Thieves
in the Church?
Screen 1
Let's ask God for His guidance during this lesson:
Our Father,
You have so many blessings in store for those who want to follow You.
This is why we ask You to enlighten us by Your Spirit so that, by opening Your Word, we
may understand Your will, and by Your power working within us, we may put in practice the
things You teach us.
This is our prayer, in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Screen 2
Psalm 50:10-12
Every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a
thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field
are Mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
----------------------------------------------------
As the Creator of the Universe, God claims the right of ownership on everything
that exists.
Screen 3
Psalm 24:1,2
The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world
and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it.
---------------------
Job 41:11
[The Lord said,] «Everything under heaven is Mine.»
---------------------
Deuteronomy 10:14
Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord
your God, also the earth with all that is in it.
----------------------------------------------------
The whole Universe belongs to God, the Creator of all things.
Screen 4
God is our Creator and Redeemer. Therefore, we are His property too:
«Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made
us, and not we ourselves. We are His people.» (PSALM 100:3)
«But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are
Mine."» (ISAIAH 43:1)
«Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you
have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price.» (1 CORINTHIANS
6:19,20)
Screen 5
Haggai 2:8
«The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,» says the
Lord of hosts.
----------------------------------------------------
However, we do not so easily recognize that all the silver and gold also belong
to God...
Screen 6
Deuteronomy 8:17,18
Then you say in your heart,
«My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.»
And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.
----------------------------------------------------
Contrary to what we might think, we owe God all the wealth that we gain
throughout our life.
Screen 7
1 Chronicles 29:11,12,14,16
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory,
the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the
kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all.
Both riches and honor come from You. (...)
But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You. (...)
O Lord our God, all this abundance (...) is from Your hand, and is all Your own.
----------------------------------------------------
God is the One who gives us the power to gain wealth, which belongs completely
to Him.
Screen 8
Matthew 25:14
The kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far
country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
---------------------
Luke 12:42
Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his
master will make ruler over his household?
----------------------------------------------------
Jesus has often compared us with stewards whom God has entrusted with His
wealth.
We must manage it with wisdom and faithfulness.
Screen 9
Luke 16:1,2
[Jesus] also said to His disciples,
«There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him
that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him,
"What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no
longer be steward."»
----------------------------------------------------
One day, God will ask us to give an account of our stewardship, that is, the
way we have managed the money He has entrusted us with.
Screen 10
1 Corinthians 4:2
Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found
faithful.
---------------------
Psalm 116:12
What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits
toward me?
---------------------
Matthew 22:21
Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,
and to God the things that are God's.
----------------------------------------------------
To guide us in managing the wealth he has entrusted us with, God has
established a precise financial plan for us.
By taking part in this plan, we will express our gratitude for all His blessings.
Screen 11
Proverbs 3:9
Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the
firstfruits of all your increase.
---------------------
Malachi 3:10
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may
be food in My house.
----------------------------------------------------
The first part of God's financial plan consists in returning the tithe of all
our income, that is, a tenth of all that we earn.
Screen 12
Leviticus 27:30,32
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. (...)
And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the
tenth one shall be holy to the Lord.
----------------------------------------------------
Let's note this important point: we do not give the tithe of our income, we
return this tithe, since it belongs to God.
The principle of tithing is so simple that even a young child can understand it:
- if we earn 100, we return 10;
- if we earn 1000, we return 100;
- etc.
Screen 13
Genesis 14:18-20
[Melchizedek] was the priest of God Most High. And he
blessed him and said: «Blessed be Abram of God Most High. (...)» And [Abram] gave him a
tithe of all.
---------------------
Genesis 28:20-22
Jacob made a vow, saying,
«If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, (...) then the Lord
shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of
all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.»
----------------------------------------------------
In Abraham's and Jacob's time, God's people were already returning the tithe of
all to the Lord.
Screen 14
Matthew 23:23
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.
----------------------------------------------------
Jesus also approved of the principle of tithing, describing it as a thing that
we must not neglect.
Let's carefully note His words: «without leaving the others
undone», that is, without neglecting to return the tithe of all.
Screen 15
Numbers 18:21,26
Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes
in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the
tabernacle of meeting. (...)
Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them:
«When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as
your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of
the tithe.»
----------------------------------------------------
Under the old covenant, the tithe was the salary of the Levites, who were
assigned to the work of the sanctuary (the tabernacle of meeting).
Let's note that they themselves had to return a tithe of this tithe.
Screen 16
1 Corinthians 9:13,14
Do you not know that those who minister the holy things
eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings
of the altar?
Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the
gospel.
----------------------------------------------------
Under the new covenant, the work of the earthly sanctuary has been abolished by
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. The work of the Levites is thus no longer
necessary.
The tithes are now the salary of those whose life is totally devoted to the preaching of
the gospel.
Screen 17
Ezra 2:68
Some of the heads of the fathers' houses, when they came
to the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God.
----------------------------------------------------
For the second part of His financial plan, God established a system of
free-will offerings, whose amount is up to the donor.
