The Blessing of God
Malachi Chapter 3
Last month we looked at why God was angry at the nation of Israel and discovered they had become complacent and uninspired in their worship of God. They had been in captivity in Persia for 70 years because of their rebellion, idolatry and careless living and had returned to their land but still had a compromised mentality. They were fearful and filled with remembrance of the hard times and were now faced daily with the knowledge of all they had lost and the burden of having to rebuild again. Since Solomon’s temple had been destroyed, they had no place to offer their sacrifices to God and living in a foreign land they adopted the culture of Persia and slowly lost their spiritual culture.
The Prophet Malachi was used by God to remind His people of what He expected of them. God stated that Israel had from the time of their forefathers turned away from His decrees and had not kept them. God cries out, “Return to Me, and I will return to you!” The Israelites asked how were they to return. The response from God was “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.” A pretty serious and fearful statement to hear. Robbing from others is pretty bad but, to actually rob from God! Israel wants to know how they could possibly do that? God responds, “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse!”
No one these days even believe in curses or if they do, they must come from witches, Satanists, Voodoo dolls or other Horror movie characters, but if you read Deuteronomy 28 you will not only find the blessings that come from obedience to God but the curses that will befall you if you choose to rebel. I’m certain that we all would like to have the blessings but would like to dispel the curses by saying, “Jesus paid it all” or “God is a god of love”. But let me just remind you that God said, “I the Lord do not change.” (Malachi 3:6). Numbers 23:19 says, God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he would change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? You can disagree, but if you do then there go the blessings too.
God then says to “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse.” The storehouse meaning where you get fed the Word of God. And then, He would “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it”. That sounds good to me! In addition to all of this, He says “I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field." In other words, this devourer will not eat my fruit or my seed.
Why does God do all of these things? First, so we recognize what is His. In order to rob someone of something means that it belongs to Him already. God gave the garden but said the tree was His. God gives us all things, but the tithe is His. The tithe is an acknowledgement that all things come from Him and we honor Him by obeying. Second, God wants us to test Him to see that He will more than abundantly supply all our needs. Third, God wants the world to see we are blessed!
There is a lot of confusion regarding the tithe. Some don’t believe in anything from the Old Testament, unfortunately. Some believe that Jesus changed all the requirements, even though He said,
The Prophet Malachi was used by God to remind His people of what He expected of them. God stated that Israel had from the time of their forefathers turned away from His decrees and had not kept them. God cries out, “Return to Me, and I will return to you!” The Israelites asked how were they to return. The response from God was “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.” A pretty serious and fearful statement to hear. Robbing from others is pretty bad but, to actually rob from God! Israel wants to know how they could possibly do that? God responds, “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse!”
No one these days even believe in curses or if they do, they must come from witches, Satanists, Voodoo dolls or other Horror movie characters, but if you read Deuteronomy 28 you will not only find the blessings that come from obedience to God but the curses that will befall you if you choose to rebel. I’m certain that we all would like to have the blessings but would like to dispel the curses by saying, “Jesus paid it all” or “God is a god of love”. But let me just remind you that God said, “I the Lord do not change.” (Malachi 3:6). Numbers 23:19 says, God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he would change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? You can disagree, but if you do then there go the blessings too.
God then says to “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse.” The storehouse meaning where you get fed the Word of God. And then, He would “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it”. That sounds good to me! In addition to all of this, He says “I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field." In other words, this devourer will not eat my fruit or my seed.
Why does God do all of these things? First, so we recognize what is His. In order to rob someone of something means that it belongs to Him already. God gave the garden but said the tree was His. God gives us all things, but the tithe is His. The tithe is an acknowledgement that all things come from Him and we honor Him by obeying. Second, God wants us to test Him to see that He will more than abundantly supply all our needs. Third, God wants the world to see we are blessed!
There is a lot of confusion regarding the tithe. Some don’t believe in anything from the Old Testament, unfortunately. Some believe that Jesus changed all the requirements, even though He said,
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore, anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
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Finally, we must remember that the tithe is not for the church, it is for the people! The budget of the church should not be based on the tithe, nor the pastor’s salary. Yes, that becomes a byproduct of giving but not the purpose of the tithe. Just as with the Israelites, they all suffered when one did not obey; BUT they all were blessed when all gave. If all are being blessed then the body of believers (the church) will be blessed.
There are many opportunities for Christians to fellowship and get into God's presence. At the end of the summer, Lauren Daigle will be playing Red Rocks for two nights. This young lady's testimony is one of faith, healing and great anointing. Her music tells the story of the redemptive power of Christ. You can get tickets here for both shows, September 20th and September 21st, she will be performing with several other Christian artists. This is sure to be an amazing night of praise, worship and connection. Don't miss it! |
Visiting the Body of Christ
We have been visiting churches in the area in the hope of networking with fellow Christians as we search to bring unity, and build the Kingdom of God. It is amazing to see the work that these bodies are doing for their communities. We hope to visit your church in the weeks to come!
First Baptist Church of Deer Trail - Pastor Sam Courts Journey Church Strasburg - Pastor Dusty Morris Calvary Baptist Bennett- Pastor Bob McCurley Mountain View Christian Strasburg - Pastor Donn Headley Strasburg Community Church - Pastor Steve Musser Living Springs Cowboy Church Byers- Pastor Zac Sanger Save the Cowboy Kiowa - Kevin Weatherby Cornerstone Fellowship - Pastor Keith Sauder |
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Galatians 6:2 encourages fellow believers to "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. As a community, we are bound together with the love of Christ. We exhibit that love through prayer for one another. Someone in our midst may be hurting, believing for a new job, seeking direction from God. When we come together in agreement for each other, we see God begin to work! We want to agree with you. We encourage our readers to let us know what we can all agree on for you. If you have a specific need that you would like us to pray for, let us know. The Word of God compels us to pray for one another in the community where we live. So agree with us as we pray for each other!
Simply fill out the form below and we will post the need here in real time. We will utilize initials for privacy sake.
Simply fill out the form below and we will post the need here in real time. We will utilize initials for privacy sake.
Community Prayer List
Calling all Prayer Warriors:
-Pray for JR for healing in his neck so that he can get back to work and provide for his family.
-Pray for RG as he continues to heal from his back surgery and rehab.
-Pray for MS as he heals from his accident, as well as for his daughter and her healing.