HOW MUCH OWEST THOU UNTO THE LORD? Luke 16:5

1. “Tenth of all,” said Abraham (Genesis 14:20).
2. “I will give a tenth,” vowed Jacob (Genesis 28:20-22).
3. “Our gold, silver, and jewelry,” said the children of Israel when they were about to build (Exodus 35).
4. “A tenth or more,” said the devout Jew under an inferior covenant (Leviticus 27:30-33).
5. “According to ability,” says the Old and New Testament (Deuteronomy 16:17; I Corinthians 16:1-2).
6. “We do not owe Him anything,” said the apostate Jews. So they robbed Him―robbed Him by withholding their gifts (Malachi 3:8-9).
7. “A tenth of all,” said the heathen to his false god.
8. “All that I have,” said the poor widow (Mark 12).
9. “Your body and all that pertains to it,” said the inspired apostle (Romans 12:1).
10. “Beyond our power, or ability,” said the Christians in Macedonia (II Corinthians 8:9).
11. “One tenth of my income,” says the Roman Catholic, the Mormon, the Seventh Day Adventist and others.
12. What is your answer?

“As much as I spend for pleasure,” says one. He places the god of pleasure on equality with the only true and living God.

“What I do not need,” says one. He does not have the spirit of God, the great example.

“Whatever I find in my pocket when the plate is passed,” says one who ignores the divine law of purpose (2 Cor. 9:7).

“What I have, that I cheerfully give,” says the true Christian (Acts 3).

The Lord loves a cheerful giver. Upon him showers of blessings descend. Jesus, our great example, gave His life!

rank L. Cox

The Christian Life

The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch (Acts 11:26). “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, ‘Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian’” (Acts 26:28). “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed: but let him glorify God on this behalf” (I Peter 4:16).

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN

1. It means remission of past sins (Acts 2:38).
2. Membership in the church, the Body of Christ (Acts 2:47).
3. He can call God, Father (Romans 8:15).
4. He can worship and serve God acceptably (John 9:31).
5. He has the hope of eternal life in Christ (Revelation 2:10).

HOW DOES ONE BECOME A CHRISTIAN?

1. He believes unto righteousness (Romans 10:10).
2. He repents unto life (Acts 11:18).
3. He confesses unto salvation (Romans 10:10).
4. He is baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27; Romans. 6:3). He is born again (John 3:5). See also I Peter 1:23.
5. A Christian must live like Christ; must follow Him.

WHY WEAR THE NAME CHRISTIAN?

1. It honors Christ who died for us (Hebrews 2:9).
2. We were baptized in the name of Christ (Acts 19:5).
3. Paul condemned human names (I Corinthians 1:10).
4. We are married to Christ (Romans 7:4). Therefore, we should wear His name.
5. There is salvation in no other name (Acts 4:12).
6. We are His children (Galatians 3:26). Hence, we are in His family, and should wear His name and no other.

BECOME AND REMAIN A TRUE CHRISTIAN!

WHAT MUST ONE DO TO KEEP SAVED?

A. This great question implies:

1. Man was once lost in sin.
2. That he has been saved.
3. There is a danger of falling.
4. Something must be done to remain saved.

B. There is a danger of falling.

1. Demas hath forsaken me . . .” (II Timothy 4:10).
2. Simon was commanded to repent and pray (Acts 8:22).
3. The last state was worse than the first (II Peter 2:20).

C. Christians have the power to stand.

1. Give all diligence and add the Christian graces (II Peter 1:5-10).
2. Make your calling and election sure (II Peter 1:10).
3. Then, “Ye shall never fall” (II Peter 1:10).

D. Four safe rules to follow:

1. Read the Bible daily. The Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica because they searched the scriptures daily (Acts 17:11). Newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that they may grow thereby (I Peter 2:2). The engrafted word will save (James 1:21). We will be judged by it (John 12:48).
2. Pray to God every day. Pray Without ceasing – have a regular time for prayer (Ephesians 6:18).
3. Attend all the services of the church. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). The disciples met upon the first day of the week.(Acts 20:7). Christians need this spiritual food.
4. Give liberally of time, talents and means. See I Corinthians 16:2 and 2 Cor. 9:7. “Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.”

MAKE IT AS SURE AS YOU CAN!

OUR RELATIONS ONE TO ANOTHER

A. Love one another.

1. “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
2. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).
3. One cannot love God whom he hath not seen and hate his brother whom he hath seen (I John 4:20).

B. Bear one another’s burdens.

1. “Bear ye one another’s burdens [the crushing burden beyond one’s ability to carry, John Rose] and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
2. “For every man shall bear his own burden [any load one can carry, himself; John Rose]” (Galatians 6:5).
3. Each individual must bear his own responsibility to God.

One cannot obey God for another person. However, we can help one another bear the infirmities of the flesh.

C. Forgive one another.

1. "But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15).
2. How often shall we forgive? Jesus said to Peter: “Until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22).
3. “And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him” (Luke 17:4).

D. Pray for one another.

1. Paul said: “Brethren pray for us” (I Thessalonian 5:25).
2. “Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).
3. Samuel said: “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you” (I Samuel 12:23).

LET US HELP ONE ANOTHER

(above adapted by John Rose from a tract)

Principles of Scriptural Giving

We are not giving what is ours. We do not give to God a portion of what belongs to us. Instead, we are giving back to Him part of what is His. Our decision is not how much to give, but how much of God’s blessings we can afford to keep (Romans 14:8; Haggai 2:8).

Giving is to be according to our prosperity. The more we have, the more we are to give. We are to give as we have been prospered (I Corinthians 16:2). What we have is only temporary. We do not own what we have. God’s bounty is only ours to use for a short time. Our possessions are part of our gifts from God. We will give account to Him of the way we have used them (I Timothy 6:17-19).

Giving is a spiritual matter. Paul speaks of our giving to God as a service (II Corinthians 8:4). It is an evidence of our sincerity and is a proof of our love (II Corinthians 8:8, 24).

Our generosity will be rewarded. Although reward can never be a proper motive for giving, we have God’s promise that He will not forget us and will reward us for our liberality. Read Proverbs 11:24; Matthew 25:29; Malachi 3:8-10.

Giving begins in the heart. The tabernacle was built in the wilderness with gifts that were given from hearts that were stirred to sacrifice for God (Exodus 25:1). Our purpose must begin in our heart, and must be translated to action (II Corinthians 9:6-7).

The Lord knows our gifts. We can hide from men, even the IRS. Yet, we cannot hide from God. He knows our hearts. He sees our motives. He observes how much we give. Our giving is one way to serve Him who is the Source of all things. Let us understand that giving is serious business. It affects our relationship with God. It affects where we will spend eternity.                                  

Author Unknown

How Can It Be Possible?

For a person to be saved before baptism since Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Peter told the Pentecostians to “Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). He also said, “Baptism doth also now save us not the putting away the filth of the flesh by the answer of a good conscience toward God” (I Peter 3:21).

For there to be nothing in a name or one name as good as another when Acts 4:12 says, “There is no other name in which one can be saved.”

For one church to be as good as another when the Lord has a church (Matthew 16:18).

For there to be more than one church as the Bible says, The church is the body (Ephesians 1:23) and there is BUT one body (I Corinthians 12:20).

For one to be saved out of the Lord’s Church since He bought it with His blood (Acts 20: 28).

For one to be saved by faith only when James teaches that we are justified by works and not by faith only (James 2:24).

For sprinkling to be baptism when Paul says we are buried with Him in baptism (Romans 6:3-4).

To observe the Lord’s Supper on Thursday night when Acts 20:7 says that the church at Troas came together on the first day of the week to break bread.

For a Christian not to fall from Grace when the Bible warns against the danger of falling (I Corinthians 10:12), and even speaks of some who had fallen (Galatians 5:4).

For snake handlers to quote Mark 16:18 for handling snakes and not have services to drink poison as the very next thing referred to in the same verse mentions drinking poison.

For one to be a Christian and not be interested in saving the lost.

For a Christian to be interested in saving the lost and never try to teach them or talk to them about the Bible.

For a Christian to be in earnest about going to Heaven and fail to come to Bible study on Sunday morning.

For one to be a faithful Christian and miss the Wednesday night Bible study to watch television.

For a person to love the Lord more than relatives when they will miss services to visit relatives or stay away from services because relatives come to visit them (Matthew 10:37).

For a Christian to make $100.00 a week and give the Lord $1.00 and it be liberal giving (II Corinthians 8:2).

For a Christian to wait until the collection is being taken and run his hand in his pocket and give whatever he may find and purpose to give as II Corinthians 9:7 says to do.

For a Christian to be giving as the Bible teaches and then complain because the preacher preaches on it.

For a Christian to have the spirit of Christ who attends the congregation in their community and then because the elders do not see fit to follow every suggestion to give their money in other places.

