This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:1-13; John 8:2-12.

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. In the New Testament, the word Love appears about 200 times, and it is almost always ‘agape’ love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for human beings. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. This love saves and restores humanity in the face of sin and death. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! To know the measure of Love you must know how much Love gives. Just think of this Love: God the Father gave us His only begotten Son, that we might be saved! God the Son gave up His Live, His Blood, to pay for our sins! There is no greater Love than that!!! “Let us consider [thoughtfully] how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds” (Heb 10:24; AMP). Halleluiah!

MATTERS OF LOVING INDIFFERENCE (Romans 14:1-13)

The Book of Romans is a masterpiece. It is considered the best Book in the Bible and the greatest piece of literature in the world. It is written by the great Apostle Paul. Many great men of God became born again by studying this Book. It contains the major doctrines of the Gospel. In the first 11 chapters, the Apostle writes about the doctrines of salvation. From chapter 12 to the end, he writes the application of these doctrines. The first two verses in chapter 12 are the basic scriptures on the application of doctrine. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12:1,2).  We see that the Christian life is a life of sacrifice for the sake of Christ, to give glory to God! By faith in God’s Word, our minds are renewed and transformed. From starting as ‘babies’ in Christ, we become strong in the faith. Becoming spiritually mature is the aim for every believer. Agape Love is the engine of this transformation. The New Law of Love takes over obedience of the Law as found in the Old Testament.

In chapters 14 and 15 we find the practical application of the Gospel especially in the relationships between believers. Theologians call these principles ‘matters of indifference’ or ‘grey areas’. These are important teachings, but they are not essential to our salvation. They apply to the type of food Christians eat, the mode of dressing, the type of entertainment, the types of baptism, the type of prophecies, the importance of days and how we celebrate our faith. The major doctrines of the Bible cannot be argued about.  As Christians, we all must agree on the major doctrines in the Bible, but we can lovingly disagree on these matters of indifference. If something is forbidden, it is sin. There is no need to discuss it. For example, the Bible says that adultery is sin. We cannot debate that. We now study things that are not clearly forbidden in God’s Word and our attitude to them. Over the years these things have bought much confusion, pain, and division in the Body. The church is made of many believers; some are spiritually strong, and others are spiritually weak in the faith. The first lesson we must learn is that the Body is One!!! The strong ones are commanded not to despise. Not to look down on the weak ones. The weak are commanded not to judge the spiritually strong. Lesson: Matters of indifference should never become central doctrines. Any form of division and segregation based on your Bible knowledge is wrong. We study these teachings so that we behave better, we love without quarreling or causing division in the Body. Selah!

SOME LESSONS ON HOW TO RELATE TO OTHERS CONCERNING MATTERS OF INDIFFERENCE

*The command to receive a weak brother applies only to the church setup. God gives His grace to welcome the weak in the faith only to the Body of the local church. This command does not apply to all other religious organizations, traditional gatherings, or family meetings.

*This command works only when applying the power of agape love. The power of the flesh and human sympathy will fail in this regard.

*The matters of loving indifference apply to both the weak and the strong’. Both despising and judging are wrong!

*The fact that we welcome a brother who is weak in the faith does not mean that automatically, the weak one becomes a leader in the church.

*All of us are sinners saved by grace. The same Blood of Jesus saved us all. Even the ones who are strong in the faith are not yet perfect. We all make mistakes. We all have to stay humble and be quick to repent when we fail the law of Love and pay the price to grow in the faith.

*Never allow your Bible knowledge to build pride in you! Each one is responsible to keep the unity of the Spirit in the Body. The strong is not to ‘to despise the weak’ and the weak is you and to lead you to quarrel. A spiritually mature Christian never quarrels. The world loves to argue, debate and quarrel. Any Christian who cannot control his emotions or his words, should not give his opinions in public about anything. Speaking in anger does great damage to your testimony and hurts others!

*Learn the difference between a dialogue and a debate. A dialogue brings two willing parties together. Love is the key. They both want to come to a common understanding of the problem and finding a common ground is the goal. Debate is oppositional. Hatred and anger are there. The two parties oppose one another, each trying to prove that the other one is wrong. In debate, wining is the goal. Debate does not care about other’s feelings, love, or the future of the relationship. Debate has no hope for the future. Christians should engage in dialogue and never in debate! This law applies to the marriage set up and to the church fellowship. Get a better understanding of the other’s position. Love demands that! All discussions should be done in a Christian manner. If you cannot behave as Christians with others, better keep quiet!

