We have to read the Bible !!
Malaquias 3:10
10 “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing for you until there is no room for it all.
Brothers, this verse makes it clear that offers are only valid in cash and when delivered to the church. It is only in the church that we can pray and be in the presence of Jesus, as Jesus himself says:
Matthew 18:19-20
19 Again, I tell you the truth,[a] if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.[b] 20 For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”
In short: there is no point in praying alone and those who do not pay tithing in the church will not be blessed, correct?
WRONG!!!
The passages we have read so far are indeed the word of God, but what I have told you so far is a lie! This does not come from God. It was just an introduction.
Brothers, sermons like the one I just gave as an introduction are everywhere. In fact, they are not preaching, they are manipulations of the word of God to deceive inattentive brethren. let’s put ourselves in tune with the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, to hear the message that God brings us today which is: The Importance of reading the Bible and seeking interpretation by the Holy Spirit.
Joshua 7:2-5
2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai. 3 They returned and reported to Joshua,“Don’t send the whole army. About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. Don’t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small.”
4 So about 3,000 men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures and defeated them on the steep slope. The people’s courage melted away like water.
See here the bad example of not seeking confirmation with God (Holy Spirit). Joshua was right to send his men to assess the situation. Joshua trusted his countrymen, this is not wrong. However, Joshua did not pray for confirmation from God for the information received, nor did he go by himself to verify.
So does the Christian who hears a preaching in the church or on the Internet and will not confirm the reading of the Bible, after praying for understanding. Look at the consequence for the Israelites: they were defeated, killed and discouraged.
But God is great and merciful. We just need to ask …
Joshua 7:8
8 O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated before its enemies? 9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?”
Note: only in the NTLH version does the expression “I apologize” exist.
Joshua went to talk to God. He asked God to help him, as he no longer knew how to get out of that situation on his own. Declaring that God can, when we cannot, pleases the Lord! And He replies:
Joshua 7:10-12
10 The Lord responded to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there face down? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment![c] They have taken some of the riches; they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. 12 The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because they have become subject to annihilation. I will no longer be with you, unless you destroy what has contaminated you.
Brothers, it is important that we seek teachers to assist us on the journey. The Bible reports that God sent Philip to help the eunuch understand what he was reading. Note: the eunuch was reading, and Filipe went to clarify his doubts.
It is essential that each one seeks to read the Bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
If we had not been reading the Bible and seeking interpretation by the Holy Spirit, we would have been deceived by the introduction made today. We are going to review those passages now together with the Holy Spirit.
The first excerpt is:
Malaquias 3:10
10 “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing for you until there is no room for it all.
Yes, brothers, we are going to bring tithes and offerings to the churches, but not to pay God for blessings, but so that these resources can be used for two main purposes:
First purpose:
Numbers 18:21
21 See, I have given the Levites all the tithes in Israel for an inheritance, for their service that they perform—the service of the tent of meeting.
Second purpose:
Samuel 21:6
6 So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there other than the Bread of the Presence. It had been removed from before the Lord in order to replace it with hot bread on the day it had been taken away.
The “house of the Lord” must be well-stocked so that everyone who needs it can be helped. Here we see King David himself (he was not yet the king of Israel but had already been anointed by Samuel) in a time of need being helped by the holy loaves that only the priests could eat.
The second excerpt we read in the introduction is:
Mathäus 18:19-20
19 Again, I tell you the truth,[ad] if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.[ae] 20 For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”
Here it is important to know the context in which this verse was said by Jesus. Jesus was teaching his disciples (Mt 18: 1) some concepts about the kingdom of God. The following teaching is ALL to explain how to treat a brother who is in sin.
Matthew 18: 15-20
15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.
18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven. 19 Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”
Within this context, verse 18 (Truly I say to you that whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven.) Is related to the power that Jesus gives to the disciples to forgive sins. He repeated this when he appeared to the apostles after he was resurrected and gave them the Holy Spirit (even before Pentecost):
John 20:22-23
22 And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.”
This also links us to the motivation of verse 20 (Because, where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.) Where Jesus stands to authenticate what two witnesses speak (verse 16) as was the tradition of the Jews instituted in Deut 17: 6:
Deuteronomy 17:6
6 At the testimony of two or three witnesses the person must be executed. They cannot be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
That is, if 2 or 3 get together to decide whether or not to forgive a brother’s sin against the church, Jesus will listen to them and accept the decision.
In no way is Jesus absent from us when we pray alone, because he taught himself:
Matthew 6:5-6
5 “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward! 6 But whenever you pray, go into your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
May God have convinced us today about the importance of reading the Bible and seeking interpretation by the Holy Spirit so that we are not deceived by the enemy dressed up as a preacher of the Gospel. Glory to God!
Let us pray
Father, thank you for another opportunity to know your words. Allow Father, that each one may confirm these words through the Holy Spirit. Glory to the Lord, amen!