Participants: Charles Byrd (Host), Andrea Endries, Levi Longoria, Stephen Fowler
Series Code: THL
Program Code: THL000023
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00:01 1 + 1 = 2.
00:03 2 x 2 = 4. 00:07 4 / 8 = 0.5. 00:11 Or E = mc2. 00:14 Whether mathematics is our forte or not? 00:18 We have to appreciate its consistency, its predictability. 00:22 Numbers are logical, concrete, 00:25 and as such we can depend on them to give us accuracy. 00:29 That's why they are our source of statistics, 00:31 ratios, and measures. 00:34 But in my spiritual journey, I notice that God, 00:37 the Author and Master of mathematics 00:39 is not limited by numbers. 00:42 His power far exceeds arithmetic logic. 00:46 For example, five loaves of bread and two little fish, 00:50 no matter how small you cut them 00:52 would never feed over 5,000 men, women, and children, 00:57 but they did. 00:59 Twelve uneducated poor motley men 01:02 would hardly make it in life, 01:04 but the same unlikely ragtag band 01:07 turned the world upside down 01:09 and created a whole new world era 01:12 known as Christianity. 01:15 Somehow, God's mathematics figuring something 01:19 human mathematicians have never been able to replicate. 01:23 Even though every possible method of figuring 01:25 and calculating shows only absolute failure and inadequacy. 01:30 God turns it around to a smashing victory, 01:34 like a thunderstorm that challenges our very existence. 01:38 God's arithmetic miracles are still at work today, 01:43 and He invites us to participate in it. 02:39 God is still working numbers in ways that just don't add up. 02:44 Logically everything says, it can't happen, it won't work, 02:48 but over and over again, it not only works, 02:52 but it exceeds all possibility. 02:55 What am I talking about? 02:58 From father Abraham until today, God's chosen people, 03:01 those who have made him the Supreme Lord of their lives 03:05 have returned to God a faithful tithe. 03:09 With no basis and logistics, God has unfailingly made 03:12 the nine-tenths exceed the ability of the ten-tenths. 03:17 While even eternity may not be enough time 03:20 to learn God's method of figuring numbers, 03:23 we can learn and experience the principle He basis it on. 03:28 We catch a glimpse of this principle 03:30 in a statement Jesus made shortly before His crucifixion. 03:35 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, 03:37 except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, 03:41 it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." 03:47 Jesus reiterated this principle many times 03:50 and in many ways while ministering on earth. 03:53 He said things like, 03:55 "Whoever will save his life shall lose it, 03:58 and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 04:03 And, Give, and it will be given to you, 04:07 good measure, pressed down 04:08 and shaken together, and running over. 04:11 For with the same measure that you use, 04:14 it will be measured back to you." 04:17 What does this principle of giving away 04:19 and getting greater in return have to do with tithe? 04:24 Actually, a lot. 04:26 And perhaps that's why Jesus said 04:28 that a faithful tithe should be returned 04:31 because He understood this principle 04:33 and He wanted the privilege of blessing us with it. 04:36 So, when did Jesus talk about tithing? 04:40 Levi. 04:42 It's interesting that Jesus talked about tithing 04:45 in the form of the rebuked religious leaders. 04:48 In a voice trembling with tears of love trampled, 04:51 Jesus cried, "Woe unto you, scribes 04:54 and Pharisees, hypocrites. 04:56 For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, 04:59 and have omitted the weightier maters of the law, 05:02 judgment, mercy and faith, these ought ye to have done, 05:07 and not to leave the other undone." 05:10 Well, the hearts of these men 05:12 were not in agreement with their profession 05:13 and Jesus rebuked their hypocrisy, 05:16 He commended their precise and systematic tithing. 05:20 You see, even before the words Jew or Israelite existed, 05:25 the worshippers of God knew and followed 05:28 this principle of returning to God a faithful tithe. 