Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Faith

Tithing

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One of the most controversial subjects among Christians inexplicably seems to revolve around the concept of tithing. Since this was an Old Testament principle, doesn’t the cross of Jesus nullify the tithe? Is the tithe figured off of my gross pay or my net pay? Do I have to tithe on money given to me as a gift? Is the tithe supposed to go to the local church? It is mind-boggling how such a simple concept can become so twisted and convoluted. The uncomfortable truth is that the root of all the questions and disagreement is greed and selfishness. Let’s face it, the reason we argue for tithing less is because we wish to keep more for ourselves. Now that we’ve gotten that ugly truth out of the way, let’s take a look at a few of the questions above.

Yes, the tithe is indeed an Old Testament principle, but no, the cross does not make the Old Testament law irrelevant. Jesus clearly stated in Matthew 5:17-19 that He did not come to destroy the law, but rather to fulfill it. He told those gathered there that anyone who breaks the least of the laws or teaches anyone else to break them will be the least in the Kingdom. Jesus’ blood on the cross fulfilled the need for sacrifice in the law. He became that sacrifice. But His blood did not mean that we were to stop living by the remainder of the law. For example, we never seem to argue that it’s okay to murder or steal or commit adultery because the cross of Jesus made those laws irrelevant. We also seem to fight for our day of rest, even though that too was an Old Testament principle. Like speaking out against one sin while engaging in others, we pick on tithing only because it disrupts our own lifestyle. We want to keep more money for ourselves. It is a case of idolatry, for as Paul states in Ephesians 5:5, a greedy person is an idolater.

Whether or not one tithes on their gross or net pay is another example of greed. We are simply looking for a way to give less. Your gross pay is your salary. We pay taxes from our salary, just as Jesus said that we should (Luke 20:25). Just because the laws of our land take taxes out of your check before you ever see it does not change the fact that you are simply paying taxes out of your salary. Taxes are a bill you pay, no different from your electricity or water bill. I’ve never really heard a debate about whether we should tithe on the amount of money we have left after all our bills are paid or before all our bills are paid. Again, the gross vs. net argument is one for selfish people seeking to keep more of God’s money for themselves. Keeping money that isn’t yours is called stealing in most cultures. I would never want to be the one who stands before God and has to explain why I stole money from Him. I can’t imagine a much more uncomfortable or dangerous conversation.

I think the answers to the remaining questions above can be summed up with a simple story. I was recently asked by a group of friends for my opinion on the tithe, whether the amount was truly the Old Testament principle of 10% or not. My response was simply, “As long as there are people living in poverty, as long as there are people without food or hope in this world, then we haven’t given enough.” It distresses me that the question is always, “How much must I give” rather than being overwhelmed by the opportunity to give all that we can for the purpose of carrying out the mission of Jesus Christ. Where you give that money should be where it is needed most in order to fulfill the teachings of Jesus. Perhaps that’s to an orphanage in Russia or a food bank in your city or a refugee camp in Darfur or a school in India. Perhaps it is to your local church if they are wise stewards of that money and use it to meet the needs of the orphans, the widows and those in need. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, entrusted with His money to do His works among His creation. That is the only litmus test we need keep in mind.

Remember that most arguments over tithing boil down to our own selfishness, greed and lack of faith. I have yet to meet someone who gives back to the Lord a portion of what has been given to them, who doesn’t have their needs met. God will bless you based on the attitude of your heart and the faith you place in Him. He cares for His children; He knows your needs. Let go of the earthly things to which you hold so tightly. Give all you can because it is our good pleasure to serve the One who gave His life for us. Total sacrifice was not too great a price for Jesus to pay for us. He asks for nothing less in return.

Just One

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Margaret Mead is quoted to have said “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” The original disciples of Christ are a perfect example of this principle. Though just twelve in number, they changed the world forever as they steadfastly preached the message of Jesus. Even with such a few number of men, they were able to impact the entire world, and in fact continue to impact the world over two thousand years since their death. Except for the obvious advantage of having known Jesus in His physical form, they were ordinary folks, just like you and me.

The impact the disciples had on the lives of literally billions remains mindboggling to me, while at the same time encouraging me that we do not need large numbers to make a difference. In fact, I would argue that twelve was actually an extraordinary number of people to accomplish something in the name of Jesus. Look at the number of Biblical examples where only one man had a tremendous impact on history. Through the power of God, Samuel helped shape the theology of a nation; Moses led an entire nation out of captivity from a much more powerful captor. The writings of David continue to comfort masses to this very day. Solomon’s wisdom directed the morals and laws of countless nations.

