Category: Jesus the Light

Search the Scriptures, it is these that testify of Me –Jn.5:39

 

Dear Listener, 2 Tim.3:16 says: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” 2 Tim.3:15 informs us that “The holy Scriptures are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

The Old Testament is a rich mine of eternal truth. In it we discover Christ, His ways, and God’s instruction for godly living. There are 3 primary things we always need to look for as we read and meditate on the OT.

[1] Look for Jesus in the pages of the OT. [2] Seek how Christ fulfilled the OT. [3] Find principles of godly living therein. Look for [1] Jesus, [2] Fulfillment, [3] Godliness.

[1] Look for Jesus. Lk.24:17 tells us that Jesus began “with Moses and with all the prophets and explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” Then in Lk.24:44,45 Jesus said to the apostles: “These are My Words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”

Yes, Dear Listener, when you read the OT, look for Jesus! When you read in Gen.3:15 that the seed for the woman will bruise the serpent on the head, see Jesus there. Gal.3:16 says: “That Seed was Christ!”

When you read of Noah entering the ark and being saved from the waters of wrath flooding the world of the ungodly, see Jesus there. Heb.11:7 says: “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in holy fear prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

And when Abraham was directed to offer his only begotten and beloved son as a sacrifice to God, behold Jesus in that! Heb.11:17-19 tells us to see Jesus there: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, his only begotten son; he considered that God could even raise him from the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back from the dead.”

And when we reflect on the life of Joseph, how he was beloved by his Father and hated by his brothers, we can see a picture of Christ there. As He was despised and rejected by the tribes of Israel and thrown into the pit of death and sold as a slave, don’t miss Jesus in that. Yet as God so worked, we can see Jesus being raised from that humiliation and exalted to the right hand of the King of the whole world.

There raised in honor, wisdom, and might, Joseph alone has the supply of bread for the perishing world. Who can miss seeing Jesus there! And in unmatched kindness, mercy, and forgiveness, he even receives the sorrowful and humbled ones who at first hated and rejected him. Is this not Jesus, the risen, merciful King who bestows forgiveness, blessing, and abundance to all who come to Him in repentance? Yes, we can see Jesus here in the narrative of Joseph.

Then when the wrath of God was about to fall upon the whole wicked world of Egypt in Ex.12, God provided the lamb for any who sheltered under that sacrifice. And so Jn.1:29 declares of Jesus: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” 1 Cor.5:7 adds: “Christ our passover has also been sacrificed.”

Do you see Jesus in this? Do you see that only the blood of Christ can cleanse from all sin? Isn’t it clear that only Jesus can save from the fury of God’s wrath upon the world?

Also when the manna descended from heaven daily to feed millions of Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness, this shows us Jesus. He Himself said in Jn.6:32-51: “My Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”

Dear Listener, have you come to Jesus, the living bread, and partaken of Him? Israel in the wilderness ate the manna bread for 40 years and then it was finished. You can eat of Christ, the true living bread from heaven and live forever! Taste of Him!

Again when we read of God telling Moses to strike the rock with his rod of judgment that water might flow for Israel’s life and refreshment, don’t miss Jesus there. 1 Cor.10:4 informs us: “All drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and that Rock was Christ.”

[2] Jesus fulfills the OT. When you read the OT Scriptures, look for how Jesus has fulfilled them. Christ says in Mt.5:17,18: “Do not think that I came to overthrow the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

And so as you read in Lev.1-7 about the 5 types of animal sacrifices, see in those the various glorious aspects of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice for our sins. Heb.9:12 declares: “not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Yes, Jesus is in the OT offerings.

And when you read through all the many details of the tabernacle with its curtains and gold, furnishings and ceremonies, Jesus is there as well. Heb.9:9,11 says that the tabernacle was “a parable for the time then present. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation.”

Jesus is there in every symbol, ceremony, and holy day. In every garment of the priests, all materials of the tabernacle: all were made according to “the pattern shown on the mountain” –Heb.8:5. And why? Because Jesus is to be seen in every detail. All point to Him who would fulfill completely those shadows in every detail.

[3] The OT provides principles of godly living. In it are contained illustrations, examples, and warnings about how a Christian is to live to the glory of God. 1 Cor.10:1-12 shows this truth: “Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. Nor let us act immorally. And let us not put Christ to the test and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble as some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel.

“Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction. Therefore let him who thinks he stands, be careful lest he fall.”

Dear Listener, the Scriptures speak of Christ. They hold wonderful portraits of Him to every seeking heart. They show how He has fulfilled all the details of what it means to worship God in sincerity and truth. And the stories of the lives of men therein show us both what glorifies Christ and what does not.

As we open our OT afresh, let us also request as did the people in Jn.12:21: “Lord, we wish to see Jesus.”

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

 

 

 

 

Which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom,

but in those taught by the Spirit,

combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words -1 Cor.2:13

 

Biblical truth must be rightly understood in order to obey it properly. God wishes every one of His children to be able to “correctly handle the Word of truth” -2 Tim.2:15. God promises: Prov.1:23: “Behold, I will pour out My Spirit upon you; I will make My Words known unto you.”

But for this to happen we must pray: Ps.119:18: “Open my eyes that I might behold wonderful things from Your Law.” 2 Tim.2:15: We must also “be diligent to study to show yourself approved unto God, handling accurately the Word of truth.”

Understanding the Word of God is work, yes: but God will help you if you desire to know Him and His ways. Here is a simple guide to interpret the Bible.

[1] Context. Words have meaning in context. The surrounding verses and the context of the Scriptures as a whole provide the needed context for each verse.

Some words have more than one meaning even in the same passage. For example, the word “fear” is used in three different ways in 1 Pet. 3. In verse 2 it means “respectful behavior,” in verse 14 it indicates “intimidation,” and verse 15 signifies “reverence.” The context tells us which of the definitions is correct.

Surrounding verses must also be carefully considered and not just one isolated verse alone. For instance, a verse commonly quoted out of context is Prov.23:7: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Many cite this partial reference and proclaim that one must think great things of himself, thinking positively about one’s business and possessions.

But when we look at the surrounding verses, this has nothing to do with positive confession or obtaining riches. Rather it is warning us about the deception of a rich man who flatters you for his own selfish purposes. It is a warning against greed.

