What is a born again Christian?

It is important tp realize that being “born again” has its parallel of people being born into the natural world. When a physical baby is born, it is not the end, it is the beginning. The baby is fed and clothed. The baby grows.  The baby learns.

It is similar when a person is “born again” into God’s kingdom. It is not a one-time event and that is all. Then there is a lifetime of growing closer to God.  The born-again Christian learns to relate to God and the Kingdom of Heaven.

How to Get God in Your Life

Another way to ask the same question is “how do you have a relationship with God”?

A man name Nicodemus asked that of Jesus and here is Jesus’s answer.

John 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 The same came to him by night, and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered him, “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”

4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ 8 The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”

10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things? 11 Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. 12 If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. 14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”

How do we know that Jesus knew what He was talking about?  There were many prophecies about Jesus.  There were prophecies of where He would be born, what He would do, how He would die, and how He would redeem mankind back to God.  Jesus is God’s only begotten son.

Here are two sites that have more information about this.

Here are prophecies about Jesus. 

Here is a site about the Shroud, which was the gravecloth Jesus was buried in.  When Jesus resurrected, the light at the moment of resurrection made a negative imprint on the Shround which a photographer took a picture of and turned into a picture of Jesus as he looked in the grave before the resurrection.  The Bible talks about how the tomb was empty.  The scripture verses and other information are at this site.

The Apostle Paul also talked about this.

Romans 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith says this, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down); 7 or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)” 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart;” that is, the word of faith which we preach: 9 that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart, one believes resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.”

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on him. 13 For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

When a person experiences the new birth of being born again, this Bible verse now applies.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

Now, as mentioned at the beginning, there is a lot of growing to do.   Learning to think correctly is very important.   There is definitely right and wrong thinking.  Your thoughts determine your words and actions.

Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. 2 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

How you think, learning to think in line with the Bible is extremely important.

If you have been born again, you need to find a Bible-based church (not all churches teach the Bible) and grow.

If you haven’t found one locally, or until you find one locally, here is a church that is held online. They also have a Facebook and YouTube page.

Rhema.tv
10 am Sunday Central time
6 pm Sunday Central time
7 pm Wednesday Central time.

Whenever a church begins to talk about tithing, the rumbles begin…there they go, they just want your money.

Realize that this is a blog, not a church, and tithing is an important topic to write about. Your tithe goes to your church so even if you decide to tithe after reading this post, it will not be going to me anyway.

So I have no “dog in this fight” as the saying goes. 

Now, realize also, while you are not willing to give a tithe to a church, you are probably willing to give more than a tithe to your local retailer on Black Friday.

You don’t expect to the movie or fast food restaurant or local sports store or football game without paying money.

Yet, when it comes to God, people don’t want to give. The statistics prove that.

Why is it a big deal?

Well, if this nation overall, and enough people had been tithing, we probably would not have the problems that we have now.  Again, view the statistics.

To talk about any one topic in the Bible, it is important to step back for a moment and establish a framework. It does not matter whether the topic is tithing or any other Biblical topic.  Here is a principle.

Individuals and nations reap consequences for breaking God’s laws.

Somehow there is a disconnect when it comes to God.

People understand that if they break any kind of natural law, there is a consequence. That’s why there are safety rules. That’s why there are check lists, plans, procedures and even recipes. If one ingredient is left out of a recipe, the final result is not the same.

Yet when it comes to God’s laws, there is an assumption that there are no consequences for ignoring them or avoiding them.

Jesus died so people could be born again and begin to walk in the ways of the Kingdom of Heaven.

It doesn’t work saying, “I believe in Jesus,” and then ignore the rest of the Bible.

Biblical principles are still in forces and there are good and bad consequences accordingly.

Being born again is just a starting point.

Here are just a few scriptures out of many, many that could be picked showing that what we do, how we walk, matters.  We need to be born again, but how we walk also matters.

That’s why you read your Bible, pray, and go to church to learn more about how to walk.

Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Romans 8:12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.

So behavior matters, what we do matters.

This applies to tithing as well.

Bible Verses About Tithing – Tithing Scriptures

Where in the Bible does it talk about tithing?

