The first time the tithe is mentioned in our Bible is in Genesis 14:20. Abram gave a tithe to the Priest Melchizedek! This was before the Law of God was given to us by Moses. I find it difficult sometimes when Christian’s profess that they trust God with their Salvation and eternal life yet they will not trust God with ten percent of their income? This is a contradiction! Jesus commended the widow when she put all she had into the offering plate while others just gave a little off the top! We had some interesting experiences while doing mission work in India! When we would go into the remote villages and preach the Gospel the people would bring us tithes and offerings after the services! This widow brought us a small little chicken on a string about the size of a pigeon! I could not refuse it because it was all she had! I understood this tithe and offering was going to cost her a few meals! Another villager brought us a goat! We named him Charles but he was a real headache for me! I have found that the more money people have the harder it is to give! Why? Simply because they begin to trust in their wealth rather than God! You say you trust God here on earth? Show me! Your tithe belongs to the local church and your offering as God leads you! As a small boy growing up on a farm in Nebraska the annual county fair was the highlight of our life! All the carnival rides, freak shows and other entertainment would be there! Today all the freak shows have moved to Washington D.C.! We would save our quarters all year long getting ready for the fair! They had this one little side show where you put a quarter in the machine and then you turned this little crank wheel and moved your drag line out above the toys beneath it and dropped your bucket to try to catch a prize! I would explain to my little brother Tommy how the last guy that lost his quarter made his mistake and I would have not done it that way! We watched others for two days lose their money to learn from their mistakes! Finally the guy running the concession stand lost his patience with us and shouted at me and said, “Hey boy! Put your money where your mouth is!” That is what God is asking us to do! Not unreasonable! Also other ministries should tithe their income to other ministries! Otherwise they rob God of His tithes! You can read the rest of Chapter three to see the outcome if you disobey God! Simple obey Him and be blessed! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: widow
Real Prophets Suffer! 1 Kings Chapter 17
Elijah lived in a great day of Apostasy in Israel. King Ahab and Jezebel were Baal worshipers! The centerpiece of Baal worship was child sacrifice! Much like abortion in America today! However Elijah did not have a 501c tax exemption! He spoke some prophetic words over Ahab and Jezebel that were not nice! Like the dogs will lick your blood and there will not be enough left of you to bury! However Elijah started off with a drought predicted for the King! How would the 21st century prophets respond to Ahab and abortion? Maybe something like this? Ahab you are going to be rich and wealthy! Prosperity will be everywhere you look! You will be blessed, successful and famous! Peace will dominate your realm! Your lovely wife Jezebel is such a blessing to us! Ahab our ministry is growing everyday and a suggested donation of 30 pieces of silver would grant you God’s favor and we would pray for you! Elijah stuck with God’s word and Ahab sent his army after him! God sent Elijah to a remote area where a small stream provided water! This brook drained into the Jordan River. Then God set up a bird feeder for him! I might have complained here? Ravens are scavengers and are road kill specialists! The prophetic word that caused the drought caused the small stream to dry up! So God sent him to a widom and her son for supplies? She warmly received him and told him they have enough supplies for one meal then we can all die! Elijah told her the provisions would last through the drought! Then the widow’s son gets sick and dies? The widow blames Elijah for his death? I would have lost it here! You no good low down and i cannot finish the sentence here! Elijah keeps his cool and focuses on the real problem the dead son! Elijah raises the son from the dead! So what was the widow’s testimony? “Now i know you are a man of God and that the word of God is in your mouth and that it is truth!” Elijah and Moses with Jesus stood at the Mount of Transfiguration! Elijah was taken up to Heaven and did not physically die! At the Mount Elijah represented the Prophets. Moses the law and Jesus the Prophet, Priest and King! As Easter approaches our Pastor Cope is helping us to look at some of the resurrection documents prior to the incarnation of Jesus Christ! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Empty Vessels! 2 Kings 4:1-7
