One night while channel surfing, we happened to run across a very slick, smiling, preacher speaking in a MAGNIFICENT, HUGE "church". The smoooooth, smiling, preacher was polished in delivery and style, the huge crowd mesmerized by his path to the good life. He even made a few references to the Bible after opening with a cute joke.
It happened that another ex-church goer was visiting with us during the broadcast. Our friend related how their own pastor would get up and exhort the folks to tithe, while they would have the folks repeat a mantra about God rebuking the devourer and all the financial benefits and blessings that come to them as a result of tithing to God. Give to God! (wink-wink)-but make your check out to "The Church".... (i.e. the family that manages the "church" checking account and sorts out the tithe from the general offering.)
(organized churches operate as a "DBA" (doing business as), and many are government licensed 501c3 Incorporated. This means they have a President-CEO, Board, Secretary, just like every other business organization. Usually the pastor is CEO.)
Sometimes the secretary is the pastor's wife, sometimes a bookkeeper is hired or found within the assembly. In the charismatic-Pentecostal church world, often one family has sole control over all the finances. Can you see how easy it would be for satan to use "church" income to corrupt and/or destroy a ministry?
So we present a humorized typical day in the business life of "The Local Church":
The church office on Monday, the pile of envelopes and cash from Sunday's cash-flow.
Let's see, envelope #1:
TITHE: (from wages) $300. "Ahhh, nice, goes in our pile, thank you Lord! -bless'em real good!"
(as he/ she calls for reservations at the local 4 star restaurant)
(as he/ she calls for reservations at the local 4 star restaurant)
OFFERING: (general gift to the overhead of the organization and building fund:) $50.00
and on it goes through the stack.
and on it goes through the stack.
At the end of the envelopes, the week's totals for God's tithe (goes in pastors checking account), and Offering, (goes into churches general fund):
TITHE total: $2437.54 OFFERING total: $718.23. Budget Need: $3,500.00
"WHOOPS! We have a shortfall, call a staff meeting, now what can we do for a fundraiser. I know, another bake auction, car wash, and a church yard sale. There should be enough to pay the Church Liability Insurance, Staff medical insurance, a new computer, and upgrade our video cameras."
The following Sunday, a sermon on "Malachi" is dusted off and the folks are reminded about "robbing God" out of the Old Testament Law of Moses." We heard and saw this time after time after time, always trusting our leaders and never questioning their authority to put a church full of people under the law of the tithe.
Or they may go all the way back to find Abram tithing from that which was not his, the spoils of war. A one-time tithe, and he gave away the other 90% too. Or they may try and resuurect Jacobs tithe-promise for which there is no information WHAT he tithed or to who. Worse yet, the may quote from Leviticus and other places from the Law, -a covenant God never made with us.
Here's the masquerade:
Here's the masquerade:
God's people are taught tithing by false manipulation of scripture, for the personal benefit of those who directly gain (prosper). This is done by sleight-of-hand in telling them they are REALLY tithing to please God, and that God would bless them for doing so. The clergy person themself may tithe 10% or more to be blessed by a special covenant of their misunderstanding of scripture. (there is no other NT covenant).
That is blatant and decieving HOGWASH. But we have to give them credit, (no pun intended) week after week they get up there with a warm smile and a sincere, beneficent look, as they manipulate both scripture and the trusting people for their own benefit. If the clergy person tithes to be blessed, where does their "blesing" come from?
These are the modern counterparts to the money changers who ran their businesses in the temple and changed folk's money into an act of worship for their own personal benefit. After all, weren't they serving God's people? -They had discovered the secret that there is good money to be made in the "church". Eventually Jesus ran them out of the temple.
There is not one verse in the New Covenant instructing or reminding any Christian or church to tithe. There is not a single one of the apostles, elders, or overseers who are given a word or example in the New Testament ministry to take tithes of the people.
When we rip the Old Testament mask off the tithe, there is nothing there.... except a corrupted ministry.
{Isa.56:9} All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, [yea], all ye beasts in the forest. {10} His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.
11 Yea, the dogs are greedy, they can never have enough; and these are shepherds that cannot understand: they have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter. {12} Come ye, [say they], I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to-morrow shall be as this day, [a day] great beyond measure.
The dogs here are the apostate greedy shepherds of God’s people in this time of the approaching judgement on Christianity.
These are prophesied in Scripture to lose their spiritual strength, discernment, understanding and restraint because of plundering and lying to God’s people.
16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those that are cut off, neither will seek those that are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat [sheep], and will tear their hoofs in pieces. (he will destroy their spiritual walk)
17 Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
Zech.11:15 And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those that are cut off, neither will seek those that are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat [sheep], and will tear their hoofs in pieces. (he will destroy their spiritual walk)
17 Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
Judgement is beginning on the apostate church because they are under a strong delusion who have not loved the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Ezekiel 34:2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds;
Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
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