4/7/23
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
Last week we shared a specific example from Zechariah 9:9 and all four of the gospels that illustrates the truth that ever since shortly after Pentecost there has always been a church within a church.
In other words, Abram said he COULD not and WOULD not impose on the young men the same beliefs that he had concerning material possessions. Abram recognized that the young men might not be able to walk in the same place that he walked.
We might add to that verse, "but don't ever mix them up." The things of the world do NOT mix with the things of the Lord! The Church today has very little power BECAUSE the Church has allowed all sorts of mixture and traditions of men to co-exist within its ranks.
Another example that distinguishes the mother ass from the colt originated in 310 A.D. through the edict of Constantine, who ruled the Roman empire for 31 years. Every Roman emperor prior to that time heavily persecuted and killed Christians. To their amazement, the Christian faith flourished even more. Perhaps Constantine saw that process was not getting the job done, so he stopped persecuting Christians. Some historians say that Constantine was the first Roman emperor to become a Christian. If that is true, which I personally doubt, at best he was only a professing Christian. In reality, the enemy used him to weaken the true church by another, insidious method. He merged pagan priests into the church. He built church structures for the Christians along the pattern of Greek theaters. That included a raised stage up front for the performers and seats in back for the spectators. The performers today still wear costumes to emphasize the difference between the clergy and the laity. In Revelation, chapter 2, verses 6 and 15, the Lord says He hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Nicolaitans means "people conquerors," which refers to the clergy/laity distinction. In some churches all of the elders sit up front.
The oldest Protestant seminary in the United States was founded in Andover, Massachusetts in 1807. All seminaries are cookie-cutters, teaching the same old doctrines ever since to produce more clergy, cut out of the same cloth. Seminaries also teach such things as exegesis, hermeneutics, homiletics, and apologetics, which I know nothing about. Instead, every believer should go through the same school that Peter, John, Paul and many more have gone through ... the school of the Holy Spirit. A few weeks ago, I listened to part of a message from some professing minister. He said that the only way to interpret scripture correctly was to use hermeneutics. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would teach us all things that He, Jesus, had taught the early disciples. He does a wonderful, amazing job that no seminary could ever do and it is all free. Well, the mother ass has continued to follow all of those practices, even though they are all the inventions of man. This includes building magnificent church structures with comfortable seats and programs to appeal to every age group. Then, because they think bigger is better, the mother ass today has to hire not only a pastor, but several other occupations, such as financial experts. Very recently I saw two rather large local churches that were both having difficulty hiring financial help because the potential hires could make more money in the secular arena.
The early church met in homes; they never built a church structure. The word "church" comes from an Old English word that means "house of the Lord."
Does that mean anything at all for us today? I hope so!
The early church never had a paid pastor. "If any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Does the word "any" exclude a pastor? Paul was a tent maker. Peter was a fisherman. Luke was a physician. Matthew was a tax collector. There is a real place in the church world for pastors, but is that ministry more important than an apostle, a prophet, or an intercessor? Further, there is a real potential problem with a one-man rule. Scripture speaks of elders, "plural," in a local house church. There is no hierarchy of leadership in the church the Lord is building.
Our New Testament house church way back never even considered building or buying a church structure. In addition to meeting in various homes, we met in school cafeterias and in a large community hall room in a shopping center. Our "overhead" never exceeded $100 a month. Almost everything that came in went right back out to worthy believers.
In the world, many musical "artists" have made millions of dollars through their musical gifts. So it has seemed "normal" that many Christian vocalists have also made millions of dollars through the gift given to them by God. We are in no position to judge anyone. But we do believe that in music, as in all other areas, there is a more excellent way. We have not been given gifts by God just to use them in the same manner that those in the world use their gifts with the corresponding monetary rewards! Certainly, we should all seek the Lord as to how HE would have us to use the gifts that God has given to each one.
