First as of Wednesday night, the rest of the money I needed to make this trip was pledged...no room for any frills, but none needed, the money to get to NC and back would have been there...
note "Would have".
Still not sure at this point, but the truck broke down yesterday, took $105 of the cash I had set aside for the trip to get a set of plugs and have it towed home. I changed 4 of the 6 plugs on site where it finally broke down after an hour of continually shutting down prior and finally...thankfully in the parking lot of the auto parts store. At least two of 4 plugs I did change were bad, and I still have 2 left to change...both in more difficult locations to get to. I am hoping that completing such will solve the problem, but I strongly suspect I may be dealing with a bad fuel pump, which will require in addition to the cost of the pump, a mechanic to drop the gas tank and change out the pump, this level of mechanic work is beyond my experience. If this turns out to be the case, it will take all the funds I have left for the trip, and likely then some.
The trip was set to be a two week stay in NC so I could handle a couple of personal events, and then meet with and hold Bible Studies with at least 4 small groups. This would have made having my vehicle a necessity.
I am considering taking a bus and leaving out tomorrow, but this will shorten the trip to just a few days, and it is doubtful I will get to more than a single study while there...and I am contemplating even that, because I have to be able to go to work when I get back, and the money spent on bus fare, would be taking whatever resources are on hand for truck repair if this turns out to be indeed a bad fuel pump.
SO that's the update as of Friday morning 10/20/17.
In another matter, at least one paying attention in Waco has left food on my porch overnight, I found it this morning. This was done anonymously and I have no issues with that, and simply say thank you. I have not stated my recent truck troubles publicly so I presume this was done in answer to a call for tithes & offerings (Technically only offerings.)
In scripture, the call for Tithes was a call for "FIRST FRUITS." This 10% First Fruits was an agricultural term originally. It referred to the earliest gleanings of any crop...that portion which was ready to be harvested first and often considered the best part of the crop was known as the first fruits.
Those who ran the work of The L-RD, the Priests of the Temple era, were Levites and by birth pre-chosen to work in the temple and not allowed to hold any other jobs.
Now monetary systems existed in societies, even way back then. But because the Levites could not hold a public office outside temple, they did not have money to buy the things they needed for everyday life...furniture, food, etc.
So the TITHE system was set in place to see to the needs of G-d's servants, to take care of their needs. The people were to bring the FIRST FRUITS OF THIER LABORS...to the temple, ten percent of their crops if they were farmers. IF they built furniture, they were to bring furniture built with the best and first pieces of the material stock. If they raised cattle, they were to bring the first pick choice of livestock born, and so on and so on.
So whoever left food on the porch, yes, this gesture was understood and is appreciated and accepted.
As for modern times, preachers have taught tithing refers to the first 10% of monetary income, and this is acceptable if this is the manner in which people wish to tithe...but it is not scriptural nor commanded in scripture...it is the 'FIRST FRUIT OF ONES LABORS" which could be defined in terms of money earned, but it could be in terms of talent as well, so a Mechanic for tithes could choose to insure all ministry vehicles are running properly, offering his skills first to ministry and then after to caring for his own needs. A carpenter and roofer may fix a church roof and supply the labor and materials as a form of tithing, and these things are acceptable, but they stray from the point. The point of tithing was not to take care of the TEMPLE itself, it was take care of those people whos JOB was to take care of the Temple, it was basically a salary of sorts.
There is nothing wrong with tithing performed in modern terms and for modern reasons, so long as the history of the matter is preserved, understood and known that the modern application of such with regard to giving 10% of ones income is only one application and not an actual scriptural mandate. Cash is often the conversion of ones talent used in the performance of labors.
Sometimes those labors produce an actual product, i.e. chairs, couches, tables, houses, wheels, carts, wheat, oranges, cows, mules etc. In these cases, the first fruits of these products would be acceptable tithes rather than selling them and then giving 10% of the sale price of the same in monetary submissions of tithes, but either is acceptable.
Sometimes ones labor which would convert to money if sold as a service, that requires a skill set to perform which is specialized and limited to a trade and craft performed by a certain group of the community. These skills are often needed by the Church/Temple and also personally by those given charge to run the work of The L-RD as well. So in these cases, one may offer of ones time and talents in place of the monies earned during the time such skills are sold as services, but either are acceptable.
Sometimes that product is mere sweat equity, that anyone would be able to do and requires no talent skill set other than a willingness to work. In this case, all one may have to give would be a portion of monies earned. And there is nothing wrong with this, but modern churches have focused in on "MONEY" alone, and taken the actual practice of tithing out of context.
There is also a matter of the Anointed of G-d giving direction in such matters. Benjamin Roden established a practice of SECOND TITHING, so members of THE BRANCH, were not only to give money, but 20% instead of 10. The second tithes, were set aside specifically for the person giving such, to create funds available once a year to allow them to be able to travel and make the yearly journey to Waco to Mt. Carmel for Passover.
There is a chain of command, and G-D gives his anointed the prudence to know what the needs of the body are, and how to address those needs, and in such, if The Anointed of The L-RD calls for a specific manner of contribution by the Body, to address the needs of the same, in those situations, that is how the practice is to be observed.
Overall, I find addressing the subject distasteful, and the practice easily performed in ignorance by the body, and easily abused by the leadership. But in prudence, I do see the necessity for such, and the need to now address Tithing as well.
This all comes back to "THE WIDOW's MITE"...you see it is the attitude with which a thing is done.
IF someone gives a basket of food that cost them nothing, say picked up at the food bank and this is all they have, that's one thing, if it is a gesture of being a smart ass to avoid truly giving and a statement of "This is what scripture means"...then such an offering would be sinful.
IF someone gives a large sum of money and money is not an object to them, but they do such in a pure heart...no problem, but if they do it as a show, to lift themselves on a platform in front of others...it is a sin.
If someone gives a very little amount, but they have given all they have, or the small amount "to others" is to them, not small at all, but a large percentage of what they have, a true sacrifice...this is true giving and more pleasing to the L-RD than any offerings or tithes given in large measure in which the effort leaves no discomfort or sense of true sacrifice to the giver.
This does not mean that one HAS to give to a level that they feel a discomfort or sensation of sacrifice...it just means they should be willing to if that's what the situation of tithing would require...so its an attitude thing.
As for the food left, I have an idea who left it, and again say thank you, it is much appreciated and will be put to use.
Message Thread
« Back to index