Application and diligence

Today seems to be the day of information overload. We start many things but complete few. Or else we get caught up in on-line games or in other time wasting activities. The world around us seems to be never ending in its demands on us, so that the Lord’s work is often relegated to whatever free time we have, if any.

The urgent has overcome the important.

How many Christians spend more than a cursory amount of time doing the Lord’s work, or even more importantly, spending time with Him?

We easily forget the main reason for our lives and who it is who promised to look after us. Instead, we assume it is all up to us and we fall under the curse of the Fall.

Gen 3:17-19 NIV  …. ,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.  (18)  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  (19)  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

But we are no longer under this curse once we become part of the Kingdom of God. Jesus has now taken the curse on Himself and broken it over His followers.

Mat 6:30-34 NIV  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith?  (31)  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  (32)  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  (33)  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  (34)  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

So why do we worry so much? Why do we relegate the prime work of seeking His Kingdom and righteousness to the rare spare moments of time?

Jeremiah’s words about this are as relevant today as they were more than 2500 years ago.

Jer 48:10 NIV  "A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the LORD's work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!

Our swords (the Word of God) must be used and not kept sheathed.  We have been given mouths to proclaim the word of God in season and out of season. We must use this ‘sword’, with all love and wisdom, but USE it.

The loneliness of ministry

Towards the end of his life the apostle Paul wrote a final letter to his young protégé Timothy, from his prison cell. In it he urged Timothy to be bold in taking up the charge that he had been given to preserve and promote the gospel. However there is more than a tinge of sadness in Paul’s words.

2Ti 1:15 NIV  You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

After all that Paul had done to bring the gospel to the very ends of the earth and the esteem that he had been held in, there were very few there for him in the end. After all, he had planted many churches throughout Asia Minor, churches that were of great prominence then and for centuries to come.

But at the end “everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me”.

But isn’t that what happened to Jesus as well?

That is the nature of people. We often forget whose shoulders we are standing on. Those who have gone before us, in very recent times as well as historically, are soon forgotten. People want to make their own way. But they need to be reminded constantly  who has been involved in bringing them to this stage.

The whole concept of eldership, or more correctly ‘oldership’ has lost its power. Is this part of the reason that the church has been caught up in fads and fashions and the latest ‘move of the Holy Spirit’, usually somewhere other than “here”?

We often forget that our task is to pass on unchanged the faith once delivered to the fathers, not to try to improve it or change it. Of course our means of delivery will change as society changes, but the content must not.

Will we recover the proper concept of eldership in our time, or will we continue to follow the ways of the world in leaving the future to the young with no reliance on the wisdom of age? Will we condemn the young to have to relearn all that has been taught in the past? Or will we help the young to stand boldly on the shoulders of their teachers in the Lord and so further increase the advance of the Kingdom of God? Even more so, will the young reach out for this wisdom of the elders?

Four Categories of Church

In a recent edition of The Gospel Coalition, Matt Carter posted the following. I found it a helpful  analysis of church types, although not an exhaustive list. Using the prepositions, in, against, of and for, the city, Matt draws attention to the essential nature of ‘church’, a people at mission, transforming society.

Several years ago I read some insights from Tim Keller on the subject of a church’s engagement with a city. This writing was especially interesting for me personally in light of the fact that I was planting a church in the city of Austin, Texas.

Austin, at the time, was one of the least-reached cities in the United States, and thinking biblically and systematically about how to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ here consumed a great amount of my time. Keller argued most churches fit in one of four categories. 

Keller spoke of the first category of church as simply in the city. This church meets together, gathers for worship, and creates programs for its congregants. But apart from ministering to the people who gather within the four walls of the church, the church has little to no effect on the city around it. 

The second category of church can be classified as against the city. This church has an “us versus them” mentality. In other words, the church is good, and the city is bad. The people of the city are bad, while the people of the church are good, and the church people therefore need to be kept isolated from the evil people that surround them.

A third category of church is of the city. A church of the city has bent so far to the culture that it has ceased to be salt and light in that city. When addressing the Ephesian church in Revelation 2:1–7, Jesus spoke about hating “the deeds of the Nicolatians.” Many scholars believe that the Nicolatians had been so concerned about being relevant to the culture that they lost their ability to stand apart as “a city set on a hill.” In the midst of trying to impress people with their cultural sensibilities, the Ephesian church lost the effect of the gospel of Christ. 

