Posted on 07/06/2013 5:34:39 PM PDT by Steelfish
I belong to a Church of God church and our pastor preaches against the ‘charismatic’ movement. While tithes are expected and asked for honestly, he says “I don’t make any financial promises of return. Only that God will see your obedience and if you like the church having air conditioning... well, someone has to pitch in.”
Very honest and heartfelt as far as I’m concerned.
One of the biggest offenders, in my opinion, is Rod Parsley. His broadcasts aren’t sermons - they’re infomercials.. His basic pitch seems to be: “God wants to bless you, but he can’t do it until you send me a $300 seed gift - and the check clears.” Before I started watching Rod Parsley, I did not know that God accepted Visa and Mastercard.
The real key is just what I said: It’s about your personal giving .. it’s not about getting.
Being a tither (giving 10% of your income) is crucial. It’s God requesting that 10%, not the preacher. And then, offerings should also be given on top of that .. according to your ability. I started with just $5 extra each month. But, I finally ended up getting better and better jobs and I was then able to offerings of more.
Our obligation is to be sure the person we’re giving our tithes to is competent to handle it. I was in a church where it was not competently handled .. it caused the removal of the Pastor, and the installation of another Pastor; the church flourished after that. One of the new Pastor’s secrets to prosperity for the church was giving a set portion of the church’s finances to other ministries around the world (on a monthly basis). These were people he knew personally (could judge their character), and they were starting churches everywhere.
But, I’ve followed what the Bible teaches about giving, and I never feel compelled to give to my church every time it’s presented .. the secret is to ask God what HE wants you to give to any special giving. If people would do that, and then follow what God tells them, they would not get in trouble. One instance I’ll use as an example. I was troubled with the fact that I could not pay my tithe and pay for the registration of my car. Being human, I wrestled with it, but finally realized my tithe was more important so that’s what I paid. Just a few days later (as I was seeing former church friends off on a flight), 3 of them walked up to me and handed me checks totalling the amount of my car’s registration (to the exact penny). All 3 said the same thing; God told me to give you this. And, I believe all 3 of them got blessed by God for being obedient.
The problem with some is that they do not know God’s voice; or don’t listen to God’s voice when they hear it; and allow themselves to feel GUILTY if they don’t give - which is a trap ungodly people use. Several speakers who came to my church did not get my offering - because I just knew I was not supposed to give to them. Several times I would hear stories of that speaker’s demise .. and it concerned the mishandling of finances. God does not want us giving to minnistries who are not following God.
People want to make the preacher responsible for their prosperity .. and God never designed it that way. YOU are responsible for your own prosperity; based on your belief that God wants you to prosper, and you’re listening to what God wants you to do with your money. Remember, people who are poor do not have the funds to give to anybody. God wants us to prosper so he can give our finances to other ministries who will teach other people how to prosper God’s way.
Some people are too ready and willing to believe any gossip they hear about different ministries. They have itching ears and believe anything. We must discern what people say and check it out with the Word of God.
Robert Tilton
Robert Tilton was fine UNTIL .. he made a mistake other preachers have made .. he went off ALONE to a place where he had no spiritual cover (no church members to pray for him and pray for his safety), and he wanted to seek God.
However, the “god” that showed up was not what he expected; he was easily deceived and it ended up destroying him.
This happened immediately after the launch of his TV network flopped. How much he was to blame for that, I have no idea. But, to run away and hide from God, just when you need him to show you how to get out of the mess, is playing with fire.
He opened himself up to self-pity and believe me the devil will gladly join with you in your pity parties .. because he can use them to lead you astray. You’re not appreciated, the devil can give you this and that and make you the most popular person on TV, yada, yada, yada.
When Robert returned from Hawaii (an island filled with vodoo; satan worship, etc.) there was a noticible change in him. I studied his face and its expressions more than I really listened to what he was saying .. I clearly saw something about him had changed. Of course, I didn’t know what it was, but my discernment button was screaming.
It wasn’t long after that event that I stopped watching him, and it grieved my spirit to see a man of God so deceived. Sadly, he was not the last one I witnessed.
People who are not Godly, will always say, “judge not, lest ye be judged”. However, the Bible teaches that we are to “judge a man by his fruits”. In other words, what has his life produced .. good or evil. This can be hard because some may “appear” to be good, while all the time they are truly evil inside. This is where God can tell you - if you ask Him - Am I judging this person correctly ..??
When I did this regarding a co-worker, I was stunned to find out what a gossip she was, and how she had lied about me to my boss. My boss and she had been long-time friends.
God wants us to question those we chose to listen to .. because choosing the wrong people can hurt us.
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