Thanks for your review, Blondie. Due to your contribution, I was able to "prophesy" to my honey that we would be studying Tithing this week. Not too different from Christendom, hmmmm?
Here are my comments this week:
Now, if we were doing a study on thankfulness, the WT article could have dwelled on one of their earliest quotes and received the full answer. For often I find the full story not be dwelling on the sin, but on the redemption that follows. So it is with Ephesians 2.
WT 12/1/2003 page 14, para 2. Surrounded as we are by Satan?s world, we need to exercise care not to be corrupted by its attitudes. In the first century, the apostle Paul reminded the Ephesian Christians, "You at one time walked according to the system of things of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit that now operates in the sons of disobedience. Yes, among them we all at one time conducted ourselves in harmony with the desires of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and the thoughts, and we were naturally children of wrath even as the rest." (Ephesians 2:2,3)?That is true of many today. How, then can we maintain a thankful spirit? What help does Jehovah provide?
In context:
Ephesians 2:1-10 (NIV)Made Alive in Christ
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Christians are not marinating in sin and fleshly desires. They have a new life, a free gift from God. Such a gift can lead to a lot of gratefulness. Not unless the poor person has failed to completely accept Jesus? sacrifice. Which might explain why so many Jehovah?s Witnesses are so miserable.
The rest of the study, of course, is about giving. The OT trinity of tithes, firstfruits, and tithes is detailed. On the thinnest of doctrinal threads and virtually no scriptural support the article goes on to link OT giving to the WTBTS lifestyle of service:
tithing = participating in the ministry and attending Christian meetings (para 12)
firstfruits = the fruit of lips, which make public declaration to his name (para 11) and/or making voluntary contributions to the worldwide Kingdom Preaching work (para 17) Which should be regular, though it is not Tithing. (para 17)
gleaning (giving to the poor) =
participating in the ministry and attending Christian meetings wholeheartedly and with a willing spirit . (para 13)On the other side of the coin, so to speak, the article says that Jehovah ..is aware of our limitations. He values the sacrifices, great or small, that his servants offer willingly (para 14). If that is so, why then do witnesses have to fill out a time card? And in paragraph 17 it states, ?
Servants of Jehovah no longer need to tithe .? Boy, I am glad they cleared that up. Thinking about all that Old Testament giving and tithing was making my head hurt.I think I will stick to regular Christendom. At least they admit that my giving is going towards roof repair. At least in Christendom?s churches, giving to the poor means giving to the poor. Food, I mean, not ?spiritual food in due season?.