GOD WILL STRENGTHEN YOUR HEART

LIGHT FOR THE WAY
(Daily Devotional)

Saturday 29th April 2017


TOPIC: GOD WILL STRENGTHEN YOUR HEART

TEXT: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord (Psalms 31:24).

Physical heart conditions are a worldwide problem and are a clear sign of a spiritual root problem. People’s hearts have trouble standing up under the stress of modern living (see Luke 21:26). The human heart is the life center of the body and your natural heart and spiritual heart are uniquely intertwined. Of course, while things like eating right and exercise are important for having a healthy physical heart, the condition of your spiritual heart also directly affects the health of your physical heart. Among the medical recommendations for having a healthy heart is the need for some form of emotional and spiritual wholeness. Scientists realize that your emotional state, or you could say the condition of your spiritual heart, greatly affects the stress level on your natural heart.

As believers, we can tap into God’s ability to strengthen our natural hearts and thereby causing our physical hearts to be strong and healthy. Psalm 31:24 reminds us to be of good courage and to hope in the Lord. This means instead of doing what most of the world does by getting worked up over the stresses of this modern age, we can take a deep breath and rest in the Mighty God we serve.

Relax in the Lord today and let Him strengthen your heart. Feel your heartbeat right now and declare your heart to be both spiritually and physically strong!


WORD CONFESSION
I cast all my cares this day upon the Lord, and I declare today that my physical and spiritual heart is strong, therefore I am not stressed because God is coming through for me in every situation of my life in Jesus name

PRAYER POINTS
*Father of mercy, thank you for your care for me and my family in Jesus name
*Lord I cast cast all my cares, worries and anxieties upon you in Jesus name
*Lord God I receive a turn around concerning……………….in Jesus name
*I command the circle of repeated problems in my life break by fire in Jesus name
*Every alter ministering constant propblems to my life, be shattered by fire in Jesus name
* O Lord God, heal my heart by the anointing in Jesus name
Thank you Lord for hearing and answering my prayers in Jesus name


1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
Numbers 2:10-34, Numbers 3 Luke 1:39-56 Psalm 34:1-10


SUCCESS QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Don't let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning."

-- Robert Kiyosaki

THE PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS FOR TODAY

“I declare that your heart is strong. The Sovereign LORD says, I fix your heart, I heal your heart, and I make it strong and stable. With every beat, My glory is empowering your heart this day”

LIGHT FOR THE WAY

(Daily Devotional)

Thursday 27th April 2017

TOPIC: ANOINTED FOR SOLUTIONS

TEXT: How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him (Acts 10:38).

To be anointed means to be smeared or rubbed with oil. The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. When the Bible says that Jesus was anointed, it means He carried upon Him the person of the Holy Spirit. He had the Spirit without measure(John 3:34 ). By the power of the Spirit. He brought solutions to the people around Him and wherever He went.

Exodus 33:11 says Moses met God face to face. It wasn’t that he literally saw God’s face, because God tells him that no one can see it and live (see Exod. 33:20). It means Moses was communing directly in God’s presence. You would think this was the highest possible encounter one could have with God. However, it must not have been, because later Moses begs God to reveal His glory to him (see Exod. 33:18). Why did he act as though something was still missing? Unlike us, Moses had not experienced the glory within him. When he left the tabernacle where God was, he didn’t have the same presence there with him. In addition to the glory without, we who are in Christ experience the glory within everywhere we go!  And by the glory of this anointing we should bring solutions to our generation. Moses would have dreamed to know what that was like. It’s what Jesus communicated to the woman at the well in John 4:21-23. It wasn’t about going to a particular location to meet God, but rather having God in you everywhere you go. Jesus had that glory and anointing everywhere He went, and it caused the oppressed to go free.

Because Jesus lives in you, you are anointed without and within. That same glory and power goes everywhere you do! As you go into the day, spread the glory of that anointing and bring solutions.

WORD CONFESSION

I declare that the Spirit of the living God is actively at work within and upon my life. This day I spread the fragrance of that anointing wherever I go. God’s solutions is manifesting through me. I bring to naught every works of the enemy around me, and I attract the people that matter to the fulfillment of my destiny in Jesus name.

PRAYER POINTS

*Father God, thank you for the anointing of the Holy Spirit at work upon me and my family in Jesus name

*Fresh Anointing of the Holy Spirit rest on me now in Jesus name

*O Lord let the anointing for destiny establishment and prosperity rest on me now in Jesus name

*Anointing for destiny preservation and protection, rest upon me and my family now in Jesus name

*Anointing for a life of miracle, signs and wonders rest upon me now in Jesus name

*Anointing for uncommon favour and breakthroughs and fruitfulness rest on me now in Jesus name

*By the anointing of the Holy Ghost I command any yoke in and around my life, be broken now in Jesus name

*By the anointing of the Spirit within me Lord bring me into the deep spiritual secrets in Jesus name

Thank you Lord for fresh anointing on my life this day in Jesus name

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Leviticus 26:14-46, Leviticus 27 Luke 1:1-25 Proverbs 7:1-5

SUCCESS QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come indirectly through accident, except the phonograph. No, when I have fully decided that a result is worth getting, I go about it, and make trial after trial, until it comes."

-- Thomas Edison

THE PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS FOR TODAY

*This day, I release fresh oil of the Spirit into your life in Jesus name

*From this day what you couldn’t do by yourself, the power of God gets it done for you in Jesus name.

*As you go into this day I command a fresh glory of the anointing to breakforth in Jesus name.

SONGS OF VICTORY

LIGHT FOR THE WAY

(Daily Devotional)

Tuesday 25th April 2017

TOPIC: SONGS OF VICTORY

TEXT: “In that day, everyone in the land of Judah will sing this song: Our city is strong! We are surrounded by the walls of God’s salvation” (Isaiah 26:1 NLT).

When Isreal crossed the red sea after being delivered from Egypt they began singing the songs of victory. They saw first hand the amazing miracle of the Lord’s power to deliver; they watched as the red sea opens for them to pass through and later how the army of Pharaoh perished in the same(Exodus 15:1-5).

