PART 10
By
Pastor Roger Anghis
July 22, 2012
NewsWithViews.com
Stewardship: A way of handling or being trusted to handle the goods of someone else.
Revelation 1:5 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
(6) And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
Our study last week left us looking at what has happened specifically in this nation because the roles of the kings and priests have not been understood and also because the church has NOT been good stewards of what God has given them.
God has instructed the church to, until His return, spread the gospel and build the kingdom. We do spread the gospel, but keeping the world out of the operations of the church, it has been very lax on. We have allowed the world to dictate to the church what its role in the world will be. When the church is supposed to tell the world what its role is going to be. We are looking at legislation in the state of Colorado where the state will determine who the church can hire. The state is attempting to tell the church that its religious beliefs can no longer be used in the hiring practices of the church, church run charities, church run hospitals and any other faith based organization. If a person goes to a church run hospital and wants an abortion, the state thinks it has the right to tell the hospital that is HAS to perform the abortion. This is a result of the church allowing itself to be removed from the political process of electing godly men and women in our government. Most of the pastors that I speak with these days refuse to have anything to do with the political process, even social issues, for fear of making the people in the pews mad or losing their 501c3. We can not take back what the devil has taken if we don’t stand for what is rightfully ours.
God vision for this earth MUST be fulfilled by the church. The world does not want the church to have any influence on people. The world believes that it can operate without God’s direction, but we have seen that the worlds system is an abysmal failure in everything that it does.
Last week we discussed that the church has not been the influence that it is supposed to be. Mega churches have no real effect in the neighborhoods where they are. We learned that even though the gay community is less than 1% of the population, they are changing the culture of this nation, but the Christians at 80% of the population don’t get much done. We learned that the reason for that is the gay community is actively trying to change the culture but the church is only having weekend social events. The church building is only supposed to be a pit stop, but the majority of the church has made it the destination. We are t=supposed to plant the Word of God where ever we are placed within the Body. Some are teachers, some are athletes, some are entertainers, and when we go into these areas we are not very big. Just like a seed that is planted is very small, but as it takes root and begins to grow, it will soon be many time larger than the seed. We are to do the same thing. Job 8:7 “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” As we begin to take root where we are the blessing of the Lord will begin to cause us to increase.
You will find favor on the job. Promotions will come to you when others think they will get it. Just like Daniel was promoted over the natives of the land and Joseph was taken from the prison to second in command of ALL of Egypt, even though he was a Jew, the favor and the blessing of God could not be stopped. But that favor is tied to faithfulness. If you work for someone else, you show up for work on time everyday. I’ve worked at places where some people show up ten-fifteen minutes late everyday and then complain about not being promoted, not being given a chance to get overtime. Then they complain about management and claim that management is out to get them. There was one guy that never showed up the day after payday, ever!! These kinds of people have no character and will almost always go through life complaining about how everybody is out to get them, the man is trying to keep them down and use every excuse in the book for their lot in life. They are not faithful, they are not responsible, they are the leaches of society that suck life out of it. We are royalty. We don’t act like the rest of the world. We are held to a higher standard. Even when society has deemed certain things not politically correct, we still have to hold true to the Word and stand strong against what is being pushed on the people in the name of political correctness.
Our faithfulness with God will cause Him to give you an edge with whom ever you deal with. You’ll find that you have favor where you didn’t think you would. You’ll be given wisdom about something that you normally wouldn’t have any wisdom about. People will begin to look at you differently and they won’t know why. You’ll be considered for promotions over people that have been there longer than you, just like what happened to Daniel. God’s favor will be there, because of your faithfulness. You will be given more to be faithful with. As you get more, you give more. Deuteronomy 26:12 “When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year. . .”
Deuteronomy 26:5 “And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:
(6) And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:
(7) And when we cried unto the Lord God our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:
(8) And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:
(9) And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.
(10) And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God:
(11) And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.
(12) When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, . . . “
Tithe is what you give, tithing is what you say. Why do you say it? You say it because you must call things into existence! Your words have power. You don’t have to remind God of His promise because He has a bad memory, but because you must speak over your life what God has promised.
When you call it forth, in faith, He is obligated to bring it to pass. Deuteronomy 26:15 “Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.” The phrase “floweth with milk and honey” means a land where there is more than enough, abundance. Obedience, faithfulness, is so important: Malachi 3:7 “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
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(8) Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
(9) Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.” Galatians 3:13 says that we have been redeemed from the curse, but that redemption is not automatic and we can live however we want. We have out part to play. Paying the tithe is a covenant connector. The tithe opens the account, but it does not bring increase, offerings bring the increase: (10) “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
(11) And 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, saith the LORD of hosts.
(12) And all nations shall call you blessed . . “ The lack of financial integrity is basis for many of the struggles in the Body of Christ. Access to the promised land is impossible without the tithe. So many people don’t tithe and can’t understand why nothing ever goes their way. They never seemed to find favor. Some don’t even know how much the tithe is. I would almost have to blame the preacher for that, even though if you study to show yourself approved, you would learn that it is 10% of your gross income. I was talking to some people about the struggles they were having and I asked about their tithe and they told me that they ‘tithed’ 4-6%. Well, that isn’t a tithe. The Hebrew word ‘tithe’ simply means 10%. I told them that the tithe is 10%, they couldn’t quite understand the percentage aspect of it. They were under the belief that what ever they gave was a tithe. It took a long time for me to get them to understand that the tithe was 10% of their income.
When the children of Israel left Egypt, they were rich. They brought with them the wealth of Egypt. Silver, Gold, brass, fine linen, precious gems, anything that was of value.
Exodus 35:4 “And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,
(5) Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,
(4) And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,
(5) Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,” Exodus 36:3 “And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.
(4) And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made;
(5) And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.
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(6)
And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout
the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the
offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.”
(7) For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it,
and too much.” This is the way it is supposed to be in the House
of God. Too much!! We have to transform a society and it is going to
cost money. If you are faithful with what God has entrusted you with,
you will attract people to you because things will just work better
for you and people will see that and want to know what it is you have.
What you are faithful with, God will give you increase to build His
kingdom.
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