Prov.23:4-7 says: “Do not weary yourself to be rich. Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, or desire his delicacies; for as he thinks in his heart, so he is. He says to you, ‘Eat and drink!’ But his heart is not with you.”

[2] Harmony. All truth is one and individual truths do not contradict one another. For example, Jn.2:13-17 says that the Temple was cleansed at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, while in Mt.21:12,13, almost at the end of His ministry. This is not a contradiction but simply means that Jesus cleansed the Temple twice.

The clear passages interpret the unclear, and many difficulties in the Bible can be answered by asking the simple question, “In what sense?”

For example, God had told Adam that he should not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Gen.2:17: “In the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

Yet when Adam ate of it, he did not immediately die. Has the Word of the Lord proved to be false then? No, by answering the simple question: In what sense? will resolve the difficulty.

The Lord says in Isa.59:2: “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you.” This resulted in them becoming “dead in trespasses and sins” –Eph.2:1. Many years later their bodies also died.

[3] Precept. The clearly stated commands and teachings in the Bible are what interpret biblical narrative. For example, when Abraham went down to Egypt he said to Sarah his wife in Gen.12:13: “Please say that you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live because of you.”

The narrative itself does not tell us whether this was right or wrong of Abraham. Someone may read this and may think that it is permitted to tell a lie in a difficult situation as Abraham did. But was it good what Abraham did here?

The narrative of Gen.12 does not tell us. His actions must be judged by the clearly stated commands and teachings of God found elsewhere in the Scriptures. But Col.3:9 says: “Do not lie to one another.” Thus interpreting the narrative by precept we see that Abraham sinned.

Another example was the fact that King David married many wives. Since he was a man after God’s own heart, a person may think that God approves of that. But when we read Deut.17:17 we discover that God says: “The king shall not multiply wives unto himself.” Thus the clear precept interprets the unclear narrative.

[4] Illustration. The narratives of the Scriptures may contain spiritual illustration contained in their historical stories. These provide a vast wealth of illustrations about Christ and His salvation.

Ex.12:1-29 gives the account of the Passover for the nation of Israel upon the evening of their leaving Egypt. They were to sacrifice a lamb to save them from the wrath of God.

Christ is our sinless sacrificial lamb. His own blood redeems us from the judgment of God that is coming upon the world. Jn.1:29 says about Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” 1 Cor.5:7 adds this: “Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed for us.”

Again, Heb.11:7 says: “Noah built an ark for the salvation of his household through which he condemned the world.” This illustrates Christ who alone can save from the wrath of God and carry those in Him to a new creation.

[5] Covenant. There is a vital distinction between the Old Covenant under Moses and the New Covenant in union with Christ. The basic difference is that what the Old demanded, it did not supply. What the New requires, God supplies through Christ.

What is true of the Old Covenant externally and physically, is seen to be true in the New Covenant internally and spiritually. Here are some ways this principle is evident.

Israel had the Law written on stone tablets. In the NT, 2 Cor.3:3 says that the Law of God is “written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

Israel offered animal sacrifices. In the NT, Jesus offered Himself once as the final sacrifice for sins. Heb.10:14: “For by one offering He has perfected forever those that are being made holy.” And so now in the NT, Christians are directed in Rom.12:1 to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, acceptable to God.” Christians now offer up spiritual sacrifices of devotion and love from the heart.

In the OT, Israel fought human enemies with literal swords in the land of Canaan. In the NT in Eph.6:12: “our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers.” And the Christian’s weapons are not fleshly and physical but, spiritual as in Eph.6:16,17: “taking up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”

Blessings in the OT for Israel were physical in the land of Canaan. But in the NT, Eph.1:3 says Christians are “blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Failure to understand the difference between the two Covenants will greatly confuse and hinder your progress in the faith. Trying to apply the requirements of the Old Covenant to Christians in the New Covenant cannot be done without spiritual ruin.

May the Lord bless you as you seek Him in His most excellent Word. We will be happy to help you in your pursuit of knowing Him as Jesus said in Jn.8:32: “You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven – Ps.119:89

 

The Scriptures stand firm, unshaken, forever enduring, and forever relevant. No matter what foolish men do with it here below, it is our immovable Truth throughout all eternity. It shall never grow old or lose its relevance.

Jesus said in Mt.24:35: “Though heaven and earth pass away, My Words will never pass away.” And again, Mt.5:18: “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the Law until everything takes place.” Yes, “The Word of the Lord endures forever!” -1 Pet.1:25.

May the confession of Job be the reality of your life! Job 23:12: “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the Words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”

O Dear Listener, this perfect Word renews the inner man, imparts wisdom, rejoices the heart, and enlightens the eyes! This is the testimony of Ps.19:7-11: “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

“The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. They are more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey. By them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.”

Pause and reflect on this: What does your life consist of? What are you devoting your waking hours to, day by day? Listen to Jesus in Mt.4:4: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

Deut.32:46,47: “Take to your heart all the Words with which I am warning you today; for it is not an empty Word for you; indeed it is your life!” The Lord Jesus confirms the life-giving power of His Word in Jn.6:63: “It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing. The Words that I have spoken to you, they are spirit and they are life.”

Dear Listener, it is this unchanging Word of God that will transform your life step by step into conformity to Jesus Christ Himself. Jn.8:31,32: “Jesus said to those who believed on Him, ‘If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.’”

O that we might all become like Ezra! “Ezra had devoted his heart to study and seek the Law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His decrees and laws” –Ez.7:10. Let us be like Joshua: “This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, so that you will be careful to do everything written in it” –Josh.1:8.

May we all imitate Timothy: “Be diligent to study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who correctly handles the Word of Truth” -2 Tim.2:15. And may each of our hearts rise with joy and exclaim: “O how I love Your Law! It is my meditation all the day” –Ps.119:97.

Yes, this most excellent Word of God will keep you from sin. Ps.119:11: “Your Word I have treasured in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” It is your wisdom above all others: Ps.119:98,99: “Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.”

Will you grow in spiritual life? 1 Pet.2:1: “Long for the pure milk of the Word that you may grow thereby.” This Word will strengthen you in the conflict to overcome the enemy of your souls. 1 Jn.2:14: “I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” And how is that accomplished? By taking up “the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” -Eph.6:17.

