Question:
Pastor Jay hi im looking to attend a different church. the one I was attending has begun to stray from the Word of God and has been falling in love with chasing signs and wonders,(apostate church). I was wondering what is your stance on the NAR (new apostolic reformation), the prophetic movement, latter rain theology? Would you support the Lakeland "revival", Todd bentley, Bill Johnson, or anybody who teaches a kingdom now theology? God bless, Tom

Answer:
Thanks for the question Tom. Living Hope Church does not hold to, teach or practice the use of sign gifts (signs and wonders). We beleive that these particular gifts (including tongues) were active in the Apostolic age with the infant church, serving a very significant purpose in validating the message of the Gospel to the Jews. We do not believe that there have been progressive "waves" of special manifestations of the Holy Spirit. So much of the activity (Toronto Blessing, Lakeland revival) have not been characteristic of true Biblical revival which emphasizes the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, the purity and authority of God's word and the need for a Godly-sorrow type repentence (2 Corinthians 7). So much emphasis and energy has been put into the display of signs and wonders by some in the radical elements of the Charismatic movement that the dynamic message of the cross which should be the central focus of the church has been delegated to a lesser role in favor of the emotional and sensational often out-of-control human experience (barking like dogs, crawling on hands and knees, uncontrolled laughing, etc.). Couple these with the unChrist-like values and lavish millionaire lifestyles of some of the major players in these movements and one has to wonder who they are trully serving (and who they are fleecing!) I think I know what Jesus would say!

I can't speak with any knowledge about the men that you mentioned, or some of the specific movements you mentioned. All I can do is speak to what Jesus said of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in John 13-17, and to the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 regarding the need to put less emphasis on the showy gifts and more emphasis on love in the Spirit-filled use of our gifts to one another in the Church. It seems that our carnal flesh is attracted to the sensational, and less to the spiritual disciplines of Holy living through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.


Pastor J. Jay Williamson

Question from Vanessa:

Hi i have a question I have started to tithe, but i am confused... first f all when you tithe are you ONLY supposed to give the money to a church? i ask this because everytime i give to someone in need i deduct it form the tithing amount, is this a correct way to tithe? My sister in law that is a dear christian tells me that I can only tithe to a church , that i can help other but it does not count as tithing, it only counts as a good deed. Please enlighten me on this since i want to make sure i am tithing the correct way, are there scriptures that say that all tithing must ONLY go to churches? I am just not sure if I should just give all my tithing to church, and then give additional for good deeds because i wouldnt be able to afford it .

Answer:

Dear Vanessa:

Thanks for your question!

First of all, the principle of Old Testament tithing as it is with what some have called "proportional giving" in the New Testament (see 1 Corinthians 16:1-2) is to honor God first with what He blesses us with through income or the harvest of our crops ("first fruits"). To give God the first and best of what we harvest (wages from our emplyment) declares that He is God and deserves the first and best of our finances, our hearts, and our lives. While the amount of 10% was given as the proper starting place for our giving, God has always been more interested in the attitude(s) of our heart (faith, sacrifice, mercy, joyful) than He is with any specific dollar amount. The poor woman (Mark 12:41-44) who gave what amounted to only pennies was commended by Jesus because she gave all that she had to give and it cost her dearly, while the rich people who gave were giving out of their abundance and it cost them little. The point here is simple. There are those who faithfully tithe to the Lord on Sunday, yet God is not the least bit impressed with their giving because they are not giving from a sincere heart of worship. And there are those who merely "tip" God with a few bucks each payday using the excuse that tithing is an Old Testament practice, and they because they are no longer living under the constraints of the Old Covenant are under no obligation to give a set amount to the Lord from the fruit of their income. Obviously God is not impressed with their rationalization for not giving a significant amount (as !0% certainly is to most people) God looks at our heart and if we are stingy, grumpy, complacent or faithless because we have spent or want to spend our money on worldly values (materialism, amusements, selfish pursuits, etc.), God is deeply grieved by what He sees.