Keller spoke of a final category that he calls a church for the city. This church seeks the shalom or the welfare or flourishing of a city for the glory of God and the exaltation of Christ. To be clear, city engagement can never be an end unto itself. We are called as God’s people to love our neighbor, but that love must always point others to the one who first loved us.

A Kingdom not made by human hands

The book of Judges is ‘bookended’ by similar situations, apathy in Israel, and its destructive power.

The third Judge Shamgar could not get the nobles or the people to follow him (see earlier blog). At the end of the 400 years of the Judges period we have a succession of Judges, with whom, in every case there is no mention of a time of peace. In fact there was internal warfare between the major tribes. After this internal strife the Philistines held Israel in captivity up to the time of Samson. His Judgeship was far from edifying and it is only in his death that there was anything good to come from his life.

After Samson the nation is again in internal apostasy and strife culminating in the virtual extinction of the Benjaminites. These last chapters are anything but edifying, and so the door is left open for the beginning of the time of the Kings.

The 400 years of theocratic government ends up as being a failure because of the fallen heart of mankind. There were periods during this time when God’s rule was recognised and honoured, but overall the people and nobles were unwilling to allow God to rule.

The lesson here is very clear. The Kingdom of God can not be brought into fulfilment while the heart of man is unredeemed. The truth of God’s word to Jeremiah is worked out in graphic detail in Judges.

Jeremiah 17:9 NIV
[9] The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

The Kingdom of God is, by definition, the complete rule of God, the place where he is obeyed. We are shown in Judges that even when God supplies all their needs, shows his power by miracles galore, and speaks clearly to them and their nobles, mankind, even the chosen ones, are incapable of bringing in the Kingdom with their own power and decision making.

 A redeemer is needed who will change the very basis of their being. One who will change the very nature of their heart. One who can bring mankind to a new birth.

This had to wait until God himself invaded this world with the power of real love and began a new creation.

1 Corinthians 15:22 NIV
[22] For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Galatians 6:15 NIV
[15] Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.

If anyone, individual or group, could have brought in the Kingdom of God by their own strength then it would have been the Israelites, especially those closest to the miraculous power of God being seen in their midst again and again. But it was shown to not be possible.

We need a redeemer and Jesus is that redeemer. He alone can change the human heart, not by a process of self improvement, but by the only possible way, DEATH & RESURRECTION. Our old nature must die and we must be born again into the new creation in Jesus.

Time is money - or is it?

You hear it all the time. “Time is money.” But is it right?

Certainly in our rationalist economic society it is the way to maximise your profit, but does it reflect the life of Jesus?

We have come to a point in our society that we take for granted the our living standards have to keep on increasing. This, despite the fact that that the bulk of the world struggles just to live at some degree of dignity. Money and economics govern our lives on a way that I could not have imagined as I was growing up in the 50s and 60s. Our TV news broadcasts often have more coverage than crucial news items. People seem obsessed with the state of the stock market.

“Time is money”. There are so many people now who are so time poor that families are under threat. Children are asleep when one or other parent leaves for work, and again asleep when they get home. I can still remember the effect on my family life of my long days when I was in business before going to theological college. It has continued to get worse for many people today. I was fortunate in being able to have a very fruitful family life with time to spend with my wife and children once I left the business community.

Where are we headed? I can see no other answer but a return to the reality of the life of the Kingdom of God. This sounds like a utopian comment but I firmly believe it is not only possible but eminently achievable. What is needed is for followers of the Lord Jesus to live the live they claim to possess. Thos who have embarked on this path will testify that it is a completely different path from the rest of the community, but it works!

Jesus is always faithful. We know that, but struggle to put His life into practice. It does not mean becoming a hermit or a Luddite. It just means to truly believe and act on that belief. It doesn’t mean that you cannot do well in business. I does mean that your business practices and lifestyle will be in alignment with the ways of the kingdom.

Time is not money for the the citizen of the Kingdom. Time is in the Lord’s hands and He makes it clear how we are to allocate it. Money is a means of exchange, and not a commodity in its own right, despite what we see in the market. Money is the reward for our labour, but it does not mean that we have to sell our souls to maximise our bank balance.

