Call-In Classic Christianity Radio – Bob George P520 (03-13-20)
Synopsis
I have a question about tithing to the church? I asked about about distribution of funds, and they said they were buying uniforms for students in the public schools. That is like Paul buying togas for senators in the forum. Paul did take money for Asia minor to take back to Jerusalem. Is there any guidelines as to what churches should use money for. I thought it was for the advancement of Christianity.
In today’s world, you have to be very careful and know where your money is going. Did not give blindly? Over 40% of men in southern baptist churches are masons, a religion of the anti-Christ, known as the chief architect of the universe, or Satan. In the past, tithing money went to fund the building of mosques, and very well could be still today. So many preach tithing, and when they do, it also done using manipulation or guilt. There are so many that teach out of Malachi, saying you are robbing God. There are so many wolves in sheep’s clothing today, and people with very little discernment.
Do not be deceived into tithing. You are not instructed to tithe under the New Covenant we live under today, which was ushered in when Jesus shed his blood on a cross. If you read Malachi in context, it is written to the descendants of Jacob. Are you a descendant of Jacob? No. Then it is not written to you. It was written to those under a Levital system of priests, for sacrificing bulls and goats to temporarily cover sin until Jesus came to set that system aside. In order for that system to work, the Levites needed to be supported.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
So, under grace, under the New Covenant, you are to give cheerfully, willingly, not out of compulsion, and not out of what you do not have, but what you do have. Your first responsibility in giving is to your immediate family and the people of God first, those who are truly in need. If you do not take care of your own, then scripture says you are worse than an unbeliever. But you give as the Lord leads. You are not led by a pastor, as to tell you what to do, as if you are under law. You are no longer under the law but under grace. You are led internally by the Spirit of God. Those in Christ, born again, are those who have the Spirit of God, and are led by the Spirit of God.
You and I are not going to solve that problem, those churches that are under law, or those spending money where they ought not to be. If you speak truth about tithing, as revealed by the Spirit of God, from the scriptures in context, I can tell you, that in most so-called churches, you will be asked to leave, or be labeled as divisive. If you were a teacher, then you will soon be told that you can no longer teach. So, you may be in a position to start your own local fellowship of believers of like mind in your own home or some other meeting place. You will be very fortunate if you have a pastor who is humble enough to admit his error, and who will stand up before the congregation, and say “I have good news and I have bad news. Which would you like to hear first?” They say, “bad news”. “I have been teaching you wrong for quite a long time. But starting today, I am going to teach you truth, as the Holy Spirit reveals it to me.”
You have charlatans, dishonest people, and you have honest people. You have people with credibility and you have people with no credibility at all. I would be grateful with some of them if that is what they did, giving to schools in a public school, as compared to what others do with it. You cannot stop that. It is based on the integrity of those in charge.
1 Timothy 3:1-3
1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
In regards to financial matters, pastors should do everything in their power to be fiscally responsible. We have always had audits in our ministry, not because we need to, but, quite frankly, for my own protection. If a pastor does not do audits then they should for their own protection. I do not want somebody to accuse me of financial irresponsibility. Audits is a means for that. Somebody can always look at the books to see where the dollars go.
As long as we have people with sin natures, and sometimes people in the pulpit who do not know the Lord, then you will have these kinds of things going on. We do not know the motives of men, and we are not supposed to judge motives. So I say, stay away from that as much as you can. I can judge actions. If you have those controls into effect, then it is a safeguard to you.
Today, we do allow family members to be on the board of directors, although the audio indicates otherwise, because if those in your organization should become corrupt or, for whatever reason, should live in accordance with sinful flesh, steal the ministry away from you, then there is no avenue in which family members can do anything about it. A family member who knows the Lord, is just as capable to act in accordance with the Spirit, and has the incentive to know and love those who they have known all their life. So that one family member can be a safeguard in certain matters.
I have a question about Jude 1:9.
Jude 1:9
9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
Can you elaborate on what is going on? The book of Jude, as well as many of the other books, such as 1 John and Ephesians, were written to correct the Gnostic heresy. We do not have a clue about how prevalent Gnosticism was in the early church, in the first century. It was rampant. The Gnostics came up with all kinds of hair-brained ideas. They did not believe Jesus was in the flesh, but must be a phantom or ghost. Their concept was matter was evil and only the Spirit is good. A body is matter and therefore, he is evil. But Jesus could not be evil so he really was not here. That is why 1 John starts out to share about what we have seen with eyes and touched with our hands. He said that to expose the heretic Gnostic teaching. The Gnostics also believed they did not have a sin nature. That is why he wrote 1 John 1:8-9, referring to the Gnostics as those claiming to be without sin. He told them they were an anti-Christ, not saved, as the truth not being in them.
1 John 1:1-3
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.
1 John 1:8-10
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
The same thing is going on in Jude, to correct Gnosticism. These were people who were dreamers, polluting their own body, rejecting authority, and slandering angelic beings.