Now, you raise the question - Where does God want me to present my tithe? The tithe to the Lord was to be brought into the central worship location (temple) and put into the storehouse (see Malachi 3:8-10), and was used to support those who were serving in the temple. In the New Testament beleivers were to bring their giving to the church gathering on the first day of the week and the church would then distribute the finances to meet the needs of those serving and those who needed help with their basic or special needs.

The Biblical model then is to bring the tithe or "proportional" giving to a central place (temple or Church gathering) and the tithe was then distributed to meet the needs of the church and in the church. The Bible also speaks of various "offerings" that Israel, God's covenant people were to respond to (over and above their tithe) to meet the needs of the less fortunate. This principle is clearly evident in the New Testament as well. God desires that we demonstrate love and care to the hurting through the resources that He has gifted us with. Some have come to think that the tithe principle can be re-interpreted to allow for exchanging the giving of the first fruits of our income to the Lord, by giving 10% of their time to the Lord in ministry, or by giving their tithe to help others and other para-church ministries (TV ministries, etc.), This CAN NOT be supported by any biblical example or any biblical principle. Yes, we can dedicate portions of our time to serving God in ministry, and yes we can support other ministries, but this is not considered the same as tithing or proportional giving as we have seen in the New Testament.

I hope this helps!
Pastor J. Jay Williamson
Living Hope Church
www.livinghopetoledo.org

Question from Farrah:

Hello, I am really struggling with a question. Does Isaiah 66:17 say that we should not eat pork? It has to do with pork. I have read that pigs carry tons of diseases that they pass on to humans, and that they are used in some parts of the world strictly to, "clean-up" because they will eat anything. Some tribes will put them under their toilet holes, which the pig then eats the tribe's feces. I just don't want to pass on any information to anyone that may not be from God or what is in the Bible. In Isaiah 66:17, it groups people that eat swine in with Revelation and that makes me think that we are not suppossed to ea t pork. But, there are also parts of the NT, that state that all foods are clean, like when Peter is praying on the roof. But I read that those animals represented people, not really animals. I also read that all the passages in the NT have to do with meat sacrificed to idols. I personally do not eat pork for three reasons: 1. I don't know if the Bible says it is okay 2. It seems that pork is the cause of many diseases. 3. I don't want to be a stumbling block for any of my Muslim friends and my husband. Did Jesus follow the dietary rule about not eating pork? The last thing I want to do is judge anyone on what they do or do not eat. I remember being that way as a Muslim. I am wondering if God said to not eat pork, for our health, but it is not a rule that we "have" to follow. It is just there as a guideline if we want our body to be a Temple. I would love to hear what you think. God bless, Farrah

Answer:

Farrah:
The context of Isaiah 66:17 is: God's judgment upon the self-righteous efforts of the pagan idolotry that many of God's covenant people (Jews) had embraced. See also Isaiah 65:3-8 for a more comprehensive description of their blatant disregard for Jehovah and their pagan practices. For the Jews under the old covenant the eating of pork was forbidden because of the need for ritual purification. While pork may be inferior as human food (according to some), God gives us freedom to eat it as you have stated in your mention of Peter's experience in Acts 10. Your desire to not be a "stumbling block" to your Muslim friends and your husband reveals a sensitivity and compassion for them which is very refreshing (and biblical). The principle of not exercising certain freedoms (eating meat that had been used in idol worship) for the sake of the spiritual welfare of others (Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 8) is in reference to the beleiver's relationship with fellow believers who were "weak" or new Christains. While the context refers to the way believers ought to exercise love and sensitivity to one another, I think it is fair to say that the principle certainly "spills-over" to having a sensitivity and love in reaching our lost friends for Jesus.
Listen to the Lord, and don't eat if you have doubt. (Romans 14:22-23)
Pastor J. Jay WilliamsonLiving Hope Church
www.livinghopetoledo.org --- livinghopechurch@livinghopetoledo.org