Tithing is expected from us to support the work of the Church, Giving is over and above the tithes and what we do with it can be powerful.
This story is about how God works through people who practice giving over and above. It is also about how God works through people like Oral Roberts, The Green family and Mark Rutland.

ORU in trouble:

Oral Roberts University was in financial distress, $70 million in debt and lawsuits pending. With rumors of misused funds the closing of ORU seemed close at hand.
In 1981 the City of faith Medical and Research Center opened with a 60-story hospital but closed in 1989 because of financial problems.
In 1986 the university closed its law school and gave the library to another Bible College.
And in 2007 Richard Roberts took a leave of absence over a lawsuit filed by former ORU professors.
The operation budget for 2007-2008 was more than $82 million and student enrollment is down.

Was Oral Roberts’ message from God wrong or  the wrong people in charge? Large schools and Churches are no different form large business when it comes to management. The larger the organization the harder it becomes to keep expenses and employees under control.
Just when you think all is lost and a vision gone, God steps in with a plan.

Hobby Lobby Executive:

Some have referred to Mart Green as An Angel for ORU and this may be true. Mart Green, and his brother Steve Green have stepped up to the plate to do Gods work at ORU.  Mart Green is now the Board Chair for ORU. And Steve Green, Hobby Lobby Executive is now a  member of the Board of Reference at ORU.
They have stepped in with aid to get Oral Roberts University out of financial distress and build a foundation of economic stability. The Green family donated $70 million to bail out ORU, but the
most important thing they bring to ORU is sound management skills that made Hobby Lobby what it is today.

David Green, father of Mart and Steve, started the art supply store Hobby Lobby in 1972. When the Oklahoma economy declined in 1985, David brought the family together to discuss the survival of the business. The company was built on sound financial and business plans plus a
faith in God that guides company decisions. David was the only child out of six that did not either become a minister or marry a  minister. However, David carried the example of giving
shown by his mother, Marie, into the business world. After some major changes and a decision to simplify its line of products, Hobby Lobby returned to record profits in 1986. Through endurance and faithful giving the company has grown in thirty-six years to 407 stores with 2007 sales of about $1.8 Billion. With Steve Green serving as president in their Oklahoma City headquarters.
In 1998 Hobby Lobby joined other Christian-owned stores in a policy of closing on Sunday. The company has donated property for hospitals, churches and other ministries. They also funded the
movie project, “End of the Spear,” and a follow up documentary, “Through Gates of Splendor.”

The Green family believes in supporting a few ministries well rather than giving a small amount to many.
but personal support as well. They had no prior connection with ORU and felt that the university was worth saving as an institution for building faith. Steve Green stated, “We don’t need fewer colleges or institutions building faith – we need more of them.”

Retired Missionary:

Successful business and institutions look for the best people to be in charge. The Green family found one of the best when they recruited Dr. Mark Rutland. During the last 10 years he has brought Southeastern University of Lakeland, Florida to one of the most respected and well known Christian liberal arts colleges in the world.
Part of the package was an additional $10 million donation to Southeastern University by the Green family.

Dr. Mark Rutland is the right man for the job. If you look at the web site for ORU, you will see a picture of the new president talking
with a group of the students. This is where you will find Dr. Rutland almost every day. He will get to know not only many of the students but all of the faculty as well. The Mission Statement for Southeastern makes this apparent, “Southeastern, a dynamic, Christ-centered university, fosters student success by integrating personal faith and higher learning. Within our loving Pentecostal community, we challenge students to a live time of good work and of preparing professionally so they can creatively serve their generation in the Sprit of Christ.”

He also brings the experience needed for the growth that is coming to ORU. God has been preparing Mark Rutland for just such a task. As a missionary and founder of Global Servants, with strong mission and evangelism efforts in Thailand and West Africa. With his wife, Alison, they have taken time to conduct Couples’ Conference on a regular basis. In a typical month in 2005 Dr. Mark Rutland preached in Canada, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Maryland and South Carolina. And I know that the students at ORU will be hearing him preach at most of the chapel meetings.

