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Christians and Giving
Sincere Christian:
Hello, I am interested to know what some of you believe about the following: It seems to me, that lately, Christians have allowed themselves to be tricked into thinking that is no longer necessary to give to support true missionaries, or humble ministers; the poor; and similar. While tithing, as a rule, certainly is not correct, giving, from the heart, to legitimate needs, certainly is. There is no question about God blessing those who give, He does. It seems as though people I have met, are nowadays so filled with self, and embrace materialism heavily, that they feel that they have built up their wealth, and do not honor God in this, nor do they realize that it is, in fact, God's money, as are their entire lives.
Of course, I am speaking about Christians, in the sense of churchy people, and house church people. Still, they represent Christians, and unfortunately, people like us on this forum, are very hard to find- rare.
For example, I have walked a pure life in Jesus, for 30 years. I have spent countless years of mostly volunteer service helping homeless and mentally-ill people in the rough areas of Los Angeles, toward true Christian discipleship, with great results, as well as missionary work in Eastern Europe, Amsterdam, and urban cities in the USA. I have given money to those in need, many, many times, often even if it was a real sacrifice to do so. I am simple enough just to love God deeply, and help other people who do not yet know Him.
In the love of God, I now have a fiancée! We are both so committed to Jesus, and have been mainly missionaries our whole lives, even before we met. God has led us to soon move back to where I am from, Seattle, where I have (or had!) friends, and to have a nice life; and to be involved here with helping people become true Christians; helping those with mental challenges, toward friendships and the love of Jesus, as well as future overseas mission work. We have been shaken, living in So CA, where most people are so, so mean, that Father led us to soon move away, a careful, but wise decision.
Since I have a temporary, yet serious, disability, things have been most difficult, so I had to come here ahead of my fiancée, where I thought people I knew for years, would pitch in and help with the modest, itemized costs of moving from another state to here, and related costs. I have tried everything, and I am surprised greatly that people will not help, or help to raise the amount, or anything, except mocking. Quite a few made firm, sustained promises, yet would not honor them, nor cared about breaking their word. We most definitely could not get the slightest help in CA, so I simply had to come here to seek one-time help. I thought part of being a Christian is to help those in need, especially for legitimate and emergency needs.
If any of you knows of a sincere benevolence group, with no red tape, and good hearts, that may wish to discuss their possible once-only help for us, I would be very grateful if you could let me know their phone numbers.
Any thoughts would be best by private message, please, and I thank you deeply for not including advice, scripture, etc., just thoughts about the initial subject- Christians and Giving- and any valid suggestions. It is so urgent, and everything is well-documented.
Deborah-Leigh:
~To whom it may concern ~
You need some help. You need some material and or financial help. It can come from others who can share or not feel the giving. It won't cost them anything or even if it does, better still. You will take their help. Even if some feel the sacrifice, you would be most grateful, especially if anyone gives from their own lack, right, like you have done and have been doing? I get it. Not that you want anyone to be harmed by their giving to you, yet if it is a “sacrifice” like the sacrifice that Christianity teaches us to endure by giving out of our own want to “Christianities” work, that is better than ours, because they are spreading the Word of God, right, well, that is what a real good Christian would know about, and, well that would make you more grateful right? I think I understand.
You know we cannot help out to remove our physical disability so you do not ask about that. I get it. So if someone can give you some help you are hurting for and needing, and if they can not feel it, yet just give you a break, then they will be blessed of God right? If that someone hurts to help you, then they will be blessed even more, right? I think I understand.
I have no money to give you. What I have, I will give you. Perhaps, God willing, it may strengthen you in Hope and Endurance.
I know you are in a crisis sent by God for you to experience. I know you have a wonderful finance because that is in the Plan of God for you. I know we should not risk going against God, to despise resent or go against Him to reject or be offended by what God in His Wisdom knows is best. I know this is very difficult to do and in fact is impossible to achieve without the Presence of the Spirit of God within causing, manifesting and accomplishing within His Temple and Kingdom that is His Work to accomplish this Godly nature that is His to Give and His to manifest.