A similar area has to do with books. Many people in the world have made millions of dollars writing books. Since everybody does it, Christians have assumed that it is proper for them likewise to write Christian books and make a lot of money in the process. This probably gets rationalized by Christian authors as a way that God has blessed them for using their understanding of scripture and their gift of writing. We are not judging Christian authors who sell their books for the normal going price. But we must insist that there is a higher, more excellent way! Such Christian authors need to honestly ask the Lord whether they are writing books for a mixed motive that includes personal income, fame and fortune.
Suppose I were to tell you that I have a word from the Lord for you and that I will tell you what it is if you give me $100. Does that sound absurd? I sure hope so! Now what is the difference in principle between that scenario and charging you $25 for a Christian book? or charging you $125 to attend a "great" prophetic conference, where "important prophetic revelation comes forth at this significant gathering" (quoted from one of many such real advertisements)? Let me state VERY clearly and emphatically ... if ANYONE charges money to hear any kind of prophetic revelation, then I am NOT interested; it is too tainted with flesh. You cannot mix the ways of the Lord with the ways of the world! Oil and water do NOT mix! The last time I checked, the word of man costs money, but the word of God is free.
It seems that far too many ministries have never learned that our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), so they proceed to "help God out" when it comes to their income. Many years ago, I heard of one ministry that charged $2000 to pray for someone! And far too many ministries "sell" the word of God and have become materially rich thereby. Far too many ministries beg and plead for their audiences to give them money. Some friends of ours said they stopped going to a big Assembly of God church when they passed the collection plate four times during one service. Meanwhile the Lord grieves and waits for us to repent in order to bless us in ways which FAR exceed our imagination!
God does not need and does not want our money. He wants YOU and ME! Once we give ourselves to the Lord, everything else will follow. Any service that I provide to you, such as preaching, teaching, intercession, books, tapes, music, etc., should be freely given, as unto the Lord, with absolutely NO thought as to what, if anything, I might get from you in return. Likewise, if I am receiving some service from you, I should ask the Lord what I should give you and be obedient with joy. Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). I do not find any scripture that says that we should TAKE! Scripture does NOT say that we are to extract money from our fellow believers! Our attitude - our motivation is critical.
The problem, of course, is that Christian man is always trying to reason how we can DO more FOR God. But God wants to do a work WITHIN us! We can do no better than look at the life of Jesus on earth and strive to walk in His ways. Jesus had no income but He still paid the personal tax. He had nowhere to lay His head. Today we would classify Him as a homeless person. He never obtained a minister's degree. But He always obeyed the will of the Father in all meekness and humility. He never spoke smooth things to the religious elite of the day, but He was full of mercy and compassion to the poor in spirit. He laid down His natural life for all who would accept and receive Him for who He was and is.
One more distinction between the mother ass and the colt concerns the functioning of the believers when we assemble together. In the mother ass churches, almost everything is pre-planned carefully beforehand, including what songs will be sung and the pastor's message. Those churches follow the same fixed routine every Sunday. There is no room for the spontaneity and leadership of the Holy Spirit. Even Moses, the man of the law said to Pharoah, in
Are there any good men and women in the modern-day mother ass? Absolutely! I personally know quite a few of them. They just have never experienced or even heard of a higher vision. More to the point, do we want to be part of the mother ass or part of the colt? Is there a church in the United States that walks in higher visions? Absolutely! probably more than we might think, but they are small enough to fit in someone's living room. They have no name, no bank account, no overhead, no 501 3 C exemption, no paid minister of any kind, and no static, repetitive agenda. Jesus said where two or three are gathered together, there I am in the midst of them. When it comes to local churches, bigger is not better. I seriously doubt that any named, organized church in America will ever change to be a colt, the foal of an ass ... unless they are forced to do so by extreme persecution. When that severe persecution actually comes, as it surely will, how do you think our persecutors will start looking first? simple answer ... the government has all of the information about the 501 C 3 holders. The Lord is not working with churches per se. He has His own church. He is working with individuals wherever they are.
Zechariah 9:9 says, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."