Mark is well rounded with many interests, one is the love of music. He said, “Willie Nelson’s soulful rendition of Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain touches me any time I hear it. It is one of my favorite songs but one that is little known and even less appreciated.” He reads books on many subjects on a regular basis and plans ahead for future projects. He once told us that during his years as a minister he would lock himself into a Motel Room for a week and outline all of his sermons for the coming year.

As a manager, I cannot think of a better person to work for. I have heard many on the staff at Southeastern talk at length about working with him. He can and will make decisions, bring in the right people for the job at hand and bring the leadership that is required to manage the great university, Oral Roberts University.

Oral Roberts used his power of Ninety to establish ORU. The Green family used their power of Ninety to save ORU. Mark Rutland will use his power of Ninety to place ORU on God’s path for the future. When we give of our time and money over and above what is required, great things happen!
God brought these strong men and women of God together in order to continue the work that
affects thousands of students who attend Oral Roberts University. I can assure you from personal
experience that under the leadership of Mark Rutland, ORU will grow and prosper. I have seen that at Southeastern University, and at our own church, Mt. Paran North Church of God, during the leadership of Pastor Rutland.

There is calamity. The picture must have been taken at the exact moment tragedy struck. There, in the foreground, a pretty young lady stands beside a mailbox holding a letter in one hand, and the mailbox door with the other. She faces the photographer with a wide smile as she poses in an exaggerated gesture of placing the letter in the box. Her attention is focused on the camera and nothing else. Behind her, a busy street is met with chaos. To the right in the picture you see a delivery truck caught frozen in its attempt to avoid hitting a man who held a newspaper in front of his face while in mid stride, stepping blindly into the busy street. The picture was snapped, the delivery truck was held in time, swerving, inches before colliding with an on-coming mini-van. Both the drivers held expressions of contorted fear as they starred at each other. If it wasn’t for the seriousness of the outcome of this picture, those faces would have looked quite comical. The two vehicles will hit each other head on. The larger delivery truck will knock the mini-van into the air and send it towards a street light. Both drivers will need to be rushed to the hospital with injuries. Both will survive. The young woman in the picture will not. The street light is broken in two by the impact from the mini-van, it falls and lands across the mailbox and the woman who didn’t even try to move out of the way. It happened too fast.

A slight shaking in your right hand briefly betrays your efforts to keep still. Another photo is dropped in front of you. It lands on top of the first but only covers half of it. The half that still shows itself is the half with the smiling young woman holding the letter. No colliding vehicles; No impending doom. The second picture tells its story…

You see the inside of a church. There is a coffin closed at the front of the church and it sits where the priest stands to give his sermon. The picture was taken from somewhere near the back of the church on the right side of the room. The back of many heads are visible between the photographer and the coffin. All those heads are turned slightly to the left. There are many mourners. At the front of the church, just in front and to the left of the coffin, the priest is standing, slightly bent forward with his arm extended out and his hand on the shoulder of a man. In the priests other hand, he is holding a bible that is tucked between his ribs and arm. The priests face is vivid in an expression of sorrow as he looks to the face of the man. The man of whom the priest is trying to comfort is on his knees facing away from us with his both fist closed tightly and held in the air. His head is tilted back and he appears to be looking upwards…towards a stain glass image of Jesus on the cross over the priests podium…or maybe he is looking beyond that. His back is turned to us but it is obvious that he is caught between feelings of rage and grief and is unconsolable.

Absolutely still you sit. There is a heavy pounding inside of you. You feel it in your arms and legs and inside your head. Your eyes move from the coffin in the second picture to the smiling young woman in the first picture. A third picture is dropped. It lands on top of the smiling woman and the priest and the man. All that shows beneath it is the stain glass image of Jesus on the cross. The third picture tells this…

It is a photo of the profile of a man seated in a cafe. The man is holding a newspaper up in front of him about ten inches from his face. The man looks oblivious to his surroundings. He is sitting with his right leg folded over his left, and a coffee in a paper cup waits for him on the small round table to his right. He sits alone. The cafe is busied with people. A line of people at the counter disappears out of the photo and other people are visible sitting near similar little round tables while chatting with each other. The focus point of the photo is on the man with the newspaper. This is made obvious as an angry red circle was drawn around him by someone. The man is unaware that the picture was taken.