The widow of a Prophet had two sons. She could not pay her debts so her two sons would become slaves! Slavery was different then! During this period Hebrew slavery was according to law! The period of slavery was limited to six years! (Exodus 21:2) Slaves had protections and rights under the law! It was possible for slaves to attain position, power and honor! Remember Joseph? Prime Minister of Egypt! Regardless the widow would have been separated from her children! You could not file a Chapter 11 to get out of debt! She took her problem to the Prophet Elisha. Elisha asked her what she had in her house? She told him nothing but a pot of oil. She had only one thing but it was everything! Jesus there is only one lad here who has two loaves and five fish! How can we feed the multitude? We are out of luck Master! We are having a bad day! Elisha asked the widow to borrow empty vessels? He told her to shut the door on her house with her two sons! He asked her to begin to fill the empty vessels! Jesus told his disciples to bring the little boy’s food to him. He prayed and Blessed the borrowed food and told his disciples to begin to distribute the food to the crowd! The widow came to Elijah and told him all the empty vessels were full. He told her to sell the oil and pay the debt! Remember the gold coin in the mouth of the fish? God is looking for the empty vessels on earth whom He can fill. However a majority of these vessels do not believe they are borrowed vessels? They think they own their own vessels? It is my money! Don’t tell me to tithe! Don’t tell me what to do! You can understand the challenge God faces! You are not your own but paid for with a price! The price was His blood! God’s blood! I would never want God’s job! Satan tried to take God’s job and so we have death, disease, destruction and continual war! Let God be God and become an empty vessel He can fill. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Facts about Elijah 1st & 2nd Kings
Why did Elijah order a 3 year drought for King Ahab and Queen Jezebel? Why so long? Why not order an earthquake and get it over with? Baal was worshiped by Ahab and Jezebel and was supposed to be the god of rain, thunder, lightning and dew! Remember Elijah told them they would not even see dew! So this was the challenge Elijah with Jehovah God to Baal. Elijah was challenging the Priestess Jezebel and her priests of Baal who brought idol worship to Israel! Also remember Jezebel was the daughter of King Sidon of Phoenicia the Headquarters for Baal worship! Remember where the widow was from who helped Elijah in the drought? She lived in Zarephatho Phoenicia! So God sent Elijah to the enemies camp for safety! Our enemies are all around us yet God keeps us safe! I have experienced with 3 years in India that every false god whether Hindu, Sikh or Muslim must bow down to Jesus! Now is the time to share with you about American culture. Satan is a crafty devil so how does he deceive the masses of people here in America? He will not name himself as a god but will mask himself as junk science! Evolution is the junk science millions of school children are taught in our public schools as science! That way he cannot be challenged as a god! Since God does not exist the end of the debate! So the children graduate from our schools high school and college brain washed into believing there is no God! We have to attack the junk science that is why i have started a series called Science and Faith! Did you know Elijah is mentioned in the Quran and also Jesus! We will cover this later but don’t get too excited about it! It tries to debunk Christianity! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
How To Be Happy?
An elderly lady was very rich but very lonely! She lived so long all her family had passed on! So she went down to the local pet shop and asked the owner what would be a good pet to give her company? The pet shop owner told her she needed to get a parrot. So she bought a parrot and brought him home. She was very disappointed because the parrot did not talk? She went back to the pet store and complained to the owner! The owner told her every parrot needs a mirror in his cage. So she bought a mirror. Another two weeks went by and still no talking? She went back to the pet store again! The owner told her every parrot needs a swing in his cage! The widow bought a swing and installed in the parrot cage! Two weeks later the widow went back to the pet shop and told the owner her parrot died! The pet store owner was shocked and grieved for the parrot! He asked the lady if the parrot said anything at all before he died? The widow told him yes he did speak! Just before the parrot died he asked me if they had any food down at that pet store? Pastor Greg Laurie
The Poor Man’s Tithe! Deuteronomy 26:12
I am sure when some Pastor’s read this scripture they think this represents the level of giving by their congregation! If they do not increase their level of giving I am going to end up as poor as they are! Here is what Tripp’s Complete Commentary says; “Thus does God not only plead the poor man’s cause, (Deuteronomy 15:10-11), but he allots a portion of the 3rd years tithe, not only to the Levite, who is never excluded, but to the stranger, fatherless and widow, as Jerome observed and called it the poor man’s tithe.” Comment: Our Pastor Brady Boyd adopted orphans and I married a widow with orphans. After 42 years of marriage I can say there is no greater Blessing than to do what God says to do! Merry Christmas! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com