Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Ever had burn out on the teaching of ‘paying your tithes?’ Don’t blame you if so. I really don’t much for the term paying tithes. No one pays tithes. However, there is a word that speaks much better to what honoring the Lord is all about. It is the term ‘first fruits.’ The issue of first fruits is often one of the most misunderstood Biblical teachings today. Let’s see if we can get a fix on what’s the deal on first fruits.

Here are snippets of the Scriptures most often used for a teaching on tithing. “Will a man rob God … You are cursed with a curse … ‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,’? says the Lord of host, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” (Malachi 3:8-10 nasb.)

The struggle that most people have today is trying to figure out where this portion of Scripture fits into the new covenant. Actually it doesn’t fit. That is, it does not fit in the same way that it was set forth in the Law of Moses. No one has to tithe to go to heaven. And there is certainly not a curse placed on anyone who does not tithe. The Law of Moses is not the instrument of righteousness under the new covenant. Jesus alone is our right standing with heaven.

Next we wonder if the Law of Moses has any bearing on our life at all. Yes, it has a great brearing if we know how to work with it properly. Paul said that the Law is good if we learn to use it lawfully. Using the Law of Moses lawfully means that we must always view the Law through the lens of the new covenant. (1Tim1:8) It is never to be used as a whipping post for new covenant believers. However, there are blessings contained in the Law that can be secured by new covenant believers.

How then would this blessing aspect apply to the tithe? Good question. The apostle said that the entire Law of Moses contained a curse and not simply a curse placed upon the tithe. The curse had to do with covenant provisions. When the people disobeyed the Laws of the covenant, they then placed themselves under the curse of the covenant. The Law of Moses was considered a marriage contract between God and Israel.

The curse of the Law was removed in Christ. Think about it. If the curse was removed in Christ, then what do we have left. What we have left is the blessing provision. (If you understanding it properly.)

Let me share snippets of another portion of Scriptures that uses the words I much prefer, which is the term ‘first fruits.’ Solomon said, “Trust in the Lord will all your heart and do not lean to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes … Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the FIRST of all your produce, so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:5-10 nasb.)

Now we need to ask the questions: Does honoring the Lord from the FIRST of our produce change with the new covenant? Do we now stop? honoring the Lord with the FIRST of our produce because this promise is outmoded today?

The issue of honoring the Lord never ceases to be an issue in any covenant. It applies to the whole of our lives. However, the issue takes on a different venture for new covenant believers. The reason is because the spiritual laws and principles are eternal laws and principles. They were written for our benefit so that the Spirit of the Lord would have a teaching place to train us about honoring the Lord and about living a life of giving.

Remember what the Lord said, “It is better to give than to receive.” There are reasons for this. Once you discover the reasons you will forever become a giver and not simply a taker.

The bottom-line issue comes back to the heart. This is what first fruits is all about. The apostolic said that the Holy Spirit takes the laws and principles of God that are found in the Law of Moses, that is, those laws that would be applicable today, and thus places them into our minds and writes them upon our hearts. (Hebrews 8:10)

Listen very carefully to these New Testament Scriptures:

“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure — pressed down, shaken together and running over. For by YOUR STANDARD of measure it will be measured to you in return.” (Luke 6:38 nasb. Notice that the Lord says our blessings in life will always be measured by our measure of giving.)

Another:

“The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:6,7 nasb)

And again:

“This I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he as PURPOSED IN HIS HEART, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful given. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 nasb.)

Did you take note? Giving is a thing of the heart. Our giving should never be done in a grudgingly manner or because we are under compulsion or if we are under condemnation. If our giving cannot be from the heart, it would be better not to give at all. The Bible often talks about God searching the hearts of all men.

See where the struggle really is? The point is that spiritual laws and principles don’t swing back and forth depending on which covenant we are under. Spiritual laws are always in place. The difference in the new covenant is that believers are given new hearts. In these new hearts the Holy Spirit teaches us how to live before the Lord. The Lord teaches us where to give, when to give, and how to give.