Probably one of the most well known scriptures about tithing is in Malachi.

Malachi 3:7 From the days of your fathers you have turned away from my ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of Armies. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with the curse; for you rob me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be room enough for. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field,” says Yahweh of Armies. 12 “All nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says Yahweh of Armies.

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.

Sometimes people think laws of the Old Testament no longer apply.

However, the principle is that in the New Testament, because a person can be born again and have the Holy Spirit on the inside to help, that the expectation is higher, not lower.

Matthew 5:27 “You have heard that it was said,  ‘You shall not commit adultery;’ 28 but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

There are those who don’t want to tithe, no matter what. But some of those same people may want to rush the sales on Black Friday and give to corporate America. For some reason, people don’t mind when corporate America asks for their money, but they do object to God asking for a tithe.

Matthew 6:19 “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.

What is the definition of a tithe?

This is a standard definition.  In other words, if I asked you for a quarter of a pizza you would know what I mean, because everyone knows a quarter of a pizza is 1/4 of a pizza.  The definition of a tithe is standard as well.

A tithe means 1/10. If you have $100 dollars, a tithe is $10.
If you have one million dollars, a tithe is $100,000.
If you have a dime, a tithe is a penny.

A child who gives one penny out of a dime has proportionally given as much as a billionaire who gives $100 million out of a billion dollars.

God doesn’t have a system for billionaires to hide their assets or send them overseas, as can be done with earthly governmental systems. God knows who has what, who has tithed, and who hasn’t tithed and multi-billionaires can’t shift their assets around from nation to nation to avoid tithing the same way they avoid taxation.

Here’s another thought and this is just my observation (but it is also stated in the Malachi scripture itself) is that when a person won’t tithe…it will eventually catch up with that person one way or the other. The money they didn’t give as a tithe will be taken some way…a flat tire, an air conditioner that goes out, a lost job…something.

God promises a blessing for tithing. To not tithe is to put oneself under the curse. It just doesn’t pay to avoid or defer tithing.

You may get away with it for a long time, but the “wheels of God grind slowly, but grind exceedingly fine”.

Here are a some scriptures along that line.

Psalm 2:1 Why do the nations rage,
and the peoples plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth take a stand,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against Yahweh, and against his Anointed,[a] saying,
3 “Let’s break their bonds apart,
and cast their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens will laugh.
The Lord[b] will have them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his anger,
and terrify them in his wrath:

Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street.
She utters her voice in the public squares.
21 She calls at the head of noisy places.
At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words:
22 “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery,
and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn at my reproof.
Behold,[c] I will pour out my spirit on you.
I will make known my words to you.
24 Because I have called, and you have refused;
I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;
25 but you have ignored all my counsel,
and wanted none of my reproof;
26 I also will laugh at your disaster.
I will mock when calamity overtakes you,
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come on you.
28 Then they will call on me, but I will not answer.
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me,
29 because they hated knowledge,
and didn’t choose the fear of Yahweh.
30 They wanted none of my counsel.
They despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way,
and be filled with their own schemes.
32 For the backsliding of the simple will kill them.
The careless ease of fools will destroy them.
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell securely,
and will be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Galatians 6:7 Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Here is another point about tithing.  Giving to the poor or giving to something like the Red Cross is not the same as tithing.  Giving alms, giving to the poor, is a separate kind of giving and has its own separate reward.  Tithing is giving to a church that preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It does not apply to other kinds of giving.  Charitable giving is not the same as tithing.  That kind of giving is a separate study with separate scriptures.

Now your church may have an outreach to the poor and when you give to the church, a portion of that may go to the poor, but that is different than when you take what you would give as a tithe and giving it to your sister-in-law who can’t pay her rent.  People can have financial problems because they don’t tithe.  It is a downward spiral.

Maybe you don’t go to a church but you want to start tithing.

Here are some places to think about.

I am not putting direct links because the cynical will say…see, it is just for the money.

You can go Google some of these places and see where you would like to tithe.  It needs to be a church that preaches Jesus as Saviour and Lord and as the way, the truth, and the life.   It needs to preach “be born again“.  Not all churches do.  So be careful where you tithe.

