How Much Do You ‘Love Thy Neighbor’?

I wanted to share a commandment today. It was a commandment that is in the old testament and the new testament, but with a major difference. The commandment changed a little.

Lev. 19:18

“…but you shall love your neighbor as yourself…”

And now the “new commandment’ -

John 13:34-35

³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you,..”

Jesus told us to love others the way He has loved us!! Jesus laid down His life for us! He not only loved His neighbor as Himself, but He loved him MORE than Himself… HE DIED for others.

This is an amazing difference when you compare this new testament verse to the old testament verse. No other moral or religious system in the world every prescribed any thing so pure and unselfish.

How much do we ‘love our neighbor’?

Would we lay down our life for one another?

Think about that.

Jesus IS love.

Do we love Him back?

 

Tithing Means 10% & It’s A Command From God. Deal With It.

Sorry to be blunt like that… but we all need to suck it up & deal with the fact that we OWE God 10% of what we earn. Simple as that. So stop crying about it & trying to make excuses for why you don’t have to!

I know I am going to be disliked for this one… but this will be on tithing. Not too many can agree on this doctrine. Mostly because it hits our precious pocket book. And we don’t like being told what to do with our money. Only problem with that? It’s not OUR money. It’s His. He gives it to us. No scripture even mentions a substitute program for tithing in the New Testament.

There is a difference between tithing and offering. Tithing is a command. Offering is just that. Offering. Tithing is a tenth. A tenth off of the top of your profit. Whether it be your paycheck or your crops ‘back in the day’. A tenth of your earnings should go to God before it is touched for ANYTHING else. Before your mortgage, car payment, groceries.

I heard someone say once, If you want to know what is most important to someone… look in their check book. On the day of payday when that money is deposited… what is the very first thing money is withdrawn for?

Is it God?

It should be. Here is why. First of all, it is commanded by God. Secondly, the true Word needs to be spread.

Mark 16:15 (King James Version)

¹⁵And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

How are we to make sure the true Word of God gets spread if we don’t support the church?

Tithes. Used 23 times in the bible.

Tithe. Used 14 times in the bible.

Tithing. Used 2 times in the bible.

Tithe  means tenth.

It’s really very simple. This does not mean a tenth of your time. This is a tenth of your earnings. Look at all the biblical examples. These people gave what they earned! Not just some ‘community service’ as they chose. That doesn’t mean painting the church in your spare time, or preparing meals for the sick or homeless or donating your baked goods for the church bake sale, or helping the youth on your free day.  All of those things are wonderful, but it all is considered offerings… not tithing!

The very first mention of tithing was in Gen. 14:20, Gen. 28:22 and again in Heb. 7:1-11. This practice was 430 years BEFORE the Law  of Moses!  So we will see, that the doctrine of tithing was practiced before the Law of Moses (Old Testament), Under the Law  of  Moses, and also in the New Testament (after the Law was finished). In the New Testament, Christ taught it & Paul taught it. It was commanded in both Old & New Testaments.

Tithing Under The Law Of Moses:

First of all it was commanded in Lev. 27:30 & Mal. 3:10.

Five Purposes for tithing:

• For  the Levites Num. 18:21-24  {“This is their payment for the work they do serving”}
• Tithes of the tithes every 3 yrs for the poor and the ministers Dt. 14:27-29, 26:12-14
• To  supply God’s house Mal. 3:10
• To honor God Prov. 3:9-10

When were tithes to be brought? Yearly, along with all other offerings for the feast Dt. 12:6-7, 14:22-26

These tithes belonged to God, not the people who paid them Lev. 27:30-34, Mal. 3:8

Where tithes were brought: 2nd Chr. 31:12, Neh. 10:38, 12:44, 13:5 & 12

If someone borrowed  then 20% interest had to be added when it was paid back Lev. 27:31

Tithing in the New Testament:

Christ taught it: (Mt. 23:23 <--- command, Lk. 11:42), Lk. 18:11-12,

Matthew 10:10 (New Century Version)

¹⁰ Don't carry a bag or extra clothes or sandals or a walking stick. Workers should be given what they need.

Luke 10:7-8 (New Century Version)

⁷ Stay in the same house, eating and drinking what the people there give you. A worker should be given his pay. Don't move from house to house. ⁸ If you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat what they give you.

Paul taught it:

God ordained the support of ministers 1 Cor. 9:7-14

Melchisedec priesthood is eternal & must be supported Heb. 7:1-11

Here are some examples of those mentioned in scripture who paid tithes:

• Abraham (Gen. 14:20, Heb. 7:1-11)
• Jacob (Gen. 28:22)
• Levi in Abraham (Heb 7:9)
• Hezekiah and Israel (2 Chr. 31)
• Nehemiah and Israel (Neh. 13)
• Hypocrites (Mt. 23:23, Lk. 11:42; 18:12)
• Christians (1 Cor. 9:7-14; 16:2, 2 Cor. 7:11; 8:1-15, Gal. 6:6, 1 Tim. 5:17-18, Heb. 7)

Here are blessings mentioned for paying tithes:

