An examination of the tithe...

Blessings to you dear reader.
Thank you for taking the time to read the following. It is my prayer that it will edify, and bring clarity, and provoke thought and a closer walk with our Savior. Please note that wherever scripture is quoted, it is taken from the American Standard Version (ASV)
In His service,
Pastor.ctj

One of the most heavily debated doctrines of the modern church is the doctrine of the tithe.
Many Christians generally accept that the law of tithing, as other Jewish laws, was abolished upon Jesus' crucifixion, when he fulfilled the Old Testament law.
For the most part, Christians do not follow Jewish community laws such as the extensive dietary restrictions in the Old Testament, for example, and tithing was part of that group of laws.

Others believe that because Jesus spoke about tithing, he was instructing his followers to continue the practice, and for many, not only is the tithe still an active doctrine, it is proof of one’s commitment to God.

The doctrine is a simple one: The believer is required to give 1/10th of their earnings/wages to their home church. The word ‘tithe’ means simply ‘a tenth’.
The doctrine is based on the following passages of scripture:

The first is Malachi 3: 8-11 which states:


Will a man rob God? yet ye rob me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with the curse; for ye rob me, even this whole nation. Bring ye the whole tithe into the store-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah 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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith Jehovah of hosts.
(Malachi 3:8-11 ASV)

The second is found in Genesis 14, specifically verses 14-20:

And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan. And he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, at the vale of Shaveh (the same is the King's Vale). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be God Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him a tenth of all.
(Genesis 14:14-20 ASV)

While these passages are indeed admonition and example, two questions must be asked;
1) For whom? And
2) Do these passages constitute a doctrine that should be in effect for the church?

Specific Points re: the tithe

Section a:  Abraham’s tithe

While Genesis 14, (and it's reference in Hebrews 7) is commonly used to bolster the claim that we (Christians) should tithe, I think that we should take a closer look: Please take a moment to read the ENTIRE 14th Chapter of Genesis…

After you’ve read it beloved, consider the following:
1.  That Abraham's tithe was a ONE TIME event. (There is no other Biblical record of Abram/Abraham EVER tithing again)


2.  Abraham's tithe WAS NOT on his personal possessions; rather it was only on the war plunder that resulted from his rescue mission for Lot, his nephew.  . (Note: In Numbers 31:31-41, God only required 1% of spoils of war.)

3. There is NO evidence that Abraham tithed on his personal possessions to anyone at any time. 4. As it was from the spoils of war, and pre-dated the law, Abram’s gift was NOT a holy tithe from God’s holy land gathered by God’s holy people under God’s holy Old Covenant. For this reason alone, this example should not be used in conjunction of Malachi 3.


5.  Abraham kept nothing for himself; he gave everything back. Genesis 14, verse 21-23, is the key text.

6.  Abraham’s tithe is not quoted anywhere in the Bible to endorse tithing to Israel or to the church. If Abraham is an example for Christians to give 10% to God, then he should also be an example for Christians to give the other 90% to Satan, or to the king of Sodom! (Thanks to Russell E. Kelly PhD for that one)

(Please note that I am purposefully not dealing with the identity of Melchizedek. That discussion is for another time, and will only serve as a distraction from our central theme)

Section b:  Malachi 3, and the Mosaic Law


1. The Mosaic tithes were always edible and from the crops and flocks.
Mal 3 says "bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be Meat/Food in my house." Meat/Food is a very specific thing, in that it means something edible. In the Hebrew, the word is:  טרף    ṭereph (teh'-ref)
Meaning: From H2963; something torn, that is, a fragment, for example a fresh leaf, prey, food: - leaf, meat, prey, spoil.


2. The teaching which states that everybody in the Old Testament was required to begin their giving to God at the ten per cent level is false.
The poor were not required to tithe at all! Neither did the tithe come from the results of man’s craft, hands and skill. Only farmers and herdsmen gathered what God produced as tithe increase.
Note: Please note the implication here, beloved: Jesus was a carpenter; Paul was a tentmaker and Peter was a fisherman. None of these occupations qualified as tithe-payers because they did not farm or herd animals for a living.  It is, therefore, incorrect to teach that everybody paid a required minimum of a tithe and, therefore, incorrect to teach that in keeping with the law, New Covenant Christians should be required to at least begin at the same minimum as Old Covenant Israelites.
This common false assumption is very often repeated and completely ignores the very plain definition of tithe as food gathered from farm increase or herd increase. The easy argument to make here, is that being that we are no longer in a primarily agricultural society, we give money instead of food, but if we are honest with the text, how do we decide who is to tithe?


3. There are three Different Tithes Described in the Bible.

The first religious tithe, called the “Levitical tithe,” had two parts. Again, the whole first tithe was given to the Levites who were only servants to the priests (Numbers 18:21-24; Nehemiah10:37). The Levites, in turn, gave one tenth of the whole tithe to the priests (Numbers 18:25-28; Nehemiah10:38]. According to Deuteronomy 12 and 14,

The second religious tithe, called the “feast tithe,” was eaten by worshipers in the streets of Jerusalem during the three yearly festivals (Deut. 12:1-19; 14:22-26).

The third tithe, according to Deuteronomy 14 and 26, called the “poor tithe,” was kept in the homes every third year to feed the poor (Deut. 14:28, 29; 26:12, 13).

Here is some more info re: the tithes discussed in Deut 14:

Occasionally, the discussion of Deut 14:22 comes up. This verse is often taken out of context, because if one reads verses 22-29 in context, the passage puts the tithing doctrine to bed once and for all: Here is it (continuing in the ASV)

22 Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which cometh forth from the field year by year.

23 And thou shalt eat before Jehovah thy God, in the place which he shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock; that thou mayest learn to fear Jehovah thy God always.

