The Love of Money in America's Church
In these last
days the church has fallen to a level comparable to the days of Noah and Lot.
Before we conclude that all the other churches are to blame, we must first step outside our
church, family, and interpersonal relationships with others and take a good,
long look at ourselves by objectively studying the scriptures to see where we
have failed to live up to the doctrines set forth in the Old and New Testaments.
Money
was not demanded for ministry by the Apostle Paul, but requested to
meet his and other churches needs if
he was not able to work with his hands due to traveling
and persecution; missionary work. Yes, the apostles were at liberty to forbear labor due to the hardship of their
service to God, which was often life threatening but even then they worked with
their hands when possible. Paul even considered it
robbery to receive offerings from others and did not want anyone to
misconstrue his service to God to be done for gain.
Acts 2:44 Now all who believed were
together and had all
things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
2 Corinthians 8:13 For I mean not that other men be
eased and you burdened: But by an equality, that now at
this time your
abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also
may be a supply for your
want, that there may be an equality: as it is
written, He that had gathered much had nothing over, and he that
had gathered little had no lack (Exodus 16:18)
Acts 4:34 Neither was there any among
them that was in want: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold
them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down
at the apostles feet: and distribution was made to every man according as he had need.
2 Corinthians 11:9. And
when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable
to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from
being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.
Philippians 4:15. Now ye Philippians know also, that in
the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated
with me as concerning giving and receiving, but
ye only. 16. For even in Thessalonica ye
sent once and again unto my necessity.
2 Corinthians 11:7.
Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted,
because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?
8. I robbed other churches, taking rations
of them, to do you service.
Most Bible translations interpret the Greek
word opsonion to mean wages.
The word was used to describe the rations
allotted to soldiers in that day
Strong's
Ref. # 3800 Romanized opsonion Pronounced op-so'-nee-on
neuter
of a presumed derivative of the same as GSN3795; rations
for a soldier, i.e. (by extension) his stipend or
pay: KJV-- wages.
Not abiding
in this doctrine is a major reason for the church of Laodicea needing to go
through great tribulation to be clothed in the white of righteousness and to
sit with the Lord on his throne. It is the responsibility of all heads of
churches to distribute all the offerings to all the congregation(s) in an equal
manner. They may keep only enough for themselves which is consistent with any
other believer who they are aware of.
Revelation 3:14. "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The
Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says
this:
15. 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold
nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16.
'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you
out of My mouth. 17. 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have
become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you
are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18. I
advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire
so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe
yourself, and {that} the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
19. 'Those whom I love, I reprove and
discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
20. 'Behold, I
stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I
will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21. 'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit
down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on
His throne. 22. 'He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church.
Matthew 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables:
because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they
understand.
Because of
our defiance of this one simple doctrine of building wealth and ignorance of
the Word of Truth we the church have
become worldly and it has lead us into various evils such as suing our brothers
for earthly riches, prostituting our ministries, and demanding payment for our
supposed knowledge of the Word of God.
1 Timothy 6:5. useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is
a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. 6.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7. For
we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8. And
having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9. But those who desire to be
rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts
which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10. For the love of money is a
root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and
pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Titus 1:7-11 For the bishop must be blameless,
as God's steward; not self-willed, not soon angry, no brawler, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but given to
hospitality, as lover of good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled;
holding to the faithful Word which is according to the teaching, that he may be
able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict the gainsayers. For there are many unruly men, vain talkers
and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped; men who
overthrow whole houses, teaching things which they ought
not, for filthy lucre's sake.
Business has
become engrained in American Christianity and has increasingly made it
difficult for unwise believers to discern between good and evil.
Mark 11:15 And they came to Jerusalem: and
Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the
moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and would not allow any
man to carry any vessel through the temple.
John 2:16. and to those who were selling the doves He
said, "Take these
things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business."
Hosea 12:7 He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are
in his hand: he loves to oppress. 8. And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out
substance: in all my labors they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.
Luke 6:24 But woe unto you that
are rich! For you have received your consolation.