It’s easy to feel like we cannot make a difference by our self. We make the mistake of thinking of ourselves as being all alone. As followers of Jesus, we have the power of God within us. The same power that fueled Gideon’s army, Samson’s strength and Daniel’s prophetic visions dwells in us. Too often we read the Biblical stories of great men and see them as some sort of super humans. The same blood that coursed through their veins centuries ago continues to flow through ours today. We are all flesh and blood, and we are all gifted by God with abilities to do marvelous and incredible works in His name. Though we are few and weak, through us, God simply does the impossible.

The real difference between the Biblical heroes and us is that they chose to trust and to act. How much more could we do if we would simply put our entire trust in Jesus? How much more would we achieve if we would only act on what He gives us to do? How much more fulfilled would we be if we knew without a doubt that we were doing all we were created to do. We need to renew our trust in Him and boldly act with courage. We must do all that He has given us to do.

One man, John the Baptist, with a small band of followers prepared the way for Jesus. Twelve men, followers of Jesus, literally changed the world. One man, Jesus, lived a short but humble life, and secured eternity for everyone who would believe. One man, Paul, along with a companion or two spread the gospel throughout much of the known world. In our modern day world, one man named Bob Pierce took the time to care for one child and in turn founded World Vision, which has since touched the lives of millions. One person, one small group, can indeed impact the world in astounding ways. One person; why not you? Why not me?

What does it mean to be a Christian?

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Since we talk so much about Christianity here, I thought it might be worthwhile for some to take a step back and define what being a Christian actually entails. Christianity in the traditional sense simply means one who is a follower of Christ. In modern evangelical terms (if you are new to Christianity, you’ll find we have A LOT of terms), a Christian is defined as someone who has prayed “the sinner’s prayer” and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. My purpose is not to find fault with either definition, but rather to elaborate on them, with an emphasis on what Jesus commanded of His followers.

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For Whom Would You Die?

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The most unfathomable concept in all of Christianity is the fact that Jesus died for us. This wasn’t some romantic fairy tale death of a hero. Nor was it the death of a man whom everyone knew deserved it. His was a real death, dirty, painful and torturous. He endured things that you and I can scarcely imagine, much less ever have to experience. Why? Because He loved us; He knew this was the only way. This was His mission. It was not something he necessarily wanted to endure, but He was willing to do so because He knew it was the only way. He would have to become the sacrifice so we might live. It’s odd to me that we often gloss over His death and how rarely we truly dwell on it. True, His resurrection is the brilliant culmination of the story, and the part that made it all worth it. But there would have been no resurrection had He not first chosen to die.

One of the things I often contemplate is what my reaction would be if I had to choose between being put to death and denying Christ. I am confident I would choose death. What if the choice was between ongoing torture and denying Christ, would my answer change? An untold number of our brothers and sisters in Christ face this very decision every day of their lives. Although I have some trepidation as to what effect physical torture might have on my resolve, I feel I can honestly say still that I would choose Christ and not deny Him. If you are a devoted follower of Jesus, I suspect that you feel the same as I do. No one wants to face a violent death or brutal torture, but we know He endured both of these things for us; we must be willing to do the same for Him.

Which leads me to an uncomfortable question: if we are willing to die for Christ, why is it we continually refuse to die to self? Are we more important than Christ? We say we would die for Him, but we won’t give up certain parts of our life to Him. “I’ll do anything for You Jesus, I’ll even die for you… just don’t ask me to give up [insert your idol of choice here]”. It cheapens our supposed commitment to Him. To imply that we are too precious to die for is almost blasphemous. He did not consider His own life too special to not offer it up for you. Yet every day we refuse to die to self, every time we protect our personal idols, we tell Him He’s just not worth it. God forgive us for our ignorance and our hardened hearts.

What parts of your life are you refusing to give up? Which parts of your life have you resisted putting to death? He gave up everything for us. It will be difficult and may cause some anguish. We may beg to hold on to our little idols. But only a life that is submitted to Christ in every area can claim to be following in the way of Christ. He did it for us; we must do it for Him. He died for us; we say we’d die for Him. But are we first willing to die to ourselves?

