Thursday, 29 December 2016
Ten Ways you can step into All that God has for you
We can enter the next year filled with new direction and hope. Here are some ways that you can step into all that God has for you.
1. Forgiveness
This is the way to the Lord's heart. This is one of the most incredible gifts that the Lord has given us – the ability to forgive. Before New Year's Eve comes, spend some time in prayer, forgiving the people who have hurt you. Send them a nice message, love on them. God will honor you for that. He knows how hurt you've been and He knows your heart. You will see changes in your life immediately. Forgiveness doesn't mean that people won't reap the consequences of their mistakes, it means that your heart will be free to love again.
Luke 6:36-37 ESV Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.
2. See yourself the way God sees you.
Ask the Lord in prayer to reveal to you how incredible you are in His eyes. This revelation can change your life. Ask Him to show you how proud of you He is. Forgive yourself just like you forgave those who have hurt you. We often forget our worth, but God can't wait to remind you of how valuable you are to Him! All you have to do is ask, and He will show you your value.
Romans 4:7-8 ESV Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.
3. Ask God for direction for next year.
You carry the heart of a lion. You are made fearless in His image. God is for you, Jesus died to take your sins. You are created for an extraordinary life. Pray and soak in His plans for you. Open the door to your future.
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 41:13 NIV For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
4. The way to Heaven is clean hands and a pure heart.
Find all that is hindering you in your life and take it out. You have the power to change your life. No matter what circumstances you came from, God will help you change your life. Some of the greatest leaders in the Bible were born out of the most difficult circumstances. Take control of your destiny through Jesus.
2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Honor and respect others – with your words and actions – daily.
If you are struggling with negativity, try speaking a kind word or speaking blessings every day. Soon you will have wisdom, and your heart will expand. We make mistakes, but it's never too late to create a new, bigger place in your heart for love. That's what God will do when you honor Him with your efforts. Try speaking only positive and godly words for the next two weeks and see your life change.
6. Pray, pray, pray.
Pray for others and spend time giving back in prayer. The hardest thing for people to give is their time. Ask God to show you how precious your time on earth is, just like He did for Moses. Allow Him to guide you on how to give your time better. Your time, your prayers, your love is what God asks of you. In return, you get LIFE!
7. Prayer without action is not going to achieve much.
Start small – go and reach out to what you've always dreamed of doing. God will bring forth the right people and finances, and He will equip you. All you have to do is take a step!
James 2:14-17 ESV What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
8. Finish strong.
Tie up any loose ends and make peace with all of the painful situations in your life. Bring forth nothing but faith, love and hope. Release negative emotions, fear, jealousy and all the "gifts" from the enemy. Give them to God; let Him heal your heart. Your eyes must stay on the Lord, not on people.
Acts 20:24 NIV "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the Gospel of God's grace."
9. Praise and worship Him daily.
Enter the New Year with a heart filled with gratitude and love. Bless others and give everything that you've been given. Extend gratitude and shower kindness, especially where it's dark. Look for the darkness so you can bring His light. Praise changes the atmosphere.
Zephaniah 3:17 ESV The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.
10. Decree justice and protection.
Decree over your family and decree new life over those who are in bondage. Decree daily over the upcoming season so you can establish the new season for you and those you love. Enter the New Year with confidence and renewed hope.
Job 22:28 AKJV You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established to you: and the light shall shine on your ways.
In everything you do, remember those who are alone and in pain. Find who God wants you to help and go for it. Your life will change. Your future will change. Be the change that you want to see. Use your life to honor, heal and love – just like Jesus!
Author unknown
Sunday, 25 December 2016
The Quasi-Christian
The Quasi-Christian
I'm total believer sound reason and logical deduction in argumentative thinking. For some good period of time I sought the answer to the question, WHY? Why Christianity? Why salvation? Why Jesus Christ? Why the bible? And at times why God?
I think Christianity and the bible answered these queries quite well in a large part and whatever grey areas that may remain, I attribute that to my lack of objectivity and not the lack of clarity in the Word of God and teachings of Christ Jesus.