I know God is putting you into your circumstances and what happens is Christendom uses the very circumstances of pain, suffering and despair, fear and trepidation, to fleece the sheep and make merchandise of souls in the conditions sent by God to try, in fire and deeply painful situations such as yours. I know it hurts deeply, profoundly and beyond any human capacity to describe.
You have asked us not to use Scripture or the Word of God to reply to you. Do you not want to be including God in this circumstance and yet it is God who Causes all circumstances and HE IS your circumstance!
Do you not want to know how or why that is? Do you want God to shut up and do you want God’s own, not to refer to what we know of our Father and what He has to say about our circumstances?
When we are told to fear God, we are to eventually realize enough about God to know that it is Him not people who have let us down because it is God, ALL GOD, who has turned friends to not give us any help because it is GOD teaching us by example, that human kind is not a good investment. You can give a human everything of yours and still they will not give you one grain back with gratitude or acknowledgement. That is the nature of humanity. Humanity is a Beast. We learn this by very painful personal experience. It hurts like proverbial Hell.
God can and does and is able to make abound anything to us, including all our needs that God causes anyone of us to have in the first place! Everything is of God. EVERYTHING and it is so very deeply painful to get that! I sorrow for your pain and want to tell you, With Love, all things are possible and God says so.
I don’t have a dime to send you but it cost me much more in time, thought and expense to send this on the internet from South Africa to you….and God paid, caused and facilitated the expense. He paid it all.
I know God is Powerful and also that He can do ANYTHING! And He does! May be, God willing, this will give you Hope and Joy and Strength required to continue to endure the trial of pain, fear, despair and suffering that God has authored for your experience. I know it hurts. There are others here, dear others, who know what pain is and can relate to pain in its horrible names, shapes, forms and manifestations.
Maybe, God willing, you will not walk away. It is a bitterly painful experience to die in the arms of love as, others are doing daily here. Money doesn’t help
~ Only God can. :'(
Arc
soberxp:
7 As for me, I look to the LORD for help.
I wait confidently for God to save me,
and my God will certainly hear me.
8 Do not gloat over me, my enemies!
For though I fall, I will rise again.
Though I sit in darkness,
the LORD will be my light.
9 I will be patient as the LORD punishes me,
for I have sinned against him.
But after that, he will take up my case
and give me justice for all I have suffered from my [Spiritual] enemies.
The LORD will bring me into the light,
and I will see his righteousness.
—Micah 7:7-9, New Living Translation
Dennis Vogel:
--- Quote ---I have walked a pure life in Jesus, for 30 years. I have spent countless years of mostly volunteer service helping homeless and mentally-ill people in the rough areas of Los Angeles, toward true Christian discipleship, with great results, as well as missionary work in Eastern Europe, Amsterdam, and urban cities in the USA. I have given money to those in need, many, many times, often even if it was a real sacrifice to do so.
--- End quote ---
Mat 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
Mat 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Mat 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
arion:
Very finely put Arc...but I know it was the Spirit of our Father speaking through you. I know from many times in the past that when someone has a need and just wants you to 'pray' about it, what they seem to be really hoping is that you (the one who is asked to pray) are going to be the answer to their physical needs. I have had times of need whereby I said nothing to nobody about it and only lifted it up to our Father and He met the need in His time and in His way. I had a need to really learn how to control my use of credit and to learn to live within my means. Did God send me more money? Nooooooo....that would of been my way and far to easy. The Lord 'blessed' me by having the IRS go after me for some unpaid taxes that were already outside the statute of limitations and I had no idea they were owed. They slapped a levy on my wages and alloted me $600 a month to live on and they took all the rest. This went on for 18 months. This was actually an answer to my prayer as it caused me to live frugal and watch every penny. I learned how to live on what I had. And God did some real nice things for me during this time to remind me that he hadn't forgotten my address. The chastisement He lays on us is not pleasant but He plies his strokes on our backsides out of Love like a good Father does. I have no idea exactly what your situation is Sincere (btw welcome to the forum), but what I do know is that God has a finely crafted plan for you and His will shall be done. He will meet your needs but it might not be in the way your expecting. There are few people on this forum that have much in the way of worldly goods but there are many who have spiritual understanding far above mine and my heavenly Father enriches me daily through them.
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