24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, because the place is too far from thee, which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to set his name there, when Jehovah thy God shall bless thee;

25 then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thy hand, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose:

26 and thou shalt bestow the money for whatsoever thy soul desireth, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul asketh of thee; and thou shalt eat there before Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy household.

27 And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee.

28 At the end of every three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase in the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:

29 and the Levite, because he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hand which thou doest.

So, in short:
--- One Tithe---
v.25 exchange your livestock and/or crops for money if you have to travel too far,
v.26 Spend the money however you see fit
v.27 Don't forget the Levites, because THEY CAN OWN NOTHING (Some of you who attend traditional or megachurches may wish to ask your Pastor about that one)
---Another Tithe----
v.28 Bring the tithe every three years
v.29 so that the Levites (who could not own anything) , the travelers, the orphans and the widows may have food. THAT was the reason for the tithe... Clearly,this is NOT a New Covenant practice of doctrine...

Also, according to First Samuel 8:14-17, the ruler collected the first and best ten per cent for political use. During Jesus’ time Rome collected the first ten per cent (10%) of most food and twenty per cent (20%) of fruit crops as its spoils of war.


Conclusion: The current tithe teaching ignores all other tithes and focuses on an incorrect interpretation of the first religious tithe.


4. What does the phrase ‘windows of heaven’ mean in context?

No other Scripture has had greater mileage than Malachi 3:10
“Bring ye the whole tithe into the store-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah 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.

Malachi 3 has been greatly misused for God's blessing to come to his people.
A closer look of this verse in the context shows that it has nothing to do with wealth or material blessings. The term ‘windows of heaven occurs 3 times in the scriptures: We first find this same term used by God back in Genesis 7:11 the windows of heaven were open and rain contributed to the flood, as the fountains of the deep were broken open.


In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
(Genesis 7:11-12)


In Genesis 8:2 it says the windows of heaven were stopped and the rain from heaven was restrained.

And God remembered Noah, and all the beasts, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged; the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.
(Genesis 8:1-3)

Clearly this phrase is consistently used for water. In Genesis it was a judgment. In Malachi 3 it was to be a blessing on their crops. The nation lived by their agriculture (Husbandry) and depended upon the rain. God's blessing had to do with his provision of water; no rain and they would starve. If they did not give God their tithes which was part of the blessing in the Mosaic covenant God would bring a curse on them, the ground would not yield food because he would not allow it to rain.

Here is a video by a brother who goes by the handle NYTNinAmerica on Youtube:

Summary:
Let’s take a side by side look at the life of the Mosaic Law abiding Jew, and the Christian:

The Jew:
God's Mt. Sinai legislation regarding tithing is spelled out in the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. As we discussed earlier, there are as many as three separate tithes that can be distinguished:

1) The annual tithe for the support of the Levites, the tabernacle/temple workers Leviticus 27:30-33; Numbers 18:21-24). This was the only visible means of support for them, since they inherited no land when Canaan was conquered under Joshua. The Levites, in turn, passed along a tithe of this tithe to the priests, the highest echelon of worship leaders (Numbers 18:26).

2) An annual feast tithe, which apparently went for the support of the house of God and its services (Deut 14:22-27).

3) A "social ministry" or ‘poor’ tithe, received every third year, for helping the poor and needy (Deut 14:28; 26:12).

4) A further examination of point 1: According to Deuteronomy 18, and Numbers 18, the priests and Levites were not allowed to own anything. Please consider that carefully, beloved. The priests and Levites could not own anything.

The priests, the Levites, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, and His inheritance. Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brothers. Jehovah is their inheritance, as He has said to them.
(Deuteronomy 18:1-2 ASV)

And Jehovah said to Aaron, You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any part among them. I am your part and your inheritance among the sons of Israel. And behold, I have given the sons of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
(Numbers 18:20-21 ASV)

5) Also remember that the Old Testament tithing code specified the bare minimum amount to be contributed; it commanded the starting point for giving, not a goal toward which the worshipper should strive. The tithing code presupposed an agricultural existence, targeting the offering of grain, wine, oil, and livestock.


The Christian:

1) Keeping in mind that several things happened After Christ died on the cross for our sins:
1. He rose from death on the third day,
2. ascended into heaven to rule all things, and
3. He sent his Spirit on all flesh.

As a result, the New Testament church is under a new (and better) covenant, of which Jesus is the surety of, and the Old Testament had been fulfilled. This means that the ceremonial laws which pointed to Christ have served their purpose, and are now no longer in effect. From the day of Pentecost onward the rite of circumcision, the temple sacrifices, and other observances have lost their Spiritual importance. Clearly, the early church knew this, which is why the practice of tithing seems to have fallen by the wayside in those days. The Jewish historian Josephus states that all three tithes listed above were firmly in place in first century A.D. Judaism, but nevertheless tithing is never mentioned in the New Testament's description of the first century church.
If tithing was to be practiced by and in the church, I would think that it would have been mentioned in the Epistles, especially to the church at Galatia, because they were primarily a gentile congregation.


2) All three tithes became obsolete.

1. The tithe for the Levites became unnecessary when the Levites were replaced by the apostolic ministry. Concerning the material support of ministers of the Gospel, all the New Testament says is that they should eat what is set before them (Matt. 10:10) and that the church should take care of them (Gal 6:6).

2. Secondly, the tithe for the support of the temple services outlived its usefulness: the sacrifices of the temple, soon to be leveled in AD. 70, gave place to the one Sacrifice for all sin.