Jude 1:4-
4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Jude 1:8-10
8 In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct – as irrational animals do – will destroy them.
You hear today, where people stand up, saying, “I command you Satan”. The bible says that you have no authority to do that. If you are going to talk to Satan, then you say, “the Lord rebuke you”. But nothing in the bible says anything about me rebuking Satan. What he is saying here is that even the archangel, Michael, the head of all angelic beings, when disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, he did not bring an accusation against Satan. He said, “the Lord rebuke you”. Yet these men speak abusively against anything he does not understand and what they do understand, like unreasoning animals, these are the very things that destroy them. This cocky, arrogant talking against angels and celestial beings and acting like you are a somebody. You see that going on today with many ministers. Even Moses did not do that. Even Michael, the archangel, did not do that. What he said is, “the Lord rebuke you”.
This passage has only to do with those people in that day and age, the Gnostics. The Gnostics were a huge influence in their day. They were blemishes, clouds without rain, teachers who crept in unawares to destroy the truth of the word of God.
Sadly, we have many wolves in sheep’s clothing today, teaching a blend of Marxism and Christianity, preaching Chrislam, saying Muslim and Christianity are compatible, a social justice gospel, as if to solve a so-called problem of economic inequality, or this false teaching of critical race theory, and to give all you have to the poor even when it hurts, the name and claim it crowd, and those that say they can command healing in the name of Jesus. There are those that promote new knowledge to experience God, along with contemplative spirituality that comes from Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order in Catholicism, the start of the counter-reformation, along with the prayer practices, and the supporting Enneagram personality tests, Labyrinth walk, and Yoga, mixing Hinduism teaching with Christianity, a false concept of unity, of pantheism and panentheism, as if God is in everyone and everything. I tell you the truth, the one world religion, which eventually will be led by the anti-Christ, is forming right before our eyes! Jesus warned ahead of time to let no man deceive you. Those are the charlatans we have today, and they are many.
A caller called saying that God is not doing anything in his life, and is just a mess, saying demons are after him. To this caller, why would anyone not be so dogmatic on what you say, for whatever you are believing is not working for you. He was arguing with Bob, insisting that we are all created in the image of God. The real question is, “Is what you are believing working for you?” We are not created in the image of God. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. We were born in the image of Adam. Genesis 5:3 is a scripture that clearly indicates this problem of mankind, being born dead, in the nature of fallen Adam, without the Spirit of God.
Genesis 5:3
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.
So many churches teach law because they do not make a distinction between the ten commandments and the laws Jesus left us with. So many do not understand between the two laws of Jesus. And others do it because the men in the pulpit do not have any faith that God is going to provide for them, so they feel they have to get that provision from us. The early church taught on the death, burial and resurrection and left the results with God. Yet, so many are focused on building a building, a church, that resembles an entertainment center, and to do this or that, but are not led by the Spirit of God. Do not give to legalistic churches, that are really building jails that keep us bound up. I recommend your program, Classic Christianity radio, not because of what you say but because of what the bible means. You encourage us to read the bible for ourselves, and let the Spirit teach us. Thank you. You teach us to never lose sight of our first love, who is Jesus. We need someone to be telling us the truth. So thank you for the spiritual gift God has given you for the benefit of the body of Christ.
Acts 17:11
11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
When Jesus walked the earth, he testified of His Spirit that was to placed permanently in men, those who put their trust in him. He told us of how we no longer need someone teach us, because the Lord Himself will be your teacher, the one who will guide you into all truth.
Hebrews 8:10-12
10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
Thank you so much for your encouragement. Truth is a necessity for people. If we are ever going to get beyond that “I was saved on such and such a date”, and get beyond that to grow in your knowledge of the grace of God, we are going to have to have people out there teaching truth. That is why God gives the spiritual gift of teaching to men. The teacher is the gift to the body of Christ, but men are not to be blindly relied on. Check out what every man says is so, with the scriptures, with the Holy Spirit, to confirm what any mans says is true.
Sadly, that is hard to find. So many are co-mingling law and grace, which created double-minded people, unstable in all their ways. If we do no think the Christian world is unstable, then why do we have the same number of divorced people in the Christian world as with the lost world? If we really knew what was going on behind the pews, we would be shocked! And that is understatement in today’s world. You cannot function as God wants you to function in double-mindedness. Single-mindedness is to keep your eyes on Jesus. That is a necessity in order to grow.
Hebrews 12:1-3
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
If you had a childhood friend, who had a girlfriend who is Muslim, and is slowly dabbling in those beliefs with her. How would you slowly bring them back to Christianity?
I would not bring him back to Christianity, but to Christ. That is the problem, we made a religion out of Christ. If he is dabbling, he is not a true born again Christian. He may have belonged to a so called Christian church. If he is dabbling with Islam, which over five hundred years after Jesus, coming with a different God than what we know to be true, then he has never put his faith in Christ. So that is what I would deal with. The fact you are vacillating is an indicator you have never come to Christ. You have been sitting in Christian churches, but it is obvious you have not come to Christ for your personal Lord and Savior. I would ask him, “Is there any particular reason you have not done that?” Then go from there.
