money

Tithing When Times Are Tough

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment
  • From “God Reports”, a great testimony of God’s provision in hard times. This testimony could be repeated by dozens of people that I know.

He kept tithing when times were tough; God opened a window of blessing

By Ryan Zepeda —

When he broke his walkie-talkie as a child, he was able to fix it himself. But when his finances were broken, God fixed it.

“I broke the walkie-talkie on my birthday, and I was like, ‘Ah, man, I can’t tell Mom I broke it,’” Dennis Dixon says on a CBN video. “So I was like, ‘I’m gonna try to fix it.’ And I didn’t know how to fix it. But I opened it up and I saw the inside and it just caught me. And I’ve always been interested with electronics since then.”

Being adept with electronics came in handy. First, he repaired some friends’ devices, and they told others. At the encouragement of his father, he placed an ad as an adolescent, and the calls for help flooded in.

As money came in for his services, his father encouraged Dennis to honor God with the tithe.

“Tithing is you trusting God with what He’s given you and honoring Him, you know, 10% of the 100% that He gives us every day,” says Dennis. “Setting aside money for God, for His kingdom and for His purpose and learning how to trust God with everything you have including finances.”

He got a work at a large electronic store, but the company went bankrupt. Dennis lost his job at the same time his mother was laid off. Then they lost their car and their house.

How could he, under duress, stay faithful with his tithe?

“I realized that faith wasn’t just a feeling, but it was a reaction. Like how am I gonna choose to respond to this? Am I gonna panic or am I gonna continue to trust God?” he says. “And I chose to continue to trust God. I chose to continue tithing and praying. Believing that He was gonna take care of us. And I would actually go above and give offerings, just believing for God to do a miracle. I wasn’t gonna allow my circumstances to destroy my faith.”

With no work available, Dennis felt God stirring him to do something outside his comfort zone — start his own electronics fix-it store. He could think of many reasons not to risk such a venture. It wasn’t the right time, he lacked capital, etc.

But when he saw a vacant storefront, God prompted him to inquire about leasing.

Learning a little about his dreams and abilities, the owner offered him a few months of free rent. I Will Fix Your Phone opened in an Atlanta suburb a few years ago.

Through hard work, diligence – and giving back to God – a window of blessing was opened from heaven. His family got the car back, the house back, and he now earns a six-figure income.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. “Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. (Malachi 3:10)

This is the only place in Scripture where God asks his children to test Him. When they follow His lead by offering the whole tithe to Him, God responds in ways that are often amazing.

“Since I’ve been tithing, I’ve just seen like a ridiculous favor that just doesn’t make sense. Like miracles would just happen,” Dennis says. “I would just see God provide in ways that I could–I know that in my wisdom or in my knowledge, I couldn’t have made it happen by myself. And it’s just favor. God restored everything we lost and then some, a hundredfold. Like I never would have thought that I’d end up here, running my own company, making six figures, every day it’s a blessing.”

Ryan Zepeda studies at the Lighthouse Christian Academy in Santa Monica.

Kris Valloton: If you struggle with tithing, this could be why

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

wpid-wp-1415874737344

A great article about tithing by Kris Valloton:

Probably the most frequently asked questions about Kingdom finance are focused on the subject of the tithe. Questions like these come up all the time:

“Is the tithe a New Testament principle, or is it relegated to the Old Covenant?”
“What, exactly, is the tithe?”
“Whom should I give my tithe to, and what’s in it for me?”

These are great questions and I’ve answered some of them over here on the blog. But if you’re reading this and have similar questions, and if we were able to sit down together and talk about it, I’d follow up by asking you: “Are you trying to give more or trying to give less?”

I have been asked these tithing questions more than a hundred times, and only once in twenty years was the person who was doing the inquiring trying to give more. Most often, the people who are debating these questions have other agendas that they are often not even aware of.

WHAT’S AT THE ROOT OF YOUR STRUGGLE?

That said, let me ask you four questions that may help you come to grips with the root cause of any struggle you may have with tithing:

1. Do you trust God to take care of you? If you answered no to this then here is a great Scripture that will help you move forward in your quest to grow in trusting God: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6). I find that when we’re afraid that we won’t be taken care of, we hoard and try to control all of our money. Trusting God to provide in your life will set you free to express your love to Him with your tithe.