3. Thirdly, the "social ministry" tithe was no longer needed because Christian brothers and sisters helped one another by way of special collections, as was the case with the famine-stricken Christians in Jerusalem (1 Cor 16). While giving for the Lord's work obviously continued in the church, no amounts or percentages are prescribed in the New Testament. All that is said is that early Christians had everything in common (Acts 2:44 – this is not a tithe, it is 100%!), that they gave sacrificially (2 Cor 8:1-3), and that they gave as God had prospered them (1 Cor 16:2)


3) Jesus' comments in Matt 23:23 were directed at those still under the Mosaic Covenant.
Clearly this is so, and the proofs of this are many, so I will not go into detail… Additionally, many things Jesus did and commanded would be sinful to bind on Christians.
- Jesus commanded animal sacrifice, in accordance with the Law. Once HE, the perfect sacrifice was given, there was no longer any need for animal sacrifice (Matt 8:4)
- Jesus observed the Sabbath (Luke 4:16) although he rejected their man made up regulations concerning the Sabbath.
- Jesus observed the Passover (Matt 26:18)
-  Jesus commanded JEWS (Matt 23:23) to tithe their crops and flocks to support the Levitical priests, but such would not work well as the support system for the work of the Church.

4) The early church DID NOT TITHE!
According to the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of The Bible, P. 758
"For several centuries in the early Church there was no support of the clergy by a systematic giving of a tithe...rather freedom in Christian giving was emphasized."


So what then do we say dear reader? Is tithing for the church? For the believer?
No, but GIVING is! Give freely, abundantly, and with Joy!
May God richly bless you!
Pastor.ctj


Sources and Resources:

Pastor George Greene
In Your Bible Ministries
http://www.inyourbible.com/video.html

Dr. Russell Earl Kelly
Should the Church teach tithing?
http://www.tithing-russkelly.com/


Gary Amirault
The tithe is illegal
http://www.tentmaker.org/books/TheTitheisIllegal.html

Let us reason website
http://www.letusreason.org/Wf34.htm

Dr. James Bollhagen
Tithing: The 10% Rule and the Church
A Topical Summary for "Issues, Etc."
Broadcast July, 2001
http://www.mtio.com/articles/bissar56.htm

One man’s experience…
http://www.hydesvilletithing.com/

Pastor CT Jermin
Repairer’s Fellowship Ministries
http://www.repfel.org
My Blog:
missiongroove.blogspot.com

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Bible Study on Election

But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. - 2 Thess 2:13-14 KJV

Blessings family,
I have been giving a lot of thought to our discussion last night (3/15/11) regarding the question posed by Cynthia J. re: The elucidation of our understanding of the doctrine of election, its distinctives and how we should (if at all) approach this in terms of our testimony, and the sharing of the Gospel. First let me say that your testimony does not equal the Gospel.
While your testimony can be used as a toll in the sharing of your faith, and as a part of the overall evangelistic endeavor, it cannot be used in place of, or even as a supplement to, the Gospel message.
This is because of the great problem that Cynthia alluded to: The weight of one person’s experience in a qualitative sense is the same as that of any other person’s. Put bluntly, 5 pounds of gold weighs just as much as 5 pounds of dung. So then the differentiating factor is not the weight, but the content. The value is in the content.
Scripture declares that the Gospel is, ‘… the power of God unto salvation’ (Romans 1:16b). Therefore it is neither our cleverness, nor is it our testimony, it is THE GOSPEL that saves, nothing more, nothing less.
Herein is this importance of doctrine; in order to tell it, you must know it. In order to give it, you must first have a hold of it. It is for this reason, that we must study the Word, knowing not only chapter and verse, but context and reason, as best we can, to the Glory of GOD.

I offer the following as a study guide for some, and a refresher for others, and it is my prayer and belief that you will due your due diligence to be like the Bereans, and go to the Word on every matter. Where/if I am in error, please correct me. I by no means want to make mistakes with the text just to be ‘right’. Where you have disagreements, ‘come and let us reason together’.

Some of this will be familiar; in fact most should be, as we have covered it in pieces, over the past few months during service, on the Radio Broadcast, and in emails to some of you.

Though I do not expect this to be the final statement on the topic (I am by no means that deluded) I would like to lay out for you, in definitive terms, what the doctrine of election is, why it is in fact, the Biblical truth, and why it is perhaps the most important doctrine for believers.
A Biblical understanding of election brings clarity to our understanding of God’s sovereignty, the truth of sin, and affects the very understanding and presentation of the Gospel.
Please be advised that the following:
1 - Is Not exhaustive, and is at best a simplistic overview. I encourage you to DO YOUR OWN DUE DILIGENCE, and seek these things out for yourself.
2 - Is Limited to my current, up to the minute knowledge and understanding of the subject. Though I knew everything when I was younger, I find that I no longer do…
3 - Contains references to works by those whose knowledge on the subject far surpasses my own.
4 – Is arranged such that, most importantly, you will need your Bible.

If you don’t have it, go get it… I’ll wait right here…

Ok, You’re back? Good, let’s get to it.

First, a Word of Prayer:
Father, we thank you for this day, and for the opportunity to study your Word. May this time of study be fruitful, be edifying, and may we grow closer to you and to your truth as we journey into your word together. We bless you, we Praise you, Honor you, and Thank You in advance for what you will reveal to us by Your Spirit through Your Word. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. Amen…

So, A definition: What is the doctrine of election?

Professor Mark Rathel, Associate Professor of Theology at The Baptist College of Florida says:
“First, what does the biblical terminology of election mean? The verb “elect” (eklegomai in Greek) means, “to chose out for oneself.” The verb implies a selection of some out of a larger group. For example, out of a larger group of men, the early church chose the first deacons (Acts 6:5). The New Testament frequently used the adjective “elect or chosen” (eklektos) to refer to God’s people—the elect (Rom. 8:33; Col. 3:12; Titus 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:1).”