If a
Christian has more than he is in need of while other believers do without, that
person is rich and must give to those whom are evidently
faithful, yet lacking. When the Lord speaks of riches and wealth in
parables, his intentions are to build spiritually, yet is a snare for those of perverse
minds who seek to feed their own evil desires.
Proverbs 28:20 A faithful
man shall abound with blessings; but he that makes haste to be rich shall not be unpunished.
Jeremiah 5:27 As a cage is full of birds, so are
their houses full of deceit: therefore they are
become great, and waxed
rich.
Here is what
the Lord has to say to all who charge wages for
the work of God:
Micah 3:11 You
leaders who take bribes, you priests and prophets who won’t preach and prophesy
until you’re paid. And yet you fawn
upon the Lord and say, all is well the Lord is here among us. No harm can come to us. 12. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be
plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the
house as the high places of a forest.
These words
were spoken to the people of Israel and Jerusalem, but are no less true today
as we are also of Israel and Abraham by adoption or grafting of a wild branch.
That is what the Lord has to say about those who charge
wages up front and promise a pretribulation rapture to millions that does not
exist. The same sins practiced by religious leaders in the old covenant are now
more rampant in the USA church and all the free world. Most are ignorant of this fact
but it will be no excuse in the day of judgment because the true Word of God is
available in abundance in every free nation
Isaiah 56:11 Yes, they
are greedy dogs which can never have enough,
and they are shepherds that cannot understand: thy all look to their own
way, every one for
his gain, from his quarter.
Psalm 73: 3. For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw
the prosperity of the wicked. 4.
For there are no pangs in their death, But their strength is firm.
5. They
are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like other men.
6.
Therefore pride serves as their necklace; Violence covers them like a
garment.
7.
Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish.
8. They
scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; They speak loftily.
9. They
set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue walks through the earth. 10.
Therefore his people return here, And waters of a full cup are drained
by them. 11. And they say, "How does God know? And is
there knowledge in the Most High?'' 12. Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They
increase in riches.
Ezekiel 7:19.
They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of
the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their
bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
Ezekiel 22:12 Thou hast
taken interest and increase, and thou
hast greedily gained
from thy neighbors by extortion, and
has forgotten me, says
the Lord God.
1 Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight of it, not by constraint, but
willingly; not for
filthy lucre, but from a ready mind; nor
as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
Deuteronomy
16:19. Thou shalt not wrest judgment;
thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift:
for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
A man of God must work with his
hands.
Ephesians 4:28. Let
him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor,
working with his hands the thing which
is good, that he may have to give to him that is needy.
Acts 18:3. And
because he was of the same craft, he abode with
them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
1 Corinthians 4:11.
Even unto this present hour we both hunger,
and thirst, and are naked,
and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place;12. And labor, working
with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer
it:
1 Thessalonians 4:11.
And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;12. That ye may walk
honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
2 Thessalonians 3:10.
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should eat.11. For we
hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all,
but are busybodies. 12. Now them that
are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness
they work, and eat their
own bread. 14. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note
that man, and have no company with him, that he
may be ashamed.
It is no coincidence that many of America’s churches are run
by Zionists and secret societies whose secret goal is
to bring back to Jerusalem the temple kingdom by the works of man and bring in
the Antichrist who will attempt to kill all of God’s true Church.
Matthew 10: 6. But go
rather to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel.7. And as ye go, preach, saying,
The kingdom of heaven is at hand.8. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out
devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
9. Provide neither gold, nor
silver, nor brass in your purses,
10. Nor scrip for your journey,
neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
Once again this is missionary work with sustenance, clothing
and shelter being provided for the workers. It is interesting to note that many
who claim to have done these commandments will be rejected by the Lord:
Matthew 7:21. Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out
devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23.
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew
you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Jesus did not contend that they had not done these acts but
that they did not do the will of the Father and they were workers of iniquity. They
were serving the kingdom and leadership of Mystery Babylon and the church of
Laodicea in its current state.
Luke 6:46. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I
say?
To freely give offerings to the poor and
the needy is a highly commendable form of faith to show our love for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 25:35. For I
was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty,
and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36. Naked, and ye clothed
me: I was sick, and ye visited
me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37. Then shall the righteous
answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry,
and fed thee? or thirsty,
and gave thee drink? 38.
