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Concerning tithes
Read this page in
Filipino.
REGARDING RITES AND OFFERINGS
Revealed on September 24,2006
Maestro Evangelista says: God
doesn't need material things; the rituals and offerings are not a form of
worship to God. In ancient times, God let his people observe the rites and
offerings, but today, it does not apply to everyone in the whole world. What
the religions don't know is when God told His people to make offerings or
sacrifices, they did it as a penance for the sins they have committed before.
As an example, as a parent
would make his child receive punishment for the bad things he/she may have done,
"You are grounded and kneel in the corner of the room, and be still for
hours!" This is similar to the rites and offerings that God asked His
people to do.
The religions patterned their
rites from the punishment God gave to His people. The teachings of the
religions, force the people of this present generation to practice the
punishments which God gave before to His people!
We are not bound by it. Let
us read:
The
LORD said to Moses, "Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and
say to them: 'This is what the LORD has commanded: Any Israelite who sacrifices
an ox, a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside of it instead of bringing it to
the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD in
front of the tabernacle of the LORD - that man shall be considered guilty of
bloodshed; he has shed blood and must be cut off from his people. This is so
the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they are now making in the
open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the LORD, at the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings.
Leviticus 17:1-5 (NIV)
"fellowship offerings"
or peace offerings are forms of punishment for their sins. Today, when we make
offerings in the churches and in temples we are not really offering praise and
worship to God. We are like making up for the sins of the former people of God!
The
priest is to sprinkle the blood against the altar of the LORD at the entrance to
the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. They
must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they
prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the
generations to come.' "Say to them: 'Any Israelite or any alien living among them who offers a burnt
offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD -that man must be cut off from his people.
Leviticus 17:6-9 (NIV)
God’s people are hard-headed
and always commit sins against God. What is the meaning of “offerings?”
The
man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the
Tent of
Meeting for a guilt offering to the LORD. Leviticus 19:21 (NIV)
"a guilt
offering" -
They perform the offerings
because of their sins to God, not as a form of worship.
But this is what the religions
did to the people, to practice the rites observed by other people without
knowing the meaning and its origin. To partake of the rites in temples and
churches is a form of punishment! It is not to praise God.
These are commandments that
God gave them to observe:
" 'Do
not eat any meat with the blood still in it. " 'Do not practice divination or sorcery.
" 'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your
beard. " 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am
the LORD. " 'Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will
turn to
prostitution and be filled with wickedness. " 'Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:26-30 (NIV)
These are some the
commandments they are to observe. They received a punishment and they were told
to do what has been mentioned earlier.
" 'Do
not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists,
for you
will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:31 (NIV)
In our modern time, we even
have an industry devoted to divination! How many people are enticed to hear
about their fortune or destinies from the diviners!
In Solomon's time, are they
still being made to observe the offerings and rituals?
What did Solomon say?
Guard
your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to
offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 (NIV)
This is the true message that
God is giving us, that if we offer material things to Him, we are fools in His
eyes. By observing offerings we are still committing sins.
Maestro Evangelista says, read
and you will discover that God is telling the people not to offer these things
anymore:
"Come,
let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us;
he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. Hosea 6:1 (NIV)
God is telling us to return to
Him.
After
two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.
Hosea 6:2 (NIV)
God loves us, and we will
finally know Him.
Let us
acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."
Hosea 6:3 (NIV)
"As surely as the sun rises"
- It will surely happen...
"rains"
- God will come to us like rains that gives life, not like a storm that
destroys.
"What
can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears. Hosea 6:4 (NIV)
These are the behavior of the
two people (tribes or houses) of God before...
Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you.
Hosea 6:5 (NIV)
Because we believed in the
religions, but now...
"the words of my mouth"
- The Word of God brought by the prophets.
Do we still need to give
offerings and observe rituals?
For I
desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6 (NIV)
When shall we acknowledge and
give thanks to God? Maestro Evangelista says:
Listen
to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
Psalm 5:2-3 (NIV)
"King"
- Our God is our King also.
We should give thanks and praise
to God before we sleep at night and when we rise up in the morning.
Only when we can't
find any solution to our problems should we seek guidance from God of how we can
overcome it. That is the only time!
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This page was last modified:
Wednesday May 28, 2014
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