These issues become very clear when we re totally committed to the Lord. Life in the Kingdom of God is for now, not just for the future. We may not see the fullness yet, but we still live in the conscious presence of the Lord Jesus since the Holy Spirit now lives in us.

Some thoughts on Spiritual Warfare by Joseph Mattera

WHY SOME BELIEVERS EXPERIENCE MORE SPIRITUAL WARFARE THAN OTHERS

There are some believers who falsely believe that if they have a lot of faith they will not undergo any suffering, severe tests or satanic attacks. Nothing can be further from the truth! Actually the opposite is true.

For example, in the book of Job chapters 1 and 2, God actually asks Satan if he considered His servant Job, Hence, God brought Job to Satan’s attention, not because Job was in sin, but because Job was the greatest servant of God on the earth at that time (Read Job 1:6-12; 2:3-6).

Furthermore, Acts 19:15 illustrates how Paul the apostle was not only known in heaven but also in hell! He had their attention! 1 Peter 5: 8-9 teaches that Satan roams the earth seeking someone to devour, which also goes along with the Job narrative (Job 1:7). When we read the context of all these passages, especially in regards to the satanic focus on both Paul and Job, we can come to the conclusion that the devil’s main focus is to thwart, divert, distract and disarm the servants of God who are promoting the rule of God on the earth as it is in heaven. Heaven is the only realm in the universe where everything is perfectly aligned under King Jesus, since the devil was displaced from there (Revelation 12:7-12).

Consequently, when someone on earth wants to bring the influence of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, Satan erupts with fear and anger against them since he doesn’t want to be thrown out of another place!

This is why it seems as though a person following the will of God will sometimes have the most difficult tests, trials and resistance, as opposed to some saints who are casual seekers of God. Satan is no dummy, why should he attack a Christian who is a bad example to others and who is already deceived and in his grip? He will focus the most on those who are the biggest threats to his desire to do a power grab from God over the earth realm! Remember, God gave Adam a commission to have His rule over the whole earth (Genesis 1:28), and immediately after that the devil came and convinced both Adam and Eve to disobey God and abandon their post as God’s vice regents over the earth (Genesis 3:1-8).

Since that time Satan has been jealously attempting to protect his control over the earthly realm he stole through subverting Adam, including its systems of government, commerce, media, the arts, science and education. Those who attempt to bring God’s influence in these realms will most likely experience some of the highest levels of satanic resistance. The apostle Paul had a messenger from Satan follow him everywhere he went that caused riots and persecution (2 Corinthians 13:1-8), only because he was turning the present world system upside down ( Acts 17:7).

So, if you are sold out for God, don’t be discouraged when you are attacked or allow yourself to be deceived into thinking that the only reason you are in intense spiritual warfare or tribulation is because you may have missed God. It may be the opposite. You are being targeted because you are hitting the divine bull’s eye! This is why Paul admonished believers to stand strong in the Lord, he said “our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers and the rulers of darkness in high places (Ephesians 6:10-13)”. Notice, Paul said “we struggle” meaning, he was including himself in this struggle. Every time there was an open door for ministry he had many adversaries, this is a biblical principle. (Read 1 Corinthians 16:9)

Do not ever think that just because God is calling you to do something that it will be easy. Jesus did the will of God and He was crucified and Paul was beheaded, church history tells us! It’s not how many years we live, but what we do with the years we live that matters! So, what do we do when we are in a time of spiritual warfare that Paul calls “ the day of evil “ in Ephesians 6:13? Paul tells us in this it passage to be strong in the Lord and to stand firm, in others words, do not quit (Ephesians 6:10-13).

The apostle Peter also tells us to resist him (the devil) standing firm in the faith (1 Peter 5:9). Peter knows firsthand that faith in God is the key to standing firm in the midst of the day of evil because when he denied Christ three times, Jesus prayed for him that his “faith” would not fail (Luke 22:31,32).

Yet more on Eating the tithe

 To see the context of this post you need to read the others in the series as well as the excellent comments by Helio on each of them.

Thanks Helio,

Again you give a very thoughtful response, thank you. However we are in danger of losing the main point of the original post – feasting in the presence of the Lord. But I still need  to deal with the particular points you bring up. I will deal with these after each quote I take from your post.