05:31 Abraham, a Chaldean, 05:33 who later became the father of the faithful 05:36 paid tithe on the spoils of battle, 05:39 after seeing the heavens open 05:40 and angels of God ascending and descending, 05:43 Jacob the man who'd become Israel 05:46 vowed to return a tithe or tenth of all the God blessed him with. 05:51 Even the wisest and wealthiest of kings 05:54 extols the blessing of returning to God as own. 05:57 "Honor the Lord with thy substance 06:00 and with the firstfruits of all thine increase, 06:04 so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, 06:07 and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." 06:10 God claims a tenth of all our increase as His 06:14 and in return, He gives back to us even more. 06:18 In Malachi, God specifically invites us to prove or test Him. 06:23 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, 06:26 that there may be meat in mine house, 06:29 and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, 06:32 if I will not open to you the windows of heaven, 06:35 and pour you out a blessing, 06:37 that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 06:41 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, 06:43 and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, 06:47 neither shall your vine cast her fruit 06:50 before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. 06:53 And all nations shall call you blessed, 06:57 for ye shall be a delightsome land, 06:59 saith the Lord of hosts." 07:02 You see, God has abundant blessings 07:04 He longs to pour out on us. 07:06 But He can only give them to us when we placed ourselves 07:09 within the conditions of those blessings. 07:12 That's why He says that we rob Him, 07:14 when we fail to return to Him our tithes and offerings. 07:18 We're not robbing Him of finances, 07:20 it's all His anyway and if He wanted it, 07:23 He could take that anytime. 07:25 But we're robbing Him of the opportunity to bless us 07:28 and to make us a living example of His generosity. 07:32 Heaven works on the principle that by giving away, we gain. 07:36 The constant cycle of giving and receiving and giving again 07:40 is one that with only one exception 07:43 all of nature is based on. 07:45 And when we break that God appointed rhythm, 07:48 our lives become very much like 07:51 this one exception, the Dead Sea. 07:56 Fresh water is constantly flowing into it, 07:59 but it never gives, 08:01 it never passes on the blessing it receives 08:03 and its waters are dead and caustic, 08:06 lifeless and bitter 08:08 that stands as a vivid parable of our own lives, 08:12 when lived for self. 08:16 That's a great object lesson 08:18 and that's why tithing is so important to me 08:21 because in today's materialistic culture, 08:23 we need the reminders that tithing gives us. 08:27 Like, reminding us that God is Lord of our lives, 08:30 not just in a spiritual aspect, 08:32 but in a practical daily life way, 08:35 returning a tithe means we acknowledge 08:37 and surrender to His lordship. 08:40 Another thing that tithing makes me more aware of 08:43 is that we are dependent on Him. 08:45 Everything is a trust from Him. 08:47 It's His and we're not for His goodness to us, 08:51 we would not be alive. 08:53 Returning the tithe reminds us 08:55 that all good things come from Him. 08:58 And one more thing tithing does for me 09:00 is that it encourages me to give. 09:03 It's so easy to think that it's mine, to be selfish, 09:07 but we have the constant reminder that God is our Lord 09:11 and because of His generosity, we have our very existence. 09:15 It encourages us to be generous to others. 09:18 After all, in response to our tithing, 09:20 He pours out so many blessings that we have to share. 09:25 In Malachi, God not only talks about tithe, 09:28 He talks about offerings as well. 09:30 A tithe by its very definition is a tenth, 09:34 so a tenth of all of our increase belongs to God, 09:37 but He also says we should return an offering. 09:41 According to Paul, the offering is not any stated amount. 09:45 "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly 09:49 shall reap also sparingly, 09:51 and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 09:56 Every man according as he purposeth in his hearth, 10:00 so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity, 10:04 for God loveth a cheerful giver." 