I would not even pay any attention to Islam. It would be like reading the book of Mormon. Why read a book that came along so much later and the fact that in Revelation that if anyone adds to the book will incur damnation on themselves.
Revelation 22:18-19
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
Islam is a man-made religion. Anyone that believes Christ is God, why pay attention to something else? God did not send Allah upon us. I do not pay any attention to any of that stuff. It is from the devil. Why would religion be formed to negate Christ unless they were an anti-Christ?
Get him to identify himself that he does not know the Lord and go from there. Tell him how he can know the Lord. Then he will not be tossed and turned by every wind of doctrine that comes along.
A caller called to say, “I want to get saved”.
That is an excellent desire. You have come to listen, enough, I presume, to come to understand what it means to be saved.
The caller replied, “I do not know what it means to be born again, but I know what it means to give your heart to Christ.
This is what is revealed in the bible. You agree with what the bible says about you and about Him. You and I are born into this world as sinners. There is a wage of sin called death. The wages of sin is spiritual death. Death is the absence of life. You and I were not born with spiritual life. We were born dead spiritually. That is what has to be corrected. That is what salvation is, God giving you life that you do not have. You have physical life but you do not have spiritual life. That is what salvation is, the receiving of the spiritual life, who is Christ Jesus.
In order to give you life, called eternal life, a life that could never be lost, he had to take away eternally the cause of spiritual death, which was sin. That is what Jesus did at the cross. He took away the sins of the entire world from the eyes of God, never to see them again. No man will ever go to hell because of his sins. The only sin, singular, is the rejection of the Son of God who came to give us life. So, what you are coming to Christ today for is for His life to come to live in you, and to be your Lord and Savior. You are not doing very well as your own lord and savior, I assume?
The caller said, “No”.
So you are allowing him to take His rightful place in your heart. It is like a car trying to function all its life without gasoline in it. You are pushing it, showing your neighbors, but it is not going any place. The gas in the car is indispensable to the function of car. God in the man is indispensable to the function of the man. We can try but we can never get there. So if you want to make this choice in your heart, what you are doing is thanking Him for His forgiveness that He provided totally and now asking Him to cure what your problem is, and that is spiritual death, by coming and giving you life. Do you want to do that today?
The caller said, “Yes”. But had a slight hesitation because of fear of someone in her life that might kill her.
Man can destroy your physical life but no one can destroy your spiritual life, once you have it. Do you want, today, to ask Jesus to become your Lord and Savior? Bob answered her fear, but was diverted away by a smokescreen. He was not derailed in meeting her immediate need of eternal life.
The attitude of your heart is what God is listening to anyway. Let us confirm that, as you confirm that verbally, as you speak to God and to man. I will say a prayer and you repeat after me, recognizing this is truly a desire of your heart.
Lord Jesus, I need you. I thank you for dying on a cross for my sins, taking them away never to see them again. Having accomplished that, you now are offering me your resurrected life. I receive you into my heart as my Lord, my Savior and my very, very best friend. In Jesus name, amen.
According to the word of God, to as many as received Him, and that is what you just did? (Yes, the caller said). He gave the right to become a child of God. So what did he just make you? (A child of God, the caller said.) Absolutely. I too am a child of God. So you and I are brothers and sisters. You have a huge family out there you just joined. Not just here. All the angels in heaven rejoice over the one person who repents, changes their mind and comes to Christ. You are on a great adventure. It is like a baby being born, that needs to grow. The way to grow is to be fed. Do you have a bible? (Yes, the caller said.) I will send you a follow-up course that will enable you to go into your bible and look up questions, to search it out in the scriptures and then answer them. This will help you solidify what has taken place in your life. Any time you want to call, you call. That is what we are here for. Thank you. God bless you. I got a new sister in Christ.
What a joy to have new member of the body of Christ!
To read scriptures that are the basis of what Bob shared with this caller, I refer you to Be Born Free There are also resources to help you grow in Christ: Closer Look Bible Studies. These studies lead a person through the scriptures by organizing scriptures under a major doctrinal theme, with a dozen or so lessons, composed of scriptures, where each scripture posted is followed by several questions. The questions can easily be answered from the scripture posted. The bible student is encouraged, not so much for information, but to get to know God better personally. Read the bible on your own, whole books and chapters, relying on the Holy Spirit to teach you His intended meaning, so that you learn truth from the context. A new believer is encouraged to start in the New Testament, especially the epistles of Paul, such as Romans, Ephesians and Colossians, and the gospel of John. The book of Hebrews is a book that should also be read very early on, several times until you get a firm grasp on the New Covenant you are under today. I would encourage believers to wait on reading the Old Testament until you have a firm grasp of the New Covenant. But, let the Spirit, who is living in you now, lead you.
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