When saw we thee a stranger, and took
thee in? or naked, and clothed
thee? 39. Or when saw we thee sick,
or in prison, and came unto
thee? 40. And the King shall answer and say unto them,
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
The Church leader who receives this freewill offering from
you is being held accountable by God to
distribute
these goods with equality to
those in need, including themselves and their staff if they are indeed doing the will
of God.
2 Chronicles 31:14.
And Kore the son of Jimnah the Levite, the doorkeeper toward the east,
was over the voluntary-offerings of God, to distribute the heave-offerings
of Jahweh, and the most holy things.
1 Corinthians 16:1.
And concerning the collection that is for the saints, as I directed to the assemblies of
Galatia, so also do ye;2. on every first day of the week, let each one of you lay by him,
treasuring up whatever he may have prospered, that when I may come then collections may not be made; 3. and whenever I may come, whomsoever ye may approve, through letters, these I will send to
carry your favor to Jerusalem.
This collection was for the needy
saints in
Jerusalem who were being persecuted.
These funds are not to
be used as a form
of increase
in wealth for your pastor or your church.
Matthew 13:22. He
also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the
care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches,
choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
If the funds given are being used to build wealth in this
manner, that false teacher will be judged for practicing this false doctrine
and directing others to follow it. If the one giving is aware of this selfish
practice and continues to support this church and leader, then that person may
also be held accountable for giving God’s gifts to swine and evildoers.
If you tithe, which means ten percent or are asked to tithe or feel
guilty about not tithing I firmly recommend you read these next scriptures
about tithing.
A tithe was always something
that the human body could consume as food and is a tenth of seed, produce, fruit
of the tree or edible grazing animals which were
offered to and considered holy to the Lord. Money was
not a tithe and the Lord did not receive it as such. Yes, money did exist before the tithing laws were commanded
and was used to purchase land and redeem people and
property. Money was not even used
as a tithe in the New Testament by the evil Pharisees. They are recorded as using mint, cumin, and
other spices grown from the ground for tithing.
Genesis
23:5. My lord, hearken unto me: the land
is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is
that betwixt me and thee? Bury therefore thy dead.
Matthew
23:23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone
the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these you
ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone.
Leviticus
25:14. `And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor's hand, you shall not oppress
one another. 15. `According to the number of years after the
Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and
according to the number of years of crops he
shall sell to you. 16.
`According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you
shall diminish its price; for he sells to you according to the number of the years of
the crops.
17. `Therefore you shall not
oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God.
If a person was traveling a long distance they were
temporarily allowed to sell the tithe until they reached their destination and
then they were commanded to buy the necessary food to eat and sacrifice to the
Lord God.
Deuteronomy
14:24. "But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the
tithe, or if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name
is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you, 25. "then you shall exchange it for money, take the money
in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 26.
"And you shall spend that money for whatever
your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or
similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there
before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.
A freewill offering was received
to pay for materials, utensils and payment to the skilled workers who labored
with their hands to build the holy tabernacle and temple. The silver
that the Levitical priests received for the guilt offering and sin
offering were used to purchase animals to sacrifice and make atonement for themselves and other offenders
of the law. A
fifth of the value of
the guilt
offering was paid to the priest in silver for
his labor
and service commanded by God. You must remember that a priest did manual
labor in those days besides teaching the
Word offering sacrifices. They had many duties such as a butcher, (cutting up the meat and produce for
sacrifice) chef, (cooking the sacrifice) dishwasher, (cleaning the Holy
utensils and wares) maintenance worker, (temple
upkeep) (warehouse work) distribution of food to
the needy, etc. The priests received tithes from
all the tribes of Israel for the Lord and were appointed
to distribute them: One tenth of the total tithe was offered up to
the Lord as a heave offering. They ministered daily in the temple which God had
appointed, ate of these offerings and distributed the rest of the food to the
stranger, fatherless, and the widow as they had need.
