KINGDOM ECONOMICS XXXVIII
Coffee's on, folks! Good Morning!
There's an absolutely heavenly aroma filling my office right now. Although the French Press is full and running over, it's the Expresso machine that steaming away on some of that Double-Roast French we picked up at Winco Foods. Mmmmm....Mmmmm Good!
The concept of partnership in ministry is one I've been somewhat aware of for many years, but I'd have to admit that it wasn't until some 16 or 17 years ago or so that I really became aware of its importance in spreading the Gospel. Both Della and I had left our "professional" occupations to travel, sharing the concept of ministering praise and worship to the Lord -- not just singing songs and making music, but making worship our first priority ahead of everything else.
When you transition from six-figure incomes to nothing -- nothing, that is, from a guaranteed paycheck perspective -- things tend to get a bit hairy at first. You'd better know you have a Word from the Lord before you make that kind of move -- and then you have to be prepared to trust the Lord absolutely as the source of your provision.
Let me digress (or appear to) for a minute. We are supposed to live our lives as believers in Christ Jesus with absolute trust and faith in His Word. We are not supposed to trust our jobs AND the Lord; nor are we to trust our "natural" skills or abilities AND the Lord; nor are we to trust our academic training AND the Lord.
Get it? Once we transfer our citizenship from this natural, earthly realm to the Kingdom of God, the entire economy changes. The entire mode of living changes. We don't have the luxury of depending on our own wisdom, our own understanding or our own training. From a Kingdom of God perspective, that is "evil." Fact is, it is idolatry. It puts our natural wisdom, understanding or abilities on par with God. We effectively worship those things.
What was it that was written in Proverbs?
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones." (Proverbs 3:5-8)
So how is it that we can hear this Word, read this Word repeatedly and continually miss its significance? The truth is that we've been programmed by the society in which we live to trust in ourselves and our own abilities. Human nature -- unredeemed human nature, that is -- worships itself. This is the essence of secular humanism. We make ourselves to be god over God, and the reason is because we've all been programmed with a sin nature.
Satan's most skillful tactic is to convince us that no matter what God has done for others He won't do for us. We can't really believe His Word. The body of Christ has been fed doctrines of demons for centuries -- so much so that it is in our DNA to doubt God. Unbelief permeates the body of Christ.
In the fourth century AD, to compensate for the fact that many of the would-be leaders in the body of Christ had so shifted away from the truth of God's Word that the power of the Holy Spirit was absent, and there was no demonstration -- as Paul put it -- "of the Spirit and power", a demonic doctrine we know today as "cessationism" began to be promoted. That doctrine essentially stated that the gifts of the Spirit died out with the apostles. Thus these leaders were able to skillfully deflect criticism of the fact that they themselves lacked the power.
Then another doctrine we know as "dispensationalism" got added to the mix. That doctrine stated that God moved in certain ways during certain eras: that what He did in certain ages past He wasn't doing today; and that there was no need to expect God to do those things. This doctrine -- like cessationism -- excused the fact that people weren't seeing God move through them as in previous times.
This doctrine drew on the KJV translation of the Greek word, oikonomia: which is more accurately translated: administration [of an economy], to oversee, to distribute. Coupled together with the Greek kairos (occasion, opportunity, proper time, always) folks jumped on the coupling of the two words to imply something that isn't there. Notice that kairos is used in the Greek text of Ephesians 1:10 rather than chronos: a fixed or set period of time.
This is the only place in Scripture where you have the coupling of a Greek word for "time" and "administration." Nearly the whole cloth of the argument for "dispensationalism" is predicated on Ephesians 1:10; and yet the word, oikonomia appears nine times (and its root, oikonomos, ten times) in the N.T. used in a very different context. (Sorry. Didn't mean to get sidetracked with this stuff!)
These doctrines of demons -- and that's what they are -- directly contradict what Jesus said and did. They directly oppose His promises to the believer. They are designed to excuse away our lack of understanding of what it means to live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, and demonstrate the power of the Spirit. Let me illustrate.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) He doesn't change. His Word doesn't change. His power and authority in us doesn't change. His promises never change. His commandments to us haven't changed. The Holy Spirit (who is One with Jesus Christ) hasn't lost any of His authority, power or attributes.
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:18-20)
Question. How are you going to baptize or immerse someone into the onoma -- the character, the personality, the makeup or the very essence -- of the Holy Spirit if there's no demonstration of the Spirit and power? It all becomes academic. It's all talk with no evidentiary power to back up what we say!
