Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
By Patricia Backora
Directly trained by the Master under the clear blue skies instead of
in a classroom, these men were empowered by God’s Spirit to turn
the world upside down with the Mighty Works of God (Acts 17:6).
They gave witness of the reality of the Risen Christ through many
marvelous signs and wonders (Acts 4:29-30; I Cor.2:4). Those who
prayed for signs and wonders had previously been baptized in God’s
Spirit. But once again the place was shaken, and they were granted
a new filling of God’s Holy Spirit to bolster their power to advance
against the enemy. Pray for a refill of God’s power from on high
whenever you feel at a low ebb and overwhelmed by satan.
Still other men and women get other bogus titles such as “doctor”
which they do little or nothing to earn. Sometimes it is an honorary
status, but one which is still milked like a cow to gain benefits
thereby. If a sneaky preacher dresses up in a sharp suit and is
called Dr. so and so, and claims to be a graduate of some
prestigious earthly Bible school, the people automatically loosen
their grip on their cash and hang onto every word he/she says
without consulting the Lord first. If you do find yourself in a crowd
“sitting under an anointed ministry” it is a very good idea to jot
down any teaching comment that makes you feel uneasy and bring
them into your private prayer closet. Alone with God and your
Bible, He is able to either confirm or deny the validity of whatever
the guy behind the pulpit spoke that morning. Sometimes a farmer
in bib overalls has far more integrity and depth of understanding in
God’s Word than these polished professionals who are so eager to
rake in an easy living. An expensive suit does not make an honest
man.
Preachers claim that your secular job is your harvest field, even if
you toil at McDonald’s for a living. Well, it should work both ways
then. In ancient Israel, the fields were neither sowed nor reaped on
the seventh year of the tithing cycle. If the pastor doesn’t excuse
you from going to your burger flipping job every seventh year and
excuse you from tithing on its fruits (which he swears is your puny
paycheck, not the burgers that actually grow in that harvest field)
he’s breaking the tithing law (Lev.25:4). Furthermore, it wasn’t the
field hands who were responsible for turning in the tithe of the crop,
but the OWNER of that field and the crop it produced! The actual
burden of producing the tithe was put on the farmland of Israel, not
the lowly wage earner.
When your precious child takes second or third place to some fancy
preacher in your giving, that little one KNOWS you are withholding
the good that is due to him or her (Prov.3:27). Children soon wise
up to the fact that you’re making a religious offering out of what
ought to be going to their support (Mark 7:11-13; I Tim.5:8). It
leaves a lasting negative impression on that child’s concept of
his/her place in God’s Body, as being a second rate citizen of God’s
Kingdom who has to make do with the leftover scraps because
they’re not very important. While your child does without decent
school apparel or dental care, the pastor and his wife might be
vacationing in Hawaii.
One of the greatest lies being taught from the pulpit is that giving
to God means giving to seminary-trained professional ministers,
and it doesn’t count when you lavish a little money on your own
family to meet THEIR needs. God wants EQUALITY of well being in
the Body of Christ(2 Cor.8:14). Consider your own physical body.
You don’t walk barefoot in the snow while the rest of you is covered
up with a warm coat. When part of your body suffers, ALL of you
suffers. Yet in Christ’s own body the Church on earth, one tiny part
lives lavishly while the other part suffers lack, and in many cases
preachers LIE when they say they “feel your pain”. They live in their
own tidy little garden of delights reserved only for themselves and
their privileged entourage. You and other pew warming believers
are shut out of it as you toil to hang onto whatever you have.
Those who teach and enforce tithing today are contradicting the
Spirit of God who said New Testament Gentile believers are NOT
required to keep the Old Law (Acts 15:24,28). That’s a dangerous
position to be in, to KNOW you’re deliberately deceiving God’s
people by yanking isolated verses out of context and misapplying
them to ram tithing down the throats of harassed Christians who
are struggling to make ends meet.
God’s people should put more credence in the words of John the
Baptist, who wore the worst sort of clothing, than in the polished
lies of rich, well-dressed preachers trying to bamboozle money out
of you.
Luke 3:9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees:
every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn
down, and cast into the fire.
10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let
let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let
him do likewise.