A wave of anger washes over you as you look at this man. Your left hand involuntarily clenches and unclenches. It tingles. You reassert your efforts to keep those hands still. You feel loathing towards the man in the picture. A fourth picture lands in front of you. As it lands, it scatters the other pictures. You see the smiling woman again in the first picture, the priests sorrowful face in the second, and the oblivious man in the third. The fourth picture tells…

The photo is horrible in its detail. It is in a dark room, maybe a cellar or an old basement. The man in the picture is the man who reads the newspaper and he is barely recognizable. He is tied at the wrists and hanging from a rope that is tied to something above him beyond the the edge of the picture. His head leans to the left and slightly back. It is held upright by his upward extended arms. His face is bloodied and broken. His eyes are swollen shut and are already blackened by untold blows to his face. He hangs shirtless and his torso is covered in red from the bleeding from his face. His ribs looked caved in on his right side and there are angry bruises all over him. He looks to have suffered through unimaginable torture. The place your eyes keep returning to his the mans mouth. It is jammed open. Although the blood makes it harder to figure out what has been stuffed into it, it becomes apparent that it is newspaper filling the mans mouth and a corner has unfolded, sticking out, making itself known.

You don’t feel sorry for the man. You stare at him and you feel hate. This man stole away from you the woman you loved more then anything… the woman you were going to marry. The woman who was mailing away the first invite to your wedding. It was addressed to her parents, you both thought it was the most perfect way to tell them… surprise them with the greatest of news. They had been asking for months when you two would tie the knot. This man and his damned newspapers took all of that joy and turned it into endless pain in seconds. Nothing any priest could say to you would ease that pain. Not a word or sign from God ever came to help either. Nothing was left in life anymore and it was this mans fault. Your soul was lost. You made him suffer. You hurt him over and over. When he passed out, you brought him to again so you could torture him more. He cried and begged and apologized endlessly. It didn’t matter. She was still dead and he killed her. You stare at the picture and rage and pain stab you with countless knives. He was made to suffer and you killed him back yet this pain still ravishes you. It is worse then before and grows stronger daily.

You are not alone in this room. The words that are spoken to you from the people who have been dropping the pictures sound far away and unimportant. Your hands start shaking and there is nothing you can do about it. There is a roaring sound in your ears and your throat closes tight. Your breaths come in rasps as stars begin to appear in your eyes. The woman you wanted to live life with and grow old with is gone, forever. You buried her… Your arm goes numb and there is a hot feeling inside your head. This man who took her from you is gone but the pain remains. It made no difference to kill him… The table in front of you seems to float away and the floor is suddenly laying against you. There is nothing anyone can do or say that will make you feel whole again… The room fades to black as feet scramble around you and faint shouting can be heard. She is gone from you and you no longer care… Your whole body is numb to you and the world fades away from your being. The pain stays…you hold onto that until the very end. There, just before the last part of your brain dies, her voice cries out to you aghast and horrified, revealing to you what a monstrous thing you allowed pain to make of you….”What have you done?!”

One must understand that being in the church Christ built is an entirely different thing than being in a denomination.  One can readily be in a denomination and yet outside the church Jesus built.  If being in a denomination is the same as being in the church built by Jesus then the denomination has no reason for existence and should drop its denominational name and associations and just call itself what it would be under those circumstances – the church of God, the church of Christ, the church, or some other scriptural name or designation.  It would be “the church” and not “a denomination.”

In this article I am not concerned about how one gets into X,Y, or Z denomination but with how one gets into Christ’s church.  Certainly, there are steps to be taken as there are steps to be taken before one can enter any institution.  One must be made aware of the institution, what it does, and what purpose it serves before any desire can be created to join it.  So it is with the church Jesus built.

Many there are that say Jesus is all that matters, not the church.  Why do they say that?  Because they have a denominational concept of the church.  I am the first to agree that there is not a denominational church on earth that matters and everyone of them ought to cease their existence immediately.  But, that is a far cry from saying that the church Christ built does not matter.

