The Failure of the Christian Church

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age," (Matt. 28:18-20).

Christianity is supposed to be the representative of Jesus who taught love, forgiveness, sacrifice, unity, and humility. Though that may be true to a large extent, Christians have demonstrated an amazing ability to overlook many biblical virtues and allow denominational fragmentation and bickering to weaken it.  Unfortunately, because of doctrinal "refining" on the non-essentials, a desire to be comfortable in church, and a growing apathy towards making a difference in the world, the American church has, in many respects, become castrated.  It spends too much time splitting doctrinal hairs, separating, and then hiding in churches designed to keep its members comfortable and safe in the "refined" truth.  On the outside, the world is going to hell while on the inside, we are playing the "religion game."

I am not saying that doctrinal purity is unimportant.  It most certainly is.  Without a proper understanding of who God is, what He has done, and what we must do in relation to Him, we would all be surely damned.  Our salvation depends on who Jesus is and what He did.  We need to know the truth.  Therefore, as Christians, we should separate ourselves from the false doctrines that make powerless the saving truth of Christ's sacrifice.  But the motive to divide should be reserved for our dealings with heretics.  We should separate ourselves from false teachers and false doctrines, not from each other.   In the non-essentials we need to remain united as much as possible.

I recognize that denominations, to a small degree, are necessary and will never go away.  But comfort and "doctrinal purity" have robbed the Church of much of its power. Where the early Christians had to rely on God for their every need, today creature-comforts and drive-through churches have made us complacent and sluggish to the call of God to make disciples of every nation.  We are comfortable in America where we have the best of everything and only need to put on credit what our whims demand and thereby avoid the dependence upon God for our needs; this makes faith in God less of a pressing need. We have become distracted and the church is showing signs of spiritual apathy. We have our VCRs, air-conditioning, remote controls, and fast food. We have churches with central air, great sound systems, well educated preachers, plush pews, and fine-tuned choirs, pianos, and organs.  We are blessed with committees, plans, and money.  In fact, we have so many churches we are guaranteed we can find one to suit any whim or preference.  And all too often, the messages are pleasant and don't make our hearts ache for the lost or our Lord.

Doctrinal purity is a plague when it unnecessarily divides that which has been made Holy by Christ's blood. It may already be that doctrinal idols have invaded our churches after all, we too often sacrifice people on the altar of doctrinal purity.  Then we politely and lovingly expel fellow believers from our churches and bless them on the way out because they baptize by immersion or don't, or speak in tongues or don't, or believe in pretribulation rapture or don't, etc.  Hurt and confused, some wander the spiritual landscape looking for a safe haven only to fall prey to false teachers or the seductive call of the world. Yes, we need doctrinal purity and we may even need to die for it one day, but doctrinal purity is not our God. Confessions and creeds are not our bread and wine.  We should not sacrifice the blessing of unity for the minutia of purity.  But some will say, "These doctrines are important and our church has the truth."  Perhaps.  But Jesus said the world would know we were His disciples by the love we have for one another, not the purity of our doctrine.

And what does the world see in all this? Does it see a visible church full of sacrifice, love, forgiveness, and people who consider others more important than themselves?  No. It sees polished televangelists with perfect hair and smiles pulling the wool over the eyes of countless thousands of gullible people as they ask for money. It sees the hypocrisy of moral uprightness proclaimed proudly in word and contradicted in deed. It sees a denominationally fragmented church that cant even clean its own house, let alone agree enough to present a united front.

And what's more, the church has all but stopped its public proclamation against sin.  It has begun to believe the lie that the church is weak and powerless to stop the momentum of social decay. It flounders when faced with immorality and balks at standing strong against sin!

What are the consequences of this?

We see the effects in the rise of the cults like Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses who have millions of followers going door to door faithfully and consistently spreading their damning doctrines. Where are the Christians who oppose them? Where is the church? Is it supporting the efforts to stop this spread of lies? Is it uniting behind a common cause? No! It leaves the work to the weary and few who have a burden and who spend their efforts in a constant and mostly frustrating battle for the truth. The church pats them on the back and says, "God bless. Go in peace" but too often leaves the depleted warriors to fend for themselves.

We see consequences in the educational system with the rise of humanistic philosophy. Purely secular agendas are being taught on moral, political, and social levels in schools. Homosexuality, relativism, values clarification, and "ethical cleansing" are wiping the minds of the youth clear of Christian values. The children sit and listen while we go to church and talk about hymnals, the organ, and the color of carpet. May God have mercy on us.

Society needs not concern itself with the musings of our people because its conscience cannot be pricked when so many of the bickering failures of Christianity speak louder than our words. Society is little affected by the gospel.  The secularist does not need to be wary of the church that sits idly by and pampers its members and does not encourage them to take risks for the gospel. The secular world is free to mock the truth, chip away at our freedoms, and claim more and more converts for itself. It is safe from Christianity. But is Christianity safe from it?

What Should We Do?

First of all, we need to confess our sins to our Lord and Savior and repent from them. We need to recognize our sinfulness of apathy, pride, gossip, and any idols of unnecessary 'doctrinal purity' that are so divisive.  We need to forsake them, and drop to our knees, pray, confess, forgive, and go on. We need to recognize that we must be united to be strong and that we must love each other, greatly!  And we must do this without compromising the gospel of truth (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 5:1) and keeping our eyes on Jesus.

Second, we need to recognize the Great Commission as something more than a recommendation from Jesus. It is not an option. It is a command. Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . . " (Matt. 28:18).  Are we being fishers of men or keepers of the aquarium?  Are we being obedient or comfortable?

Third, we need to work together as much as possible to bring the gospel of truth to the lost. This will require sacrifice, prayer, humility, and risk. We cannot easily undo the great fragmentation of the body of Christ, but we can cross the denominational boundaries by focusing on that which unites us in the faith: Jesus is God in flesh (Trinity), salvation by grace through faith alone, the atonement, and forgiveness of sins in Jesus' shed blood. We need to look at the essentials and let the gospel of God change the hearts of people.

Fourth, we need to use whatever gifts the Lord has given us for the increase of His kingdom. Whether it is praying for the lost and for the workers in Christ, or helping support financially, teaching the body, doing works of administration, or whatever gift you have, use it for the glory of God. Give it to Him and ask Him to bless you by letting you use your gifts and then do it!  And don't be afraid to fail.

Conclusion

God is a God of forgiveness, love, and power. He has forgiven us of our sins and continues to do that by His awesome Grace (1 John 1:9). He loves us deeply and wants to commune with us and enjoy our presence through Jesus (1 Cor. 1:9). And, His gospel is powerful, able to save the lost from their sins (Rom. 1:16) and change this world. Pray for the work of God in your life and in the lives of others. Make a strong effort to support and spread the gospel. Intercede prayerfully to the Father on behalf of the church that preaches to the saved as well as the lostr. Humble yourselves before God and men. Don't remain comfortable. Take a risk. Trust God and go!

The New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies

Learning is a lifelong experience. For pastors even more than for other professional groups; one must keep updated with the research development in so many areas of life, Theology, and Science. And above all the minister needs to continually deepen his Biblical understanding and preaching skills...

"Continuing Education for Pastors and Chaplains" is a program established and supervised by the New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies. These continuing education courses have been created to meet specified high professional standards.

Continuing Education may broadly be defined as any task or learning experience which further prepares the pastor and enhances his/her skills for ministry in the current appointment setting. These learning events may consist of seminars, Biblical Studies programs and research, travel experiences where one’s understanding of the world and people is increased, and group supervised experiences such as CPE Training and Pastoral Counseling Training.