2. Do you honor the leaders over you who give an account for your life?
The writer of Hebrews gives us insight into the heavy responsibility that God has entrusted to His spiritual leaders. But in an age when family values are being exchanged for independence and even rebellion, this verse feels as if it were written to Martians, or at the least to cavemen: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17). To state the obvious, if you cannot honor your leaders in the sense of trusting them to steward well whatever you give, perhaps you ought to be under different leadership.

3. Are you serving Mammon (the spirit of greed and materialism) or God? You will always protect the God (or god) you are loyal to. Jesus put it best: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24). If money is more important to you than God then you will protect your money more than you will trust Him.

4. Are you afraid of not having enough? I love the fact that the God of heaven cares about the practical needs we have here on earth. Jesus reassured us that the Father takes care of us with these words: “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:31–32).

If you are struggling with the subject of tithing, I want to challenge you right now to stop reading and ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart. Ask Him if your resistance is really rooted in the theology of the tithe, or if there are deeper issues that trouble you. Let Him lead you into all truth and deliver you from poverty, the fear of lack, and the need for control.

HOW TO LOVE GOD WITH YOUR GENEROSITY

Let’s take a look at how the tithe can actually touch the heart of God. I believe that once we understand that this is a holy act that expresses our passion for our generous Father, that our heart issues and fears listed above become smaller and smaller.

It has always astonished me that the God of the universe actually has any interest in humans giving Him gifts at all, much less money. If you are God, what are you going to do with the stuff? All He has to do is speak and the very thing He needs appears in front of Him. So what’s up with giving to God?

There is one thing that God wants but that He cannot make happen—to be loved freely. God gave us a free will so that He could experience us freely giving our love to Him. Love, by its very nature, requires freedom of choice. Love forced or love programmed is not love at all. God is love, which means He has the capacity both to give love and to be loved. Because love “believes all things,” our trusting in God (in every way, including with our tithe) is a manifestation of loving Him (1 Corinthians 13:7).

God can discern a gift that is given out of obligation or manipulation from a gift that is rooted in love. This is evidenced in the story of Cain and Abel. Here is a short account:

“So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.” (Genesis 4:3–5)

A few things come to light in this story. First, the need to give back to God is deeply rooted in human nature, so much so that Cain received no sympathy for giving God a crummy offering, even though he did it without God asking for it. I think that God had no regard for Cain’s offering because He had no respect for Cain’s motives. In other words, God refused to be manipulated by Cain’s gift. It is like having a teenage son who is in complete rebellion against you, and then he picks some old, wilted flowers out of your garden and hands them to you. You would be thinking, “What’s the catch? What is he trying to bribe me into doing?”

Unlike Cain, Abel gave God the first and best of his flock as a precious gift, and God loved it. Here lies the beauty of our wonderful Creator basking in the love of His mere mortal creature, giving Abel a pathway of expression to unleash the passion that gushed within him for his God. More than a thousand years before Moses ever wrote the Law that required the people of God to give their Creator the first and the best, Abel already was loving God freely with his extravagant gift.

So my challenge to you today is two-fold: first, work through the questions and any heart issues that may be getting in the way of your tithe. Second, when you go to tithe, give God your first and best. Lavish your love upon Him and watch the extravagant ways He will pour back out to you!

Do you want to learn more about why God cares how you spend your money? Then check out my latest book, Poverty, Riches and Wealth. I wrote it to help demystify God’s heart for us to live in true Kingdom prosperity, and I pray that it will bless you to become a blessing to those around you!

Babylon Bee- Sermon On Tithing Moves Congregation To Commit 10% Of Their Attention To It

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Sermon On Tithing Moves Congregation To Commit 10% Of Their Attention To It

 

GOSHEN, IN—A message on tithes and offerings at Maple Street Methodist Church received a surprisingly warm welcome Sunday as congregants responded by giving a full ten percent of their attention to the well-prepared sermon.

“I’m impressed by their generosity,” Pastor Larry Williams told reporters Monday. “We have to start somewhere—just pay a small amount of attention to a word here, a word there. Heck, sometimes I’m happy if the congregation even shows up for these services.”

An encouraging Monday morning staff meeting revealed the remarkable return, giving hope to the financially struggling body of Christ.