Most of us associate the word salvation with the peace in our hearts that comes from knowing the Lord. We also associate it with the fact that we are promised eternity in Heaven. With both of these in our lives, we are saved or have experienced salvation. While salvation includes both of these things, it is even more extensive. In Isaiah 26:1, it is literally the Hebrew word Yeshua which is Jesus. It means aid, deliverance, health, well-being, victory, and prosperity. We shouldn’t just think of these attributes as something that we will only enjoy someday. This form of salvation is available now because it is who Jesus is! He is in you, so you are surrounded with all the things the word salvation describes. However, the verse above says that He (salvation) will surround you like a wall that nothing can invade. We see in the verse above that when this revelation entered the hearts of everyone in Judah, they got so excited they turned it into a song!

Have faith and begin rejoicing that the salvation wall of Jesus Christ surrounds you. This wall is complete deliverance and it prevents every form of evil from invading your life today! So keep singing the Lord’s song of victory

WORD CONFESSION

I declare this day that me and my family are surrounded by the wall of salvation. Therefore, deliverance, good health, well being, victory and prosperity is our portion in Jesus name.

PRAYER POINTS

*Father I thank you for your power of salvation that is at work in my life and family in Jesus name.

Father let the grace to know you more and more fall on me in Jesus name.

*Father God. let this power of salvation go to work in the lives of family and friends that are yet to be saved in Jesus name

*Lord God as I go into this day, give me resounding victory and success in whatever I lay my hands upon in Jesus name.

*Father, be the saving health of me and my family in Jesus name

*My Lord God, shield me and my family from every attack of the enemy with your glory in Jesus name.

*Thank you Lord for hearing and answering my prayer in Jesus name.

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Leviticus 23, Leviticus 24 Mark 15:33-47   Psalm 32

SUCCESS QUOTE OF THE DAY

"If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary."

- Jim Rohn

THE PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS FOR TODAY

 The Sovereign LORD say today “Fear not, says the Lord. I have surrounded you with a strong wall of protection and it shall keep out all manner of unforeseen invasion. As you rejoice in My wall of salvation for you, be confident that the forces of lack and disease cannot fall suddenly upon you.”

FREE TO BE BLESSED

LIGHT FOR THE WAY

(Daily Devotional)

Monday 24th April 2017

TOPIC: FREE TO BE BLESSED.

TEXT: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law…That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ;…(Galatians 3:13-14)

Generational curses don’t exist because God punishes the children for the sins of their parents (see Deut. 24:16). What happens is that the sins of parents are often picked up by the children, and the effects of sin get passed down from one generation to the next. When a parent has a sinful lifestyle, the children often follow that pattern. Because of

this tendency we see God having to punish the sins of families several generations in a row. Typically in Scripture it lasted four generations (see Exod. 20:5; Num. 14:18). We who are born again are literally inducted into a new bloodline through the blood of Jesus (see 2 Cor. 5:17). As we draw closer to Him and choose to shed our old lifestyle, we break the curse from our natural family line (see Rom. 8:1). This becomes the seed of righteousness for our descendants. Then Deuteronomy 7:9 says that God will keep His covenant with us for a thousand generations. This generational blessing is much more powerful than the curse, which only extends to four generations.

To break the generational curse against your bloodline, begin by living a righteous lifestyle. Then speak a blessing over your bloodline and command every curse to be broken. You are a righteous seed for every generational curse to come to an end!

WORD CONFESSION

I declare that generational curse is broken over my life and destiny. I am freed by the blood of Jesus to be blessed. so I am blessed in the city, and in the country. The works of my hands are blessed in Jesus name                                                                     

PRAYER POINTS

*Father of mercy, thank you for your faithfulness over my life and destiny. Thank you for new day in Jesus name.

*By the blood of Jesus I declare my release from generational curses in Jesus name.

*O Lord God, let the blessing peculiar to my family but has been denied them begin to flow in my now in Jesus name

*O Lord God, let the effects of generational curse be cancelled in my life in Jesus name

*Jehovah Jireh, as I go into this new day, let supernatural provision locate me in Jesus name

*Lord God, as I go into this day, let abundance of grace answer to all my needs in Jesus name

*God of vengeance, take vengeance upon every works of darkness and workers of evil around my life in Jesus name

*O Lord, send the helpers of my joy to my life this week in Jesus name

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Exodus 19, Exodus 20 Mark 1:29-45, Mark 2:1-17 Psalm 22:12-21

Leviticus 21, Leviticus 22 Mark 15:1-32 Psalm 31:19-24

SUCCESS QUOTE OF THE DAY

"There is a powerful driving force inside every human being that, once unleashed, can make any vision, dream, or desire a reality."

-- Anthony Robbins

THE PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS FOR TODAY

*The generational stronghold of curse over your bloodline is broken by the blood of Jesus Christ in Jesus name.

*Beginning from this day the LORD is making the glories of generations gone by to rest upon you and your descendants in Jesus name

*I decree that as you God’s pleasant surprises in your life and endeavor in Jesus name

POWER OVER DISCOURAGEMENT

LIGHT FOR THE WAY

(Daily Devotional)

Saturday 22nd April 2017

TOPIC: POWER OVER DISCOURAGEMENT

TEXT: …But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God (1 Samuel 30:6).

Discouragement is when a person looses the tenacity, confidence and mental strength to continue a task. Life’s difficulties can sometimes make the strongest of men and women feel discouraged. You just come to a point and the wind in your sail seems gone, you lack the necessary drive and fortitude to keep going. Its at such a time we need to move closer to God who can help you gEt back on your feet and get the move on.

Have you ever wondered how most of us would have felt if we were truly in David’s shoes walking out to meet Goliath? We might have been like the rest of the crowd standing on the sidelines, probably thinking that little David was going to get whipped! I have always wondered if there had been even the tiniest bit of doubt trying to hit David’s mind to make him have second thoughts as he marched out toward the giant. Perhaps not, but I am sure David, human like all of us, had to overcome some discouraging thoughts. He actually did so one time later when he experienced a terrible invasion by the Amalekites, and all his family members were kidnapped. David wept until he had no more strength to cry (see 1 Sam. 30:4). Yet somewhere that same conquering spirit he once had against Goliath rose up in David. He kept His eyes on God and began to find encouragement once again.

Perhaps there is a “Goliath” or some “Amalekites” attempting to discourage some areas of your life. Get your eyes back on the Lord and expect Him to cause a conquering spirit to rise up inside you. Expect to overcome and remove the source of all discouragement today! The setback will make for a major comeback in your life!