The mother ass is the traditional church consisting of born-again believers, typified in Scripture by Jerusalem. The colt, which Jesus rode on in His entry into natural Jerusalem just prior to His crucifixion, represents Zion, the overcomers, the very elect, the remnant, the man-child of Revelation 12. The colt obeys all of the commands of the Lord. The mother ass has been ridden by many different men over the centuries; the colt was (and is) ridden only by the Lord Jesus.
The colt, a male ass, came out of the mother ass, just as Revelation 18:4 exhorts us to come out of her my people and be not a part of her sins. Who is her? "Her" is Babylon, but that includes every church united with the ways of the world. The colt was a foal, which by definition means it was less than one-year old. That implies that just before Jesus returns to earth again, He will do a quick work and cut it short in righteousness (Romans 9:28).
Scripture is also very clear in many different places that the mother ass includes a mixture of unbelievers, professing Christians who have never been born again. Jesus proclaimed that fact in the parable of the tares and the wheat (Matthew 13:25-40). When believers hear a word like our last message, some may agree, but then go right back to what they were doing. I have seen it literally happen. However, revelation without application is of no real value. Most of the time, when professing Christians hear a new word that doesn't fit their traditional teaching, they tend to say, "Well that word does not apply to me or to our church. Come join our church. We have a lot of wonderful, happy people, an amazing choir, and a great pastor." Just compare the haughtiness of that kind of attitude to the attitude of the 12 original apostles at what men call the "last supper." When Jesus told the twelve that one of them would betray Him, they all said, "Lord, is it I?" That speaks of a true humility.
In this message I want to try to put some meat on the bones. I want to mention several specific examples that distinguish the mother ass from the colt. However, let me make it crystal clear ... from Acts 17:10-12, the Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. We Christians should always search the scriptures daily whether what we hear through any man, if these things are so. Likewise, please do not try to walk in what I am going to share until the Holy Spirit makes it real in your heart. Otherwise, this would simply become Old Covenant legalism. My purpose is to set forth a higher-level vision ... what the Lord desires and wills concerning both church and individual operation. Please do not get the idea that all you have to do to be eligible for this choosing is to remain free from man's organization, for that is not the case. We ALSO need the on-going work of the Lord in our personal lives. That is priority one. The Lord cannot use "self-willed" asses. What I will share has nothing to do with going to heaven one day, but it has much to do with ultimately pleasing the Lord and ruling and reigning with Christ for 1000 years on earth.
Being born again is only the beginning of our journey with the Lord. A chance of being eligible for the greater choosing of God is worth all it would cost an individual to attain to it. It calls for fulfilling the will and purpose of the Lord; i.e., by devoting one's self to thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Many are called but few are chosen because few choose. To "choose" the straight and narrow way requires much more than a mental understanding and agreement. Without any doubt, many Christian believers today have a lukewarm attitude. A great multitude are indeed part of the church of the Laodiceans. However, the Lord is building His church according to His measurements. For now, it is largely a hidden work.
The first, rather obvious difference is that the mother ass has many different denominations, each with their own doctrines, whereas the colt represents the church that the Lord is building, where hearts are of one accord. However, denominations should not be looked upon as simply external, like Baptist, Methodist, Anglican, etc. There is a denominational spirit which extends far beyond the external name tag. Isaiah, in chapter 56, prophesied of both a mixed multitude and denominations. Isaiah, chapter 59 speaks of denominational strife. The mother ass also has churches that are largely divided by the color of our skin ... not so with the colt. All distinctions vanish in the colt.
The colt, a male ass, came out of the mother ass, just as Revelation 18:4 exhorts us to come out of her my people and be not a part of her sins. Who is her? "Her" is Babylon, but that includes every church united with the ways of the world. The colt was a foal, which by definition means it was less than one-year old. That implies that just before Jesus returns to earth again, He will do a quick work and cut it short in righteousness (Romans 9:28).