Try this one on for size! How are you going to teach believers to "observe [tereo: to keep, to prevent from escaping] all things whatsoever I have commanded you" if the demonstration of the Spirit through the promised gifts of the Spirit (healing, deliverance, miracles, speaking in previously unlearned tongues or languages, the giving of prophetic words, words of knowledge or words of wisdom) are absent?
Then there's Jesus' command with promise.
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:15-18)
Hmmmmm..... Somehow Jesus forgot to say that "these signs shall follow them that believe, but only up to the end of the first century." He didn't say that, did He? Well then, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever -- except when it comes to keeping His promises to "them that believe." No? You're right! The Scripture doesn't say that! He's the same forever, PERIOD!
Right! And that's why the apostle Paul declared that "For all the promises of God in him [Christ Jesus] are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." (II Corinthians 1:20)
Get it? Every promise God has ever made to us is available yesterday, today and forever through Christ Jesus. The why is easy! All the promises of God are made available to us so that God receives the glory BY US!
Wheww! Boy, did I ever take a side-trip! But it isn't so much a side-trip as it appears. We started talking about partnership, and I want to amplify this concept for your understanding as an economic principle of the Kingdom of God. Let's go back to a command that God gave to His people.
"But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day." (Deuteronomy 8:18)
This is the picture of partnership. God gives us power to get wealth. We gain wealth through His empowerment and covenant with us. The world looks on and sees what God is doing in us and desires what we have.
(Note: Brother, has this concept ever been reversed in the minds of many Christians by another of those doctrines of demons! Christians look at the world's wealth and desire what the world has because of a spirit of poverty that rules them.)
But what we have is not just for our own consumption. The Kingdom of God is spread and multiplied by the Holy Spirit-instructed use of resources: physical, financial and material. We therefore become partners with God. He gives us power to get wealth. We in turn use that wealth for His Kingdom. When God's people become the source of wealth instead of the recipients of handouts, God gets the glory. So long as we are "handout" minded, we are of no use to the Kingdom of God, and He receives no glory from us.
The purpose of partnership with God in wealth and finance is -- as He clearly states -- "that He may establish His Covenant" which He swore to our father (of faith), Abraham. God made a covenant with Abraham. That covenant ensured that Abraham would be blessed -- spiritually, physically, materially, financially, and in every conceivable way -- and that he, in turn, would be a blessing: that through him and his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed.
We are the seed of Abraham by faith. Here is how Paul expressed it when writing to the Galatians.
"Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them." (Galatians 3:6-12)
But the blessing of Abraham isn't just a promise: it is a covenant. It is a covenant between partners. And a covenant is not something any law can supersede or disannul. So Paul continues his explanation.
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise." (Galatians 3:13-18)
Understand?
Our partnership with God in this blessing of Abraham is twofold:
(1) We agree to agree in all things with the Lord by faith. We uphold His Word -- all of it: not just the parts we agree with or find doctrinally comfortable. We agree to be His representative in the earth. We agree to demonstrate His love using all the resources He makes available.
We agree to manifest His character, His integrity, His authority and power; and we agree to show the world that God is a God of abundance -- NOT poverty and need! We agree to use the resources He gives in such a way that He receives the glory, and the world at large sees the benefit of our covenant with Him.
(2) God, in turn, covenants to bless us in all things and in all areas of life. He empowers us to become rich and to get wealth. He promises us long life. He not only provides us with health and wholeness in our physical beings, He also gives us supernatural strength and healing for those times when we are attacked by disease, infirmity, illness or weakness. On top of all that, He provides deliverance and protection from all our enemies.
But there's another dimension to this. Part of what Paul describes in our new covenant, ratified by Jesus Christ with His blood, is "that we might receive the promise (epaggelo: to announce and assert; a divine pledge or guarantee) of the Spirit through faith."
That's what gives us the open door into the dimension of what we would refer to as "the supernatural." This is where we gain the ability and empowerment to show our partnership with the Lord in demonstrating His love for others by healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the lepers, casting out demons and bringing spiritual restoration to folks in dire circumstances. This is the realm where the empowerment comes to see the establishment of the covenant that God made with our faith forefather, Abraham.
If we're going to walk in our covenant partnership with God, we have to be ready to embrace wholeheartedly all that this realm requires, all that it may potentially cost us, AND -- wonder of wonders -- the blessing of wealth in order that God receives the kind of glory He deserves.