And by the Word of God Christ cleanses His church: Eph.5:26: “by the washing of water with the Word.” By it we are guided and kept from stumbling: Ps.119:105: “Your Word is the lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” And when that Word fills our hearts, we are certain of praying according to the will of God. Jn.15:7: “If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”

This is the sure basis of all genuine trust in the Lord: Ps.56:10: “In God, whose Word I praise, in the Lord, in whose Word I praise, in God I have put my trust.” Rom.10:17: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

Dear Listener, there is no other valid basis for faith and godliness. If you lose or are ignorant of the Word of God, you are adrift on a stormy sea that will not end well. Heb.2:1: “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to the things we have heard lest we drift away from it.”

But beware! Deut.4:2: “You shall not add to the Word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God.” Do not be deceived by foolish dreamers and fake prophets in Prayer Houses and Cathedrals.

Isa.8:19,20: “When they say to you, ‘Consult the mediums and spiritists; with their whispering and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.’ Should not a people consult their God? To the Law and the testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, there is no light in them!”

We live in terrible days like those of Jeremiah 6:10: “Behold, the Word of the Lord has become a reproach to them; they have no delight in it!” What should we do? The same thing Jeremiah himself did: Jer.15:16: “Your Words were found and I ate them, and Your Words became for me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart.”

But do not follow the fake prophets of the deception of their own hearts. Jer.23:16-36: “Thus says the Lord Almighty, ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They make you worthless. They speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the Lord.

“‘I did not send these prophets, yet they ran around claiming to speak for Me. I did not speak to them but they prophesied. I have heard these prophets say, “Listen to the dream I had from God last night!” And then they proceed to tell lies in My Name.

“‘By telling these false dreams they are trying to get My people to forget Me. But let him who has My Word, speak My Word in truth!

“‘Therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘I am against these smooth-tongued prophets who say, “This prophecy is from the Lord!” I am against these false prophets. Their imaginary dreams are flagrant lies that lead My people into sin. I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all.

“‘Stop using this phrase: “Prophecy from the Lord.” For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the Words of our God, the living God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’”

Dear Listener, “Seek from the Book of the Lord and read” –Isa.34:16.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

 

Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me,

He must deny himself, and take us His cross and follow Me’ -Mt.16:24

Self is the supreme stumbling block in the spiritual life. Self, arch-traitor to yourself, is your deadliest foe. Self, that wanton whore lying in the bosom of every man, seduces that true self within. Self, the household idol enshrined within every heart, has incense burned before it daily by 7 billion souls.

2 Cor.5:15: “He died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” Rom.14:7,8: “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord.”

Satan, tempter though he be, roaming about as a roaring lion, is tame by comparison. For a genuine Christian, though not for a fake one, the devil is chained as he prowls about seeking someone to devour.

It was so with Job in Job 1:12: “Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all he has in your power, only do not lay a hand upon his person.’” Raging and ransacking, yes: but chained. Satan’s leash was short for Peter as well.

Lk.22:31,32: “Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you all like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.” No, this tempting adversary has his limits under the Almighty’s jurisdiction. And not Peter alone.

1 Cor.10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, so that you will be able to endure it.”

No, Satan is not our greatest threat. Jesus Christ, “He who was Begotten of God, keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him” -1 Jn.5:18. Our first mother, Eve, stretched out an accusing finger at the Slayer Serpent: “The serpent deceived me and I did eat!” –Gen.3:13. But the Sovereign Lord, not deceived, pointed out His own true accusation against Self, saying, “What is this that you have done?” –Gen.3:13.

We often attempt to do the same: to lay the blame for misdeeds upon others or upon the devil. But Self is our dire and desperate enemy, not Satan. To see your strongest foe, your combatant who is opposed to you every moment, gaze into the mirror.

There Self will match your stare unflinchingly. Self is the arena of your fiercest battle. Your most intense combat is waged here in the realm of your own soul. 2 Cor.10:5: “Speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” must be “destroyed and every thought taken captive to the obedience of Christ.”

Do you see it? Speculations, imaginations, false arguments, lofty arrogant presumption, wayward corrupt thoughts: these all proceed from within, not from without. Self is the source and they must be torn down, cast out, demolished, and slain.

Gal.5:24: “Those that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.” Dear Listener, this is warfare; this is mortal combat. Every godly soul must take up sides with God against this usurping tyrant Self and slay it within his own heart.

Col.3:5:“Put to death, therefore, the members of your earthly body: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry.” Do not spare in this conflict. Rom.13:14: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires.”

The mystery of godliness is contained in this: We live to die and die to live. Mt.16:25: “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Self must be slain. You alone can do that. In the sovereign citadel of this thing called your heart, will be discovered either Self enshrined or the Saving Christ of God. You hold the key; you must choose.

And in this conflict, you are neither the victim of Satan’s assaults, nor will the Lord Jesus beat down the door of your heart. It is one of the most fearful of all realities that Self can resist and refuse even the Almighty. Stop and ponder that.

In the spiritual life, nothing is by force and nothing is automatic. Each person must choose to engage by the power of Christ to slay what is against God within his own heart. No one will do that or can do that for you. Jesus will enable, but He will not compel you.

Rom.8:13: “If you are living according to the flesh, you are certainly going to die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” Life springs forth from death. Jn.12:24: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Death to Self alone will spring forth into a life of fruitfulness. Relying upon Self is destructive to all spiritual progress. It demotes and ignores the God of glory while promoting and advertising the corruption of man. That is boasting in our shame which will lead to everlasting ruin.

All things considered, we have nothing but one thing to boast of. We may boast in the cross alone; God forbid that we should boast in anything else. Gal.6:14: “May it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Dear Listener, God has put to death by a final violent act all that you are in your self-centered flesh. Crucified: now there is something to boast in.  Self is the arch-enemy to yourself, to God, and to man: and it has been executed. This is cause for rejoicing.

Crosses do not sanctify self-esteem. By the cross, rather, Self is exterminated. This flesh, which profits nothing [Jn.6:63] and in which dwells no good thing [Rom.7:18], is condemned. We may boast in it no longer [Gal.6:13].

God’s sentence on all our attainment and presumed worth is to crucify it. There is nothing else that justly could be done. All the refined, learned, and self-satisfied among men recoil in revulsion at such a notion. Self, their own flesh, has deceived them.

