I got whooping cough. Impossible? No. I did. If you never had it, would you believe me when I say that it's like a man coming into my house and giving me a beatdown for three hours at midnight every day?
I'm one of the lucky ones. One guy I know totaled his truck during a coughing session. Other people break their ribs.
I just hurled a couple times.
I only coughed for five days before the antibiotics seemed to start to work. I'm over 14 days into this and i still have "something not quite right". Amazing how fragile we are, when it all comes down to it. The days of people dying of colds are about 100 years behind us...and about 5 years in front of us...
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
thoughts on giving, again
Thoughts on Giving, again
Last night I spoke frankly and openly to Sam about the symptoms of giving in the church...
frankly, our church body dishonors the Lord in the neglect of the collection, weekly.
we give when there's a "need" that we can identify as the purpose of the action of giving. this is good, but Scripture teaches the firstfruit gift as a prescription.
The widow's mite
proverbs 3
2 Cor.9
1 Cor.?
none of this is Mosaic Law, works righteousness, or judaizing. It isn't tithing and it isn't unspiritual...
the church is clearly prescribed the practise of collecting for the needs of the saints.
Saints are prescribed the discipline of setting aside for the saints in their weekly/monthly income...
the practise of collecting is normal and normative in Scripture.
So:
there should be a monetary representation of that in our weekly administration of the church.
there should be offerings of money
according to ability
according to willingness
some are unable to tithe. Good. don't. You never had to. Give a bit. Just something to say to God, "I love you." That is why we give.
Good that you can't "make a difference". That's what God loved about the Widow's mite! That it couldn't make a difference and that it was All about Jesus! All about love for God. Desperation and devotion.
That's the POINT.
If your giving is primarily motivated out of a feeling of meeting needs, beware of smugness. You may well be feeling all to confident in your act of righteousness. There needs to be a firstfruit offering to God that proclaims His lordship over your life, outside of the practical need-meeting.
An act that is PRIMARILY worship, and not primarily practical.
Think about this. Change your ways. Cut the amount and put it in the pot every week as worship.
Will it make a difference? Why do you ask?
If you ask because you can't feel good about giving outside the gratification of accomplishment, you're a pragmatist and you grieve God. Repent.
If you ask because you doubt the faithfulness of your church leadership's decision-making about the finances--Go find out what the Bible means by "Church" and make sure that's what you joined. If it's not and the collection is going into bricks, mortar, carpet and drapes--leave them. They are blind guides...
If you ask out of concern for the poor, beware the attitude that Judas had in regard to the alabaster flask.
If you ask out of jealousy for the name of the Lord to be glorified in the church--then ask indeed. For the church has been called, not to the interests of men, but of God. And if the church will not see to the work of God, first then it isn't being the church.
What is the work of God? Calling people to believe in Jesus. Living out true religion in the James 1:26-7 sense.
Take stock. If your church's budget leans toward bricks and mortar, you are undone. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus has not called us to establish bricks and mortar, but to be living letters, proclaiming along with Christ that "the work of God is this: to believe in the One he sent".
That is lived out as we see to the needs of (our) orphans and widows in their distress... (check out the widows' list in Timothy)
...and keep ourselves from pollution in the world.
I'm serious that I believe we haven't even a bit of a grip on the heart of giving, yet. Repent!
Last night I spoke frankly and openly to Sam about the symptoms of giving in the church...
frankly, our church body dishonors the Lord in the neglect of the collection, weekly.
we give when there's a "need" that we can identify as the purpose of the action of giving. this is good, but Scripture teaches the firstfruit gift as a prescription.
The widow's mite
proverbs 3
2 Cor.9
1 Cor.?
none of this is Mosaic Law, works righteousness, or judaizing. It isn't tithing and it isn't unspiritual...
the church is clearly prescribed the practise of collecting for the needs of the saints.
Saints are prescribed the discipline of setting aside for the saints in their weekly/monthly income...
the practise of collecting is normal and normative in Scripture.
So:
there should be a monetary representation of that in our weekly administration of the church.
there should be offerings of money
according to ability
according to willingness
some are unable to tithe. Good. don't. You never had to. Give a bit. Just something to say to God, "I love you." That is why we give.
Good that you can't "make a difference". That's what God loved about the Widow's mite! That it couldn't make a difference and that it was All about Jesus! All about love for God. Desperation and devotion.
That's the POINT.
If your giving is primarily motivated out of a feeling of meeting needs, beware of smugness. You may well be feeling all to confident in your act of righteousness. There needs to be a firstfruit offering to God that proclaims His lordship over your life, outside of the practical need-meeting.
An act that is PRIMARILY worship, and not primarily practical.
Think about this. Change your ways. Cut the amount and put it in the pot every week as worship.
Will it make a difference? Why do you ask?
If you ask because you can't feel good about giving outside the gratification of accomplishment, you're a pragmatist and you grieve God. Repent.
If you ask because you doubt the faithfulness of your church leadership's decision-making about the finances--Go find out what the Bible means by "Church" and make sure that's what you joined. If it's not and the collection is going into bricks, mortar, carpet and drapes--leave them. They are blind guides...
If you ask out of concern for the poor, beware the attitude that Judas had in regard to the alabaster flask.
If you ask out of jealousy for the name of the Lord to be glorified in the church--then ask indeed. For the church has been called, not to the interests of men, but of God. And if the church will not see to the work of God, first then it isn't being the church.
What is the work of God? Calling people to believe in Jesus. Living out true religion in the James 1:26-7 sense.
Take stock. If your church's budget leans toward bricks and mortar, you are undone. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus has not called us to establish bricks and mortar, but to be living letters, proclaiming along with Christ that "the work of God is this: to believe in the One he sent".