Scripture is also very clear in many different places that the mother ass includes a mixture of unbelievers, professing Christians who have never been born again. Jesus proclaimed that fact in the parable of the tares and the wheat (Matthew 13:25-40). When believers hear a word like our last message, some may agree, but then go right back to what they were doing. I have seen it literally happen. However, revelation without application is of no real value. Most of the time, when professing Christians hear a new word that doesn't fit their traditional teaching, they tend to say, "Well that word does not apply to me or to our church. Come join our church. We have a lot of wonderful, happy people, an amazing choir, and a great pastor." Just compare the haughtiness of that kind of attitude to the attitude of the 12 original apostles at what men call the "last supper." When Jesus told the twelve that one of them would betray Him, they all said, "Lord, is it I?" That speaks of a true humility.
In this message I want to try to put some meat on the bones. I want to mention several specific examples that distinguish the mother ass from the colt. However, let me make it crystal clear ... from Acts 17:10-12, the Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. We Christians should always search the scriptures daily whether what we hear through any man, if these things are so. Likewise, please do not try to walk in what I am going to share until the Holy Spirit makes it real in your heart. Otherwise, this would simply become Old Covenant legalism. My purpose is to set forth a higher-level vision ... what the Lord desires and wills concerning both church and individual operation. Please do not get the idea that all you have to do to be eligible for this choosing is to remain free from man's organization, for that is not the case. We ALSO need the on-going work of the Lord in our personal lives. That is priority one. The Lord cannot use "self-willed" asses. What I will share has nothing to do with going to heaven one day, but it has much to do with ultimately pleasing the Lord and ruling and reigning with Christ for 1000 years on earth.
Being born again is only the beginning of our journey with the Lord. A chance of being eligible for the greater choosing of God is worth all it would cost an individual to attain to it. It calls for fulfilling the will and purpose of the Lord; i.e., by devoting one's self to thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Many are called but few are chosen because few choose. To "choose" the straight and narrow way requires much more than a mental understanding and agreement. Without any doubt, many Christian believers today have a lukewarm attitude. A great multitude are indeed part of the church of the Laodiceans. However, the Lord is building His church according to His measurements. For now, it is largely a hidden work.
The first, rather obvious difference is that the mother ass has many different denominations, each with their own doctrines, whereas the colt represents the church that the Lord is building, where hearts are of one accord. However, denominations should not be looked upon as simply external, like Baptist, Methodist, Anglican, etc. There is a denominational spirit which extends far beyond the external name tag. Isaiah, in chapter 56, prophesied of both a mixed multitude and denominations. Isaiah, chapter 59 speaks of denominational strife. The mother ass also has churches that are largely divided by the color of our skin ... not so with the colt. All distinctions vanish in the colt.
Galatians 3:28-29, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
However, we do have different ministries and gifts.
Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."
That is just one of many verses which we agree with mentally but do not walk in. Lord, increase our faith.
Now, what an amazing, awesome God we serve. In the written word of God, He has placed the same truth about any and every topic in several different places, hoping that we will see, understand, and walk in that truth. Paul repeated the same truths in various of his epistles to the churches.
We Christians do not learn well from scriptural examples. We could learn so much from the life of Abraham. Abraham and Lot are types of the colt and the mother ass, respectively.
Abram had riches (Genesis 13:2) but the riches did not have him. Abram's eyes were on the promises, while the things of earth grew strangely dim. Abram had flocks but the flocks did not have him. Lot also had flocks (Genesis 13:5) but the flocks possessed him. It is a terrible thing when a Christian is possessed by his possessions. If riches are honestly obtained, held as belonging to God, and used by us as good stewards, they are right. But if they are falsely gained and/or held and used for unrighteous self, they are wrong. Lot's riches were the occasion of strife (Genesis 13:7-8). Since he represents a believer, he will have to learn by losing them all. A faithful, loving God is at work.
