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Dr. Louis T. Tolbot
or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” Certainly it is right to support any cause which is faithfully proclaiming the gospel of our crucified and risen Lord. I believe one’s first responsi bility, “ as unto the Lord,” is to the body of believers in his own church. These have pledged themselves to care for certain responsibilities both at home and abroad, yet it appears to me that 'one does not need to give all his tithe to any one church. How Long is a Generation? Please explain Matthew 24:34. What does generation mean? Jesus is speaking here, and this is what He said, “ Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” The Greek word used for generation means race, king, family, stock, breed. Matthew 24 and 25 refer to the end of the age, and this one verse must not be taken out of its context. Christ Before Your Family? If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sis ters, yea, and his own life also he can not be my disciple.” How do you ex plain this statement made in Luke 14:26? In Matthew 10:37, you will find a parallel passage which explains this verse. There Christ says, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” These words show that the Lord is not talking of an actual hatred, but rather what would seem hatred by way of com parison with the God-given love im planted in the heart of a believer (born-again child of God), by the Holy Spirit alone. If I desire to fol low the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet allow myself to be turned away from that objective by my father, my mother, my wife, my children, then I am not worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ, and can never be His disciple as long as this condition of heart re mains. This text does not teach that natural relationships, as such, are to be repu diated; but Christ must be first, and His claims set before all else, even one’s own life.
Is it Legalistic to Tithe? Am I doing right in setting aside a part of my tithe to support sound Christian programs? Do you endorse the Old Testament law of the tithe? It is> true that we are not under the Mosaic Law, hut under grace, yet it seems to me that the tithe is the least the Christian should want to give to the Lord. It was instituted long before Moses was born, and seems to be the scriptural basis for all giving. Abraham gave a tithe 400 years before the law was given. (Read Gen. 14:20; Cf. Gen. 28:22.) ' On the other hand, there is no instruction in the New Testament about the tithe. God does say, through Paul, that we should -give “ upon the first day- of the week”—regularly, “ as God hath prospered” us ( l Cor., 16: 2 ); first giving our own selves to-the Lord (2 Cor. 8 :5 ); cheerfully (2 Cor. 9 :7 ); with joy; and out of a sense of gratitude to God who has given His all for us. (Read carefully chapters 8 and 9 of Second Corinthians.) To make tithing a binding com mand in this age of grace is to re turn to legalism; but many Chris tians testify to the fact that as they have let the tithe be the beginning of their giving, God has prospered them to such an extent that they have had all the more to give. Yet let it be remembered that God does not always prosper His saints accord ingly; some of the most liberal de voted Christians never have much, in a material way, in this life. Therefore, summing up all we have said: Every child of God should be consistent, faithful, systematic and cheerful in his giving. The tithe seems to be the scriptural principle. God’s people under the law were servants; God’s people under grace are sons. And though, under grace, tithing is not obligatory yet why should God’s people in this dispensa tion give less than the favored people under the law? Let us ever remem ber Paul’s admonition in First Corin thians 6:19, 20, “Ye are not your own . . . ye are bought with a price.” Second Corinthians 9:6, 7, “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also spar ingly; and he which soweth bounti fully shall reap also bountifully. Every man as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, 24
The Fear of the Lord What do you understand the phrase, “ The fear of the Lord,” to mean. I cannot bear to think of being afraid of God. This is an Old Testament expres sion meaning “reverential trust.” We need not be afraid of God if we have trusted in the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. In His death and resurrection our Lord took away even “ the fear of death” (Heb. 2:14, 15); death is Sa tan’s most powerful weapon. Adam and Eve were afraid of God because they had sinned. But God clothed them with “ coats of skins,” having shed the blood of the animal sacrifice, in order to obtain a garment for His sinning creatures to wear as they stood in His holy presence. Even so no man can stand in the presence of a holy God dressed in his own good works, or by his own righteous acts. He must be clothed in “ the righteousness of Christ.” But having received this covering for his sins, he is no longer afraid of God; he is not afraid of death or the grave. He knows that, in Christ, he is victor over death and the grave. Yea; he longs for the “ appearing” of his Saviour; longs to see Him and be with Him—forever. There is no fear of God to the born-again soul; rather there is peace—a consciousness of love, trust, worship and praise. s Egypt's Desolation To what period in Egyptian history does, the desolation of forty years be long as prophesied in Ezekiel 29? It is difficult to locate historically the forty years of Egypt’s desolation. Some claim that this prophecy refers to the period after the millennium, but to my mind the passage found in Ezekiel 29:13-16 makes it clear that the forty years to which refer ence has been made is already passed. For thousands of years Egypt has been the “ basest of kingdoms,” and before the rise of the Roman Empire she must have known forty years of terrible judgment. It will be noted by the Bible student that the daily papers of the present time are again noting an uprising in this land, and the outlook may be described as omi nous. THE K IN G 'S BUSINESS
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