I bet you never knew the plan of salvation included supporting the church financially...oh, wait...
Support God’s Work
God has a plan of salvation for every man, woman, and child who has ever lived and who ever will live. He wants us to become part of His Family forever. Yet only a few of those billions of people are being called to be His firstfruits. Who will be those firstfruits? Those who commit to enduring to the end (Matthew 24:13). Will you be one of them? I hope so!
Out of the more than eight billion people on planet Earth, only a relative few will be taking the Christian Passover in the evening of April 21 this year. The Passover is a memorial of God’s amazing love for each of us—what He did for us, is doing for us, and will do for us. And it reminds us of a future when the whole world will observe this sober but joyous occasion.
In this present age, however, God is doing His work through just a small handful of human beings. This has always been the case, as Christ reminded us: “Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest’” (Matthew 9:37–38).
So, as we approach the Passover, we must examine ourselves and our commitments. The Days of Unleavened Bread reveal our part in God’s plan of salvation. God instructs us to replace the leaven of malice and wickedness with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians 5:8). So, we must all be committed to being overcomers. In Revelation 2 and Revelation 3, Christ seven times speaks of those who overcome, as He states the various rewards for overcoming. And we read, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be His God and he shall be My son” (Revelation 21:7). We must strive to overcome our carnal human nature and ask God to create in us His divine nature (2 Peter 1:2–4).
Brethren, let’s appreciate how God uses us to accomplish the Work, thankful for the opportunity and for what it will bring. “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:57–58).
Brethren, as you prepare to take the Passover, review and renew your commitments—so you will know you can tell your Savior and your Father in Heaven, “I belong to You!” Our Passover Commitments
How can "the work" rake in tithes upon tithes, but deny a funeral expense their church is liable for during an LCG sponsored lake outing where negligent LCG boaters kill their young water skier lady Ms. Montgomery?
ReplyDeleteReally? Keep funneling $$$ to an organization like that?
Where does it say anything about money? The "support" could mean thoughts and prayers. Yes, the COG regimen is pay, pray, and obey. But what you posted doesn't specify any or all of the three. Let's focus on the real abuses and problems. Like Mr. Montgomery, father of the water skier. He has been paid far more than mere funeral expenses, now that he has taken his thirty pieces of silver and is now on the rise in the Australian ministry.
ReplyDelete10:54 said, "Where does it say anything about money? The "support" could mean thoughts and prayers."
ReplyDeleteThe next time you decide not to tithe to the church and the church does a tithe check on you, make sure to tell them that you are praying for the church. All will be well and they will leave you alone. Yeah right. I've got an Auditorium I can sell you in Pasadena.
I forgot to ever study up on what a "tithe check" is!
DeleteIs that some kind of IRS-style audit that a person's loving church conducts on them?
Being a co-worker or "visitor" (instead of card carrying member) might be a firewall against the church audit.
The "sacred year" does not begin Abib/Nisan 1. There is no such designation in the Bible. The FOT is at the end of the year-Ex 23:16, 34:22; Deut 31:10. Ex 12:2 is misunderstood: Nisan is the chief month, the most important month of the year.
ReplyDeletePassover is not "followed by 7 days of UB", but is the 1st day of UB-Deut 16:4; Eze 45:21; Mat 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7. Eat UB 7 days, not 8 days.
The crucifixion year was not "31 AD" but 33 AD. Nisan 14 was Monday in 31 AD but Herman Hoeh changed the sequence of leap years to put Nisan 14 on Wednesday.
"God's Work" is not LCG.
"I forgot to ever study up on what a "tithe check" is!"
ReplyDeleteThe church has always been notorious for doing tithe checks to see how much people were contributing and checking to see if it was 10% or more of their assumed income. These were done by the direction of ministers, department heads, and nosey accounting staff who regularly looked into members' records. There was no confidentiality of member files, despite certain protocols they supposedly had in place.
Wow. That finance & tithe snooping should have been an up-front disclosure from "ministry" during baptism counselling.
ReplyDelete"are you ready to be baptised? do you hereby grant us, the ministry in your ________C.O.G., express perpetual permission to regularly examine your income if we deem it necessary to compare it with your tithes amounts being sent in?"
Uh oh! The dreaded tithe checks are exposed once again. Oh well. Now you know another reason why some think ACOG members are so stupid for remaining in the cult.
ReplyDeleteGod loves a cheerful giver.. So if there are any COG'ers on this site and you're reading this instead of giving more shame on you! Call your minister right now, ask for forgiveness, and get that green envelope stuffed with all the money you lost by unproductively viewing this blog and get it to HQ!
ReplyDeleteI mean NOW! Do you need and CAPS to WAKE YOU UP!! Half of you out there aren't giving ENOUGH!! Your whole ETERNAL LIFE is at STAKE!! So raise the stakes and lick that envelope! God loves a cheerful giver
Oh and add 20% to your 10% since you're paying in money which is not as valuable as the real thing (oats, corn, wheat, barley, turnips, etc) - Lev 27:30-31. The ministers are getting RIPPED OFF!
ReplyDelete