Would you like to see explosive growth in your finances?
IMITATE GOD!
I recently called a dear friend and asked him what he was doing at that moment. He told me that he was rolling up his ch¨¨ange and that he was about to take it to the bank and put it in his account and then he was going to send it to his adult child. My friend is a cheerful giver. I know his heart. There is no doubt in my mind that his child did not ask for anything. He just loves to give and he gets pleasure from imagining his child enjoying the blessing. I know several people who are like my friend, they love to give, all that they seek in return is to bless those to whom they give. They are imitating God.
God, teaches us by example how to be a cheerful giver. What did God give us? All that is His. God did not give a portion. God gave us everything. Consider the following:
“God hath dealt (given) to ALL men the measure of faith!” At our acceptance of Jesus, God gave us the free gift of The Faith of The Son of God. (Romans 12:3, Ephesians 2:8 and 9)
“God hath given us ALL things that pertain to life and Godliness”. (2 Peter 1:3)
“For God so loved the world that HE GAVE, His only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“But as many as received him, to them GAVE HE, power to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on His name.” (John 1:14)
“And I WILL GIVE unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19)
“If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven GIVE GOOD GIFTS IF YOU ASK HIM?” ( Matthew 7:11)
“He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him ALSO FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS?” (Romans 8:32)
“BEHOLD, I GIVE unto thee power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all of the powers of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means harm you.” ( Luke 10:19 )
Clearly God is a free giver and has established His example for us to follow.
HOW CHEERFUL GIVING BRINGS HUGE BLESSINGS!
Unfortunately, many people are givers but not cheerful givers. They have been strong armed by the teaching of the Hebrew law which does not apply to them now, and never did. “The tithe (tenth) is extracted from many Christians every week errantly, using the teaching from Malachi chapter 3. On the face of it Malachi brings a strong warning not to “Rob God of tithes and offerings”. Many preachers today are teaching Christians that according to Malachi chapter 3, they are to give the tenth, and test God and see if he will not open the flood gates of heaven and pour out upon them a blessing that they can not contain, and that God will rebuke the devourer for them. I have also been guilty in teaching this in the past. For this I have asked God’s forgiveness.
Malachi was a child of Israel, a Hebrew who was under the law. The people of Israel had moved away from a personal relationship with God. Malachi asked God how they could restore themselves to the favor of God , and God answered Malachi as reported in the 3rd chapter. The tithe that God refers to was never an assignment of the children of Israel to give; but to the levitical priests to collect. The tithe is part of the Hebrew law that Jesus fulfilled, and that Gentiles (us) were never under to begin with. (Ephesians 2:12) It is totally irrelevant to New Covenant Christians. The promises of Malachi were given to us freely by Jesus. He gave us dominion over snakes, scorpions and all of the powers of the evil one, thereby rebuking the devourer for us. He gave us all things that pertain to life and Godliness. Thereby opening up the windows and pouring out a blessing on us that we can not contain. He made us joint heirs with him. Thereby guaranteeing that our crops can not fail.
I have friends who have been “tithing” for years and are quite blessed and can prove it. Some of these wonderful friends, were virtually penniless when they began giving to the Lord and have become quite wealthy during the time that they “tithed”. Their response to me regarding the “tithe”, is that they are not about to question something that has worked for them all of this time, can you blame them? One brother whom I love has been giving 10% or more of his gross income under Malachi 3, since the time that he could not afford a jar of peanut butter and now, God has brought him vast wealth. He would ask me how I can then explain the irrelevance of the Hebrew law of collection by the Levitical priests. Here goes:
IT IS NOT THE TITHE THAT GOD BLESSED, IT IS THE USE OF FAITH THAT GIVING REQUIRES…THAT GOD BLESSES. Giving to an unseen God requires the use of the free gift of faith that comes with believing in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead and confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Unfortunately, few “believers” give anything consistently. The national average is that less than 8% of “believers” are consistent, weekly or monthly givers. I attribute this to “unbelief”. Most “believers” can believe Jesus in the area of healing, or blessing or relationships, but not that they will see multiplication if the give. In fact most “believers” believe that giving is loss. In fact, I know some “believers” who believe that they can not afford to give, both very rich and very poor, and between.
God has guaranteed our prosperity by his grace, and we access that prosperity by faith. “THEREFORE, BEING JUSTIFIED ( being found 100% not guilty) BY FAITH (living one moment at a time, with joyful expectation, of the things that are unseen) WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD, THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST; BY WHOM ALSO WE HAVE ACCESS BY FAITH INTO THE GRACE, (God’s willingness, ability and power to do those things for us; that we can not, or will not do for ourselves) THAT WE NOW STAND, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1and 2).