My next question whose answer I've sought is HOW? Here lies the most complex part of the journey. This part is ordinarily supposed to be answered by the Christian persona. However, they are of two kinds. The Christian in the Bible in the form of Peter, Paul, John, Cornelius, Timothy and the other apostles and saints. The other is the contemporary Christian. This one is confusing. He has a million lives. He's a Catholic who thinks he's infallible; He is a Lutheran who believes he owns the truth; He's an Adventist who believes everybody else is a sinner and destined for hell; a Pentecostal whose whole belief lies in dogmas; a Charismatic who thinks that he can make God feel sorry for him, and I can go on and on...
The confusing nature of the contemporary Christian has led me to make this conclusion, regrettably so:-
The true Christian is an endangered species. What were have today are quasi-Christians mainly whose whole lives are a search to satisfy their egos and run from their fears. That's they never agree on much of their teachings.
From the bible we never hear that there were any differences in the ways the churches operated. From the Church in Corinth, through Galatia to Ephesus and Thessaloniki, Philippines and Rome. All of them did things the same way. The apostle Paul visits most of them and preaches love and unity describing the church as thee body of Christ.
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
23 Those parts of the body which we think to be less honourable, on those we bestow more abundant honour; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety;
24 whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honour to the inferior part,
25 that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
26 When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 1 Cor. 12:22-27 (WEB)
The Quasi Christian is the biggest danger to Christianity. Why is the church so divided today? Why are churches competing against each other? How can the body of Christ be so divided? I think this division is not only an affront to the body the good religion of Christ but also a terrible sin on the part of the Christian.
I'm total believer sound reason and logical deduction in argumentative thinking. For some good period of time I sought the answer to the question, WHY? Why Christianity? Why salvation? Why Jesus Christ? Why the bible? And at times why God?
I think Christianity and the bible answered these queries quite well in a large part and whatever grey areas that may remain, I attribute that to my lack of objectivity and not the lack of clarity in the Word of God and teachings of Christ Jesus.
My next question whose answer I've sought is HOW? Here lies the most complex part of the journey. This part is ordinarily supposed to be answered by the Christian persona. However, they are of two kinds. The Christian in the Bible in the form of Peter, Paul, John, Cornelius, Timothy and the other apostles and saints. The other is the contemporary Christian. This one is confusing. He has a million lives. He's a Catholic who thinks he's infallible; He is a Lutheran who believes he owns the truth; He's an Adventist who believes everybody else is a sinner and destined for hell; a Pentecostal whose whole belief lies in dogmas; a Charismatic who thinks that he can make God feel sorry for him, and I can go on and on...
The confusing nature of the contemporary Christian has led me to make this conclusion, regrettably so:-
The true Christian is an endangered species. What were have today are quasi-Christians mainly whose whole lives are a search to satisfy their egos and run from their fears. That's they never agree on much of their teachings.
From the bible we never hear that there were any differences in the ways the churches operated. From the Church in Corinth, through Galatia to Ephesus and Thessaloniki, Philippines and Rome. All of them did things the same way. The apostle Paul visits most of them and preaches love and unity describing the church as thee body of Christ.
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
23 Those parts of the body which we think to be less honourable, on those we bestow more abundant honour; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety;
24 whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honour to the inferior part,
25 that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
26 When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 1 Cor. 12:22-27 (WEB)
The Quasi Christian is the biggest danger to Christianity. Why is the church so divided today? Why are churches competing against each other? How can the body of Christ be so divided? I think this division is not only an affront to the body the good religion of Christ but also a terrible sin on the part of the Christian.
Sunday, 18 December 2016
"Mighty" Blasphemy
Another fallacy I find amongst Christians
This, I've been thinking about for quite a long time and as such I went to dig deep into the Bible to try and find out why we, Christian practice it. My conclusion? Churchianity again.