“I usually try to focus and really absorb about 12–13% of the sermon, so I’m doing way more than my part,” longtime church member Ruth O’Neill told reporters. “Once in a while, I’ll listen to the entire thing as a special, one-time love offering of my time and attention.”

Member David Spangler admitted to giving only 1% of his attention, blaming the pastor for scheduling the message in the prime of golf season, on the weekend of a major. “I have to prioritize, you know?” he explained.

From the Babylon Bee

Doug Addison: Strategies to Get Healed and Out of Debt

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Doug Addison gives strategy for overcoming chronic illness and financial weakness.Strategies to Get Healed and Out of Debt

 

Success strategy and step by step business planning as a blue pencil drawing connection lines to connect the dots on a puzzle shaped as an arrow going up as a financial metaphor for a successful planned personal project.Are you struggling with things like debt, sickness or discouragement? If you are not seeing results in a particular area of your life it is really important that you press in until you do.

It is usually the times that you are sick or down that makes it the most difficult to battle through it. I know this because I have been struggling with repeated sickness for the past two years including Lyme disease and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. But in the midst of being very sick and nearly dying in 2013, I found strength in God and contended for my healing and breakthrough.

As I write this I am still suffering from the aftermath of this horrific attack on my life. I want to share with you and take what was intended for evil against me and turn it to good. My hope and prayer is that you will gain something for yourself or someone you know.

Time to recover losses

This is a season of time that you can recover things that were stolen from you over the past seven years or more. You have to press in and contend for it! I recommend reading 1 Samuel 30 where David had lost everything and his followers were ready to kill him.

In the midst of his distress, he inquired of God and got a strategy (verse seven). He was able to recover his losses and in chapter thirty-one his life destiny radically shifted. He went from running from the enemy to ruling as King of Israel. But it was not without a battle.

Contending for your breakthrough

I was healed of Huntington’s disease and Lyme disease as well as several other things that have come against me. To be honest I did not feel like I could go on one more day. But like David, I inquired of God and got a strategy. From there I took radical steps that eventually turned things around.

God also gave me financial breakthrough strategies that got us out of a major level of debt. This is not only for physical healing but also for financial, relational and emotional restoration. It’s time to recover it all!! I don’t know about you but I am sick and tired of being sick and tired! I’m sick and tired of financial losses, debt, and setbacks.

Read the full article here:

“Build My House and I Promise to Build Yours” Jennifer Eivaz

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

A powerful word of encouragement and exhortation from Jennifer Eivaz. From Elijah List

Gratitude During Worship

The presence of God surrounded me so tightly during the worship service that I hardly noticed anything else. I felt the embrace of unconditional love and desired to respond back somehow. I had this overwhelming sense of gratitude. What could I possibly give to Him in that moment? I thought about Mary of Bethany. What moved her heart to give her most precious possession? Something that was worth a year’s wages! We don’t see a journal of her feelings in the story, but we do see her actions. She found Jesus and lavishly gave Him her extravagant gift.

…as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.Mark 14:3

I too was having a moment where I felt moved to give Him something of value. It was purely worship and I had no thought to receive anything from it. I happened to be wearing an expensive 18-carat gold bracelet. It was a gift from my husband’s middle-eastern family, actually imported from Iran, and my most valuable possession at the moment. I slipped it off my wrist and laid it down on the stairs leading up to the platform. At the end of the worship service, the ushers dutifully picked up the bracelet and placed it with the cash offerings in our church safe. (Photo by Lillis Boyer “Holy Incense”via elijahshopper.com)

Three days later, I received an unexpected check for $1,000. I actually felt the heart of the Lord the moment I received it. I had given Him something of value (the bracelet) and He was responding to my gift. It touched my heart. At the same time, I was very aware that my bracelet was of no use to our church and would sit in the safe indefinitely. I decided to give that money to the church and “redeem” my bracelet back.

Faith to Give in All Circumstances

This took place over 10 years ago. I also recall during those years having a high faith in God for His provision. Our church members also reflected those values. I’ve always had a deep love for the Church and my heart was to build it so it could effectively reach the lost. For example, my husband and I would be thrilled to empty our bank account for special outreach projects. I remember us giving thousands of dollars to our church building programs. We would make those commitments in faith and never had it in the bank at the time.

