Is paying my tithe biblical
or not ?
One of the postings on your site was talking about giving or paying
tithes. Are you saying that paying tithes is Old Testament and
should not be in practice now and we should not be bound by it
any longer. You have a strong inclination towards giving, which
was taught in the New Testament. Could you throw more light to
this because I pay tithe and so do many Christians here in Nigeria.
We preach it and practice it and believe it because it is Biblical.
Are we misinterpreting scriptures down here and we are totally
wrong in our practice.
Henry, Nigeria.
® Dear Henry, Thank you for your letter,
it is welcome. I think you have seen a comment on the controversial
and often debated issue of tithing on the Money
Forum page. I have no problem at all with tithing and I only
wish that most Christians would at least tithe, or give generously,
but they do not. The School of Economics is a very well studied
65 lesson course of tithing and giving and it is free to download.
There are very few verses on tithing in the New Testament, but
it is a strong Old Testament teaching which was probably not followed
in those days either judging by the hard comment from the Lord
in Malachi 3, 8-12. I encourage you and believers everywhere to
be generous, extravagant givers to the work of Christ, sharing
at least 10% of your income with the lost, the last and the least
and with those that reach out to them, and increase this giving
annually by as much as you can as the Lord helps you. Giving is
the Biblical trigger that releases the blessing and sufficiency
of God and until the people of God in the developing nations truly
learn this they will never escape the poverty that is all around
and holds both them and the gospel back. Should you tithe or give
? If you are not sure - don't worry, don't get into arguments
over doctrine, do both, and generously.
Les Norman.
Spanish medics pull out
all the stops in
Burkina Faso
Our goals in December are to see the fresh water well we have
had built in Burkina and to unveil a plaque which says to all
who come: "Jesus gives the water of eternal life” in different
languages. We are looking at other areas that need wells and doing
a feasibility study for a fish farm and a sagebrush farm. We will
do medical programs and surgery, including eye surgery in different
villages near Ougadougou with a bus hospital sent by Spanish firm
Foticos. We will be giving out mosquito nets with insecticide
in them to prevent malaria and supporting the building of a special
dispensary for the diagnosis and treatment of malaria. We have
sent sewing machines to set up a dressmaker and a shoe repair
workshop. We have a great number of volunteers with us including
physicians, surgeons and men and women from different churches
and Christian organisations.
Dr. Angel Olmo, Barcelona, Spain.
(in partnership with Remar International in Burkina)
http://www.remar.org
Thousands homeless in Burkina Faso floods
Two people have died, and thousands made homeless in flooding
around my mission base in Gorom-Gorom. About 8000 people in the
region have lost their homes. In Gorom itself, more than 500 homes
were lost, affecting about half of the 10 000 population of the
town. After 16cm of rain fell, a dam broke several miles away,
and a tide of water waist-high swept through the region. Several
nearby villages were completely destroyed, as most houses are
built of mud, and are simply washed away by the onslaught of water.
Keith Smith, UK and Burkina Faso.
http://www.undertheacacias.org.uk
Pakistan refugees refuse evacuation from floods
Heavy rain has brought a threat of big slides and floods from
the mountain top right near our refugee camp. 110 have already
been killed nearby. We have water flowing through our street and
the nearby city of Balakot is in total darkness with 3 feet of
water in the power station. More than 400 shelters have been destroyed
and we have tent cities all around again. Some families are refusing
to evacuate and we will stay with them. We are the only medical
aid present in the area, people from the mountains are coming
down and our camp is a refuge for them. We ask you to join us
in prayer for these struggling people.
Pastor Muqaddam Zia
P.O. Box - 663,Faisalabad, Pakistan
Tel. 0092-300-6646727 Fax. 0092- 41-8711269
Many die or left hopeless
or homeless in
India floods
The torrential rains in Andhra Pradesh demolished the huts of
the poor and some buildings also collapsed, causing injuries and
63 deaths in the water. There is no electricity in many villages,
buses and trains are stopped. Our church people's huts are also
flooded and fallen and the people cannot get food and clothing.
238 villages are flooded, and the people are filled with great
mourning and weeping due to this kind of peril. Please pray for
us in AP and for my church.
Ithi Devadas, 50, Peddapuram
After Orissa floods people are starving
. . .
no food, no water and
no place to stay In India there are floods in many city and villages
and it is still raining. Many have been lost, many died, houses
washed away. Please pray for these people who are in bad condition.
Pastor Ajmad Pati Missal, 35, Bhubaneshwar
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How many unreached people
are there in the world?
For example in Indonesia we have 200 million unreached people.
GPRS, 40, Jakarta, Indonesia
® Dear Ganda, If you go to Joshua
Project you will find the best and latest information in the
world about Unreached Peoples. See the item that follows as well
Les Norman.
Just when we thought
we were making progress
. . .
In 1974, the Lausanne Movement woke us up to about half the world
being hidden from the gospel. Recent years have led us to believe
that figure had shrunk to as little as 1/3 or even 1/4 of the
world's population being out of reach of the gospel. But the top
guy at Mission Aviation Fellowship, Kevin Swanson, says that "three
out of four people alive on the earth today still have not heard
the Gospel." Rats. Back to the drawing board.