The church built by Jesus matters so much that you cannot be saved outside of it, without becoming a member of it.  It is “the church of God which he purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28 NKJV)  If you are outside that church it means you were never bought with the blood of Christ.  It means you are not a part of the body which he is saving.  “He is the Savior of the body.” (Eph. 5:23 NKJV)  What body?  “He is the head of the body, the church.” (Col. 1:18 NKJV)  The church is the spiritual body of Christ of which he is the Savior.

Christians are “members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones. (Eph. 5:30 NKJV)  “You (Christians – DS) are the body of Christ, and members individually.” (1 Cor. 12:27 NKJV)  One is either in that body or he is not, you are either inside or outside, and where you are makes all the difference for salvation.  Yes, the church matters.  It is not Jesus yes and the church no. 

The church is what Jesus gave himself for on the cross.  “Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5:25-27 NKJV)

Salvation is in Christ which is the same as to say in his body, the church.  “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” (2 Tim. 2:10 NKJV)  In Christ one is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), a Christian, outside Christ he is not.  In Christ are found all spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3), outside him none are found.   “In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ.” (Eph. 2:13 NKJV)  That is in Christ and not out of him.  The list could go on and on but the point is that to be “in Christ” is absolutely essential to salvation but to be in Christ is to be in his body, the church.  The church is thus essential.           

One cannot join the church Christ built.  God adds the man or woman to it under certain conditions.  “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47 NKJV).  Who were added to the church?  Those who were being saved.  Who then is in the church?  The saved.  Who is outside the church?  The unsaved.

Does God just add whoever he pleases to the church unconditionally?  If so it would not be a man’s fault if he failed to obtain salvation.  There would be nothing he could do about it as it would be entirely in God’s hands.  It does not work that way.  At the close of the first gospel sermon ever preached Peter exhorted the crowd saying, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation.” (Acts 2:40 KJV)  Other more modern translations use the words “be saved” but the thought is the same.  It is up to the individual.  The individual has something to do.  Salvation is not unconditional and God does not save men adding them to the church unconditionally.

Does this mean that all who are in the church are saved?  No, for some go astray and live in sin and hypocrisy, in indifference and unconcern, without a deep abiding faith and love, who have fallen away.  It does mean, however, that you must be in the church to be saved for that is where those who will be saved are placed by God.

Upon hearing the gospel before one can be added to the church, before God will do the adding, one must believe what he has heard.  Paul defines the gospel by which we are saved if we believe in 1 Cor. 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received:  that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he arose again the third day according to the scriptures.” (NKJV)  This correlates with Peter’s confession of Christ in Matt. 16 when Christ asked, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15 NKJV)  Peter’s reply was, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16 NKJV)  Jesus then says, “on this rock I will build my church.” (Matt. 16:18 NKJV)  It was by the resurrection that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power … by the resurrection from the dead.” (Rom. 1:4 NKJV)  Thus one must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for our sins and was raised from the dead.

Jesus Christ as the Son of God is the foundation upon which the church was built “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 3:11 NKJV)  He is the “chief cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20 NKJV) of the church (cornerstone being the rock upon which the church is built).  So a man must believe these things about Christ to be saved.  Faith then is essential.  We are “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV) being built up as “a spiritual house” (church – DS) (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV) upon the foundation that has been laid – on Christ Jesus.

But, is this faith enough by itself?  No and all know it who will be honest.  Why do I say that?  Because on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 when Peter preached Jesus to the Jews he did not once command them to have faith in Jesus.  Why not?  He did not need to for their faith became evident when they cried out “to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’” (Acts 2:37 NKJV)  Make no mistake about it these Jews believed everything Peter preached that day in preaching Jesus.

Here is my point – why not dismiss the crowd and go home at that point in time?  If we are saved by faith alone there is no need for any further instructions as to how to become a child of God, a Christian.  No need for further instruction on what is necessary to be saved.  When the men ask “what shall we do” why not tell them to go home now and just continue to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and Savior of the world?

