Tithing; what's it all about?

Your Tithe is it just the money you put in the plate as it passes by?

      We think of our tithe as the tenth of our income and putting that in the plate and that is part of our tithe. What else is part of the tithe? What could there be besides the tenth we put in the offering plate? What else should we be doing? You mean we need to do more than just put our check in the offering plate as it passes by?                                                                               

So lets take a look at what the word of God says about our needs being met. Philippians 4:19 says My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Matthew 28-33 talks about what shall we eat what shall we drink what shall we wear Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you. Luke 6:38 Give and it will be given to you, a good measure, pressed down shaken together ,and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured to you!!!

   Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house ,test me in this says the Lord God Almighty “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it!!! All the Silver and Gold is his Haggai 2:8. Psalm 50:10 says this Every animal of the forest is mine and the cattle on a thousand hills!!

  Proverbs 19:17 says He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done. 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 says this sow sparingly= reap sparingly. Sow generously = reap generously.  Please read the rest of this scripture. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 God will always take care of our needs!!! We cannot out give God and the good things we plant has a good harvest. Our lives are directly impacted by how we share our wealth with others. God gives back pressed down shaken and poured over we cannot hold onto all of what God can give us what we do with it is how it comes back to us. 

  Now back to that earlier question I had. We have seen in these scriptures how our lives get impacted on what we do we get in return.  So the question just the Money in the plate?

1 Peter 4:10 God has given each of us a gift use it to serve one another. This verse is saying time tithe time. Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifice is pleasing to God! Wow pleasing to God what we have share if you grow a garden all the surplus you can spare give. If you give your time God will give it back to you and then some. If you tithe on your garden produce God will give you a better crop. If you visit the fatherless and give your time he will give it back.

Anything you can think of is what God is bringing to your attention to tithe off of. Thanks for your time reading this may you be blessed from Gods Word he has given me. Tithing is for every aspect of our life help everyone out you can God bless you all have a great week!

Pastor Kent Furch

Worship IS More Than Music

What do you think of when you think of the word worship?  If you are like most people, the answer is something about singing songs in church and maybe praying during the service.  But is that all there is to worship?

According to Paul, the answer is no.  In Colossians 3:23 he wrote "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men."  (New King James version)  That means whatever you do can be an act of worship! 

Obviously this doesn't apply to everything.  Anything that goes against the Bible can't be an act of worship toward God.  But going about your normal day bagging groceries, driving a bus, or working in an office can be an act of worship.  The key is to 1.) dedicate your time and what you are doing to God, 2.) do it in a way that glorifies Him, and 3.) remember that no matter what you do for a job or for fun, you are God's Ambassador, His representative to the world.

God At The Center

In our busy world, we are constantly on the go.  Even when we are sitting down at home and relaxing,  there is still stuff that pulls us in different directions.  Kids, making supper, chores, ect.  Even if none of that applies, there is still tv, sports, and our phones to demand our attention.

In our busy world, we need to remember to keep God at the center of everything we do.  Our lives, our relationships, our jobs, our marriages, all need to be centered around God.  According to Jesus, this is the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37)

By centering our lives on God, it will help us to follow Him more closely.  It will help us to see others as He sees them, It will help us to share His love with others.  Most importantly, when we make God the center of our lives, it helps us to make everything we do an act of worship.

So how do we put God at the center?  Jesus said it best.  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’"  Ask God to help you put Him first in your life.  Ask Him to show you anything that is getting between you and God.  Ask Him to help you focus our life, your family, and everything you do around Him.

Idols Are Temporary

Everyone has things in their lives that demand a lot of their attention.  Some of them are bad, like drugs and alcohol.  Some are good, like family, school, and your favorite sports team.  Others can go either way, like Politics.  All of these are things that we tend to focus on, but some times we focus too much on them.

When that happens, they become an idol to us.  Often we may not even realize it.  What started out as talking about politics with a friend become the main thing you talk about, read about, and think about.  You want to get good grades so you study hard and then next thing you know you are spending most of your time studying.  You start working a few more hours a week to make a bit more money and before you know it you're at work more then you are at home.  When we start focusing on things more then God, they become an idol.

Again, some of the stuff mentioned aren't bad by themselves.  They only become idols when we focus on them more then God.  He is the one we should be focusing on the most.  When we do, it is a way we can worship God.  If we are focusing on other things more then Him, then we are worshiping those instead.

Next time you are praying, ask God to show you things in your life that are idols, or are becoming idols, and then ask Him to help you focus on Him more.  Idols are temporary, but God is forever.

Under Grace--Romans 6:14

In the Old Testament, God gave the Israelites several laws to follow and rituals to perform in order to be forgiven of their sins.  These practices are the basis for the different rules and practices that modern day Jews practice, with the most important day of the year, Yom Kippur,  being a day of prayer and fasting in the hope that God forgives your sins and grants you salvation for the next year.

 In Islam, it is required that you practice the five pillars of Islam.  Not doing so if you are able to could result in being denied entrance into the afterlife.

 There are branches of Christianity that teach that, unless you perform certain actions, you will not go to Heaven.  These range from simply being baptized to going door to door witnessing to others.  Some are easy enough to do, such as being baptized as a baby, while others may take years to complete.

 All three of these are based on things found in the Old Testament and view salvation as something you have to earn, but it isn't!  The Bible says multiple times that there is nothing you can do to earn it!  The work has already been done!  Jesus' death on the cross cleared the path for us to enter into Heaven.  The only thing we have to do is ask God to forgive our sins and follow Jesus.

 There is nothing you can do to earn salvation.  Jesus already did all the work for you.  All you have to do is accept it. 

Compassion and Forgiveness--Ephesians 4:32

Every day we have opportunities to decide how we want to treat others.  We can choose to be compassionate or to be cruel.  We can choose kindness or indifference.  We can choose to forgive others or not to forgive them.

 What we choose in those situations depends on several things.  Upbringing, circumstance, and mood can all affect our choice, as can other factors.  But for followers of Christ, the Bible says how we should act.

 First, Ephesians 4:32 says we are to be kind and compassionate to others.  This can be tough sometimes but, if we ask, God can help us to do so.

 It also says that we are to forgive others.  Also something that can be easier said then done.  But it goes on to say that we are to forgive as Christ forgave us!  Jesus forgives no matter what we have done.  While we are unlikely to forgive everyone unconditionally,  we can at least try.

Seek God's Approval--Galatians 1:10

Most people tend to like it when others like them or the things they do.  Whether it is a spouse commenting on the good job you did cooking dinner, your boss mentioning the hard work you did at a board meeting, or a stranger walking by and commenting on how nice your garden looks, we usually hope others will like what we do and like us.

 But how often do we wonder about whether God approves of us and the things we do?  Sure there are some things that He clearly would approve.  Things such as loving others, helping people in need.  But what about things like how you interact with your friends?  What about the music or shows you watch? 

 This is especially true for pastors.  It can be tough to preach a sermon that may offend someone, but sometimes you have to.  Pastors especially need to remember Paul's words in Galatians 1:10 "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?"

 Seek God's approval first.  Please Him before worrying about pleasing others.    Make Him the focus of your life.  The approval of mortal man is temporary, but God's approval is forever.