Click here for the full
story
From
http://www.brigada.org
Over 1800 decide for Jesus
at Canada
exhibition
Lorne and Rita Silverstein set up a so-called 'Angel's Booth'
at an Edmonton and Calgary Fair offering Free Spiritual Readings.
Christians shared prophetic words expressing God's love for people,
prayer being the major element before and during the outreach.
As a result many Moslems and Sikhs found out Jesus is the only
way to God, and atheists became believers in Christ. So did big
bike gang members, many families, people who were into Scientology,
and even some psychics. They discovered that there is a God who
knows them and loves them and has real power to change their lives.
Many teenagers in groups of three or more held hands around a
table to welcome Jesus into their hearts together.
Lorne and Rita Silverstein
http://www.capitalex.ca
http://www.everyhomeforjesus.com
From
http://www.joelnews.org
Leprosy and malaria could not
stand up against the power of prayer
Along with 4 young people from Chile, we took medical and teaching
materials and, of course, the Word of God to Kenya. We were richly
blessed; we saw God work in healings, in the miracle of the multiplication
of resources, in many people giving their hearts to God and leaving
their animist beliefs. This year we will go to Kisii for 30 days.
Our goal is to open a new school for 180 children. We have already
got a donation of 1200 copybooks and 1500 pencils. Thanks to this
webpage, the Lord answered the need of this people, because a
pastor from Kisii wrote in, you published it and God touched our
heart. Thank you.
Rodrigo Sanchez Q, Director, Project
Africa, Temuco, Chile
http://www.webmisionero.net/proyectoafrika
Called to missions starting with Spain
Can missionary organisations get in touch with me to help me fulfil
this dream.
Jose Luis Gonzalez Barreto, 21, Barcelona,
Venezuela
Many hearts open for missions in Portugal
In our church we have a missions meeting which is a blessing and
helps prepare us to go for the mission field.
Aparício Machado, 46, Lagos, Portugal
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Why addicts and all kinds of people
are
coming
to Christ
We have got churches from different denominations working as one,
united in Christ and stirred by the power and fire of the Holy
Spirit.
Mateo Vizcaino, 37, Culiacan, Sinaloa,
Mexico
Calling doctors for medical mission in
Zambia
In very remote rural areas rich with the history of missionaries
from different parts in the world who are buried here, a lot of
people are sick and the churches are asking for medics, resources
and evangelists to come.
Rev Billiance Chondwe, 36, Lusaka.
Contact me if you are in India
We want to know about and pray for the daily affairs of people
in missions. We have a calling to go to India to work with children
and show mercy. (In Spanish only)
Gabriel and Paola Eyzaguirre, 26,
Pichilemu, Chile.
http://www.eyzaguirre.blogspot.com
After commissioning,
why does
conflict always come our way ?
Commissioning leads to Conflict where the enemy tries to prevent
us from entering a God-given vision. Conflict when won leads to
Consolidation where you live in the ground taken and it is right
to stay put at this time, but it is dangerous to stay too long.
Why ? Because there is danger of losing momentum because idle
bodies deteriorate, and we tend to forget where we have come from
and where we are going to. People become resistant to challenge
and rarely change because God still occasionally blesses where
they are. So, don't put your tent pegs in too tightly because
the cloud of God may move tomorrow, and don't become too familiar
with the people you are camped with. Be ready to leave them and
meet new people, beware of becoming resentful of the "intrusion"
of new people you don't know. They may be divine appointments
sent by God. Be ready to move towards the promised land, you will
either get out and get going or likely you will go back. The task
is too extend and diversify influence of the people of God, to
multiply our numbers and to multiply leaders to share the load.
From Deut 1.6-25.
Greg Haslam, Westminster Chapel at
Grapevine 2006
To keep your movement going forward. . .
Don't give up gained ground;
Don't compromise scriptural standards;
Be willing for change;
Honour relationships;
Don't opt for easier
options;
Stop friendly fire;
Prepare way for the next generation,
walk together.
Stuart Bell, Grapevine 2006, United
Kingdom.
Trust God from the bottom of your heart
Don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's
voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who
will keep you on track.
Proverbs 3.5 TM
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Does life look like a prison to you ?
One Psalm is headed 'When David was in the cave of refuge'. We
would, of course, prefer five-star hotels, with all expenses paid
and full English breakfast, rather than caves. A cave is not exactly
packed with comfort or entertainment. It is cold. Moreover, it
is lonely. Prison walls can be lonely and cold, but they can take
other shapes: self-pity, bitterness, anger, resentment. If our
circumstances seem to us like a lonely cave or the walls of a
prison, we can exhaust ourselves struggling against them, or we
can wait for God inside them. We need to learn the art of cave
dwelling and also to distinguish the difference between a refuge
and a prison.