There's more to come on this, folks! We'll pick it up here next time.
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. (Sir Isaac Newton)
The Blessing of the Lord: it makes rich and He adds no painful toil and sorrow! (Proverbs 10:22)
Be blessed!
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
455 North River Road
Prosser, Washington 99350-6554
(509) 781-6099
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.CapenerMinistries.com.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: KINGDOM ECONOMICS XXXVII
KINGDOM ECONOMICS XXXVII
Greetings, Salutations, and the Blessing of the Lord to you!
Kitty and René Loyd are two of the funniest, and two of the most unusual people you could ever meet. During the 1960's and 70's -- and even into the 80's -- Kitty traveled around singing in different churches with a couple of ladies from Spokane, and she developed quite a reputation for her musical gifts as well as her sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Some time in the future, perhaps, I will share some very funny anecdotes from Kitty's life.
More than 60 years ago she married René, a transplanted Frenchman whose life story all by itself would make a fabulous adventure volume. After many years in the Spokane area, they moved to Atlin, British Columbia -- a very remote mining community some 50 miles or so from the Alaska border -- where they established a base of operations for ministry beginning in 1979 and the early 1980's.
René has often shared with us his adventures during the Second World War when he was a member of the French Underground resistance movement. One story worth repeating here took place when he was on the run for his life from the Gestapo. René and a friend were hidden by a family in a barn. When they heard the sound of voices outside the barn they hid in some tall stacks of hay.
Someone had apparently seen René go into the barn and reported it to the Gestapo who had been doing a house-by-house or farm-by-farm search. When the Gestapo came into the barn, they began using their bayonets and stabbing at the piles of hay in search for René and his friend. René told us he began to pray like he'd never prayed in his life.
"Lord, if you deliver me from these Gestapo police and get me out of here alive, I'll serve you for the rest of my life."
Sure enough the bayonets were thrust into the haystack where René was hiding. He told us that they literally brushed up against him or the point of the bayonet came right to his chest on several tries. The Gestapo gave up and left the barn. Both René and his friend made it out of there alive and unharmed.
Here's an interesting tidbit for you. The 1965 movie, THE TRAIN, starred Burt Lancaster as Labiche, the French Railway inspector. The movie, parts of which were fictional, was based on real events. The real-life Inspector Labiche was René's supervisor or superior officer in the French Underground.
René kept his promise to the Lord and has been a faithful servant of Jesus Christ ever since. Kitty and René were an integral part of our spontaneous worship gatherings at Trails' End in Post Falls, Idaho during the 1990's. This past week, just shy of her 80th birthday, Kitty changed addresses and went home to be with the Lord. Though we will miss her for awhile, we look forward to seeing her and joining together in worshiping the Lord when we are all gathered together for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. We'll be with René this next week -- and at 90 years of age he looks pretty much like he did at 60: strong and vibrant.
OK. That story had nothing to do with today's discussion on Kingdom Economics, but I couldn't let Kitty's passing go unnoticed because of the part she has played in our lives.
Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning! Coffee's on! The French Press is steeping right now with a blend of dark-roasted Rwandan and some very oily French Roast. Love that aroma!
A fair number of folks have responded to the last few Coffee Breaks in which I've noted how tithing -- and more accurately, seeing the tithe as the "God's holy portion" -- has been an integral part of God's economy from the time of the Garden of Eden to the present. Most of the responses have been appreciative because of the revelation of seeing the spiritual principle which far transcends the Law of Moses. A few, however, have offered some comments and questions that I should respond to in this Coffee Break since these are questions that many believers have.
Since I went through a period of time where I was personally caught with the serious misconception (Let's call it what it really is, folks! This is deception, pure and simple!) that because I was in the ministry, I was exempt from tithing. I felt that everything I earned from my various business ventures and everything that I received in the way of tithes and offerings from others was to be used however I saw fit and however the Lord directed me.
You see the twist don't you? In the role of priest, I receive (and was receiving) tithes from men and women. In the role of king, I earn (or was earning) a substantial income from my engineering skills, and talents in the business and banking world. I believed that it all went into one pot, and that I was to use it in the advancement of the Kingdom of God as directed by the Lord.
What I missed was the fact that even under the Law, priests paid tithes. They paid tithes to the High Priest. And the High Priest was required to tithe to the Lord. Very specific guidelines for tithing had been established.
