JFJ Forums

I'm not effective. The only part of me that will improve the sitcheashun
is Christ. I know I have my own personality to deal with. Puhhh llleeeeese!

I am trying to imagine if Paul gained any satisfaction from the tent-making trade. I imagine He did.

Peace to you.

Should a Pastor tithe out of His salary? Who should He tithe to?

If all the churches tithed 10 %, there would be no world hunger.

When Jesus fed the 5000, the disciples had accrued 200 denari.

Jesus apparently didn't handle the group's money.  

I have heard it taught that a tithe is not "required" under the New Covenant. Paul gave some "guidelines" for giving.

Y'shua was not "spiritually" poor. He said, The poor of this world are rich in faith.  He said, The poor you will always have with you. That is truth.

From experience I say that I was happier as far as my finances are concerned when I was living pay check to pay check with little money to spare, than I am now, with a guaranteed income and able to save a fair amount of money in the bank. Money tends to give me a sense of security apart from the Lord. It is just a wierd feeling to have extra cash on hand when people are in need of food elsewhere.

Everything you are, and possess belongs to the Lord.

Shalom cor517,  I try not to make you unhappy with my words, by offering what little comfort, and friendship, I can offer.  I offer what came on my heart, as I read your words.  Keeping it short, required most of what I said to be deleted into cyber-space (probably best).

Tithe: If the salary is 'gain,' Yes, tithe to God.  Remember that the Minister is also a lamb of God, in the elevated position of 'Junior Sheppard.'

Feeding: Not one denari was spent.  Two fish and five loves of bread fed 5000 men (plus women and children), yet yielded twelve baskets of good food, for munching, later.

Judas Iscariot carried the purse. (John 12:6, etal).

Happier: Perchance, you do not feel worthy of a good income, without hard physical labor?  WRONG!  If you are a Minister, worth your salt, you are working God's work "7/24," with double speed, and energy on Shabbat. 

If the money gives you too much mortal security, unto laziness, you know what to do with your money.  You either learn to use it to God's blessing, or use it to God's blessing.

You are there for the flock you lead, not for power, nor wealth (eg. some Mega-church pastors).  You are not working 'for' God. You are being allowed, being chosen, to represent Messiah, on earth, until His return.  I envy you your calling.  Oh, it is not prideful to love your work.

I pray you accept my words as from the 'rooting-section,' not from the 'hooter-section.'

We are in heavy Biblical travail now.  The faith/church cannot afford to loose one single shepherd.

In Messiah, His Shalom, and Strength.  Press on.  Arley  Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

In 1987, some 9 years after my stint in the Navy, I was promoted to Storeroom supervisor at an airline catering company. I supervised 9
employees. One day on my lunch break I decided to take the antique 51 Chevrolet truck I had just bought from a junk dealer out for a spin.

Coming up piney top and rounding the bend to my house I spied a man
staggering on the side of the road. I slowed and stopped and saw he had been "clubbed" or "pistol whipped" and blood was streaming down his forehead, the back of his neck and onto his polyester leisure suit.
I hustled him into the old piece of junk I had just bought, and puttered off to the house.

When we got there I helped him out of the truck, into a lawn chair, and went in the house and got a clean towel and ran some cold water over it and applied it to his head. He told me He had picked up some hitch hikers, and they had robbed him and left him in the woods, after taking his car. How much of his story I know to be factual is questionable.

I called 911, and it just so happened my neighbor several doors down
answered the call (literally) in an Ambulance. She happened to be an EMT.

Approx. 5 or 6 days later several men in black suits came out to the house and asked me about the whole incident. I took them to where I had found him, and we went down into the woods, out of sight of the road. There we found some scattered paperwork, a notebook and a jacket that the man had apparently shed after being accosted. They asked me some time and location questions , thanked me and drove off.
2 or 3 days after that, some biker, hippie looking types came by the house in a Monte Carlo, and said they had come to thank me for "rescuing their dad or old man, can't remember the exact terminology."  I didn't do anything anyone else would not have done.

I was just in the right place at the right time, and God had made me e-fective.

If you create some type of controversy, you are effective.
The question is who for?

Yahweh perfectly in line with a universe he created, with no bounds, that we have discovered as of Yet...

said through the Apostle Paul,

2Cor.13
[8] For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

God is effective.

Just short about giving 10%...

Still in Jezus times the Temple was there, and those Laws etc.
Now you write this tekst so close after Thanksgiving...
Judaism gave always from the FIRST of it fruits, as Thanksgiving (still we do!!), and God commanded to pray afther we ate with satisfaction...

In Christians seem to do the opposit. Thanksgiving looks like much after the harvest. (Thanksgiving is an old European ''Christian'' festivall). And people start to pray before they eat...

In all kind of details Christianity became different from Judaism.
Allthough the feeding of many without money is mentioned in the Jewish Bible.

10% for the Temple also ment that the Priests had tasks in taking care off the spirituall well being of man. Connection to the Land, creating Laws for the generall good. What we gave to God etc.
Off course everyting belongs to God. But he didn't ask us to give him all our sheep etc., just now and then only 1. And God never realy claimed we all should be equally rich. God was nor Comunist, nor Kapitalist. With a lot of profits that banks make etc. God will not agree in a Jewish System.
Nowadays muslim and jewish banks have to go by IMF-standards and mortages etc. But that is not what jewish and muslim banks want, but the world is mainly run by Christians and other kind off people so what can we do.

That nowadays we pay taxes, and the state or insurance-companies took tasks of the Church or other religions is another way of arranging wealth and responsibility.