Screen 18
God's financial plan also include the gift of free-will offerings:
«Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an
offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My
offering.» (EXODUS 25:2)
«Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart
they had offered willingly to the Lord.» (1 CHRONICLES 29:9)
«But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as
this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You. (...) In the
uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have
seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You.» (1 CHRONICLES
29:14,17)
Screen 19
Deuteronomy 16:17
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the
blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.
---------------------
Acts 11:29
Then the disciples, each according to his ability,
determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.
----------------------------------------------------
The amount of our offerings is up to us.
Each one gives according to his generosity and prosperity.
Screen 20
Mark 12:41-44
Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the
people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.
Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His
disciples to Him and said to them,
«Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have
given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her
poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.»
----------------------------------------------------
God appreciates the worth of our offering according to our income.
Screen 21
Malachi 3:7-9
«Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away
from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,» says
the Lord of hosts.
«But you said, "In what way shall we return?" Will a man rob God? Yet you have
robbed Me!
But you say, "In what way have we robbed You?" In tithes and offerings.
You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.»
----------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately, many people, while claiming to follow God, refuse to faithfully
take part in His financial plan of tithes and offerings.
Screen 22
Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the
one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.
---------------------
2 Timothy 3:1,2
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will
come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money (...).
----------------------------------------------------
Mammon is an Aramean word meaning «wealth».
In fact, the more we approach the end of time, the more people make their wealth their
god.
Screen 23
Mark 8:36,37
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole
world, and loses his own soul?
Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
----------------------------------------------------
The love of money will cause the ruin of many people whom the Lord has been
calling to salvation.
By returning the tithe and giving offerings, the financial plan of God aims precisely at
preventing the development of love of money, so that we do not lose sight of the heavenly
treasure which God holds in store for each one of us.
Screen 24
Selfishness and love of money will deprive us of God's presence:
«For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,
for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows.» (1 TIMOTHY 6:10)
«Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance
of the things he possesses.» (LUKE 12:15)
«"You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I
blew it away. Why?" says the Lord of hosts. "Because of My house that is in
ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house."» (HAGGAI 1:9)
Screen 25
Let's take heed that our wealth does not keep us away from God:
«When your herds and your flocks multiply, and your
silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart
is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God (...).» (DEUTERONOMY 8:13,14)
«Give me neither poverty nor riches - feed me with the food You prescribe for me; lest I
be full and deny You, and say, "Who is the Lord?"» (PROVERBS 30:8,9)
«So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its
owners.» (PROVERBS 1:19)
«No covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and
God.» (EPHESIANS 5:5)
Screen 26
It is better to accumulate treasures in heaven than on earth:
«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.» (MATTHEW
6:19-21)
«But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.» (LUKE 12:31)
«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. Let them
do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for
themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal
life.» (1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19)
Screen 27
Matthew 25:20,21
«Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have
gained five more talents besides them.»
His lord said to him,
«Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make
you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.»
---------------------
Matthew 25:30
And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer
darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
----------------------------------------------------
At the time of His return, Jesus «will reward each
according to his works» (Matthew 16:27).
Our reward will reflect the way we have managed God's possessions during our life here
below.
Screen 28
Isaiah 48:18
Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the
sea.
---------------------
Acts 20:35
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said,
«It is more blessed to give than to receive.»
----------------------------------------------------
Many rich blessings await those who faithfully and generously follow God's
financial plan.
But let's not forget that God wants us to give cheerfully.
Screen 29
God asks us to give cheerfully, not grudgingly or under constraint:
«So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not
grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.» (2 CORINTHIANS 9:7)
«He who gives, [let him give] with liberality.» (ROMANS 12:8)
«Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord: gold,
silver, and bronze. (...) Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose
spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord's offering.» (EXODUS 35:5,21)
«You shall surely give to [the poor], and your heart should not be grieved when you give
to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works.»
(DEUTERONOMY 15:10)
Screen 30
Malachi 3:10
«Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there
may be food in My house, and prove 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.»
----------------------------------------------------
The Word of God is clear: we will go farther with nine tenths of our income
with God's blessing, than with ten tenths without God's blessing!
God invites us to put this promise to the test!
Screen 31
Rich blessings await the faithful and generous steward:
«Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the
firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats
will overflow with new wine.» (PROVERBS 3:9,10)
«There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than
is right, but it leads to poverty.» (PROVERBS 11:24)
«I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his
descendants begging bread.» (PSALM 37:25)
«Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and
running over will be put into your bosom.» (LUKE 6:38)
Screen 32
God will fully provide for the needs of the faithful steward:
«He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he
who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in
his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able
to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all
things, have an abundance for every good work.» (2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-8)
«Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had
enough to eat and have plenty left, for the Lord has blessed His people; and what is left
is this great abundance.» (2 CHRONICLES 31:10)
Screen 33
Let's thank God for all His blessings toward us:
O Lord,
You have created us, You know our heart, and You know how we are easily tempted by the
love of money.
But You have given us a plan which can protect us from this danger, while giving us the
privilege of taking part financially in the progress of Your work.
Prompted by a willing heart, we desire to prove Your promise by faithfully returning to
You the tithe of all our income, and by giving to You free-will offerings, according to
our means.
Please make them bear good fruit for Your work, and please provide for all our needs. In
Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 38 is waiting for you!