The answer is simple enough to an honest man.  Faith was not all that was necessary.  Peter tells them to, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” (Acts 2:38 NKJV)  There are many who will say that yes they believe in order to be saved one must also in addition to having faith repent of his sins.  However, that is where they want to stop.  They want to separate repentance from baptism in the passage and gladly ignore the fact there is a coordinating conjunction there, the word “and,” that joins the two words making one just as essential as another.  (They do the same thing with the word “and” in Mark 16:16 and in John 3:5.)  It simply will not work.  Peter said they must do both.  If repentance is essential for the remission of sins the same passage that teaches that (this one) teaches also that baptism is.  Both are required. 

I grant you that denominations do not practice this nor do they believe it and you can get into a denomination without it (without baptism for the remission of sins).  But, remember this article is not about how to get into a denomination.  It is how to get into Christ which is the same thing as getting into his body, the church.  None of us should care how you go about getting into a denomination.  Who needs one?  It is the church Christ built into which one must enter for salvation.

The only man prepared to enter into Christ where salvation is found, to enter his body which is the church, is a penitent believer.  In the Great Commission the apostles were instructed to baptize only one group of people – those who were made “disciples.” (Matt. 28:19 NKJV)  One can only know whether or not a person who presents himself for baptism is a believer by asking him.

This brings us to another element essential for salvation – the confession of Christ.  “With the mouth confession is made to salvation.” (Rom. 10:10)  Timothy was said to “have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Tim. 6:12 NKJV)  It is the good confession Christ witnessed before Pontius Pilate (1 Tim. 6:13) which was that he was “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed” (Mark 14:61-62).  See also Acts 8:36-38.

Thus the steps into Christ are, in order, faith, repentance, confession of Christ, and finally baptism into Christ.  How does one get into the body of Christ the church?  “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” (1 Cor. 12:13 NKJV)  “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus ….” (Rom. 6:3 NKJV)  “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Gal. 3:27 NKJV)  There is no such thing as a Christian in the New Testament that was not baptized for the remission of sins.  Why do I say that?

(1) Baptism was for the remission of sins.  (2) It was into Christ.  (3) Christ commanded it (Mark 16:16, Matt. 28:18-20, John 3:3-5) (4) Peter commanded “every one of you” to do it.  No exceptions on the Day of Pentecost.  Paul said to the Corinthians “we were all baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13 NKJV), no exceptions.  (5) The churches of Judea were “in Christ” (Gal. 1:22, 1 Thess. 2:14).  A church can only be in Christ as the membership is in Christ and that comes by way of baptism.

The individual who complies with the conditions that God gave will be added by God to the church for the same process that makes one a Christian adds him to the church when done from the heart.  Only God can know whether or not one truly believes in Jesus from his heart.  Only God can know if a man has repented from the heart of his sins.  These things being true a man can by all appearances go through the steps essential to salvation but God only knows the sincerity of the heart.  I cannot add you to the church even if you by all appearances seem to meet God’s qualifications.  Since I cannot know or judge your heart I have to assume your sincerity and honesty and accept you as a child of God, a living stone in God’s church.  I would want the same treatment from you.  A faithful Christian will never deny such a one the right hand of fellowship.

I would remind the reader in closing that to be in Christ is the same as being in his body, in his church, and that is where salvation is found, in the body of Christ.  “He is the Savior of the body.” (Eph. 23 NKJV)  How does one get into the church Christ built?  The Bible gives the answer, not the local denomination.       

I was leaning over near them, showing them something from the
Book. Mind you that this MIRACLE occured BEFORE I had ever heard
of Herbert W. Armstrong and his biblical teaching that we’re to
become glorified Priest-Kings, teaching in the Kingdom of God,
immortals ruling over mortals with but under Christ! (Rev. 2:26,
3:21, 20:6).

The Kingdom of God is the Royal Family of God administering
the Government of God, with God’s Word as the foundation for
every family and standard for all nations (Isa. 9:7, Dan.
7:18, 27).

