Some have prayers every day and those are good, but as this new year has come upon us we should consider a prayer for the year. This prayer is going to be the mantra for the whole year. One that has goals (yes goals) that we should work towards. Am a firm believer that unless the Lord builds the house then we labor in vain. So our prayers should be one of inclusion, including God, family, and others. If your looking for a guideline for prayer of course the Bible is the greatest source. If you want to use what I have written in this prayer you have permission. I do believe that all christians get our words from God so plagiarism does not apply. This is that prayer for the year.
“That my faith would be the simple, trusting faith that would continue in trusting the truth of God’s holy inspired word. That there would be no doubt to circumvent what God, His word, and His work in the details of my family, friends, and sphere of influence. That the difficult things I do not understand would not cause me to doubt what I clearly and plainly can and do understand.
That I will understand the purpose of a situation or a person so that I will not abuse them or subject them wrongly about God’s great love for them. For it is better to be kind than to be right. That I will be more loving, sensitive, gracious, and merciful to those around me and those whose faith is weak or wavering. That I will be a voice for and to those who are confused, isolated, lonely, afraid, caught up in destructive behaviors, don't feel like their lives matter, don't feel like they have a purpose, lack direction, whose relationships are not healthy, who are caught up in materialism and consumerism, who have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and the glory of God for an idol or idols, who have become lukewarm, apostate or have never known authentic faith. Grant me the words, change my heart, and open their hearts to understand who they are in Jesus.”
Spiritual Abuse can happen within a church when the following criteria is from the leadership of a church.
When leadership does not understand the purpose of a person then abuse is inevitable. God is the most purposable being in the universe.
Leadership is about falling in love with the people and people falling in love with God as they respond to the love shown them.
Leadership should not be using people as a tool to promote an agenda or program, God is more interested in the person than what that person can do for Him, or what we become rather than what we've done.
Leadership is about serving the people with selflessness, sacrifice, and putting the people ahead of personal interest.
John 13:1-38; Matthew 20:25-28, Philippians 2:3-4; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Peter 5:1-11
Justice and accountability, does this include the 54 million baby's that have been aborted since January 22, 1973? Our Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branch of our Government and the country's people have had an extended vacation for a very long time. It is time to hold all of us accountable. Not only is the loss of life that our country is experiencing and is devastating our souls, but also the loss of income to the economy and our Government (Local, State, & Federal) including the Social Security Shortfall. The people who were aborted would have provided for the future, not only financially but the leadership, direction, and moral compass that we so desperately need. Our financial, moral, and spiritual problems all started by the seed that was planted in Roe vs. Wade and now has culminated in the full blown tree of destruction that is now tearing down the very fabric that our country was built on. Dr. Martin Luther King has said "Ultimately, you can't reach good ends through evil means, because the means represent the seed and the end represents the tree." Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Some have been taught that tithing was an Old Testament law, while freewill offerings is the New Testament way of doing things. (Filip Ologeanu/creationswap.com)
Question: One area that I am researching is the Tithe and offering. I know very well what Malachi 3:7-12 teaches that according to the Law if a believer falls short then they have robbed God and fall under a curse. Paul wrote to the Galatians in Galatians. 3:13 telling them they had been redeemed from the cruse of the Law.
The main point of Malachi 3 is often overlooked. The prophet was telling the Jews to turn their hearts to God and give with love so the ministries would be fully supplied. I know that God wants us to give—and I believe in the law of reciprocity—and I know we need to support our local church, orphans, widows, etc. Here's my question shouldn't support and giving be from the heart and not because we are under a mandatory legal system? What are your views on Tithes, offerings and giving? —Brother Keith
Bible Answer: You asked a great question. I get this question all the time.
Tithing began before the law was introduced. The Law simply regulated the tithe. Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, 400 years before the time of Moses and the Law, and according to Romans 4:12 we are to walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham. If tithing was good for him, it should be good for us, too.
We give tithes like Abraham gave them—not by the Law but by faith. And beside that, if the people of God paid 10 percent before the Law, and 10 percent under the Law, shouldn't we, who live by grace, be doing any less when we have a better covenant (Heb. 7:22)?
There is a passage in Hebrews, which deals with this issue directly. It is Hebrews 7:8:
In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.
Melchizedek received Abraham's tithe. The Hebrew writer shows that Melchizedek is a prefigure of Christ. We can conclude that just as Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek, we give a tithe to Christ who is declared to be living.
Some people think this is a new issue. It is as old as the second century when more and more Gentiles were being converted. The early Jewish believers had no problem with tithing since they had done it under the Law and gave it to the priests. They simply gave their tithe to the elders of the church and did by love. However, as the church became less Jewish this issue came up to the church fathers. They answered the question of tithing with Matt. 23:23: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."
Notice Jesus said, "You should have practiced the latter (justice, mercy and faithfulness), without neglecting the former (tithing)." The fathers argued, and rightful so, that Jesus word ends the discussion. Since Jesus said not to neglect the former—being tithing—then no believer should neglect tithing. I wholeheartedly agree!
Some argue that Jesus words are not applicable to us today, because Jesus was under the Law and spoke to those under the Law. Their theory goes something like this: Jesus was giving an instruction to the Jews, so His words are not binding to us.
The problem with this interpretation is that these teachers are bringing Christ down to the level of a Jewish prophet or Teacher of the Law. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, so this means every word that comes out of His mouth is eternal. He cannot say anything without it being "spiritual law" and everlasting. Jesus emphasizes this point by saying, "Heaven and earth may pass away, but my words will never pass away" (Matt. 24:35).
These supposed Bible teachers are making the words of Jesus pass away—obsolete and out of date. Besides, these same teachers pick and choose which teachings of Christ in the gospels they believe are applicable to us. I notice that even these teachers agree that most of Christ's teachings are for us; however, because they are predisposed against tithing, they have had to come up with an excuse for not obeying the clear word of Christ in Mat. 23:23.
As a believer, you have to show who your Lord is! Is it the teachers who tell you tithing is not New Testament and who tell you that Jesus word on the subject is out of date; or is it Jesus who clearly told us not to neglect tithing? No modern teacher has the right to tell you to disobey Jesus instruction on tithing. Period!
Even if the only passages in the New Testament was Jesus' word, then that would be sufficient, however, I want to present other New Testament passages on the subject. Let's look at Paul's teaching on giving.
Paul also uses the pattern of tithing under the law in 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 and says, "Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel."
Paul argues that just as the priests got their food from the tithes of the people, so the preachers should live the same way. This passage clearly shows the mentality of the apostle and his understanding of carrying over the concept of tithing into the church. The passage often used to contradict this is 2 Cor. 9:7: "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
The argument goes something like this: "Each believer has a right to decide for himself what to give and should not be told what percentage he should contribute."
The problem with this argument is that the above passage is not dealing with giving to support the church, but rather giving to the poor. Under the Law, giving to the poor was a freewill offering. The Law commanded freewill offerings as well as tithes: "But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks" (Deut. 12:5-6).
It is quite inconsistent for people to appeal to freewill offerings yet claim that tithing has been abolished. Both tithing and freewill offerings were incorporated in the Law as the above passage shows, but they preceded the Law, thus they both should be practiced. The burden of proof is placed on those who teach that tithing has been abolished. If so, where in the New Testament does it clearly say that tithing has been abolished?
One last thing, notice the resemblance of the language Paul uses in the first passage in Galatians and compare it with the Old Testament passage about tithing:
"Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor" (Gal. 6:6).
"And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household. When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied" (Deut. 26:11-12).
Galatians 6 is dealing with giving to the teacher of the gospel and he uses the same language about the Levites receiving the tithe of the people and he calls it "all good things." This is pretty good internal evidence that the early church tithed to the ministers of the gospel, although, I admit it is not explicit evidence.
Tom Brownis the founder and pastor of Word of Life Church in El Paso, Texas. He and his wife, Sonia, host a weekly television program, The Bondage Broker, available online.
Spiritual abuse. I've endured it, so I know what it looks like.
As I've said in the past, spiritual abuse, cultish churches and controlling ministries are less often exposed than pastors who coerce teenaged boys and unsuspecting church secretaries to have sexual relations.
Mark Driscoll may pour out crude sermons about oral sex and sex toys in sermons—he's long been ultra-controversial—but the spiritual abuse allegations are most troubling. Jim Henderson, a Mars Hill watcher who took part in a demonstration to raise public awareness of the problems at the Seattle-based megachurch earlier this month—before the Acts 29 network he co-founded disassociated itself with him and the church, and before LifeWay pulled his books off the shelves—described the way Driscoll runs the church like this:
"Malicious, it's spiritual abuse, it's damaging to people's lives, it's jeopardizing the reputations of Christians—it's already difficult in Seattle for people to take Christians seriously," TheStranger.com reports. "Now we have to contend with this guy."