Yet, be forewarned. Some believers struggle in the area of giving most? of the time. You can always tell who the strugglers are. They stay in a financial bind. The point is, don’t expect the blessings of a giver to come to your house if you have not learned to be a giver yourself. (Remember what the apostle said about being deceived. Whatever a man sows, this is what he will reap.)

Why not ask these questions of yourself. Am I having all sufficiency in everything? Do I have an abundance for every good deed? Or, does it seem that I am always living on? ‘barely-get-along’ street.

Certainly there are other things involved in the financial picture, such as getting out of debt. But in this study I simply wish to stay with first fruits.

I could share a great many examples of what happens when ‘first fruits’ takes it proper place in our hearts. Here is one — A young couple at Christian Challenge gave a recent testimony. They were tithers on a regular basis. Yet things seemed to be slipping. With regard to tithing, they would wait until everthing else was paid, then they would write their check to Christian Challenge for a tithe. And sometimes they would hold their tithe check to the side just to make sure everything was balancing out. It was getting tighter all the while.

Bare in mind that we rarely deal with the subject of tithing at Christian Challenge. The reason is because I’ve never felt it was that necesssary. Life itself will teach this lesson. Besides that, most of the times believers will teach one another. However, something was said from the pulpit in passing that caught the attention of this young couple. Had to be the Lord.

Afterwards they had a heart-felt conversation about how they were not honoring the Lord properly. A decision was made? from that moment that the very first check they would write would go to Christian Challenge, and it would be on the gross, not on what they had after taxes. (I’m simply relating a testimony. Not telling you what to do.)

And the testimony took its place. They got so excited. The brother stood up and declared to the congregation what had happened to them. The very next week the windows of heaven opened and their financial picture began instantly changing right away.

This is not a new testimony. In my 40+ years in the ministry I’ve seen it happen time after time after time. And guess what? Tithe in the new covenant is not a matter of 10%. It is a matter of 100%. This is why we must let the Lord guide us in our giving. There will be times where the Lord calls for a sacrifical giving. Betty and I learned this many years ago.

Why am I telling you all this? It is because the Lord has laid it on my heart to provide this special study. I am an old warrior of the cross. I know what will work and what will not work. And believe me, first fruits from the heart always works, every time, all the time.

What the Bible teaches is that we must always do our giving with a view to righteousness. Jesus said that we are not to judge by appearance, but with righteous judgement. This means that we must always let the Lord guide is in our giving.

I hope this study reaches into your heart. I believe that most finaicial problems in a believer’s life can be contributed that a lack of giving on that believer’s life. But giving is not the only part of the equation when it comes to the blessings of the Lord. We need to learn the Biblical principles of finance. Get out of debt. Get out of debt. Get out of debt. (Nuff on that one.)

Please think this study though. These is a lesson to be learn. Are you up to it?

In Christ,

Buddy

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Journal,

Seems my wake up calls are running from 3 to 4 a.m. each morning. Always spend a bit? thinking about the things of the Lord before I drift back off to sleep. It is sort of a check up on myself time where I look at the day ahead, and think about the day just past. Suppose you can say this is my, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” (Ps139:23,24 nasb)

Up at 6 a.m. CJ and I made our morning venture to pick up the paper. Saw the light was on in Nathan’s office so passed my greeting to him. Tapped on his window with my cane. He is preparing for the morning service. David said, “Early will I seek You.”

CJ and I had our paper reading, coffee, and then a settling in for our morning devotion. Course CJ simply suggles next to me on the love seat. (He? don’t much care for coffee.)

7:10 am. Had a wonderful call from my cousin Jerry Lee Fletcher. Said that I was on his mind. Jerry Lee was probably the closest of my cousins to me when we were kids. Did a lot of romping together. Got to baptize Jerry and some more of my kin at my last pastorate. Its been my experience that when you find that one ‘key’ member of a family, they become the rally point for others of the family to come to the Lord. Jerry has pretty much fit that picture. He has such a love for the Lord. It has spilled over into his family.

