Category: Religion Publisher: Blessed Books Publishing Company
ISBN-10: 0979255449
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 194
Copyright: June 07, 2009
ISBN-13: 9780979255441
This Genesis to Revelation study of giving is a must have resource for every pastor and ministry leader desiring the ability to practically and scripturally articulate, support and understand the necessity, purpose and power of giving in the Kingdom of God!
In this down economy churches and ministries are struggling to remain viable and to fulfill their visions due to a lack of financial resources. This lack is not due to there not being enough to meet the needs of the individual or the church, but a lack of understanding. Neither the Kingdom nor its citizens are limited or defined by what the world’s system can produce. God has established perpetual laws that determine the believer’s ability to prosper – regardless of the economy.
In this revolutionary new book, Dr. Matthews explores the origin and purposes upon which biblical giving is based and masterfully articulates the principles and laws established by God concerning giving. This indepth study provides leadership and laity the information to overcome the objections raised by man concerning New Testament giving and tithing, as well as providing the giver confidence and understanding in their giving.
Dr. Matthews’ legal training enables him to explore and extract often overlooked laws and principles that directly impacts the application and understanding of scripture and God’s Kingdom.
This Genesis to Revelation study of giving is a must have resource for every pastor and ministry leader desiring the ability to practically and scripturally articulate, support and understand the necessity, purpose and power of giving in the Kingdom of God!
Excerpt
The Revelation of “Evil”
To clarify this point, I would like to point to a passage of scripture in which Jesus recognizes the loss of God’s economic system and way of doing things as being evil.
In Matthew 6:13, Jesus says that we should pray that God deliver us from “evil”. It is interesting to note that there are approximately 11 different words used in the New Testament for evil and Jesus decided to use one that points us back to the Garden of Eden. Specifically, the text reads:
“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 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” (Matthew 6:9-13, KJV)(underline added).
In this text, Jesus is teaching the disciples how to pray. It immediately becomes evident, that the primary focus of this “Model Prayer” is the restoration of God’s Kingdom in the earth. This ideal of God was seen in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 before man fell. The conditions and environment in which man lived was God’s intended culture for man. However, when he fell, that all changed.
Many Bibles translate the word used by Jesus for “evil” to mean: in spirit, character or the evil one. This is not correct. The word used by Jesus is in the nominative case, which usually denotes a title in the Greek. Therefore, Jesus can be translated as saying, “deliver us from “The Evil”’. What is meant by “The Evil” can be only be found in further translating the word Jesus actually used for evil.
This word used by Jesus in the Greek is “poneros”. Poneros is derived from the word “ponos”, which means great trouble, intense desire or pain. Ponos base word is “penes” which means to be “poor”. Penes is derived from the word “peno” which means to have to toil for your daily subsistence. If we were to take these definitions and place them in their proper context, it would be rendered: “Deliver us from the pains of poverty and having to toil for our daily bread.” Remember, Jesus had just instructed us to pray for the kingdom to be restored and for our daily bread to be provided. Pain, poverty and toil are all a result of our having lost the Kingdom of God and being subject to the consequences of the curse.
Therefore, the consequence of the curse was the frustration of man’s ability to be productive in his workplace. The ground was where man received what he needed to feed and cloth himself. God’s curse upon the ground impacted our relationship with the earth. Prior to the fall, man’s job description was to “dress and keep” the Garden (Genesis 2:15). After the fall, his job description was changed to that of “tilling the ground” (Genesis 3:23).
Instead of the ground serving man, man was now required to serve it in order to receive what he needed. The ground withheld from man his needs until he made an investment of labor, sweat and toil. Prior to the fall, when man was in right relationship with God, he simply received what he needed from the ground. This is because the economy was based on provision from God’s Kingdom. Now that he was no longer entitled to these benefits, the means by which his needs were met changed. Man now had to work for or produce a living.
If you long to discover your spiritual gifts, understand your calling, and become more effective in God's Kingdom, this book will provide a solid biblical foundation for your journey.
Finally! Understand and learn from the New Testament Books of Romans, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Corinthians.
Try James first for free
Now there is a Bible translation that is easy to read, understand, and study.
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Finally! Understand and learn from the New Testament Book of Luke.
Try James first for free
Now there is a Bible translation that is easy to read, understand, and study.
This translation is unique in that it is arranged