Samaritan’s Purse…this is worldwide
Rhema Bible Church…this has an actual online church
Christ for all Nations…this is an outreach, particularly to Africa, with a church in Florida
Morris Cerullo World Evangelism…this has a school of ministry
Marilyn and Sarah…they are on Christian television

And there are many others. Tithe to the places where you go to church and get your spiritual food.

And remember, if you haven’t tithed, but are thinking of spending a whole lot of money on Black Friday, rethink that. Set your spiritual house in order.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.

Tithing is not a one time event. It is an ongoing way of life.

It’s like a diet or a exercise routine.  Neither are one time events if you want ongoing results.  Tithing is the same.  It is a way of life.

Tithe out of every income you get, and tithe first, before you do anything else. Tithing is in time as well as first in money.

This video is one of a series. Once you watch it, I recommend going to their site, bookmarking their site, watching more of their videos, and checking out their store and the various other tabs on their sites. This site has very interesting specialists and scientists and a lot of thought-provoking information.

You can view the video here. However, again, since it is one part of series I recommend finding the rest of the series or purchasing it from their store.

Haggai 1:4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies waste? 5 Now therefore this is what Yahweh of Armies says: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and bring in little. You eat, but you don’t have enough. You drink, but you aren’t filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes in it.”

7 This is what Yahweh of Armies says: “Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house. I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified,” says Yahweh. 9 “You looked for much, and, behold, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says Yahweh of Armies, “Because of my house that lies waste, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore for your sake the heavens withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. 11 I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on that which the ground produces, on men, on livestock, and on all the labor of the hands.”

The solution to mankind’s problems is to turn to the Law of the Lord as found in the Bible and follow and obey the principles taught there. It is the answer for individuals. It is the answer for nations.

We see so much waste and destruction. The knowledge of God has disappeared from everyday society.

It used to be that even if some people did not go to church, there was at least a basic morality that was an overflow of church teachings. People respected life. They respected property. They knew the Golden Rule.

That has all changed.

What people do not realize is that there is a reaping to breaking the Laws of the Lord.

It is impossible to receive good when sowing evil. A person who sows evil to his neighbor will reap evil back.

Proverbs 17:13 Whoever rewards evil for good,
evil shall not depart from his house.

 

People cannot understand why they are not advancing in life. They kill. They steal. They burn businesses. They take from others. And yet their life does not improve. Why?

Proverbs 17:13 Whoever rewards evil for good,
evil shall not depart from his house.

 

These statements and principles in the Bible are like the law of gravity.  You can’t break a law.  If you try to break it, it will break you.

When people burn churches, that is especially bad. The churches provide a place where the Word of God is taught to the people. The churches provide a place where people can meet and worship the Lord God.

This is what God has to say.

Haggai 1:4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies waste? 5 Now therefore this is what Yahweh of Armies says: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and bring in little. You eat, but you don’t have enough. You drink, but you aren’t filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes in it.”

7 This is what Yahweh of Armies says: “Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house. I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified,” says Yahweh. 9 “You looked for much, and, behold, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says Yahweh of Armies, “Because of my house that lies waste, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore for your sake the heavens withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. 11 I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on that which the ground produces, on men, on livestock, and on all the labor of the hands.”

 

What people do not understand is that there is an invisible spiritual world.   In this invisible world are invisible forces.

When people do things that God commands in the Bible, they open themselves up to blessings from God.  God’s invisible forces go to work to bring blessings.

When people do things that are sin, they open themselves up to problems from satan.  Invisible forces bring problems.

And then they do not understand why they have so much trouble in life.

II Corinthians 4:4 in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

 

The Lord says the same thing over and over, in so many ways. He repeats the importance of obedience to the Laws of the Lord. He says it in the New Testament.

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say? 47 Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show you who he is like. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who hears, and doesn’t do, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

 

He says it in the Old Testament.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins, he shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.

21 “But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die. 22 None of his transgressions that he has committed will be remembered against him. In his righteousness that he has done, he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” says the Lord Yahweh; “and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?

24 “But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, should he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done will be remembered. In his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them he shall die.

