This is the most difficult thing I believe I have ever posted. Let me preface it with this scripture.
2 Chronicles 18:6-7
6 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?"
7 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah."
Ahab and Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from Yahweh. I believe that Jehoshaphat truly wanted to hear from Yahweh on some level. However as I read the scripture Ahab only wanted Yahweh to bless the plans he had already made. I am afraid that too many Christians have developed this same attitude. We say we want to hear from Yeshua, yet when we do, we become annoyed and angry with what we have heard. Paul warned Timothy about this very idea in 2 Timothy 4:4,3.
One week ago the Holy Spirit gave me a dream of warning to give to all that would hear it. I awoke in the early morning hours very disturbed by the dream I had. I will only say this about the dream. The dream was very disturbing and very unusual. The Holy Spirit told me I should only share the dream itself with a certain people. However I was told to share the meaning of the dream with anyone that would listen. I was also instructed to share the meaning of the dream where I could. I leave it to you the reader to discern if my dream is from the Spirit of Yahweh.
To the Church that lies within the USA, listen to what the Spirit of Yahweh is saying to His people.
I have sent my Spirit to you to teach and comfort you. I have provided for you that you may enjoy wealth and abundance. I have prospered you, so that you may be an example to all the nations of my grace.
Instead you have become complacent with my gospel. Instead of protecting and promoting me, you have endangered and damaged My Name. As I increase My mercy and grace, you increase the damage you have done to My truth. You have worked not to promote My Gospel but to prosper yourself at My expense. Each attempt you have made to better the Gospel has only brought destruction and insult to My Bride . Your programs and rituals will never take the place of My Spirit. Your offense has been so great if I had not interfered you would wholly have destroyed the Gospel Message and My Bride.
Now hear me of what is to come. Correct your behavior or suffer. If you do not repent and return to my plans I will bring destruction to this nation. I will tolerate it no more. Stop attempting to make me in your Image. End your sin or know this. The nation I have easily brought to power will be even easier to destroy. Know Destruction looms…Heed my warning and repent now otherwise I will destroy this nation, just as I have destroyed those before you.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
It's not about fair, it is about justice!
Having just concluded a four week study on Biblical Principles of Giving, I have a couple of principles that I would like to bring to the reader’s attention. For some these will be astonishing. These same principles will anger some. Regardless of how you feel about this, understand your reactions to them are an indictment on you the reader. I have reconciled myself with these Biblical principles.
The fist principle is this. It is unjust to require more of a rich person and less of a poor person.
Ex 30:15 The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives.
Often in our society, there is an expectation that if someone is wealthier they should be responsible for a greater burden. The idea of tier responsibility is not born out in scripture. As the scripture plainly says here, both have the same level of responsibility. This expectation that some should bare more responsibility and some should bare less responsibility creates several problems within the Church and society as whole. I will list several problems that tiered responsibility births for the Church and for society.
The most notable problem that tiered responsibility creates is corruption. It becomes a corrupting force by two separate means. As I will explain, the only way to combat these corrupting forces is by having a Biblical model that requires everyone to have the same level of responsibility.
The first corrupting force is financial. When the rich are providing the funds needed to conduct a ministry or a societal structure, it is only natural that they will receive greater influence and access to leadership. While a person of authority may claim he/she is not influenced by money, it becomes impossible to believe this when a person of authority is so dependent on those funds for their livelihood. Regardless of how sincere a person’s intent, they can be persuaded when the bulk of their funds come from a minority of sources.
The second corrupting force is majority rule or mob rule. Majority rule is the most often misunderstood concept within our society. Often people mistake governance by natural law with majority rule. As Ben Franklin said, “Majority Rule is two wolves and a sheep deciding what is for dinner.” With a tiered responsibility system, those required to contribute less often outnumber those required to give more. Simply put, the poor eventually outnumber the rich. This creates an environment where more people by sheer numbers seemingly have a greater influence over those in authority. What is created is a mob pushing leaders.
It is plain to see how a just and equal distribution of responsibility corrects both of these corrupting forces.
Jealously and envy are also problems with a tiered level of responsibility. In order for a tiered system to work, someone must be charged with the task of inspecting what a person owns and how that person’s tier is assigned. Then someone must be assigned with the task of ensuring that the previous persons are indeed assigning people to the correct tiers. Additionally someone must determine what the levels of the tiers are. Now someone must provide the previous group the information to determine the tiers. As you can see the numbers of people required to create a tiered system is limitless. Here is what really happens though. Everyone knows what everyone else has. No one should have to make their wealth a matter of public record. Privacy is a solid Biblical principle that should never be voided by a tradition of man. When we make public financial information, it permits others to make unnecessary judgments concerning the person. Please don’t misunderstand me there are times when judgments must be made however this is not one of those times. The truth is why do you care how much your neighbor’s wealth is? The only reason to be concerned with this is, if you are jealous of what he has.