10:08 The offering given above and beyond the tithe 10:11 would be whatever we wanted to give out of the abundance 10:15 of our love for God and His working in our lives. 10:18 And offering again reinforces the goodness of God. 10:22 Our dependence on Him, His lordship of our lives 10:26 and is an expression of our grateful acknowledgement 10:29 of His benefices. 10:31 The wise man said it right when he wrote. 10:35 "There is one who scatters, yet increases more, 10:39 and there is one who withholds more than is right, 10:42 but it leads to poverty. 10:44 The generous soul will be made rich, 10:46 and he who waters will also be watered himself." 10:51 So tithing helps keep the natural cycle. 10:53 But perhaps an obvious question is how do we return 10:57 tangibles to an intangible God? 11:00 Has He given specific directions for the proper depository 11:03 for these tithes and offerings? 11:05 Actually, He has. 11:07 God has always had designated recipients of His funds. 11:11 During the sanctuary system, 11:12 the sanctuary was the appointed depositary 11:15 for the tithes and offerings 11:16 and the priests who were dedicated 11:18 exclusively to the Lord's work or to use them 11:21 for the work of the temple and their own testaments. 11:24 In the New Testament, we find virtually in the same order, 11:27 only this time with the church rather than the sanctuary. 11:31 The Apostle Paul said, "Even so hath the Lord 11:34 ordained that they which preach the gospel 11:37 should live of the gospel." 11:40 And where did Paul learn this financial principle? 11:43 From the teachings of Jesus Himself. 11:46 When He commissioned the 12 apostles 11:48 to go out two by two, Jesus said, 11:51 "The workman is worthy of his meat." 11:54 Again, in Galatians 6:6, 11:57 Paul tells the church that those who are blessed 11:59 by the teachings of the Word of God 12:01 have a responsibility to support the teachers. 12:05 This is best done through the medium 12:07 of the church organization, 12:08 so that the funds are distributed judiciously. 12:11 This is how the early church handled funds, 12:13 according to Acts 4, 12:16 "And with great power gave the apostles 12:18 witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, 12:21 and great grace was upon them all. 12:24 Neither was there any among them that lacked, 12:27 for as many as were possessors of lands or house sold them, 12:32 and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 12:34 and laid them down at the apostles' feet, 12:37 and distribution was made unto every man 12:39 according as he had need." 12:42 And this point brings us 12:44 to another very important aspect of tithes and offerings. 12:47 Stephen is waiting to tell us about it. 12:49 Thanks, Andrea. 12:51 Talking about the tithes and offerings 12:52 being brought to God's house, temple or church, 12:55 reminds me one of the most 12:56 beautiful stories in the gospels. 12:58 This story is heartwarming 13:00 because it embodies the whole reason 13:01 for giving tithes and offerings and that is worship. 13:05 We find the story in Mark 12 beginning at verse 41. 13:08 Jesus is sitting in the temple across from the treasury 13:11 which was in the women's court. 13:13 The mission estates that there were 13:14 13 depositaries in this temple 13:16 and likely all were close to this treasury. 13:19 On this particular day, 13:20 Jesus is observing His people come and go, 13:23 all apparently there to worship God. 13:25 Many pour a lot or some things in the coffers, 13:27 but none of these catches interest. 13:29 Finally, He see something that warms His heart, 13:32 summoning His disciples close to Him, 13:34 He points out the tattered and poor widow, 13:36 she gathers her courage and furtively cast 13:38 in her precious gift, two mites. 13:41 According to Mark, the gift was so small 13:44 that totaled it came to only a fraction of a denarius 13:47 or 1/64th of a day's wages. 13:50 Puzzled, the disciples looked at each other questioning 13:52 why Jesus called their attention 13:54 to such an insignificant offering? 