While reclining on plush sofas, mounting pulpits, or parading in the sanctuary, the infection of self-esteem thrives. The cross quickly exterminates this deadly disease of Self-worth. But religious men revolt at the idea.

Few wish to taste it, to die to Self-will with all of our cherished desires. To hang there on a cross with all pomp and pretension stripped does not flatter the flesh. But neither is there any other remedy for what we are.

From death sprouts life. From life flows fruit. From Self comes flesh. From flesh is death. Either from death to Self unto life in Christ, or life in Self to unending death in the lake of fire: This is the choice. Either way we must die; better to die to Self than for Self to slay you.

Paul said in Phil.1:21: “To me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” But dying is only gain if living is only Christ. Self must be slain or Self will slay you. Which will it be? You alone can choose.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

By disobedience, Tradition raises a testimony and establishes practices whose message is this: The Word of God is Irrelevant. By disobedience to Christ, Tradition becomes entrenched generation after generation. And even if passages in the Word of God are read that contradict Tradition, they are quickly passed over as having nothing to do with present realities.

And so Tradition supplants Scripture, customs overrule obedience, and man-made systems replace biblical simplicity. And so the precepts of men prevail as the commandment of God is forsaken, nullified, and deprived of its authority.

But make no mistake, Christ shares no co-regency. The Word of God and Tradition are sworn enemies. No treaty or alliance can be forged between the two.

We are branded hypocrites by Christ for tolerating and practicing Tradition’s customs inherited from the Custodians of denominational Shrines. Yes, hypocrites and evil men. Mk.7:6-9,13 says: “The Pharisees and scribes asked Him, ‘Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders?’

“And He said to them, ‘Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”

“‘For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men…All too well you reject the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition…thus making void the Word of God by your tradition which you have handed down.’”

Man-made Tradition crafted in Christendom’s Shrines cancels the Word of God. Any who subject themselves to it are constituted hypocrites and fools. You cannot serve Tradition and Christ. We must repent of it according to the warning of Col.2:8:

“Be careful not to allow anyone to take you captive through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to the Traditions of men and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

Dear Listener, note it well; each one of us are responsible to not allow any to take us captive by man-made Tradition. If you are held in bondage by man-devised religious systems, you have no one to blame but yourself. You are not an unwilling victim of religious error; you have chosen it. We must repent of the evil of man-crafted Tradition.

Col.2:16-23 makes this very clear: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast or Sabbath days. These are only a shadow of the good things to come, but the reality is Christ!

“Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and worship of angels cheat you of your prize. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.

“He has not held fast to the Head, from whom the whole body grows with the growth that is from God. If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why do you submit to regulations and rules as though you still lived in the world?

“They are based on human commandments and teachings: even though they have an appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed religion, false humility, and harsh treatment of the body. They are a wisdom with no true value; in reality they result in fleshly indulgence.”

Dear Listener, Tradition is the enemy of Christ and the corruption of all godliness. Forsake it and return to the simplicity of devotion to Christ according to His Word.

Where are sanctuaries and cathedrals to be found in the NT? Nowhere. Where are Reverends, Archbishops, GOs, President and Founders, and Presiding Senior Pastors found in the NT? Nowhere. Where are to be seen Choirs and Worship Teams in the NT? Nowhere. Where are found even once demands for tithes, offerings, firstfruits, thanksgivings, or levees in the NT? Nowhere. Where do we find the chaotic uproar of babbling in tongues all at once in the NT church? Nowhere. Where do we find any church anywhere in the NT calling down fire from heaven on supposed enemies to destroy them? Nowhere.

Answer this simple question. Where in the NT can you show your typical Sunday morning church service? Just quote one verse. Show to the world that what Christendom does each Sunday morning has even one passage to support those grand pageants.

We’re waiting. Have you found one yet? No? Hmmn. So you’re saying it’s not biblical, right? Well, agreed; it’s not biblical. So, that raises another question.

If you cannot find your Sunday morning service in the Bible, then where did it come from; what was its origin? How did it come about if not even one verse in the whole New Testament supports this monstrosity we call “church”?

It came from man-made Tradition. Its first shrine was in Babylon where Nimrod institutionalized Tradition at his tower, and it spread worldwide from there.

There Priest-craft prevailed and the custodian king reigned supreme. “Worship” was localized at the Shrine. Individual spiritual priests were no longer tolerated.

All conformed to his scheme. Punishment was meted out for any who did not comply. Money was collected for maintenance of the building and its custodian.

Stones of God’s creation were cast aside for man-made bricks of his own design. Uniformity replaced unity. And rebellion colored it all.

What can be done? What then is the way out? Simple. Forsake Tradition and no longer tolerate and practice its traditions. Simple. Embrace Christ alone as Head of His Church. Simple. “Let love of the brethren continue” -Heb.13:1.

The solution to this Babylonian departure of the professing church is to return to the simplicity of devotion to Christ and His own Pattern. The practical expression of that is contained in the variety of “One Another” passages in the Scriptures.

If we would truly practice these, all men would observe our love and know that we are the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ indeed.

The name of God would cease to be blasphemed among the nations. Jesus Himself would no longer have cause to remove our lampstand and vomit us out of His mouth.

Restoration necessitates Reformation. For if we are restored to biblical life in Christ, the old forms of Christendom’s Traditions cannot contain that new life. Any attempt will ruin both.

It is a proverb worth noting: We do not live what we learn; we learn what we live. People imitate what they observe. As long as the professing church practices man-crafted Traditions, nothing will change. Unless we actually begin to live these “one anothers,” we will abide in Babylonian bondage despite however many “correct” ideas we may have about Christ and His church.

And man-made church systems will never allow these to actually be practiced in their gatherings. In a very real and practical sense, actually doing these “one anothers” are an abomination to the Shrines’ Custodians.

The New Wine of Jesus’ New Covenant cannot be contained in the Old Wineskins of religious Tradition. One must be forsaken for the other. Lk.5:37: “Otherwise, the new wine will burst the wineskins and it will be spilled out.” True spiritual life in Christ and religious Tradition are incompatible.

But beware! The Custodians of Tradition’s Shrines will never agree to actually practice the Bible. Lk.5:39 warns: “No one, after drinking old wine wants the new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’”

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Disciples are yoked to Christ as learners who walk with Him in meekness and lowliness [Mt.11:29]. By definition, a disciple is a learner and pride spoils the process. The goal of such association is conformity to the Master. Lk.6:40: “Every disciple when fully trained, will be like his Master.”