I am answering this as a separate post as it was to long for a comment on a comment which was limited to about  4000 characters

On one hand you say that “our financial giving is to be generous (absolutely more than a tithe) and given willingly and joyfully”. On the other hand you mention that “there can be no guilt associated with our giving.” I feel there’s a conflict in those statements.

In my opinion the issue of guilt is associated with the law. The law requires the tithing as a requirement and that’s where the compulsion comes from. But again, I stand by 2 Cor 9:8:

“Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

The moment you set a minimum amount to giving you are indirectly adding a requirement. It’s like saying “you are free to give as long as it is more than the tithe”. I am not so sure about this type of freedom.

I obviously have no argument with Paul’s call for cheerful giving but there is also the matter of  generosity as seen in the wider context of your quote:

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 NIV
[6] Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. [7] Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. [9] As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” [10] Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. [11] You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Generosity is not being shown if the giving of a particular Christian is only 10%. Surely everyone can afford more than this irrespective of their circumstances. One of the reasons people do not give generously is that they have been taught that giving according to your means involves considering themselves first rather than the Lord, and others, first. There is a poverty mentality in many people that convinces them that if they are on a very low income, or social service payments, that they cannot give to others. This is a major problem in our society where there has developed a dependence mentality. I write this as one who only has the aged pension to live on, yet gets great joy from giving generously.

Why are we setting the law as a starting point for our actions?

I am not setting the Law as the starting point, as tithing was in force well before the Law as I mentioned earlier.

The comparison between tithing and circumcision that you make is an invalid comparison. 

Circumcision is certainly a matter of the Law and showed the separation between the Israelites and the other nations. This form of showing separation is certainly not required of us as the point of physical circumcision had now been replaced by circumcision of the heart. I have written much on this before, and will again, but it is a distraction in this discussion.

Tithing is a matter for ALL people, Christian or not. It is just that we are meant to be faithful and recognise our tenancy of this earth which is owned by God.  Humankind has been given this earth to ‘rule over’, or manage on behalf of the owner, God. This creation mandate has limits, of course, and everyone is held responsible to uphold the mandate to look after creation. The parable of the tenants, mentioned earlier, is but one of the New Testament indications of this.

So my argument is that tithing is fundamentally different from matters of the Law. Tithing is a token of the generosity required from us for the earth we have been given by God.

The law brings bondage but we believers are urged to walk in the freedom that Jesus has given us. (Gal 5:1) We are encouraged to walk by the Spirit. Those who are led by the Spirit, are not under the law (Gal 5:18). The law is a tutor to bring us to Christ, but now that we have found Him there is a new way of living.

Remember the entire law is summed in love for God and love for others. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we are empowered to satisfy the underlying motives of the law of God instead of being tangled up with the written code of the law.

I totally agree with you. Jesus lifted the Law to a much higher level.

Matthew 5:17-22 NIV
[17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. [19] Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. [21] “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' [22] But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, 'Raca,' is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

The law is now on our hearts and we automatically want to keep the law in its fullness, out of love for Jesus, as empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is no longer just ticking off the matters of the law, but a passion to be like Jesus in all things: true love, not forced obedience.

I have heard from people in church leadership justifying their badgering people to give on the fact that unless they compel people to give the congregation would not do it otherwise.

I have also seen behaviour like this. There can be no justification for the behaviour you describe. The motivation for this behaviour comes from the ‘need’ that many pastors feel to increase their offerings, and protect their own income. This is a further reason for a total change in the way ministry is supported. That is the wider debate about the way we do church. We still have the pattern of a Constantinian Church, rather than a Christian Church. You know my passion for this  and this is the reason for this blog site.

As Paul talks about circumcision I also like to refer to tithing:

See my comments above. Circumcision is certainly a matter of the Law, whereas tithing comes from Creation and not the Law. The two spring from totally different bases. This has been abused in the past in England and elsewhere where he local council levied the tithe for the upkeep of the 'parish', which we would call the municipality. We now do this by different means, council rates. This practice was abused in medievael times, but that has nothing to say about our present discussion. In fact there could be an argument for LIMITING taxes and rates to 10%!!!!! But that is not for now and could be far too controversial to pursue.