With the Law fulfilled in Christ Jesus, many believers mistakenly relegate tithing to the Law, believing that it went away at the Cross. Yet Paul clearly states that while "here men that die receive tithes" (Hebrews 7:8 -- note the context in the present tense some thirty-plus years after the Cross), he goes on to say that "there He receives them, of Whom it is written that He lives."
Tithing, therefore, transcends the Law. It existed as far back as the Garden of Eden and it was demonstrated in Abraham 400-plus years before the Law of Moses was established. To not tithe, folks, is to rob God and touch the Holy Portion. To not tithe is to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil -- and that's exactly what I was doing: ignorantly, perhaps, but still doing it!
I saw the devourer rob me time after time after time and still didn't see the connection. For those of you who've read earlier parts of this discussion on Kingdom Economics, you'll recall my story of being robbed of $7 Million by a crooked banker who fled the country with commissions I'd earned over a period of two years in an investment operation on behalf of the Canadian government.
One story I haven't shared took place in the mid-1980's when Mel Fisher located and recovered the wrecks of the two Spanish galleons, the Atocha and the Santa Margarita. The treasure he recovered was valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Mel had a number of investors who were anxious to recover their investments in his diving and recovery operations, and he was in debt to them for tens of millions of dollars. (My memory tells me that he actually owed a total of around $250 Million.) Piecemealing the treasure out to various buyers would take a lot longer than the investors wanted, and Mel was anxious to get out from under the financial pressure.
He gave me an exclusive contract for the sale of the entire treasure. I had two potential buyers for it: the first being the Spanish government. King Juan Carlos of Spain was anxious to have the treasure back on Spanish soil because of the rich heritage and historical value it represented -- never mind its intrinsic worth. Mel wanted $400 million for the entire treasure intact. The Spanish government didn't feel it could drain its treasury of that amount and appealed to the Vatican for assistance. The Vatican agreed and I met with a representative to arrange for the transaction.
Once all the pieces of the transaction were in place and we were ready to complete it, Della and I flew to Los Angeles where the deal was to be consummated. Mel Fisher was ecstatic over the prospect of being able to complete. He called me at the hotel where we were staying and said he would arrange to fly us to Florida and take us out to the recovery site as soon as the deal completed. He even called me one morning at 4:00 AM excited over the fact that his team had just recovered the ship's compass from the Santa Margarita.
It was a giddy and almost ethereal atmosphere to think that we were less than 24 hours away from completing a historical sale. The fact that Mel was going to pay us a commission exceeding $10 Million from the proceeds was almost anti-climactic in view of the import of the moment.
Then the unthinkable took place. The agent representing the Vatican learned of our commission structure and got greedy. He called Mel and tried to get him to rescind his agreement with us, offering to do the deal for a smaller commission. Mel was incensed! He called me immediately and said, "How well do you know this guy?"
I told him that we'd only just met as a part of transacting this sale and that I'd never had any contact with him prior. "I won't do business with this man, Regner! He's a crook! He's trying to get me to eliminate you from the deal and I don't go back on my word, signed contract or not!"
It was a mark of Mel Fisher's character that we could really appreciate. Nevertheless, we just couldn't get another agent within Mel's needed time frame to consummate the deal with the Vatican and the transaction came to a sudden halt. Walt Disney's companies were interested in acquiring about $200 Million of the treasure to divide up at their theme parks for exhibition, but they weren't interested in an intact purchase. In the end, Mel wound up having to do what he didn't want to do: piecemeal the treasure through a fistful of small purchases and buyers. Years later, Della and I saw bits and pieces of the treasure in shops throughout the Caribbean.
We were robbed. Sure. We never actually had the money in our hot little hands, but Satan took advantage of the open door we'd provided him to effectively interfere in a business deal at the last possible second and block us from receiving what would have amounted to around $12 - 15 Million. We'd been touching the Holy Portion, and now our portion was being stolen and devoured.
It happened time and time again before we finally awakened to the fact that we were giving the Enemy a legal right to steal from us.
"But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day." (Deuteronomy 8:18)
There is a condition attached: Don't steal from God! If you do, you give the devourer the right to put holes in your pockets, rip your wallets apart, block you from receiving the wealth God has available and steal what you do have so that you live on the edge of nothingness! Wealth is made available and the power to get it is a gift from the Lord, but if we don't "remember" Him first, Satan comes along to prevent us from being the means by which God establishes His Covenant through us, with us, in us, and around us!