The next principle this series has illustrated to me is one of the heart. While we discussed many types of offerings, one thing remains consistent. Giving is a matter of the heart.
2 Cor 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
This scripture is dealing specifically with a free will offering being collected by Paul. However we can learn from the principle he is presenting here. The same principle is found with the story of Ananias and Sapphira.
Acts 5:4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
You see the principle is very clear, giving regardless of the reason, of how just or benevolent, is a matter of the heart. You cannot force someone to be generous. It must come from their decisions. When you simply take someone’s wealth whether it is by manipulation of their conscience, laws, or at the end of the gun, it is theft. Generosity cannot be mandated. No more than you can force someone to change their heart.
In closing, I say this. Giving, tithing, taxes, etc is a physical means to establish responsibility. To fail to share that responsibility equally and justly is immoral. To allow one group to be less responsible than another, is to demean their value. To place a greater burden on one group is to value that group more. We all contain the same intrinsic value as the creation of Yahweh. The concept that someone can force generosity is an insult to Yahweh. Any belief that attempts to overrule Yahweh’s decree is Satanic at its conception and arrogant. Denying the supremacy of Yahweh’s power is nothing more than an attempt to unseat Him from His Throne. We should never be so arrogant and rebellious to believe that we should do what Yeshua has abstained from.
The fist principle is this. It is unjust to require more of a rich person and less of a poor person.
Ex 30:15 The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives.
Often in our society, there is an expectation that if someone is wealthier they should be responsible for a greater burden. The idea of tier responsibility is not born out in scripture. As the scripture plainly says here, both have the same level of responsibility. This expectation that some should bare more responsibility and some should bare less responsibility creates several problems within the Church and society as whole. I will list several problems that tiered responsibility births for the Church and for society.
The most notable problem that tiered responsibility creates is corruption. It becomes a corrupting force by two separate means. As I will explain, the only way to combat these corrupting forces is by having a Biblical model that requires everyone to have the same level of responsibility.
The first corrupting force is financial. When the rich are providing the funds needed to conduct a ministry or a societal structure, it is only natural that they will receive greater influence and access to leadership. While a person of authority may claim he/she is not influenced by money, it becomes impossible to believe this when a person of authority is so dependent on those funds for their livelihood. Regardless of how sincere a person’s intent, they can be persuaded when the bulk of their funds come from a minority of sources.
The second corrupting force is majority rule or mob rule. Majority rule is the most often misunderstood concept within our society. Often people mistake governance by natural law with majority rule. As Ben Franklin said, “Majority Rule is two wolves and a sheep deciding what is for dinner.” With a tiered responsibility system, those required to contribute less often outnumber those required to give more. Simply put, the poor eventually outnumber the rich. This creates an environment where more people by sheer numbers seemingly have a greater influence over those in authority. What is created is a mob pushing leaders.
It is plain to see how a just and equal distribution of responsibility corrects both of these corrupting forces.
Jealously and envy are also problems with a tiered level of responsibility. In order for a tiered system to work, someone must be charged with the task of inspecting what a person owns and how that person’s tier is assigned. Then someone must be assigned with the task of ensuring that the previous persons are indeed assigning people to the correct tiers. Additionally someone must determine what the levels of the tiers are. Now someone must provide the previous group the information to determine the tiers. As you can see the numbers of people required to create a tiered system is limitless. Here is what really happens though. Everyone knows what everyone else has. No one should have to make their wealth a matter of public record. Privacy is a solid Biblical principle that should never be voided by a tradition of man. When we make public financial information, it permits others to make unnecessary judgments concerning the person. Please don’t misunderstand me there are times when judgments must be made however this is not one of those times. The truth is why do you care how much your neighbor’s wealth is? The only reason to be concerned with this is, if you are jealous of what he has.
The next principle this series has illustrated to me is one of the heart. While we discussed many types of offerings, one thing remains consistent. Giving is a matter of the heart.
2 Cor 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
This scripture is dealing specifically with a free will offering being collected by Paul. However we can learn from the principle he is presenting here. The same principle is found with the story of Ananias and Sapphira.
Acts 5:4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
You see the principle is very clear, giving regardless of the reason, of how just or benevolent, is a matter of the heart. You cannot force someone to be generous. It must come from their decisions. When you simply take someone’s wealth whether it is by manipulation of their conscience, laws, or at the end of the gun, it is theft. Generosity cannot be mandated. No more than you can force someone to change their heart.