The word Mighty or powerful in the context of spirituality are supposed to describe God. It's one of the many traits of God. These two words however, have been regularly and severally misused and misplaced in the manner they are used and on whom they are used. I have watched movies and read articles and documentaries in which certain characters are referred to as Mighty prophets or might men of God and wondered where the idea of men taking the descriptions 5reserved for God came from. Today, most Christians refer to the servants of God as either mighty or powerful without giving those descriptions a second thought – as if it were just normal.
As I went through the bible I failed to find a place where a servant of God was referred to as mighty. From Moses through Elijah down to John, Paul and Peter, none was ever called mighty regardless of the what we know they did. Through them, God did mighty works and wanders but none of them was ever called mighty. Samson, Japheth, Gideon and other warriors are referred to as mighty but in the context of war and, or their talents. Today, we can refer to Lionel Messi as a mighty footballer , or Lewis Hamilton as a mighty driver or Usain Bolt and Julius Yego and David Rudisha as Mighty athletes. But notice that all these are in the context of there talents. In matters spirituality though, I
don't think we have the permission to use the words I arbitrarily like that.
I say this because I know that there's no talent in doing God's work. No one is called because they are qualified with or by how well they can speak. No. God qualifies those He has called. That's why He chose a reluctant stammering Moses, a rejected dreamer in Joseph, a clueless virgin in Mary, a Christian hater in Paul, an unrecognized carpenter or even the despised town called Nazareth. None of these servants of God were even mildly talented at the things they did so well. Talent does not count whenever God makes a choice. He qualifies those He has chosen.
This is my point; I've heard a numberless times many Christians refer to preachers as mighty men of God. Some, in a bid to emphasize the mightiness of the preachers will repeat the word two or three times before the object- like, mighty mighty, mighty, prophet of God. Interestingly, you never hear a Christian refer to those servants as prophets/men/women/etc of the MIGHTY God. It's my believe that these men and women of God rigale in the glory of such praise – the reason they don't refuse the praise and even approve adverts referring to them in such manner.
Service to God is done in humility. Exalting one's self to the level of taking titles which most emphatically belong to God is not only wrong but also blasphemous. The one thing that made Christians admirably revered around the world in the last two thousand years is there ability to remain humble in the midst of great affluence.
5. Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus,
6. who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phil 2:5-11 (WEB)
Verse 6 of this segment is emphatic that equality with God ain't a thing to be grasped and Jesus Christ Himself knew that.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;
1 Pet 5:6 (WEB)
The word mighty here is used to describe God and no one else.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Jam 4:10 (WEB)
What else can I say on this verse?
5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Matt 23:5-12 (KJV)
This chapter is a very interesting one because here, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks directly to the Pharisees and scribes and their desire to be recognised with a big title- Rabbi. Their desire to portray themselves as mightily spiritual and greatly knowledgeable is condemned first hand by the Lord Jesus Christ. Reading through the whole chapter would give you a glimpse of how Jesus Christ thought of the people who took delight in earthly glory. Of course none of the scribes and Pharisees demanded to be referred to with big titles. But the way they portrayed themselves to the masses was similar to what we see in today's adverts on TV and billboards and every media outlet. The portrayal is what led the scribes to be recognised in the marketplaces and they enjoyed the recognition – which is what Jesus Christ found wanting. Matthew chapter 23 not only gives us what Christ felt about such people but also through what Jesus says, we find out that their punishment is more dire..... Take your time and read the chapter.
Hence, it's my humble submission that we don't and can not have mighty men/prophets etc of God. We have humble servants of the MIGHTY GOD.
According to the Merriam -Webster dictionary
blasphemy
1a: the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God
b: the act of claiming the attributes of deity
2: irreverence toward something considered sacred
or inviolable
Many a Christian today commit this blasphemous act without knowing. This is because many Christians have put their trust in the scribes and Pharisees that lead their church and continually exalt them by giving the attributes of the deity that is Jehovah our God. When you try to talk to Christians about this, most if not all will tell you “that's how we do it in ‘OUR’ church.” OR, “that is not how we're taught by our Pastor /Bishop /Apostle etc. It's how the Pastor or Bishop wants it done that matters and not how God demands that they do. And this is what I call Churchianity. Christians are so immersed in church practices- practices which by the way were mos likely developed by one person or a few pharisee-like persons and taught to the masses as truth. Woe unto all of us!!! Unfortunately, verse 13 of Matthew 23 says as follows:
"But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.