Dr. John MacArthur, Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church, and President of Master’s College says:
“In the broad sense, election refers to the fact that God chooses (or elects) to do everything that He does in whatever way He best sees fit. When He acts, He does so only because He willfully and independently chooses to act. According to His own nature, predetermined plan, and good pleasure, He decides to do whatever He desires, without pressure or constraint from any outside influence.”

The acceptance of the doctrine of election, involves our understanding of 2 things:
I - God’s Sovereignty, and
II -Our sin, and its crippling/destructive/deadly effects on us.
These two facts are the stumbling blocks to election that trip many people up, but they are as irrefutable as any truth can be.

I - The Sovereignty of God
According to Theopedia:
The Sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God's rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission. God works not just some things but all things according to the counsel of His own will (see Eph. 1:11). His purposes are all-inclusive and never thwarted (see Isa. 46:11); nothing takes Him by surprise. The sovereignty of God is not merely that God has the power and right to govern all things, but that He does so, always and without exception. In other words, God is not merely sovereign de jure (in principle), but sovereign de facto (in practice).

I believe that on the surface, this is something that all believers believe, especially when it works in our favor. Phrases like ‘He made a way out of no way’ pervade our modern church lexicon of speech, and we exult in the fact that our God is all knowing, all-powerful, and without peer, as the following VERY incomplete list shows: YHWH/GOD is Omniscient, Ps 139:1-6, 13-16, Job 38:1-4, Omnipotent, Gen 1:1, John 1:1-5, Isaiah 40:15-17, Omnipresent, Psalm 139:15-16.

We happily agree with, and declare this truth, that Our GOD is all these things. That is, until His will and plan conflicts with our own, then there’s a problem…
When that happens, we tend to, with Abraham as our model, bargain with God, as though we can change His mind, forgetting that permission connotes neither agreement nor successful negotiation… This is where Abraham erred, or better yet we err, if we believe even for a moment that the conversation in Genesis 18 was a ‘win’ for Abraham.
This is after all, the One who said: “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. - Isaiah 46:10”
It is interesting that we deride Atheists for their stance that YHWH/GOD is, by declaring His sovereignty, somehow insecure, that this so called ‘insecurity’ is manifested in things like His ‘need to be Worshipped’. I have heard this vain and pointless argument many times, but there is an inherent honesty in it that is refreshing. They steadfastly refuse to acknowledge God in any way, and we who are advised to acknowledge Him in ALL of our ways, only do so when there is convenience and/or need.

Just so we are clear, YHWH/GOD makes statements about His Sovereignty throughout the Scriptures: He alone is God. "The Lord he is God; there is none else besides him." "He is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else" (Deut. 4:35, 39). "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4). "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me" (Deut. 32:39). "Thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth" (2 Kings 19:15). "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth" (Ps. 33:6). "For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (vs. 9).
There is no doubt, there is no question. YHWH/GOD is, as the old song goes ‘ God all by Himself, He don’t need nobody else’

II - We are, in and of ourselves, because of sin, unable to come to God on our own.
This is the hardest thing for people to acknowledge, but in fact it is the truth as the Bible declares it. Quoting Dr. MacArthur again:
“God must save, choose, regenerate & justify us, because we are neither willing nor able to do it for ourselves.”

To understand this, we must take into consideration is the nature of man.
What is in man’s heart? What is man’s nature?
The Prophet Jeremiah says:
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? - Jeremiah 17:9
The Apostle Paul declares that:
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” - Romans 5:12 NASB

The implication here of course is that man is not a sinner because he sins, man sins because he is a sinner. This becomes then, a question of nature, not action.

Our society (and the church) tends to judge people by their actions first. This is understandable, but counter Biblical. As we recently read, Samuel is admonished by the Father to look past the external to the internal, because that’s where the truth is (1 Samuel 16:7b)
So what then is in man’s heart?
Jesus said that what enters a man’s heart doesn’t defile him, rather what comes out of his heart. Mark records the following: (turn to Mark 7: 14-23)

So according to Jesus, man’s very nature contains, evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness….

Even at the very beginning of the Scriptures, we find this in
(turn to Genesis 6:5-8, 17-22 )
What do we know about grace? That it is unmerited favor… So Noah was like the rest of men: Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil, continually. So already we are seeing in verses 18-20 an example of YHWH/GOD’s Sovereignty and election.

Inspired by God, the Prophet Isaiah declared this reality:
Nevertheless, we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. - Isaiah 64:6

David, the man after God’s own heart says:
The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. - Psalm 14:2-3
And…
Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. 2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. - Psalms 143:1-2

And it wasn’t just the OT writers who understood this:
Paul had a LOT to say about the condition of man’s hearts, and the need for sovereign intervention. (More about Paul later) For example, (turn to Romans 3:9-18, 22-23)

So Paul concludes with “…for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”

So, if the Bible is true, then we can see what the nature of man’s heart is. That said, how can we believe that any person, who by very nature is full of evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, whose heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, and whose every imagination is only evil continually, could possibly choose God?

How can men (and women) who cannot understand, do not seek after God, are all gone out of the way, have become unprofitable, and do not do good, whose throats are open graves, have lying tongues, with snake’s venom underneath them, whose mouths are full of cursing and bitterness, and whose feet are swift to shed blood, whose ways are destruction and misery, do not know the way of peace and do not fear God, actually Choose Him?

So what is the conclusion?