Let’s see what happened in the Ananias and Sapphira case: 

You comments here are spot on. The matter at issue was the fact that they lied to the Holy Spirit and so were judged for that, not for what they gave, or ‘should’ have given. I wonder what would happen in many churches if the Holy Spirit acted likewise now. People think they are being generous but, in many cases, are only offering a ‘tip’ to God.

One can’t force someone to be generous – this has to be the result of a transformed life by the power of Jesus Christ. One of the most astonishing and glorious things I’ve found in Christian living is seeing believers responding to the law of the Spirit written in their hearts and minds and not to the law written on tablets of stone. How refreshing to see believers responding willingly and living according to their new nature. What is the new nature? Isn’t it love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control? Those who live in such a way do not need the law for they fulfil those requirements right from the heart.

I totally agree with you. Let us all encourage people to live a sold out life to God under the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus has shown the greatest generosity to us by His selfless life, His atoning death, His glorious bodily resurrection, and His ascension to the Father so that the glorious Holy Spirit could now live in all of us who have been truly ‘born again’ into the new life of Jesus.

Thank you Helio for your faithfulness and example in our midst. All glory and praise to Him who was, and is, and is to come.

I will upload a separate post soon to bring us back to the initial issue I raised.

More on "Eating the tithe"

If you have not read the comments on the previous post, I encourage you to do so. The summary I gave of tithing in general did leave me open to justifiable criticism. I certainly do not want to imply that we are still under the law in the sense that Paul uses this phrase. The idea that we are to tithe as an obligation under the Law is not held by me. I make the point that the Old Testament laws have principles behind them that we are to embrace with joy and gladness. The New Testament teaching on giving is about being a cheerful, generous giver since everything  belongs to the Lord.

The task of finding the principle behind many of the Old Testament passages, and indeed of the New Testament as well, calls for an enquiring mind under the control of the Holy Spirit. Our minds are to be renewed (Eph 4:23, Col 3:10), not ignored. If we now have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16) then we will be able to ask the right questions and get the right answers. We must not fall into the trap of anti-intellectualism.

A tithe is a token. It is the baseline if you like, of our giving. We are called to go beyond that and give all that we have to the Lord; to ask ‘what can I keep’, not ‘what can I give’.

Translating this into our time and space leads us along an interesting path. 

Firstly, If we are to bring the WHOLE tithe into the storehouse, then where is the storehouse. I used to think this was the local church, but now I am convinced that the storehouse is Jesus himself. We are to bring it to Him so He can decide where the needs are that need to come out of that storehouse.

Secondly, what are the practicalities that come from this?

This takes us back to the Book of Deuteronomy.

Deu 14:22-29 HCSB  "Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields.  (23)  You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of Yahweh your God at the place where He chooses to have His name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the LORD your God.  (24)  But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where Yahweh your God chooses to put His name is too far away from you and since the LORD your God has blessed you,  (25)  then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God chooses.  (26)  You may spend the money on anything you want: cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your family.  (27)  Do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.  (28)  "At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your gates.  (29)  Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come, eat, and be satisfied. And the LORD your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

There are several points to note here:

• 1.       They were to eat the tithe, or its financial equivalent, in the presence of the Lord and where He decreed.

• 2.      They were to learn the fear of the Lord through this.

• 3.      There was no restriction on what they were to spend the money on.

• 4.      We are to rejoice with our family in this activity.

• 5.      The tithe that went to the Levites was for their support and for the relief of poverty.

The question of the third year distribution has been discussed by scholars for some time, and it seems that they believe there were two tithes, possibly at the beginning and end of the harvest. The first was for the Levites alone to receive and the other was the one we are discussing here. I think this is speculation based on Rabbinical teaching. However I don’t want to get caught up in this. I will stick with the five points above.

It seems to me that we can distil the following principles for us from this passage.

• 1.       Serving and giving to the Lord is a joyful thing.

• 2.      God’s love is so great, and His mercy so strong, that what we give to Him, He gives back to us, and even more.

Even in the question of the Sabbath, Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Joy is such a common word in the New Testament. Those of us who love Jesus with a passion know how joyful this is, even in the midst of trial and difficulty.

• 3.      We are to remember Him around the table. That was the original point of the Lord’s Supper, not a ritual to be carried out symbolically. This should be done every time we gather around a table for a meal. But especially so, as a grand event, at certain times of the year.

