Expert: Phillip Senn - 8/5/2006

Question

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Followup To

Question -
one of the ministers in my church taught on jesus' statement " except a corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies,it abides alone but if it dies it will bring forth much fruit". the minister explained that if we hold on to our last dollar then it would abide alone but if we sow the dollar it would bring forth much fruit. of course he was using that scripture out of context because jesus was talking about his own death not sowing money. i understand giving and i give from my heart because i love God and i want to contribute to the work or furtherence of the gospel but my problem lies with ministers that teach if a person does not give their last dollar " even if it means that their electricity will be shut off " then they are unspiritual and dont trust God. there was a bishop who said that he allowed his lights to be cut off in order to sow seed towards the pastors anniversary. I felt that this statement was made in order to get people to give " being that it was offering time". The bible says that if a man does'nt provide for his own house, he is worse than an infidel. I love my pastor and I do give but if my family was hungry and we had nothing to eat then i would provide food for them instead of giving the last dollar towards the pastors anniversary. besides, anniversary is man made and in my church people are made to feel unspiritual if they can't give at that particular time. Please offer scriptual advise to help me better understand how to deal with this issue.

Answer -
W. Scott,

Your concern in a valid concern. There are many today that are guilty of "teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake (financial gain)" (Titus 1:11). This "name it and claim it" doctrine, along with the doctrine of "sowing & reaping" financially, are merely means of getting people to give to their ministries or to those that they support. It has no real Biblical basis. Scripture says that their "mouths must be stopped", and it describes them as those that "subvert whole houses." Their main objective is not to minister to others, but to minister to themselves. If this is the type of church you are attending, I would hope you would seek the Lord's direction in locating another place of worship. Scripture indicates these types only serve their own interests.

The passage you mentioned deals with taking care of the elderly in our households, but has often been expanded to the children and wife as well by well meaning ministers. That would be taking it out of context also, but there are supporting Scriptures which indicate that the man of the house has responsibility to properly care for the needs of his family.

I appreciate your care in scrutinizing the teachings of this preacher. I noticed that you didn't bring railing accusation against him/her, but sincerely expressed your concern. That shows a great deal of wisdom. I would suggest that you exercise that wisdom as you pray about a new place to worship the Lord Jesus. Scripture warns us of those that are "false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise (to use a person or a thing for gain) of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not" (2 Peter 2:1-3).

There are many other Scriptures that indicate these are deceivers that only want to gain from your loss. There is a Biblical teaching concerning tithing and offering. This tithing and offering is to minister to others' needs and to support the Lord's work through (not just in) the local church. It is not to make the rich richer and to make the poor poorer. As the Scripture indicates, the ones that seek to make merchandise of you, are those that, as Jesus chided the Pharisees, seek to "devour widow's houses".

I hope this has helped you to sort through this difficulty.

With Love In Christ,
Phillip Senn

Thanks Phillip for your Godly council. Please tell me where i can find the scripture concerning providing for the elderly. I have another issue that I'm concerned about. my pastor works a secular job full time and really does'nt know about the behavior of the ministers that he has appointed. My wife and I have been members at our church for 8 years and we initially was fed the word and grew rapidly. Over the years I studied more and more and began to notice that certain attitudes toward people was unacceptable on the behalf of the ministers. i watched as they mistreated people and formed clicks where certain people were excepted and others were rejected and ridiculed. My pain concerning this behavior and other issues ran deep and bothers me everyday. I never went to church as a youngster but was raised on the streets of the bronx newyork and found myself homeless in 1997. I recieved salvation in 1998 and have been a faithful member of my church ever since. I can remember not wanting to go to mens fellowship because i felt that it was not fellowship at all and that the ministers behavior reminded me of those that I dealt with in the world. I pressed on anyway and simply ignored their behavior and kept my mind on Jesus. My wife would tell me that she needed me to be there for her but I would run aruond with the congregation from church to church, attending what we call revivals even though no one was being revived. I thought that in order to be spiritual I had to be at every revival meeting and any other service to show support for the pastor. It seemed that more emphesis was placed on how the pastor was percieved if all of the congregation did not show up with him at the meeting and less emphesis was placed on the message that would hopefully save the lost. Dont get me wrong I believe in supporting my pastor but it seems that the ministers are on the boarderline of man worship. The ministers teach that we must do all we can do to support the pastor and I dont have a problem with that but there are individuals in the congregation that have tremendous needs that should be addressed also. The doctrine that we are taught is that when we sow finances into the pastor then just like the oil on aarons beard flowed down...then the blessing that is upon the pastor will flow down to the rest of the body (congregation). I dont believe this doctrine. I believe in what I personally call the gospel of responsibility ( dont worry Im not making up my own doctrine). I believe the book of proverbs which teaches the principals of finance and incorporates the responsibility of the believer to govern himself wisely when dealing with money. We are taught at my church that the only way out of debt is to give your way out. i find this doctrine insulting because it does not deal with the reality that people across america simply have a discipline problem and dont understand the principal of delayed gratification ( instead of financing at robbery intrest rates just save and pay cash). This doctrine tells us that we can simply sow money and God will give us in return good measure,pressed down,shaken together and running over. My true issue is that I know I need to leave the church were I am but it's so hard to find a solid bible believing church that does the word and not simply preaches the word. I have five children who probably won't understand why we have to leave. Please help us with this very difficult situation.

your brother in Christ
W.scott  

Answer
W. Scott,

The passage of Scripture that you referenced, and that I also was referring to, is located in 1 Timothy 5:3-16. It is dealing with how to deal with those elderly widows within the body of Christ that are "widows indeed." When Paul wrote of providing for his own, especially of his own house, he was writing about providing for those widows of his own house. There are plenty of other Scriptures that deal with man's responsibility to his house (and those in it), so that it is not necessary to take these out of context to show that. Notice it distinguishes between those younger ones and those that have exceeded 60 years of age.

I am appalled at the teaching you are getting from your church concerning the oil that ran down Aaron's beard. This is found in Psalms 133:1-3. Notice the last verse tells us what that blessing represents... LIFE FOR EVERMORE. It is not speaking of financial blessings, but spiritual ones. As we honor the Lord Jesus, through dwelling together in (spiritual) unity, we will reap those spiritual blessings. In reading your questions and statements, I gain pleasure in finding that the Lord has been ministering to you, in spite of the false teachings where you attend and the false piety of those leaders that you mention.

In seeking a good Bible based, and Bible practicing church, may I suggest the possibility of considering a good "Southern Baptist" Congregation. I am not sure where you are located, but it sounds as if you may still be in the NY area. I have friends that have been on several mission opportunities in the NY City area, and would be willing to check with them, if you so desire.

Several years ago, I had to leave my home church because of false teachings and poor leadership. It was a very difficult decision and one that my wife and son were unable to deal with. My wife has had a problem with the church I attend now, and has not been faithful. Tomorrow (Sunday), she plans on attending with me. This is a big step, and one that I have been praying for in earnest for many months. I am rejoicing in her decision, and praying for you in yours, as I know first-hand of the possibilities that exist with a bold move such as what you are considering. May God bless you as you seek His will in locating a church that is true to God's Word and true to following His direction from His Word and from the Holy Spirit.

If you would like further information on Southern Baptists and their ministry in your area, please contact me again through allexperts.com and mark the box to make it private so I can respond in private with my E-mail address.

With Love In Christ,
Phillip Senn