At the last Prayer Service, Pastor Robin preached on Genesis 4:1-15. Below is a summary of his preaching:
Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. When Cain was born, Eve said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” Note that she did not use the term “baby” or “child”, but immediately referred to what he was to grow into. When parents visualize the great and wonderful future God has planned for their newborn and keep proclaiming it, the baby will automatically grow into that great person. If a child keeps hearing derogatory and discouraging words, God’s wonderful plans for that child’s life will be greatly hindered. The words you say to your children have the power to make or break them. So even when correcting or disciplining your children, always visualize and point to the great future that lies ahead.
Although verses 1 & 2 speak about the birth of Cain and Abel, verse 3 immediately speaks about the offering that both of them brought to the Lord. Abel, who was a keeper of sheep, offered God the firstlings of his flock, while Cain, who was a tiller of the ground, offered God the fruit of the ground. We know from verse 4 & 5 that God respected Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. Cain got very angry. God, who deserves the best, knows the heart of each person and knows whether we are giving Him our best or not. When we are generous in our offerings to God He always increases our resources. In Malachi 3:10, God says, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and prove 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.”
In verses 8-10, we see how Cain, who was angry and jealous of his brother, brought Abel into his own field and killed him, spilling his brother’s blood onto the earth that soaked it up. Seeing that, God put a curse on the field saying to Cain, “ When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you.”
After mankind sinned against God, Satan’s kingdom began to spread, as we can see even today, enslaving each and every person, including you and me, to the power of sin. This means that in Satan’s kingdom to which all of us are subjected, we are robbed of our inner peace and joy and are burdened with an inclination toward envy, jealousy, hatred, revenge and other forms of evil intent that are manifested in evil actions.
Jesus stepped into Satan’s kingdom, allowed Himself to be killed and allowed His blood to be spilled there, thus establishing His own Kingdom in which Satan’s efforts are rendered fruitless and unproductive. So everyone who accepts Jesus as their king, enters His Kingdom, obtains mercy and pardon for their sins and can live a life free from the slavery of sin. In freeing us from Satan’s control, Jesus restores us to a personal relationship with God our Father. Our spirits find joy in Him, our souls find peace, our bodies find health and we can enjoy a wonderful and sincere fellowship with one another. As every country has its own laws, the kingdom of God has laws that are written out in the book entitled “The Bible” which means “Good News.” To enjoy the privileges of Jesus’ kingdom, it is important to study its laws and obey them.
After his preaching, Pastor Robin prayed for the congregation and announced that Jesus was present there, touching and healing many people of various illnesses. He specifically mentioned certain problems that Jesus was taking away. He then explained the importance of testifying to having received a healing or blessing as that gives glory to God and confirms the blessing. After that there was a line of people who came forward to testify to being touched by Jesus.
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Friend, May I offer an alternative interpretation of Malachi for your study.
From: Tithing is not a Christian Doctrine
www.shouldthechurchteachtithing.com
Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
Malachi 3 is the Most Abused Tithing Text in the Bible. The “whole” tithe never was supposed to go to the Temple!
A. Malachi is Old Covenant and is never quoted in the New Covenant to validate tithing (Lev. 27:34; Neh. 10:28-29; Mal. 3:7; 4:4).
B. In Malachi 3:10-11 tithes are still only food 1000 years after Leviticus 27:30-34 and Numbers 18:21-28.
C. Malachi’s audience had willingly reaffirmed the Old Covenant (Neh.10:28-29). The blessings and curses of tithing are identical to and inseparable from those of the entire Mosaic Law. The rain in Deuteronomy 28:12, 23-24 and Leviticus 26:1-4 is only obtained by obedience to all 613 commandments. Galatians 3:10 (quoting Deu 27:26) “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Trying to earn God’s blessings through tithing only brings curses for failure to keep all of the law. See also Galatians 3:19.
D. Beginning in 1:6 “you” in Malachi always refers to the dishonest priests and not the people (also 2:1-10; 2:13 to 3:1-5): “Even this whole nation of you --priests” (3:9). In 1:13-14 the priests had stolen tithed animals vowed to God. In Nehemiah 13:5-10 priests had stolen the Levites’ portion of the tithe. God’s curses on the priests are ignored by most tithe-teachers (1:14; 2:2 and 3:2-4).
E. Point #12 of the essay. The Levitical cities must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3:10. Most tithe-recipients lived outside of Jerusalem.
F. The 24 courses of Levites and priests must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3. Normally only 2% of the total Levite and priest work force served at the temple one week at a time. Subtract wives, males under the age of 30 and daughters. Therefore 2% did not require all of the tithe. See 1 Chron 23-26; 28:13, 21; 2 Chron. 8:14; 23:8; 31:2, 15-19; 35:4, 5, 10; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 11:19, 30; 12:24; 13:9, 10; Luke 1:5.
G. Nehemiah 10:37-39 is the key to understanding Malachi 3:10, The people were commanded to bring their tithes, not to the temple, but to the nearby Levitical cities. Verse 38 says that the priests were with the Levites in the Levitical cities when they received the tithes.
H. According to Nehemiah 13:5, 9 the “storehouse” in the Temple was only several rooms. The real “storehouses” were in the Levitical cites per Nehemiah 10:37b-38. Only the Levites and priests normally brought tithes to the Temple (10:38). Two rooms in the Temple were far too small to contain the tithe from the entire nation and 98% of the Levites and priests lived too far away to eat from them.
Therefore, Malachi 3:10’s “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” only makes contextual sense if it is only commanding dishonest priests to replace the tithes they had removed from it or had failed to bring to it.
While the 3:10 of the Law in Malachi is so important to tithe-teachers they ignore the 3:10 of the Gospel in Galatians and 2nd Corinthians. Perhaps those wanting to enforce the 3:10 Law of Malachi should also enforce the 3:10 Law of Numbers. They share the same context.
Christian giving is freewill, sacrificial, generous, joyful, regular and motivated by love. That is enough to provide the needs of the Church.
I agree with with Russell Earl Kelly, PHD.
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