After all, the Sabbath Seder was a recounting of the Exodus each week in Jewish homes. This was a full meal and a joyful occasion every week, in the family, and still is today. The father took time to teach the household about the Lord and His provision for them.

Family is in the forefront here, and the teaching of God’s ways is done faithfully in the family, each week, at this meal.

I remember with gladness the times when our children were very young, how Elizabeth and I had structured times each week teaching our children. In our case it was not over a meal, unless you call “Poppy’s  pancakes” a meal. But it was a structured time when I inputted to the children at least as much as I did to the church I pastored.

• 4.      There was to be  a real provision for the poor. I can hear clearly Paul’s admonition in  Cor 11.

1Co 11:18-22 NIV  In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.  (19)  No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval.  (20)  So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat,  (21)  for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk.  (22)  Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

The Corinthian Church did not even seem to notice the poor in their midst as they feasted in the presence of the Lord. There was to be a special provision made for those people who are often not even noticed.

Let me try to pull this together.

1.       Our financial giving is to be generous (absolutely more than a tithe) and given willingly and joyfully.

2.      There can be no guilt associated with our giving. Giving to the Lord is one of the ways He wants to bless us and how He wants us to enjoy our giving in many ways, some of which are:

a.      In our gatherings to remember Jesus for all He has done for us, we can use what the Holy Spirit has given us and what we have ‘given’ Him, to have a joyful meal at whatever level we decide is most appropriate. Remembering Him in this context does not mean a cursory saying of ‘grace’ before the meal, but a meal centred on Him. Our conversation is to be about Him, teaching &/or testimony, worship, prayer, etc.

Maybe this can be one new form of ‘church’, held entirely within the framework of a meal.

b.      These are not to be exclusive gatherings and should include those who have little or nothing, without expecting them, or anyone else for that matter, to contribute anything at all to the meal.

After all this is a foretaste of the marriage supper of the Lamb!

c.       Outside of all of this we are also to use our giving to the Lord to alleviate poverty and suffering.

There are so many calls on our financial resources today, that we cannot give to everyone. This is where we need to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit to show us where this money is to go.

d.      In all of this we must be led by the Holy Spirit, otherwise it will all become carnal and meaningless as it seems to have become in Corinth.

Commentary Notes on Deuteronomy 26:12-13

Keil & Delitzsch

The delivery of the tithes, like the presentation of the first-fruits, was also to be sanctified by prayer before the Lord. It is true that only a prayer after taking the second tithe in the third year is commanded here; but that is simply because this tithe was appropriated everywhere throughout the land to festal meals for the poor and destitute (Deu 14:28), when prayer before the Lord would not follow per analogiam from the previous injunction concerning the presentation of first-fruits, as it would in the case of the tithes with which sacrificial meals were prepared at the sanctuary (Deu 14:22.). לַעְשֵׂר is the infinitive Hiphil for לְהַעֲשַׂר, as in Neh 10:39 (on this form, vid., Ges. §53, 3 Anm. 2 and 7, and Ew. §131, b. and 244, b.). “Saying before the Lord” does not denote prayer in the sanctuary (at the tabernacle), but, as in Gen 27:7, simply prayer before God the omnipresent One, who is enthroned in heaven (Deu 26:15), and blesses His people from above from His holy habitation. The declaration of having fulfilled the commandments of God refers primarily to the directions concerning the tithes, and was such a rendering of an account as springs from the consciousness that a man very easily transgresses the commandments of God, and has nothing in common with the blindness of pharisaic self-righteousness “I have cleaned out the holy out of my house:” the holy is that which is sanctified to God, that which belongs to the Lord and His servants, as in Lev 21:22. בִּעֵר signifies not only to remove, but to clean out, wipe out. That which was sanctified to God appeared as a debt, which was to be wiped out of a man's house (Schultz).

Matthew Henry

Concerning the disposal of their tithe the third year we had the law before, Deu 14:28, Deu 14:29. The second tithe, which in the other two years was to be spent in extraordinaries at the feasts, was to be spent the third year at home, in entertaining the poor. Now because this was done from under the eye of the priests, and a great confidence was put in the people's honesty, that they would dispose of it according to the law, to the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless (Deu 26:12), it is therefore required that when at the next feast after they appeared before the Lord they should there testify (as it were) upon oath, in a religious manner, that they had fully administered, and been true to their trust.

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