Jesus said in Mark 12:17, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” In that day, the coin used to pay taxes was the Roman denarius, and it had Caesar’s picture on it. Since it was a government coin and had a government stamp on it, it belonged to the government. What Jesus was saying was, “The coin is Caesar’s; let him have his own.”
The Bible has a lot to say about the dangers of alcohol. The abuse of alcohol can lead to addiction, health problems, legal trouble, strife and can destroy marriages and other relationships. That is why we are instructed in Ephesians 5:18 (NLT), “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Purchasing ministry materials and tithing are two different things, even if a portion of your purchase goes to support a ministry like KCM.
Romans 13:1-5 states that those in civil authority are ministers of God for our good. For those who observe and obey the authorities and the law, the law will work to their benefit. But judgment awaits whoever rebels against the law and resists that authority. Disobedience to the law permits those in authority to have the right to execute judgment.
Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (NKJV).
This verse tells us a lot about tithing:
Many people see themselves as on a fixed income, such as receiving a regular check in the mail from Social Security or a pension. No matter how you receive your income, think of your income as your seed bin, out of which you give to others.
It is amazing how many believers waste their energies arguing whether or not tithing is a New Testament doctrine. Tithing didn’t begin with the Law! According to Genesis 4:2-4, before the Law was ever given to Moses, Abel and Cain brought the firstfruits of their labor to God. Again in Genesis 14, we find that Abraham tithed—before the Law.
While the decision about how often to read your Bible lies with you, there are some important factors for you to consider.
Wondering how to calculate your tithe? It’s easy! The tithe is the first 10% of your gross income—before any expenses or obligations, including taxes.
How do we know? Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase” (NKJV). The dictionary defines first fruits as “the first agricultural produce of a season, especially when given as an offering to God.” (See also Genesis 28:22; Leviticus 27:32; Hebrews 7:2, 4.)
The word kill in the sixth commandment in Exodus 20:13 can more accurately be translated as “murder.” In fact, most modern Bible translations, like the New King James Version, translate Exodus 20:13 as, “You shall not murder.”
Brother Kenneth and Gloria’s personal conviction is to tithe on the gross of all income—including gifts—that comes into their hands (Proverbs 3:9-10, Malachi 3:8-11). Ultimately, everyone needs to spend time with God and receive His direction where tithing and giving is concerned.
The covenant we have with God is one that includes financial prosperity, and in God’s system, tithing and giving offerings are how you activate THE BLESSING in your life and get on the road to increase. While both tithing and offerings are forms of giving, there is a distinct difference between the two.
One of the dirtiest, most damaging lies that the devil ever told you was when he said, "You aren't important." Don't you ever believe that.
You are important! Every born-again member in the Church of Jesus Christ has a part to play in God's plan. God has something for you to do that no one else can do just like you can. If you don't take your place and do your part, things won't be quite right.
I can just hear you thinking, Oh, Gloria, I'm just one person. What could I possibly do that could be so significant?
One night after a worship service a friend of mine and I stepped outside and were suddenly awed by the beauty around us. It was one of those crisp, clear winter nights when the brilliance of the moon and stars nearly takes your breath away. I said to my friend, "Tommy, will you look at that!" Then he looked up with one of those Holy Ghost whole-face smiles and with a voice full of tenderness said, "My Daddy made that!"
"My Daddy...." I'll never forget the way he said that.
Good success is a way of life that comes from being established in the Word of God. It comes from spending so much of your time and your thought life on the Word that it becomes what you and I could call "second nature." It comes from hearing and obeying the Word so consistently that it begins to guide your actions even when you're not consciously thinking about it.
Are you doing what God called you to do?
If you haven't ever thought about it before, that may sound like an odd question to you. You may be tempted to shrug it off and say, "Oh, I'm not really called to do anything. I'm not a pastor or a teacher or a minister of any kind...I guess I'm just what you might call a little finger on the Body of Christ."
Let me tell you something: No matter who you are, God has put a holy calling in you. He's designed you and called you to meet a need in the Body of Christ that nobody else can meet quite like you can.
Have you ever wanted to take on some really big project in the kingdom of God, but the Lord just wouldn't seem to let you? If so, there's probably a good reason why.
You can see what I'm talking about if you'll read about what God did with the children of Israel after He brought them out of Egypt. He wanted to take them on into the Promised Land. But before He could do it, God had to know if they would obey Him. He had to know if they would listen to His voice. Because if they didn't, the enemies they were about to face would wipe them out.
Do you ever have trouble hearing from God? Do you find yourself caught in confusing circumstances needing guidance, and yet even after praying and reading the Word—you're still not sure what God wants you to do?
I've had that experience. I knew His written Word and acting on it changed my life. But I was uncertain when I had to make decisions about things the Word didn't specifically address. Things like whether to move to one city or another, for example.
Man was created to be a winner. The Bible tells us so. We read in Genesis, for example, that man was originally put on this earth as a dominating lord. God gave him dominion over the earth and everything that crept, flew, crawled and breathed there.
Man didn't even know what losing was until he separated himself from God through disobedience in the Garden of Eden. When that happened, he ran headlong into defeat. He was forced to accept failure as his lot in life, lowering himself to a subordinate position—a position he was never meant to occupy.
The deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is something that can never be brought into question by any born-again believer. Our very salvation rests on the fact that Jesus Christ is divine, the second person of the Godhead, God—the Son.
The beloved disciple and apostle, John, forever puts to rest any doubt about that in John 1:1,14. Anyone who doubts what those verses say could not possibly have been born of the kingdom of God. For the deity of Jesus forms the very foundation of our faith in Him.