Who is your banker? This is a question that when asked most of us would respond with an answer like: Fifth 3rd, Key, UM Credit Union, Old Fort banking, etc... While this might be true we easily forget that our ultimate banker is Jesus. Within the last few months we have all been witnesses to a scary dose of reality that our “Trust” cannot merely be in humans and our financial security and investments cannot rest merely on the ideas of the world. We need something greater than ourselves to love us, guide us, and be in control of our fiscal lives. When it comes to our finances we assume we are in control on our own. Because of this attitude things have gotten out of control with remarkable results…
∙We are a society drowning in debt.
∙We are mired in relationships that are broken over finances.
∙We have FEAR of our financial future that influences our fiscal decisions.
∙We are lost, lonely, and losing the personal financial battle.
We are desperate for answers, we want a change, and we long for abundance. In November we are going to find the answers, we are going to seek change, and we will discover an abundance that is beyond our imagination. For 4 weeks on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings we are going to look at God’s principals for our fiscal lives.
You will learn how generosity leads to prosperity…
“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper and those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” -Proverbs 11:24-25
You will learn how our control gets in the way, and ultimately how we can change from deficient thinking to abundance thinking…
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” -Malachi 3:10
You will hear first hand accounts of how people learned to trust God with their fiscal lives and the blessings and freedom that followed. I invite you to discover with me, The Road to Financial Freedom. Here is your part in this.
1. Don’t miss a single sermon in this series Nov. 2- Nov. 23rd. You can hear them
online or pick up the CD if you miss.
2. Attend the 4 week Wednesday night study with Pastor John starting Nov. 5th at
6:15PM.
3. Set aside your attitudes that the church shouldn’t talk about money. Almost half
of Jesus teachings were on money & possessions. If Jesus thought it was an
important topic than your pastor should think it is too, and so should you.
4. Pray for me as I prepare the messages, pray for people’s hearts to be open, and
pray for the courage to make important decisions.
5. Lastly, your friends and family desperately need financial hope and freedom in
their life. Invite them to come with you and be a part of changing their lives.
When it is all said and done, when someone asks you who you bank with. You can say, “my banker is Jesus Christ. My trust, my investments, my finances are in his hands.” This sounds freeing to me, how about you? I am looking forward to what God will do in the month of November.
Blessings,
Your Dreaming Pastor
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3 comments:
Friend, May I offer an alternative interpretation of Malachi for your study.
From: Tithing is not a Christian Doctrine
www.shouldthechurchteachtithing.com
Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
Malachi 3 is the Most Abused Tithing Text in the Bible. The “whole” tithe never was supposed to go to the Temple!
A. Malachi is Old Covenant and is never quoted in the New Covenant to validate tithing (Lev. 27:34; Neh. 10:28-29; Mal. 3:7; 4:4).
B. In Malachi 3:10-11 tithes are still only food 1000 years after Leviticus 27:30-34 and Numbers 18:21-28.
C. Malachi’s audience had willingly reaffirmed the Old Covenant (Neh.10:28-29). The blessings and curses of tithing are identical to and inseparable from those of the entire Mosaic Law. The rain in Deuteronomy 28:12, 23-24 and Leviticus 26:1-4 is only obtained by obedience to all 613 commandments. Galatians 3:10 (quoting Deu 27:26) “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Trying to earn God’s blessings through tithing only brings curses for failure to keep all of the law. See also Galatians 3:19.
D. Beginning in 1:6 “you” in Malachi always refers to the dishonest priests and not the people (also 2:1-10; 2:13 to 3:1-5): “Even this whole nation of you --priests” (3:9). In 1:13-14 the priests had stolen tithed animals vowed to God. In Nehemiah 13:5-10 priests had stolen the Levites’ portion of the tithe. God’s curses on the priests are ignored by most tithe-teachers (1:14; 2:2 and 3:2-4).
E. Point #12 of the essay. The Levitical cities must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3:10. Most tithe-recipients lived outside of Jerusalem.
F. The 24 courses of Levites and priests must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3. Normally only 2% of the total Levite and priest work force served at the temple one week at a time. Subtract wives, males under the age of 30 and daughters. Therefore 2% did not require all of the tithe. See 1 Chron 23-26; 28:13, 21; 2 Chron. 8:14; 23:8; 31:2, 15-19; 35:4, 5, 10; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 11:19, 30; 12:24; 13:9, 10; Luke 1:5.
G. Nehemiah 10:37-39 is the key to understanding Malachi 3:10, The people were commanded to bring their tithes, not to the temple, but to the nearby Levitical cities. Verse 38 says that the priests were with the Levites in the Levitical cities when they received the tithes.
H. According to Nehemiah 13:5, 9 the “storehouse” in the Temple was only several rooms. The real “storehouses” were in the Levitical cites per Nehemiah 10:37b-38. Only the Levites and priests normally brought tithes to the Temple (10:38). Two rooms in the Temple were far too small to contain the tithe from the entire nation and 98% of the Levites and priests lived too far away to eat from them.
Therefore, Malachi 3:10’s “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” only makes contextual sense if it is only commanding dishonest priests to replace the tithes they had removed from it or had failed to bring to it.
While the 3:10 of the Law in Malachi is so important to tithe-teachers they ignore the 3:10 of the Gospel in Galatians and 2nd Corinthians. Perhaps those wanting to enforce the 3:10 Law of Malachi should also enforce the 3:10 Law of Numbers. They share the same context.
Christian giving is freewill, sacrificial, generous, joyful, regular and motivated by love. That is enough to provide the needs of the Church.
These are moments I'm glad my life isn't bogged down with a phd. I'm always amazed at how "educated" people seem to miss out on God's blessings by feeling like they have to explain away simple faith and obedience to Him and make it a whole lot more complicated process. I think we should say an extra prayer tonight for the Russell's of the world.
I'll say that prayer with you.
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