Therefore if the scripture is true, and we know that it is, where can we find that we, of our own volition, in this fallen state, can choose God? Instead what we find, is that God, in HIS infinite grace, mercy and Love, has in fact chosen us. He has chosen us, given us the faith to believe, and by the blood of His son, calls us righteous: Therefore it is fallacious to think that we can choose God. We are in and of ourselves, not able. He chooses us..
HE,
..who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began; But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. — 2 Timothy 1:9, 10

So I hear you skeptics saying ‘Ok, But what did JESUS say?’ Glad you asked that…
Jesus was clear that man cannot come to God on his own; God selects who will come.
(Let’s turn to John 6:36-44)

Notice that verse 44 says: No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
There are those of you who have a real tender perception of what this means, like the old hymn ‘softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling’, but that presupposes that we need only a gentle nudge.

Concerning the word ‘draw’ in verse 44…
From the website “Hebrew for Christians”, we get this:
God loves us with "an everlasting love" (i.e., ahavat olam: אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם) and draws us to Himself in chesed (חֶסֶד, i.e., His faithful love and kindness). As it is written: אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם אֲהַבְתִּיךְ עַל־כֵּן מְשַׁכְתִּיךְ חָסֶד / "I love you with an everlasting love; therefore in chesed I draw you to me" (Jer. 31:3). Note that the word translated "I draw you" comes from the Hebrew word mashakh (מָשַׁךְ), meaning to "seize" or "drag away" (the ancient Greek translation used the verb helko (ἕλκω) to express the same idea). As Yeshua said, "No one is able to come to me unless he is "dragged away” by the Father (John 6:44). God's chesed seizes us, takes us captive, and leads us to the Savior... Spiritual rebirth is a divine act, "not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13). God is always preeminent.

The Apostle Paul understood this ‘dragging’, having experienced it in a physical sense as well as the Spiritual sense, in his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (see Acts
Paul consistently referred to him self as ‘doulos’, meaning a slave to Christ, having a good understanding of God’s sovereignty, His Sin, and God’s Grace. (This same understanding is so wonderfully described by Isaiah when he has the sudden devastating realization that he writes of in chapter 6 of his book. A realization that we all must come to… More about that another time)
Paul was the embodiment of the person that Jesus describes in the parable as one who was ‘forgiven much’
(In the future we will take the time to study Paul’s use of his testimony for examples of how testimonies should be used in evangelism)
But right now, let’s turn to his profound words in Ephesians 2:4-10 and see what he says…
Finished? Did you notice that keying in on verses 8-9 as we normally do, can cause us to miss the rest of the passage. In context He is saying essentially that we are nothing without YHWH/GOD, all that we have is because of YHWH/GOD and Jesus, and we have absolutely no reason to glory in our accomplishments. In fact, the word ‘grace’ in the greek is ‘charis’, which means ‘a gift one receives without any merit of his own’ Humbling to say the least.
He does a great job of laying the case out here too:
(turn to Romans 5:1-21)…
I’ll wait here until you’re finished reading it…`

Ok, let me add a bit of my own testimony here:
Those of you who are unsettled, uncomfortable and frankly upset about what this means, and the implications of this doctrine, please take heart. I wrestled with it for quite some time (as I have said, I was for the first 46 years of my life, one who espoused the belief that we choose God) I can no longer doubt the veracity of the doctrine, as I examine the scriptures.
I know today that Biblical election is Christocentric. Jesus is the Elect One (Lk. 9:35; 1 Pet. 1:20) and the election of believers is “In Christ” or “through Christ” (Eph. 1:3-14). God elects “in love” and “in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:4, 6).

As a United Methodist, I grew up a believer in Prevenient grace, which is, as wikipedia defines it:
“..divine grace which precedes human decision. It exists prior to and without reference to anything humans may have done. As humans are corrupted by the effects of sin, prevenient grace allows persons to engage their God-given free will to choose the salvation offered by God in Jesus Christ or to reject that salvific offer. Whereas Augustine held that prevenient grace cannot be resisted, Wesleyan Arminians believe that it enables, but does not ensure, personal acceptance of the gift of salvation.”
Meaning then, that the choice is man’s, not YHWH/GOD’s and I do not see the Bible supporting this.

Romans 8:29 says that ‘For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren’. According to the doctrine of prevenient grace, God knew what we were going to do before we did it, but that we make the decision according to the free will that He gives us.
But is that the case?Let’s take a moment to read In context (Turn to Romans 8: 28-33)

(As a side note, It’s funny to me how in the church today, we Love verses 28, and 31, but 29 and 30 give us trouble…)


For me, I take that 29-30 from the opposite point of view, to wit: He predestined us. He made the determination before the foundation of the world, in His sovereignty, and by His grace. We had no choice in the decision. How else then can Jesus, when praying his priestly prayer in John 17, say this (turn to John 17: 6-10)?

Did the Apostles choose to be apostles? Clearly not. God selected them before hand. In fact Jesus tells them that straight. (Turn to John 15:15-16)
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. - John 15:15-16

In His letter to the Roman believers, Paul says: (turn to Romans 3:21-26)

(Another side note, it is interesting to note that Paul is not saying that God is the justifier of all men, as some in the church world (Rob Bell, Carlton Pearson, etc.) would have you believe, rather specifically, He is the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.)

Opposing views:
Now there are of course, those who do not agree with this doctrine, in fact there are those who are so vehemently opposed that they refer to those to adhere to it as heretics, or non Christians. We discussed prevenient grace moments ago, and that is the stance that most Christians today, seem to take.
Let me be clear: I do not believe that people who believe in prevenient grace are not saved or are hell bound. I believe that one can land on either side of this discussion (or none at all) and still be saved. The importance for me is that what you believe shapes your methods, as we have discussed, therefore your interactions with YHWH/GOD, with Jesus, and with your brethren, will be shaped/colored by this.