Abraham never fought against the five bad kings. After he had rescued Lot from the four "good" kings, we read in
Now, what an amazing, awesome God we serve. In the written word of God, He has placed the same truth about any and every topic in several different places, hoping that we will see, understand, and walk in that truth. Paul repeated the same truths in various of his epistles to the churches.
We Christians do not learn well from scriptural examples. We could learn so much from the life of Abraham. Abraham and Lot are types of the colt and the mother ass, respectively.
Abram had riches (Genesis 13:2) but the riches did not have him. Abram's eyes were on the promises, while the things of earth grew strangely dim. Abram had flocks but the flocks did not have him. Lot also had flocks (Genesis 13:5) but the flocks possessed him. It is a terrible thing when a Christian is possessed by his possessions. If riches are honestly obtained, held as belonging to God, and used by us as good stewards, they are right. But if they are falsely gained and/or held and used for unrighteous self, they are wrong. Lot's riches were the occasion of strife (Genesis 13:7-8). Since he represents a believer, he will have to learn by losing them all. A faithful, loving God is at work.
Abraham never fought against the five bad kings. After he had rescued Lot from the four "good" kings, we read in
Genesis 14:21-24, "And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre: let them take their portion."
In other words, Abram said he COULD not and WOULD not impose on the young men the same beliefs that he had concerning material possessions. Abram recognized that the young men might not be able to walk in the same place that he walked.
Jesus said, in Matthew 6:1-3, "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth."
At tax reporting time, the typical Christian sits down with all of his tax-deductible receipts from religious organizations in the left hand and enters those as deductions on a tax form with the right hand. So the left hand knows EXACTLY what the right hand is doing!
Also, have you ever considered that if you write a check to any named church organization that someone else is going to see what you give?
Unfortunately, we continue this process of giving alms openly before men in almost every mother ass church gathering today. Someone not participating would undoubtedly feel guilt. I have said many times that our New Testament house church, from the late 1960's through 1980, was the closest to a colt church that I have ever seen, but we fell short in several different ways. However, we never, ever passed a collection plate, or equivalent. We simply had a basket at one end of the meeting place where believers could anonymously place their financial gifts.
Also, have you ever considered that if you write a check to any named church organization that someone else is going to see what you give?
Unfortunately, we continue this process of giving alms openly before men in almost every mother ass church gathering today. Someone not participating would undoubtedly feel guilt. I have said many times that our New Testament house church, from the late 1960's through 1980, was the closest to a colt church that I have ever seen, but we fell short in several different ways. However, we never, ever passed a collection plate, or equivalent. We simply had a basket at one end of the meeting place where believers could anonymously place their financial gifts.
Jesus said, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." Matthew 22:21
We might add to that verse, "but don't ever mix them up." The things of the world do NOT mix with the things of the Lord! The Church today has very little power BECAUSE the Church has allowed all sorts of mixture and traditions of men to co-exist within its ranks.
Another example that distinguishes the mother ass from the colt originated in 310 A.D. through the edict of Constantine, who ruled the Roman empire for 31 years. Every Roman emperor prior to that time heavily persecuted and killed Christians. To their amazement, the Christian faith flourished even more. Perhaps Constantine saw that process was not getting the job done, so he stopped persecuting Christians. Some historians say that Constantine was the first Roman emperor to become a Christian. If that is true, which I personally doubt, at best he was only a professing Christian. In reality, the enemy used him to weaken the true church by another, insidious method. He merged pagan priests into the church. He built church structures for the Christians along the pattern of Greek theaters. That included a raised stage up front for the performers and seats in back for the spectators. The performers today still wear costumes to emphasize the difference between the clergy and the laity. In Revelation, chapter 2, verses 6 and 15, the Lord says He hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Nicolaitans means "people conquerors," which refers to the clergy/laity distinction. In some churches all of the elders sit up front.