Apprenticeship by observation and participation was ever Christ’s method to instruct, train, and equip disciples. For them to be able to repeat mechanically memorized information gained in a classroom setting was never His purpose. His school required men to reason about spiritual issues for themselves.

By encountering life situations with the Word of God and by the use of repeated questions, disciples’ inner character was developed. Paul followed this example of developing men. 2 Tim.3:10,11: “You followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, and sufferings.”

In the extension of the kingdom of heaven through discipleship, Wisdom dictated to perpetuate life by life, not by pen or sword; Grace dictated that those chosen be from the mainstream of common humanity and not from the exceptional or elite, that no flesh may boast in His presence.

Every disciple begins as an ignorant learner and must learn Prov.3:5,6: to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”

Paul himself pressed on “that I might know Him” -Phil.3:10.  He admits that “I know in part” -1 Cor.13:12. Even when in prison at the end of his days, he asked Timothy to “bring the books, especially the parchments” [containing the Scriptures] -2 Tim.4:13.

It is therefore a life-long process of becoming increasingly conformed to the image of Christ. We become like Him when we are yoked to Him and walk in His path, learning from His meekness and lowliness of heart [Mt.11:28-30].

The Lord Jesus Himself followed in this process of discipleship. Every morning His ear was open to hear from His Father [Isa.50:4-7]. What He heard, He obeyed and did not turn back. Having heard and learned, He could sustain the weary with a Word.

Discipleship requires hating all the influence of natural associations that would draw the heart from Christ as Lord: even, and especially, that of “your own soul” – Lk.14:25. We must distrust our desires and assessments. If we are relying upon these, we are not listening to and learning from Christ; we are not disciples.

If we turn back because of the scorn and rejection of men, if we abandon the cross, we shall never die to self; we are not His disciples [Lk.14:26]. And there is no such thing as a disciple who has not lost his life for the sake of Christ [Mt.16:24,25].

All reliance upon our own resources must be given up. Discipleship is relying upon the strength, wisdom, and life of Christ alone. Trusting our own natural abilities, wisdom, and desires simply shows that we are not His disciples [Lk.14:33].

Timothy was a disciple indeed. Acts 16:1,2: “A disciple was there, named Timothy and he was well spoken of by the brethren.” He served Paul like a son serving his father. So much so, that sending Timothy was the same as sending Paul [1 Cor.4:14-17].

Paul said of him in Phil.2:20-22: “For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. Others are busy with their own concerns, not those of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.”

A disciple, a learner, does not know “as he ought to know” -1 Cor.8:2. He is not a fool, trusting in his own heart [Prov.28:26]. Listening to, following, and yielding to reproof give evidence of being a true disciple. Prov.10:17: “He is on the path of life who keeps instruction, but he who refuses reproof goes astray.” Those who reject instruction, demonstrate that they are not disciples at all, but rather simply fools. Prov.12:1: “He who hates correction is stupid.”

Many have the outward show of being disciples, but few are genuine. Jn.6:60,66: “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’ After this many of His disciples quit following Him and walked with Him no more.”

A disciple loves the one discipling him, and the one discipling affectionately loves the disciple as well [2 Tim.1:2,4]. Discipleship is a relationship of love and mutual respect without constraint. Jesus said in Jn.15:15: “I no more call you slaves, but I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything I have heard from My Father.” This expresses well the discipleship relationship. Nothing is by force as if the “Discipler” were a master and the disciple his slave.

Many have this false idea of what discipleship is. It is evil. There is no such relationship in the Scriptures where a “Discipler” lords it over a “disciple” who submits himself under the “Discipler’s” authority. That is bondage and slavery, not discipleship. Much of the so-called discipleship ministry in Nigeria is worse than the oppressive hierarchy found among the General Overseers of denominations.

Jesus never practiced that type of superior/subordinate relationship. He said in Lk.22:27: “I am among you as the One who serves.” Paul referred to brethren with him as “brothers, fellow-workers, fellow-laborers.” He wrote in Philemon 14: “Without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be by compulsion but of your own free will.”

Paul’s fellow-workers do not serve by compulsion. 1 Cor.16:12: “I strongly encouraged Apollos our brother to come to you; and it simply was not his desire to come now; but he will come when he has opportunity.”

The one discipling will lead by being an example [1 Pet.5:3] and will teach and correct [2 Tim.2:24,25]. But the one discipling does not, and must not, lord it over the disciple. Jesus forbids that in Lk.22:25-27: “The kings of the nations lord it over them and exercise authority over them. It is not this way with you.”

Lording it over disciples makes them turn aside from following Christ to become followers of men. 1 Cor.7:23: “You have been bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.”

Discipleship’s great task is to perpetuate the faith that has been once for all delivered to the saints. 2 Tim.2:2: “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be competent to teach others also.”

This can only be maintained by faith and love in dependence upon the Holy Spirit of God [2 Tim.1:13,14]. No programs, institutions, publications, or creeds can ever maintain the true doctrine of God in living reality.

Diligent watch must be kept over one’s own heart, teaching, and practice. Prov.4:23: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” 1 Tim.4:16: “Pay close attention to how you live and to your teaching. By doing so, you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.”

Consistent daily reading and study of the Scriptures is mandatory if one is to be a disciple. 2 Tim.2:15: “Study to show yourself approved unto God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, who correctly handles the Word of truth.” Disciples must be steadfast in the Word even in times of departure when men are running after fables rather than sound doctrine [2 Tim.4:1-5]. May we all prove to be disciples indeed.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

We are tested by our use of money. God watches to see how we use what has been entrusted into our hands. If we are faithful to use it for godly purposes, the Lord will see that we are trustworthy. And if we are faithful in this very little thing, we will be faithful also in much.

If we are faithless in this very small thing, the Lord will not entrust us with greater responsibilities. Lk.16:10,11: “Whoever is faithful in a very little thing, will be faithful also in much. But whoever is unrighteous in a very little thing, will be unrighteous also in much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”

Let us summarize what we have learned over the past weeks about the love that gives.