The most common complaints that I am aware of are listed below:

1. A Loving God would not send people to Hell, after all God is Love.

John 3:16 is commonly quoted in support of this contention.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"
Let’s quickly dispense with this one. In the preceding material, we have made the case for the nature of man being sinful, and wicked, If this is man’s very nature, then God needn’t ‘SEND’ anyone to Hell, we are all already going. Therefore the more logical conclusion is that God, in His mercy chose some not to go, according to His sovereign grace, and decision. As Ephesians 2: So beautifully says:
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. (3-5, NIV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not by works, lest any man should boast. (8-9 KJV)

(Yet another side note: There are some who hold to the doctrine of election argue that God gives us the faith to believe.
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. -Rom 12:3
So the ‘whosever’ who believe can only do so because God wills it…)


2. It is not fair!

We have trouble with election because we extend our concept of what is fair to God. God does not speak in terms of fairness, because fairness implies parity and there is no parity when it comes to Him. Instead what we find is righteousness. In that scenario, it is lose/lose for us, until grace is applied. In other words, God does not send people to hell, nor does he pick folks to go. Everyone is already going... The elect are the ones picked off of the line. Why? Because He wills it...
In other words, since 'Fairness', in and of itself, is not a concept that the Bible speaks of in reference to YHWH/GOD, it is not a concept that can be applied to YHWH/GOD. What we see instead relating to YHWH/GOD is Sovereignty, Righteousness, Holiness, Grace and Mercy. Here’s a good example:
Let’s go back to Romans 9:19-23

3. There are refuting Scriptures!

There is a long list, to be sure, here are a few that are commonly used…

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30).

"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" "Who (speaking of Christ) gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Timothy 2:4,6).

Let’s take first, 2 Peter 3:9
What is the context of 2 Peter 3:9? It is found in verses 1 through 8, and
From these verses we must ask, Who are the ‘dear friends’ that Peter is writing to?
The answer is found in 1 Peter 1. Which says:
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Next, let’s look at 1 John 2:2
Rather than re-inventing the wheel, I will defer to Pastors John Sampson & Phil Johnson. Says Sampson:
…we approach the First Epistle of John, and remember that it is a letter written to a primarily Jewish audience. So in 1 John 2:2, as in the rest of the letter, we have the Apostle John, a Jew, writing primarily to fellow Jewish believers in the Messiah. He writes of Jesus Christ being "the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world." It is possible that the word "world" here refers to every person on planet earth, but in my estimation, not very likely, because of the fact that we have a Jew, writing to fellow Jews. I think it is far more likely that John is here declaring that Christ died not only for our sins (the sins of Jewish people), but for also for those of the whole world (the sins of Gentiles throughout the world).

Indeed, as God allows us to gain a glimpse into the future, Revelation 5:9 reveals the song of the throngs of heaven as they sing to the Lamb upon His throne, "And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." Notice that it does not say that He ransomed everybody in every tribe, etc., but that He ransomed people for God from every tribe, tongue, people and nation.

Yet at least at first glance, 1 John 2:2 seems to strongly deny this idea that Jesus' death was designed for a particular people. The verse states, "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."
‘In John's Gospel, chapter 11, verses 51-52, John wrote these words, "he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad."When we see this in chart form, the parallel with 1 John 2:2 is easy understood: Dr. Phil Johnson (who provided this helpful chart) writes, "There is little doubt that this is how John's initial audience would have understood this expression. "The whole world" means "people of all kinds, including Jews, Gentiles, Greeks, Romans, and whatnot" as opposed to "ours only" i.e., the Jewish nation. What the apostle John is saying in the John 11 passage is particularly significant: Christ died so that he might gather "the children of God" the elect, from the whole world."
I believe therefore that rather than undermining the case for Christ's death for His elect sheep, 1 John 2:2 actually affirms it. When we understand the verse in its Johannine context (the writings of the Apostle John) then the correct interpretation becomes very clear.
Looking at Acts 17:30 in context, we see that Paul is in the middle of a sermon, he does not, (nor should we expect him to) say, ‘Those of you who are elect, repent.’ Why? Because he has no idea who the elect are, (Jesus made it clear in Matthew 13 that the wheat and tare grow together, and the fish in the net get caught together until the day of separation) so the call to repentance is made, and those who will respond (the elect) will respond.

Last (on this list) but certainly not all, 1 Timothy 2:4,6
I will defer to Rev. Samson again:
… we must remember that the word "all" always has a context. It can sometimes mean all people everywhere - many times it does - but it sometimes means "all" in the sense of "all kinds" or "all classes, types" of people or at other times it refers to all within a certain type or class.. For instance, we do the same thing in our English language when a school teacher in a classroom may ask the question, "are we ALL here?" or "is EVERYONE here?" She is not asking if everyone on planet earth is in the classroom, but because of the context in which the question is framed (the school teacher's classroom) we understand she is referring to all within a certain class or type - in this case, all the students signed up for the class.
I believe 1 Tim 2:4 is speaking of all in this sense of "all types." What is my biblical basis for saying this? The context. Let’s read the passage:

1 Timothy 2:1-4 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Who are the "all people" of verse 1? I believe the "all people" of verse 1 are the same "all people" of verse 4, as the subject matter does not change in any way at all in the intervening verses.
When Paul wrote "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.." was he asking Timothy to get the equivalent of the local phone book and starting with the alphas and going all the way through to the omegas (the Greek alphabet) make supplication, pray, intercede and make thanksgiving for each individual in the city... or more than that, the whole world?
I don't think so. Why do I say this? Because Paul qualifies verse 1 with verse 2 when he speaks of "kings" (kings are types of people) and "those in high positions" (again "those in high positions" are types of people).