Once again as I've already said, my objective in sharing all this is not to hammer home some religious doctrine or ride some kind of hobby horse but rather to demonstrate that the Blessing of the Lord is directly tied to our recognition of and obedience to this very basic of spiritual principles. This is not about money -- even though money is involved. This is about walking in the Blessing and seeing it manifested tangibly.
This is about living as citizens of a Kingdom which is foreign to the kingdoms and thinking and reasoning of this world: the Kingdom of God.
There's one last aspect of this topic of tithing that I need to comment on before we move on. The Word has always been very clear on where the tithe belongs: the storehouse. This is a subject that often gets some Christians riled up when I talk about it, but we need to discuss this.
I can't tell you how many believers I've run into who think they have a right to delegate where their tithes are given. Now bear with me, folks. The Word of God gives very clear direction on this. What gets confused is the separation or distinction between "giving" and "tithing." They are not synonymous with each other.
Tithing -- the first ten percent of everything you receive -- goes to the storehouse. The Hebrew word translated "storehouse" in the Old Testament is: otsar: treasury, a repository for corn, food, provision, gold, silver and other precious things. We see this word, otsar, otherwise translated throughout the O.T. as "treasuries" or "treasury."
The New Testament Greek text uses the word: tameion. It parallels the Hebrew and adds the component "dispensary" to the above. Hence, the "storehouse" is a repository of provision ordered and ordained for dispensing food (both spiritual and physical) and provision (again, both spiritual and physical) by those in spiritual leadership.
Nowhere in the Word does God give permission -- much less instruction -- to the individual person as to the distribution of tithes. We are instructed to give our tithes to the repository or treasury which dispenses our spiritual food, nourishment and provision. For most folks, that represents the church body to which they are an integral part. If you are not part of a regular church, then you need to be a part of a home fellowship. If you are not connected on a daily and weekly basis to some body of believers, then you are starving spiritually.
There are many Christians who give, but don't tithe. Tithing, as I've already noted, is completely separate from giving. Giving, sowing seed and giving of offerings is a completely separate function of our spiritual lives -- and it is equally commanded -- but it does not do away with tithing.
We don't have the right to decide where our tithes go. That's clear in God's economy. It is a clear rule of Kingdom Economics. They go where we receive our spiritual nourishment. That is the fellowship or Ekklesia to which the Holy Spirit has joined us. Whoever leads that fellowship, church body or Ekklesia is tasked by the Holy Spirit with the responsibility of dispensing those tithes.
When we take upon ourselves the decision to choose where our tithes go, we effectively usurp God's authority. We usurp the Word, and we make ourselves God above the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus instructed His disciples to go forth in ministry without taking advantage of their business or economic skills and to receive their provision from those to whom they ministered. Twice He made the statement that "the laborer is worthy of his hire." (See Matthew 10:10 and Luke 10:7.) The Scriptural picture constantly demonstrates that those who minister the Gospel are to receive their provision from the tithe.
The apostle Paul notes the following:
"Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." (I Corinthians 9:13-14)
The tithe, therefore, is designed first of all to make provision for those who "live of the Gospel." And they who live by their ministry in turn tithe to those from whom they receive. The priests always tithed to the High Priest. Ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ must likewise tithe to those who are their spiritual fathers or source of their continued growth.
It doesn't stop there, of course. Some time ago, Della and I made a covenant with the elders of our fellowship. Our income from River Worship Center is 10% -- the tithe -- of whatever comes in. If the fellowship receives $500 in a given week our income is $50 for that week. If the income is $3,000, we receive $300.
But we take it beyond that. No bills are paid until a second tithe is paid. That second tithe goes to one of the four major ministries with which we partner and participate. We do this on a rotating basis, week-by-week. Above and beyond that second tithe, we contribute to certain missions around the world and support certain missionaries. Above and beyond that we minister to the needs of individuals and families locally to whom the Holy Spirit directs us. Our objective as a fellowship is to consistently tithe 30% of our gross income. We haven't quite reached that level yet, but we continue to increase our tithing and giving, and the Lord continues to increase the income of the fellowship.
It works, folks! You just can't outgive God! When we are faithful to honor the Holy Portion, God is faithful to meet our every need. It never fails. We never have a month go by when the bills are unpaid and we are operating in deficit. Since we began operating this way, we've never had a deficit.
Next: The principle of partnership.