Matt 23:13 (NET)
This is where the problem is. This does not just spell doom for the scribes and Pharisees but also for those that believe and tend to learn from their works. This is why Jesus, at the beginning of the chapter says;
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
Matt 23:3 (KJV).
My prayer is that the Lord Almighty will lead us in spirit that we all may decipher the word in the scriptures. Be led in the spirit.
WARNING ⚠ Fred Nyankuru is not an ordained clergyman. Therefore, do as follows:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1 Jn 4:1 (KJV).
This, I've been thinking about for quite a long time and as such I went to dig deep into the Bible to try and find out why we, Christian practice it. My conclusion? Churchianity again.
The word Mighty or powerful in the context of spirituality are supposed to describe God. It's one of the many traits of God. These two words however, have been regularly and severally misused and misplaced in the manner they are used and on whom they are used. I have watched movies and read articles and documentaries in which certain characters are referred to as Mighty prophets or might men of God and wondered where the idea of men taking the descriptions 5reserved for God came from. Today, most Christians refer to the servants of God as either mighty or powerful without giving those descriptions a second thought – as if it were just normal.
As I went through the bible I failed to find a place where a servant of God was referred to as mighty. From Moses through Elijah down to John, Paul and Peter, none was ever called mighty regardless of the what we know they did. Through them, God did mighty works and wanders but none of them was ever called mighty. Samson, Japheth, Gideon and other warriors are referred to as mighty but in the context of war and, or their talents. Today, we can refer to Lionel Messi as a mighty footballer , or Lewis Hamilton as a mighty driver or Usain Bolt and Julius Yego and David Rudisha as Mighty athletes. But notice that all these are in the context of there talents. In matters spirituality though, I
don't think we have the permission to use the words I arbitrarily like that.
I say this because I know that there's no talent in doing God's work. No one is called because they are qualified with or by how well they can speak. No. God qualifies those He has called. That's why He chose a reluctant stammering Moses, a rejected dreamer in Joseph, a clueless virgin in Mary, a Christian hater in Paul, an unrecognized carpenter or even the despised town called Nazareth. None of these servants of God were even mildly talented at the things they did so well. Talent does not count whenever God makes a choice. He qualifies those He has chosen.
This is my point; I've heard a numberless times many Christians refer to preachers as mighty men of God. Some, in a bid to emphasize the mightiness of the preachers will repeat the word two or three times before the object- like, mighty mighty, mighty, prophet of God. Interestingly, you never hear a Christian refer to those servants as prophets/men/women/etc of the MIGHTY God. It's my believe that these men and women of God rigale in the glory of such praise – the reason they don't refuse the praise and even approve adverts referring to them in such manner.
Service to God is done in humility. Exalting one's self to the level of taking titles which most emphatically belong to God is not only wrong but also blasphemous. The one thing that made Christians admirably revered around the world in the last two thousand years is there ability to remain humble in the midst of great affluence.
5. Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus,
6. who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phil 2:5-11 (WEB)
Verse 6 of this segment is emphatic that equality with God ain't a thing to be grasped and Jesus Christ Himself knew that.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;
1 Pet 5:6 (WEB)
The word mighty here is used to describe God and no one else.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Jam 4:10 (WEB)
What else can I say on this verse?
5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Matt 23:5-12 (KJV)
This chapter is a very interesting one because here, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks directly to the Pharisees and scribes and their desire to be recognised with a big title- Rabbi. Their desire to portray themselves as mightily spiritual and greatly knowledgeable is condemned first hand by the Lord Jesus Christ. Reading through the whole chapter would give you a glimpse of how Jesus Christ thought of the people who took delight in earthly glory. Of course none of the scribes and Pharisees demanded to be referred to with big titles. But the way they portrayed themselves to the masses was similar to what we see in today's adverts on TV and billboards and every media outlet. The portrayal is what led the scribes to be recognised in the marketplaces and they enjoyed the recognition – which is what Jesus Christ found wanting. Matthew chapter 23 not only gives us what Christ felt about such people but also through what Jesus says, we find out that their punishment is more dire..... Take your time and read the chapter.