Northumbria Community Daily Readings
http://www.northumbriacommunity.org
Finally, I have to obey, there is no other
choice
“Many times I have had just a little sense, just a small feeling
very deep within me, telling me to do a certain thing. This sense
is so silent, so normal, and seems so human. I have doubted that
it is of the Lord and thought it must be something from myself.
Yet while I am doubting, the sense within continues. It is not
so strong, but it is so constant. Finally, I have to obey; there
is no other choice. Even while I am about to do it, there is still
a lingering doubt that it is of the Lord. However, when I completely
obey what I have sensed deep within, it proves to be wholly of
God!”
Reading sent in by Tony Attwood,
Carshalton, UK
In a dream God told me to go to the nations
I have travelled all over my country, but I still have to go to
other nations. I am a mother of three; my husband died 9 years
ago. I am a teacher and can serve wherever I am need. I have recently
started a project to help abandoned and abused children and pregnant
teenagers, both spiritually and financially.
Marina Lopez Reyna, 38, Huanuco-Tingomaria,
Peru.
God is doing marvellous things in our slums
We are doing an anti-drugs awareness project and bringing people
out of the slums. We see the presence of God restoring families.
Pr.Vilsonmar Souza, 49, São Vicente,
Brasil
Mission training
centre needs men and women
To come and train our young people for mission and to release
the character of Jesus in each one of them getting them ready
to serve in these last days. Volunteers welcome.
Jean Aguiar of Almeida, Centro Antioquia,
Natal, Brasil
150 villages near me still wait to hear the gospel
We have already reached 10 villages, and we are very happy that
the voice of God is heard in the interior of our country, in the
predominant Aymara culture. We have plans to set up a permanent
base to serve new believers so that they may learn the Word of
God without waiting for visitors.
Francisco Cortez, 21, Iquique, Peru.
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Visiting Los Angeles,
USA, can you use me
?
We will be there in October and November and want to serve the
churches in teaching leadership, teamwork, service, evangelism,
encounters with God, marriage seminars, etc.
Pastor Cèsar Emilio Gramajo, 48,
Coacalco
Called to leave Mexico and serve in Finland
Can I contact a church or believers who needs support or help.
I am 41 and have served for 8 years with street children.
Monica Alejandra Padua Núñez, México
Distrito Federal
On the rubbish dumps of Nicaragua
We have been travelling across Nicaragua for three years. This
time we went to Acagualinka where we shared with children, young
people and adults who live by scavenging on rubbish heaps to support
their families. We had a meeting with 300 children and their parents,
we handed out food, rucksacks, pencil cases and built a mud and
thatch building for these people to worship in.
Pastor Carlos and Marlyn Ramos, 48,
Jayuya, Puerto Rico
Do you know of any missionaries
who speak Spanish in Ethiopia and Japan?
Noelia, 28, Neuquen, Argentina
100 believers commit
to pray
for five people each
Every fortnight we have a “fishing night” to which they bring
along their guests for whom they have been praying. God has impacted
the lives of the leaders and believers. There is an awakening
for the Christ-less souls. Each fishing night men and women surrender
their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. If God can in a little corner
of my country touch the heaven for others, God can do it in yours
if only we, as believers, keep on touching the heaven for the
unreached people.
Walter Aponte, 39, Lima, Peru.
http://iglesiabbcomas.spaces.live.com/
Mob of 50 with clubs
beat
orphanage manager
They said you should not take gospel meetings, stop the preaching,
you are converting people. Our house manager was badly beaten
with rods and he was in great pain. All the children were greatly
disturbed and crying for help but nobody from the village came
to help. Our pastor ran to the police station and there too he
was abused saying why are you doing conversion and preaching the
Bible. Last week the Anti-Conversion Bill was passed in the state
which means that a person before changing his religion has to
inform the District Mayor 30 days in advance and obtain his permission.
Within this time the Mayor will make inquiry to find out if the
conversion is genuine and not by force and only then may he give
permission for baptism. Please uphold us in your prayers. Onwards
for Jesus we must go.
Pastor JJ, well known to us.
News and address edited for security reasons
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Free Theology Course Portuguese and
English
It's a quality course, at Bachelor level with the Simonton Theological
Institute. It is an on-line course with excellent disciplines
and credits. It is totally free, with no expenses.
Jackson
Albrechet Lopes, 32, Indaiatuba/SP, Brasil
http://www.seminariogratuito.com
How can I start your
free
DCI School of Mission
here?
There is a team working with me and I would like to pass the studies
on to them.
Daniele, Santo Antonio De Jesus-Ba.
® Good morning Daniele, starting your study group is easy. Just
set up a place where you do not have to pay rent, print some copies
of the lessons, for example, I print off 20 lessons at once. Set
aside one day a week to give the lessons, say a couple of hours
or so on Fridays. It is important that the lessons are free of
charge, by grace you have received, by grace we give. Study and
prepare the lessons well, and read through all the instructions
about how to set up a school. You can download all the
lessons
for free Ask the Holy Spirit to come with guidance and pray for
the students. God will bless you abundantly.
Silvana Mara, DCI School of Mission,
Pousso-Alegre. |
