First Fruits Offering
Many denominations have realised the profits to be made with a First Fruits Offering. From a small congregation of 100 people you could make easily $50 000 in one week. Not to mention the millions that can be made with a larger congregation. They translate Leviticus 2:12 into everyone in their congregation giving their full weekly income to the church one Sunday a year. No they don't want fruit or grain they want cash / credit / eftpos / cheque. Special considerations can be entered into if you can't pay upfront of course however this is not preferred. (Seperate to tithing obviously)Example First Fruits Sermons:
"The seat you are sitting in now is from the extravagant giving of this church. We paid for the building, We paid for the sound equipment and lights and We paid for your seat...
If it wasn't for the extravagant giving of these people nothing would be here.
...
Thank You for being so easily led in our First Fruits Offering"
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Just who will build His church?
Please click on the flyer above to see first hand how churches use first fruits.
Pledging
First fruits must be paid up front however it looks like pledging is alive and well in the churches.
Proverbs 17:18A man lacking in sense pledges. And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
Proverbs 11:15
He who puts up security for another will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe.
Proverbs 22:26
Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts;
* Names have been removed to keep organisations private.
Add Your Comment(12)
First Fruits OfferingPosted by Correy Monday, February 27, 2006
After reading many creeds and belief statements
I decided to stick to my own
12 Comments:
This is only one step in the money-grubbing process that many churches and preachers (especially tel-evangelists) are taking.
One "Christian" television network recently held a telethon that fell about the same time as the Jewish day of atonement. This network was encouraging Christians to send in an "atonement" offering. This is a great insult to the sacrifice and sufficiency of Christ as the atonement for our sins.
Yes, money-grubbers.
Gordon:
An atonement offering how deceived do they think the people are?
First Fruits Offering is so similar. Translate something from the country Israel across to the church business and bingo instead of supporting an entire country you have no overheads and can use this pure profit however you please.
It is a regrettable shame of the church when the foyer is filled with cash registers, When the gospel preached is money, when condemnation of tithing & law is a burden placed on the necks of the naive congregation.
They said "YOU give in faith" yet they rely upon pillage instead of the Lord to provide their extravagant needs.
To date churches have invested in Coffee shops, retirement villages, Brothels and gambling dens.
The business of organised church is huge and the obtainable qualifications are like that of any job.
Since when has a pastor been a job position? Why pay these pastors, popes, Reverends, Scribes or Pharisees to preach a "gospel" when the lord calls us all to the ministry.
I believe the Lord is at the head of the church that he will build, and where many brothers will preach and encourage rather than one paid dictator/Interpreter who firmly holds the church reigns in case another maybe more suited for his job position.
I am far from being against these church organisations as our Sovereign lord has put them there to do as they are doing.
The Lord gives churchianity so that many do not repent, however be assured that the Lord saves whom He wills (Romans 9:16) and that church will worship in spirit and in truth - with or without a bigger church coffee machine.
so sad.
When the church needs more money:
Riven Wrote:
To date churches have invested in Coffee shops, retirement villages, Brothels and gambling dens.
Brothels: The catholic church allowed brothels all over the city on the condition that they received a lucrative percentage. They were wallowing in squalor overnight.
Hence the saying:
"Rome has more prostitutes than any city in the world because it has the most celibates."
When you take a step back and have a look at "church businesses" and their emphasis on Marketing you can see that they are heading at 100 kph towards the time when Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis however now the universal church has more sister churches ... many more.
I was with you up to the 100kph thing! All i know is MPH! Yep ... ignorant Americans ... i know.
Ooops I forgot that you haven't seen the merit in the metric system.
PB you said in one of your comments to your "why tithing is wrong" post that...
?"If they were to live by faith they would come straight out and say to the congregation look we believe the Lord is asking us to contribute this much, this is what it is for, please pray about this and decide weather it be NOTHING or $XXX.XX that you give."
isnt this exactly what this church is doing?
1. setting an amount to pray about and aim for. ie one weeks wage which is the same sacrifice but a different cash amount for each member of the church.
2. clearly stating what this offering will pay for.
3. asking but not enforcing any member of the church to contribute to this offering.
As per the different payment options, have you ever wanted to pay for something and forgotten cash and had to rely on an eftpos or a credit card? (I know I have)
Should a church member who wants to give but forgets to visit the Bank on friday or the ATM on the way to church simply not bother with giving to their church?
Your example of a portion from a 'first fruits' sermon highlights the fact thet a church building is payed for and maintained by the financial gifts of that particular church's members. This is obvious is it not? Of course the church building is paid for and maintained through the giving of the church members.
In responce to the pledging verses you mentioned. (Proverbs 17:18, Proverbs 11:15, Proverbs 22:26) These verses are contextually about personal debt. Should a Christian then strictly avoid a Home loan as a repayment plan is agreed upon or 'pledged'?
Should a Christian also avoid using assets they already own as 'security for debts' to be able to reinvest the money and secure their financial future?
It would not seem correct to suggest that these verses should be used to avoid giving or 'pledging' to the church, but ignored when our own financial situation may benifit from these practices.
Magi:
The believer deciding in his own heart is very scriptural. The church dictating a benchmark of "an entire weeks wages" is totally different especially when they use Leviticus 2:12 as their justification.
It is great when non/profit charity organisations come out and tell exactly what the money is going to I am under the impression that anyone can by law request to have a look at their books.
I dearly hope that you are not lacking in discernment so much that you didn't pick out the apostasy of the example sermon.
It appears you don't understand pledging and why the bible speaks so strongly against it as you wrote.
"These verses are contextually about personal debt."
Just reading the verses again should reveal the context for you I hope.
Greetings Puritan Belief:
You have a keen insight into the godlessness of church tomfoolery.
The NT says the Lord loves a joyful giver. The End.
Didn't see any JESUS in that "we built the place" church in your
article!
At an old heretical church our family escaped from, a person actually
berated me from across the sanctuary during a church meeting for not
hammering new members with a tithe gospel, which is no gospel
at all. Devils!
John:
That is peverse that you would be scorned in a meeting over not preaching tithing.
"Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them" Acts 20:30
You know automatically if they are peverse because they are keen to build up people after themselves.
After the likeness of their church business and organisations which they have built.
The true gospel never calls people to themselves or an organisation but unto Jesus.
The general assembly needs to watch out night and day for these men creep in ever so sutterly. However it is the word of grace which builds up the sanctified. Coveting the congregations wealth is the start of many perils that the unbeliever is blind to.
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