What Is Spiritual Abuse?
I had never heard the words "spiritual abuse" until I escaped a controlling ministry where the subtle practice ran rampant. Someone close to me who had observed the behavior in the church I attended recommended a book called The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.
Jeff VanVonderen, co-author of the classic book, explains spiritual abuse this way: "Spiritual abuse occurs when someone in a position of spiritual authority ... misuses that authority placing themselves over God's people to control, coerce or manipulate them for seemingly godly purposes which are really their own."
I can tell you from firsthand experience that victims of abusive church authority structures may not even realize what they are enduring until they escape its grip. Spiritual abuse is often subtle. Christian cult leaders don't always operate like Jim Jones. Controlling ministries tend to hide behind the guise of spiritual coverings. And far too many outsiders are not willing to even question the messages and practices of such churches. It takes lovers of truth with spiritual discernment to recognize the sometimes-subtle signs of abusive churches. And it takes courage to confront it.
Spiritual abuse is hardly a new phenomenon. You can find instances in the Bible of spiritual leaders exploiting people to build their kingdoms. In Jeremiah 8, the Lord called out the abuse of prophets and priests, saying, "They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious" (v. 11, NIV).
The root problems of people in the "church" were treated superficially. In other words, the pastor put a Band-Aid on the problem so things looked good from the outside but the wound was festering on the inside. The pastor's prominence was more important than the legitimate needs of the congregation.
Modern-Day Spiritual Abuse
Today, this manifests as spiritual leaders recruiting volunteers to build their ministries while neglecting to minister to the real needs of hurting people. In such cases, churches become like businesses. The pastor is more like a CEO than a spiritual leader. Staff meetings center on marketing initiatives that will bring more people—who will bring more tithes and offerings—into the sanctuary. Church services become about external appearances, but the whitewashed tombs are full of dead men's bones.
Jesus addressed spiritual abuse in His day. Beyond His warnings about the Pharisees, Jesus also pointed out ravenous wolves. These ravenous wolves look much like anointed prophets, but their motives are dastardly. Today, the spiritually abusive Pharisaical pastor has a long list of rules and demands and little grace for those who don't rise to the occasion.
Entire books have been written on spiritual abuse. Those books will help you see spiritual abuse for what it is, how you got sucked into the cycle, how to break free from spiritual abuse and how to recover from spiritual abuse once you've escaped its clutches.
Power-posturing is a telltale sign of spiritual abuse. "Power-posturing leaders spend a lot of time focused on their own authority and reminding others of it," writes Dave Johnson and VanVonderen in their book on spiritual abuse. Johnson and VanVonderen say this is necessary because those leaders' spiritual authority isn't real—based on genuine godly character—it is postured.
In practical terms, this might manifest as a leader who likes to remind the congregation that he can excommunicate people or that any anointing you are flowing in comes from the head (him). This leader can never be questioned, and is usually not accountable to anyone. Those around him are usually mere "yes men" who do his bidding in exchange for delegated authority to lord over others.
Performance preoccupation is a sign of spiritual abuse. Johnson and VanVonderen note that obedience and submission are two important words often used in abusive church structures.
Don't get me wrong. Obedience and submission are important. But spiritual abuse often shames or scares people into obedience and submission. True obedience is a matter of the heart. Spiritual abusers apply undue pressure that is not from God. That pressure is usually applied to get you to do the leader's will, not God's will.
Unspoken rules are common in instances of spiritual abuse. In abusive spiritual systems, Johnson and VanVonderen offer, people's lives are controlled from the outside in by rules, spoken and unspoken.
"Unspoken rules are those that govern unhealthy churches of families but are not said out loud. Because they are not said out loud, you don't find out that they're there until you break them," Johnson and VanVonderen write. It often seems these "rules" hold more power than Scripture.
The "Can't Talk" rule is seen where spiritual abuse is present. Johnson and VanVonderen explain that the "can't talk" rule blames the person who talks, and the ensuing punishments pressure questioners into silence.
I'll never forget the day I realized that if you voice a problem you become the problem. If you question why the church no longer picks up the poor kids in the ministry van but has shifted its focus to more affluent neighborhoods, you are removed from your role as a volunteer driver. Others see your fate and decide they'd better not rock the boat. It's a form of intimidation.
