands. Unless you know 100% absolute sure, I caution you Not to teach such way.
It is just as salvation, some take a few verses and they have led millions if not more to believe once saved always saved, a road to HELL.
Please read the testimonies of heaven and hell and understand the consistency.
www.spiritlessons.com
Judgment is coming to a stiffed neck people who can't even get 10% pryed off their hands. God is coming for those who keep His commandments and their faith in Jesus Christ.
Revelation 14:12
Amplified Bible (AMP)
12Here [comes in a call for] the steadfastness of the saints [the patience, the endurance of the people of God], those who [habitually] keep God's commandments and [their] faith in Jesus
If we can't even give our first fruits or 10%, how do we expect ourselves to give 100% to Him when we say we can die for HIM?
Thank you for your time friend.
I have spent thousands of hours studying the topic of the tithe. A study of church history shows that no Christian Church taught anyone to tithe on their income until around 1870. There are pastors in the US, Australia, Canada, and even in East Africa that have thanked me for my teachings as they are now teaching from my material. Those who tithe today are cheapening God's tithes from His miracles to man's income. In other words, man have REPLACED GOD with himself in the tithing formula.
ReplyDeleteFirstfruits has absolutely nothing to do with the tithe. Firstfruits offerings ONLY applies to the first of the crop, not income. A tenth is never used with firstfruits offerings in God's Word. In Nehemiah 10:37 we learn that the firstfruits were taken to the temple for the priests, and the tithes were taken to the Levites who lived in the Levitical cities.
The Biblical tithe was NEVER the first of anything. Leviticus 27:30-33 - a tenth of the crops (not the first tenth), and every tenth animal in herds and flocks (the LAST ONE out of every ten). The firstfruits were not a part of the tithe, and the firstborn were not a part of the tithe.
The Lord's tithe (Levitical tithe) was taken to the Levites who were servants to the priests. They were the musicians, singers, ushers, janitors, the workers, and the Levites then gave a tenth of the tithe to the priests (Numbers 18). The priests did NOT tithe to anyone. The priests were commanded to give a heave offering from the tenth they got.
Are you aware that the priests and Levites only worked at the Temple about two weeks per year, on a rotational basis? NOT FULL TIME. The priests and Levites were divided into 24 "courses". See First Chronicles 24 for the priests and chapters 25 and 26 for the Levites. Each course only ministered in the Temple one week out of twenty four (1 in 24), and, depending on how many families were in each course, each family only ministered in the Temple two or three days during its courses’ week of ministry.
No one is paying the Biblical tithe today. It is impossible.
The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was equal percentage (a tenth). The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of equal percentage. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving ten percent.
Thank you for your time.
ReplyDelete