2007 Schedule of Events

· January 25^th Handling End of Life Issues and Grief (Cooper Room 802)

· February 22^nd Homiletic Workshop (Mt. Calvary COGIC)

· March 22^nd Pastoral Counseling (Cooper room 802)

· April 26^th The Power of Prayer (Cooper Room 802)

· May 24th Hospital Ministry (Cooper Room 802)

· June 28^th Establishing a 12 Step Program (Cooper Room 802)

Classes are held at Mt. Calvary COGIC in Camden NJ, 7^th and Market Streets at 7PM on Thursday Evenings. *The Hospital Ministry Class will be held at Cooper Trauma Center in Room 802

THE FOUNDER AND INSTRUCTOR

Elder Stevens graduated from The Friends of Israel’s Institute of Jewish Studies (A School of Philadelphia College of Bible). He holds a Certificate of Advanced Ministries (ETA certification) and a Diploma of Biblical Studies from Philadelphia College of Bible, and a Bachelors degree in Theology and a Masters in Ministry from Freedom Bible College and Seminary. He is presently working towards 4 units of CPE Training (3 down 1 to go) He is a candidate for the Doctorate in Ministry. He is a staff Chaplain at Ancora Psychiatric Hospital and an On-Call Chaplain at Cooper Health System. Elder Stevens has served God in many capacities. Street Evangelism, Overseas Missions, Pastor, Prison Ministry, and Revivalist; But his mission and calling is teaching and preparing people for ministry!

New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies

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Browns Mill, NJ 08015

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NJITStudies/

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Cost $50.00 per Session

*Books and materials included*

"Will a man ROB God?" How many untold tens of thousands of men will give account one day for teaching this verse in Malachi 3:8 totally out of context for their own sordid gain. I couldn’t count the times I have heard self-appointed ministers of the gospel berate their congregations and listeners for "robbing God" in tithes and offerings. This verse in Malachi certainly means what it says. Someone was defrauding God of tithes and offerings, but wait until you find out who it is that God blames for this act.

On any given Sunday morning there will be numerous men-of-the-cloth who will be bellowing out over the air waves that people are being "cursed with a curse" because they have failed to pay God ten percent of their paychecks. And should such a gullible listener decide to repent and give God ten percent of his salary, just how would he do that? Just keep reading. These men of the cloth who often have unquenchable worldly desires of the flesh, will be sure to give you an address where you can send them (or, ah, rather God) your tithe. And do they have a right to quote these Scriptures in this manner? No they do not, and furthermore they themselves know better.

SOME SHOCKING TRUTHS ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN TITHING DOCTRINE

1. Abraham never tithed on his own personal property or livestock.
    
2. Jacob wouldn’t tithe until God blessed him first.
    
3. Only Levite priests could collect tithes, and there are no Levite priests today.
    
4. Only food products from the land were tithable.
    
5. Money was never a titheable commodity.
    
6. Christian converts were never asked to tithe anything to the Church.
    
7. Tithing in the Church first appears centuries after completion of the Bible.

We will now go through all the Scriptural references in the Bible on tithe, tithes, and tithing:

[1] Gen. 14:20, "And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he [Abram] gave him [Melchizedek king of Salem, the priest of the most high God, Ver. 18] TITHES of all [all the goods of war, Ver. 16]."

We read again of this same event in the book of Hebrews:

[2] Heb. 7:1-10, "For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who meets with Abraham returning from the combat with the kings and blesses him, to whom Abraham parts a TITHE also, from all... Now, behold how eminent this one is to whom the patriarch Abraham gives a TITHE also of the best of the booty. And, indeed, those of the sons of Levi who obtain the priestly office have a direction to take TITHES from the people according to the law... And here, indeed, dying men are obtaining TITHES... And so, to say, through Abraham, Levi also, who is obtaining the TITHES, has been TITHED, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek meets with him."

There are a number of things we can learn concerning tithing from this section of Scriptures. In this, the first mention of tithing in the Bible, Abram gives to Melchizedek (a priest of God who was also the king of the city of Salem) a tithe of the best of the booty taken in war. Notice that this was not wheat, corn, wine, oil, or cattle from Abram’s personal possessions, but rather booty taken from conquered nations.

There is nothing stated here that would cause us to conclude that Abram (later changed to Abraham) ever tithed on a regular basis on his own person possessions. Although Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe of the booty of war, he told the king of Sodom that he would take none of it for himself.

In this same account recorded in the seventh chapter of Hebrews, we learn that the priests of Levi, from the family of Aaron (although far inferior to the priestly order of Melchizedek) also receive tithes from the people according to the law. This tells us little more about the actual tithes other than they received tithes.

Christian scholars claim that Abraham’s tithing of the spoils of war predated the Law of Moses, and therefore even if the Law of Moses is done away with, tithing is still binding on Christians because Abraham predated the Law of Moses. Is this true?

And Christendom teaches that this Scripture is the first proof from the Word of God that Christians are to tithe ten percent of their salaries to the church. But what have we really learned from these Scriptures?:

Abraham went to war on behalf of Sodom (SODOM, mind you), to rescue his nephew, Lot. He then gave 10% of these spoils of war to Melchizedek, and allowed Sodom to keep 90%, while he himself kept NOTHING!

Now then, is there a Scholar alive anywhere on earth that can explain to us how this one single unparalleled and never-again-to-be-duplicated event, is Scriptural proof that Christians should give 10% of their annual salaries (not the spoils of war, but their money, their salaries), not once, but year after year after year, not to Melchizedek, but to Clergymen who claim to be ministers of Jesus Christ? If anyone can see a similarity here, I will show him the similarity between an elephant and a fruit fly.

Next we will observe a Scripture that you will probably never hear a sermon on. No tithe-preaching clergyman would use the example of how Jacob tithed. Remember, Jacob is the grandson of Abraham, the father of the faithful, whom God also blessed tremendously. Not only did God approve of Jacob’s tithing proposal, but, He made it the foundational principle upon which all future tithing would be based. Here it is.

[3] Gen. 28:20-22, "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, IF God will be with me, and [if God] will keep me in this way that I go, and [if God] will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; THEN shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shall GIVE ME I will surely give the TENTH unto thee."

Wow! This one Scripture pretty much contradicts 99% of all sermons I have ever heard on the subject of tithing! This is the very first Scripture in the Bible that gives an account of someone giving a tenth or tithe of his personal possessions back to God. But, oh how different it is from the teachings of most Christian Churches.

First Jacob truly recognizes God as God. He then begins to proposition God. He states that "IF" God will do this and "IF’ God will do the other things, "THEN" Jacob says, "shall the Lord be my God." Jacob concludes his proposition to God, should God meet all of his requirements, by saying that of all the things that God will first give to Jacob, Jacob will give God back a tenth. Now don’t laugh. God honored Jacob’s proposition, and furthermore, God continued to honor this same principle of tithing all through Israel’s history. As Paul said, "Now what have you which you did not obtain?" (I Cor. 4:7) All that we possess comes from God.

And so, once more, we learn that Israel was not to tithe on what they did not first possess, unlike those today who teach that it is required to tithe on that which one does not already possess.

God is not partial and God is not a hypocrite. This example of Jacob proves that God doesn’t expect a tithe until He blessed the tithe payer first. Everyone should put down this paper, call his minister, and tell him you want to hear a sermon Sunday morning on how Jacob paid tithes to God. Now hold your breath.

Let’s ask ourselves a reasonable question: Just how did Jacob actually give a tithe to God? Did he personally hand it to God? No, no one has ever even seen God. Did Jacob tithe to an angel? No, angels do not need and can’t use tithes. Did Jacob send his tithe to Heaven by Celestial Express? No. Did he take it to the local church? No, there was no local church. Did he take it to the Temple? No, there was no temple. Did he give it directly to one of the Levitic priests? No, there were no Levites as yet. Well how then did Jacob tithe to God? Was it even possible? Yes, there were actually two different ways that Jacob could tithe to God:

1. "And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your TITHES, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, YE and YOUR HOUSEHOLDS, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee" (Deut. 12:6-7).

2. "And even though there were no Levites in Jacob’s day, nonetheless, there were "...the STRANGER, and the FATHERLESS, and the WIDOW, which are within thy gates, shall come, and SHALL EAT AND BE SATISFIED; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thin hand which thou doest" (Deut. 14:29).

That’s how God acknowledged a tithe from Jacob: By partaking of a portion himself and his family in communion and thanksgiving to God, and by sharing his fortune with those who were unfortunate, poor, strangers, etc.

[4] Leviticus 27:30-33, "And all the TITHE of the LAND, whether of the SEED of the land, or of the FRUIT, of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. And concerning the TITHE of the HERD, or of the FLOCK, even of whatsoever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it..."