In closing, I say this. Giving, tithing, taxes, etc is a physical means to establish responsibility. To fail to share that responsibility equally and justly is immoral. To allow one group to be less responsible than another, is to demean their value. To place a greater burden on one group is to value that group more. We all contain the same intrinsic value as the creation of Yahweh. The concept that someone can force generosity is an insult to Yahweh. Any belief that attempts to overrule Yahweh’s decree is Satanic at its conception and arrogant. Denying the supremacy of Yahweh’s power is nothing more than an attempt to unseat Him from His Throne. We should never be so arrogant and rebellious to believe that we should do what Yeshua has abstained from.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Bleeding Turnips
When I was a child my Grandma used to say to me, “You can’t get blood from a turnip.” It was not until I was an adult with kids that I really understood what she was talking about. What my Grandma forgot to mention was unless you are the Federal government you can't get blood from a turnip.
Recently, I stopped in a state rest area while traveling. I had my son with me. As we walked across the parking lot, a lady approached us. The lady was apparently upset and on the verge of tears. She began to share with the two of us her tragic plight. She apparently was on her way to see her dying daughter. She explained in great detail how she and her husband were trapped at the rest area with no gas or food. It was a moving story, honestly.
Let me interject something here. The previous Sunday, my children heard me teaching about the importance of benevolence. I had explained how by reaching out to the needy we are truly doing the work of the Messiah. I explained to the group how we should spend less time determining people’s motives and more time just helping, which I firmly believe. I suddenly realized my child was watching me. Was he about to see me practice what I preach? Or, is he about to see me ignore my own teaching?
Now back to our story. The lady told us she was going to Charlotte, but they were traveling towards Atlanta. I saw her husband standing close by smoking a cigarette. They both just gave me an uneasy feeling. You know that feeling you have when you know someone is just lying. However, I decided it did not matter, after all what was a few dollars. For some reason, even though I was confident she was lying to me, I had sympathy for her. So I reached into my pocket to give them some money. The problem is there was no money there. I searched through all my pockets and could not even find a few cents change. “Ma’am, I am sorry, I would to love to help you but I am broke!” I told my son. “Sometimes it does not matter how much you want to help someone, when you are broke, you are broke.”
Folks this is where our Government is. They (we) are broke! I know folks are hurting and out of work. I understand times are tough. Most of you know that I have had it tough myself for the past couple of years. However, we cannot allow our government to continue spending money regardless of how sympathetic or sad the cause. Yes, people are still out of work. Things continue to be hard. Our nation going into more debt will not change things it will only make things worse. Think about it this way. Your family is struggling with money. You are barely paying the important bills. There are some months when you have to make to tough choices and go without a few things. You decide to make things better. In order to improve your situation you go out to the mall and go on a shopping spree. You buy lots of stuff you can use, but no groceries or essentials. You pay no utilities or house mortgages. So please tell me how would this help your financial struggles? Right now this is what the Federal government is doing. We the People need to rise up against our government and tell them to stop spending on anything. Our pockets are empty regardless of how great the cause. STOP SPENDING NOW!
Recently, I stopped in a state rest area while traveling. I had my son with me. As we walked across the parking lot, a lady approached us. The lady was apparently upset and on the verge of tears. She began to share with the two of us her tragic plight. She apparently was on her way to see her dying daughter. She explained in great detail how she and her husband were trapped at the rest area with no gas or food. It was a moving story, honestly.
Let me interject something here. The previous Sunday, my children heard me teaching about the importance of benevolence. I had explained how by reaching out to the needy we are truly doing the work of the Messiah. I explained to the group how we should spend less time determining people’s motives and more time just helping, which I firmly believe. I suddenly realized my child was watching me. Was he about to see me practice what I preach? Or, is he about to see me ignore my own teaching?
Now back to our story. The lady told us she was going to Charlotte, but they were traveling towards Atlanta. I saw her husband standing close by smoking a cigarette. They both just gave me an uneasy feeling. You know that feeling you have when you know someone is just lying. However, I decided it did not matter, after all what was a few dollars. For some reason, even though I was confident she was lying to me, I had sympathy for her. So I reached into my pocket to give them some money. The problem is there was no money there. I searched through all my pockets and could not even find a few cents change. “Ma’am, I am sorry, I would to love to help you but I am broke!” I told my son. “Sometimes it does not matter how much you want to help someone, when you are broke, you are broke.”
Folks this is where our Government is. They (we) are broke! I know folks are hurting and out of work. I understand times are tough. Most of you know that I have had it tough myself for the past couple of years. However, we cannot allow our government to continue spending money regardless of how sympathetic or sad the cause. Yes, people are still out of work. Things continue to be hard. Our nation going into more debt will not change things it will only make things worse. Think about it this way. Your family is struggling with money. You are barely paying the important bills. There are some months when you have to make to tough choices and go without a few things. You decide to make things better. In order to improve your situation you go out to the mall and go on a shopping spree. You buy lots of stuff you can use, but no groceries or essentials. You pay no utilities or house mortgages. So please tell me how would this help your financial struggles? Right now this is what the Federal government is doing. We the People need to rise up against our government and tell them to stop spending on anything. Our pockets are empty regardless of how great the cause. STOP SPENDING NOW!
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