[1] Love is the true and pure motive behind all giving that meets with God’s approval. Rom.5:5: “The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” Acts 4:32: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”

[2] One main purpose for giving is to give that others might become believers in Christ. Lk.16:9: “Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

[3] Giving to the rich, unfaithful gospel workers, or to lazy persons is foolish and wrong. Prov.22:16: “He who gives to the rich, only comes to poverty.” 2 Jn.10,11: “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for he who gives him a greeting shares in his evil deeds.” 2 Thess.3:10: “If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either.”

[4] We are to give to the poor. Gal.2:10: “They only asked us to remember the poor – the very thing I also was eager to do.” Prov.28:27: “He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.”

[5] We are to give to genuine gospel workers. Those who benefit in spiritual things “are indebted to minister to them also in material things” –Rom.15:27.

[6] The principle of Christian giving is found in 2 Cor.9:7: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

[7] Tithing is not required of Christians. Heb.7:12: “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.”

[8] There is not even one verse in the entire Bible where tithing was ever money. Tithing was only of food items given to support the Levitical priests in the temple in Jerusalem.

[9] Most giving is to pass directly from the hand of the giver to the receiver. Lk.3:11: “The man who has two shirts is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do the same.”

[10] Giving for a specific need can also be entrusted into the hands of faithful brethren to deliver to those in need. Acts 11:30: “They sent their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.”

[11] There is no verse in the NT where church offerings were collected weekly.

[12] Giving with expectation of gaining in return is evil. 1 Tim.6:5: “Men of corrupt mind…think that godliness is a means to financial gain.”

[13] Sorcerers think that giving to men of God will gain spiritual blessings in return. Acts 8:20: “May your silver perish with you because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money.”

Before we conclude our studies on the love that gives, we must bring a final word to ministers. Rom.2:24: “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

1 Tim.3:2,3; Tit.1:7: “A leader of God’s people must be above reproach…free from the love of money…not greedy for gain.”

Yet you ministers have taught multitudes to follow your greedy ways. Woe to you, Ministers and Pastors, hypocrites: 2 Pet.2:14: “having eyes that never cease from sin, seducing unstable souls; they are experts in greed – an accursed brood!”

Woe to you, Ministers and Pastors, hypocrites, who deceitfully promise prosperity for planting “seeds of faith,” breakthrough for tithes, and gain for giving!

Woe to you Ministering hypocrites! How like Simon the Sorcerer you are! The gift of God cannot be obtained with money [Acts 8:18-24]! You are yet bitterly envious and in the bondage of sin!

Woe to you, Reverends of Riches, who enforce levees, reap from your congregation’s “firstfruits,” extort them in your “thanksgiving” services, and threaten cursing if tithes do not reach your pockets!

Woe to you, Ministers of Mammon, who slay the flock of God without pity while crying out, “Praise the Lord, for I have become rich!” -Zech.11:5.

Woe to you, Prophets of Prosperity, who according to Mic.3:5-12: “lead My people astray. If one feeds them, they proclaim, ‘Peace!’ If he does not, they prepare war against him. The prophets prophesy for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us.’”

Behold, I am against you fools and blind men, says the Lord God. Ezek.34:1-10: “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you butcher the fat sheep but you let your flocks starve!

“You have not taken care of the weak, the diseased you have not tended, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with harshness you have dominated them.

“Therefore, you shepherds, hear the Word of the Lord: ‘I the Sovereign Lord declare that I am your enemy! I will take My sheep away from you and never let you be their shepherds; I will stop you from feeding yourselves. I will rescue My sheep from you and not let you eat them.’”

Woe unto you, Reverends of Riches, hypocrites; you “clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness” –Lk.11:39.

Woe to you Blind Bishops, merciless men! Mt.23:14: “You devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation!”

Mt.23:33: “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the damnation of Hell?”

May you repent of your wickedness; 1 Tim.6:11: “You man of God, flee these things!” Flee the love of money which is plunging you into ruin and destruction [1 Tim.6:9,10]!

Dear Listener, Phil.3:18,19 warns: “I tell you that they are enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, whose god is their belly, they glory in their shame, and set their minds on earthly things.”

Eph.5:5: “You can be confident of this one thing; no greedy/covetous man -such a person is an idolater- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” Col.3:5: “So put to death…greed which is idolatry.”

You cannot serve God and Mammon. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

 

 

Following Balaam’s shameless ways of greed brings “the way of truth into disrepute” -2 Pet.2:2. Even though we’ve been repeatedly warned about the “destructive heresies” -2 Pet.2:1 of these false teachers, we continue to follow.

They continue to demand, and we continue to pay what they insist on. We are as foolish and wicked as these false teachers themselves. Teachers and congregations alike walk in the way of Balaam: the way of greed for self-enrichment.

2 Pet.2:3: “Through greed they will make merchandise of you with false words.” Yet this could never be if we refused to pay what they require. We would never be taken advantage of by false words if we ourselves loved the truth.

But we do not. We love money and thus continue to tithe and give according to demand. We imagine that God must bless us with multiplied financial rewards because we gave according to the law of our self-made religion. But it is not like that at all.

Rather, we fall under the condemnation of 1 Tim.6:5 of those who “think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” This same verse says that it is only those who are “of depraved mind and deprived of the truth” who think this way. This reproves the wayward church of today who gives in the expectation of getting.

It is what Simon the sorcerer did. He gave his money in order to spiritually benefit thereby. He saw what he wanted and brought his offering in order to get it. This is lust.

He thought that if he gave money to Men of God, he would get what he wanted in return. He imagined that if he sowed his “seed of faith,” he could get things from God. If he paid the price, he would obtain the same “prosperity” as the apostles.

Witchcraft employs such methods, but not Christianity. The ministers of today have raised multitudes to follow Simon Magus while quite willingly receiving the money which Peter rejected as unholy. Peter’s rebuke rightly falls upon these sons of Simon as they originally did upon the deluded sorcerer of Samaria.

Acts 8:20-23: “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.  Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours.”

It is this shameless and deluded love of money which will condemn Simon and his children of today’s church. 1 Tim.6:9: “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts which plunge men into ruin and destruction.”

The desire for money itself is enough to send this generation of church-goers into everlasting judgment. This verse calls wanting riches, “foolish and harmful lusts.”