WORD CONFESSION

This day I receive the Spirit of boldness and courage to continue. Strength is renewed day by day. I am not wearied, I will not faint, I am more than conqueror through Him that loves me in Jesus name in Jesus name                                                                     

PRAYER POINTS

*O Lord my Father I thank you for your faithfulness, grace and mercy over my life and family in Jesus name.

*O Lord God, I make myself available to you this day, renew my strength in Jesus name

*New grace for the race fall on me now in Jesus name

*God’s conquering ability withing me, arise and begin to conquer in Jesus name

*I command every power sponsoring discouragement in my life, cease by fire in Jesus name

Every burden and yoke bringing discouragement into my life, be lifted and break by fire in Jesus name

*O Lord my God, let the more than conqueror’s anointing fall on me now in Jesus name

*Yoke of repeated failure, break by fire now in Jesus name

*Thank you Lord for hearing and answering my prayers

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

 Leviticus 17, Leviticus 18    Mark 14:17-42            Psalm 31:9-18

SUCCESS QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. It's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere."

-- Barack Obama

THE PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS FOR TODAY

This day receive new grace and strength to continue the race. As you arise this day the Spirit of might shall rest upon you, as darkness pervades the land the LORD is arising upon you and His glory shall be seen by all upon your life. The grace for ease of living is released for you now says the Lord.

WHO WILL PROTECT THE NORTHERN CHRISTIANS

 As reported by Douglas Murray (The Spectator)

Every week, there are more massacres, but nobody seems to mind — not even their own government

More than 2 million people have been displaced by violence in Nigeria.

Another day in northern Nigeria, another Christian village reeling from an attack by the Muslim Fulani herdsmen who used to be their neighbours — and who are now cleansing them from the area. The locals daren’t collect the freshest bodies. Some who tried earlier have already been killed, spotted by the waiting militia and hacked down or shot. The Fulani are watching everything closely from the surrounding mountains. Every week, their progress across the northern states of Plateau and Kaduna continues. Every week, more massacres — another village burned, its church razed, its inhabitants slaughtered, raped or chased away. A young woman, whose husband and two children have just been killed in front of her, tells me blankly, ‘Our parents told us about these people. But we lived in relative peace and we forgot what they said.’

For the outside world, what is happening to the Christians of northern Nigeria is both beyond our imagination and beneath our interest. These tribal-led villages, each with their own ‘paramount ruler’, were converted by missionaries in the 19th and 20th centuries. But now these Christians — from the bishop down — sense that they have become unsympathetic figures, perhaps even an embarrassment, to the West. The international community pretends that this situation is a tit-for-tat problem, rather than a one-sided slaughter. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, the press fails to report or actively obscures the situation. Christians in the south of the country feel little solidarity with their co-religionists suffering from this Islamic revivalism and territorial conquest in the north. And worst of all, the plight of these people is of no interest to their own government. In fact, this ethnic and religious cleansing appears to be taking place with that government’s complicity or connivance.

Every village has a similar story. A few days before any attack, a military helicopter is spotted dropping arms and other supplies into the areas inhabited by the Fulani tribes. Then the attack comes. For reasons of Islamic doctrine, the militia often deliver a letter of warning. Then they come, at any time of night or day, not down the dirt tracks, but silently through the foliage. The Christian villagers, who are forbidden to carry arms (everyone is, in theory), have no way to defend themselves. With some exceptions, they also tend to believe what they were taught about turning the other cheek.

The village of Goska was attacked on Christmas Eve. In a temporary shelter nearby, a young man describes how he ran towards his home when he heard the attack start. There he found his mother lying dead on the floor. Uniformed Fulani militia were everywhere. He fled across the fields: ‘I ran and ran until I realised my feet could not carry me any longer.’ The first bullet that hit him passed through the sole of one foot; the second through the back of the other leg with that clean felt-tip mark Kalashnikov bullets make on entry. The exit wounds are less neat —the second exploded out through his right kneecap. On the ground, he realised why he could no longer run, but also that he was still alive. ‘My day was not over,’ he says, brushing his hand across his better leg.

Across the surviving Christian villages of the north, thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. In those villages and the IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps to which many have fled, you can see the same wounds from the same bullets. In the remote village of Sho, where the attacks have been going on since 2001, a girl of 12 — in her Sunday best — embarrassedly shows me the scars of the bullet which entered and exited her elbow recently while she played behind her house.

An eight-year-old girl balances on one foot to point out the bullet wound on the other, a hallmark of the snipers sitting in the hills around us. Villages have been persuaded to keep records of the attacks to show anyone who cares. One of the very few from outside who does — Britain’s own Baroness Cox — came here recently. Her vehicle was spotted by the Fulani, who came out hunting for her and only just missed their target. Because of attacks like this, almost nobody comes. Just one more reason why these atrocities do not attract the West’s attentions.

The task of chronicling the outrages continues nonetheless. Village leaders keep ring-binders of their dead. Some have photo-graph albums of what their villages have been through: old women set alight; young women raped and shot; babies hacked to death.

The Nigerian government, led by a Fulani president — Muhammadu Buhari — clearly does not wish to protect these people. Even more than under Buhari’s incompetent Christian predecessor, the army fails to perform its most basic duties. As you get into the more dangerous and remote areas, sullen young soldiers at army road blocks hustle you for cash at gunpoint.

A villager takes me to the bridge where the village leader and 13 others were recently gunned down in a Fulani ambush. Nigerian army troops watched the whole thing from their base a couple of hundred yards away — just as they did the destruction of another Christian village, the remains of which sit, burned out and silent, right opposite them. The army seems to have no interest in protecting the Christians, while the government in Abuja appears to care more about passing new laws on cattle-rustling than on protecting human lives. When challenged after a massacre, soldiers often claim that they didn’t receive any orders — or had been commanded not to intervene.

In a line that’s parroted by some NGOs, the government says that this is a land or agricultural dispute. Yet it is the Christian communities who are being systematically forced off it. If anybody wanted to find the culprits, they could find them living and farming on the land they have stolen. But such arrests never happen. The complicity between the army and the Fulani is obvious. Between Barakin-Ladi and Riyom — in sight of another army post — is a sacked Christian village which locals say now acts as a Fulani arms dump. The world’s indifference gives the Nigerian government the advantage in what looks like a quiet effort to rid northern Nigeria of its Christians.

