How about checking the "genealogy"
of those claiming to be called of God to preach? How? I
know, it's not an easy task. But to start with, it's not a bad idea to check
whether they preach truth
- the full truth, that is - and for this we need to know the word of God.
To check what they teach
on the doctrine of tithing would be a good place to start.
There is so much talk on the subject of giving (apart
from tithing) in the churches today. In my
seven years of "hard labor" in my ex church, I heard this subject mentioned
more often than any
other, the Bible usually quoted, however, most of these statements were
incomplete: they
terminated before a little two-letter word "to...". Give to whom? Sadly,
this is the case with many,
if not most, churches that place giving and tithing in a prominent position.
I examined hundreds of
references in the Bible in order to find to which kind of giving God gives
most prominence. One
does not have to be a skilled statistician to quickly conclude that God speaks
about giving to the
needy more often than about all other giving put together. And He stated,
in the OT and the NT that
the poor will always be among us. Anyone who teaches differently is making
God a liar and Jesus
a false prophet.
|
Deu. 15:11 (God speaking) "For the poor will NEVER cease
from the land..."
Mark 14:7 (Jesus speaking) "For you have the poor with
you ALWAYS, and whenever
you wish, you may do them good..." |
Yet, we hear more and more frequently, from the pulpit,
that there are no poor people, or "they are
poor because they choose to be so". Often, the book of Deuteronomy becomes
valid (all of a
sudden!) where it mentions the poor "within your gates", supposedly meaning
the poor should join
"my church" in order to be eligible to get help. "Within your gates" in the
OT meant within the
tribal land. God did not want to make it too hard for those needing help
by sending them across the
land to get their food. Today "within your gates" is as far as your bank
is (your telephone or even
your computer terminal). You can T-T your money to any destination in the
world within minutes.
Now, let's see first what the OT says about giving to the poor.
|
Ps. 41:1 "Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord
will deliver him in time of
trouble."
Prov. 19:17 "He who has pity on the poor lends to the
Lord, and He will pay back what he
has given."
Prov. 22:19 "He who has a generous eye will be blessed,
for he gives of his bread to the
poor." |
What is the Bible teaching us? Those who give to the poor
can expect only blessing, and more
blessing; not from those to whom they give, but from God Himself. Even if
the needy do not
happen to be in your denomination, or your country, or even if he is your
enemy, do not let it
worry you.
|
Prov. 25:21-22 "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread
to eat; and if he is thirsty give
him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the
Lord will reward
you." |
Now, let's consider some more Bible teaching on giving
(or lack of it) to the poor:
|
Prov. 28:27 "He who gives to the poor will not lack, but
he who hides his eyes will have
many curses." |
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