Well its been quite sometime that I can't attend church on sunday as my uni is quite far from city so I have been attending an online webcast church service of City Harvest Church.
Its a lively and loving church that was been expanding all over.
you can watch it at http://www.cityharvest.tv/engdefault.htm for english service.
And today pastor Kong's message was the among the best I had listened about cancelling debt.
just repeat these phrases "My God is a debt cancelling God."
he outlined 5 steps to cancel debt that everyone should follow:
1. Keep good records
2. Plan spending
3. Reduce your debt rapidly
4. Pay my thies faithfully to God
5. Give my best offering to God
Some reading is through:
1. 2kings 6 - about an axe head floats. the people borrowed the axe and they had a hard time as they can't afford to repay it. God intervened and saved them through his miracle.
2. Nehemiah 5:3 - Nehemiah was angry with debts that he ask for the debts of the Jews to be cancalled once and for all.
3. Nehemiah 13:10-12 -Nehemiah stressed on how important to pay thies (full thies of 10%)
4. Malachi 3:10 -the 5 benefits of giving thies and offerings:
a. church will be a blessing to all
b. Heaven will be open
c. Devourers will be rebuked away.
d. Hard work will bear fruits.
e. spirit- led investments will prosper.
5. 2kings 4 - spirit led intervention in investment will prosper beyond what you can ever imagined
a. Well I agree with his attitude of keeping good records of all he own, owe and spend as a way to keep update on inventories of his money flow.
b. a budget for everything we do coz "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."
c. increase asset holdings that will increase in value over the time such as house and other investments.
d. the greatest prison is our 2 ears and mind as satan can easily imprison our mind in debt and sins if we keep a very low mindedness.
e. there is a family budget template for everyone to download and start planning ur spending as we face the toughest time after the great depression of 1929s in US. http://www.chc.org.sg/eng/downloads/downloads.php
well good luck to everyone. Its time for us to break and overcome the mammon a God of Debt in Syrian history. and the satan's next plot to enslave us and lead us to defy God's calling for us to do mission or spare time to spread his words.
And I like the simple way he explain and differentiate between Loan and debt
Loan is a money borrowed that is serviceable such as credit card use for food and others where will pay immediately.
And Loan is use to buy things that will gain in value over the time such as property asset or other investments.
Whereas Debt is money borrowed that is not serviceable or we can't afford to pay such as credit card or overdraft to pay for vacations, shopping for furniture and electronic gadgets such as laptops, Tvs and others.
Simply put, Debt is a money borrowed to buy things that will depreciated in value over the time such as cars, luxury watch, vacations....
So take pastor Kong's word and start practice a solid financing of your money and be in control of your money before it become uncontrollable and you end up as a bankrupt.
Well, I really felt touched to hear the testimony by the couple who became bankrupt and have no money to even have three meals a day and how their son share their parents burden by not eating breakfast but to share a meal of dinner with his parent because that is all they could afford. And how they grow in faith and gave all they have and six years later, they are back on track. The husband's business is earning 50k in two months and with another 40k of contracts to do. and he is flying his own personal corporate jet as he works with Indonesia's richest man. and handling his own business at night. Both husband and wife are cleared from bankruptcies now.
Well, the story about pastor Kong and his wife who gave all their salary to a missionary as God touched their hearts whether they will rely on God for all they have as they are owing 40k and that salary is all they needed to service the loan and pay for their monthly spending.
Six month later money came pouring in and he can settle all his debt and be free.
Lets not look at the success but the trial period they face. Are we willing to let go everything and depend solely on God?
Not that u sit there doing nothing but to trust in God that he will help us clear all our debt and be freed of all this.
Start by giving thies not as a duty but a delight and be more involved in our cell activities and try to reach out and help others.
Have a peaceful and spiritual sunday everyone.... and may God bless everyone.
2 comments:
Friend, May I offer an alternative interpretation of Malachi for your study.
From: Tithing is not a Christian Doctrine
www.shouldthechurchteachtithing.com
Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
Malachi 3 is the Most Abused Tithing Text in the Bible. The “whole” tithe never was supposed to go to the Temple!
A. Malachi is Old Covenant and is never quoted in the New Covenant to validate tithing (Lev. 27:34; Neh. 10:28-29; Mal. 3:7; 4:4).
B. In Malachi 3:10-11 tithes are still only food 1000 years after Leviticus 27:30-34 and Numbers 18:21-28.
C. Malachi’s audience had willingly reaffirmed the Old Covenant (Neh.10:28-29). The blessings and curses of tithing are identical to and inseparable from those of the entire Mosaic Law. The rain in Deuteronomy 28:12, 23-24 and Leviticus 26:1-4 is only obtained by obedience to all 613 commandments. Galatians 3:10 (quoting Deu 27:26) “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Trying to earn God’s blessings through tithing only brings curses for failure to keep all of the law. See also Galatians 3:19.
D. Beginning in 1:6 “you” in Malachi always refers to the dishonest priests and not the people (also 2:1-10; 2:13 to 3:1-5): “Even this whole nation of you --priests” (3:9). In 1:13-14 the priests had stolen tithed animals vowed to God. In Nehemiah 13:5-10 priests had stolen the Levites’ portion of the tithe. God’s curses on the priests are ignored by most tithe-teachers (1:14; 2:2 and 3:2-4).
E. Point #12 of the essay. The Levitical cities must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3:10. Most tithe-recipients lived outside of Jerusalem.
F. The 24 courses of Levites and priests must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3. Normally only 2% of the total Levite and priest work force served at the temple one week at a time. Subtract wives, males under the age of 30 and daughters. Therefore 2% did not require all of the tithe. See 1 Chron 23-26; 28:13, 21; 2 Chron. 8:14; 23:8; 31:2, 15-19; 35:4, 5, 10; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 11:19, 30; 12:24; 13:9, 10; Luke 1:5.
G. Nehemiah 10:37-39 is the key to understanding Malachi 3:10, The people were commanded to bring their tithes, not to the temple, but to the nearby Levitical cities. Verse 38 says that the priests were with the Levites in the Levitical cities when they received the tithes.
H. According to Nehemiah 13:5, 9 the “storehouse” in the Temple was only several rooms. The real “storehouses” were in the Levitical cites per Nehemiah 10:37b-38. Only the Levites and priests normally brought tithes to the Temple (10:38). Two rooms in the Temple were far too small to contain the tithe from the entire nation and 98% of the Levites and priests lived too far away to eat from them.
Therefore, Malachi 3:10’s “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” only makes contextual sense if it is only commanding dishonest priests to replace the tithes they had removed from it or had failed to bring to it.
While the 3:10 of the Law in Malachi is so important to tithe-teachers they ignore the 3:10 of the Gospel in Galatians and 2nd Corinthians. Perhaps those wanting to enforce the 3:10 Law of Malachi should also enforce the 3:10 Law of Numbers. They share the same context.
Christian giving is freewill, sacrificial, generous, joyful, regular and motivated by love. That is enough to provide the needs of the Church.
yeah I remember my pastor taught that tithing is not only to church but also to help other in need and help. tq 4 ur comment
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