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NASB | Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Malachi 3:10 "Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it. [Mal 2:2] |
Subject: May we claim rewards for tithing? |
Bible Note: Greetings Tam! The issue of ministering to the needs of others is a question to which I have given much thought and prayer. Our congregation is called 'Beacon Church of the Nazarene', so we are listed very early in the phone book. Therefore, we receive many requests for financial help. Our congregation is very willing to give to others, but we also have limited resources. We have discovered, however, that giving money to someone is not always helping them. You used the example of giving a piece of land to a homeless person. If that homeless person is also a drug addict, giving him a piece of land could end up killing him. :-( Further, there are a lot of scam artists out there. So, we try to be good stewards of the resources God has given us. We do several things on a regular basis. 1) We have a very active food pantry. We will give food to anyone who asks. During the holidays, we put together food baskets that we also will give to anyone who asks. Sometimes, we even give to those who don't ask, if we know of a need. 2) We collect clothing, small appliances, furniture, and anything else we can collect, and then give them away several times a year. We get all kinds of funny looks when people stop and ask how much we want for that couch, and we tell them that it is free. :-) 3) We help with gas when we are able, but we are trying to establish a fund to purchase gas cards so that we don't have to hand out cash. 4) We also give more than 10 percent of our 'income' to missions. I thank God everyday for our congregation. They are a real blessing to serve. We had a family recently who gave another family two funeral plots that a wife might bury husband and be buried next him herself. We have one family who brings many people to church with them. However, their van was too small. So, they went out and bought a 15 passenger van for their private vehicle so that they could bring more people with them. Do keep churches in prayer though. With the price of gas and groceries, this winter could be rough in terms of both the people in the church and those without. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |