Commitment versus Giving

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

We are disadvantaged when we base our theology on false foundations. Many times we base them on our past beliefs and cultures as opposed to God’s word, the Bible.

We think we know too much when most are illiterate concerning God and the word He has released for our instruction.

It is interesting that ministers think they are deep when they have not even scratched the surface properly. They are teaching people to wade when there is a whole lake to swim in.

What am I talking about?

Why is there so much teaching about giving this and giving the other? Why is there very little, if any, teaching on a deeper encounter with God?

Let us look at giving today, yet completely different from the way it is being taught in our churches.

Who was a Nazarite? Of course those who read the Bible will tell you that it was someone who was completely dedicated to God or someone who totally dedicated himself to God for a season or for life.

In the duration of the vow for the one who had dedicated himself, and for life for the one born a Nazarite, his hair was out of bounds to any cutting instrument. He literally belonged to God. Not even the death of a parent could compromise that commitment as it run his whole life. The uncut hair was the sign of his calling.

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)

Is that not Christ’s expectation of our redemption?

Allow me to ask a question. What does a Nazirite give? If he was an offering, what other offering could he offer? Or, in other words what kind of offering does an offering offer?

We are teaching the wrong doctrine. We are teaching people to give things (especially money) instead of giving themselves as the offering.

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. 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. (Romans 12: 1, 2)

Christ sorted out our giving by offering Himself as our sacrifice. It thus means that He has bought us completely and therefore totally owns us.

We can therefore wholly offer ourselves as sacrifices, as He did to buy us.

What then belongs to us? Absolutely nothing as we do not belong to ourselves. We are owned. And whoever owns you owns everything you possess. We are not His franchise. We are His property.

The other side is not confused about these issues. You ask for wealth from the god of the world and it is clear that he owns you and runs your life. He can pour anything into your life because you belong to him.

That is the reason he destroys someone who becomes creative after harvesting from him. He will offer fame and success but harvest it just when you should be retiring because that is his greatest adventure. Remember John 10:10?

From drug related deaths to hitherto concealed scandals being exposed, the devil is master of destruction of all he owns, because he owns it. He will never allow it to go to another generation unless he is sure that he has insured his ownership of the generation through vows and other spiritual bonds.

What makes you think that God only owns our souls when we believe in Him? What makes you think that He leaves everything else to us as He is only interested in that soul that will go to heaven?

It is a fallacy, a wrong doctrine, a doctrine founded on sinking sand.

All we are and have belongs to God. 100% of everything we own belongs to God if we believe in Him. Incidentally, even what belongs to the unbeliever belongs to God, only that the unbeliever has not surrendered the running of the same to God. God can and does direct the use of the same as He wills.

A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. (Proverbs 13:22)

God can transfer only because He owns it. You cannot transfer something belonging to somebody else as it will be theft. Even the devil gives because he was given the rulership of the world by the fall. But he also belongs to God.

And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. (Luke 4:6)

To therefore treat our giving as a favor we do to God is the highest level of ignorance. And it is worse when we use the Bible to argue our case. Remember Job?

And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. (Job 1:21)

That is the reality of who God is in relation to what we think we own.

The options are therefore very limited. We can choose to allow Him to lead us to use whatever He has given into our trust or walk in rebellion as we use it as we will.

Christ’s Lordship means that He has authority not only on our souls but on everything else. Remember Matthew 28: 19?

It means that He does have absolute rule on everything concerning us, not simply our souls. In fact, if He really has the rule over our spirits, He then must be running all our affairs. Remember this?

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:34)

It therefore means that if you have a problem having Christ with complete control of what you have, He really is not your Lord. And I am not talking about the tithe and other offerings. I am talking about ALL your treasures, from the money secretly hidden in those accounts to those properties you have saved for the rainy day, because God is the one who brings the rain anyway.

You can’t belong to Christ when your treasure belongs to you. He cannot own you if He must first ask for permission to take what you have.

I don’t think many wonder what some verses mean in the Bible, like

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. (Acts 4:32)

That is what Christ’s Lordship means. Knowing who owns us frees us to do what He wants with our resources without having to worry about the security being owned by the same resources deceives us we have when we think we control them.