The moment three years ago when Boko Haram abducted 300 Christian schoolgirls from the north-east and ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ briefly trended on Twitter was the closest this situation has come to catching the world’s attention. But the moment passed. Those girls are still missing and the story of Boko Haram has receded from the headlines. But similar atrocities go on all the time. At an IDP camp Deborah, 31, describes the 18 months she spent held captive by the group. When they burst into her village, the Islamists killed her husband and the rest of her family, forcibly converted her and ‘married’ her off to one of their 20-year-old fighters. He complained about her bad temper and argumentativeness, but he still raped her, producing the nine-month-old boy now suckling at her breast. A Christian pastor has urged her to love and cherish the boy as though he was her murdered husband.

The first time she escaped from Boko Haram, she was recaptured and lashed 80 times as punishment. At least she is now unafraid of death. ‘What sort of death would I be running from?’ she asks. ‘I have already died once.’ At night, she says, a military plane would sometimes appear over Boko Haram’s camp and drop off supplies. ‘Look what powerful friends we have,’ her husband would boast as he pointed to the lights in the sky above. Even if the Nigerian army does not support Boko Haram, elements of it certainly do. Whenever an actual operation against the group is planned, they are always tipped off by forces within the country’s security apparatus.

Nigerians have their own view as to what is really going on: a suspicion fuelled again as I leave one IDP camp at sunset and news comes in that another camp to the east has just been bombed by the Nigerian military, killing and maiming scores of people.

The army later apologises for this ‘error’.But the bigger picture is not about error. If the international community meant anything by its promises such as the UN’s ‘responsibility to protect’ doctrine, then what is happening could not go on. But the international community is uninterested. Governments like ours are uninterested. The world’s media is uninterested.

At morning service in the city of Jos, the congregation sing and pray using the 19th-century hymnals and prayer books by which their faith was delivered. When we reach the plea to ‘Deliver us from the hands of our enemies’, the closely packed room hums with the literalness of the words. The Christians of Nigeria are alone. Even if we do not care about this, we ought to know.

Subscribe to The Spectator today for a quality of argument not found in any other publication. Get more Spectator for less – just £12 for 12 issues.

TAIWANESE PASTOR DETAINED FOR SINGING "JESUS LOVES YOU"

A Taiwanese Christian pastor was detained for singing the worship song "Jesus Love You" in Zhengzhou, Henan, in China, which officials there have branded as an "illegal religious activity."



(Photo: Reuters/Thomas Peter)People attend Sunday service at a makeshift, tin-roofed church in Youtong village, China, December 11, 2016.
ChinaAid, which reports on persecution and human rights abuses in the world's most populous nation, said Pastor Xu Rongzhang from Taiwan was detained on Saturday, the day before Easter, because he led a group of Christians in Zhengzhou to sing the song.

Xu was released later on the same day, though his identification documents and permit to travel to mainland China were not returned until Monday.

USCIRF to Launch Extensive List of People Imprisoned for Their Faith Worldwide

Christians Hospitalized After Fighting Communist Party Orders to Install Security Cameras in Church


Two South Korean Pastors Arrested in China for Smuggling Persecuted North Koreans
image: http://d.christianpost.com/full/105634/80-44/china-persecution-pray.jpg


100 Million People, Including Christians, Facing 'High' Persecution in China: Report
Local officials never explained why singing "Jesus Loves You" is now deemed to be an illegal activity, though several Christians across China in recent months have been arrested and even sentenced to prison for participating in religious activities.

Five Christians, including a pastor, were sentenced back in February by a court in the northeastern Liaoning province to between three to seven years in prison for purchasing and selling what authorities called "forbidden Christian devotional books."

"Most of them belong to a Korean ethnic minority group that resides within China, and all of them attend registered churches. They were arrested last June," ChinaAid said at the time.

The persecution watchdog group also reported in January that a Christian woman was arreseted by police along with four other believers for holding a Bible study without government approval and were subsequently sentenced to three years in prison.

Ma Huichao was reportedly convicted of "gathering a crowd to disturb public order," a charge that is often lobbed at underground Christians in China.

The Communist Party has been engaging in a wide-spread crackdown on Christianity over the years, with ChinaAid reporting that authorities are concerned about the rise of the Christian population.

In March, Freedom House warned that at least 100 million people, including Protestant Christians, are facing "high" or "very high" levels of persecution at the hands of Chinese officials.

"A Taoist disciple joins the order without knowing when he will be admitted to priesthood. Dozens of Christians are barred from celebrating Christmas together. Tibetan monks are forced to learn reinterpretations of Buddhist doctrine during a 'patriotic reeducation' session," the Freedom House report said of the various religious freedom abuses taking place in China.

"A Uighur Muslim farmer is sentenced to nine years in prison for praying in a field. And a 45-year-old father in northeastern China dies in custody days after being detained for practicing Falun Gong," it added.

The report also accused President Xi Jinping of intensifying persecution and restrictions on religious believers since taking the helm of the Communist Party in 2012, though noted that believers have responded "with a surprising degree of resistance" to the challenges

5 MISTAKES LIKELY TO BE MADE BY SMALL CHURCHES THAN BIG CHURCHES

5 MISTAKES LIKELY TO BE MADE BY SMALL CHURCHES THAN BIG CHURCHES


Small churches are not just smaller versions of big churches.

Every size has value, but different sizes serve different functions in the body of Christ. They also have different challenges and they tend to make different kinds of mistakes.

Here are 5 mistakes that are more likely to be made by small churches than by big ones. The smaller, the more susceptible they are.

(5 Mistakes More Likely To Be Made By Big Churches Than Small Churches is coming soon.)

1. Holding On To Stale Traditions

Some traditions strengthen a church, some weaken a church.

And some traditions that used to strengthen us will eventually weaken us if we hold onto them past their sell-by date.

Some churches need to ask themselves a very serious question. Namely, ‘what’s more important to us? Holding onto traditions that are killing our church, or letting go of some traditions to save the church?’

No, I’m not talking about biblical principles. Without those, we don’t get to call ourselves a church. But anything other than those need to be held lightly, and sometimes not at all.