Talking to Jerry brought back several memories? about baptizings. My last pastorate was also the first church that I held a revival in, in 1970. (Later pastored it in ‘75 and ‘76.) That first revival was a glorious time. I? baptized all the pastor’s children a couple of weeks before the revival began. At the ending of the revival we had a sight to behold. It was late at night. The cars gathered at Community Lake near Flatwoods, and set their lights to shine on the happenings.

I took fifteen people out into the waters and did we have? us a baptism. The picture is forever etched in my mind. I was just a young buck preacher at age 30. Didn’t know a whole lot, but the Lord still honored His word. The peoples responded to the call of the gospel message of Jesus. (Seems my first and my last revivals had the greatest number of baptisms. Last revival we saw 25 baptized. My revivals were largely in country churches.)

Got to tell this one story and? Jerry and Me. It was our watermelon raiding days. We left the horse at the bottom of the hill near the creek. As we? passed watermelons over the fence at the top of the hill, the melons begin rolling. Down they went and away the horse went. We had a time catching that horse. That was just one case. Also had to flee one time when the gentleman came out with a shotgun and shot in the air. He wasn’t really trying to hurt us. Everyone knew about the watermelon raiders. We never damaged any patches.?

Ok! The big day is here. Shana and Tim arrived for our Sunday service at Christian Challenge. Shana stayed with me to watch the services via the Internet. Tim had a bit of a cold so he and Betty and the grandkids went on to church. Wow! What an awesome service. And what an awesome service it was. Betty brought the grandkids by the church camera to wave at Shana and me. Sweethearts all.

As I said earlier Nathan is doing a series in January on ‘What we believe.’ He is taking our Statement of Faith and also our Seven Tenets of Faith and will go through them during the month. It was simply amazing to see Nathan the master weaver at work. He absolutely surpasses me as a teacher of God’s word.

Anyway, here is our Statement of Faith that Nathan worked with today: (Comes right out of the Bible combined with one of the earliest creeds of the ancient church.)

“WE BELIEVE there is but one God, the Father, from who are all things, and we exist for Him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things and we exist through Him; that God created the world and all things through His own Word; that this Word is called His Son; was made flesh in the womb of the Virgin; dwelt among men preaching the kingdom of heaven; was crucified and then rose on the third day; ascended to the right hand of the Father; has sent the Power of the Holy Spirit to such as believe; will return in the glory of the Father for the saints, and condemn the wicked to eternal punishment.”

Course Christian Challenge services usually run go from 10 to 12 p.m. Guess what? I’m not supposed to be around the grandkids, but they all came to our front door and wanted to see grandpa with his ‘nearly’ bald head. What a laugh we had. You can just call me and Jared, the old and the young baldies. Jared is my eight-year old grandson that I get to baptize Wednesday night. He lit up when he saw my bald head. Betty made me turn around so all the grandkids could have a good laugh. And laugh they did.? ?

12:15 a.m. - Got a call from my mother hen, Lane Fletcher.? His mom and all his immediate family are on a vacation in Hawaii. What a treat. They’ll be back next Sunday. It is always such a joy to talk with Lane. This brother is another of those ‘key’ family members that the Lord uses to minister to the many.

Getting to goodbye time. One more thing I like to share. If you would like to cue in on a special Bible study just? click on my blog (journal) category, ‘Devotions & Studies.’ I am providing a unique study on the subject,? So What’s the Deal on First Fruits.

Many people are not aware of the awesome blessings that associate with the Bible teaching on first fruits.? Take a look at it. First Fruits is a major Biblical spiritual law to the blessings of God. And yet it is one of the most misunderstood teachings that I know.

Guess I’ll sign off for you. Have a wonderful evening.

Love all of you,

Buddy

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