Still, the money always came, and it was with joy that we gave it. When we visited other churches, we were conscientious to leave a generous gift. We gave away jewelry, furniture, and really tried to help others in need. We loved giving to missions, too, and seemed to always be blessed with resources at the same time. We never went without. We’ve always had plenty left over.

Then in 2007–2008 our nation went into a terrible economic recession. Banks started failing. People all around my neighborhood were losing their homes. Unemployment was the highest I’ve ever seen. It made everyone fearful. The fear was overwhelming and caused many of our church people to pull back their tithes and offerings. Ron and I did not personally stop giving, but the feelings of fear were real. (Photo via Flickr)

I remember those “terrible” Tuesday mornings. We would receive the financial report from the weekend. I would panic and then I would go to our prayer chapel and pray until I found faith again. We knew several pastors who quit the pulpit during that season due to financial stress. Also during that time, the Lord spoke to my husband to begin a city-wide ministry to the poor. The prophetic word launched our City Reach ministry, which is still happening today. We both knew the proverb and understood this was God’s way of preserving us:

“He who gives to the poor will not lack…” (Proverbs 28:27).

We’ve thankfully come out of that season still in ministry and still having our church. In 2015, our church members’ tithes and offerings have increased. There is still, however, a feeling of caution on the people in regard to the economy. I am still waiting for the extravagant givers to be set free again, but I am confident this will be restored too.

He Attacked the Prince of the Hosts By Attacking the Offerings

There is a prophetic story in Daniel about a ruler who was the worst of all (see Daniel 8:8-14). The passage prophetically described his power as reaching to the heavens and knocking some of “the hosts and stars” out of place. It also said he would attack the Prince of the hosts, which is Jesus, through some specific methods. He will stop the offerings, destroy the temple, and throw truth to the ground. He will continue his attack for a period of time until Jesus overthrows him. (This ruler is known historically as Antiochus Epiphanes.)

Although this prophecy is fulfilled, we see the same war tactics being used today. Satan continues to make war against Jesus Christ by attacking the offerings and attacking the Church. When “giving” to the Church is suppressed, it binds the Church from its mission and suppresses the truth from going out. It’s an assault that happens on national and individual levels.

As individuals, many Believers have been led astray by spiritual sounding philosophies when it comes to their attendance and giving to the local Church. (Photo via Pixabay)

Here are a few:

• I give when I feel led to give.
• Tithes are under the law.
• I don’t need to go to church. I am the Church.
• I’m under grace, so I don’t have to _________ (fill in the blank)

These philosophies haven’t produced faithfulness in giving and serving the Body of Christ and must be confronted. These attitudes have not built His Church but actually hinder the Church and the message of salvation. We can’t be prophesying revival into our cities and nations and then not pay anything into it. Many people cite the “legality” of giving tithes as their Biblical excuse to not give much at all. The tithes put order and regularity into our giving, and giving is about the heart more than the set amount. When we can’t pass the test of giving, it delays revival because we are not ready to carry it.

I believe the Lord is challenging us all to put Him at His Word when it comes to giving, because He promises to provide back in abundance.

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over… Luke 6:38

Giving is the Seed That Bears Fruit For Generations

Nearly 100 years ago, a family gave their personal finances to purchase land for a new work in Turlock, California. The late Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson had introduced Turlock to the Holy Spirit and a Spirit-filled community had emerged needing property. This same family’s grandson, Bill Larson, also became an established city-wide Evangelist with discipleship studies going on in his home nearly every night. Thousands of persons were converted as a result. He was so zealous that he finally quit his job, choosing to trust the Lord for his provision. He wanted to reach every unsaved person that he could. He died last month, but his legacy continues on.

This man was also responsible for the conversion and discipleship of my husband, Ron, as a teenager. He had found Ron smoking in a local park and led him to Christ. Bill then invited Ron to a Bible study and discipled him there. A decade later my husband was named the Senior Pastor of Harvest Christian Center in Turlock, California. During the funeral for this evangelist, we found out the land purchased by his grandparents is the land our church is sitting on!