13:56 Then Jesus explains, "Assuredly, I say to you 14:00 that this poor widow has put in more than all those 14:02 who have given to the treasury, 14:04 for they all put in out of their abundance, 14:06 but she out of her poverty put in all she had, 14:09 her whole livelihood." 14:11 You see, the significance of this gift was not the amount, 14:15 but the heart of worship it represented. 14:17 She had given her whole heart 14:19 and that was the offering Jesus saw. 14:22 That's what worship is all about after all. 14:24 The word worship literally means worthy-ship. 14:27 God is worthy of all our reverence or an adoration 14:31 and this lady grasped that. 14:33 She was so in love with her Lord 14:35 that she held nothing back for herself. 14:37 She counted Him worthy for all 14:40 and her only discontent in giving 14:42 was actually could not give more. 14:44 God does not ask or expect us 14:46 to literally give Him all of our income, 14:48 but He does require all of our heart 14:50 because that alone is true worship. 14:53 And while worship is something 14:55 we refer to doing at church or similar service, 14:58 really worship should be a state of being constantly. 15:02 And while external accoutrements 15:03 like, music or a people sermons etcetera, 15:06 may assist in our worship experience. 15:09 Worship is something that happens on the inside 15:11 and more often than that alone in our Garden of Gethsemane. 15:16 It is not so much a feeling 15:17 as it is a very conscious choice, 15:20 a choice to give our all to His will with no reserve. 15:24 So very true, Stephen. 15:27 And while we're talking about full surrender in real worship, 15:30 let me bring up one more thing. 15:32 While God specifically says to return to Him, 15:35 tithe and free will offerings that doesn't let us off the hook 15:39 to do whatever we like with the rest. 15:42 Everything we have even the very breath we breathe 15:45 is God's and we are accountable to Him for it. 15:50 Jesus parable of the ten talents 15:52 pointedly teaches us this lesson. 15:55 The blessings He gave His trustees 15:58 were to be used for Him, 16:00 not be stuffed in a corner and neglected or wasted 16:04 on their own interests, 16:06 but to be wisely invested for His cause. 16:10 In our short sightedness, 16:12 we often think we are the possessors, 16:15 but in reality we are only the stewards 16:17 of a microscopic portion of the eternity of wealth 16:22 which belongs to the King of kings. 16:24 And He holds us responsible for every use 16:27 we make of all that He has entrusted to us. 16:32 That's why we desperately need to experience real worship 16:36 which in reality is just another result of true repentance. 16:41 Only as we cast our all on His altar 16:44 and follow His direction, 16:46 can we properly manage His trust? 16:50 When we honestly view all that we have is His, 16:54 when we have given Him our whole heart saying, 16:56 yes to Him with all our known choices, 16:59 then He can guide and direct us in properly managing 17:04 the rest of the money He entrusts to us. 17:07 And this is the essence of worship, 17:09 complete abandonment of ourselves to God. 17:14 It doesn't come naturally and it certainly isn't always easy, 17:17 but by directing us to pay a faithful tithe 17:20 and to be generous in offerings, 17:22 He has attempted to loosen our selfish hold 17:26 on the vaporous stuff of earth 17:28 and to place our grasp on eternal substance. 17:32 I know we talked about it at the beginning, 17:34 but I'd like to mention it again 17:35 because God offers an incredible promise 17:38 which I think we can well afford to experience. 17:43 Remember the verses we read earlier in Malachi 3. 17:47 God actually challenges us to test Him. 17:51 Look at verse 10 again. 17:53 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, 17:56 that there may be meat in mine house, 17:58 and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, 18:02 if I will not open to you the windows of heaven, 18:07 and pour you out a blessing, 18:09 that there shall not be room enough to receive it." 18:13 God is extending a huge promise to those 18:16 who are surrendered to Him and trust Him enough 18:19 to return to Him a faithful tithe and offering. 