We learn a great deal about tithing in this section of Scripture:

1. The tithe comes from the "land," not the air or the sea. Fishermen were not required to tithe fish.
2. It was the "seed" or agricultural products from the fields that was holy to God and tithable.
3. Products from "trees" were to be tithed. This not only included the fruit, but oils, etc.
4. Of "herds or flocks" it was the "tenth" that passed under the rod that was holy and dedicated to God.

Here is exposed another lie of modern clergymen. It was not the first tenth, but rather the tenth tenth that belonged to God, contrary to every minister I have ever heard, who insists that the first tenth always belongs to God. Unscriptural. Untrue. Read your bible--it’s the tenth one of a herd that belongs to God.

Another interesting point is this. If a herdsman had but nine cattle, he didn’t tithe his cattle at all! Also notice that God did not even require the best of the cattle, just the tenth one to pass under the rod even if it was the runtiest of them all. Remember, we are talking about tithing and not sacrificing (animals for sacrifice always had to be without blemish).

Did you notice that this summary at the very end of the book of Leviticus does not mention the tithing of money? Interesting. But just maybe we will find the tithing of money in some other Scripture?

[5] Numbers 18:24-28, "But the TITHES of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the TITHES which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even a TENTH part of the TITHE. And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the Lord of all your TITHES, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the Lord’s heave offering to Aaron the priest."

According to the above Scriptures, could just anyone claim to be a representative of God and therefore have Israel pay tithes to him? Let’s read it again, "But the TITHES of the children of Israel ... I have given to the Levites to inherit." Now in order to be a priest one not only had to be of the tribe of Levi, but he also had to be of the family of Aaron. In fact, if one could not trace his genealogy back to the family of Aaron, he could not be a priest of God. This is the whole point of Hebrews seven. Jesus Christ is a priest for the eons of the rank of Melchizedek because Melchizedek predated the law which stated that only sons of Aaron could be priests. Therefore Melchizedek’s genealogy is not given in the Scriptures, and Christ, who according to the flesh is of the line of Judah, can and will be God’s High Priest in the Kingdom of God.

A warning to all charlatans and would-be tithe extractors and collectors: There is NO temple of God being officiated in Jerusalem today. There is NO Levitic priesthood to officiate at such a temple. There is NO NEED for such a temple or priesthood at this time. Only Levites could collect tithes at the temple. Therefore, EVERYONE collecting tithes today is a charlatan and a fake. If one cannot historically trace back his genealogy generation by generation with no lapses to the family of Aaron, he IS NOT and CANNOT be a priest authorized of God at this time to collect tithes for the temple services and sacrifices. (Of course Jesus IS our Sacrifice, and therefore that whole system funded by the tithes of the law is no longer applicable).

Yet today we have tithe collecting preachers like James Kennedy and John Hagee, with whom I am a little familiar, collecting tithe monies by the millions and millions of dollars annually. Yet by years end I heard them begging for more multiple millions of dollars to get them out of all the financial debt they had accumulated during the year. And then, (so help me, if I’m lying, I’m dying), John Hagee has the unmitigated gall to offer his followers (excuse me, sell to his followers--three video tapes, $60 US/$87 CAN) entitled The POWER to get WEALTH, by which Mr. Hagee assures us that we can learn to "STAY OUT OF DEBT"! Can you believe it? Would the word "hypocrite" be too strong or out of place here?

The whole system changed under the New Covenant. Notice what happened:

1. Jesus said the temple would be utterly destroyed
    
   "And, coming out, Jesus sent from the sanctuary. And His disciples approached to exhibit to Him the buildings of the sanctuary. Yet He, answering, said to them, 'Are you not observing all these? Verily, I am saying to you, Under no circumstances may a stone here be left on a stone, which shall not be DEMOLISHED.’" (Matt. 24:1-2).
    
2. Under the New Covenant, God does not dwell in temples made with hands,
    
   "The God Who makes the world and all that is in it, He, the Lord inherent of heaven and earth, is NOT dwelling in temples made by hands..." (Acts 17:24).
    
3. The true believers under the New Covenant are now God’s temple,
    
   "For YOU ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD, according as God said, that I will be making My home and will be walking in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (II Cor. 6:16).
    
   See also, (I Cor. 3:15 and I Cor. 1:19).
    
4. All theologians know that when the temple ceased, the priesthood officiating at the temple CEASED!
    
5. Each individual believer under the New Covenant forms a NEW priesthood,
    
   "Yet you are a chosen race, a ‘ROYAL PRIESTHOOD’..." (I Peter 2:9).

How then, under the New Covenant, does a believer give a tenth, when he is supposed to give his all (Rom. 12:1), to a priesthood that does not exist, but now he himself is part of a priesthood (I Peter 2:9), at a temple that does not exist (Mat. 24:1-2), but rather he himself is the temple wherein God dwells. No longer do we have priests with spiritual infirmities interceding for us, but rather we have Christ Jesus as our perfect intercessor and High Priest seated at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens (Heb. 7:28-8:1).

At this time in history, Israel owes no tithe to anyone. And, of course, we Gentiles (who are a new creation and the true Israel of God--Gal. 6:16) were never instructed to tithe in the first place. Read all thirteen books of the apostle Paul to the gentiles and find one verse where he instructed Gentiles to pay one cent of tithe money to anyone.

[6] Deut. 12:6, 7, 11, 12, 17, 18, "And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your TITHES, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flock.

You may not eat within thy gates the TITHE of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of the flocks, nor any of thy vows which thou vow, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of your hand: But YOU MUST EAT THEM before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose..."

Let us learn. Who was to partake of all these tithes and good things of the herd and of the land and of the trees? Everyone (yes, the Levite was also included) was to rejoice before the Lord. Did anyone see "money" in the list of things they were to bring before the Lord to rejoice? Was it just the ministers (the Levites) who were the recipients of these tithes and offerings, or was not everyone to partake of these things? Rejoicing and eating one’s own tithe before the Lord, was a very personal and reverend act of worship and communion with God. Not unlike prayer. Others may share and profit from our prayers, but we offer them to God, not to men.

The following verses deal with a practice initiated by God Himself to accommodate those traveling long distances to the Festival Sites where they were to eat and rejoice before the Lord to learn to fear Him. They could sell their tithes of the land for MONEY, and carry that amount of money rather than the bulky and heavy tithes themselves, to the Festival Site. There they were to purchase whatever their hearts desired and to share it with the Levites and the less fortunate. These verses will be further explained in Part II of this paper

[7] Deut. 14:22-29, "Thou shall truly TITHE all the INCREASE of thy SEED, that the field brings forth year by year."

"And you shall eat before the lord your God, in the place which He shall choose to place His name there, the TITHE of thy CORN, of thy WINE, and of your OIL, and the FIRSTLINGS OF THY HERDS and of thy FLOCKS: that thou may learn to fear the Lord thy God always.

And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the STRANGER, and the FATHERLESS, and the WIDOW, which are within thy gates, shall come, and SHALL EAT AND BE SATISFIED; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of your hand which thou doest."

This third year of tithing is mentioned again:

[8] Deut. 26:12, "When thou hast made an end of TITHING all the TITHES of your INCREASE the third year, which is the year of TITHING, and has given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled."

Again we notice that Israel never tithed from their poverty, but on their INCREASE. Contrary to all the deceiving "Shambachs" in the world, God never intended for people to tithe on what they didn’t have, but only on the increase of what God gave them.

For those who don’t know, Mr. Shambach is a character on TBN who told everyone on international television, via 25 communication satellites and reaching about 50,000 major cities around the world, that God personally told him to tell everyone that in order for them to get out of debt and be blessed of God, everyone needed to send Paul Crouch $2000 each, even if they didn’t have the money! He said God would bless them even if they had to pay the $2000 in smaller monthly increments. Unbelievable!

TBN's teaching on tithing are totally unscriptural even if Christians were to tithe. Time and again God told Israel that they were to tithe on their increase from their abundance, not on their decrease or their lack.

Paul never taught the Gentiles to tithe, but he did teach them to give freely from what they had, not from what they didn’t have:

"I want to suggest that you finish what you started to do a year ago, for you were not only the first to propose this idea, but the first to begin doing something about it. Having started the ball rolling so enthusiastically, you should carry this project through to completion just as gladly, GIVING WHATEVER YOU CAN OUT OF WHATEVER YOU HAVE. Let your enthusiastic idea at the start be equaled by your realistic action now.  If you are really EAGER TO GIVE, then it isn't important HOW MUCH YOU HAVE TO GIVE. God wants you to give WHAT YOU HAVE, NOT WHAT YOU HAVEN'T" (II Cor. 8:10-12, The Living Bible).

Oh, let met give you one more prosperity example while I’m at it. Some time ago I critiqued two sermons by Dr. Kennedy and Dr. Hagee. As I sent for one of Hagee’s cassette tapes so as to quote him correctly, I got put on his mailing list. In August of 1999 I got a magazine in which he announced a proposed celebration. It appears that he needed seven or eight million dollars in new video equipment and facilities of which he still owed 3.5 million on this debt. Anyway, to commemorate this huge debt and a proposal to get someone else to pay it off for him, he announced "Millennium Miracle 2000 by 2000"! "What in the world is that?" you ask. Well, since you asked, I’ll tell you.

To commemorate this huge debt and Mr. Hagee’s plan to get other people to pay it off for him, he came up with a plan to mint a one ounce sterling silver coin which would then have printed on one side: "Millennium Miracle 2000 by 2000," and on the other side: Your Name!

The plan was for 2000 people to send John Hagee $2000 dollars each for the next few months so that by the year 2000 Mr. Hagee would be DEBT FREE! Why it’s a "Millennium Miracle"! (Wait a minute, isn’t 2000 people times $2000 each $4,000,000, not $3.5 million dollars? Oh well, a $500,000 error in John’s favor should come in handy for something).

Each contributor of $2000 would then get a coin commemorating his contribution: "What a precious heirloom that can be passed from one generation to the next honoring your commitment to the Lord" (Emphasis mine). WHAT A PRECIOUS CROCK...! Do you think the word "hypocrite" would be appropriate one more time?

How stupid do they think the American people are? These are full-grown men. Some of them highly educated people. And yet they shamelessly hawk and huckster their ridiculous religious doctrines, trinkets, and wares over the air waves, like PEDDLERS, in the name of God!

Now don’t think I take credit for coming up with that word "peddler." The apostle Paul told the Corinthians (and now it’s in our Bibles for the whole world to see) that:

"For we are not as the MAJORITY, who are PEDDLING THE WORD GOD..." (II Cor. 2:17, Concordant Version).

The word translated here "peddling" in the Concordant New Testament comes from the word "kapeleuo" which the spirit of God inspired to be used in the original Greek text of this verse of Scripture.

Here is the meaning of the Greek word "kapeleuo" translated "peddler." "To sell at retail, with the insinuation of improper profit, either by overcharging or adulterating" (Greek-English Keyword Concordance, page 220).

And notice please that it is not just a few who "peddle" the Word of God, but Paul says, "...the MAJORITY..." are peddling the word of God! Contrast this insincere merchandising of the word of God with Paul’s motive:

Just a few chapters later Paul informs us that one day we all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account of our lives, (II Cor. 5:10).

This next section in Chronicles tells us the same things we have already learned concerning what products were to be tithed.

[9] II Chronicles 31:5, 6, 12, "And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in ABUNDANCE the firstfruits of CORN, WINE, and OIL, and HONEY, and of all the INCREASE of the field; and the TITHE of all things brought they in abundantly.

This next section of Scriptures deals with a special tithe and offering given to NEW priests and Levites set up by Hezekiah after cleaning house in the cities of Judah by destroying the idols and altars to pagan gods.

[10] Nehemiah 10:37-38, "And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God and the TITHES of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the TITHES in all the cities of our tillage.

Again, no mention of money, only agricultural products of the fields, and only the Levites and priests could have access to these tithes and offerings in the house of God.

[11] Nehemiah 12:44, "And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the fruitfruits, and for the TITHES, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited."

Nothing new in this verse that, we have not already discussed.

[12] Nehemiah 13:5, 12 "And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the TITHES of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests."

Same story: ONLY agricultural products, and ONLY to the Levites and priests.

[13] Amos 4:4, "Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your TITHES after three years."

[14] Malachi 3:8-10, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings…"

This Malachi Prophecy is covered in much greater detail in Part II of this paper, and so I will give just one more Scripture to help us understand how the priests of Malachi’s prophecy may have been living so as to bring upon them the condemnation of God’s judgments:

"And the priest’s custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the PRIEST’S servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a flesh hook of three teeth in the hand;

Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for MEN ABHORRED the offering of the Lord." (I Sam. 2:13:17).

Don’t these verses sound as if they came right out of the book of Malachi?

[15] Matt. 23:23 and Luke 11:42 are discussed in greater detail in Part II of this paper.

Now I’m going to preach at you for just a few minutes, and then I’ll let you go. Turn to Gal. 6:14-16:

"Now may it not be mine to be boasting, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything, but a NEW CREATION. And whoever shall observe the elements by this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, also on the Israel of God."

What is "...this rule...?" We are no longer doing things according to the flesh. Circumcision was the single most important ritual for a man in Israel to do. Yet circumcision is physical (of the letter and of the flesh), even water baptism is physical (of the letter and of the flesh), sacrificing animals is physical (of the letter and of the flesh), tithing is physical (of the letter and of the flesh), etc., etc., etc.

"...God, Who also makes us competent dispensers of a NEW covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit, for the letter is killing, yet the spirit is vivifying [giving life]" (II Cor. 3:6).

The physical is but a tiny microcosm of the spiritual macrocosm. Cutting a few centimeters of skin from a boy does not make him a spiritual man! But all of these rituals and ceremonies of the Old Covenant pointed to a future SPIRITUAL reality. True circumcision is not of the flesh, but of the heart, mind, soul, and spirit—it virtually has nothing to do with a few centimeters of physical skin.

"For not that which is apparent is the Jew, nor yet that which is apparent in flesh is circumcision; but that which is hidden IS the Jew, and circumcision is of the heart, in spirit, not in letter, whose applause is not of men, but of God" (Rom. 2:29).

Jesus Christ is not interested in the letter, in the physical, in the flesh.

"Now those who are in the flesh are not able to please God" (Rom. 8:8).

Even baptism is of the heart. The thief on the cross was not baptized in water, yet Jesus said he would be with Him when He comes in His kingdom. "...whoever are baptized into Christ Jesus, are baptized into His DEATH" "His death," not water.

"We, then, were entombed together with Him through baptism into death, that, even as Christ was roused from among the dead through the glory of the Father, thus we also should be walking in newness of life" (Rom. 6:3-4).

It’s all about the SPIRIT--not water, foreskins, and money!

God doesn’t need or want ten percent of anything we have. God wants one hundred percent. Christ died for ALL OF YOU, and He wants ALL OF YOU, not just a percentage! God doesn’t want your money; He wants YOU!

You are already bought and paid for in full by Christ Jesus -- don’t try to add your two cents. We are now to live on a standard far above what we ever knew before Christ called us to become new creatures in the spirit. This can only be done through the power of God’s spirit. Our flesh is profiting NOTHING.

"Yet you are not in flesh, but IN SPIRIT, if so be that God’s spirit is making its home in you" (Rom. 8:9).

One living in the spirit is not all concerned about physical things of the letter and of the flesh. The apostle Paul wasn’t called to "baptize," "circumcise," or "collect tithes." The kingdom of God is not food and drink. Paul’s whole ministry was proof of that--see my paper, "Paul’s Splinter in the Flesh."

If people feel they need to give something to God, something physical, something they can see and feel good about, then try this:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove that is that good and acceptable and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:1-2).

The Apostle Paul said:

"Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of NECESSITY: for GOD LOVETH A CHEERFUL GIVER." (II Cor.. 9:7).

I would not give another penny to televangelists who peddle the word of God like some cheap merchandise for money. And the amount of money they extort from the public is colossal. What in the world do they do with all that money?

Never have SO MANY… accomplished SO LITTLE … with SO MUCH!

The real missionaries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ have not flown first class to cushy hotels in exotic lands to teach the natives while dressed in their $3000 suits! The real missionaries were often down in the trenches with few if any luxuries. And there are still to be found such dedicated dispensers of God’s Word. These are the ones that are in need of financial support, for sure. These are those who truly are "worthy of their hire."