*Apply the rules of teaching in your relationships with people, especially with those weak in the faith. Teaching is a science and an art. These are some guidelines: First, a good teacher is a patient person. He is also humble and wise. He knows his subject, but he also knows and loves his students! He must be ready to face many challenges. He must learn to gain the trust of his students. A teacher will not be too fast and leave the weak ones struggling behind. A teacher is a balanced wise person. A loving attitude towards the students is the oil of success for any teacher. He teaches especially by being a living example. These rules about being a good teacher apply to parents, pastors, and leaders in the church.

*In all relationships, thru words and actions, we should always be conscious of the glory of God. We are vessels of honor pleasing to our Master.

*Watch yourself! There is always a danger to become impatient, to react angrily when meeting a Christian who is different than you. A wise man does not jump at conclusions. He listens to the facts, prays, and he ‘arrives’ at conclusions. We make mistakes because we are too fast in judging others. For example, it is shameful and even dangerous for a judge, or a lawyer to ‘jump’ at conclusions. “He who answers before he hears [the facts]— It is folly and shame to him” (PV 18:13; AMP). Nicodemus said to the Pharisees who judged Jesus: “Does our Law convict someone without first giving him a hearing and finding out what he is [accused of] doing?” (Jn 7:51; AMP). “Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]” (Jam 1:19; AMP).

*Beware of the danger of tolerating a troublemaker: If after receiving one who is weak in the faith, you discover that he is proud, unteachable, quarrelsome, and rebellious, then you may have to tell him to leave the fellowship. He is not a true brother. He is a religious unbeliever, a troublemaker and faultfinder. He is taking advantage of your kindness trying to destroy the fellowship. He is a ‘divisive man’ who wants to break the church. “Avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned” (Tit 3:9-11).

*Matters of indifference refer to things that are not forbidden in the Bible but are important to study and obey. For example, when Apostle Paul talks about Christian behavior and issues of marriage, he makes clear that some of his recommendations are not directly from the Lord. These are his commands, given as a wise servant of God and having a clear conscience. “Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment” (1 Cor 7:5,6). “Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy” (1 Cor 7:25). These are examples of Biblical counsel that belongs to the matters of indifference. We should never make these things become the center of our salvation.

JUDGE NOT!

“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matt 7:1,2).  This command is given by our Lord, and it is a part of the Sermon on the Mount. Many are confused concerning the application of this command. They say that you should never judge any matter or any person, for fear that you will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ. But that explanation cannot be true. The Bible commands us to be watchful, to test, and judge people, to know if they are true believers or not. We are also commanded to judge and reject wrong doctrines. We cannot do this if we are always spiritually passive and afraid to judge. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 Jn 4:1). Our Lord tells us to judge spirits and people with a right judgment. He said: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (Jn 7:24).

What then is the true meaning of this command? The Lord exposes a particular type of religious people, who are proud and self-righteous. They are over critical of other believers. They constantly look for faults in others. When they find the fault, they become happy. When they do not find faults in others, they are disappointed and become angry. These people have strong opinions in matters of indifference. They are very vocal even in matters that do not concern them. They are busybodies. They are quick to judge even when they don’t know all the facts. They are not kind or merciful. They think that they are God. They condemn others saying that they go to hell. For example, they say to a weak Christian: ‘You say that you are a Christian and you still drink beer. I don’t see you making heaven’.

Our Lord is concerned with this matter of condemning others in the final sense. Most of the time, the Lord had the Pharisees in mind. They were proud of their religion, of their good works, and of their prayers. They looked down on others who could not compete with them. A Pharisee and a Tax collector prayed side by side in the temple. “He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 18:9-14). The Pharisee clearly believes he is better than the tax collector and that he goes to heaven. He judges and condemns him, being sure that the tax collector goes to hell. The Pharisees behaves like he is the owner of heaven. But this attitude of religious pride and condemning others is not limited to the Pharisees. This spirit is active even now. When some religious men brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus, they have already condemned her to death in their hearts. But Jesus exposed their wickedness and sin of condemning others. He said: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (Jn 8:7). Listen to the words of Jesus! They have the power to enter like a sword in all our hearts. We must search ourselves and try to find if we too are wicked hypocrites. This is the right thing to do: if you want to judge, then start with yourself! “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged” (1Cor 11:31). May we humble ourselves before God. May we appreciate love and mercy more than all our opinions. Amen!

TITHES AND OFFERINGS

The term “tithe” is derived from an Old English word which means “tenth.” Biblically, tithing refers to the practice of giving the first 10% of your profit to God. Tithing has a rich history in the Bible and is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. The tithe reminds you that God must be first in your life, and He is the one that gives you the ability to make wealth. “But you shall remember [with profound respect] the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore (solemnly promised) to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deut 8:18; AMP). In the New Testament tithing is not compulsory. It is not a Law. The practice of paying tithes is an old church tradition and belongs to the domain of matters of indifference. Offering is giving a substantial amount of money to God, and it is separate from the tithe. God promised to bless those who give tithes and offerings. The money is used to increase the kingdom of God on earth, to take care of God’s house and His workers, and to help the needy.