18:23 So I have a question for you. 18:26 Can God be trusted still today 18:29 or is this promise limited to Bible times? 18:32 I would submit to you that God's word is as good now 18:36 as it was that day He spoke it. 18:39 And God would like to take a few moments 18:41 to introduce you to just a few 18:43 of the countless numbers of individuals and families 18:47 who have chosen to worship God, in spirit and in truth 18:50 and have taken on His challenge 18:52 to prove Him in the area of tithes and offerings. 18:56 And perhaps, after you have heard 18:58 their compelling testimonies, 19:00 you too will agree that we serve an amazing promise keeping God. 19:07 Hello. 19:08 My name is Steve Varro, and I'm a Christian illusionist. 19:12 Early in my career, things weren't going so well. 19:16 Money was tight. 19:18 All of my bills were paid for the month, 19:20 but we were only one week away from the first of the month 19:23 and of course on the first, rent is due. 19:27 I needed $315 with which to pay my rent. 19:32 I had no bookings in the works. 19:34 I had no idea where that money was going to come from. 19:37 So I prayed to God, I said, 19:39 "Lord, You promise to supply my needs 19:42 and I'm going to hold You to that, 19:45 I depend on You to supply my needs for this upcoming rent." 19:50 Well, I get off my knees 19:51 and within 30 minutes of that prayer, 19:53 the telephone rang. 19:55 And it was a gentleman calling asking, 19:57 if I could come and perform at the weekend event that weekend. 20:01 Somebody had cancelled, they needed a replacement. 20:05 He said that the amount that they paid was $350. 20:08 Would that acceptable? 20:10 I said, "Yes, it would." 20:11 And I hung up the phone and rejoiced and praise God. 20:14 Then I thought, why $350? 20:18 I only needed $315. 20:22 And then suddenly, it came to me. 20:25 Tithe on $350 is $35, 20:31 leaving $315, the exact amount that I needed. 20:36 God was so faithful 20:38 to supply not only my needs, 20:40 but the ability for me to be faithful to Him 20:42 and paying back my tithe. 20:45 That had a huge impact on me throughout my career. 20:49 I know God is going to take care of me. 20:51 If I am faithful to Him, 20:53 I know He is going to be faithful to me. 20:56 Hi, my name is Bob Ivanenko. 20:58 I'm from a little town called Butte, North Dakota. 21:01 And this is my lovely wife. 21:02 Shelley Ivanenko 21:04 and I grew up in a little town called Lansford, North Dakota. 21:08 And of course, we have been returning faithfully 21:10 our tithe and offerings. 21:12 But that's just the minimum then we started thinking, 21:15 what more can we do for the Lord? 21:17 The Lord has been so good to us. 21:20 So we decided that we should open up a savings account 21:24 and any unexpected money that came in 21:26 would be used for ministry. 21:28 Unexpected money, you maybe asking, 21:31 old stings like, you know, 21:33 we get $3 rebate check from a company 21:36 that goes into that savings account. 21:38 We get all of our loose change goes into that savings account. 21:43 Some people hunt on my land 21:45 and every year they've been hunting on my land 21:47 and, you know, I've never charged them anything, 21:49 but the minute we started the savings account, 21:51 these two gentlemen came into my office 21:54 and each one gave me $100 bill. 21:56 Another person a week later comes in, 21:58 he gave me a check for $500 22:00 just for letting him hunt on my land. 22:03 So far we have raised over $51,000 on this fund. 22:08 $51,000, can you believe it? 22:11 No. It's been lot of fun spending God's money too. 22:16 Yes, it has. Believe me. 22:19 And maybe you're wondering where we're spending it at. 22:22 We've built some one day churches, 22:25 some one day schools in third world countries. 22:28 And we've also spent on our missionary work. 22:33 We've done evangelism with it. 22:35 Oh, it's just amazing what could be done with this money. 22:39 So imagine, me, the town drunk, 22:42 the one who couldn't take care of his family, 22:45 provide for his children. 22:46 Can you make--me, the town drunk having money? 