When we accept Jesus, we walk into the New Covenant, guaranteed by His blood. The New Covenant is an eternal state of grace with God, by which he has given us all things. Imagine grace as the storeroom of all of the blessings that God gave you before the worlds were framed. Faith is the key that unlocks the door and propels us into the blessings. We don’t do anything to get the faith that has already been given us, we simply decide to use it. When we use the key of faith which God gave us when we accepted Jesus, we walk into the storeroom of ” GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES. WHEREBY ARE GIVEN UNTO US, EXCEEDING GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES; THAT BY THESE YE MAY BE PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE, HAVING ESCAPED THE CORRUPTION THAT IS IN THE WORLD THROUGH LUST.” (2Peter1:4) Why would we lust after things that have already been given to us?
Even if the brothers who tithed, were operating in the incorrect covenant, the act of faith that their giving represented accessed the grace by which God had already given them the exceedingly great and precious promises.
NEW COVENANT GIVING BRINGS THE PROMISE OF MULTIPLICATION.
Speaking of the giving of the church at Macedonia, Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit explains how giving under the New Covenant works.
“BUT THIS I SAY, HE WHICH SOWETH SPARINGLY SHALL REAP SPARINGLY: AND HE WHICH SOWETH BOUNTIFULLY SHALL REAP ALSO BOUNTIFULLY.”
“EVERY MAN ACCORDING AS HE PURPOSETH IN HIS HEART, NOT GRUDGINGLY, OR OF NECESSITY: FOR GOD LOVETH A CHEERFUL GIVER.”
(Note the stark difference between New Covenant giving and the responsibility of the Levitical Priest to collect the tenth, or tithe: The tithe is giving under compulsion and threat of consequences. Since it is Old Covenant Law, the failure of the participant to comply completely with the law brought the promise of the curses of the law which are found in Deuteronomy 28 beginning in the 15th chapter. Obeying Malachi 3 is without question giving Grudgingly and out of Necessity. If it is not one, it is certainly the other. Also, the tithe, is a fixed 10% of the gross income. It is not a variable that consists of what God purposes in our hearts for us to give. It is a strict fixed amount dictated not by the heart or the Spirit, but by the law.)
“AND GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE ALL GRACE ABOUND TOWARD YOU; THAT YOU, ALL WAYS HAVING ALL SUFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS, MAY ABOUND TO EVERY GOOD WORK; ( I call this the LAW OF ALL GRACE. I have seen it in my life as I am a cheerful giver and the lives of the cheerful givers that support this ministry, repeatedly.) AS IT IS WRITTEN, HE HATH DISPERSED ABROAD : HE HATH GIVEN TO THE POOR: HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS REMAINETH FOREVER. NOW HE THAT MINISTERETH, SEED TO THE SOWER BOTH MINISTER BREAD FOR FOOD, AND MULTIPLY YOUR SEED SOWN, AND INCREASE THE FRUITS OF YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS;”
“BEING ENRICHED IN EVERY THING TO ALL BOUNTIFULNESS IN EVERY THING TO ALL BOUNTIFULNESS, WHICH CAUSETH THOUGH US THANKSGIVING TO GOD. (2Corinthians 9:6-11)
We never ask for offerings at Throne of Grace Ministries. The reason for this is what you have just read. We do not want to accept offerings given grudgingly or out of necessity. Further we think that the mind set of “Works” is fed by giving under the law. We are not saying that if you give under the law that you have cursed your finances. We are saying that placing ourselves under the works of the law, a performance based relationship with God, brings swift and precise consequences.
Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to “believing Christians” why the Church sees the same or greater rates of premature death and divorce and other catastrophic problems? Consider the following.
“FOR AS MANY AS ARE OF THE WORKS OF THE LAW ARE UNDER THE CURSE; FOR IT IS WRITTEN, CURSED IS EVERY ONE THAT CONTINUETH NOT IN ALL THINGS THAT ARE WRITTEN IN THE LAW TO DO (which of course is impossible) BUT THAT NO MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW IN THE SIGHT OF GOD, IS EVIDENT FOR THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH. AND THE LAW IS NOT OF FAITH: BUT THE MAN THAT DOETH THEM, SHALL LIVE IN THEM.” (Galatians 3:10-12)
“CHRIST IS BECOME OF NO EFFECT UNTO YOU, WHOSOEVER OF YOU ARE JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW: ( Placing yourself under a performance based relationship with God) YOU ARE FALLEN FROM GRACE. (Galatians 5:4)
I challenge you to pray and ask God to purpose in your heart, what and to whom you should give. God is not silent. Jesus taught us that His sheep hear his voice. If God purposes in your heart to Give to this ministry, we will be greatly blessed by whatever he leads you to give. But, use the faith that God has given you in this area of your life as you would for healing or any other thing that your heart desires. You will walk into the manifold blessings that God has already given you.
God Hath Given you all things…
Pastor Allen