Hence, it's my humble submission that we don't and can not have mighty men/prophets etc of God. We have humble servants of the MIGHTY GOD.
According to the Merriam -Webster dictionary
blasphemy
1a: the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God
b: the act of claiming the attributes of deity
2: irreverence toward something considered sacred
or inviolable
Many a Christian today commit this blasphemous act without knowing. This is because many Christians have put their trust in the scribes and Pharisees that lead their church and continually exalt them by giving the attributes of the deity that is Jehovah our God. When you try to talk to Christians about this, most if not all will tell you “that's how we do it in ‘OUR’ church.” OR, “that is not how we're taught by our Pastor /Bishop /Apostle etc. It's how the Pastor or Bishop wants it done that matters and not how God demands that they do. And this is what I call Churchianity. Christians are so immersed in church practices- practices which by the way were mos likely developed by one person or a few pharisee-like persons and taught to the masses as truth. Woe unto all of us!!! Unfortunately, verse 13 of Matthew 23 says as follows:
"But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.
Matt 23:13 (NET)
This is where the problem is. This does not just spell doom for the scribes and Pharisees but also for those that believe and tend to learn from their works. This is why Jesus, at the beginning of the chapter says;
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
Matt 23:3 (KJV).
My prayer is that the Lord Almighty will lead us in spirit that we all may decipher the word in the scriptures. Be led in the spirit.
WARNING ⚠ Fred Nyankuru is not an ordained clergyman. Therefore, do as follows:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1 Jn 4:1 (KJV).
Thursday, 1 December 2016
Offerings and Givings.
OFFERINGS AND GIVINGS..
Offerings and giving or offertory as they're called in other places, is one of the most controversial subjects in the Christian religion . Agnostics, apostates, apologetics, clergy and the general public (Christian believers) don't seem to agree on how and why it should be done.
I don't wish to delve so much into HOW. I want to concentrate my energies on WHY. There's a notion generally held in the contemporary Christian community that offerings are a means of getting God's blessings. Nothing can be further from the truth. Offerings are a requirement of the law of God. Offertory is a sign of obedience to God's law and not a conduit to His blessings. Blessings are a consequence of overall obedience the Law of God.
Offerings are a form of worship and we don't worship God so that He blesses us; we worship Him because He's God and He has commanded that we do so. The second and third commandments...
2 "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
4 "You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, Ex 20:2-5 (WEB)
Offertory is not a give and take affair with God . It ain't a do me I do you game. NO. You are not doing God a favour when you give to Him. You're appreciating His goodness towards you. You give and worship Him because He has done you a favour already- not so that He can do you one. You give because you LOVE Him. He doesn't have to reciprocate or pay back. You're the one paying back by obeying his command.
Yes, I have read this; =>=>Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this," says Yahweh of Armies, "if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a BLESSING, that there shall not be room enough for. Mal 3:10 (WEB)
Now, this verse can easily give a contrary message especially if it's read in isolation. It can connect offertory with blessings from God. However, reading the whole chapter says something else. Take verse 7 for instance: =>=>From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my ORDINANCES, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says Yahweh of Armies. "But you say, How shall we return?' Mal 3:7 (WEB)
The word ordinance means statute or law(especially written law). The emphasis of this chapter is on keeping fidelity to God's law. The context of this chapter shows that the emphasis is on keeping the ordinances. Giving is one of those ordinances. The chapter speaks against perjury , sorcery, adultery, oppression among other ills, which is in and of itself testament to the fact that God is calling His people to obey His statutes among which giving is.
