GIVING WHERE?
I recently learned that the huge amount of money flowing into the mega-churches is from their TV performances "sermons/whatever." Anyway, the actual networks have a set of rules - what the preachers can and can't speak about! So, if they want the TV audience, they are required to adhere to the Network's wishes even if it's contrary to the Holy Spirit's wishes. That was an eye-opener for me. So much hypocrisy and compromise. We need to reassess our motivation for giving in the body of Christ.
I am reading the book of Luke (24 chapters up to Christmas). I found a section of scripture in chapter 5 where Jesus healed the man of leprosy. He then told the man to go to the priest and offer what the Old Testament law said to offer for the healing deliverance God gave him.
“And it came to pass, when he [Jesus] was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, ‘Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.’
“And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, ‘I will: be thou clean.’ And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
“And he charged him to tell no man: ‘but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them’” (Luke 5:12-14).
This passage confirmed something I've been thinking about lately. Don’t we want our body of Christ today to be more like the 1st-century church and the book of Acts, and not the book of the mega-churches?
Many of God’s people have been duped into tithing to pay for airplanes (plural), fancy homes, expensive jewelry, etc.
We can't connect our finances to a ministry that is compromising the Holy Spirit's message just to keep their TV money coming in. This has hurt the finances, the health, and the spiritual understanding of so many people in the body of Christ. It snuck up on us and now it's got to stop.
But many have gone to the other extreme - give to no one. People are set in their minds to think that the gospel should be free, and it is, but like Jesus told the man who was healed, go give to the minister as an outward show of your thankfulness to God.
We've not heard that message or applied it because we've been so ripped off by the paradigm of how tithe money worked (or didn't really work) in the mega-churches. It worked fine for the preachers, but the people didn't receive what the preachers promised.
I believe we need to give in thanksgiving to where we’ve been blessed. Whether it’s our local church, a Youtube messenger that opened our eyes or changed our lives, a healing we received from a friend in Christ, a letter or text message from a Christian brother or sister. Are you getting my point? I think we need to start thinking on a more “book of Acts” level when it comes to our giving: grassroots level. Honestly, I don’t know too many Christians who have more money than they can possibly use. So, let’s help each other. Who wouldn’t appreciate $5, $10, $20?
It’s like the old saying, “Put your money where your mouth is.” If we like something and we believe God brought it into our path, let’s be thankful with action and not just words. What if we all started doing that? It would sure free up the body of Christ into a new level of love and appreciation for each other.
You may already have this operating in your church, but not all churches operate that way.
Anyway, it seems to be a dilemma, and I intend to be part of the solution, a few dollars at a time, the best I can. I believe this is the upstart of the true church body once again, the book of Acts.
Love, Carolyn
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