Lack of balance and extremism is often present where spiritual abuse lives. This manifests as an unbalanced approach to living out the truth of the Christian life. Johnson and VanVonderen explain that in these systems it is more important to act according to the word of a leader who has "a word" for you than to act according to what you know to be true from Scripture, or simply from your spiritual-growth history.
The truth is prophetic words don't carry the same weight as Scripture, and you can hear from God for yourself. When you rely on other people to tell you what God is saying, you open the door to control and manipulation.
It's not possible to fully expose the inner workings of spiritual abuse, Christian cults and controlling churches in a single article. My goal is to raise awareness of a troubling issue and get you thinking—not to send you on a witch hunt for spiritual abusers.
If you think you are part of a spiritually abusive cult-like or controlling church, ask the Lord to break any deception off your mind and show you the truth. The truth could be that you are in a healthy church and you just need to die to self. But it could be that you are in an abusive system and you need to break free. If your heart is purely seeking the truth, the Holy Spirit will surely guide you there (John 16:13).
Jennifer LeClaireis news editor of Charisma. She is also director of IHOP Fort Lauderdale and author of several books, including The Making of a Prophet and The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at jennifer.leclaire@charismamedia.com or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
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There has been an incorporation of Corporate/Political style management into the Church over the last century that has been to the detriment of the gospel, discipleship, and the Church. My hope is that as you read this that the Lord with the accompaniment of the Holy Spirit may reveal what is being taught here even though this may fly into the face of the majority of Churches and Christians today to teach you how to lead.
What Jesus taught to us and later revealed to us through the Gospels and Epistles is that leadership in the Church should be a servant-leader. Corporate/Political leadership has the top down effect. The leader on top and everyone else below in their subservient roles. The servant-leader is the opposite of this. The servant-leader is the servant to everyone else or has the bottom up approach. Which means that the lives and agendas of others takes precedence over the servant-leader. The servant-leader holds others in higher esteem then oneself (Philippians 2:3-4). In Ephesians 4:11-13 the Churches plan is for leadership to give towards others so that others will do the work of the ministry. The purpose of this is so the body will be built up, reach unity in the faith, knowledge of the Son of God, become mature, and attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
In Ephesians 1:22-23 Paul describes the Church as Jesus Christ being the head over everything for the Church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way. You take one person not being allowed to be taught and matured will not allow the fullness of Christ to be represented. The servant-leader who gets in the way and does not allow to have someone else’s life to take precedence will stop the process of maturity and fullness of Christ from happening.
Matthew 20:25-28 shows Jesus Christ teaching us this very principal of the bottom up approach to leadership. Jesus after learning that the Son’s of Thunder (James and John) wanted to sit at Jesus’ right and left proposed an alternate method of leadership. Present day leadership wants to Lord it over you and exercise authority over you but it should not be with you (talking with Jesus’ disciples). But Jesus continues and says if any of you want to be great in the kingdom than one must be servant and even slave to all. Jesus then tells the disciples that He did not come to be served but to serve. Jesus takes an additional step by saying that His life is to be given as ransom to others. Price for redeeming or liberating slaves, captives, property, life is to die to oneself. Jesus described his entire ministry as one of service in giving his Life as a ransom for many (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45).
There is a cost to a servant-leader and that is to promote others above oneself. That oneself is to die to their own life. The rest of the life of a servant-leader is to help others reach the fullness of Christ. When one loves others above oneself is producing the new commandment in John 13:34-35; John 15:12 that tells us we are to love others as Christ has loved us. Christ loves others by ransoming His life so that others will benefit. How much are you or your Church leadership giving or ransoming their lives to benefit others above their own life, positions, and agendas?
It saddens me and am sure that it grieves the Holy Spirit that most Churches, ministries, and para-church ministries want the Holy Spirit to move but He does not. Most of the time it is due to the management style of that ministry. When it is using the worldly way of management and not the Jesus taught way of management the people are being controlled and held back. Thus squashing or grieving the Holy Spirit in that particular person or churches life. When that happens exponentially across the board then the Holy Spirit is stopped in His tracks. Those ministries need to stop being conformed to this world and let the Jesus management style of His church to run free. Where there is freedom, there is the Holy Spirit being set loose to do the job that God has sent Him to do. We as leaders need to come along side of and help others to grow even at our own cost. True discipleship is in the servant-leadership form. The question to ask is are you or your Church using and demonstrating this type of management style? If not, then what are you going to do about it?
