You can hardly go to church anymore or watch Christian television without being confronted with preachers talking about money. Um… we could rather say, begging for money. Many churches have adopted the methods of charities to raise money. Just like worldly charitable organizations, they tap into the emotions of empathy and solidarity. Dheweke ngerti, that if you pull the emotions and feelings of people, people are often more willing to give. Nanging, many Christians are annoyed by this begging-for-money culture in the church and don’t want to go to church anymore. Some will even leave the church and stay away. All because of this carnal begging behavior that the church has copied from the world and Christianized. What does the Bible say about money? What does the Bible say about tithing and giving?
The begging-for-money culture in the church
Week after week, it’s the same routine. When it’s time for the buckets, the elder or pastor shares a dramatic story about the lack of the church and what they could do if they got money. Or they share an inspirational story of a financial miracle after they or someone else had given money.
Kanthi cara iki, they make an emotional appeal and play with the senses and feelings of the hearers in the church, who are touched by the story and are more willing and motivated to give.
And do you know what the worst thing is? Some even preach from the pulpit, that you must give money in order to receive healing. They say when you sow money, you will reap healing. Now how is that possible? The only way to be healed is by the stripes of Jesus Christ.
Whatever you sow you will reap. If you sow money, sampeyan bakal reap dhuwit. If you want to have an apple tree to reap apples, and you put a seed of a mulberry tree in the ground, you will not get an apple tree with apples but a mulberry tree.
Ing donya, you can almost buy everything with money, but in the Kingdom of God, it doesn’t work that way.
Many believers, who are not born again or are still spiritual babies, often believe this lie and give money in order to get carnal blessings, like healing, Garwa, a job, a house, lan sapiturute.
The believers are being manipulated to give. Even when you receive an email from the church and open the email, it starts with all kinds of wonderful promises from the Bible; Tembung Gusti Allah, but when you scroll down, the true reason for sending the email is revealed, because all they want is your money.
Why do preachers have to beg for money?
Nanging kok do preachers constantly beg for money? We serve an Almighty God. God is so great, that He can move the hearts of people in an instant to give. Why have these preachers taken over the role of God? If they believe in their own ability and use the methods of the world, God will withdraw Himself.
Why don’t they just rely on God instead of relying on people? Why don’t they believe in the Word since it is written that God is Yéhuwah duka; He is our Provider?
They constantly ask and beg for money, while they preach that you have to trust God and believe God for blessings. This behavior shows that they don’t believe God and don’t believe what is written in the Bible and don’t apply their words in their own life. They don’t practice what they preach.
Preachers should start acting upon their words and practice what they preach and stop begging for money. They should stop using the gospel and spiritual blessings of God, for raising money.
But what about Christians? What do Christians do with their income? Because both parties in the church; the leaders of the church and the church members, have difficulties trusting God and relying on Him.
Both parties have lost their faith in God and don’t believe truly that God will provide for their needs.
Many Christians have become lovers of money
While the Bible says, that God shall supply your needs and that you don’t have to worry, because God is your Provider, there is a lot of poverty among Christians. Many Christians are lacking and suffering. kok? Because many Christians don’t want to listen to God, let alone obey God. They don’t want to do what God is telling them to do through the Word or to their heart.
When God speaks to the hearts of Christians to give, they don’t listen to Him. They look first at their own situation. They look at their needs and all the things they can do with that money.
Some can hardly make ends meet and therefore they don’t give to the Lord. Ing cendhak, there are many reasons why Christians are not willing to give.
They don’t rely on God and don’t give to God what belongs to Him and be thankful, but they are greedy and steal from God.
They let greed and the love of money rule in their heart, which is a fruit of the old man and not of the new man (Maca uga: Sijine wong tuwa lan sijine wong anyar)
Although they say, that they are not greedy and are not lovers of money, their actions prove otherwise.
They rely more on their money and on the predictions of the economics of this world than they rely on the Almighty God and believe and do what God says in His Word.
They don’t give to God anymore, but they keep the money for themselves and spend it on (barang-barang saka) donya. And without knowing, they build the kingdom of the devil.
Churches are closing, because Christians keep their wallets closed
Many churches are having a hard time paying their mortgages, bills, and dues, because Christians keep their wallets closed. As a result of Christians keeping their wallets closed, many churches are closing. Church buildings are bought and used as restaurants, hotels, Klub, lan sapiturute. Lan kuwi sing dikarepake Iblis; close the churches and them for his kingdom (Maca uga: Carane pepeteng mateni padhang).
Christians can pray for the existence of their church building, but if they don’t give money, their prayers are useless.
On Sundays, Christians sing wholeheartedly; “let it rain, let it rain, open the floodgates of heaven”. But what is God telling us in the Bible about the floodgates?
Return unto me, and I will return unto you, pangandikane Sang Yehuwah Gustine sarwa dumadi. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Apa wong bakal ngrampok Gusti Allah? Nanging kowé wis ngrampok Aku. Nanging sampeyan ngomong, Ing pundi anggen kawula ngrampok Paduka? Ing prasepuluhan lan kurban. Sampeyan kena kutuk karo kutukan: awit kowé wis ngrampok Aku, malah bangsa iki kabèh.