At that time I still believed in the traditional “going to
heaven or hell” myths, so I didn’t really know what to think of
the vision. Over a year later, when I attended one of my first
Sabbath services with the Worldwide Church of God [1978], the
minister was preaching about how we’ll be God-Beings teaching
human-beings. I about fell out of my chair! It was as if he was
describing the very vision God had given little ol’ me! That was
further confirmation to me that this Church of God (with its
God-given Sabbath and holy days, special recognition of
Northwestern Europeans and Anglo-Saxons as the “Lost 10 Tribes,”
the Gospel of the Kingdom, etc.) was indeed God’s Church and not
like the baptized paganism of traditional Churchianity! (Grieved
to say, the WCG has gone astray after Mr. Armstrong’s death, but
thankfully the faithful Church of God members left that
organization of deceitful men to remain true to God and the
plain truth of the Bible).

My following minister, George Kackos, whom I later told about
the vision, and who baptized me June 9, 1979 [12 years after
Jerusalem's liberation], told me that the vision was biblical
and that God has also given a “sneak preview” of His Kingdom to
Peter, James and John, with their VISION of the
TRANSFIGURATION:

Matthew 17:1-9

1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his
brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He
was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and
His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses
and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter
answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here;
if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You,
one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still
speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly
a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 6 And when the disciples
heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7
But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be
afraid.” 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one
but Jesus only. 9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus
commanded them, saying, “Tell the VISION to no one until
the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”

I dared to declare to Mr. Kackos that my vision was actually
greater because God had showed them a glorified/transfigured
Christ, Moses and Elijah, but mine was more personalized because
God revealed ME in His Kingdom!

I am an eyewitness to God’s Kingdom and know what it means to be
in God’s Kingdom, both from the Bible and personal experience!
(2 Pet. 1:16-18). FLESH AND BLOOD CANNOT INHERIT THE KINDOM, but
at the Resurrection we’ll be BORN AGAIN as GLORIFIED SPIRIT
BEINGS – just like our older Brother, Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29, I
Cor. 15:49-52, Philip. 3:21)

The vision appeared to emphasize the great DIFFERENCE between
mortals and immortals, flesh and blood and brilliant Spirit.
And, as I later used during a Church Spokesman’s Club speech on
serving in the Churchill Room at the Hillcrest in Toledo, Ohio,
I mentioned this vision and noted that even though we’re to be
given THRONES [which I did not see], those thrones are to enable
us to use our positions for GREATER SERVICE, out of love for God
and mankind. God did not show me merely sitting on a Throne, but
out serving others, teaching, helping, explaining. Mr. Kackos
then gave his usual round up speech/mini-sermon, on the
importance of tempering authority with humility, and said that,
amazingly, I had done just that. I had related the vision as a
fact, but wasn’t boasting about it.

I look forward, by God’s GRACE, to entering His wonderful
Kingdom and meeting those two people I saw back in ‘77! It’ll
truly be BACK TO THE FUTURE

Are Christians being given the full message of the Gospel? Or are the Clergy choosing to keep some information to itself? Is the church in a huge cover up because they are so involved with building bigger churches and directing more people to their television ministries? Has money become the bottom line and teaching people how to hear from God the last thing on their agenda?

I am an author of a Christian book. In my endeavor to spread God’s message I naturally felt that my market should be directed to the churches. So I began by mailing a picture of my book cover and information on how to purchase my book to the surrounding churches in my state. Months passed and hundreds of mailings were sent out. The majority of the churches would not post my information on their bulletin boards.

I was shocked and I questioned why they wouldn’t give their church members access to this book. Maybe it was because I was a woman? Or could it be because I had been an upholster for the past thirty-two years. Of course it could be because I had no theologian education. As I questioned their lack of interest many biblical stories came to my mind.

Amos was a farmer, David a shepherd, Peter a fisherman, Paul a tent maker, yet they were all called by God. Jesus was a carpenter and He was the very Son of God and the Savior of the world. It seemed that according to the Bible I didn’t need any credentials, just a calling from God.

If this is the case then why weren’t the churches allowing their congregations the knowledge that my book existed? Here is the letter I mailed out to the churches:

Dear Church Leader,
I wanted to personally invite you and your congregation to read this book, It answers in detail the reason for our present day life experiences, using my life as an illustration. We want all churches from all religious backgrounds to post the cover and how to purchase this book on their bulletin boards.

So many Christians are depressed and they play the blame game when something bad happens to them in their life. They are worried and upset over the unbelief of some of their family members. They are concerned about raising their children in a world filled with chaos. Christians want to know why they have cancer or why their child died in Iraq. This book answers all of these questions using my life and biblical truths.