That is lived out as we see to the needs of (our) orphans and widows in their distress... (check out the widows' list in Timothy)
...and keep ourselves from pollution in the world.
I'm serious that I believe we haven't even a bit of a grip on the heart of giving, yet. Repent!
Why to read the Bible?
the goal of Bible Reading is the realization of Col. 3:16.
that the word of Christ would dwell in us richly to the equipping of our minds to teach and admonish one another with all Spiritual Wisdom...
there are a LOT of people who read a whole lot of Bible, yet lack spiritual wisdom.
these are the scriptures that are able to make us wise unto salvation... We see that salvation is something that is
work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you both to will and to act (want and to do) according to His purpose...
worked out in the daily, and that
Hebrews 10-12
we can let go of that hope without holding on to it with intensity in our daily life...
So, in the Church it is God's purpose that the teaching of the word by the traveling teachers, resident Elders and Overseers, and Apostolic workers be accompanied by the ministry of the saints to one another in admonishing and teaching, by the wisdom of the holy Spirit in each other by the Word of Christ's rich indwelling...
You see, Bible Reading is no goal, in itself. It has a goal. It isn't a goal.
It is best to read the bible out of a sense of Spiritual appetite. Bookishness and box-checking devotional life are to be eschewed. Often the Scriptures fall flat to us because our inner man isn't joined in the willingness to OBEY them...
We must put behind us the days of dallying with sin, and living an unchallenged, unyeilded life. WE must deeply suffer the surrender of the Soul to the will of God so that our minds may be transformed, aand the Word will be formed in us by the Holy Spirit....
Rom 12: offer yourself. then transformation. then understanding...
Honestly, many Christians are completely missing the point of the existence of a Scriptural Witness in the church. We have the scriptures to bear witness to the Word, who is Jesus, abiding in the surrendered soul. Without thorough and ruthless surrender, the Bible becomes an idol, confusing the reader into a sense of achievement...
the letter brings death
the spirit brings life...
Possibility:
the scriptures are bringing death to many who put their confidence in their own reading/knowledge/discipline...
John 5:39-40
many who approach the Scriptures as source are wrong and are dead where they stand, their confidence wrongly placed in their knowledge and disciplinary, academic acheivements... they are lost.
to some, there is a degree to which they misplace their confidence that results in loss in the Life of Christ. They will suffer loss in the judgment.
Let's make it our goal to Connect deeply with Christ, in surrender to His will and confidence in His ability to lead us. Let us enter deeply into the reality of Potter/Clay, Shepherd/Sheep relationship with Jesus, and embody the reality of John 3, that as the wind so shall we be, who live not by letter, nor by best intentions, nor the thoughts of our own minds or best ideas, but are blown by the Spirit...
Let's move into a Mature use of the Scripture as the describer of the life of the Church, in the Spirit, and enter into the Spiritual life of Christ, that we may be fruit-bearing disciples...
These very scriptures will indicate to us that the fruit is good, affirming us as we are led by Him in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Then it will be true among us that "It's all about Jesus".
that the word of Christ would dwell in us richly to the equipping of our minds to teach and admonish one another with all Spiritual Wisdom...
there are a LOT of people who read a whole lot of Bible, yet lack spiritual wisdom.
these are the scriptures that are able to make us wise unto salvation... We see that salvation is something that is
work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you both to will and to act (want and to do) according to His purpose...
worked out in the daily, and that
Hebrews 10-12
we can let go of that hope without holding on to it with intensity in our daily life...
So, in the Church it is God's purpose that the teaching of the word by the traveling teachers, resident Elders and Overseers, and Apostolic workers be accompanied by the ministry of the saints to one another in admonishing and teaching, by the wisdom of the holy Spirit in each other by the Word of Christ's rich indwelling...
You see, Bible Reading is no goal, in itself. It has a goal. It isn't a goal.
It is best to read the bible out of a sense of Spiritual appetite. Bookishness and box-checking devotional life are to be eschewed. Often the Scriptures fall flat to us because our inner man isn't joined in the willingness to OBEY them...
We must put behind us the days of dallying with sin, and living an unchallenged, unyeilded life. WE must deeply suffer the surrender of the Soul to the will of God so that our minds may be transformed, aand the Word will be formed in us by the Holy Spirit....
Rom 12: offer yourself. then transformation. then understanding...
Honestly, many Christians are completely missing the point of the existence of a Scriptural Witness in the church. We have the scriptures to bear witness to the Word, who is Jesus, abiding in the surrendered soul. Without thorough and ruthless surrender, the Bible becomes an idol, confusing the reader into a sense of achievement...
the letter brings death
the spirit brings life...
Possibility:
the scriptures are bringing death to many who put their confidence in their own reading/knowledge/discipline...
John 5:39-40
many who approach the Scriptures as source are wrong and are dead where they stand, their confidence wrongly placed in their knowledge and disciplinary, academic acheivements... they are lost.
to some, there is a degree to which they misplace their confidence that results in loss in the Life of Christ. They will suffer loss in the judgment.
Let's make it our goal to Connect deeply with Christ, in surrender to His will and confidence in His ability to lead us. Let us enter deeply into the reality of Potter/Clay, Shepherd/Sheep relationship with Jesus, and embody the reality of John 3, that as the wind so shall we be, who live not by letter, nor by best intentions, nor the thoughts of our own minds or best ideas, but are blown by the Spirit...
Let's move into a Mature use of the Scripture as the describer of the life of the Church, in the Spirit, and enter into the Spiritual life of Christ, that we may be fruit-bearing disciples...
These very scriptures will indicate to us that the fruit is good, affirming us as we are led by Him in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Then it will be true among us that "It's all about Jesus".
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