2. Poor, Or Nonexistent Planning

Not long ago, I was chatting with the pastor of a dying church. He was excited about his plans to revitalize it, so I asked him to send me an outline of those plans. What did he send me? A six-month calendar of committee meetings.

Certainly, getting the planning team in the room for regular times of prayer, strategizing and assessment is a very valuable part of the process. But having more meetings is a poor substitute for having a plan.

Having more meetings is a poor substitute for having a plan.

Another pastor in a similar situation sent me a list of sermon series. Preaching in series can be very helpful. I’ve done it for years. But we can’t confuse a sermon series with a revitalization plan any more than meetings are. They may be elements of a plan, but they can’t be the plan.

On a recent, very helpful Thom Rainer podcast about replanting dead or dying churches, Mark Clifton said that churches in crisis “generally value the process of decision over the outcome of decision.” Healthy churches prioritize outcomes.

A plan includes a roadmap for how to get from where you are now to a better, more desirable future. Certainly that plan will change as circumstances change, so the ability to adapt and change needs to be built into the plan. But, to repeat the old cliché, those who fail to plan, plan to fail.



3. Not Enough Assessment Or Evaluation

The smaller the church, the harder it is to gauge effectiveness by numbers.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t evaluate our effectiveness in some way.

After Jesus sent out the 72, he gathered them together and asked how their mission went. Then he told them how to evaluate their effectiveness (Luke 10).

Every time we do any ministry, we need to gather the leadership to assess

What went rightWhat went wrongWhy it went right or wrong, andWhat we can do to improve it the next time.

I know, when things are really bad, that can be painful. But it is essential.

4. Too Much Inward Focus

Many dying churches are doing so because of many years of obvious, intense conflict.

But some churches are surprised that they’re dying because the people who remain are often having a great time with each other.

“The preaching is great, the worship is vibrant and the fellowship is so deep,” they’ll often say. But it often only feels like that to those who already belong.

In a previous post, I made a statement that many readers took me to task for. But I stand by it. Here it is again. “If your church isn't willing to be changed by the unbelievers who come to your church, they won't come.”

In a smaller group each person has a greater impact.

Yes, we need to be willing to allow them to change us, not just expect us to change them. In fact, the smaller the church, the more this is true, because in a smaller group each person has a greater impact.

If we aren’t willing to listen and adapt our methods (but not our core theology, of course) based on the changing needs of the community around us, we will be seen as increasingly cold, distant and irrelevant to them.

No, the church must never abandon the saints who built and support it (a challenge I’ll address in the companion article about mistakes big churches tend to make), but if all we’re doing is a holy huddle, we’ve stopped being a light in the darkness.

5. Depending On The Pastor Instead Of Making Disciples

The smaller the church, the more we need to fight against the expectation that the pastor is supposed to do ministry for the members. Instead, we must follow the biblical mandate to equip the members to do the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12).

No church can survive if its ministry doesn’t grow beyond the capacity of the pastor. We need to expand our ministry base by equipping and involving everyone.

For more about this, check out The Best Way To Avoid Pastor Burnout? Equip The Saints.


What This List Does Not Mean

Before concluding, I want to be sure no reader goes away thinking anything that I do not intend to say by this list, specifically these five possible misunderstandings.

First, this list is not exhaustive. No list can be.

Second, none of these errors is inevitable, no matter how small the church is.

Third, these are not necessarily the reasons a church stays small. So, if your church is small and not committing any of these mistakes, that’s great!

Numerical growth is not the goal. Health is.

Fourth, fixing these errors may not bring numerical growth. There are plenty of healthy, missional, strategic small churches that have none of these issues, but still find that their greatest contribution to Christ and his church comes in a smaller package.

Numerical growth is not the goal. Health is. Sometimes that health will produce numerical growth, sometimes not.

Finally, big churches aren’t perfect. They may not tend towards these errors, but they do have their own sets of challenges

BREAKING THE LAW OF LACK BY THE LAW OF INCREASE

LIGHT FOR THE WAY
(Daily Devotional)

Friday 21st April 2017

TOPIC: BREAKING LAW OF LACK BY THE LAW OF INCREASE

TEXT: "Give and it shall be given unto you" (Luke 6:38)



The universe operates on laws and principles. The discovery and application of these laws has brought great scientific breakthroughs that is helping humanity in every sphere of life. For example by the law of gravity everything should stay on the earth, but the discovery of the law of lift makes it possible for human s to fly even to the outer space.  In the same vein, the scripture is full of great spiritual principle that can guarantee a life of bliss regardless of the adverse economic situations on earth. One of such law is the law of increase, it says 'give and it shalll be given unto you'. In other words. You don't get till you give something. God establish this law is Genesis 8:18... 'As long as the earth remains seed time and harvest shall not cease'. In other words if you have a need plant a seed!.  If harvest is your expectation, then plant a seed. A farmer never expect to reaps where he has not sown. Here is how it works:

1) You can give your way to great blessing. Jesus said 'Give and it shall be give unto you(Luke 6:38). A little seed has a potential  to bring great increase. A mango tree is in a mango seed, but if you don't release the seed you never get the tree. Increase begins at the point you release it.

2)What you do for others determines what God does for you. 'Knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord(Ephesians 6:8NKJV).

3) Your gift is the key to your future, but you must be willing to give it. 'How?' You ask. By finding a cause greater than yourself and pouring your life into it.
The law of increase begin by focusing and starting with what you have not what you don't.


WORD CONFESSION FOR TODAY

There is no lack in my life, my God supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Therefore I have access to the abundance of the house of God in Jesus name



PRAYER POINTS

*Father God thank you for been my sufficiency in Jesus name

*O Lord God show me the seed you have given me to meet my needs in Jesus name

*Lord let yoke of financial failure be broken over my life and family

*Hidden riches of secret places manifest in my life by fire in Jesus name

*Gates of financial prosperity open until me in the the North, South, East and West in Jesus name.

*Every spirit diverting my finances away from me, be paralysed in Jesus name

*Financial miracles, signs and wonders begin to locate me this day in Jesus name

*Thank you Lord for divine increase in every department of my life in Jesus name.

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN 
Leviticus 15; Leviticus 16 Mark 13:32-37; Mark 14:1-16; Psalm 31:1-8


PROPHETIC DECLARATION FOR TODAY

*This I command your eyes to open to your miracle springs of abundance in Jesus name.

