Quote:
Originally Posted by rava61
So, basically if we believe and practice 'tithing', then we have fallen into the same trap of the Catholic Church in believing that we can 'buy our way into heaven'?
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No. Not at all. Tithing isn't the issue. If one chooses a tenth as a guideline in their giving, then we all have that freedom in Christ.
What's at issue are the priorities in our giving.
You see, for most people, that tenth is the primary, major portion of their giving. When they hand that over to their institutional church organization, it's almost guaranteed that the lion's share of that giving will be consumed into the facility and its costs, which includes the staff and its hirelings.
That clearly violates God's fundamental principles, examples and commands in relation to biblical giving, and giving to the Lord. People can't possibly lavish their primary giving back upon themselves by way of direct benefit from the facility and its many, many luxuries, and expect that to be storing up treasure in Heaven on that basis. It simply doens't work that way.
The primary concern and priorities in our giving should be people, not brick, wood and mortar. We should concern ourselves with people such as a believing friend of mine whose trailer burned down, causing second degree burns over 60% of her ten year old body. The believers in this locale should be seeing to that family's needs in every respect. Instead, most of the people around here will continue to primarily support their facilities and hirelings LONG before they will strain out one drop of sweat, tears, or a penny in support of that family's needs.
This horrid evil has become so well established as a paradigm, that most people are completely blind to the genuine needs in the lives of fellow believers in our own cities, and the needs of others in our respective communities.
Yes, we routinely make sure that the expenses of our facilities are taken care of LONG before we see to the needs of people.
My, but isn't the local expressions of the body of Christ something to behold? Granted, some are doing as they should, but most are self-seeking and self-absorbed, with only token outreaches that amount to a small percentage of their overall intake each week.
Rarely to almost never do the people of institutional church organizations make the effort to educate themselves on what their religious leadership is actually doing with what's entrusted into their hands. Most people assume that the warm fuzzy they feel is the sum total of acceptable conduct within the leadership structure of religious institutions.
That....is tragic. Far too few people are exercising integrity, both in their giving
and in their oversight of religious leader's handling of what'e entrusted to them.
Sometimes, the average believer needs a good, swift kick in the kiester to get them to do what's right.
Jr.
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