4. There are 3 groups of people: the elect, the unsaved, and those who are not elect, but make the choice, and in choosing themselves, get saved.
This supposition has no Biblical basis that I can find whatsoever.

(A closing paragraph goes here, one in which I sum up the doctrine once again, and let you know that our possible disagreement over this by no means breaks our fellowship, and that for your own edification you should take the time to study what information that has been presented, not taking it ‘blindly’ because Pastor Cyril said,( all the while knowing that you won’t do that),reminding you all of my deep love for you and my desire that you grow in faith and grace, as we journey together, and sprinkling in a clever witticism or two for levity. But I will say none of that.)

Instead I would only ask family, that you prayerfully consider what is in these pages, and that in doing so, you will by your submission to the Spirit and the Word, come to an understanding that blesses the Lord, and edifies the rest of us. I look forward to our time of fellowship this Sunday.

Peace & Love
CTJ

References (some are referenced in the preceding piece, some not, but all are useful) :

Abrams, Cooper - Is Calvinism or Arminianism Biblical? A Biblical Explanation of the Doctrine of Election (This piece is very much anti-election, and is a good read)
http://www.bible-truth.org/election.htm

MacArthur, John – What Is the Doctrine of Election?
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/A331_What-Is-the-Doctrine-of-Election?

Grudem, Wayne – Systematic Theology. Excerpted here:
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/misunderstandings.html

Calveau, Jean (John Calvin)
http://www.the-highway.com/Doctrine_of_Election.html

Hebrew for Christians Website
http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Shloshah-Asar_Ikkarim/Resurrection/resurrection.html

Samson, John
http://www.reformationtheology.com/2007/11/understanding_1_john_22.php

http://www.reformationtheology.com/2009/04/understanding_1_timothy_24_by.php

Linda Bryant 1954-2011

Our dear sister Linda, departed this life January 20, 2011. She is missed, but we trust God. Below is a video montage, set to Linda singing.
After that her Eulogy, as delivered by her Pastor, Rev. Cyril T. Jermin...





Psalm 95:3-7
3 For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods.
4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also.
5 The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.

1 John 3:1-3
1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.


As Christians, when we have to deal with death, we are Caught in the paradox that exists between the idea of an eternity w/Christ, which is very appealing, and the reality of the fact that we must die in order to get there. Going from stress, strife and struggle to Peace, Joy and Rest is appealing, but the door we’ve got to pass through, well that’s another story...
Probably one of the reasons that people hope for the rapture.

Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.

This is a statement that is true on both a physical and Spiritual level.
In order to get to heaven you do have to die.
Twice in fact.
Once to your will, your old life, and your sin,
As one of my heroes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said:
"When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die."

and there is the once that brings the rest of us to occasions like this one.

But we will all pass through from this to that…

When I considered what to talk about tonight, I knew that I had to talk about Love.
Indeed, Love is the reason that we are here. Love for Linda.
But I knew also, that it is impossible to speak of Love without first speaking of Grace. Specifically, GOD’s Grace, For the reality is that GOD’s Grace is the Root OF, and the reason FOR what we understand and experience as Love.

Without understanding GOD’s Grace, it is impossible to speak accurately of Love, because it cannot be understood in its proper context. Without understanding GOD’s grace, what we understand of love is merely experiential, carnal, and temporal.
It is infatuations and flowery words, ethereal concepts and a definition that says that love is an uncontrollable emotion, something that we fall helplessly in and out of..

But the BIBLE says that Love is an act of the will, in that it is a command…
In His Gospel, John records Jesus saying the following:
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. - John 13:34-35

So we must, in order to TRULY understand Love, and obey the command to do it, first understand God’s Grace…

But What is Grace? Why that’s Christianity 101, Cyril, Grace is ‘unmerited favor’
Pastor David Reagan puts it like this:
Grace is God doing good for us, and affording blessing to us that we do not deserve.
In the Bible, grace and mercy go hand in hand.
Mercy is God withholding judgment or evil that we deserve;
Grace is God giving us blessing or good that we do not deserve.
Because of God's mercy, we do not receive the judgment of God against our sins; because of God's grace, we receive eternal life and a promise of heaven though we do not deserve them. Both mercy and grace come to us though the Lord Jesus Christ.

But is that all? No. There is yet another meaning:
“Grace can also be defined as God's sufficiency or God's fullness in the life of the believer. God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9)
That is, the grace of God in Paul enabled him and empowered him in his weakness.
Another verse states, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Cor 9:8)

God's grace working in us supplies the sufficiency whereby we may abound to every good work.
Grace, says Reagan, is "God's enoughness."
By this he means that God is enough for us no matter what the situation we face.

Now with those definitions in mind, let’s go back to what John records Jesus saying:

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. - John 13:34-35

Notice that He did not say that your Love of the Father would identify you as a disciple. Notice that He did not say that Love for HIM would identify you as a disciple. He was specific. It is our love for ONE ANOTHER that identifies us as His disciples to the world.

It is this LOVE that is your badge of identification, not your church, or your Pastor, or your denomination or your clothes. Not the music that you listen to, or your tithe, how many tracts you give out, the catchy slogan on your desk, or your clever bumper sticker.
It is how you LOVE your brother and sister. No more, no less…

There is something unique and intentional about the way that Christians Love. This is because of whose we are, and this is how HE LOVES. Uniquely and intentionally… The cross is the proof of this . The single most unique, well known and intentional act of LOVE in human history.

And the truth of His words is seen so clearly when you read Acts Chapter 2 which says of the early church that:
…all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. - (Acts 2:44-47)

This is repeated in Acts 4,

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: 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 unto every man according as he had need. - (Acts 4:32-35)`

In these passages, you see Love in Action; Love for God, and Love for one another. Unique and Intentional LOVE. Why did they do it this way?