Do you think this is a coincidence? Absolutely not! The seed for the Gospel was planted a century ago and is still producing its harvest. When we plant into the things of God, it will supernaturally grow in that direction for generations. (Photo via Pixabay)

Over a year ago, I was talking with a young woman in our church. She had a baby and was not married. I convinced her to make her live-in relationship right with God. Her and her boyfriend agreed and we set the wedding date. As I met their families for the first time, I realized the young woman’s father was a faithful elder in the church where I committed my life to Christ 25 years ago. How exciting it was for this elder to experience the fruit of his faithfulness and to have it returned back to his own family. I married his daughter and son-in-law that day, bringing them all, including an adorable grand baby, into the proper covering of Christ.

In I Chronicles 17, we see that King David desired to build God a house. The Lord responds to David saying that because he has taken care of His house, the Lord will take care of David’s house. The heart of God has not changed in this matter. Building His Church on earth does not go unnoticed or without reward. The Lord is promising and challenging us all to take care of His house, His Church, on the earth. He will, in turn, joyfully take care of ours, and His reward is for generations after us.

Jennifer Eivaz, Executive Pastor
Harvest Christian Center, Turlock, CA
Email: Asst2jeneivaz@harvestturlock.org
Website: jennifereivaz.com

Prayer and Money

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

One of the things that the Lord has been teaching me over a long period of time- like two decades- is that we can totally trust Him for the things that we need. For many years we were not able to draw any salary from the church, but God provided in different ways and we lacked nothing.

Since the church has grown over the last few years, there has been more money available but there are still times when things seem to close in. It’s good at those times to really seek the Lord for that need.

Last week was one of those times. I could see bills piling up, commitments that needed to be met and a seemingly small income. So I did what I do in these places- I prayed. It seemed that I should pray for an offering of $2500, and I did this at least four mornings. I felt good about it, peaceful that God had answered my prayer.

Sunday morning’s offering was $1800 which was good- at the top of what we expect to get. Another $200 from night church and a little from the bookshop took us to $2077 which I banked on Monday. A good result, but $500 short of what I was expecting.

This morning as I started to pay the bills I noticed something odd. The balance that I had on my computer was significantly different to the online balance from the credit union. I did a reconciliation and discovered that I had recorded one payment of $500 twice. That was the $500 we were seemingly short.

God is so good!

I wonder what I should be praying for this week.

Yonggi Cho convicted of embezzlement

/ newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment
This is very sad news indeed. It is so easy to lose focus in ministry. The Devil is always there twisting, lying and misleading ministers.
From Christianity Today

Founder of World’s Largest Megachurch Convicted of Embezzling $12 Million

South Korean pastor David Yonggi Cho bought stock from son, evaded taxes.
Ruth Moon
[ posted 2/24/2014 12:15PM ]
Founder of World's Largest Megachurch Convicted of Embezzling $12 Million FGTV.com
Screenshot of Cho’s “homepage” on church website.

The founding pastor of the world’s largest Pentecostal congregation has been sentenced to three years in prison for embezzling 13 billion won (US$12 million) in church funds.

David Yonggi Cho, 78, founded Yoido Full Gospel Church, an Assemblies of God-affiliated denomination that has grown to more than 1 million members. Last year, CT noted how the pastor emeritus faced indictment for an alleged stock scheme with his son.

Last Thursday, the Seoul pastor was convicted of embezzlement as part of a scheme in which he arranged for the church to buy stock from his son Cho Hee-jun at more than three times the market price.

Hee-jun was sentenced to three years in prison for colluding with his father. Hee-jun, 49, previously served as chairman of the Yeongsan Christian Cultural Center.

Church administrators warned David Cho against purchasing the stock at an inflated price, but the pastor said he had to help his son out of a tight spot, according to Cho Hee-jun’s arraignment document. Cho was also convicted of evading 3.5 billion won (US$3.2 million) in taxes, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Church elders have also accused the pastor of embezzling additional funds.

The Seoul Central District Court, which handed down its sentence Thursday, ordered Cho to pay a 5 billion won (US$4.7 million) fine. Cho’s prison sentence was suspended five years; Hee-jun was jailed immediately.

Cho first came under investigation in 2011, when church elders accused him of embezzling $20 million. Cho also has been criticized for privatizing church assets. CT previously reported on the investigation of Cho, and noted in 2006 that Yoido Full Gospel had selected Lee Young-hoon to replace Cho as head pastor.