Kabeh prasepuluhan gawanen menyang gudhang, that there may be meat in Mine house, lan buktikna Aku saiki nganggo iki, pangandikane Sang Yehuwah Gustine sarwa dumadi, yen Ingsun ora mbukak cendhelaning langit marang sira, lan paring berkah, supaya ora ana papan sing cukup kanggo nampa. Lan aku bakal nggegirisi wong mangan marga saka kowe, lan ora bakal nyirnakake pametuning lemahmu; anggurmu ora bakal ngetokaké wohé sadurungé wayahé ana ing pategalan, pangandikane Sang Yehuwah Gustine sarwa dumadi. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, pangandikane Sang Yehuwah Gustine sarwa dumadi (Malachi 3:7-12)
Before the existence of the law, Abraham tithed
Mungkin sampeyan mikir: “Uga, God did indeed say that, but that is a commandment of the law under the Old Covenant and we (Kristen) are not living under the law anymore, but we live under the New Covenant”.
You are partially right. Because yes, God spoke these words in the Old Covenant. But before the law came, we read in the Book of Genesis, that Cain and Abel gave God an offering of their firstlings (Purwaning Dumadi 4:3).
And in Genesis 14:20, we read about Abraham giving tithes of all, menyang Melchizedek, the king of Salem. And they lived before the law and belonged to the generation of the old creations and not the new creations.
What does the Bible say about tithing in the New Covenant
When we go to the Book of Acts, we read that those, who came to Christ and became a new creation, sold Kabeh and gave it all to God. They gave all their possessions to the apostles of the Church; badan Kristus. How about that? Thats’s more than giving a tenth of your income.
There were also churches, who were canral, umpamane, the church at Corinth. Ing 2 Korinta 8, Paul taught the church regarding giving.
Kakehan, Christians only want to receive and are not willing to give. Nanging ayo padha menehi apa sing dadi kagungane Gusti Allah. Miwiti kanthi menehi sepersepuluh saka penghasilan sampeyan, mergo kowe bersyukur dene gusti allah paring gaweyan; karo income, a house, panganan, lsp. lan paring pisungsung marang wong miskin.
Nalika sampeyan ngucap syukur lan matur nuwun marang Gusti, sampeyan bakal menehi marang Gusti Allah saka karsane dhewe. Ora amarga sampeyan kudu, nanging amarga sampeyan pengin (Maca uga: ‘Agama utawa hubungan').
Carane metu saka utang?
Mungkin sampeyan lagi berjuang karo keuangan utawa sampeyan duwe utang lan ora weruh dalan metu. Mulai menehi marang Gusti Allah. Amarga saka ketaatan lan menehi marang Gusti Allah, sampeyan nuduhake marang Panjenengane yen sampeyan tresna marang Panjenengane lan percaya marang Panjenengane lan sampeyan pracaya yen Gusti Allah bakal nyedhiyani ing saben kahanan.
Nglampahi wektu ing Sabda Jahwéh lan ndedonga, prasepuluhan lan menehi lan mungkasi mbuwang dhuwit ing donya ing iku kanggo sampeyan dhewe, sing ora perlu.
Nalika sampeyan nindakake iki, sampeyan bakal weruh yen Gusti Allah bakal ngusir sampeyan kanthi ajaib saka kahanan kasebut lan manawa Gusti Allah bakal mulihake keuangan sampeyan. Gusti Allah bakal netepi janjiné, nalika sampeyan nyukupi syarat. Amarga, Sampeyan kudu luwih dhisik ngupaya Kratoné lan kabenerané, lan liya-liyane bakal ditambahake marang kowé!
Aja menehi dhuwit amarga srakah, nanging menehi amarga katresnan
Aja menehi dhuwit amarga srakah, kanggo nampa dhuwit maneh. Iki dudu sikap sing bener kanggo menehi. Nanging menehi amarga katresnan, amarga kowé padha tresna marang Gusti Allah lan matur nuwun marang Gusti Allah. nalika sampeyan menehi marang Gusti saka ati sing matur nuwun, sampeyan bakal duwe kabungahan ing atimu.
Nanging iki dakkandhakake, Sing sapa nyebar sathithik, bakal ngenèni sathithik; lan sapa kang nyebar lubèr, bakal manèn lubèr (2 Korinta 9:6)
Lan Gusti Allah bisa ndadekke kabeh sih-rahmat marang sampeyan; sing sampeyan, tansah kacukupan ing samubarang, bisa lubèr kanggo saben karya apik (2 Korinta 9:8)
Dheweke wis bubar ing luar negeri; Panjenengané wis maringi marang wong miskin: kaadilané tetep ing salawas-lawasé. Saiki Panjenengané sing ngladèni wiji marang panyebur, uga ngladèni roti kanggo panganmu, lan tangkar-tumangkar wiji sing disebar, lan nambah wohing kabeneran Paduka; (Masmur 112:9)
Minangka Gusti Allah ngandika, Prove Aku. Pitakonan kanggo sampeyan: Apa kowe wani pracaya marang Gusti Allah?
'Dadi uyah ing bumi'