HELP THE NEEDY, NOT THE GREEDY

Give to the fatherless, the orphans, the strangers, the widows, the poor, and the needy, the homeless, and the beggar on the street, as God gives to you, the wherewithal. Give to reputable charities if you have extra. Give to your family members and relatives in need—don’t humiliate them by making them ask you first. Give to a neighbor in financial distress. Even when tipping someone, let it be a reflection of the One that you are representing in your Christian walk. Our God is a generous God—may you become generous also. Develop a "love for giving." Paul tells us in Acts 20:35b to:

Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE

There is a need for unity amongst believers; this is difficult because each of the groups I mentioned has its good points and strengths, yet they are all flawed in some way. The Word of God has no flaws, and this is where we must meet. I was raised in the Baptist church, I went to a Lutheran School (middle school), I have had fellowship with different groups within the military chapel system, and I worked with foreign missionaries in Korea for 2 years. I helped start the first Church of God in Christ in Korea. During Operation Desert Storm I lead 2 Muslims to Christ with an Assembly of God brother and an apostolic brother. (This was not easy…but it happened) I have preached in Honduras, Turkey, and Somalia. Now why am I sharing all of this? Everywhere I went God teamed me up with people from nearly every group I mentioned…AND IT WORKED! It worked because in the military we didn’t have the luxury of always finding Christians just like you. My first assignment overseas I was teamed up with a Southern Baptist Caucasian brother. He was from Forsythe County, Georgia. This is one of the most racist areas in America, yet we worked together like brothers.

The demonic walls of separation in the Protestant church MUST come down. How can we preach to the Catholic about the mote in his eye, while we the Protestants have a beam in our own? The saints of God must gather at the foot of the cross of Jesus. The Word of God must be all of our training manuals. Salvation by grace through faith is what caused Martin Luther to start the first reformation; we have departed from this in a great way. The doctrine of salvation through grace and faith has to be the preeminent prime directive for the church. Paul said it best in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first and to the Gentile.” We must rally around the Gospel of Christ as our anthem and battle cry. Paul also said, “Woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel.” What is the Gospel? It isn’t politics, it isn’t prosperity, and it isn’t divine healing or speaking in tongues. These things have their place but they cannot replace the simplicity of the Gospel. Jesus came to save the world! Salvation is a free gift that is for all that desire it. This is what Martin Luther nearly died to protect. Paul did die to protect this doctrine! All of the disciples died for this message of hope in Christ. Let us not stain their memory by dividing over things that don’t impact salvation.

Salvation of the soul is the main issue, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul. Eternity is a long time, Insuring people spend it with the Lord is more important than insuring they have wealth! What do you think can help usher in the Second Reformation?

A real Christian – someone imbued with the spirit of Christ – advocates more help for the suffering, NOT LESS. And less is what the right-wing pseudo-Christians advocate. For all of the Right Wings religious fervor, WHY does the GOP hate poor people so much? Now I know the Democrats are immoral (Abortion & Gay Rights), But it is EQUALLY immoral to NOT help the poor!

Right-wing pseudo-Christians can rant and rave that money will be wasted, blah blah blah. Yes, I know that. But lives will be saved. Following the right-wing pseudo-Christian path causes more death.

Indeed, right-wing pseudo-Christians play the role of a collective rich man ignoring Lazarus [23] at their gate.

Or that of a collective priest or Levite in the Good Samaritan parable [24] crossing to the other side of the street.

This is why it's not "tax-and-spend" liberals who are evil, but rather, the evil ones are those whom we can counterpart-like label as deny-and-destroy, cut-and-kill conservatives.

Advocating anything less than an Equivalent Alternative Solution violates Matthew 25 because however many fewer people are helped, or less assistance offered, or delay incurred in getting the help to them, means to that extent some of the "least of these" are being rejected.

In other words, it can be said of these people who are not helped at all, or helped less than necessary, or helped too late:

'Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' 45. Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' Matthew 25:44-45 [other translations]

Come to think of it, what about the fact that conservatives don't just have less comprehensive plans or even no plans at all, but they actually oppose and block the efforts of others who do have workable, full solutions?

That's right, now you're beginning to think like a true Christian, or a true follower of any real spiritual path or discipline. The sin of right-wing pseudo-Christians actually goes far beyond merely Lazarus-story-like ignoring the suffering.

Right-wing pseudo-Christians act like the most important goal is to prevent a government program from being the vehicle to help the "least of these."

Funny, but I don't recall Jesus approvingly saying to those on their way to Heaven, "I was hungry, and you gave me no food, but what was more important is that you made sure that I was not fed by a government program that could have been wasteful."

Without Equivalent Alternative Solutions of their own, and by vigorously opposing the plans offered by others to help the suffering, right-wing pseudo-Christians not only don’t feed the hungry, they prevent them from being fed, they take food out of the mouths of the hungry.

Sean Hannity et al are worse than the cursed "goats" Jesus places by his left hand and condemns to Hell. In Matthew 25, Jesus recounts that the cursed didn’t help Jesus. Sean Hannity et al prevent other people – indeed the society itself -- from helping Jesus.

Again: it isn't that conservatives advocate a plan to feed the hungry that I ideologically disapprove of. It's not like they say, let's accomplish the goal this way, with private industry. It's that they advocate not having a full solution, and therefore NOT feeding the hungry. One must conclude that right-wing pseudo-Christians are not just against "big government," they are against the goals of these "big government" programs – helping "the least of these."

Imagine if the Pharisee had not just crossed the road to avoid helping the person in need, but had then body-slammed the Good Samaritan and pinned him down, thus preventing the Good Samaritan from lending a hand. How much worse would that be! [25]

This is the essence of the "pseudo" designation: you can't be a true Christian if the focus of your life is thwarting others and the society itself from fully implementing such a fundamental teaching of Christianity as Matthew 25. You can oppose government programs, but then you must propose Equivalent Alternative Solutions.

It bears repeating: this is precisely why it's not "tax-and-spend" liberals who are evil, but rather, the deny-and-destroy, cut-and-kill right-wing pseudo-Christians.

Verily, a third category needs to be added to Matthew 25's sheep and goats, to separate out the merely negligent or personally stingy, from sinners like right-wing pseudo-Christians who actively seek to thwart those trying to help the "least of these."

Not so fast. Jesus didn't say have a government program to feed the hungry.

True. And so what? Jesus never said to use a government program, and he never said not to use a government program. Similarly, Jesus never said to use private charity, and he never said not to use private charity. Matthew 25 doesn't say how or how not to help Jesus in the guise of the suffering, it just says you must help them.

Jesus didn't say how, he just said do it.

Jesus said "I was hungry and you gave me food." He didn’t say how to feed the hungry or how not to feed the hungry. In whatever system you live under, however you want to do it, just do it!

Right-wing pseudo-Christians confuse mandatory, forbidden and permissible. Just because something isn't specified as mandatory – e.g., using a government program – doesn't mean it's forbidden. It's a permissible way. If you don't like that way, fine. But to avoid a Matthew 25 violation, you must offer an Equivalent Alternative Solution, which helps at least the same number of people the same amount, as soon and as certainly.

A critical point to understand is that while misfortune can be cured by charity, structural/systemic injustice – the type called "structures of sin" by Pope John Paul II -- can be cured only by structural/systemic solutions. Charity can provide a sometimes critically necessary Band-Aid for the results of structural/systemic injustice, but charity alone cannot provide the cure.

Government is one legitimate structural/systemic means to use for solving problems that are society-wide and systemic, or are otherwise beyond the ability of private charity to handle.

How can these right-wing pseudo-Christians with a straight face read 21st century rabid anti-governmentalism into a 1st century text?

Do they think Jesus would say, "OK, just give what you want to as individuals, and if the problem is too big for individuals to handle, don't pressure your government to help, because after all, even more important than feeding the hungry and helping all the least of these, is making sure the government is small."

Right-wing pseudo-Christians worship the Golden Calf of anti-governmentalism, instead of the God of justice and righteousness and love your neighbor as yourself.

It must truly be asked, how many of the sick and naked and thirsty and hungry of "the least of these" will right-wing pseudo-Christians crucify upon the altar of their hard-line anti-governmentalism?