I have been looking for a long time to find the answers to these questions. If you have the answer to these questions will you please give them to me in order to put my mind at ease about these people. Most of the people mentioned above think they are going to Heaven so surely they must have the answers. I would like to see all of these go to Heaven but from where I sit I can only ask, “HOW CAN IT BE POSSIBLE?”

Franklin Camp
(1915-1991)

How Can It Be Possible?

For a person to be saved before baptism since Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Peter told the Pentecostians to “Repent, and be baptized…for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). He also said, “baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God” (I Peter 3:21).
For there to be nothing in a name or one name as good as another when Acts 4:12 says, “there is none other name…whereby we must be saved.”
For one church to be as good as another when the Lord has a church (Matthew 16:18).
For there to be more than one church as the Bible says, the church is the body (Ephesians 1:23) and there is but one body (1 Cor. 12:20).
For one to be saved out of the Lord’s church since He bought it with His blood (Acts 20:28).
For one to be saved by faith only when James teaches that we are justified by works and not by faith only (James 2:24).
For sprinkling to be baptism when Paul says we are buried with Him in baptism (Romans 6:3-4). To observe the Lord’s Supper on Thursday night when Acts 20:7 says that the church at Troas came together on the first day of the week to break bread.
For a Christian not to fall from grace when the Bible warns against the danger of falling (I Corinthians 10:12), and even speaks of some who had fallen (Galatians 5:4).
For snake handlers to quote Mark 16:18 for handling snakes and not have services to drink poison as the very next thing referred to in the same verse mentions drinking poison.
For one to be a Christian and not be interested in saving the lost.
For a Christian to be interested in saving the lost and never try to teach them or talk to them about the Bible.
For a Christian to be in earnest about going to Heaven and fail to come to Bible study on Sunday morning.
For one to be a faithful Christian and miss the Wednesday night Bible study to watch television.
For a person to love the Lord more than relatives when they will miss services to visit relatives or stay away from services because relatives come to visit them (Matthew 10:37).
For a Christian to make $100.00 a week and give the Lord $1.00 and it be liberal giving (II Corinthians 8:2).
For a Christian to wait until the collection is being taken and run his hand in his pocket and give whatever he may find and purpose to give as II Corinthians 9:7 says to do.
For a Christian to be giving as the Bible teaches and then complain because the preacher preaches on it.
For a Christian to have the spirit of Christ who attends the congregation in their community and then because the elders do not see fit to follow every suggestion to give their money in other places. I have been looking for a long time to find the answers to these questions. If you have the answers to these questions will you please give them to me in order to put my mind at ease about these people. Most of the people mentioned above think they are going to Heaven so surely they must have the answers. I would like to see all of these go to Heaven but from where I sit I can only ask, “How can it be possible?”

Franklin Camp

“Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee” Acts 3:6

When Peter uttered these words to the lame man that sat begging at the beautiful gate of the Temple, he and John did not have any money to give him. However, they did not use their lack of silver and gold as an excuse for just doing nothing. Unfortunately, many Christians feel that since they are not able to do much, either for the poor or for the church of the Lord, they end up just doing nothing. This world would be a far different and better place if all gave of such as they have. Let us look at some of the things that we can give in service to the Lord:

Time

One of the most valuable things that each of us has is time. It is also something that each of us has an equal amount of. We all have 24 hours each day and seven days each week. If you have the idea that you can spend all of your time, from morning to night, in business, work, or even pleasure and just give a little time on Sunday mornings to the Lord, and that be pleasing to God, you are sadly mistaken. Much can be accomplished in the helping of others and in the growth of the church of the Lord if we will just put time into it. What is more important that it will keep you away from the work of the Lord?

Talents

There is not a one in the Lord’s kingdom that does not have a talent, or talents that can be used for the Lord for each of us has been given according to our several ability (Matthew 25:15). Those who use their talents for the glory of God will find an eternal reward, those who act as unprofitable servants will be cast into “outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30).

A Godly Life

A more powerful influence for good cannot be found than the example that is given by a godly life (Titus 2:11-12; I Peter 1:15). Paul said, “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27).

Worship

Oftentimes we look upon worship as a duty, but it is more than a duty, or should be to the child of God. Offering a sacrifice of praise and adoration to God should be a high and holy privilege for every Christian. We should, like David (Psalms 122:1), be glad for opportunities to worship. This should be equally true not only Sunday morning but whenever the church meets. May we give to our fellow man and to God such as we have.

Ken Chumbley