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My biggest lessons...so far!

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Kicking against the Goads:
Learning all I have over the last few months from this site has been wonderful.  The first lesson I received right off the bat was since God isn't going to torture most of humanity for all of eternity I have no right, no business despising ANYONE!!  Loving our enemies, turning the other cheek...it all makes sense now!!

The other thing that makes sense now is how to feed the poor, take care of widows, etc.  I used to view feeding the poor as a "ministry" to bring them the gospel so they won't burn in hell forever.  Now I don't see it as a "ministry", but as simply feeding the poor because that's what we're supposed to do.  There's no ulterior motive...just feed, clothe, love.  Sure we can share Christ's love...but the pressure is off to "save" them!!  And how much more effective would the church be if they took the preaching out of it?  I know there is a place for teaching and preaching...but it is not essential to feeding the poor.

Am I making any sense????

Thanks,
Lynn

James 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Linny:
Yes, Lynn, I know what you mean. When we drive by a church that is adding on, or go into one like I had to do the other day for a meeting, you see the amazing amount of money being spent on a place so that people can come in and have a nice country club to hang out in. Beautiful art on the bathroom walls! One of the mega churches here pushes for small groups. If that is all they did, meet in small groups, at homes, how much money could be used to feed hungry children?
I know it is the Will of God but it still hurts my heart. :'(
I think, speaking from experience, that the poor and widowed, etc. don't get the help they need because churches are full of people tapped out already by giving tithes to the church. At our last church, they took up extra offerings for Pastor's Birthday, Anniversary with his wife, his wife's BD, their anniversary for coming to the church. Who has anything left after all that? ::)

Ray's tithing paper was the first one I read that introduced me to BT. What an eye opening blessing that was.

I am so thankful for a husband with a huge heart for giving. He will no longer do a garage sale. He gives everything away that we can't use anymore to the needy. He has taught me so much about giving.

Roy Coates:
Amen Sister, it makes sense to me.
I would rather help the widow on my street, volunteer at the local shelter than to give money to some who may or may not use it for it's intended pourpose. Just to do it because they need it ad ready to share the hope that lies within if they ask.

Along those same lines knowing that God is in control also take pressure off of me. When I am asked to pray for some one I just pray, giving it to God.

jassy:


That old saying  is the best. ¨At all times, preach the gospel, and only when absolutely necessary, use words¨ 

When in my teens I used to know an elderly couple who ran a material store in my town. They were devout Muslims and this confused me because I could almost see the light of God shining in those precious faces.
According to the teachings of the churches I knew these two were supposed to be hell fodder and that bothered me for some time.
Was I supposed to batter them with the new testament until they accepted Christ, pray for them until they learned the error of their ways?
  I fretted until God gave me my answer.
He gave it through my mother who pointed out some facts to me when I eventually asked her opinion.

They were more Godly in their behaviour than a lot of christians I knew. Honest, hard working and honourable in their dealings with the public. They gave to the needy who frequently haunted their shop.They taught  the gospel of Christ just by their behaviour.  The fate of their souls had absolutely nothing to do with me. Christs suffering was for a reason far greater than I had realised.
If my mom was alive today she would have enjoyed Rays teachings. The core of my moms faith was absolute trust in God, she figured He knew best so all she did was love Him and teach His gospel without words like that little couple.
My parents and that  couple taught me a great lesson at a young age.

Deborah-Leigh:
Hello Lynn

Your observations are confirmed I believe in the following teaching: http:////www.bible-truths.com/tithing.html

"And the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God… I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess" (Luke 18:12).

And just what kind of a blessing did Jesus pronounced on this Pharisee for his "tithe"?

No blessing, no justification, just a promise that people like him will be "abased" (Ver. 14).

What does being an utter hypocrite and passing over "Judgment and the Love of God" have to do with "tithing?" That’s the whole point. These gross sins have virtually nothing to do with tithing!

Tithing to Jesus was so absolutely insignificant to the gross sins of failing to properly Judge the widows and orphans and fatherless and poor, and to not show any Love of God toward them. Tithing was the smallest most inconsequential thing Christ could think of to show the utter hypocrisy of this Pharisees. They were very meticulous about tithing (a law of virtually no spiritual consequence what so ever), and yet… and YET they would do the tithe thing and neglect judgment, love and mercy.

Now please don’t all write me at once telling me that I have missed the whole point of these two sets of Scripture by not realizing that it was their very gross sins that will bring "woes’ and "abasements" on them, and not that they are being condemned for what they did do correctly, namely "tithe." That is quite true. However, it appears that most have missed the very reason why Jesus gives two examples of two Phariees, who were gross sinners deserving the worst possible chastisements, and then says that they were both tithe-payers.

Christ’s attention to the fact that they were both meticulous tithe-payers, proved the hypocrisy of these two Pharisees. They would pay strict attention to very miner details of a law, and yet totally abandon a very reason and purpose for the whole existence of the law—LOVE, MERCY, JUDGMENT.

The Church pays meticulous attention to false teaching. 

Arc

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