Hello Ray,
I just wrote to thank you for expounding the truths so faithfully and exposing those who contradict. My own Christian faith has been in question till I found your writings, and now I believe I'm on the right path in search for truth. At last, I have had more peace with God and come to terms with Him. The traditional bread-and-butter Christian 'faith' made it very hard for me and God to have a relationship, with the daily blaming of my inefficiency to proclaim the good news to everyone, setting a examplary behaviour standard that would awe Hitler into kneeling and confessing to the Lord, etc. It was horrible. Thanks Ray.
Sadly, I guess not many will take the time to listen to your 'heretical' teachings. I urge you to stay true to your cause and not be discouraged by hate mail spewed by so called 'Christians'. God bless you! I will remember you in my prayers.
By the way, I suscribe to ICR's daily newsletters, (from the days of my truth-searching) and this one has me in question. If you had the time, please glance through it and tell me what you think?
"Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel" (I Corinthians 9:14).
This verse tells us that God has actually enacted an "ordinance" to the effect that Christian believers should provide financial support for those pastors and others who have been truly called by God to devote full time to the gospel ministry. Similarly, note I Timothy 5:18. "For the scripture saith [quoting Deuteronomy 25:4], Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And [quoting Luke 10:7], The laborer is worthy of his reward."
The latter clause also tells us incidentally that Paul regarded the Gospel of Luke as inspired Scripture with the same authority as the writings of Moses. In this verse, Luke was quoting the Lord Jesus as He was sending out His disciples on a missionary assignment.
The context in each of these passages indicates that it is not the responsibility of the Christian worker to plead with people to support him and his ministry, but rather the responsibility of those to whom or for whom he is serving. This principle that those whose income is from secular sources should support truly God-called, full-time Christian workers and ministries is thus really a divine ordinance.
But there is also another responsibility implied in doing this. Are the workers and ministries really true to the Word of God? Believers have been commanded to "try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (I John 4:1). Peter also warned that "there shall be false teachers among you" (II Peter 2:1), and Paul warned of those who would "by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (Romans 16:18). God thus commands us to support those -- and only those -- who are truly God-called servants faithfully believing and teaching His Word. HMM
I believe this article would directly support tithes. Please explain to me what 1 Cor 9:14 is really saying.
Thanks again Ray
Dear CJ:
I don't have time to go through all of your questions. Tithing is not taught in the New Testament ANYWHERE. Tithing has nothing to do with money, NOTHTING. I guess Christian clerics think that they "tithed their money" to the ox that tread out the corn. They fed the ox. Those who preach the gospel should be fed by those supporting the gospel and hearing the gospel. It has nothing to do with MONEY. Money has nothing to do with ancient Israel's practice of tithing food stuff to the poor and the Levites. Tithing money was started by the Catholic Church hundreds of years after Christ's ministry. The next time you hear anyone mention tithing and money in the same sentence, you will know that they have not a clue as to what they are talking about.
God be with you,
Ray