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. (Sir Isaac Newton)
The Blessing of the Lord: it makes rich and He adds no painful toil and sorrow! (Proverbs 10:22)
Be blessed!
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
455 North River Road
Prosser, Washington 99350-6554
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.CapenerMinistries.com.
Greetings, Salutations, and the Blessing of the Lord to you!
Kitty and René Loyd are two of the funniest, and two of the most unusual people you could ever meet. During the 1960's and 70's -- and even into the 80's -- Kitty traveled around singing in different churches with a couple of ladies from Spokane, and she developed quite a reputation for her musical gifts as well as her sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Some time in the future, perhaps, I will share some very funny anecdotes from Kitty's life.
More than 60 years ago she married René, a transplanted Frenchman whose life story all by itself would make a fabulous adventure volume. After many years in the Spokane area, they moved to Atlin, British Columbia -- a very remote mining community some 50 miles or so from the Alaska border -- where they established a base of operations for ministry beginning in 1979 and the early 1980's.
René has often shared with us his adventures during the Second World War when he was a member of the French Underground resistance movement. One story worth repeating here took place when he was on the run for his life from the Gestapo. René and a friend were hidden by a family in a barn. When they heard the sound of voices outside the barn they hid in some tall stacks of hay.
Someone had apparently seen René go into the barn and reported it to the Gestapo who had been doing a house-by-house or farm-by-farm search. When the Gestapo came into the barn, they began using their bayonets and stabbing at the piles of hay in search for René and his friend. René told us he began to pray like he'd never prayed in his life.
"Lord, if you deliver me from these Gestapo police and get me out of here alive, I'll serve you for the rest of my life."
Sure enough the bayonets were thrust into the haystack where René was hiding. He told us that they literally brushed up against him or the point of the bayonet came right to his chest on several tries. The Gestapo gave up and left the barn. Both René and his friend made it out of there alive and unharmed.
Here's an interesting tidbit for you. The 1965 movie, THE TRAIN, starred Burt Lancaster as Labiche, the French Railway inspector. The movie, parts of which were fictional, was based on real events. The real-life Inspector Labiche was René's supervisor or superior officer in the French Underground.
René kept his promise to the Lord and has been a faithful servant of Jesus Christ ever since. Kitty and René were an integral part of our spontaneous worship gatherings at Trails' End in Post Falls, Idaho during the 1990's. This past week, just shy of her 80th birthday, Kitty changed addresses and went home to be with the Lord. Though we will miss her for awhile, we look forward to seeing her and joining together in worshiping the Lord when we are all gathered together for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. We'll be with René this next week -- and at 90 years of age he looks pretty much like he did at 60: strong and vibrant.
OK. That story had nothing to do with today's discussion on Kingdom Economics, but I couldn't let Kitty's passing go unnoticed because of the part she has played in our lives.
Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning! Coffee's on! The French Press is steeping right now with a blend of dark-roasted Rwandan and some very oily French Roast. Love that aroma!
A fair number of folks have responded to the last few Coffee Breaks in which I've noted how tithing -- and more accurately, seeing the tithe as the "God's holy portion" -- has been an integral part of God's economy from the time of the Garden of Eden to the present. Most of the responses have been appreciative because of the revelation of seeing the spiritual principle which far transcends the Law of Moses. A few, however, have offered some comments and questions that I should respond to in this Coffee Break since these are questions that many believers have.
Since I went through a period of time where I was personally caught with the serious misconception (Let's call it what it really is, folks! This is deception, pure and simple!) that because I was in the ministry, I was exempt from tithing. I felt that everything I earned from my various business ventures and everything that I received in the way of tithes and offerings from others was to be used however I saw fit and however the Lord directed me.
You see the twist don't you? In the role of priest, I receive (and was receiving) tithes from men and women. In the role of king, I earn (or was earning) a substantial income from my engineering skills, and talents in the business and banking world. I believed that it all went into one pot, and that I was to use it in the advancement of the Kingdom of God as directed by the Lord.
What I missed was the fact that even under the Law, priests paid tithes. They paid tithes to the High Priest. And the High Priest was required to tithe to the Lord. Very specific guidelines for tithing had been established.
With the Law fulfilled in Christ Jesus, many believers mistakenly relegate tithing to the Law, believing that it went away at the Cross. Yet Paul clearly states that while "here men that die receive tithes" (Hebrews 7:8 -- note the context in the present tense some thirty-plus years after the Cross), he goes on to say that "there He receives them, of Whom it is written that He lives."
