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Awesome Hands – part 148

“The Lord’s release”

January 26, 2019

In old testament, specifically in Deuteronomy, we have been given instructions on how to release our brothers from debt to us. Though we are not operating our lives in the physical ways that the Israelites were in the Old Testament, we still follow the spirit behind the words found in Deuteronomy 15.

In our study this evening, we will be looking further into the concept of forgiving our brothers debt to us.

Forgive to be forgiven

A lot of the Christian world is familiar with the so called “Lord’s prayer”. In fact, it is a popular set of verses which is usually memorized due to its popular concepts.

Specifically for this study, we will find a very instructive phrase contained within the verses referred to as the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6.

Mat 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Mat 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Mat 6:8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Mat 6:14  For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Our study today finds us looking into the next mentioning of the word yad, which is found in several different verses in this chapter. It is with these verses that we will connect the Lord’s prayer with parts of Deuteronomy 15.

Deu 15:1  At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.
Deu 15:2  And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD’S release.
Deu 15:3  Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;
Deu 15:4  Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it:
Deu 15:5  Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.

There are a few interesting things that are happening at the beginning of Deut 15 as it pertains to the Lord’s prayer.

It is at the end of seven years that we are to make a release of our brother’s debt according to Deut 15.

The judgment of our brother’s debt has met its completion at this point. It is notable that a foreigner’s debt is not forgiven during this time.

We also learn that the Lord tells us that we will not have poor among us, and there are a few reasons for this.

In the OT, the Lord’s blessing upon you and your household was often seen in your wealth and well-being. If we carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord, to observe all His commandments, then we will not be poor.

For us today, we are looking at these words through spiritual eyes. So, we want to observe the commandments of the Lord for the Lord’s release, but we want to do so in a spiritual way that glorifies the Lord.

Matt 6 and the Lord’s prayer are how we do that in a general sense, but how do we do it practically?

The simplest way is usually the easiest, so we don’t need to over complicate this.

Let us look to scripture for the answer. Please bear with me as we go through these verses to find the answers we seek.

Mat 18:21  Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Mat 18:23  Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Mat 18:24  And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Mat 18:26  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

The first thing to note is that forgiveness comes with repentance. Without repentance, we do not have the first ingredient needed for forgiveness that frees the other person. What do I mean by that?

Well, a big part of Deuteronomy 15 is slavery versus freedom. Debt is a form of slavery because you have to serve your debt in order to resolve it.

When I forgive someone, that is always good for my own heart and mind. However, it is also very freeing to a person who has received that forgiveness and knows about it, especially when they are seeking said forgiveness.

Mat 18:27  Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28  But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
Mat 18:29  And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:30  And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
Mat 18:31  So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32  Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat 18:33  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Our spiritual application of forgiving our brothers their debts comes in the form of forgiveness of sins against us.

Anyone of the household of faith should be willing to forgive so that we receive forgiveness from the Lord. Likewise, the children of the Lord should also be seeking to repent when needed due to the trespasses we commit against others.

Additionally, and not the least among consideration, is forgiveness that we grant to ourselves. Guilt is a very powerful deterrent or motivator depending on how guilt affects a person.

Forgiving ourselves for past actions or inactions is very important for our walk with the Lord. He is not able to forgive us if we do not forgive ourselves because we are an extension of Him.

Think about it this way. We are the body of Christ. Therefore, if we do not forgive ourselves, then we are not forgiving a part of who He is. Therefore, we are not forgiving Christ in us. That simply will not do.

That of course doesn’t mean we continually do what we know to not do, but that is also where Godly repentance comes in. That is why forgiveness and repentance are important compliments to one another.

Deu 15:6  For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.
Deu 15:7  If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:
Deu 15:8  But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.
Deu 15:9  Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.
Deu 15:10  Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.
Deu 15:11  For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

The first point taken from these verses is that we do not owe any nation anything, but we are owed by many nations. We of course are spiritual Jews, and we have many nations within us.

We will not borrow anything from those nations. This is a spiritual statement. We are able to sell our goods to other nations, but we never borrow of their goods. These goods are speaking of doctrine.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Rev 13:16  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Rev 13:17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Rev 13:18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

When we are “of the beast”, which we all start off from and as, then we buy and sell in the wares and goods of the world.

Once we are adopted as sons of God, we can deal in and trade the goods of God, His gold tried in fire so to speak.

The next point of these verses is to recognize that there will be “poor among us”. You might be thinking that we were just told, “Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it”.

However, this happens because being poor happens from not obeying, “Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day”.

The poor among us are those who need the gold tried in fire. This is how we sell to the nations in others. This is what being a light to the world is all about.

We all still have lands, giants and cities in our heavens that need to be conquered by Christ. It just so happens that Jesus Christ is in all of His body, so we fill the role of Christ for everyone around us especially those of the household of Faith.

A very important point for us to understand when speaking about forgiving sin or trespasses, is that we cannot hold anything back. We cannot hold grudges or things against those of whom we have given forgiveness to.

We see this in the form of, “Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.”