*I call forth the financial  harvests if the seeds you have sown. I command that harvest to locate you now in Jesus name.

YOUR ANSWERS ARE COMING

LIGHT FOR THE WAY                                            
  (Daily Devotional )   

   

Thursday 20th April 2017  


TEXT,: …Thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words (Daniel 10:12).

TOPIC:  ANSWERS ARE COMING 


There is a lot of speaking that goes on in the world in any given day. I think about some of the not so nice words I hear on television or in public, and I imagine how much God must get weary hearing all the bad things spoken every day worldwide. That said, I think God is anxious to hear our words when they line up with His Holy Word. I can picture the heavenly hosts and the Lord Himself just scanning the planet waiting to hear godly, Bible-based speech. In the story of Daniel, there was an angel who was literally assigned and waiting to go get Daniel’s words. One reason is that Daniel was one of those who used his words correctly, so Heaven was eager to gather and utilize his words for a good purpose.

Undoubtedly, God and the angels are still waiting for God’s words to be spoken through us from the earth (see Ps. 103:20). Words are powerful. God created the world with words. Proverbs 18:21 says that our words produce either life or death and even set nature in motion (see James 3:6). Prayer itself is a series of words. Amazingly, God uses
human words to carry out His plans upon earth. Speak some words today that you want the angels to hear so they can be released to move. Remember today that your words are heard!


WORD CONFESSION

I declare this day that I am fulfilling God',s divine plan for life. God is my unfailing supply and large sums of money come to me quickly under grace in a perfect way in Jesus name.


PRAYER POINTS

* Thank you for your keeping mercy and grace over my life and family

* I command every arrow of downfall at work against my breakthrough back fire now in Jesus name

*Predictions and prophecies of failure sent against my destiny be cancelled in Jesus name

* Father open to me the library of heavenly ideas in Jesus name

*O Lord let the angels announce my glory today for a unique lifting in Jesus name.

*All my highjacked and delayed opportunities, spring forth now in Jesus name

* O Lord unleash into my life a tsunami of opportunities that will wipe away the reproach of my life in Jesus name.

*Father thank you for hearing and answering my prayers. Amen

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Lev. 14:1-57; Mark 13:1-31 Psalm 31:1-8

SUCCESS QUOTE FOR TODAY

Never give in except to the convictions of honour and good sense 
--Winston Churchill


PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS FOR TODAY

I command every power using using evil dreams to abort your opportunities be destroyed now in Jesus name in Jesus name


Your life is opened up today to see and enjoy good in Jesus name

Today will end for you in Triumphant laughters in Jesus name

YOUR ANSWERS ARE COMING

LIGHT FOR THE WAY                                              (Daily Devotional )  

Thursday 20th April 2017 

                                                              TEXT,: …Thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words (Daniel 10:12).

TOPIC: YOUR ANSWERS ARE COMING

There is a lot of speaking that goes on in the world in any given day. I think about some of the not so nice words I hear on television or in public, and I imagine how much God must get weary hearing all the bad things spoken every day worldwide. That said, I think God is anxious to hear our words when they line up with His Holy Word. I can picture the heavenly hosts and the Lord Himself just scanning the planet waiting to hear godly, Bible-based speech. In the story of Daniel, there was an angel who was literally assigned and waiting to go get Daniel’s words. One reason is that Daniel was one of those who used his words correctly, so Heaven was eager to gather and utilize his words for a good purpose.

Undoubtedly, God and the angels are still waiting for God’s words to be spoken through us from the earth (see Ps. 103:20). Words are powerful. God created the world with words. Proverbs 18:21 says that our words produce either life or death and even set nature in motion (see James 3:6). Prayer itself is a series of words. Amazingly, God uses
human words to carry out His plans upon earth. Speak some words today that you want the angels to hear so they can be released to move. Remember today that your words are heard!

WORD CONFESSION

I declare this day that I am fulfilling God',s divine plan for life. God is my unfailing supply and large sums of money come to me quickly under grace in a perfect way in Jesus name.

PRAYER POINTS

* Thank you for your keeping mercy and grace over my life and family

* I command every arrow of downfall at work against my breakthrough back fire now in Jesus name

*Predictions and prophecies of failure sent against my destiny be cancelled in Jesus name

* Father open to me the library of heavenly ideas in Jesus name

*O Lord let the angels announce my glory today for a unique lifting in Jesus name.

*All my highjacked and delayed opportunities, spring forth now in Jesus name

* O Lord unleash into my life a tsunami of opportunities that will wipe away the reproach of my life in Jesus name.

*Father thank you for hearing and answering my prayers. Amen

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Lev. 14:1-57; Mark 13:1-31 Psalm 31:1-8

SUCCESS QUOTE FOR TODAY

Never give in except to the convictions of honour and good sense
--Winston Churchill

PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS FOR TODAY

I command every power using using evil dreams to abort your opportunities be destroyed now in Jesus name in Jesus name

Your life is opened up today to see and enjoy good in Jesus name

Today will end for you in Triumphant laughters in Jesus name

WHY DO PEOPLE GO TO CHURCH

I would have thought maybe music.

But at this time of Passover and Easter, Gallup just did a new poll and found that the most appealing part of attending church for a large majority is something else entirely. It makes sense when you think about it. But music, in fact, is way down the list.

The overwhelmingly most important reason that people attend church is for the sermon and related talks to learn more about the scriptures and how religion connects to their own life. Three out of four cite those reasons.

There are some interesting twists buried in the survey that could help churches and their leaders stem the slide in reported attendance in recent times. And, heads-up to doctors and church-skippers, previous Gallup studies have found that regular churchgoers tend to be healthier and more satisfied in life than others.

Following in the new Gallup Poll are spiritual programs aimed at teenagers and children (64%) and community outreach and opportunities to volunteer (59%).

Next comes dynamic religious leaders who are informative, inspiring and interesting (54%), then church social activities that facilitate getting to know members of the community (49%). Music in the form of choir, bands, cantors and other spiritual music is actually at the bottom of the list (38%).

The poll results come from a nationally representative survey from March 9-29 of people who attend a church, synagogue or mosque at least once a month.

