Tithe

Tithe

By Pastor Dwight

Our giving is a way of consecrating (setting aside for divine purpose) not only the part we bring but our whole life. Throughout the Old Testament we see that God commands us to dedicate ourselves and all we have to be holy. He sanctifies and blesses that which we offer to him as we present our whole selves “on the altar of God” (as Christ offered his whole self on the cross). The Biblical words are:

 Tithes- as the writer of Hebrews in the New Testament explains Abraham first offered a tenth 400 years before the law so tithes are not about Old Testament law so much as acknowledging God as our source and committing ourselves to do his will.

Firstfruits- Paul in the New Testament said to habitually give the first part of that which God provided for us. Freewill or love offerings for special needs of people or in the work of the church in the community or in care of it’s building dedicates us all to be holy-doing the will of God. God even commanded them to dedicate all firstborn animals and their own sons to the Lord by paying a tax to redeem them, or else to actually bring them as the sacrifice (as God gave his only Son to consecrate and make us holy).

Ex 34:20 The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed. Deut 12:6 and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.

1 Cor 16:2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

Nehemiah 10:35 We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord; With Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

Ex 35:29 All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.

Confession

Confession

By Dwight Cunkle

The power of confession is in speaking God’s Word

Faith in Christ comes by listening to his word

Twice in Luke we read that Mary pondered, even treasured the words of the angel and prophets (Luke 2:19, 51) about her and the Holy Seed of the Word being incarnated (made flesh in her). She was also yielded and obedient to the Word from God, “Be it unto me according to your word.” The    angel assured her that “No word comes from God without the power of fulfillment within it.”

Jesus healed a woman then said to her, “Your faith has healed you.” From where did she get faith to be healed?

To another Jesus said, “Be unto to you according to your faith.” 

Yes (in case you are wondering) we can be like Mary, thinking (meditating) with our mind and heart what God’s specific word (rhema) means to us? The Word is not too high or too hard for you but is near you-even in your mouth… Faith comes by hearing the Word… Romans 10:6-8, 17 (see also verse 10-confess and believe and you will be saved).

We all can make time to prayerfully think over and over a short passage or phrase of Scripture. This pondering and treasuring leads us into what is called contemplation of God – a knowing and seeing and experiencing Him that results in our own being transformed into His image (2 Cor 3:17-18).

Meditating and confessing God’s word will naturally humble us even as Mary and those who sought healing humbled themselves and confessed their weakness and need. God will fill you and defend you. God will draw you into union with Him. You will know His love for you deeper and His grace will love others through you.

Is the cost of daily sitting at his feet and listening to his word and confessing our faults and sins worth it? Is He not the Pearl and Kingdom? Did He not think us worthy?

Darning the Damage from Darnel in Our Souls and Community

Darning the Damage from Darnel

in Our Souls and Community

By Tim McCoy

In our small group last Sunday one was moved with compassion to think that some people grow up where much evil has been sown in them, around and against them, while life is easier and freer for others.

Matt 13: 23 - 30. ‘The kingdom of heaven may be com-pared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was  asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel* all among the wheat, and made off…Jesus said, Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall  say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.” ’

*13:26 Zizanion, a kind of weed referred to as “darnel” or “tares,” has poisonous seeds but looks like wheat in its early stages of growth. Yet it is easily distinguishable at harvest. The sower of evil is "the devil" (verses 25, 28, 38-39) (diabolos: the accuser, deceiver, liar, and be-trayer, one who is against all that is true and righteous. Satan's sly nature is   revealed in his choice of the darkness for doing his            diabolical work, sowing what is evil among the good.

Darnel or Tares in our soul.

In our lives we have had bad experiences, bad con-clusions based on faulty facts, imperfect motives, and sins committed against us as well as evil thoughts so our minds by the world. Haven't you prayed, “Lord take this anger or hated away from me? Or Lord why can't this temptation be taken away”?

It's a mystery but God allows these subtle tares to co-exist in our hearts until he has matured the fruit He has planted becomes ripe and mature enough to over-power and become easily distinguished from the fruit of Satan. In Hebrews it is written. "For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of right-eousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice to discern both good and evil."

Our life maturity is based on growing in the ability to distinguish the in-fluence of both tares and the wheat within ourselves (not just seeing evil influences in the world around us). When we begin to see them, we can confess our faults and ask prayer and help to be healed (James 5:17). Jesus is a gentle shepherd, and if he only dealt with judgment and condemnation of sin where would we learn mercy? From Jesus we learn humility, mercy and patience, and in the church is grace to free us from evil within us.

The power of confession

Romans 7:  For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it... I see in my body war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my body. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

1 John 1:7 If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin…9 If we confess our sins he will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.

So within or without, God is patient for His fruit to distinguish itself and for us to purge ourselves through His discerning Spirit and the mirror of God’s word. God give us grace to be patient with ourselves and others while we confess our faults and pray for one another to be healed in love. Then we shine as light in this world.

 “Although the tares hinder the wheat, yet they make it the more beautiful to behold”. 

Loving His Word

Loving His Word

By Richard Lineberry

No one can rise to spiritual maturity without a love affair with God's Word.  The Word is almost a synonym with the Christian message and remember that the Word is not just words on a page but the person of Christ manifested to us to demonstrate all that God is.

The Word purifies us by exposing good and evil and giving us power to chose the good. Through this Word comes faith to believe that our sins are forgiven and life becomes new through Christ's resurrection.  The Word is the agent of  spiritual rebirth.  In our sinful condition,  the needed change in our hearts to receive and give love is so great it requires a supernatural change on the inside that only God's Word can accomplish.

This Word must be HEARD.  We must open our hearts and minds to the Word's entrance.  It is possible to ignore and disregard it. The Word must not only be heard but HELD ON TO. It must be digested inwardly. We must hold it the forefront of our minds. In this way its power is released and we experience love.

The Word must be ACTED UPON if we are to fully  comprehend its worth. When we hear Him speaking deep within us. Sometimes it seems He speaks things that impossible for us to do but His Word comes complete with grace which is the power to do and become exactly what He prescribes.  Through acting on His Word we can do great things. The obstacles of the past can melt away as we learn what it means to follow Him. As we do this a new spiritual freedom comes that we had always longed for.

Finally, this Word within us longs to be spoken outwardly.  Every believer needs to share the Word that is within us with others.  Often that is just a simple encouragement we may give to others. If we ask, God will give us opportunities to speak to those that need to hear it. This is the Christian message that we receive this word of life and then give it away to those without.

I AM NOT A LEGO

I AM NOT A LEGO

By Dwight Cunkle

Recently I took two grandchildren to the LegoLand Movie. I think I enjoyed it much more than they did. It surprises me how much humor and truth is written into children’s cartoons that only “adults” will “get.”

What profound truth struck me from the movie?

Thankfully, our God is not like  “The man upstairs” in the  movie who is the “creator” and has ultimate “control,” but is unaware of mischief going on in Lego-Land. Our God came in the flesh and revealed himself as a personal and good God.

The different realms of Legos (Frontier, Castle, Pirates, etc. are all connected by mysterious passage ways (like the way C.S. Lewis has Aslan send the children to and from various worlds). The few who become aware of this realize they can affect what happens in the various realms for good or evil.

As I read Scripture this morning I contemplated God as Lord of the various heavens, the earth and things under the earth. Jesus humbly entered all these realms and ascended Victor but we are limited by time and space, except in spirit.

I pray God open our spiritual ears to listen with His ears and find his heart. We need to humbly enter into the “realms” of others and listen with them for God, following Jesus’ example. Our goal is to live fully in divine life and love in our daily life:  entering fully into all our times and places, bringing his life to those around us, always thanking God because He is working his glorious will in all realms.

Phil 2:3-11 In humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Look not only on your own interests but on the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

How to Develop Self-Discipline

How to Develop Self-Discipline By: Rick Warren “God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NCV) *** *** *** *** God wants you to develop a self-discipline that pushes you to do things, even as others are giving up. Over the years, I’ve observed six key expressions of self-discipline: People with self-discipline master their moods. They live by their commitments, not their emotions. People who do the right thing even when they don’t feel like it accomplish most of what gets done in the world! “A man without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls” (Proverbs 25:28 LB). People with self-discipline watch their words. They put their minds in gear before opening their mouths. “He who guards his lips guards his life” (Proverbs 13:3 NIV). People with self-discipline restrain their reactions. How much can you take before you lose your cool? “If you are sensible, you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it” (Proverbs 19:11 GNT). People with self-discipline stick to their schedule. If you don’t determine how you will spend your time you can be sure that others will decide for you! “Live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility … Make the best use of your time” (Ephesians 5:15–16 PH). People with self-discipline manage their money. They learn to live on less than what they make and they invest the difference. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went! “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets” (Proverbs 21:20 LB). People with self-discipline maintain their health. That way they can accomplish more and enjoy their achievements. “Every one of you should learn to control his body, keeping it pure and treating it with respect” (1 Thessalonians 4:4 PH). The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow. But it takes more than just willpower for lasting self-discipline. It takes a power greater than yourself: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT/NCV). The more I accept God’s control over my life, the more self-control he gives me! © 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.

Continuing to Prayerfully Read Scripture

Continuing to Prayerfully Read Scripture

By Dwight Cunkle

Read, Listen/meditate, Contemplate God, Obey

In John 13 Jesus washes their feet, predicts his betrayal and the denial of Peter. 

In John 14-16 He prepares his followers to seek for and receive the Promised Holy Spirit. 

Just as Jesus washed their feet, He washes ours. 

Just as they deserted Him, so we have denied and betrayed him by our sins. 

Jesus told them to love one another like Him but that we would not be able love without living in and with Him by the fullness of Holy Spirit.

He says they will be able to work miracles even greater than he did because the Father would also work in them by His Spirit. 

He told them that whoever obeys his commands will be loved by him and his Father and they will come and make their home in him.

He further says that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin but bring things from Jesus and make them known to his followers, leading them into truth and oneness with Him and God. 

He told them Holy Spirit will make them powerful witnesses for him.

But He warns them that because of the things Holy Spirit will do in them the world will hate them.

Clearly, Jesus wants them to see their need for and have both faith and desire to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. 

Clearly, we have a choice: we cannot be full of the world and full of Holy Spirit.
We cannot be filling ourselves with ourselves and have the fullness of God’s Spirit working in us.

What was the transformation that took place during the 40 days of Christ appearing to them, and the ten days of their preparation for Pentecost? Through sorrow and desolation they became more detached form the world, their agenda’s and themselves. They became hungry and thirsty for more of Him-which could only happen by obeying and asking for, seeking, knocking and receiving the fullness of Holy Spirit.

 Choose a passage from John 13-16, or from Acts 1-4, and read it several times, allowing Holy Spirit to highlight some phrase to you. Meditate and listen to God as you think and pray. Contemplate God just as the disciples were contemplating Jesus as He spoke these words to them, and as they waited in the upper room. What is God asking of you? Do you need to detach from the world and yourself or others and seek to be more filled with Holy Spirit, so you can love and obey him?

John 15:16, 26; 16:13-15, 35

Be filled with Holy Spirit.