2 Corinthians 9:7 – Household Words:

Offerings. 2 Corinthians 9:7.

God created so many offerings for Israel. He gave them options. You could sacrifice an unblemished young bull. Lay your sins on it, kill it, pour out the blood, burn the meat and fat as an offering. It was an elaborate ceremony. But people were willing to do it to receive forgiveness. But what ifContinue reading “Offerings. 2 Corinthians 9:7.”

God Loves a Cheerful Giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.

I planted some rye seed yesterday. I only had one bag—forty pounds. But I wish I had several more. Because the money I spend now will be more than repaid by the money I save on hay later. You see, whatever you plant grows, and grows far larger than the size of a single seed.Continue reading “God Loves a Cheerful Giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.”

Don’t Commit Simony. Acts 8:18-24

Simony, n. The buying or selling of church positions, spiritual power, or miracles. Putting a temporal (finite) value on something spiritual (infinite) in nature. If a priest was promoted to bishop after paying a bribe, the priest committed simony. The name comes from Acts 8:18-24. A man named Simon wanted to buy a gift onlyContinue reading “Don’t Commit Simony. Acts 8:18-24”

Giving and Giving Back.

When I was a child, our church launched a building campaign so we could replace our decaying building downtown with a new and much larger building on the west side. Everyone knew the slogan “two by two” meaning we would give two times as much for two years. That is, we would “tithe twenty percent”Continue reading “Giving and Giving Back.”