While Catholics and Protestants attach roughly the same level of importance to the social and ancillary aspects of church membership, they differ when it comes to what’s most important. Sermons on scripture and connections to daily life (and the quality of music) are far more important to Protestants (83% and 80%, respectively) than they are to Catholics (62% and 67%).

As for the 35% who are lapsed churchgoers (those who used to attend at least once a month but no longer do), there is no overwhelming one reason why they don’t now.

Reasons given ranged from preferring to worship on their own (44%) and a dislike of organized religion (36%) to the all-purpose lack of time (19%), dislike of being solicited for money so often (16%) and poor health (10%). Nine percent said they just don’t feel welcome when they do attend a service.

THE CHURCH AND POLITICS

Christianity and politics make an interesting pair.

Many people quickly declare them mutually exclusive. Yet the relationship between the two remains one of the most recurring conversations in American public life.

If you follow national religion reporting at all, you know that sometimes you can’t quite tell when a story is about religion and when it’s about politics. There’s a reason for that.

Twentieth-century America—the world into which most people alive today were born—saw the rise of organizations like the Moral Majority and movements like the religion right in which expressions Christianity took on decidedly political flavors. And whether it means acceptance or rejection of this brand of Christianity, the effects of those movements continue to shape American Christianity in 2017.

This results in an entanglement of Church and politics, one from which Christians need to break free, according to author Keith Giles. His latest book is Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics to Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb, and in it, he argues strongly against Christians putting too much stock—if any—in the political sphere.

We talked with Giles about this idea, how the American Church became “tangled” up in politics and how he thinks Christians should move forward.

THERE’S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT CHRISTIANS—EVEN MORE COMMON, EVANGELICALS—AND POLITICS RIGHT NOW. IS THE ISSUE YOU’RE ADDRESSING RECENT?

It’s not something recent.

I grew up in Texas, from the moment I could vote I was a straight-ticket Republican. I was in the NRA. I listened to Rush Limbaugh. My faith was as entangled with my Republican politics as it could possibly be, and I couldn’t imagine following Jesus any other way. Being a good Christian meant being a good American.

I think slowly over time, over the last 10 year especially, I just started noticing in myself and also in a lot of my Christian friends this confusion between what it means to follow Jesus and what it means to be a good American—and noticing that there’s pretty major differences.

The good news, the Gospel, the Kingdom and the Sermon on the Mount don’t really line up squarely with the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and what it means to be an American citizen.

Those are the kind of things I started noticing, so I’ve been blogging about it off-and-on for about 10 years. But I really felt like I needed to write the book, and, of course, when I started writing last year, I had no idea how relevant it was going to be to the political-Christian climate we’re in today.

YOU START WITH A PRETTY BOLD ASSERTION: YOU WRITE THAT NATIONALISM HINDERS THE GOSPEL. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT?

One way to express what I’m trying to say is actually to state it in the opposite: Maybe the problem with Christianity in America is that we’re not patriotic enough and that we’re not loyal and passionate enough about our leader.

What I mean by that is our “nation” is the Kingdom of God, and we are designated ambassadors of Him, our leader—who is Jesus, who is a king and His kingdom again does not align with the nations of this world. In fact, it’s something that’s pretty shocking if you read the Scriptures and look at God’s attitude toward the kings of this world—it’s never a positive thing.

Here’s why I think nationalism blinds us: If in your mind Jesus and your nation are going in the same direction—meaning Jesus is headed a certain direction, He has a certain goal and purpose for the world and the way He’s going to accomplish it and then your nation has the exact same goal and the exact same plan for accomplishing it—well then of course you can follow Jesus, because He’s headed a certain direction and your nation is headed the exact same direction and has the exact same plan to get there, well then of course, absolutely, you can do that.

But see, I think that when you read Jesus what you see if, and if you read the apostles and you read the early church documents, what you see is the idea that Jesus is going one way and everyone else is going the opposite way.

Jesus is headed true north and everything else—every nation—on this earth is headed south. You cannot go north and south at the same time, because the nations of the world are not going where Jesus is going, and their plan for transforming the world and changing the world and making the world a better place is not His plan.

YOU’RE A CHRISTIAN. BUT ALSO YOU’RE A CITIZEN OF A NATION. HOW DO YOU BE A CITIZEN OF A NATION WITHOUT LETTING THAT DRIFT INTO NATIONALISM?

We are so passionate about what’s going on in politics. We look at the problems that our world has and we say, “The way to solve that problem is if we could just elect the right politician” and “What we need is a great politician and that’ll solve everything.”

That’s the way Christians seem to be behaving.

I think their hearts are right: I think our desire is to make the world a better place. There’s nothing wrong with that.

But, you know, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Politics have never led us in the direction of making the world more Christlike.

I think to recognize that Jesus has a plan, and it’s a great plan to make the world a better place and to deal with the actual core problems we deal with as a human race—because our problems are not political, our problems are spiritual. You can pass all the laws you want, but you won’t change anyone’s heart.

FOR MANY, SAYING NOT TO BE INVOLVED IN POLITICS SOUNDS LIKE ASKING THE TO BE PASSIVE ABOUT IMPORTANT ISSUES. IS THAT RIGHT?

When I say that we should untangle from politics, I am not saying we do nothing. In fact, I think quite often when I do talk to Christians about this, and I say we should not involve ourselves with politics, most of the time the reaction I get is, “Well, Keith, you’re saying we should do nothing.”

That response betrays the very fact of what I’m saying: What you’re telling me is if I take politics away, you are doing nothing to share the Gospel.

You have Christians who would, at the drop of a hat, immediately engage in an argument about politics but they will not ever share their faith in Jesus with anybody. Right there betrays that entanglement.

How do we engage the culture? We do exactly what Jesus called us to do: We love our neighbor, we care for the poor, we reach out to the single mom who can’t pay her bills who lives on our street, we reach out to people who are in the margins and we share the love of Jesus with them in tangible ways. The gospel is intended to first of all change us into people who look and act like Jesus, and then to change people around us into people who look and act like Jesus.

That’s how you change the world. That’s Jesus’ plan to change the world.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT TITHING

Does the Bible command Christians to tithe and, if so, is the baseline 10 percent as expressed in the Old Testament? I believe the answer is yes. The tithe is essential for holiness, vital for the ongoing work of Christ’s church, and required for receiving God’s blessing.