And right-wing pseudo-Christians apply their anti-governmentalism selectively to boot! They obviously believe in political action and government intervention to foster their own conservative religious beliefs – anti-abortion activism, anyone?

Right-wing pseudo-Christians don't just do work as private individuals or groups, one-on-one with those seeking abortions. They seek to have the government outlaw abortion, and towards that end, elect representatives who will support such a position. This is because right-wing pseudo-Christians know that no matter how many one-on-one encounters they are able to undertake, they can never reach, let alone convert, everyone seeking an abortion, and that a systemic, structural change is necessary to achieve their goal: ending all abortions.

So how can right-wing pseudo-Christians then turn around and argue that the explicit injunctions of Matthew 25, by contrast, are to be carried out solely by private individual or group efforts, without a government role, when the problems of hunger or lack of medical care are similarly beyond the capacity of a charitable, one-on-one effort to solve, and when again, systemic, structural change is needed?

Why don't right-wing pseudo-Christians seek to have the government outlaw hunger or lack of medical treatment? Why don't they fervently campaign to elect representatives who support such positions? Oh no, here it's only private efforts that Jesus wants, even if that dooms countless innocents to death by hunger and lack of medical care. On these issues, right-wing pseudo-Christians are more concerned with avoiding any governmental role than in saving lives!

What light does the Bible shed on this issue? Right-wing pseudo-Christians, in saying there is no role for the government in aiding the poor and establishing justice, either deliberately misread the Bible, or have literally not read major portions of it:

As detailed above, the Bible is full of condemnations of entire societies and governments for not helping the poor and others who are the "least of these."

Indeed, it bears repeating that the prophets Ezekiel and Zechariah, in metaphors involving a shepherd, assume an affirmative duty on behalf of the government to take care of the weak, sick and disabled:

Ezekiel 34:1-4

1. The word of the Lord came to me: 2. "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ho, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3. You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. 4. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the crippled you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. [other translations]

Zechariah 11:15-17

15. Then the Lord said to me, "Take once more the implements of a worthless shepherd. 16. For lo, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for the perishing, or seek the wandering, or heal the maimed, or nourish the sound, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs. 17. Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword smite his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be wholly withered, his right eye utterly blinded!" [other translations]

If you don't work you don't eat. That's what it says.

You are probably referring to this passage:

2 Thessalonians 3:5-15

5. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. 6. Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, 8. we did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you. 9. It was not because we have not that right, but to give you in our conduct an example to imitate. 10. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not eat. 11. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. 12. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living. 13. Brethren, do not be weary in well-doing. 14. If any one refuses to obey what we say in this letter, note that man, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. 15. Do not look on him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. [emphasis added] [other translations]

Your bringing this up shows a certain mean-spiritedness, as if everyone hungry on earth is hungry because they simply don't want to work. How many people do you really think that applies to? Is there anyone who would starve to death rather than work? What about the children who are starving, how does this passage apply to them? What about the people slaving away in agricultural fields who do not earn enough to feed their families… but are picking the food for you to feed yours?

Remember, we're not talking about lazy, able-bodied adults who don't want to work. Why do right-wing pseudo-Christians and other conservatives always assume I want to give food to healthy adults who refuse to work? Ranting on and on about welfare bums is a total straw man argument. [61] That's not whom either I, or Matthew 25, are talking about.

I am talking about people who are starving, or who are gravely ill without access to medical care, or who work full-time at backbreaking labor but are still hungry because their wages are so low.

What about the children? Are they lazy bums who refuse to work? Did they make bad choices in life whose consequences they must now live with? How could anyone read Matthew 25 and not realize that helpless children anywhere are 100% blameless for their plight and must be helped now with all the resources at our disposal?

Your question also evinces an air of superiority, when in reality, no one works harder than those who pick our crops from sunrise to sunset in sweltering, pesticide-contaminated fields. Or those people who work two full-time jobs in what is often still a futile attempt to make ends meet. [62] No one.

In reality, the truly lazy are many of the rich, who live off their investments and do very little if any work, let alone hard labor, during their days of leisure.

Such an attitude toward the poor is part of a creeping demonization of the poor which right-wing pseudo-Christians seem particularly to excel at.

Do they not remember that Mary, Joseph and Jesus were a homeless family?!

Right-wing pseudo-Christians should beware: the Bible notes with disapproval how the poor are often the object of negative feelings:

Proverbs 14:20-21

20. The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends. 21. He who despises his neighbor is a sinner, but happy is he who is kind to the poor. [other translations] [63]

And official Church teachings -- in words seemingly directly addressed to right-wing pseudo-Christians -- explicitly warn against a demonization of the poor:

It will be necessary above all to abandon a mentality in which the poor - as individuals and as people - are considered a burden, as irksome intruders trying to consume what others have produced. The poor ask for the right to share in enjoying material goods and to make use of their capacity to work, thus creating a world that is more just and prosperous for all. The advancement of the poor constitutes a great opportunity for the moral, cultural and even economic growth of all humanity. Centesimus Annus [64]

A true Christian should, Pope John Paul II emphasizes, understand that extreme, life-threatening poverty is caused by injustice, not laziness:

[T]he poor are becoming ever more numerous, victims of specific policies and structures which are often unjust. Ecclesia in America

[O]ne must denounce the existence of economic, financial and social mechanisms which, although they are manipulated by people, often function almost automatically, thus accentuating the situation of wealth for some and poverty for the rest. Solicitudo Rei Socialis [65]

Shame on you for so cavalierly stating that "If you don't work you don't eat," as if such a hard-hearted assertion absolves you of Matthew 25 responsibilities.

So you're saying that Jesus would be a socialist if he came back today? [66]

I was wondering how long it would be before you brought out the old "Commie" and "pinko" epithets.

Your doing so brings to mind the old line that if Marx were alive today he wouldn't be a Communist – because of how the social justice principles and goals of theoretical Communism were distorted into brutal left-wing dictatorships. Similarly, many Christians today ask, if Jesus were alive in our present time, would he be a Christian? That's in part because if someone espouses some of the most elementary principles of justice enshrined in both the Old and New Testaments, right-wing pseudo-Christians immediately start their red-baiting.

I would more usefully frame your question: if there were only two choices, do you think Jesus would be a socialist or a conservative?

We are given some hints in the Church's teachings:

· As discussed above, there is Christian social doctrine that the resources of the earth, and the output of man's work, are meant to be shared equitably by all.

· As discussed above, there is the Church's "preferential option for the poor."

· As will be discussed below, there is the overwhelming concern for the poor and for economic justice that permeates the Old Testament.

· There is the redistribution of wealth injunction of the Old Testament Jubilee Year, when slaves were released and land returned to its original owners. [67]

· And last but not least, do I even have to bring up the clarion words of Jesus repeated in virtual identical fashion in three of the Gospels:

Mark 10:25

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. [other translations] [68]

Such a teaching directly out of the mouth of Christ does not indicate a favorable attitude towards the type of unbridled accumulation of wealth celebrated by right-wing pseudo-Christians. [69]

To hear the right-wing pseudo-Christians, the Messiah's real name must have been Jesus “Adam Smith” Christ. Could someone please tell me where Jesus extols the effectiveness – let alone the morality -- of trickle-down economics? Or the genius of the "free market"? Or where Jesus indicates even in the slightest way that the suffering should not be helped?

Socialism, at least in its concern that the world's goods be distributed equitably and that the suffering be helped, seems a lot closer to Church social doctrine than does the blind, idol-level market-worship of right-wing pseudo-Christians. [70]

In short, is not "Do unto others…" the essence of the goal of socialism, and the opposite of the operating principle of unregulated capitalism?

On the entire question of redistribution of wealth and income, having rich people is fine, as long as no one is dying because the rich hoard too much of the wealth. Once everyone is at least minimally taken care of, then the super-greedy can be allowed to have more than their fair share. [71]

The case now, however, is that because the rich monopolize such a grotesquely huge share of the income and wealth, there's not enough left for everyone else. [72]

As noted above, and bearing repeating: the top 10% of individuals in the United States receive 46% of the income and control 71% of the wealth in this country. Globally, 25% of the people receive 75% of the income, and the richest 20% of the world's population monopolizes 86 per cent of global wealth. [73]

In other words: 80% of humanity must try to survive on a mere 14% of the world's wealth. To look at it in perhaps more comprehensible terms: Dividing up $100 among ten people in the same proportions would produce two people with $4.30 each, and 8 people with 18 cents each. How can anyone doubt that such an inequitable division of the world's resources means that those at the bottom will suffer and die as the very least of "the least of these"? [74]

Bottom line: it really isn't about socialism, capitalism, or any other
-ism. It's only about ensuring the well-being of "the least of these."