Tithing, therefore, transcends the Law. It existed as far back as the Garden of Eden and it was demonstrated in Abraham 400-plus years before the Law of Moses was established. To not tithe, folks, is to rob God and touch the Holy Portion. To not tithe is to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil -- and that's exactly what I was doing: ignorantly, perhaps, but still doing it!
I saw the devourer rob me time after time after time and still didn't see the connection. For those of you who've read earlier parts of this discussion on Kingdom Economics, you'll recall my story of being robbed of $7 Million by a crooked banker who fled the country with commissions I'd earned over a period of two years in an investment operation on behalf of the Canadian government.
One story I haven't shared took place in the mid-1980's when Mel Fisher located and recovered the wrecks of the two Spanish galleons, the Atocha and the Santa Margarita. The treasure he recovered was valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Mel had a number of investors who were anxious to recover their investments in his diving and recovery operations, and he was in debt to them for tens of millions of dollars. (My memory tells me that he actually owed a total of around $250 Million.) Piecemealing the treasure out to various buyers would take a lot longer than the investors wanted, and Mel was anxious to get out from under the financial pressure.
He gave me an exclusive contract for the sale of the entire treasure. I had two potential buyers for it: the first being the Spanish government. King Juan Carlos of Spain was anxious to have the treasure back on Spanish soil because of the rich heritage and historical value it represented -- never mind its intrinsic worth. Mel wanted $400 million for the entire treasure intact. The Spanish government didn't feel it could drain its treasury of that amount and appealed to the Vatican for assistance. The Vatican agreed and I met with a representative to arrange for the transaction.
Once all the pieces of the transaction were in place and we were ready to complete it, Della and I flew to Los Angeles where the deal was to be consummated. Mel Fisher was ecstatic over the prospect of being able to complete. He called me at the hotel where we were staying and said he would arrange to fly us to Florida and take us out to the recovery site as soon as the deal completed. He even called me one morning at 4:00 AM excited over the fact that his team had just recovered the ship's compass from the Santa Margarita.
It was a giddy and almost ethereal atmosphere to think that we were less than 24 hours away from completing a historical sale. The fact that Mel was going to pay us a commission exceeding $10 Million from the proceeds was almost anti-climactic in view of the import of the moment.
Then the unthinkable took place. The agent representing the Vatican learned of our commission structure and got greedy. He called Mel and tried to get him to rescind his agreement with us, offering to do the deal for a smaller commission. Mel was incensed! He called me immediately and said, "How well do you know this guy?"
I told him that we'd only just met as a part of transacting this sale and that I'd never had any contact with him prior. "I won't do business with this man, Regner! He's a crook! He's trying to get me to eliminate you from the deal and I don't go back on my word, signed contract or not!"
It was a mark of Mel Fisher's character that we could really appreciate. Nevertheless, we just couldn't get another agent within Mel's needed time frame to consummate the deal with the Vatican and the transaction came to a sudden halt. Walt Disney's companies were interested in acquiring about $200 Million of the treasure to divide up at their theme parks for exhibition, but they weren't interested in an intact purchase. In the end, Mel wound up having to do what he didn't want to do: piecemeal the treasure through a fistful of small purchases and buyers. Years later, Della and I saw bits and pieces of the treasure in shops throughout the Caribbean.
We were robbed. Sure. We never actually had the money in our hot little hands, but Satan took advantage of the open door we'd provided him to effectively interfere in a business deal at the last possible second and block us from receiving what would have amounted to around $12 - 15 Million. We'd been touching the Holy Portion, and now our portion was being stolen and devoured.
It happened time and time again before we finally awakened to the fact that we were giving the Enemy a legal right to steal from us.
"But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day." (Deuteronomy 8:18)
There is a condition attached: Don't steal from God! If you do, you give the devourer the right to put holes in your pockets, rip your wallets apart, block you from receiving the wealth God has available and steal what you do have so that you live on the edge of nothingness! Wealth is made available and the power to get it is a gift from the Lord, but if we don't "remember" Him first, Satan comes along to prevent us from being the means by which God establishes His Covenant through us, with us, in us, and around us!
Once again as I've already said, my objective in sharing all this is not to hammer home some religious doctrine or ride some kind of hobby horse but rather to demonstrate that the Blessing of the Lord is directly tied to our recognition of and obedience to this very basic of spiritual principles. This is not about money -- even though money is involved. This is about walking in the Blessing and seeing it manifested tangibly.
