Friday, May 18, 2012

The Exaltation Of The Tithe

The subject of the tithe is always a touchy issue among believers. Many of us have not yet been set free in that area. Receiving your blessing has everything to do with what Jesus did. There have been countless teachings, blogs and articles on tithing and offerings. However, I just wanted to share something that has been on my heart for quite some time and I find to be quite troubling.


Let me start of by stating this: It is not about getting a hundred fold return on money placed in an offering plate. It is not about getting the windows of Heaven to be opened so that you may be able to get a Blessing so enormous that you will not have room enough to receive it. Are we not blessed now? We have been given all things that pertain to Life and Godliness. (2 Peter 1:3) That's all things...not a few.


I have heard many believers say things like "I didn't start to receive my blessing until I started tithing again" or "the reason Brother or Sister so-and so aren't blessed is because they don't tithe...they are robbing God." That's the same mindset that says that God is just waiting for you to mess up so he can punish you, or saying that the reason why you ended up in a car wreck was that He could teach you a lesson. Folks, that's religion. The Holy Spirit is always ready to bring us the Mind of Christ. All we have to do is spend time getting to know our Father; that's what Family is all about. There is no love in the religious doctrines of man. Many a preacher has made quite a good living preaching Malachi 3. Religion places a premium on performance rather than fellowship with the Holy Spirit. It is all about keeping the Body of Christ in bondage through condemnation.


A son is a son no matter what he does, but he will remain immature if he does not do what his Father instructs. If he has not been taught to hear his Master's Voice he will always live below the place he has been called to occupy. If he does not know his Father he will continually miss out on the joys of fellowship with Him. On the day of Judgment there will be much regret because many believers never took the time to fellowship with the One sent to instruct them in the ways of righteousness and sound doctrine. Seeking first God's way of doing things will always result in Godly provision...without fail. With the Father's Love, there are no conditions attached; it is by His Grace. God's Love is unconditional. He loves the sinner just as much as He loves His children. The difference between them and us is that the sinner doesn't have His Nature. 


Our giving in tithes and offerings is in large part to rescue the very ones who are perishing...that is the message of the Gospel!


We have the benefit of His Life indwelling us. Without that Life mankind is destined to spend eternity in hell. Along with that Nature in us we have an inheritance through Jesus. We are daily loaded with all of His benefits. In Him-in His Presence-there is fullness of Joy, and at His right hand-where we are seated, there are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). All we need to do is to abide in Him. Abide in His Word. Abide in His Love.


The true Hundredfold return is of the Word that has been sown into our spirits to grow us up into  the Image of that Seed in us, Christ Himself. The christian's motivation for giving should be love and only love - love for God and our neighbor as ourselves. Stop chasing after money and material things; it is covetousness and idolatry which is sin. It violates God's Divine Order. The god of this world wants you to worship mammon...DON'T. Worship Jesus!


But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. [Matthew 6:33]


I would be remiss if I did not share for those who do not know how to tap into  the sound doctrine that the Father has laid up for us. He has not left us as orphans; we are sons (there's no gender in the Spirit) with a Father who loves us so much He has left us with the Teacher of all teachers, God The Holy Ghost. The Baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues is the pathway through which we can appropriate all things that God has for us so we can fulfill our calling in the earth. Our human, born-again spirit is baptized in the Holy Spirit who brings the instruction to our spirit--that is where the answers are to be found. He should be our only source of doctrine. Any true teacher to the Body is taught by the Holy Spirit as well. It is only through a consistent prayer life spent praying in tongues that we can break away from the bondage of religion. Resist any teaching that teaches any other source of Blessing than our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ.


Stop treating offerings as some sort of stock market investment or the lottery. The reason for giving is to advance the Kingdom of God. Another thing: He has taken us beyond the tithe. The tithe is just the starting point to train us to be mature in our giving. What is mature giving? It is listening to the Voice of the Holy Spirit and give what He says to give. If He doesn't give specific instructions, give what you have purposed in your heart. If it's 10 percent, fine. If it's not, that's fine too. There is no condemnation. Let your spirit man lead you. As many as are led by their born again Nature, they are the sons of God - [Romans 8:14 - paraphrase] (many interpret "Spirit of God" to mean "Holy Spirit" - that is not what this passage is talking about here, but the human, born-again spirit - more on that another time perhaps). As an example, Jesus was led by His Heavenly Nature all through His life until the Holy Spirit showed up to anoint His ministry at His baptism by John the Baptist, the same Nature that He has given to us - but I digress.


The tithe is not what the believer's prosperity is attached to- Jesus is the One who prospers you. Do not make the tithe into an idol! Our eyes are to rest solely on Jesus. Religion exalts the tithe...the Holy Ghost glorifies Jesus!