The purpose here is not to argue that Jesus would be a socialist if he were alive today. It is to point out how ludicrous it is for people who profess to be Christians to redbait solely because serious measures to ameliorate economic injustice are proposed.

At the very minimum, Jesus would be for enough regulation of capitalism to accomplish the Matthew 25 goals, not for the law-of-the-jungle, let-them-suffer-it's-their-own-fault Hobbesianism of the right-wing pseudo-Christians.

Even if what you've said so far is correct, the only way to get to Heaven is to accept Jesus as your savior. Works alone don't cut it. [75]

This oft-repeated refrain which I receive from right-wing pseudo-Christians is based, they claim, on passages like:

John 14:6

I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. [other translations]

Well, "by me" can mean not verbal acceptance, but through doing God's will, as Matthew 25 details.

Another passage offered by right-wing pseudo-Christians is:

Ephesians 2:8-9

8. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God -- 9. not because of works, lest any man should boast. [other translations]

What the right-wing pseudo-Christians omit is that however much faith and grace are indispensable, they are clearly not by themselves sufficient:

James 2:14-17

14. What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? 15. If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, 16. and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? 17. So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. [other translations] [76]

A bit further on:

James 2:20-24

20. Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? 21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? 22. You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, 23. and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God. 24. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. [other translations] [77]

In other words, both faith and works are required:

[F]aith which is not reflected in one's actions is not real faith. Our actions, our works, are the evidence that our faith is genuine... [A]t the end of our life the best evidence of what we have believed is to be found in what we have done. [78]

Pope John Paul II says the same thing:

Conversion, therefore, fosters a new life, in which there is no separation between faith and works in our daily response to the universal call to holiness. In order to speak of conversion, the gap between faith and life must be bridged. Where this gap exists, Christians are such only in name. To be true disciples of the Lord, believers must bear witness to their faith, and "witnesses testify not only with words, but also with their lives"… We must keep in mind the words of Jesus: "Not every one who says to me, "Lord, Lord!' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Mt 7:21)....

The social dimension of conversion...

[C]onversion is incomplete if we are not aware of the demands of the Christian life and if we do not strive to meet them.... Hence, for the Christian people of America conversion to the Gospel means to revise "all the different areas and aspects of life, especially those related to the social order and the pursuit of the common good"... Involvement in the political field is clearly part of the vocation and activity of the lay faithful. Ecclesia in America

So it is clear both profession of faith, and works to evidence that faith, are required. Certainly there's no way to interpret John 14:6 to mean faith without works gets you into Heaven, since the plain language of James 2:14-17 says it won't.

What is the biblical purpose of sex?

The biblical purpose of sex is multifaceted. God has given sex to us as a means of glorifying Him as we fulfill its design for procreation, intimacy, comfort, and physical pleasure. It is a fulfillment of God's created order in marriage between a husband and wife.

• Procreation
• Gen. 1:28, "And God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'"
• Intimacy
• Song 1:13, "My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh which lies all night between my breasts."
• Song 2:3, "Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down, and his fruit was sweet to my taste."
• Song 2:6, "Let his left hand be under my head and his right hand embrace me.”
• Song 4:5, "Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, which feed among the lilies."
• Companionship
• Song 3:1, “On my bed night after night I sought him whom my soul loves..."
• Physical Pleasure
• Song 1:2, "May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine."

The sexual relation is only properly expressed in marriage between a husband and wife (1 Cor. 7:2-3). Any sexual contact between unmarried people is sinful since it violates God's design.
Sex is a wonderful blessing given to us by the Lord that serves to express intimacy to another. Some theologians believe that the sexual union is representative of the intimacy found in the Trinity. This is not to say that the members of the Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, have sexual relations. That is absurd. But there is an incredible intimacy and communion between them. The three persons in the Godhead are, after all, one God. This is why Jesus said that He and the Father were one (John 10:30). Remember, God says when a man and woman get married, they become one flesh (Gen. 2:24). This expression of physical union which has a spiritual aspect to it ("the two become one flesh") and is why some theologians see the sexual relation as a sacred experience.
We don't know if such speculations are accurate, but sexuality is to remain pure nonetheless. This means that the marriage bed must not violate the commandments of God in deed or thought -- no adultery, no pornography, no voyeurism, no bestiality, incest, etc. The sexual union is God ordained and God given and must be experienced in a godly way within marriage. In this, the sexual union can bring glory to God as it is experienced in fulfillment of God's design and purpose to provide pleasure, companionship, intimacy, and a means of fulfilling the command of God to fill the earth.
So the purpose of sex is to glorify God, bring forth children, express intimacy, provide comfort, and bless the spouse.

Biblical Preaching is Not Welcomed in Churches

We often hear pastors, radio preachers, and televangelists refer to the great prophets and Apostles of the Bible. Rightly, these Bible characters are lauded as examples for today's Christians. The problem is, hardly any of those giants of history would be welcome in America's churches today!

On the whole, America's Christians today do not want to hear the truth. They want a place where they can be made to feel good, where they can be entertained, where they can socialize and make business contacts, and where their children can have a place to play.

To many Christian parents, it is far more important that their church have a gymnasium and constant youth programs than it is that their children hear the truth of God's Word and learn the rigorous disciplines of a Christian life. Recreation is far more important to them than Bible study. In fact, most parents seem to believe that the only way to "keep the kids in church" is to have constant, non-stop entertainment. Of course, it doesn't work.

Furthermore, it seems that most of today's sermons amount to little more than "Positive Mental Attitude," feel-good drivel: "How to think better about yourself," "How to squander more money on yourself," "How to 'find yourself,'" "How to pamper yourself," ad nauseum, ad infinitum. Comparing the preaching and philosophy of most churches today to that of Bible characters will quickly reveal how unbiblical our churches have become.

For example, can you imagine how the average church in America today would react to the decisions of Daniel and the three Hebrew children? All four of them were unashamed and unhesitant to practice civil disobedience. All four of them were charged with capital crimes by their government and sentenced to death. In Daniel's case, all he had to do was not pray out loud to God for thirty days. Thirty days! I can just hear today's Christian pragmatists screaming, "It's only for thirty days. You can still pray in your heart. We must obey the government." Can you imagine Daniel being asked to preach a message on "How And When To Defy Your Government" to the vast majority of churches in America today? Forget it!

Moreover, take a look at practically every single Old Testament prophet. Ninety percent of their preaching was negative. They seldom had anything positive to say, especially about the way their nation's leaders were behaving. They were often jailed, beaten, starved, or even killed. They were as familiar with prisons as they were with pulpits. They were despised by political leaders, rejected by religious leaders, and shunned by business leaders.

It wasn't much better for the Apostles and disciples in the New Testament. John the Baptist was beheaded for "meddling in politics." The Apostles were beaten, stoned, and jailed. The Apostle Paul was especially hated. He was hated by Jews; he was hated by Romans; he was hated by businessmen; he was hated by politicians; he was even hated by fellow ministers.

Can you imagine the Apostle Paul preaching a message on "Conquering Low Self-Esteem"? Get real! Give Paul an opportunity today to preach to a church of one thousand members one Sunday morning, and by Sunday night (if they even had a Sunday night service), there might be fifty people back to hear him.

It is probably difficult for this generation of Christians to even comprehend that this fearless, uncompromising, "like it or lump it" kind of preaching was the kind of preaching that America cut its teeth on. The colonies and frontier of this nation were filled with prophet-like clergymen. And it didn't really matter which denomination one attended, either; he or she heard the same kind of preaching.

Whether it was the Baptist Joab Houghton or the Presbyterian James Caldwell or the Lutheran John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg or the Episcopalian Samuel Provost or the German Reformed Nicholas Herkimer, they were all plucky, pugnacious preachers! Why, I can even recall hearing old fashioned "hell-fire and damnation" preachers when I was a lad.