With this longing in the heart, already one has fallen.  Temptation has overcome you in the snare of “the deceitfulness of riches which choke the Word” -Mt.13:22. No reward awaits you: rather ruin and destruction.

1 Tim.6:10: “The love of money is the root of all evil.” It will cause you to wander away from the faith. This coveting will change you into an idolater, far from being a Christian at all.

Eph.5:5: “This you know with certainty, that no covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

Lust for money masquerades as giving in the church of our generation. We pretend that we are giving for the glory of God and good of others, but it is really for our own benefit.

Greed has deceived us into thinking that we can give to God as a means of having Him repay us for our “service.” The Word of God absolutely reproves this misguided thinking. Rom.11:35: “Who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?” Job 41:11: “Who has first given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine!”

We want it to be so that God will reward us with treasures upon earth. But Jesus has already warned us not to store up treasures upon earth or long after it. Mt.6:24: “You cannot serve God and Mammon/Riches/Money.”

They are two different gods. There can be no compromise between them. The true and living God calls His servants with a heavenly calling to set their affections on the things above. The god of Mammon leads his slaves to focus on the things below, on self and wealth which ushers them into everlasting ruin.

Nevertheless, we pursue riches as if this was our God-given heritage. But only “a man with an evil eye hastens after wealth” -Prov.28:22. And thus we show who we really are: idolaters [Col.3:5] who serve “the Mammon of unrighteousness” -Lk.16:11, but not the God of heaven.

Jesus’ own words rebuke our lustful giving in order to gain.  Acts 20:35: “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Acts 2:45: “They began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all as anyone might have need.”

Love does what no system or law can do. It makes self-centered men gladly abandon their own interests and comforts for the good of others. Love leads to selflessness. Nothing but love can produce such results.

2 Cor.8:1-5: “Now brethren we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their generosity.

“For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints.

“And this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.”

Several things are to be noted about these loving brethren.

[1] It was the work of God’s grace in their hearts that made them give as they did. Paul himself was amazed at this gracious work of love which went beyond his own expectations.

[2] They did not give out of a sense of obligation. No law prompted their actions.  No command from the apostle compelled them with a sense of duty.

[3] Tithing had nothing to do with their generosity. Ten percent of their deep poverty would never have even approached the amount that they freely gave. If tithing were their standard, they would have given far less than they did.

[4] Their love could not be discouraged or turned aside. Love made them insistent on giving from their own accord.

[5] They did not give because the economy was good.  Neither the amount of money in their hand nor their own level of comfort determined how they gave.

[6] Gladness and joy flowed from their heart for the great privilege of helping others. It was the kind of giving that God loves.

[7] Complete devotion to the Lord Jesus and His people was the underlying source of their sacrifice. Love motivated all.

The Macedonians were full of the love that gives. The people of God were blessed because of it. They themselves were blessed and the Father in heaven was delighted and glorified. That is how it should be.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

 

There are times due to distance or convenience that a gift can be given to a faithful man to deliver to another in our behalf. But the man must be faithful and the gift designated for a specific stated purpose. The churches did this to assist the poor brethren in Jerusalem, sending it by the hand of the apostle Paul.

Acts 11:29,30: “The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.”

A faithful servant of God may also be entrusted to deliver your gift to a gospel worker in a distant place. Phil.4:18: “But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent.”

But note it well. He received everything in full. Funds were not diverted for another purpose other than the reason they were given.

The messenger must be faithful with what has been entrusted to him. And the believer must know that his gift is actually being used for a God-honoring purpose.

We are not to entrust the Lord’s money into the hands of just anyone to be used for things we do not know about. To do so is wasteful, foolish, and disobedient on our part and of the one we have trusted when it is diverted for other purposes.

This is an evil which must not be done. Rather we should do as was done by the responsible and honorable Paul as he says in 2 Cor.8:18-21:

“We are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help.

“We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.”

As was the case with this gift for the needy brethren in Jerusalem, the only collections taken in the NT church were for specific designated purposes. Weekly “offerings” at church meetings were not a NT practice. The only time a group collection was mentioned was for the relief of the believers affected by famine.

1 Cor.16:1-3 says: “Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that no collections be made when I come. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.”

From this passage, the modern church has established its own “law” of offerings by taking up collections at their meetings. But these verses clearly instruct God’s people not to blindly put money into a collection plate. Rather, they are to save their own money at home for the specific purpose of helping the poor and unfortunate.

If anything, this tells us that no collections should be taken at all unless they are for the express purpose of helping the poor and supporting gospel work. It shows that the believers must be agreed on the specific use of money collectively entrusted to another. It informs us that Christian giving is to be a voluntary individual matter motivated by love, not by man-made laws and procedures.

Love fills the heart of a man with goodwill to relieve the sufferings of men, both in this life and in the next. It gives willingly to help both the body and soul of fellow men. Law can only threaten, intimidate, or obligate the one whose heart is lacking love.

The love that gives hears no threats and is not subject to man-made regulations. It gives freely to bless others physically and spiritually apart from any law. 2 Cor.9:7: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Love has as its focus the good of others. Lust is intent only in satisfying its own unholy desires. Love wishes to give. Lust wants to gain. 1 Tim.6:5: “Men of corrupt mind…think that godliness is a means to financial gain.”

Giving in the church has often become little more than a lustful affair to get something for self. We have turned giving into a commercial enterprise to generate funds for our own ends.

Ministers threaten congregations to tithe and give repeatedly so that money will continue to come into their own pockets. Congregations do so many times expecting that God will give them much more than they have “invested.”

The church has once again become a “house of merchandise” -Jn.2:16. This shameless use of religion to gain for one’s self is hated still by the Lord Jesus. He overturned their money tables then and drove them out of His Father’s house. He will do the same today.

Giving has become, not a means of blessing to others, but a greedy way to enrich one’s self. Praise to Jesus is upon our lips, but we really only lust after His benefits while trying to use Him to get what we want [Jn.6:25-27].

There are many who “peddle the Word of God for profit” -2 Cor.2:17. The things of God are employed in order to get wealth and prosperity in earthly things. It is no different than Balaam “who loved the wages of unrighteousness” -2 Pet.2:15.

Though he knew that the Word of God opposed his desperate lust for riches, he continued to seek gain for himself. He wanted by all means to find a way to get Balak’s promised reward by “using” God to obtain it. Thus he was for hire and prophesied for a price.

