Title: Faith in Tithing
Contents
Text Genesis 14:17-20, Hebrews 7:1-3
When traveling abroad, there is an interesting fact when you look at the appearance of the Earth in an airplane cabin. It is the fact that a country where a democracy prospers than communism, a country that serves God rather than a country that serves gods of gods prosper, and a country that builds chapels, builds altars for dawn, and pays tithes enjoys economic prosperity. Last November, we settled our financials for 2003, and we are grateful that our church was able to raise our financial statements compared to the previous year despite the difficult circumstances of the country.
In the half-million-year history of Korea, there has never been a time when we were free from hunger. 30-40 years ago, a common greeting was “Have you eaten?” Barley rice is a delicacy now, but back then, it was a staple food, so there were many interesting episodes. Such a country brought about economic revival that other countries could not achieve in just a few decades.
There may be several reasons for this
① The fact that there was no war in 50 years with the help of the United States and
②President Park Chung-hee and the people who have worked hard to live a good life also played a part.
but the real reason
③ The reason for this is that many chapels were built on this earth and many Christians were born and received God's blessing.
In fact, there has been no war in North Korea for 50 years, and they worked harder than South Korea (Dawn Star Viewing Exercise, Cloth Stretching, Waist Stretching, etc.). But what is the reason that North Korea has a bad year every year and South Korea has a good year? North Korea killed 1 million South Korean compatriots, killed tens of thousands of UN troops, destroyed chapels, killed Christians, and resisted God, but South Korea evangelized in the ashes of war, built an altar at dawn, built a chapel, and diligently paid tithes to the church. As the economy grew, so did the economy.
The economy grew rapidly when the church expanded rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s, but after the 1990s, the economy suffered along with the slow growth of the Korean church. is.
In today's text, the father of blessing Abraham, when his nephew Lot was captured, went with his enlisted soldiers, took Lot from the enemy's hand, and obtained a plunder. He gave a tenth to Melchizedek, king of Salem. So who is Melchizedek? It is found in Hebrews 7:1-3.
According to verse 1, he is a priest of God and the one who blessed Abraham. In verses 2-3, this person is not a child of men, but the Son of God, the principal of eternal life, and the eternal priest. This person is Jesus. Abraham was the first to tithe. So I maintained my relationship with God, and as a result, I was blessed wherever I went. Lot was next to the blessed Abraham and was blessed, but when he left Abraham, he lost his wife and property, and saw that his life was ruined.
Tithing is giving to God what is God's.
therefore
① We must tithe into our daily life.
To do that, I have to divide my income for a month before my spending. Even if it is difficult at first, if it takes 1-2 months or at least 1-2 years, you can see that the household is much more stable than when you don't.
② We must fill the house of God with tithing.
In Malachi 3:10, “I bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house see if I do not open the gates of heaven and pour it out so that there is no room for blessings.” The house of God here refers to the church. You shouldn't be in need. You shouldn't be in need. It must be remembered that the Chojae Church also did many things with the many riches devoted to the saints while the church was revived by the work of the Holy Spirit.
③ We must use our tithing as the seed of blessing.
Seeds should not be eaten, even if they are ripe. Seeds must be protected with all their lives. And if you sow, you can get 30, 60, and 100 times the harvest.
You must realize that there is a secret to receiving blessings from tithing and give it to God with all your heart and mind.
Dear members of Shepherd Church,
Let's practice tithing, the secret of God's blessing, in our daily life. Let's fill God's house with tithing. Therefore, God bless you, your family, and your business. Hallelujah! Amen!!!