Seeing that the sabbatical year is all about releasing debt to our brothers at the end of the seventh year, it would be easy to see why we naturally wouldn’t want to let someone take on debt from us if it were near the end of that seven year cycle. After all, they would gain from us near the time that they would be freed from that debt to us.

We are warned of the Lord not to think this way. We need to offer “complete forgiveness”, signified by the number 7.

The last point to take away from Deut 15, as it pertains the word “yad” or hand is found in verses 12 to 18.

Deu 15:12  And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.
Deu 15:13  And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty:
Deu 15:14  Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.
Deu 15:15  And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.
Deu 15:16  And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;
Deu 15:17  Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.
Deu 15:18  It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest.

When someone has been given our forgiveness, we cannot simply forgive with a “cold” heart. Cold heart is my phrase, but it is a concept that portrays a heart which is not really sincere.

Given the verse we just read, this concept can be seen in telling someone we forgive them and they should be happy that we did or be thankful to us that we are being so kind to them, or any other reason that that proves we do not fully forgive.

Instead, we should be letting them know that we forgive them and then following that up with kind words of our Lord which let them know that they have a place to turn to when they need help in the form of spiritual guidance, etc.

Something along the lines of the thought process of, “I forgive you, but it is all of the Lord that He has given me the heart of forgiveness”, is an example of this mindset. If that thought or comment leads into further conversation, etc., then the Lord will be glorified in the process.

It may be that certain situations calling for forgiveness leads into someone wanting to find out more about the Lord and what He has done for you in order for this forgiveness to happen in your life.

This can be seen in the form of the slave who doesn’t want to leave your side after being given their freedom. Again, debt is a form of slavery. When someone has trespassed against us, and against the Lord in the process, the Lord is going to require an accounting for the trespass.

Therefore, when we offer forgiveness / freedom from that debt, to the person on the receiving end, they may want more of that “good stuff”. In that case, we will have another blessing of the Lord seeing that the Lord has used the situation as a way to welcome another one of His flock into the fold.

Dear Body,

Greetings!

I wrote an article on the tithe which states that “the spiritual application of the law of the tithe is not to give a compulsory 10% of our income, but for us to take care of:

1. Ministers of the gospel
2. Orphans and widows in the church
3. Strangers (unbelievers)
All these as we propose in our hearts to do.

Please, I await your comments on this.

Ybic,

M____

Hi M____,

Thank you for your input and question.

You wrote:

…the spiritual application of the law of the tithe is not to give a compulsory 10% of our income, but for us to take care of:

1. Ministers of the gospel
2. Orphans and widows in the church
3. Strangers (unbelievers)
All these as we propose in our hearts to do.

Please, I await your comments on this.

Ministers of the gospel, orphans and widows, and strangers who are in need are all to be ministered to by any and all in whom Christ truly dwells because Christ has commanded us by His apostle:

Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

The household of faith and the body of Christ must always take precedence over strangers and the poor as Christ has instructed us in the incidence of Mary’s alabaster box of precious ointment:

Mat 26:6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
Mat 26:7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
Mat 26:8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
Mat 26:9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
Mat 26:10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
Mat 26:11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
Mat 26:12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
Mat 26:13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

The body of Christ is where we, too, should be pouring out our own precious ointment first and foremost… “do good to all men, especially unto the household of faith” (Gal 6:10).

Physical tithing, like physical circumcision, simply is not part of the New Testament doctrine of Christ. The new covenant has raised the bar far beyond what mere flesh is capable of producing. Christ is not interested in having a member of His family who worships Him only one day in seven, nor is He interested in a mere one tenth of our substance and of our lives. Christ wants us to enter into Him as our rest every day of the week, and Christ wants all of our land, all of our possessions and our whole life:

Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

To maintain their false doctrine of requiring a tenth of the incomes of those in their charge, Babylonian ministers quote Christ:

Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

I have emboldened the words which the ministers of Babylon emphasize to convince you to give them a tenth of your income. So why is it they do not do the same with these words of Christ?

Luk 5:14 And he charged [the leper He had cleansed] to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, [two birds] according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Lev 14:4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed [of his leprosy] two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:

Why are Christ’s words concerning tithing emphasized while His commandment to this leper is not emphasized? Why is tithing retained while physical blood offerings are not retained? The answer to that question is obvious.

Christ came to reform the law and to bring us a new law. The law of Moses, including the laws of tithing, were mere shadows of the new “law of Christ” (Gal 6:2).

Heb 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Heb 9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances [including tithing], imposed on them until the time of reformation.

It is interesting to note that Christ mentioned the tithe of mint and anise and cummin for the express reason that only “the increase of thy seed, that the field bring forth” was all that law required to be tithed. The tithe of the flocks were considered to be “of the field”, and were also to be tithed:

Lev 27:32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

Deu 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

Tithing was only to be done by those who made their living from the increase of their seed “that the field brings forth…” A blacksmith was not expected to tithe. A tentmaker could not tithe either. Neither was a carpenter capable of tithing “all the increase of [his] seed, that the field brings forth”. Money was never mentioned as being subject to being tithed.

The tithe was to go to the priests, and every third year it was called “the year of the tithe, and the tithe was to go to the Levites and the poor and the stranger.