22:50 God has given me $51,000, 22:53 over $51,000 to use in His ministry and His work. 22:58 So now you're probably asking yourself, 23:00 "Well, what does this have to do with me? 23:03 What can I do?" 23:05 Well, I want to challenge you to do what we've done, 23:09 like I always said, you can't out give the Lord. 23:14 Even though I have returned my tithes and offerings 23:17 faithfully for many years 23:19 and I've personally seen God meet my and my family's needs. 23:23 These testimonies still inspire me. 23:26 They make me want to give more, to be more surrendered, 23:29 to live my worship of Him. 23:33 God is so good and so desiring 23:35 to pour His blessings out on all of us. 23:39 And He has told us that no good thing will be 23:42 withheld from those who seek Him first. 23:46 In fact, that reminds me of one more person 23:49 I want to tell you about. 23:51 You may have even heard of him, 23:53 but you may not be aware of what really made him great. 23:57 R.G. LeTourneau was an entrepreneurial inventor 24:00 of heavy earth moving equipment. 24:02 He secured 299 pattern strings his lifetime. 24:06 And is responsible for designing and producing, 24:09 70% of the earth moving equipment 24:11 and vehicles used during World War II. 24:15 RG was affectionately known as God's businessman. 24:19 And although, he died a multi-millionaire. 24:22 When he started he was uneducated, poor, 24:25 and even heavenly in debt. 24:28 But early on, he made Matthew 6:33 his motto. 24:33 "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness 24:38 and all these things shall be added unto you." 24:42 This is what made him great. 24:45 And like we talked about before, he put God first in everything. 24:50 Money and life in general. 24:53 Letourneau tells the story in his biography 24:56 God runs my business of being late on a deadline 24:59 for the design and manufacture of a new piece of equipment, 25:03 but the design for one part that he needed 25:06 just wasn't coming to him. 25:08 He wrestled over it for hours. 25:11 When suddenly he remembered his commitment 25:13 to lead the mid week youth service that night. 25:17 If he dropped everything, he could make it in time, 25:21 but he was up against the deadline, 25:23 but remembering his commitment to keep God first 25:26 in every area of his life he rushed off to the meeting. 25:31 Several hours later and late at night he returned, 25:35 sat briefly at his drawing board again 25:37 and suddenly the exact design he needed 25:40 was impressed on his mind. 25:42 In a few minutes, he had the whole plan drawn 25:44 and on the engineer's desk 25:46 for building first thing the next morning. 25:50 He had deliberately put God first 25:51 and God honored him, giving him another cutting edge invention 25:55 that eventually made his machines 25:58 the best on the market. 26:00 R.G. LeTourneau's pocket book wasn't excluded 26:03 from his seeking God first pledge either. 26:05 Early on, he learned that God requires a tithe. 26:09 At first he struggled with the idea. 26:11 He was barley scrapping by as it was. 26:14 He couldn't afford the tithe. 26:17 But he had given his life to the Lord 26:19 and he determined that no matter what 26:22 God was getting His 10%. 26:25 He wasn't disappointed either. 26:27 God blessed him and his work. 26:30 And he determined to give more. 26:32 By the time Robert Gilmore Letourneau died 26:35 at the age of 80 in 1969, 26:37 he was giving 90% of his income to the Lord 26:41 and leaving off just 10%. 26:44 He had learnt and was completely convinced 26:47 that it is impossible to out give God. 26:51 His grave is on the LeTourneau University Campus 26:54 in Longview, Texas. 26:56 And inscribed on the head stone 26:58 is his life's motto from Matthew 6:33. 27:02 "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness 27:07 and all these things shall be added unto you." 27:11 His life is a testimony to the goodness of God 27:15 and what God will do when we trust Him. 27:19 After all like R.G. once said, 27:21 "You will never know what you can accomplish 27:24 until you say a great big yes to the Lord." 27:28 So, what about you, friend? 27:31 Will you be a Dead Sea just taking God's myriad of blessings 27:35 or will you return to God all that He asks for 27:39 and then more from a heart of love? |
Revised 2014-12-17