The concept of tithing started when Abraham offered a tenth of his spoils of war to the priest and king Melchizedek, who is a type of Christ (Gen 14:18-20). This act is the forerunner type of formal tithing. Under the Mosaic Law, tithing became a standard practice. It was connected with the life in the Promised Land. The Israelites were instructed to give a tenth of their crops, livestock, and income as an offering to the Lord. The tithes supported the priests and the Levites, who were responsible for the religious duties of the community. “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord” (Lev 27:30). “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year” (Deut 14:22). God wants the first fruits of our harvest. “The first of the first fruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God” (Ex23:19). Praise God!

Prophet Malachi speaking for God said that God will bless the tithers with supernatural prosperity. God will rebuke the devil and make the tithers to be an international blessing. God said that paying your tithe can be ‘tested or tried’. You’ll see for yourself if the promised blessings come true or not. “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try 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. 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” says the Lord of hosts; 12 “And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts” (Mal 3:10-12). The Lord of Hosts is Jehovah Sabaoth, the God of heaven’s armies, who can never lose any battle! Tithers are always overcomers! Praise the Lord!

In the New Testament, tithe is not commanded directly. But believers are encouraged to give generously, faithfully, sacrificially, and cheerfully to God’s work. Like with all other commands, giving to God’s work is not legalistic. It is an overflow of a grateful heart of a child of God. Jesus was watching how people give offerings to God. He commended a widow for giving her two small coins, highlighting the importance of giving from the heart, regardless of the amount (Mk 12:41-44). Apostle Paul confirms that God blesses the generous and happy giver: “Now [remember] this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to others] will also reap generously [and be blessed]. 7 Let each one give [thoughtfully and with purpose] just as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver [and delights in the one whose heart is in his gift]. 8 And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him] and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity. 9 As it is written and forever remains written, “He [the benevolent and generous person] scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever!” 10 Now He who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed for sowing [that is, your resources] and increase the harvest of your righteousness [which shows itself in active goodness, kindness, and love]. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous, and this [generosity, administered] through us is producing thanksgiving to God [from those who benefit]. 12 For the ministry of this service (offering) is not only supplying the needs of the saints (God’s people) but is also overflowing through many expressions of thanksgiving to God” (2 Cor 9:6-12; AMP).

1-Some reasons why Tithing is not compulsory in the New Testament:

*In Christ, we are not under the Old Testament Law. We are under Grace.  “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Rom 6:14).

*Abraham gave his tithe to king and priest Melchizedek only once. There is no record that he repeated this action.

*The tithe was given to the priests and the Levites to take care of the Temple. In Christ, we are all kings and priests. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9).

*Jesus confirms the tithe, but it was before He died and rose again before the New Covenant is put into action. Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matt 23:23). Jesus told the Jews about bringing gifts to the temple (Matt 5:23, 24). But that does not mean the Christians should bring gifts to the temple in Jerusalem. In Christ, these commands become spiritual and in all we do, we are led by the Holy Spirit.

2-Some reasons why the Christians should pay tithes and offerings:

It is true that we are not commanded to pay tithes. But the believers are encouraged to be generous and give to God’s work. That amount can be more or less than 10% of your profit. Many believers who argue against paying tithe are those who defend their greed. Those who say that they cannot afford to tithe, defend their unbelief. They refuse to ‘test’ God in this matter assuming that tithing is a waste. Please note this: Even if you do not want to tithe, all Christians are commanded to give generously the needy and to God’s servants who preach the Gospel. “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages” (1Tim 5:17, 18). “The one who is taught the word [of God] is to share all good things with his teacher [contributing to his spiritual and material support]” (Gal 6:6; AMP). As we enjoy the good life God has given to us, we are also commanded to be generous and help the needy. This is because wealth, if it is not shared with others, can quickly become an idol. “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Tim 6:17-19). Generosity prevents and defeats Mammon!

Tithing is a form of worship. It is proof of obedience and faith in God’s Word. Paying tithe is usually done to your local church or to any other ministry or person who spiritually invests in your destiny. The benefits of tithing cannot be discovered except you personally tithe having faith in God. Paying 10% of your profit is just a guideline. You can pay more than that if you are led by the Holy Spirit. Tithing can start as a duty but if practiced, it becomes a delight. I personally do not know of any person who is truly born again who had regrets about tithing to God’s work. Giving generously to God’s work is a treasure laid in heaven. Jesus says “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:19-21). Treasure is connected to the heart. Your heart will be mastered either by the (temporary) treasures on earth or by the (eternal) treasure of heaven. Jesus is the Keeper of your treasure in heaven and the Rewarder with all good things in eternity. Amen!