25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not equal? Aren’t your ways unequal? 26 When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies therein; in his iniquity that he has done he shall die. 27 Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he will save his soul alive. 28 Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live. He shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ House of Israel, aren’t my ways fair? Aren’t your ways unfair?

30 “Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways,” says the Lord Yahweh. “Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, in which you have transgressed; and make yourself a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,” says the Lord Yahweh. “Therefore turn yourselves, and live!

 

The only solution for mankind is to turn to the Lord and to seek to obey the laws of the Lord.

The Bible says that there will be a separation at the end of the age.

Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field.”

37 He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 the field is the world, the good seeds are the children of the Kingdom, and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and those who do iniquity, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

 

It is necessary to turn to the Lord. It is necessary to repent. It is necessary to ask forgiveness. It is necessary to be born again. It is necessary to read the Bible and seek to follow it.

Otherwise, a person can end up living in sin and wickedness and be separated out.

Luke 19:11   As they heard these things, he [Jesus] went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately. ¹² He said therefore, “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. ¹³ He called ten servants of his and gave them ten mina coins, and told them, ‘Conduct business until I come.’ ¹⁴ But his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us.’

¹⁵ “When he had come back again, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by conducting business.¹⁶ The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.’

¹⁷ “He said to him, ‘Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

¹⁸ “The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, Lord, has made five minas.’

¹⁹ “So he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’²⁰ Another came, saying, ‘Lord, behold, your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief,²¹ for I feared you, because you are an exacting man. You take up that which you didn’t lay down, and reap that which you didn’t sow.’

²² “He said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant! You knew that I am an exacting man, taking up that which I didn’t lay down, and reaping that which I didn’t sow. ²³ Then why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank, and at my coming, I might have earned interest on it?’ ²⁴ He said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to him who has the ten minas.’

²⁵ “They said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ²⁶ ‘For I tell you that to everyone who has, will more be given; but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him. ²⁷ But bring those enemies of mine who didn’t want me to reign over them here, and kill them before me.’” ²⁸ Having said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

 

There is a bit of discussion as to whether the church should be active or passive regarding politics.

In this passage of scripture, those who did not want the Lord to reign over them, were judged by the Lord.

We can think of that as an active fighting against the Lord.

On the other hand, when evil abounds and “good men do nothing”, in a sense, by default, they are letting evil reign, by passively letting evil actively win.

“Not to oppose error is to approve it; and not to defend truth is to suppress it, and, indeed, to neglect to confound evil men—when we can do it—is no less a sin than to encourage them.”  Pope St. Felix III

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.  Edmund Burke

 

It’s necessary to keep pointing out that churches are muzzled by the 501 c(3) rating.  While they can do charitable work, preach about Jesus, pray for healing and do various other things, you will not hear them weigh in on political matters.

Therefore if you are concerned about what is being taught in your school, if you are concerned about what is happening politically, if you are concerned about learning the truth about the shot (information here), then you are going to have to seek the Lord what He wants you to do.  That kind of information will probably not come initially from the church, or if it does, it may be long in coming.

You may be able to find fellow Christians in your church or circle who want to attend a school board meeting with you, for example, but it is doubtful that it will be initiated from the pulpit.  My apologies to any church for which what I am saying does not hold true, but in my opinion, the majority of church leadership is held captive either by the 501 c(3) or infiltration by modernist forces in one form or another.

Luke 16:1  He also said to his disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made to him that this man was wasting his possessions. ² He called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’

³ “The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I don’t have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg. ⁴ I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, they may receive me into their houses.’ ⁵ Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’ ⁶ He said, ‘A hundred batos of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ ⁷ Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred cors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

⁸ “His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light. ⁹ I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents. ¹⁰ He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹ If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? ¹² If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? ¹³ No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve God and Mammon.”

¹⁴ The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they scoffed at him. ¹⁵ He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. ¹⁶ The law and the prophets were until John. From that time the Good News of God’s Kingdom is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. ¹⁷ But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall. ¹⁸ Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. He who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.

¹⁹ “Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. ²⁰ A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was taken to his gate, full of sores, ²¹ and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. ²³ In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom. ²⁴ He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’

²⁵ “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’

²⁷ “He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house; ²⁸ for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’

²⁹ “But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’

³⁰ “He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”