It was a "hell-fire" Holiness preacher that led my mother to Christ. A "hell-fire" Baptist preacher led my alcoholic father to Christ. I can even recall many trips to the last remaining Billy Sunday Tabernacle in Winona Lake, Indiana, to hear the great "hell-fire" preachers from virtually every Protestant denomination in the country. I remember the crowds of thousands sitting on those hard, wooden benches for hours listening intently to those masterful sermons. In my mind, I can still see (and smell) the sawdust floors where hundreds of people rushed to the front in answer to those altar calls and the studio high atop the platform where radio station WMBI transmitted those great sermons over the air. Alas, those days are gone.

No wonder our people today have become self-centered, sensitive, and shallow. They seldom, if ever, hear honest, straight-forward, fearless (telling-it like-it-is) preaching.

Therefore, the next time you hear someone refer to the great men of the Bible, ask yourself, "Would that prophet be welcome in my church today?" In most instances, the answer is a resounding no! And now you know why America is in the shape it's in today: the nation always takes the form of its preachers and churches.

Perhaps you never thought of Jesus going to Church, but He did. The first time that something is mentioned in Scripture, it is often very instructive. Although it was the habit of Jesus to attend local synagogues during His life, the first time the Scriptures mention Jesus going to the temple as a adult is in Matt. 21:12:

"And they came to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to CAST OUT them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And He taught, saying unto them, ‘Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the House of Prayer? But ye have made it a DEN OF THIEVES [Gk: ‘burglars’ cave’].’ And the SCRIBES and CHIEF PRIESTS heard it, and sought how they might DESTROY HIM: for they feared Him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine" (Mark 11:15-18).

What a revelation of the church of God we have in these three verses!

Jesus was so angry with the leaders at the temple for turning it into a money-making flea market, that he:

1. "cast out them that sold and bought in the temple"

2. "overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and seats of them that sold doves"

3. "suffered no one to carry vessels [of merchandise] through the temple"

Jesus said that they "made the House of Prayer a DEN OF THIEVES"!

Say, did you notice that they were buying and selling "…in the Temple?" Do you think that just maybe this has anything to do with the fact that,

"…NO MAN might BUY OR SELL, save he that had the MARK OR THE NAME OF THE BEAST, or the NUMBER OF HIS NAME" (Rev. 13:17)?

 1. More emphasis must be placed on soulwinning and outreach
initiatives, evangelism has to be outside the 4 walls of the church,
our understanding of an "evangelist" in many of our churches is
someone that get the saints excited and raise a big offering for the
church and himself. An Evangelist is a SOULWINNER plain and simple.
The Pastor has to disciple the new converts after they are won to
Jesus! The primary purpose of the Holy Ghost is to HELP us in
ministry (Acts 1:8). Ministry isn't just at a PULPIT! It is in
hospitals, Prisons, Nursing homes, and the street. The problem is
when you minister away from the pulpit no one can see you, too
many "preachers" like the spotlight rather than being a light!


2. The Office of Deacon MUST be restored to it's rightful place, we
could take a lesson from the Baptist church on this issue. We would
have more men and stronger men if they were groomed and trained to be
DEACONS! Deacons are not just old men holding the collection plate! I
was a Deacon at the age of 22, I tought Bible Study, Sunday School,
and led the street witnessing team! I did more ministry as a Deacon
than some Elders!


3. EDUCATION is NOT the enemy! We MUST make the requirements for
ordination TOUGHER! We have far too many preachers that are not well
versed in the scriptures, we know who sits on the general board, we
know who the state mother is, and the Clark Sisters latest CD...but
tell some of these ministers to stand toe to toe with an Apostolic
and defend the COGIC stance on the Trinity and Baptism!
Apologetically TOO MANY of our preachers are lacking! And don't tell
me "all I need is the anointing!" A sound Bible education ENHANCES
the anointing, if you can't read well, how can you understand the
Word and preach to others? With all thy getting get an
understanding...isn't that what the BIBLE say's?


4. Women need to be ordained with a stipulation, no woman can rise to
the office of Bishop. Women CAN and are called to PREACH! Nuff said!
Many of our COGIC churches were STARTED by women but woman are not
GOOD enough to sit in OUR pulpits? God forbid!


5. Youth Ministries MUST expand and think outside the box, if we lose
our youth the church will dry up and die! When I was 14 years old my
Baptist church had a "Youth Deacon Board" (I was one), The Older
Deacons mentored us, we delivered food to the sick and shut in,
washed seniors cars and cut thier grass....we need to better train
our boys to be men. True religion is to visit the widow AND the
FATHERLESS!

6. Foriegn Missions has to be MORE of a priority in the COGIC and in
Black churches in general, who better than black people to evangelize
3rd world countries? Our problem is we preach prosperity more than
the Gospel, prosperity doesn't work on the Mission Field. We MUST
fulfill the Great Commission, it was a command NOT an option!



Chaplain Mark H. Stevens, M.Min

New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies

 If Jesus Christ were to enter a convening of pastors who teach that people on DISABILITY are to TITHE (10%) of their disability checks to these pastors, you wouldn't want to be in the same room with them! If you think Jesus berated the hypocritical Pharisees in Matthew 23, I don't think you would have seen anything yet!

Listen to Jesus' own words:
"WOE UNTO YOU, SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES! For you tithe of mint and anise and cummin [little herbs of the garden], and have OMITTED the weightier matters of the law, JUDGMENT, MERCY, AND FAITH..." (Mat. 23:23).

WOW! There it is, saints! Tithing was NOTHING to Jesus compared to properly judging [taking care of], MERCY [where is the mercy in taking WIDOW'S MITES?], and FAITH [these hypocrites don't HAVE ANY FAITH, or they would trust God for their ministries and NOT WIDOWS WHO ARE DISABLED]..."

Read Verse 14:

"WOE UNTO YOU, SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES! For you DEVOUR WIDOWS' HOUSES..."!!!

It is UNSCRIPTURAL EVIL to place these burdens on the shoulders of fragile widows!! Verse 4:

"For they bind HEAVY BURDENS and GRIEVOUS to be born, and lay them on men's [AND WIDOW'S] shoulders; but THEY themselves will NOT move them with one of their fingers."

Exodus 22:22 "Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless
child." Exodus 22:23 "If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry
at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;" Exodus 22:24 "And my
wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your
wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless."

God's protection of widows is throughout the Bible. It was a
widow named Anna, a prophetess eighty-four years old, who was one of
the two witnesses recognizing Jesus as the Saviour of the world at His
dedication, when He was forty days old. It was a widow Elijah
stayed with during a terrible famine, and God miraculously fed them.
What this was really saying, was that God, Himself, protects those who
cannot help themselves. If you do wrong to those who cannot protect
themselves, you have God to deal with. He fights their battles for
them. He will punish according to the sin. He would make
your wives widows, and your children orphans, because He would kill you.

Isaiah 10:1 "Woe unto them that
decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness [which] they
have prescribed;"

This is speaking of those who are listened to by others. It is
bad to sin yourself, but to lead someone else into sin through
statements you make is much worse. This woe is spoken to those who
lead others astray, with the things they say. Writing plans for others
to live by is very dangerous, as well, when they are things the writer
has decided, and not God. The leader, who writes or speaks, better
speak as an oracle of God. Their writing and speaking must be from God
and not from themselves.

Isaiah 10:2 "To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take
away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their
prey, and [that] they may rob the fatherless!"

This is speaking of those who favor the wealthy over the poor in
judging them. This is, also, speaking of people who take advantage of
a widow or orphan. God teaches that we are to take care of the widow
and orphan, not cheat them out of the little they have.

Isaiah 10:3 "And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in
the desolation [which] shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for
help? and where will ye leave your glory?"

There is a day of reckoning when Jesus will stand and Judge the
whole world. His judgement will be righteous. Who can help you when
that day comes? The answer is no one, because you cannot deceive the
Lord. Just because you have had some place of authority on this earth
will not speak in your favor before the Lord. In fact, if you have
been a cruel leader, or one who taught them falsely, you will be
judged the more severely. To whom much is given, much is required.

Chaplain Mark H. Stevens, M.Min
New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies


Scriptures from KJV and the NIV unless otherwise noted


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