The oldest Protestant seminary in the United States was founded in Andover, Massachusetts in 1807. All seminaries are cookie-cutters, teaching the same old doctrines ever since to produce more clergy, cut out of the same cloth. Seminaries also teach such things as exegesis, hermeneutics, homiletics, and apologetics, which I know nothing about. Instead, every believer should go through the same school that Peter, John, Paul and many more have gone through ... the school of the Holy Spirit. A few weeks ago, I listened to part of a message from some professing minister. He said that the only way to interpret scripture correctly was to use hermeneutics. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would teach us all things that He, Jesus, had taught the early disciples. He does a wonderful, amazing job that no seminary could ever do and it is all free. Well, the mother ass has continued to follow all of those practices, even though they are all the inventions of man. This includes building magnificent church structures with comfortable seats and programs to appeal to every age group. Then, because they think bigger is better, the mother ass today has to hire not only a pastor, but several other occupations, such as financial experts. Very recently I saw two rather large local churches that were both having difficulty hiring financial help because the potential hires could make more money in the secular arena.
The early church met in homes; they never built a church structure. The word "church" comes from an Old English word that means "house of the Lord."
Acts 7:48-50, "Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?"Hosea 8:14, "For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof."Matthew 24:1-2, "And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and His disciples came to Him for to shew Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
Does that mean anything at all for us today? I hope so!
The early church never had a paid pastor. "If any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Does the word "any" exclude a pastor? Paul was a tent maker. Peter was a fisherman. Luke was a physician. Matthew was a tax collector. There is a real place in the church world for pastors, but is that ministry more important than an apostle, a prophet, or an intercessor? Further, there is a real potential problem with a one-man rule. Scripture speaks of elders, "plural," in a local house church. There is no hierarchy of leadership in the church the Lord is building.
Our New Testament house church way back never even considered building or buying a church structure. In addition to meeting in various homes, we met in school cafeterias and in a large community hall room in a shopping center. Our "overhead" never exceeded $100 a month. Almost everything that came in went right back out to worthy believers.
In the world, many musical "artists" have made millions of dollars through their musical gifts. So it has seemed "normal" that many Christian vocalists have also made millions of dollars through the gift given to them by God. We are in no position to judge anyone. But we do believe that in music, as in all other areas, there is a more excellent way. We have not been given gifts by God just to use them in the same manner that those in the world use their gifts with the corresponding monetary rewards! Certainly, we should all seek the Lord as to how HE would have us to use the gifts that God has given to each one.
A similar area has to do with books. Many people in the world have made millions of dollars writing books. Since everybody does it, Christians have assumed that it is proper for them likewise to write Christian books and make a lot of money in the process. This probably gets rationalized by Christian authors as a way that God has blessed them for using their understanding of scripture and their gift of writing. We are not judging Christian authors who sell their books for the normal going price. But we must insist that there is a higher, more excellent way! Such Christian authors need to honestly ask the Lord whether they are writing books for a mixed motive that includes personal income, fame and fortune.
Suppose I were to tell you that I have a word from the Lord for you and that I will tell you what it is if you give me $100. Does that sound absurd? I sure hope so! Now what is the difference in principle between that scenario and charging you $25 for a Christian book? or charging you $125 to attend a "great" prophetic conference, where "important prophetic revelation comes forth at this significant gathering" (quoted from one of many such real advertisements)? Let me state VERY clearly and emphatically ... if ANYONE charges money to hear any kind of prophetic revelation, then I am NOT interested; it is too tainted with flesh. You cannot mix the ways of the Lord with the ways of the world! Oil and water do NOT mix! The last time I checked, the word of man costs money, but the word of God is free.
The heads thereof (of the houses of Jacob and Israel) judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us. Micah 3:11
It seems that far too many ministries have never learned that our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), so they proceed to "help God out" when it comes to their income. Many years ago, I heard of one ministry that charged $2000 to pray for someone! And far too many ministries "sell" the word of God and have become materially rich thereby. Far too many ministries beg and plead for their audiences to give them money. Some friends of ours said they stopped going to a big Assembly of God church when they passed the collection plate four times during one service. Meanwhile the Lord grieves and waits for us to repent in order to bless us in ways which FAR exceed our imagination!
