Bible

Bible / church / church relevance / ministry / social justice / worship — 16 Comments
23
Jun 10

tithing…is it relevant today?

Currently having a great conversation via twitter that started with this initial question:

@AaronBird: What do you say Christian leaders: Does supporting a missionary or ministry outside of your church count as your tithe?

How would you answer? Before you do, here are some snippets of additional dialog that you may consider as well:

  • inworship: @daveingland Gotta be honest. That question from @AaronBird sounds very religious and selfish.
  • aaronbird: @inworship …worthy ministries also require funds. Conflict of interest? Dunno. Just thinkin’.
  • daveingland: @aaronbird @inworship i think your tithe/offering should go to those in need. i’m more in line with paul’s teaching on gracious giving.
  • soverpeck: @daveingland @aaronbird @inworship modern way of doing church is a money pit. in the bible the “10% tithe” was about giving food to the poor
  • inworship: @AaronBird Biblically, we need to encourage heart giving. Any expectation to the local church/organization, opposes that teaching.
  • aaronbird: @inworship I don’t disagree. Just wonder what a church leader feels when giving is down & has 2 make cuts but ppl expct more but give less.
  • daveingland: @soverpeck @inworship @aaronbird in acts 2, they sold what they had & gave to those in need. way more than 10% & definitely money, not food
  • soverpeck: @daveingland @inworship @aaronbird absolutely. again, not to pay salaries or for cool sound systems and a mac
  • aaronbird: @soverpeck @daveingland @inworship Do we always have to defer to “the way it used to be”? Why not forge ahead & be relevant to now?
  • aaronbird: @soverpeck @daveingland @inworship Should we not pay or pastors & other church leaders because that’s how they used to do it in the NT?

So, should one tithe to the church? Is a tithe 10%? Should giving be considered a tithe? Can one–in a biblical sense–give to those in need outside of the church and consider that their tithe…thereby not giving to the church as well? Your thoughts are appreciated.

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Bible / Christianity / Dave (personal) — 1 Comment
25
May 10

What you see is what you get…sometimes

Having lived as an atheist during the first 37 years of my life, I have to admit that I had a burning desire to always be right. Even when I was wrong, I somehow had to find a way to prove myself correct in some aspect. I always had the last word. Almost 6 years into my life of faith in Christ, I take a different perspective. I don’t have to be right anymore. Specifically, I don’t care if others think I am wrong if I know I’m right. I can walk away and let them think I’m wrong. I don’t have to win the argument, nor prove that I’m smarter than someone else. However, this Scripture is something I struggle with:

“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” –Luke 17:3-4 NIV

You see, when I read certain passages in the Bible it seems to tell me that there are times when I should point out the wrongdoing of others. However, it’s hard to do so without coming across as more-righteous than another and that’s a place I really don’t want to go to anymore.

With that said, I must admit that there are times when people do something out of ignorance. It’s prejudicial, racist, condescending or even blasphemous and I want to reach out and tell them how wrong it is, but 99.9% of the time I just let it go. Unfortunately with me, what happens is that I tend to hold the words or actions of another against them. I won’t be fake and act like I’m okay, but I’ll just choose to avoid the situation and not make a big deal. When I find people say something, yet have their actions reveal something else it’s hurtful and difficult for me to accept in silence.

People aren’t always who they say they are and usually it isn’t revealed in what they say, but instead in what they do. I want to call them out on it. I feel like I have Biblical ammunition to support my case. In the end, I just offer grace and hope that they’ll learn that they are transparent and at some point their words will be revealed as meaningless. I guess I hope that this reaction will be the conviction they need to correct themselves. I just believe that God is there to take care of these things and rather than make a bad situation worse, I’ll let God deal with it in other ways.

My new position finds me feeling weak at times. I come home and kick myself for not standing up and saying something some times. Whether it’s right or wrong to take the high road, I do my best to keep the integrity of my faith and beliefs intact. Some days it’s hard though.

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Bible / Christianity / Dave (personal) — 5 Comments
13
May 10

The clothes make the man!

Funny story, but I ended up wearing a tie to go out on an interview yesterday. It’s the first time I’ve worn a tie in over 2 years. For fun, I posted a picture of me in the tie right before my interview and it’s gotten more responses from people than any nature or family picture I’ve ever posted before on twitter or facebook. Who knew my clothes would have made such an impact!