This book is filled with encouragements and answers to the hard questions we face in life. Families will be brought together, parents will understand their teenagers, and it will teach us not to judge. This book eliminates the debates over homosexuality, divorce, and abortion. It is clear and easy to understand; it will break down the barriers of misunderstanding and reveals a truth that is being hidden.

This book will help your leaders and teachers be better councilors and deliver messages that are more effective to the congregation. It will draw more people into your church so God can meet the needs of the church less people. The words in this book will explode into revelation that will ignite a fire in the hearts of all mature Christians who need the right ingredients in order to meet the needs of their unchurched family members and friends.

Then a letter came and I was excited. A chief under-shepherd of a large church was kind enough to answer my questions. He gave seven reason why he wasn’t going to let anyone know about my book. Here’s what he wrote:

1. I don’t know what message your presenting.

2. You seem to place ‘my life’ first and biblical truths’ second, in terms of sources for truth.

3. I’m always suspicious when someone tells me they’ve found ‘hidden truth’.

4. I’m also suspicious when someone tells me that a book (other than the Bible) will draw people, make messages better, or explode into revelation.

5. I don’t know your denominational affiliation. Are you Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, Moonie, 7th Day Adventist?

6. I’m leery of people who say “GOD TALKED TO ME”, because those words often precede words that contradict scripture.

7. I’m also hesitant because you’ve mentioned the issue of homosexuality, but give little indication of where you stand.

He concluded his letter with these final words. “In short I can’t recommend a book that I don’t know. Hope this has been helpful.”

Why are Christian people not being given the resources that are available so they can make up their own mind? Are the pastors afraid of new teachings? Or are all Christian lay people incapable of making good decisions, so the pastor’s need to keep their congregations in the dark?

Maybe we live in the dark ages where the Priest did all of their sermons and scripture readings in Latin, because they didn’t want the ordinary, uneducated people to understand “The Words of God”. This way the people had to believe what they said was the proper way to serve and worship God.

Joseph Ho, February 18th, 2009.

The world has never seen such great commercial profiteering in the body of Christ until the turn of this century. What is going on? Jesus has already said a long time ago that his Father’s house shall be a house of prayer, in the book of Matthew, Matthew 21:13, “
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” The people in God’s temple of old were selling sacrifices of animals for a price and that has turned a Holy Site into a market place. Does this resemble what is happening to the Church today? Now people are selling the Material Prosperity blessings for a price, they say, give and it shall be given onto you. So if you give money you get money. Strangely enough, in Asia, we call it the 4D, Toto and the Big Sweep. That’s what one gets when you buy a $3 dollar ticket and then you may get the big price on the date of draw.

“4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead [a] us, such as all the other nations have.”

6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.”

10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle [b] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.”

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.””

The ten percent Tithe which was given to the High Priests is now given unto the king. Now who are the kings of the world today, they are now called Governments and Monarchs. And where is the Tithe now being paid? It’s to the Government of each country that every citizen has to pay this Tithe.

So what is this Government Tithe?

It’s called the INCOME TAX guys. Simple as that, we do not need to burden ourselves by paying another tax to the church. Now the Pastors of the modern church calls this “PROTECTION MONEY”, since if you pay this Tithe, you will never get your money stolen nor loose your Job which gives you income nor will you loose your possession to scams and conmen. When you paid this Tithe as preached, it’s an INSURANCE against the devourer, and God will ensure this devourer will not steal from you ever again. It’s a promise as preached.

Isn’t this Pay Back Time?

In time of wealth and prosperous economy this Principle of Tithe works. But when the entire world is under severe economy recession and crisis, I would love to see how these pastors and preachers of prosperity are going to ensure this devourer never affect the Tither’s piggy bank. Now its time to test this principle as preached. For God will bring every works to the Test of FIRE. The “HOLY INSURANCE” sales guy must now prove that their product is going to work for all Christians. They did not say if you Tithe and Sin God will not bless. No, they say if you Tithe God have to bless. If you don’t mean what you say don’t say it, for we all have to give an account of all our words before the Lord God on the day of Judgment, as mentioned in Matthew,

Matthew 12:36, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”

As far as I know, everyone will be affected by this Economy Crisis in 2009; even the Christian who Tithes. Because the pagan are also bosses of the Christian so if God will not bless them since they do not Tithe, their business will suffer and then it will affect their Christian employees. Jesus says do not remove the weed from the wheat until the time of Judgment, so I don’t think this will work as well. Pagans and Christians coexist and prosper materially in this world because money is not a Spiritual Fruit.