God does not need and does not want our money. He wants YOU and ME! Once we give ourselves to the Lord, everything else will follow. Any service that I provide to you, such as preaching, teaching, intercession, books, tapes, music, etc., should be freely given, as unto the Lord, with absolutely NO thought as to what, if anything, I might get from you in return. Likewise, if I am receiving some service from you, I should ask the Lord what I should give you and be obedient with joy. Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). I do not find any scripture that says that we should TAKE! Scripture does NOT say that we are to extract money from our fellow believers! Our attitude - our motivation is critical.
2 Chronicles 25:6-9, "He [Amaziah] hired also a hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver. But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim. But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down. And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this."
According to New Nave's Topical Bible, one who possessed five talents of silver was a multimillionaire by today's standards. Some calculate the talent in the parables to be equivalent to 20 years of wages for the common worker. Therefore 100 talents of silver was an enormous amount of money.
Religious contributions and tax deductions is undoubtedly the most controversial aspect of our relationship with money. Let us state our thesis very clearly. We see NO place for the Christian to itemize tax deductions for contributions to religious organizations. From what I have found, the 501 C 3 exemption for charitable organizations first started in America in 1918. In my opinion, that was one of the worst snares for the Protestant churches. Although I do not know, I assume it came into being by a strong Catholic lobby.
Genesis 14:20, "And he [Abram] gave him [Melchizedek] tithes of all." This was long before the Mosaic law demanded a tithe to the Levitical priests. When Abram paid tithes to Melchizedek, he did not ask for a tax receipt. This whole issue can be resolved by a church group not adopting a "name," for without a name you cannot get a bank account or an IRS tax-deductible number. I do not believe that the church at Ephesus called themselves the church at Ephesus. That was the way that Paul addressed them.
Yes, I have heard all of the typical responses. The little bit of money that you "save" as a result of taking a tax deduction is peanuts compared to that which the Lord is ready to pour out upon you if you walk in His ways.
I have been hoping and praying for 50 years that the government would eliminate the 501 C 3 exemption for churches. Then half of the mother ass churches would dry up and Christians would go back to meeting in homes, with zero overhead. It would also solve the national debt crisis. And it would make us more dependent upon the Lord Himself, rather than the government.
I remember very vividly an elders' meeting one Sunday morning about 48 years ago. There were quite a number of brothers from various geographical locations at that elders' meeting ... about 25 Christian men in all, supposedly all with some degree of maturity. Very early at that meeting, a question arose as to whether the house church of which we were a part should renew its "covering" through an Assembly of God church in California in order to continue to have tax-exempt status. Some said one thing, others said another. More debate followed about whether or not we should renew this tax-exempt status. Finally, someone said, why don't we pray about it right now? No one could argue with that, so several different men voiced prayers that the Lord would show us what to do about our tax-exempt status. After a few minutes, someone said to the group, "what did you hear the Lord say?" The responses were almost comical! Each person had "heard" the same thing they had heard before we had prayed. There was still a disagreement. Finally, one prophet spoke up and said: "Let me share with you what I heard from the Lord. Here we have spent more than one hour with 25 men talking and debating about whether or not to renew our tax-exempt status. What I heard the Lord say was, 'What does all of this have to do with furthering the kingdom of God on earth?' " There was silence in that meeting for what seemed like half an hour (but was probably about one minute).
Religious contributions and tax deductions is undoubtedly the most controversial aspect of our relationship with money. Let us state our thesis very clearly. We see NO place for the Christian to itemize tax deductions for contributions to religious organizations. From what I have found, the 501 C 3 exemption for charitable organizations first started in America in 1918. In my opinion, that was one of the worst snares for the Protestant churches. Although I do not know, I assume it came into being by a strong Catholic lobby.
