1. There is no place from Genesis to Revelations where God said that when you give, then you will never be poor. And unless you first give, that is when you won't be poor. That is a deceptive, demonic lie from the pit of hell.
You can actually give your way into poverty if you give covetously to fellow fraudsters asking for your money, or you give amiss/with the wrong motive. They will dupe you by collecting all your money from you.
[I just can't understand why someone would be talking about "giving and poverty" in the same sentence. What is the connection, if you are not a fraudster?! Yes, you can talk about "giving and wealthy people", or "giving and abundance", etc. But not giving and poor people. What are you trying to achieve- make them poorer?!!]
2. Giving has nothing whatsoever to do with the principles/factors of why people are in poverty. A lazy person, for example, will be poor, no matter how much they give (Prov 6:11). In countries like Nigeria for example, where people are not productive and many are jobless, people will be poor regardless of giving their kidneys and heart. If you are poor, simply get a job, save and invest wisely.
Those are basic principles that even an atheist can apply and become a billionaire, for example, in Silicon Valley. China is full of rich communists. Saudi Arabia has billionaires that do not pay any tithe or first fruits, etc. If you put your money in wrong investments, and they fail, you can become poor. Those are common sense facts.
3. Giving is not a guarantee for becoming a wealthy billionaire, from Genesis to Revelations. The only thing God guarantees is that when you give, he can bless you as a result. And God also expects you to give when he has (first) blessed you with abundance and you are already very rich.
God never assured anyone that they will become billionaires simply because they gave to the poor, thus lending to him (Prov 19:17).
Moreover, he does not need to first force/manipulate/intimidate you to give before he blesses you. As a matter of fact, God will be wicked to ask you to give first of all, before he ensures that you are blessed materially by him. He causes the rain to fall on BOTH the righteous and the wicked. It is the people that he has first blessed materially that he ALWAYS asks to give. Don't be deceived.
4. Consistently from Genesis to Revelations, God is provider. Then, AFTER he has provided for his people, he always asked that they GIVE FROM THEIR ABUNDANCE to the poor, Always (2Cor 8:12, 9:7)!!!
The only place where God asked every single adult in Israel (including the poor) to give was a ''census tax'' of half shekel (equivalent to 18 kobo in Nigeria or 18 pence in the UK or 18 cents in the USA)- Exo 30:12. In other words, it was basically nothing significant enough to impoverish any Israelite! And everyone 20 years and above paid the same amount- whether rich or poor.
There is no place in the bible where the poor are asked to give to others, especially to people who are already rich. That very foolishness can lead them (further) into poverty (Prov 22:16).
5. In the New Testament, we give out of Love (Acts 4:32-34, 2Cor 8:8,24). That is why a poor person can give their 2 mites (Luke 21:1-4), or help other poor brethren in Jerusalem (Rom 15:26, 1Cor 16:1, 2Cor 8:1-4). It is the love in the heart of a New Testament believer that compels them to give, not compulsion, manipulation, intimidation, or forceful domination by quoting Malachi 3!
When people LOVE, they will ALWAYS GIVE, even if they are poor!!
Of a truth, people can give without love, but you can never truly love, and not give. It is impossible.
6. In the old Covenant/Testament, God chose a people or person (Abraham and his descendants) unto himself, then decided to bless them of his own volition. It was a covenant he entered into with Abraham and his descendants. Their blessing had nothing to do with giving! God has never asked people to first give before he can bless them (-covetous giving, simply to get). That will be evil. However, AFTER God has blessed you, he has a right to ask that you give to the poor. And that is what you see from Genesis to Revelations. That is what was prevalent in the Old Testament laws of Moses to the Israelites- Give to the poor because God first gave to you of his own volition!!!
Beware. Don't be swindled by religious fraudsters and businessmen.
7. If you want to give in the New Testament, do it cheerfully, willingly, purposefully/as you have purposed in your heart, out of the abundance you have been blessed with, knowing that when you are also in need, others will give back to you in the same measure (Luke 6:38, Acts 4: 34-35, 2Cor 8:13-14, 9:7-9). And even if they don't directly give back to you, God will always supply your needs abundantly- he is Jehovah Jireh (Gen 22: 14, Ps 23:1, Phil 4:19). In the New Testament, we never give covetously- in order to get back. We only give (to one another) to eliminate lack in Christ's body. We give motivated by love. We love because he first loved us. Sons give as led by the spirit (Rom 8:14). We are rich in Christ (2Cor 8:9).
Note: The Holy Spirit can make a principle in the Old Testament prophetically come alive for ONLY you, depending on his grace e.g. give "ten percent" or "first fruits", etc...asking you specifically to follow it. However, he will NEVER ask any pastor/bishop/Pope/GO to force such a principle on every single New Testament believer. We have no such commandment.
Don't be deceived.
100% FAITH
100% LOVE
100% NO LACK...as it was in the beginning, so shall it be at the end. We have come full cycle. Brace up.
No comments:
Post a Comment