Imagine if you tithe constantly and monthly yet you bear false witness against your brother, yet you steal, yet you rape, yet you beat your wives, will God still bless you when you Tithe? If not, the Tithe can not be a blanket guarantee of you not loosing your materials possessions and even your money during times of crisis. What is you best hope then? The Lord is our Shepherd and Provider, Psalms 23:1-3.

So should you Tithe or not Tithe that is the question?

Dear people, we have to know that God’s priests do not do any industrial activity but they teach and preach, so they have to eat. Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 9:9-12,

“9For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. “Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?”

So Paul expects the people in the church who were fed Spiritual Food to share with them material needs. That is to say, we are to give unto the Priests and Pastors a Free-Will Love Offerings to sustain them in their work, while the Tithe is already paid to the Government of each country in the terms of PERSONAL INCOME TAX. Surely a good God will not burden his people again by requiring them to pay double taxation. When God does not even require of us to be circumcised, why then would God require us to pay such heavy duty tax to both the Government and to his Church. The bible says, God loves a cheerful giver and we are to give according to our means and be happy about it. So how to be a cheerful giver when we are required a fixed amount, we must give from our hearts.

So why are the Prosperity Churches growing when they deceive the world?

In 1505, Martin Luther received his Master’s degree and in keeping with his father’s wishes, he enrolled in the law school of that university. But his destiny was rewritten when a lightening bolt struck near to him as he was returning to school. Terrified, he cried out, “Help, St. Anne! I’ll become a monk!”.  Martin was saved of his life, but regretting his words, Martin Luther dropped out of law school and entered the monastery. Martin fully dedicated himself to monastic life and began his efforts to noble deeds to please God and to serve others through prayer. He indulged in fasts and long hours in prayer, undertook pilgrimages, and constant confession. The more he tried to devotedly work for God, the more aware he became of his own sins. In 1507 Luther was ordained to the priesthood. In 1508 he began teaching theology at the University of Wittenberg. Luther earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies on 9 March 1508 and a Bachelor’s degree in 1509. On 19 October 1512, the University of Wittenberg conferred upon Martin Luther the degree of Doctor of Theology. After earning the doctorate in theology, Luther instead of settling down to a scholarly monkish life or an uneventful university career teaching theology, began to develop his own personal theology, when he protested the use of indulgences in his ‘95 Theses’.

Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora, a former nun and with it began the tradition of clerical marriage within several Christian traditions.  Luther’s translation of the Bible also helped to develop a standard version of the Bible in German language.  Luther’s hymns were responsible for the development of congregational singing in Christianity. The compulsion of priesthood and the demand for delivering lectures prompted Martin Luther to study the Scriptures in greater depth. Luther engrossed himself in the teachings of the early church and began researching on them.  The uproar and tumult started with the publication of his 95 Theses and the controversy that was let loose brought even more pressure on Martin Luther to more intensely study the Bible. This intensive study convinced him that the Church had lost sight of several central truths the Bible contained.

Luther’s first writing was ‘The Sermon on Good Works’, in which he argued that good works do not benefit the soul but only faith could do that. Things took a turn for the worse when Pope Leo declared 41 articles of Luther’s teachings as heretical teachings, and Luther’s books were publicly burned in Rome. This made Luther more indignant in his effort to reform the church. His treatise, “Address to the Christian Nobility of Germany,” exhorted the German people to use military means to force the church to discuss grievances and reform. Luther initially saw himself as a great reformer of the Catholic Church, and though a simple monk thought the force of his ideas would redirect the Leviathan of the church. But in the end, however, he divided Christianity into two separate churches and the second division came to be known as Protestantism.