Genesis 14:20, "And he [Abram] gave him [Melchizedek] tithes of all." This was long before the Mosaic law demanded a tithe to the Levitical priests. When Abram paid tithes to Melchizedek, he did not ask for a tax receipt. This whole issue can be resolved by a church group not adopting a "name," for without a name you cannot get a bank account or an IRS tax-deductible number. I do not believe that the church at Ephesus called themselves the church at Ephesus. That was the way that Paul addressed them.
Yes, I have heard all of the typical responses. The little bit of money that you "save" as a result of taking a tax deduction is peanuts compared to that which the Lord is ready to pour out upon you if you walk in His ways.
I have been hoping and praying for 50 years that the government would eliminate the 501 C 3 exemption for churches. Then half of the mother ass churches would dry up and Christians would go back to meeting in homes, with zero overhead. It would also solve the national debt crisis. And it would make us more dependent upon the Lord Himself, rather than the government.
I remember very vividly an elders' meeting one Sunday morning about 48 years ago. There were quite a number of brothers from various geographical locations at that elders' meeting ... about 25 Christian men in all, supposedly all with some degree of maturity. Very early at that meeting, a question arose as to whether the house church of which we were a part should renew its "covering" through an Assembly of God church in California in order to continue to have tax-exempt status. Some said one thing, others said another. More debate followed about whether or not we should renew this tax-exempt status. Finally, someone said, why don't we pray about it right now? No one could argue with that, so several different men voiced prayers that the Lord would show us what to do about our tax-exempt status. After a few minutes, someone said to the group, "what did you hear the Lord say?" The responses were almost comical! Each person had "heard" the same thing they had heard before we had prayed. There was still a disagreement. Finally, one prophet spoke up and said: "Let me share with you what I heard from the Lord. Here we have spent more than one hour with 25 men talking and debating about whether or not to renew our tax-exempt status. What I heard the Lord say was, 'What does all of this have to do with furthering the kingdom of God on earth?' " There was silence in that meeting for what seemed like half an hour (but was probably about one minute).
Jesus said, in Luke 12:33-34, "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
And all that believed were together, and had all things common. And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
Acts 2:44-45
The problem, of course, is that Christian man is always trying to reason how we can DO more FOR God. But God wants to do a work WITHIN us! We can do no better than look at the life of Jesus on earth and strive to walk in His ways. Jesus had no income but He still paid the personal tax. He had nowhere to lay His head. Today we would classify Him as a homeless person. He never obtained a minister's degree. But He always obeyed the will of the Father in all meekness and humility. He never spoke smooth things to the religious elite of the day, but He was full of mercy and compassion to the poor in spirit. He laid down His natural life for all who would accept and receive Him for who He was and is.
One more distinction between the mother ass and the colt concerns the functioning of the believers when we assemble together. In the mother ass churches, almost everything is pre-planned carefully beforehand, including what songs will be sung and the pastor's message. Those churches follow the same fixed routine every Sunday. There is no room for the spontaneity and leadership of the Holy Spirit. Even Moses, the man of the law said to Pharoah, in
Exodus 10:25-26, "Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God. Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the LORD our God; and we know not with what we must serve the LORD, until we come thither."
Are there any good men and women in the modern-day mother ass? Absolutely! I personally know quite a few of them. They just have never experienced or even heard of a higher vision. More to the point, do we want to be part of the mother ass or part of the colt? Is there a church in the United States that walks in higher visions? Absolutely! probably more than we might think, but they are small enough to fit in someone's living room. They have no name, no bank account, no overhead, no 501 3 C exemption, no paid minister of any kind, and no static, repetitive agenda. Jesus said where two or three are gathered together, there I am in the midst of them. When it comes to local churches, bigger is not better. I seriously doubt that any named, organized church in America will ever change to be a colt, the foal of an ass ... unless they are forced to do so by extreme persecution. When that severe persecution actually comes, as it surely will, how do you think our persecutors will start looking first? simple answer ... the government has all of the information about the 501 C 3 holders. The Lord is not working with churches per se. He has His own church. He is working with individuals wherever they are.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33
Amen and amen.
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