Stewardship to be discussed at upcoming G A and I’m sure funds and funding will be on the agenda of every church body meeting this summer so this is in no way a criticism of the assembly talking about money. In fact if we could lower our voices and carry on the conversation in a way that would strengthen the church at every level it would surely be pleasing to God. The exc. council seems to be trying to encourage everyone to think more creatively about stewardship. The last paragraph of the proposed resolution says; ” THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, pastors and local congregations be encouraged to teach and practice the principles of Biblical stewardship and that churches be encouraged to avail themselves of the latest available technology to enhance worship through tithing and offerings.” In doing so we should realize that the SBC and many other denominations do not put the emphasis on Mal. 3:10 as the CoG does and yet they raise millions for their local and world wide ministries. I have had lunch several times with a large giver to the CoG and he has a hard time knowing just what 10 % of his true earning are. Sure he is worth many millions but just how much of that does he need to keep on hand to invest, to pay a hundred employees and to pay taxes? At some point it get’s complicated to know how much to give and to what cause. I believe this brother keeps an open mind to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. At the same time he is strong enough in his own mind that he will not let someone in a pulpit intimidate him or make him feel guilty about his stewardship.
Anointed preaching to be ectively LOUD
To be effective must be loud
What I want to know is how a command to give 10% of agriculture and animal husbandry in Israel, paid into the Aaronic priestly tablernacle/temple system gets interpreted allegorically to mean that every believer has to pay 10% to the tithing fund of a local church, administrated, not by a kohen, but by a church elder. In the OT, they did not tithe to elders. How many churches would accept tomatoes, cucumbers, or grain in the tithing envelopes and offering plates.
Generally, the COG denomination doesn’t use much allegorical interpretation. Why is it acceptable when it comes to tithing? Why put people under the law when it comes to tithing, but eat pork and shrimp? Why put people under an interpretation of the law that it obviously doesn’t mean in the actual context? By what authority does ‘the storehouse’ refer to the local church or the tithe fund instead of to the actual storehouse near or adjoining to the temple?
Why demand tithes of the types of people who did not have to pay them in the Old Testament? If a widow had some kind of cash income, money coming in from an adult child, for example, in Old Testament times, where is it written that she would have to tithe that if she owned no land. She would RECEIVE the tithe of the first year? Might it not displease God when the modern preacher twists scripture (following common Pentecostal traditional teaching) to demand the poor widow pay tithe, but that church never even gives a portion of any tithe to the poor widow?
Link you have raised many good questions and I don’t think they have ever been answered adequately. Nevertheless there is a need for funds, for more than is needed for sports, entertainment, travel etc. It seems to me that the Exc. council is trying to get us to think in different terms.