My argument, in a nutshell, is this: The requirement to tithe preceded the Mosaic law, was codified in it with ceremonial aspects added, and was affirmed by Jesus as binding on his followers.

Tithing Before Moses

The first explicit references to the tithe appear in Genesis 14, where Abraham tithes to Melchizedek, and in Genesis 28, where Jacob promises to give God “a full tenth.” But where did the idea to tithe come from? Many argue Abraham and Jacob were simply following the customs of the surrounding nations. But Scripture points in a different direction. In Genesis 26:5, God says, “Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”  This language is almost identical to later instructions regarding the Mosaic law. This passage implies that God gave his people laws in addition to those written in Genesis.

It’s clear from Genesis 4 that the first family knew they had a responsibility to give back to God a portion of what God had given them. They were even held responsible for the kind of offering they gave. God accepted Abel’s offering and rejected Cain’s. In addition, since the Old Testament later links the offering of the “firstborn” and “firstfruits” to the tithe, it’s possible Abel’s offering was accepted precisely because it was a tithe. The Old Testament is clear God’s people were to give back to him—and that he’d given instructions about what that entailed.

Some have suggested Jacob was offering a one-time tithe in Genesis 28. But as John Currid observes, the verb “to tithe” describes frequent, multiple actions. Jacob appears to be “making a lifetime commitment to Yahweh in the matter of tithing.”

Why does Moses record these events? Since he later records God’s command to tithe, he would not have attempted to show Abraham and Jacob’s accommodation to the customs of the nations. Rather, he recorded it to demonstrate their piety.

Moreover, the writer of Hebrews shows the propriety of Abraham’s tithe since it was given to the “priest of the Most High God” (Heb. 7:1). There is an inherent sense of continuity in Hebrews 7 connecting Abraham’s tithe to the tithes the Levites received (and gave) under the Mosaic covenant. This is striking in a letter intent on showing aspects of the old covenant that no longer apply to new covenant believers. Yet far from revealing discontinuity, Hebrews leaves the impression that Christians will also tithe to their eternal high priest.

In these passages, then, the apparent requirement of a tithe comes before the giving of the Mosaic law, and is not tied to it. So while the tithe becomes codified in the old (Mosaic) covenant, it can’t be dismissed as part of the old covenant that’s been fulfilled in Christ and no longer applies to new covenant believers. These passages show the piety of the patriarchs and establish what God expects from his people.

It’s All His

When we come to the law, it becomes clear that the tithe is God’s standard for giving. The tithe doesn’t even belong to the giver, but to the Lord (Lev. 27:30 NLT). God’s people were not even to think of the tithe as theirs to do with as they pleased. It was the Lord’s, and they were to automatically give it back to him.

Under the Mosaic law, there appear to be three tithes: a regular tithe given to support the priests and the work of the temple; a “festival tithe” for the celebration of the required feasts (cf. Deut. 12:17–19); and a “charity tithe,” given every third year to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow (Deut. 14:28–29). If this is true, the Israelites were actually required to give 23.3 percent of their income, not 10 percent.

Many Old Testament scholars don’t see these as three separate tithes, but as three uses of one. Yet even if there were three tithes, as is likely the case, it’s no surprise the amount would increase when wedded with the ceremonial law, especially with the required festivals—all of which have been fulfilled in Christ.

We see this happen with the Sabbath—an eternal moral law rooted in creation—which takes on various ceremonial aspects under the Mosaic law (ceremonies involving showbread, for example). This is what Paul is talking about in Colossians 2:16, when he forbids letting anyone pass judgment in questions of Sabbath. Under the new covenant, the ceremonial aspects fall away while the moral law of the Sabbath remains.

The same is true of the tithe. The basic tithe, supporting the work of ministry, remains, even while ceremonial aspects fall away. Yet the tithe is a minimum; Christians are always to give to the poor and support other works that extend God’s kingdom (cf. 2 Cor. 8–9). The basic tithe is to be given to the church, to support its work and mission, as seen in Malachi 3.

Indeed, God’s rebuke of his people in Malachi 3:6–12 is remarkable in at least three ways.

1. God accuses his people of “robbing” him by failing to tithe (3:8). This reflects the biblical teaching that the tithe belongs to God.

2. In almost unprecedented fashion, God challenges his people to test him. Tithing is always a test of faith. It’s big enough to hurt, and it forces us to trust God to provide. But it’s not big enough to distress God’s people who are living within their means and leveraging their resources for his glory.

3. God promises to pour abundant blessings on his people when they tithe (cf. 2 Cor. 9:6). No other ceremonial aspect of the Mosaic law draws condemnation in quite this way, except for offering corrupt sacrifices. God treats the lack of tithing as contemptible.

Jesus Teaches the Tithe


Jesus upholds the tithe in Matthew 23:23 (cf. Luke 11:42). He condemns the Pharisees for their tedious commitment to one part of God’s law, the tithe, while neglecting “the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness.” Then he states, “These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

The Greek word translated “ought” (dei) in the ESV is strong and indicates a necessity. We could translate as follows: “You must do these things, and you must not neglect those things.”

All of Matthew 23 is devoted to the wrong practices and teaching of the scribes and Pharisees. The chapter begins by clarifying that Jesus is teaching “the crowds and his disciples.” Those who don’t believe tithing is for today argue that Jesus is only addressing scribes and Pharisees still under the old covenant. Yet this misses the context. These words are for Jesus’s followers. Elsewhere he doesn’t shy away from setting aside those parts of the law that no longer apply to his disciples (cf. Mark 7:19). But in teaching his disciples, Jesus upholds the tithe.

God Has Been Faithful

My wife and I have been committed to tithing throughout our marriage. This became challenging while raising six kids and teaching at a Christian college and then a seminary. It was especially difficult when we were living on Boston’s north shore, one of the most expensive areas in America. Not only did we tithe, but we also gave beyond our tithe each year to support missions.

We believe that the tithe should come from our gross income—that God gets his tithe before the government gets its share. The Lord has consistently met all our needs, and provided for us abundantly more than we could ever expect.

In an age when studies tell us that evangelical Christians give less than 3 percent of their income to the church or any ministry, I would exhort all to take God’s challenge. Commit to the biblical tithe. God doesn’t promise to make you rich, but he will provide your needs and pour out blessing on you.

As the old saying goes, you cannot outgive God.