Dear Pastor Riley,
My heart goes out to you and your beloved wife Helen, please know you are SO in my prayers. It seriously disheartens me to think that as a Pastor you should EVER have to make an appeal like this! I have to tell you, I am just down right angry about it. I know God will take care of you TENDERLY (which is a monetary term as well) but the madness of people not giving or taking care of our pastor’s as they should in the church has to cease! Thought I’d take this opportunity to share a study I did on not giving, the bible says to pull a brother out the fires of hell by our rebuke, right? Well that’s what I did in the study below.
I want to get your opinion, some may think I’m way out of line to talk about something like this now, but I don’t think so, and I really don’t care what others think! I just hope many will listen and be provoked if need be!
For the FIRES OF HELL REALLY DO AWAIT THOSE WHO DO NOT GIVE!!!! And look the other way when someone is in need. I’m not a preacher, a preachers wife, evangelist, missionary etc., etc. nor do I hold any teaching position in the church. I am a wife, mother and a business woman so I am totally objective when it comes to giving in the church. More than this, I like making money. Some people like gardening and fishing, I LIKE doing business and making money. God has given me this ability along with the power to get wealth. So I know my place in the kingdom and it ain’t to be poor, being poor is a curse. And for those of you that are, you don’t have to stay there.
Jesus is clear on this, you reap what you sow. If you sow sparingly, you reap sparingly. But if you sow bountifully, you reap bountifully; faith, patience and perseverance is in all this too. The widow with the two mites may have been poor but she sowed bountifully. Ever wondered why she did this? The answer is obvious to me . . . She didn’t want to be poor anymore!!!!, and she grasped the principal of sowing and reaping! You must understand, Jesus became poor so we might be rich! but He set the laws of sowing and reaping into place from the beginning of time to get there and gain wealth! From this time and forever more there will always be seedtime and harvest. . .Wealth just comes with giving, along with faith and perseverance of course. Also, don’t expect to get rich by being lazy. The Lord rewards diligence.
This study should serve as a WARNING to many in the church, for according to Barna less than 8% of so called born again believers actually give a tenth or even give AT ALL either to their church or to those in need on a consistent basis.
I’ve have NEVER heard anyone relate Malachi chap. 3 (the Giving/tithing chapter) to Jesus’ coming, BUT IT’S THERE! Malachi 3: 17,18 It’s clear that those who were obedient in giving/tithing and decided to trust the Lord no matter what kind of financial situation they were in, were made the “jewels” of God on the day when he releases His Wrath for he spares them. Whether is it is referring to the 1st rapture or the 2nd rapture or His 2nd coming, I’m not sure but I KNOW it is referring to the last days and one of His returns. Maybe someone can help clarify. . .I think it referring to the first rapture for they are made jewels as in a crown which seems to be representative of the bride of Christ reference Zechariah 9:16, Proverbs 12:4
If you back up and read the whole chapter you will see there that there were two types of believers in this chapter (Malachi 3):
Complainers and Trusters or maybe Foolish and Wise (emphasis is mine) Malachi 3: 13-18
In the chapter, it was obvious that things were tough financially and immorality was abounding during that time, for the (COMPLAINERS/FOOLISH) said that. . .
14 ”It is USELESS to serve God; What PROFIT is that we have kept His ordinance (tithes and offerings), And that we have walked as mourners Before the Lord of hosts? 15 So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.’” . . .
This sounds a lot like how things are TODAY!!!!!!!!. . .
A BOOK OF REMEBRANCE (written for a time in the future)
VS. 16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another (they probably said, “I’m going to serve the Lord AND GIVE AND OBEY no matter what!, this time of hardship is just a testing of our faith and devotion” THESE BELEIVERS WERE LIKE RUTH), And the Lord listened and heard them; So a BOOK OF REMEBRANCE was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name.
LAST DAYS
17 “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day (day of the Lord) that I make them “My jewels”. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.” Then (AT THE TIME OF THE END) you shall discern Between the righteous and the wicked between one who serves God And one who does NOT serve Him.
Seems to me, the Lord is talking about those who are obedient in GIVING and those who are not!
You can draw the same analogy in Mathew 25: as well when Jesus said, “When you have done this unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto ME.” He’s talking about Giving! TIME, RESOURCES, ASSETS Those that didn’t give were, well this is what He said. . . Mathew 25:26 “ And these (the wicked) shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Our treasure is where our heart is!
I know we are no longer under the law but I also know what happens to people WHO DON’T GIVE, GREEDY PEOPLE REALLY DO GO TO HELL AND THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE.