"Is it a test of fellowship?

How about this one:

Is it a test of our relationship with Jesus Christ? "

Is it a test for who???--frenchmon

In Malachi the whole Hebrew nation was called a thief & corrupt church polluters, because they did not express their allegience to the sovrienty of God, through Tithe paying & they were Sabbath breakers.

Both Tithe & offerings, and Sabbath keeping constitute two visible facets that demonstrate a saving relationship with Jesus or not. Inorder to be a saving relationship, outward performance has to modify into internal & external performance of Scripture & SOP terms, for it is God who defines what He will accept or reject.

Both the fact and process of tithe & offerings & Sabbathkeeping are visible actions that demonstrate the inner workings of the heart through tangible actions. Whether you or God sets the terms of your worship, will soon be seen by your responces toward Tithe, Offerings, Sabbath.

His terms are seen by what Scripture compiles and SOP amplifies. Herein Scripture & SOP causes a revealing of the thoughts & intents of the heart through how you decide and follow through upon your treatment of the compiled weight of the revealed evidence.

Belief as used as a Biblical term denotes action based upon something.

1. Information
2. Conviction
3. Desire
4. Action

These four simplified steps = Biblical use of the concept of belief.

Tithe & Sabbathkeeping are two visible means of demonstrating belief. That belief manifests as belief in what God has revealed, as He has revealed it; or belief that the human sets the terms and so does what is right in his own eyes and ignores or reinterpretes revealed Scripture & SOP.

Growth means that the better you understand, the closer to what you do understand you follow.

------------------
Edward F Sutton

Brother Sutton wrote:

In Malachi the whole Hebrew nation was called a thief & corrupt church polluters, because they did not express their allegience to the sovrienty of God,
through Tithe paying & they were Sabbath breakers."

Brother Sutton...While this is true of them under the O/T this is not the case with us is it under the N/T??? If so, then what about a Sabbath Mile???

You also wrote this:

"Both Tithe & offerings, and Sabbath keeping constitute two visible facets that demonstrate a saving relationship with Jesus or not."

So you are saying if a person gives only a very libral offering and no tithe he is not saved??? If he does not keep the sabbath he is lost???

I see nothing under the New Covenant that demonstrates this logic.

You make salvation a matter of works...and not saving faith which brings the Justification and sanctification of our Lord..

..--frenchmon

Frenchmon, you extrapolate great, but way off the mark. Ed in no way implied what you've said. What does sanctification mean? Yes, it's the work of God in us, but there will be visible signs of being made holy. If this can't be expected, then there is no hope for alcoholics. Tithes and offerings come from the heart, and the bigger the heart, the more fastidious a person is regarding giving God His money to support the ministry, and sacrificing the portion which is ours to help our fellow man. It's no sacrifice to give away God's portion. A sense of freedom is no indication that we're doing the right thing.

ZYPH...may I extrapolate some more???

You said:

"Tithes and offerings come from the heart"

Thats my whole point...it comes from a saving relationship with God...I understood Brother Suttons position one of "law" and salvation is not based upon law but "Grace"

Now having said that, we can't say one is not saved because he does not tithe...God decides that.

The passage in Malachi is based upon law...--frenchmon

Hi everyone! I'm stickn' my nose in here K. In Malachi 3:7-10 it talks about why we should tithe, and then after in 11 on it talks of the blessings that will come from it. I believe and know from personall experience that tithing is a speceal blessing! How you do it, is for the Holy Spirit to show you and between you and God. I hope this helps the discussion.

Hello Everyone, this has been a rewarding study for me. I really, really appreciate the deep issues being discused. Wow, it's where the rubber meets the road, as they say.

Truly tithes and offerings are non-negotiable. They are as required of us as obedience to the law. Yes, God loves a cheerful giver, and it should flow from a grateful heart. But nevertheless, it must flow.

Which is good news to me. Because I'm not always a cheerful giver, especially when the chips are down. There are times when I fulfill my obligation to tithe and give offerings even when it scares me to do so. It takes alot of faith to give when it looks like I'm the needy one.

And I would like to say that each time I give I'm blessed in material ways. But not so. I have gone hungry, and I have been seriously inconvenienced. It hurts sometimes to obey.

But I'm okay with that. Was it any different for Jesus? I pay tithe and give offerings because I believe it's what God requires of me. And I also keep in mind that He requires it of me for reasons that makes sense to Him even though it doesn't always feel good to do it.

What does feel good though is knowing that I'm doing something that does make sense to God, and I'm very content with that. If God is happy, then I'm happy. He is so much more informed than I'll ever be, and if paying tithe and giving offerings is the right thing to do, then by the grace of God I'll do it, even through gritted teeth if need be.

Know what I mean?