Notice also that the word blessing in verse 10 is in singular form which points to the specificity of the massage and context and the particular blessing associated with acting on or obeying God's command.
When you give therefore, do not say, “Lord, I give to you so that you bless me.” Instead say, “Father, I bring to thee that which is yours already. I pray Oh Lord, that you may receive it for I know its value ain't anything you.” Many a Christian these days give and quickly move to demand for God's blessings regardless of whether God has accepted what they give or not.
One may argue that this is an enormously academic approach to the Word of God but ain't knowledge the foundation upon which Faith is built? WE DON'T KNOW BECAUSE WE BELIEVE; WE BELIEVE BECAUSE WE KNOW. Belief is not founded on mere thought but on knowledge.
This Article is not talking about SACRIFICE. That's a different subject altogether and sacrifice doesn't serve the same purpose as offerings.
Feel free to differ. I'd love to know some more and your inputs and corrections are most welcome.
CAUTION: Sieve this message carefully. The Writer(Fred Nyankuru) not a theologian.
#Wisdom from Fred Nyankuru’s Pamphlet.
Offerings and giving or offertory as they're called in other places, is one of the most controversial subjects in the Christian religion . Agnostics, apostates, apologetics, clergy and the general public (Christian believers) don't seem to agree on how and why it should be done.
I don't wish to delve so much into HOW. I want to concentrate my energies on WHY. There's a notion generally held in the contemporary Christian community that offerings are a means of getting God's blessings. Nothing can be further from the truth. Offerings are a requirement of the law of God. Offertory is a sign of obedience to God's law and not a conduit to His blessings. Blessings are a consequence of overall obedience the Law of God.
Offerings are a form of worship and we don't worship God so that He blesses us; we worship Him because He's God and He has commanded that we do so. The second and third commandments...
2 "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
4 "You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, Ex 20:2-5 (WEB)
Offertory is not a give and take affair with God . It ain't a do me I do you game. NO. You are not doing God a favour when you give to Him. You're appreciating His goodness towards you. You give and worship Him because He has done you a favour already- not so that He can do you one. You give because you LOVE Him. He doesn't have to reciprocate or pay back. You're the one paying back by obeying his command.
Yes, I have read this; =>=>Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this," says Yahweh of Armies, "if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a BLESSING, that there shall not be room enough for. Mal 3:10 (WEB)
Now, this verse can easily give a contrary message especially if it's read in isolation. It can connect offertory with blessings from God. However, reading the whole chapter says something else. Take verse 7 for instance: =>=>From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my ORDINANCES, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says Yahweh of Armies. "But you say, How shall we return?' Mal 3:7 (WEB)
The word ordinance means statute or law(especially written law). The emphasis of this chapter is on keeping fidelity to God's law. The context of this chapter shows that the emphasis is on keeping the ordinances. Giving is one of those ordinances. The chapter speaks against perjury , sorcery, adultery, oppression among other ills, which is in and of itself testament to the fact that God is calling His people to obey His statutes among which giving is.
Notice also that the word blessing in verse 10 is in singular form which points to the specificity of the massage and context and the particular blessing associated with acting on or obeying God's command.
When you give therefore, do not say, “Lord, I give to you so that you bless me.” Instead say, “Father, I bring to thee that which is yours already. I pray Oh Lord, that you may receive it for I know its value ain't anything you.” Many a Christian these days give and quickly move to demand for God's blessings regardless of whether God has accepted what they give or not.
One may argue that this is an enormously academic approach to the Word of God but ain't knowledge the foundation upon which Faith is built? WE DON'T KNOW BECAUSE WE BELIEVE; WE BELIEVE BECAUSE WE KNOW. Belief is not founded on mere thought but on knowledge.
This Article is not talking about SACRIFICE. That's a different subject altogether and sacrifice doesn't serve the same purpose as offerings.
Feel free to differ. I'd love to know some more and your inputs and corrections are most welcome.
CAUTION: Sieve this message carefully. The Writer(Fred Nyankuru) not a theologian.
#Wisdom from Fred Nyankuru’s Pamphlet.
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