Because they all knew that they were recipients of a great grace, forgiven a debt that they could never possibly repay, bought with a price so great that they could never hope to cover it.
They knew that there was nothing special about them at all, save the Grace of God that had saved and made them one with eachother. This understanding framed and defined their LOVE. Their unique and intentional LOVE…

Linda was loving, and all of you can attest to that.
Quick with a smile, a kind word, an encouraging word, she was good with that.
It was just her. She could find a way to make you laugh even in the worst of times, and situations…

During the course of our time together, our relationship evolved.
For 10 years I was Linda’s choir director, for 2 years her Worship Leader, and for the last 3 years, I was her Pastor. She was in fact, the first of the Fellowship members to call me Pastor Cyril, which she later shortened to Pasa Cee, then to P.C. That was our pattern.
I had nicknamed her Qwaa, which was short for Dinquanisha, which she got because of these big earrings she used to wear…

If you knew Linda, and she loved you, you had a nickname. It signified your special place in her heart…
A unique and intentional LOVE…

This is how Jesus commands us to Love: Selflessly, sacrificially, allowing ourselves to be open, vulnerable, honest, naked and unashamed with our brethren, trusting that they will do the same with us, and have our best interest at heart, and we have theirs.
We are to be a safe place for one another

But for many of us, we can’t risk that. Cannot risk being vulnerable, or open.
There is too much at stake, too much to lose. Our carefully crafted images, our reputations, and such…

Others of us don’t want the responsibility, the weight of care for someone else. It is difficult, costs too much in terms of time and energy…

This is because we do not truly understand God’s Grace.
We forget that all that we have, we have because it was given to us, as Paul puts it in 1 Cor 4:7
For who made you better than your brother? or what have you that has not been given to you? but if it has been given to you, what cause have you for pride, as if it had not been given to you?

Sadly, many of you in here tonight, live this way, with fellow church members who are supposed to be your brethren, some of you even with your spouses, and in doing so, not only do you deprive yourself and others, (especially your spouse) of a deeper more Christ-filled life and fellowship, in fact, you sin.

I know because that is how I used to live; In a superficial, way which satisfied my shallow, self-serving religion.
But I have found that there are benefits to submission to God’s will. I have found that daring to love and be loved the way God ordained it, has made my life real, and rich.

It is the difference between having LIFE and LIFE more abundantly…

Often, we cannot see past God’s salvation to God’s provision.

Linda used to always say, ‘God is my Father, He’s got to take care of me’, and this was and is the truth.

What we do not understand is that one of the main assets, and means of provision that He provides us with is EACHOTHER!
More Often than not, WE are the very riches in Glory that He uses by Christ Jesus to supply eachother’s needs.

This is so clearly exemplified in the passages from Acts that we read earlier.

Yes, you are saved, if you have repented of your sin, and trust in the atoning death of Jesus on the cross, and know that it is by HIS grace through faith, and that not of yourself, that it is the gift of God. Yes, you believe and have received righteousness unto justification, but where is the ‘more abundantly’ that Jesus speaks of in John 10:10?

In the three plus years that Jesus worked on, with, and later through, His disciples, He took them from independence to dependence to interdependence, and this was what the church should be: A body of interdependent persons, focused on the concept of living life in community to the glory of God, and the benefit of one another. It is in this that we experience the abundance.

This is what I believe that the Bible teaches. This means that we are to actively engage God and each other as best we can; giving access to one another in intimate ways, striving to do our best to love and give grace to one another as it has been extended to us…

This is the mark, the Love that identifies us as Christ’s disciples.

We must accept and cling to the grace to trust and truly acknowledge the Father in all our ways, if we want our paths directed by Him. If we want to truly experience life more abundantly, we must deny our very selves, with all of our delusions of supremacy, and submit them to Him in full, even if it means our lives. It is that dying that we spoke of earlier. So must we all, because there is only one God, and we are not Him.

One of the things that we do not seem to realize beloved, is that the ability to RECEIVE LOVE is as important as the ability to GIVE love. You cannot LOVE on your own terms. You cannot love only when and whom you find it advantageous to…

You cannot love others until you Love yourself, and you cannot love yourself, until you Love God, and you cannot Love God until you are born again, and He places that ability and desire within you, by replacing your heart of stone with a heart of flesh…

You cannot be born again until you understand the cross, and..
You never really understand the cross until it takes your breath away and becomes the most important thing in your life, and even then, you’re at a loss…

There are those of you in this room tonight, who believe that you are saved, but when it comes to your relationship with the Lord, you do not participate fully, as though your life in Christ is a coat, a garment to be shed when the weather changes, and not the core of your very existence. It is that same shallow self-serving religion that I knew so well…

But God is not a convenience; your brothers and sisters are not a convenience.
God is all, and your brethren are priority.

Yes, Sometimes it is messy, and sometimes it hurts (like right now). Sometimes it is scary, it is rarely easy, and sometimes, (like right now) it is not fun at all…
But it is not a suggestion, it is a command, that you should love the Lord your God with All your heart, Your mind, your soul and strength, and Love your neighbor as yourself…

This is how we must live. This is what we must understand.
This is what we MUST do.
When we live this way, when we LOVE this way, there are no regrets, no ‘what if’s’, no ‘shoulda-woulda-couldas’, no ‘if onlys’ , because you do all you can, and then you DO ALL YOU CAN.

When you look around you, do you see disciples?
When you look in the mirror, does a disciple return your gaze?
How can you tell?

Grace is the ROOT,
Grace is the REASON,
LOVE is the FRUIT
LOVE is the PROOF
Amen…