They also managed homes and pasture lands wherever they dwelt with the sons of
Israel when there was no temple to minister in. They received
no inheritance as did all the other tribes of Israel because the Lord was their inheritance. Nowhere in the Bible is it
authorized for any of God’s chosen people to increase gain or profit from the
poor and earnings of other believers.
Numbers
18:21.
And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the
tabernacle of the congregation.
Numbers 18:24. But
the tithes of the children of Israel, which they
offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have
given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I
have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they
shall have no inheritance.
Numbers 18:26.
"Speak thus to the Levites, and say
to them: `When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then
you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of the tithe. 31. And ye shall eat
it in every place, ye and your households: for
it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.
Deuteronomy 12:17. Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe
of thy grain, or of thy wine,
or of thy oil, or the firstlings
of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy
freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand:
18. But thou must
eat them before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God
shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant,
and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt
rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.
Nehemiah 13:13. As supervisors of
the storehouses I
appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the
scribe, Pedaiah one of the Levites and, as their
assistant, Hanan son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, since they were considered reliable people; their duty was to make the distributions to their kinsmen.
Deuteronomy 15:11.
For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command
thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy
brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
Deuteronomy 26:12.
"When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year, which is the
year of tithing, and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the
widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, 13. "then you shall say before the Lord
your God: `I have removed the holy tithe from my house,
and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow,
according to all Your commandments which You have commanded
me; I have not transgressed Your commandments,
nor have I forgotten them.
2 Chronicles
31:5. As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel
brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and
honey, and of all the produce
of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. 6. and
the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the
tithe of oxen and
sheep; also the tithe
of holy things which were consecrated to the Lord their God they laid in heaps.
Many greedy and ignorant false teachers have misused this
next verse of prophecy as fuel for their own destruction.
Malachi 3:8. Will a
man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed
thee? In tithes and offerings. 9. Ye
are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me,
even this whole nation. 10. Bring ye all the tithes
into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith
the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you
out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
There is also another spiritual element in Malachi 3:8
present here and the key word is meat (food) which are also classified as fruits in the
storehouse of the Lord. The Law of tithing was a foreshadow of
future events as was the model of the heavenly temple. In the days of harvest
God has and will receive unto himself the first fruits
of all his people rather than food. Many times in
prophecy, God’s
people are described as crops, wine, oil and grazing animals.
Not coincidently, these are the same exact items used for tithing.
Isaiah
6:12. The Lord has removed men far away,
and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 13. But yet a tenth
will be in it, and will return and be for consuming, as a terebinth tree or as an oak, whose
stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed
shall be its stump.''
Jesus and some of the Old Testament saints who he witnessed
to in Paradise of Abrahams bosom have already ascended into heaven to be with the
Father. It is well known that Jesus was the first fruit and the
144,000
virgins shall be first fruits of the twelve tribes of
Israel. The Father has not yet received the tithes of Israel because
of their apostasy and the curse
in Deuteronomy which was pronounced against them and set in motion
by King
Solomon when he worshiped the gods and idols of his many
wives and violated many of the other commandments given to the nation in order
for them to receive the blessings promised by our Father. Jesus spoke of their
delayed ingathering:
Matthew 23:37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent
unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children
together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39.
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of
the Lord. This shall happen near the end of the great tribulation
period.
The law of giving tithes to the priests in the old covenant law was fulfilled
by Jesus
when he died on the cross for our sins. In the book of Hebrews
you will learn that there is no longer a need for an earthly priest as Jesus
is now our high priest. Tithes and sacrificial offerings were never received by
the disciples
or apostles
after Jesus ascended up into heaven.
The church leaders are robbing God
by not giving the collections to the poor and needy of the flock.
Instead they keep it for themselves and give it to Zionists and Secret
Societies who govern Mystery Babylon.
Matthew 25:41. Then
shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42.
For I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty,
and ye gave me no drink: 43. I
was a stranger, and ye took
me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not:
sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 45.
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye
did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46. And these shall go away into
everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to
show thyself approved unto God; a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
It takes
greater faith to live simply rather than richly; faith comes by the hearing of
the Word. We must not deceive ourselves any longer for judgment begins with the
people of God and the time is near for the Day of the Lord to
begin.