The Scriptures speak about Balaam’s way [2 Pet.2:15], his error [Jude 11], and his doctrine [Rev.2:14]. These give us sober warnings about following in his footsteps.

The way of Balaam is that motivating greed for self-enrichment. Love of money filled his heart. He cared nothing for the Lord or the Israel of God.

That God would judge fornicating Moabite women and Balak himself did not disturb him in the least. Money was his one concern.

His error was imagining that God can be manipulated by repeated religious activities. He thought that if God did not approve of his prophetic ravings today, He may yet be persuaded tomorrow.

“Noise and religious acrobatics ought to eventually gain my own desires,” was the warped error of his thinking. Balaam believed that God could be convinced to adjust His Word to grant his own. It is error indeed.

He taught Balak and all men thereafter the doctrine which bears his name. The doctrine of Balaam is that truth can be compromised to get what I want. His message is that the end justifies the means.

“As long as my purpose is achieved, it does not matter how it is accomplished,” was his deluded teaching. Truly, a doctrine of demons “whose condemnation is just” -Rom.3:8.

Balaam has millions of disciples faithfully following in his way. Of this modern church it truthfully is said in Jude 11: “they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error.” This is a lustful use of religion to gain for Self. It is not the love that gives.

Copyright Steve Phillips 20202

 

 

 

What then was the law of tithing for? Why did God require it in the OT? How could they be obligated when Christians are not?  Let us consider the teaching of the Word of God about these things.

God spoke to Aaron and the tribe of Levi in Num.18:20: “You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel.” The reason for this was because of the special priestly duties the Lord assigned to them among all the tribes of Israel.

Deut.10:8,9: “The Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to serve Him and to bless in His name until this day. Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers.”

It was because they had no land of their own as did the other eleven tribes that God made the provision of a tithe for them. They did not farm as did the rest of Israel and thus could not supply their own food.

The tithe was designed to provide food for the priests of Levi in exchange for their work in the Temple. Num.18:21: “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting.”

Tithing was to supply needed food for the Levites that they might continue to offer the required animal sacrifices in behalf of Israel.  The tithe was always 10% of a person’s farm produce. Deut.14:22: “You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year.”

Tithes are described as grain, new wine, and oil in Deut.14:23. Ten percent of one’s oxen and sheep are mentioned as among the tithes of Israel in 2 Chron.31:6. Honey [2 Chron.31:5], ground meal and fruit [Neh.10:37], and garden herbs [Lk.11:42] were also to be tithed.

In every reference throughout the entire Word of God, tithing is always food items and nothing more. Azariah, the chief priest, rejoiced in 2 Chron.31:10: that “since the contributions began to be brought into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat with plenty left over.”

There is not even one verse in all the Scriptures where tithing was money. The people of God were never required to tithe money. God has never demanded of any man to bring 10% of his money. Tithing was always food items.

Even when Israel’s self-appointed king began to rule over them, the tithe he forced them to bring was of seeds, fruit, and flocks [1 Sam.8:15,17]. Tithing, even in this second demanded 10% beyond the one God required for Levites, was food items.

You may see for yourself that this is so. Tithing was never of money.

All references to tithing in the Scriptures are listed here: Gen.14:20; Lev.27:30-32; Num.18:21,24,26,28;  Deut.12:6,11,17; 14:22,23,28; 26:12; 2Chron.31:5,6,12;  Neh.10:37,38; 12:44;  13:5,12;  Amos 4:4;  Mal.3:8,10;  Mt.23:23;  Lk.11:42; 18:12;  Heb.7:5,6,8,9.

Israel’s tithes of food for the priests of Levi were to be brought to the Temple and placed in storerooms. Neh.13:12: “All Judah then brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses.” There they were kept and distributed to the priests according to their needs [Neh.13:13].

Malachi 3:8-10, though one of the most often abused passages in the Bible on this subject, teaches nothing else than what we have already seen. Tithes are of food items required of Israel to feed the priests in the Temple. They were that, and nothing more.

It was the nation of Israel that was obligated by Old Covenant law to bring their tithes, not Christians. Mal.3:9: “You are robbing Me, the whole nation of you!”  The tithe they were to bring was not money given in church, but food items in Jerusalem’s Temple for Levitical priests, “so that there might be food in My house” -Mal.3:10.

It was not to a church collection plate that tithes were brought, but into the storerooms of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Mal.3:10: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house.”

Besides the obvious misuse of verses about tithing in the church, there is much confusion about how Christians are to give.  In our thinking, giving has been reduced to putting money into a Sunday morning offering. But in the NT, it was not this at all.

In the Scriptures, much, if not most, of the giving took place outside of the church meeting. The NT church had no buildings or institutions to maintain and collected no money for those purposes. Their giving was directly for the poor and the work of the gospel.

Most of this giving passed directly from the hand of the giver to the hand of the receiver. We are not to send away a needy person until a later time, but are to give to him directly and immediately. Prov.3:27,28: “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,’ when you have it with you.”

If you see a brother or sister in need and do not give to them, the love of God does not dwell in you. 1 Jn.3:17: “Whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God dwell in him?”

Giving is to pass from our hand to theirs directly. When a person is in need of daily food, it does no good to tell them to wait until next Sunday and ask for something from the church then.

Jesus speaks about “when you give to the poor” -Mt.6:2, not about when you drop money into a church collection. When asked about how people should show their repentance, John the Baptist said this in Lk.3:11:

“The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do the same.” In this way Christian giving can be with “simplicity” -Rom.12:8 and “in secret” -Mt.6:4 in contrast to our modern man-made traditions and regulations.

When the gift passes directly to the receiver, we know that we have done a good work according to the leading of the Spirit.  When we place money in a church offering plate, we have no idea where that money ends up. From your hand into another’s makes giving a purposeful and responsible act.

Blindly placing money in an offering is irresponsible. In that way, you have no idea whether you have done a good deed or not.

Much of the money that comes into the hands of the church is misused. It is spent on things that have little or no relation to helping the poor or of supporting gospel workers.

When we place money into another person’s hands, we ought to know what that money is being used for. If we do not, then we do not know if our gifts are being used for godly purposes or not.  We do not know if we have been responsible and obedient in our giving. That is irresponsible. Let us gladly give in a godly purposeful way.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020