The other day I watched a video on Youtube. The lady in the video proposed that God is often portrayed as a gangster in the church. She showed a clip of a gangster movie in which a mobster extorts a local businessman. The mobster demands a portion of his income under the threat that "something bad will happen to him if he doesn't pay up." The definition of extortion is to take money by means of coercion or force.
Many preachers, some knowingly, and others ignorantly, extort God's flock every Sunday in millions of churches across the land. They threaten church members with the curse of Malachi, and demand money from God's children. It resembles a scene out of a classic mob film. God's Word tells us that "we are not to give out fear or compulsion, and yet many pastors, in an effort to get a cut from your hard work, will threaten an old testament law that was written for ancient Israel. For a history of the tithe, click here.
What many pastor's won't tell their congregations is that it was the priests who were robbing God in the book of Malachi. The tithe (which was food and not money) was meant to assist the Levites, the orphan, and the widow. However, the priests in Malachi were robbing God by offering up sick, lame, and wounded offerings, and keeping the best for themselves.
Is that what we are seeing in some churches today? The model of Jesus was to share with flock, and yet many pastors are taking from the flock in order to "take the best for themselves." Many are living lavishly while the needs of the congregation go unmet and unnoticed.
The Biblical model for church, a we can see in the book of Acts was one in which the believers shared everything, and yet today we can see that today's sheep are often neglecting the needs of others in order to fatten the shepherds. Click here to read my article entitled, "Dream about a Fat Shepherd: Inequality in the "church."
The Youtube video of which I spoke, also showed a scene in which the mobster promised the businessman special protection if he paid the mobster a portion of his income. Many pastors today use the same verse from Malachi to promise God's blessing and protection for paying members.
Pastor's love to say that if you give to "them" and "their ministry" then God will bless you with great wealth, a happy marriage, health, and a life of ease. This too creates a thwarted image of God. It creates the illusion that God accepts us when we pay Him. It creates a "works based" salvation that puts us back under the curse of the Law. Many pastors have gotten rich by selling God's blessings, but the Bible tells us that God's blessings are not for sale.
Tithing creates a Jackpot Jesus who operates, not as a King of Kings, but as a dealer at a casino. Put cash in, and hope for a payout. In the book of Acts, we can see Simon the Sorceror being rebuked by the apostles because he tried to buy the gift of God with money.
The Bible tells us that we are no longer under the "curse" of the Law. Curses do not apply to New Covenant Believers. The Bible tells us that Jesus became the curse for us. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Old Covenant law, having become a curse for us." (Galatians 3:13).
The New Covenant model for giving is to "give what one has decided in one's heart, not out of fear or compulsion, but out of joy. "
Notice that "what one has decided in one's heart has no certain percentage." Any pastor that demands a percentage of your income is operating, not as a servant of the Most High, but as menacing mob boss or a dealer in a Las Vegas casino.
The bible never tells us to fatten the shepherds. Instead, Jesus tells us in His Word to give as the Spirit leads. He tells us to give to the least of these, and while I give to ministries that have helped me in my walk, I refuse to give to churches that use fear based guilt tactics to extort money from others.
Similarly, I refuse to play the Jackpot Jesus slot machine. The Bible says to "give expecting nothing in return, and yet believers play the Jesus lottery every Sunday in hopes of gaining a financial windfall. Jesus is being bought and sold in the temple. "My Father's house is a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves." Matthew 21:13
Many preachers, some knowingly, and others ignorantly, extort God's flock every Sunday in millions of churches across the land. They threaten church members with the curse of Malachi, and demand money from God's children. It resembles a scene out of a classic mob film. God's Word tells us that "we are not to give out fear or compulsion, and yet many pastors, in an effort to get a cut from your hard work, will threaten an old testament law that was written for ancient Israel. For a history of the tithe, click here.
What many pastor's won't tell their congregations is that it was the priests who were robbing God in the book of Malachi. The tithe (which was food and not money) was meant to assist the Levites, the orphan, and the widow. However, the priests in Malachi were robbing God by offering up sick, lame, and wounded offerings, and keeping the best for themselves.
Is that what we are seeing in some churches today? The model of Jesus was to share with flock, and yet many pastors are taking from the flock in order to "take the best for themselves." Many are living lavishly while the needs of the congregation go unmet and unnoticed.
The Biblical model for church, a we can see in the book of Acts was one in which the believers shared everything, and yet today we can see that today's sheep are often neglecting the needs of others in order to fatten the shepherds. Click here to read my article entitled, "Dream about a Fat Shepherd: Inequality in the "church."
The Youtube video of which I spoke, also showed a scene in which the mobster promised the businessman special protection if he paid the mobster a portion of his income. Many pastors today use the same verse from Malachi to promise God's blessing and protection for paying members.
Pastor's love to say that if you give to "them" and "their ministry" then God will bless you with great wealth, a happy marriage, health, and a life of ease. This too creates a thwarted image of God. It creates the illusion that God accepts us when we pay Him. It creates a "works based" salvation that puts us back under the curse of the Law. Many pastors have gotten rich by selling God's blessings, but the Bible tells us that God's blessings are not for sale.
Tithing creates a Jackpot Jesus who operates, not as a King of Kings, but as a dealer at a casino. Put cash in, and hope for a payout. In the book of Acts, we can see Simon the Sorceror being rebuked by the apostles because he tried to buy the gift of God with money.
The Bible tells us that we are no longer under the "curse" of the Law. Curses do not apply to New Covenant Believers. The Bible tells us that Jesus became the curse for us. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Old Covenant law, having become a curse for us." (Galatians 3:13).
The New Covenant model for giving is to "give what one has decided in one's heart, not out of fear or compulsion, but out of joy. "
Notice that "what one has decided in one's heart has no certain percentage." Any pastor that demands a percentage of your income is operating, not as a servant of the Most High, but as menacing mob boss or a dealer in a Las Vegas casino.
The bible never tells us to fatten the shepherds. Instead, Jesus tells us in His Word to give as the Spirit leads. He tells us to give to the least of these, and while I give to ministries that have helped me in my walk, I refuse to give to churches that use fear based guilt tactics to extort money from others.
Similarly, I refuse to play the Jackpot Jesus slot machine. The Bible says to "give expecting nothing in return, and yet believers play the Jesus lottery every Sunday in hopes of gaining a financial windfall. Jesus is being bought and sold in the temple. "My Father's house is a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves." Matthew 21:13
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