One of the things I noticed while I was preparing for my interview was how different I felt wearing dress clothes. I was confident and ready to impress. Not that I’m some kind of fashion model in my tie, but that I felt like I was ready to face any question or situation the interviewer would throw at me and knock it out of the park. I was ready. It was the clothes. Had I been dressed in casual attire, I feel as if I would have given casual answers. My mindset was being dictated by how I was dressed.

As I noticed all of the commentary going on about the photo of me in a tie, it got me to thinking about another set of clothes and how they made me feel. As a Christian, I have been taught that I have been clothed by God in righteousness and salvation. Lately, this suit hasn’t made me look good. It isn’t the clothes, but it’s the wearer of the clothes that needs to clean up. You see, I’ve gone through some experiences that have negatively impacted my spirit and outlook. It’s caused me to succumb to a lot of pessimism and negativity. Regardless of the clothes I am wearing, my attitude and language has been one of feeling defeated and without worth.

In Isaiah 61:10 we read about the clothes we’ve been freely given:

I will sing for joy in God,
explode in praise from deep in my soul!
He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,
he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo
and a bride a jeweled tiara.

Do I realize that no matter what clothes I may physically put on to start my day, I always have on a suit of salvation and a robe of righteousness? The simple answer is, no I do not always realize this. I have accepted the beautiful wardrobe Christ has given me, but I wear it with a sour attitude and an unappreciative expression.

How about you? Do you always remember that you are as dapper as groom in his tuxedo or as stunning as a bride in her jeweled tiara? God wants us to remember this and to be forever thankful for his grace in our lives, as he shares his grace through us for others.

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Bible / God / worship — 4 Comments
10
May 10

What is your calling?

I’m still reflecting on my last session with Pastor Tom Morgan, my spiritual director. [For those of you haven't considered meeting with a spiritual director, or may not know what one is, please check out this overview] Tom has a great way of sitting back and hearing me out, then helping clarity rise to the surface simply by asking, “Where is God in all of this?” Having operated for so many years with a strong calling to plant a church, it is so weird–sometimes frightening–to not be driven by this calling. Through my time with Pastor Morgan, I am beginning to embrace this unknowing feeling of not sensing a clear call to action. As I release myself from the burdens of seeking finite and absolute direction from God, I believe that I am being filled with something even greater. It’s a new calling and one that I don’t have much experience with. I believe that God wants you to reflect on this calling for your life as well. No matter what you feel about your ministry and how called you are to pursue it, take a look at a far greater and superior calling found in 1 Peter 2:9-10:

9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Your calling is to come out of the darkness and into the light. To live a life transformed through your faith in Christ, by his grace, to love God and love others. Yes, God’s calling which is superior to any calling you may operate under is to be in eternal relationship with him. God loves you and asks that you love him in return. He cares more about you than he cares about your ministry, sermon prep, long hours in prayer for your church members, etc. First and foremost you must have a strong relationship with God first.

I have always known this, yet have been so busy looking for signs and confirmations of how to move forward in ministry, that I have put ministry ahead of my relationship with God often. Now, as I have come to embrace the fact that I have excluded myself from formal ministry in favor of having some intimate time learning of how my Creator wants to know me more, so that I can in-turn know him more, I can experience the highest calling ever placed upon my life.

Your ministry, family, community, church…those are all important things to be called to. I don’t want to discount that. However, if you put those things ahead of your personal relationship with God through Christ, then you are setting yourself up for some lonely days and a lot of failures. God called  you to himself first. Honor that calling above all others and you can know with certainty that you operating under his will and that he is pleased.

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Bible / Dave (personal) — No Comments
12
Apr 10

Hope

I found myself reverting back to my favorite verse in the Bible during my devotional time this morning. It is Romans 15:13 AMP:

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.

It’s rooted in my faith and acknowledges whom I put my hope in. It also reveals that the only way I can experience such hope–and the joy and peace that accompanies it–is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Confession time: I’m feeling a little miffed at the moment. I’ve taken some steps backwards by putting my hope and trust in some people, rather than pursuing a different path. I’ve lost track of the keys in the verse that have helped me stay faithful in my journey with God. As a result, I have found more chaos, heartache, disappointment and confusion than I have joy and peace lately. I’m feeling stuck, yet there must be hope.

I need to take corrective action today to allow the Holy Spirit within me to guide my steps and to trust that by doing so, I may “abound and be overflowing with hope.”

Where is your hope? May it conform to the beauty and truth revealed in Romans 15:13.

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