Deu 26:12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;
Deu 26:13 Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:

It was out of the tithe of the field that Israel was to finance their travels to the festivals. It was out of that same tithe they were to support the priesthood, and every third year support the fatherless, the widows and the strangers. There is no scripture for the false doctrine of a second and third tithe, as some have falsely claimed.

Not once does the New Testament mention tithing except to repeat the fact that the only people legally qualified to receive tithes of the people are the Levites who had no inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and whose only source of income was the tithes of those who had received an inheritance in the land:

Heb 7:5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

Look at that verse. At the time of writing this book of Hebrews, the Levites “have a commandment to receive tithes of the people”, and the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were still “zealous of the law” and were still being obedient to the law of Moses to the extent of still offering blood offerings, still being circumcised, and according to this verse here in Hebrews 7, they still “have a commandment to receive tithes of all the people” who were still “zealous of the law”:

Act 21:17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
Act 21:18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
Act 21:19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
Act 21:20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
Act 21:21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
Act 21:22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
Act 21:23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Act 21:24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.

“All the elders [were] all zealous of the law” and Paul himself “walked orderly and kept the law”. That would certainly have included paying tithes “of the increase of the land” had Paul been a farmer. But it certainly did not apply to those who were not making their living from the increase of the land.

On the other hand, here is how the ministry in the New Testament was financed. Here is how Christ’s own ministry was supported:

Luk 8:1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
Luk 8:2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
Luk 8:3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

Christ’s ministry was supported by all these women of substance “and many others” who gave cheerfully of their substance. It would never have entered Christ’s mind to solicit tithes of the people for the support of His ministry. The tithes which “the Levites [had] a commandment to receive of the people” have no place in supporting the ministers of the New Testament.

The tithe was a tenth of the increase of the land, but the spiritual significance of the number ten is the completing of the flesh, whether that flesh is in the service of God or in the service of our carnal minds.

For a deeper study on the spiritual significance of the number ten, read our study at this link:

Numbers in Scripture – The Number Ten: Completeness of The Flesh

So it is significant and very instructive to notice that the multiple of ten to the third power, 10 x 10 x 10, is also said to belong to God:

Psa 50:10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

We are not being told that because God owns the tithe of the increase of the land, and because He owns the cattle upon a thousand hills, that therefore He is not the owner of all of our possessions or of the cattle which are on hill number 1001. No, that is not the message. The Truth is:

Psa 50:11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
Psa 50:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

“The world is mine and the fulness thereof” is the spiritual significance of the shadow of the tithe of the increase of the land. When Joseph bought the land, the cattle, and the Egyptians themselves for the Pharaoh, he imposed upon them a double tithe to remind them that they “[were] not [their] own, [they were] bought with a price”.

Gen 47:23 Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
Gen 47:24 And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
Gen 47:25 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.
Gen 47:26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.

“The fifth part” signified that Joseph had saved all the people of Egypt and bought the people themselves and all they owned for Pharaoh, as a type and a shadow of the work of grace which Christ has worked within us for His ‘Pharaoh’, His Father:

1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1Co 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

Knowing that all we now have and are is God’s, this is now how the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to be financed in the New Testament, the New Covenant:

1Co 9:6 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?
1Co 9:7 Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
1Co 9:8 Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also?
1Co 9:9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
1Co 9:10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.
1Co 9:11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
1Co 9:12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
1Co 9:13 Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
1Co 9:14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

Paul stated this truth, and we do the same, but he never once solicited funds for his own personal support, rather he was careful not to “use this power… lest [he] should hinder the gospel of Christ”.

It is in 2 Corinthians 9, in the context of soliciting support for the churches in Judea which were enduring a famine, that Paul informs us from whom he was willing to receive support:

2Co 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

“Cheerful givers”, not a grudging tithers, were those who supported the ministry of the apostle Paul. The Philippians were commended for being just such a congregation:

Php 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
Php 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Php 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Php 4:14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.
Php 4:15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia,
Php 4:16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.
Php 4:17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
Php 4:18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.

God loves those who love Him, and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. They are those who “communicate with the [financial] afflictions of the ministers of Christ, who send once and again to minister to the necessities of the ministers of Christ and whose offerings to Christ’s ministers are “a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.

For many years I quoted “what we sow that we shall also reap” thinking those words were spoken in reference to reaping the fruits of our sins, when in reality this is the context of that statement by the same apostle Paul who tells these Philippians “I desire fruit that may abound to your account”:

Gal 6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things [“Live of the things of the temple… live of the gospel”, 1Co 9:13-14].
Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

I hope all these verses of scripture have proven that the Old Testament law of Moses “tithe of the fruit of the field” was never intended to be the New Testament means of supporting the ministry, the orphans, the widows or the strangers. Instead our lives are now intended to be a “living sacrifice unto God, to the extent that we work to support our families to keep from being worse than an infidel. We minister to every need “as we have… opportunity… especially to the household of faith”, and we live and breath as a living sacrifice in the service of the kingdom of God which is within all in whom Christ dwells:

Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Your brother who is seeking to be just such a living sacrifice,

Mike