Why We Don’t Utilize God’s Gifts

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In the last blog post (see “Gifts from God”), we discussed the gifts that God has given to each one of us. A reader asked why I thought people did not use the gifts they have been given, and I felt this was worthy of a follow up post. I’d be very interested to hear some of your thoughts as well, so please leave a comment with some of the reasons you believe people do not use their gifts, or perhaps even reasons you have refrained from using your own gifts. I’m certain your comments will be useful, inspiring and thought provoking to the rest of the audience.

So what are some of the reasons people do not exercise the gifts God has given them? If we take a step back and analyze the question, it is somewhat unbelievable to conceive of the premise; we have been given gifts, talents, and abilities from the Creator of the Universe and the only thing we see fit to do with them is hide them away so no one knows! This surely is not our finest moment. When I was growing up, I remember people (mostly women) who would get a towel from Elvis Presley at his concert; they showed everyone their gift (if a sweat covered rag indeed qualifies as a gift)! They couldn’t wait to tell everyone they’d meet about this amazing item. It was displayed with honor in their homes, there for all to see. My example is somewhat frivolous I realize, but the truth remains. When someone we admire gives us a gift, we can’t shut up about it. We are compelled to use it and tell the story behind it to everyone we encounter. Yet when the King of the Universe, the one we proclaim is our Lord, gives us a gift, we hide it away to make certain no one knows about it. Why?

Fear – We are afraid people will make fun of us; we’re afraid to be labeled a Jesus freak or a fanatic. We’re afraid we’ll be cast out of our circle of friends. We’re afraid people will look down on us. There is no fear in love and God is, above all else, love. If we are fearful then we are not trusting in Him. Would you follow someone you don’t trust? Of course you wouldn’t. If you are fearful, then you are not trusting God, and so it would seem logical to conclude you are not following Him. We follow those we trust. If you would be a true follower of Christ, there can be no fear in doing so.

Time – We claim we don’t have time to use our gifts. Our society and lives have become so busy that there simply isn’t space in our life to make use of what God entrusted to us. If this is you, may I humbly suggest that your priorities are not in order? If you have time for other things, but not for God and the works He gave you to accomplish, then He is not Lord of your life. Stop kidding yourself; you are not following Jesus if you are too busy following other pursuits in life. This is dangerous and you need to surrender yourself to Him anew.

Money – Our gifts require us to spend some money, and we simply don’t have it. God equips you to do the works He designed for you. If He calls you to feed the hungry and you can barely afford food for your own family, you need to simply trust Him to provide. Use whatever you have to do what He created you to do. He’ll take care of the rest. Following Jesus means walking a path that won’t always make sense to us. We aren’t called to understand everything He commands us to do; we are called to simply do. If He is truly your Lord, you will trust Him. If you do not have the faith in Jesus to provide for your needs, then you are not truly following Christ; you are merely a spectator in the crowd.

Laziness – Following Jesus is a hard road; it requires hard work. Many times we simply don’t feel like putting forth the effort. We’d rather catch an extra hour of sleep or watch something on television. In the Western culture, it is easy to forget that there is a spiritual war being waged all around us. If you believe in Christ and in His word, you know this to be true. If we are lazy in war, we will be defeated. If we are defeated, we cannot be following Christ, because Christ is never defeated. We can get knocked down, but as long as we are following Christ, we can never be beaten. There are no timeouts in war. There is no possible way to follow Jesus in a lackadaisical manner.

Selfishness – If we were to use our gifts, we would never have time to do the things we want to do. If this is where you find yourself, you need to take a hard look at what you want to do with the life God has given you. Either Jesus is the Lord of your life or you are. Whom will you choose? Following Jesus is an all or nothing proposition; you can’t serve two masters. If you are to be a true follower of Jesus, you must give up your life as you know it. Jesus died for you; we must do the same for Him. If you would proclaim Jesus as Lord, your every aim and desire must be to do the works He created you to do.

Are you utilizing the gifts God has given to you? If not, did you find yourself in any of the excuses above? If you haven’t been using what God has entrusted to you, it’s not too late. As long as you have breath you can begin to use what God has given you to accomplish the tasks He created you to do. Not sure where to start? Drop me a line ([email protected]); I’ll help you figure it out. Not sure what to do? Start with the basics: feed the hungry; shelter the homeless; take care of the sick, the orphans, the widows and those in poverty. Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Do the work He created you to do. Utilize the gifts God has given you.