This is about living as citizens of a Kingdom which is foreign to the kingdoms and thinking and reasoning of this world: the Kingdom of God.
There's one last aspect of this topic of tithing that I need to comment on before we move on. The Word has always been very clear on where the tithe belongs: the storehouse. This is a subject that often gets some Christians riled up when I talk about it, but we need to discuss this.
I can't tell you how many believers I've run into who think they have a right to delegate where their tithes are given. Now bear with me, folks. The Word of God gives very clear direction on this. What gets confused is the separation or distinction between "giving" and "tithing." They are not synonymous with each other.
Tithing -- the first ten percent of everything you receive -- goes to the storehouse. The Hebrew word translated "storehouse" in the Old Testament is: otsar: treasury, a repository for corn, food, provision, gold, silver and other precious things. We see this word, otsar, otherwise translated throughout the O.T. as "treasuries" or "treasury."
The New Testament Greek text uses the word: tameion. It parallels the Hebrew and adds the component "dispensary" to the above. Hence, the "storehouse" is a repository of provision ordered and ordained for dispensing food (both spiritual and physical) and provision (again, both spiritual and physical) by those in spiritual leadership.
Nowhere in the Word does God give permission -- much less instruction -- to the individual person as to the distribution of tithes. We are instructed to give our tithes to the repository or treasury which dispenses our spiritual food, nourishment and provision. For most folks, that represents the church body to which they are an integral part. If you are not part of a regular church, then you need to be a part of a home fellowship. If you are not connected on a daily and weekly basis to some body of believers, then you are starving spiritually.
There are many Christians who give, but don't tithe. Tithing, as I've already noted, is completely separate from giving. Giving, sowing seed and giving of offerings is a completely separate function of our spiritual lives -- and it is equally commanded -- but it does not do away with tithing.
We don't have the right to decide where our tithes go. That's clear in God's economy. It is a clear rule of Kingdom Economics. They go where we receive our spiritual nourishment. That is the fellowship or Ekklesia to which the Holy Spirit has joined us. Whoever leads that fellowship, church body or Ekklesia is tasked by the Holy Spirit with the responsibility of dispensing those tithes.
When we take upon ourselves the decision to choose where our tithes go, we effectively usurp God's authority. We usurp the Word, and we make ourselves God above the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus instructed His disciples to go forth in ministry without taking advantage of their business or economic skills and to receive their provision from those to whom they ministered. Twice He made the statement that "the laborer is worthy of his hire." (See Matthew 10:10 and Luke 10:7.) The Scriptural picture constantly demonstrates that those who minister the Gospel are to receive their provision from the tithe.
The apostle Paul notes the following:
"Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." (I Corinthians 9:13-14)
The tithe, therefore, is designed first of all to make provision for those who "live of the Gospel." And they who live by their ministry in turn tithe to those from whom they receive. The priests always tithed to the High Priest. Ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ must likewise tithe to those who are their spiritual fathers or source of their continued growth.
It doesn't stop there, of course. Some time ago, Della and I made a covenant with the elders of our fellowship. Our income from River Worship Center is 10% -- the tithe -- of whatever comes in. If the fellowship receives $500 in a given week our income is $50 for that week. If the income is $3,000, we receive $300.
But we take it beyond that. No bills are paid until a second tithe is paid. That second tithe goes to one of the four major ministries with which we partner and participate. We do this on a rotating basis, week-by-week. Above and beyond that second tithe, we contribute to certain missions around the world and support certain missionaries. Above and beyond that we minister to the needs of individuals and families locally to whom the Holy Spirit directs us. Our objective as a fellowship is to consistently tithe 30% of our gross income. We haven't quite reached that level yet, but we continue to increase our tithing and giving, and the Lord continues to increase the income of the fellowship.
It works, folks! You just can't outgive God! When we are faithful to honor the Holy Portion, God is faithful to meet our every need. It never fails. We never have a month go by when the bills are unpaid and we are operating in deficit. Since we began operating this way, we've never had a deficit.
Next: The principle of partnership.
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. (Sir Isaac Newton)
The Blessing of the Lord: it makes rich and He adds no painful toil and sorrow! (Proverbs 10:22)
Be blessed!
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
455 North River Road
Prosser, Washington 99350-6554
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.CapenerMinistries.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)