• Blessings for obedience (Rom. 4:12, Heb. 7:6-10, 1 Cor. 9:7-14, 1 Tim. 6:17-18. Compare to Mal. 3:8-10, Pr. 3:9-10, Gen. 14:20, Dt. 8:10-20)
• God’s house will not want (Mal. 3:10)
• God’s ministers will not want (1 Cor. 9:7-14, 1 Tim. 5:17-18, Neh. 13:10)
• Material and spiritual blessings (Mal. 3:8-10, Pr. 3:9-10, 2 Chr. 31, Neh. 13)

Malachi 3:10-12 (New King James Version)

¹⁰ Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
      That there may be food in My house,
      And try Me now in this,”
      Says the LORD of hosts,
      “ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
      And pour out for you such blessing
      That there will not be room enough to receive it.
¹¹ “ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
      So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
      Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
      Says the LORD of hosts;
¹² And all nations will call you blessed,
      For you will be a delightful land,”
      Says the LORD of hosts.

Tithes and offerings belong to God. To use them for personal gain is robbery of what belongs to God. Robbing God of tithes and offerings brings a curse. The purpose of tithes and offerings was to support the priesthood and the work of God in general. In vs.. 10, God challenges men to prove Him regarding the rewards of tithing.

We have all said, “I can’t afford to pay God the full 10% this week” because we have bills due. But someone once told me, “I can’t afford NOT to pay God this week”. Have you ever been faithful with your 10% for a long period of time… and then slacked off for a couple of weeks. ‘Jipped’ God out of His 10%? Then something unexpected came up? Like… your car broke down. Or something in the house went wrong? An extra bill came or you got a ticket? Remember that curse in vs.. 8 & 9? God WILL get His money one way or another.

And on the flip side – If you are faithful with your 10%… imagine the blessings!! God knows what we need. He knows if we are struggling with our bills. He also knows if we are struggling with the idea of paying Him or not paying Him.

If we are faithful in paying Him, then He will provide for us. He will take care of our needs. Don’t forget:

”If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
      And pour out for you such blessing
      That there will not be room enough to receive it.”

He is faithful to us.

Are we faithful to Him?

Five Leviticus Offerings

These five offerings described in Leviticus foreshadow the One who would come – Jesus.

{I am going to pause here before I begin. I want to state why I am doing this. I want to show the importance of these old testament offerings. These five offerings point forward to The Cross. Every single detail in these offerings point to the future. To understand our walk with God NOW, we must understand the past offerings in the old testament. Did you ever wonder why “The Lord had ‘respect’ unto Able and his offering, but unto Cain and to his offering he had NOT respect” – Genesis 4:4, 5. We have always heard ‘Cain brought the wrong offering’… but what does that MEAN?  It really means EVERYTHING! Other important details: Salvation, sin, repentance and joy & peace in serving the Lord & walking WITH Him! God was the SAME yesterday as He is today!! He has NOT changed… which is sooo important to understand.

Here are some key words to understand first:

“Most Holy” – A specific offering was considered ‘most holy’ because it was placed on the fiery blazen alter & consumed by fire.

“Brazen Alter” – The alter was made of acacia wood, an incorruptible wood & covered in copper. It constantly glowed red from the fire. Fire = God’s unchanging righteousness & judgment. Inside the alter about half way down was a copper grate with fire below it. This grate is where the animals were laid & consumed by fire. Just above the grate is where the priest would sprinkle the blood that he collected in the basin from the slit throat of the animal.

“Fat & Blood” – Fat & blood was never to be eaten. LIFE was in the blood & the fat belonged to the Lord. The fat burned cleanly & was a sign of prosperity and health of the animal sacrificed.

“Day of Atonement” – Once a year the great high priest would place blood upon the topside of the Ark of the covenant (also called the mercy seat). This would atone for the sins of Israel.

“Incense Alter” – or “worship alter” was in the sanctuary. At all four corners was a GOLDEN HORN typifying that one day all worship would open up to ALL PEOPLE. Outside of this sanctuary was the ‘brazen alter’. It also had four horns, which typified The Cross of Christ.

These five offerings I am going to list here will not follow the order in which they are listed in the first chapter of Leviticus. I will be listing them in the order in which they were observed and carried out in Jewish religious life.

So a ‘quick’ look at the five offerings:

Whole Burnt Offering = SALVATION! Only offered ONCE. Just as we get saved only ONCE. {Unless YOU walk away from Him & discontinue your faith.  This is VERY important to understand. Especially if you are under a false doctrine that ‘claims’ you are unsaved to do a sin you commit. You are saved by faith. Faith brings you into a relationship with God. Only faith can bring you OUT of a relationship with God. If actions brought you INto a relationship with God then actions could bring you out of a relationship with God… but this is NOT the case!}

Meat Offering (Food offering) = Thankfulness to God for all that He has done.

Sin Offering = IGNORANT sin committed. This offering is relates to our GROWTH with the Lord.

Trespass Offering = WILLFULL sin. This offering relates to our WALK with the Lord.

Peace Offering = Offering because of our peace & joy with God. Not brought because of sin but brought simply as one person’s way of expressing thanks to God… realizing that every single blessing comes from the Lord. When we are properly walking with Him… we will have the peace & joy of the Lord.

{Please be patient… MORE TO COME! Under construction!}