I was taken aback by a recent open discussion on television on the subject of homosexual behaviour. Two men were being interviewed by the host (he is famous, mind you) to narrate their experiences on being homosexual. The host was prompting them again and again to reveal their innermost feelings on the topic. To my surprise both men did not hesitate not one bit to tell it all; shame on everyone for airing this one on live television. To come to think of it now, I was not really all that surprised. More than half the people in the western world and especially in the United States have come to accept that homosexual behaviour is acceptable to them and to society in general. The media is doing its part to help them. So much that there are social groups fighting for homosexual groups in court! Many States in the United States have brought in laws that allow same sex marriages between two men and two women as totally legal. My dear brothers and sisters, where is our society heading to? I know of even devout Christians searching online on this subject. Some of them are even being fed by their pastors and priests that it was okay to be homosexual. What does the Word of God in the Bible have to say about Homosexuality? I shall now give two specific scriptures that will settle the issue for everyone. Here they are... “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.” (Leviticus 20:13) “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) What does God mean by abomination in the first scripture from Leviticus? Here God is saying categorically that He does not tolerate the behaviour of a man having sex with another man. If they … [Read more...]
Tithing the Tithe
It was only yesterday that I was telling you all about ‘giving’ from the Bible. I thought I will say today a few things about ‘Tithe’ and ‘Tithing.’ Tithing used to intrigue me still more than giving. What is tithing and why is it so vital to anyone who wants to follow the God in the Bible? For years I was fed with stories about the fate of people who tithed and those who did not tithe. Although I never took the trouble to study and learn for myself the consequences of tithing, the matter was lurking in mind like a sore. Those days I was not a student of the Bible although I studied in a catholic convent where the idea of tithing kept coming in the morning sermons our Rector gave us each day. We were given concrete examples of people who tithed and reaped great results in health and wealth. Their children never felt sick and they rarely met with an accident. Those that did not tithe had to face one hardship after another. Some even got killed for no reason. Then came the time when I set out to find out all about tithe and tithing. What I learnt changed my thinking and gave me answers to all the nagging disappointments that people faced all the time. So what is tithing? It is giving back to God what already belonged to Him. Remember the order that God gave to His son Adam? “Do not eat from that tree!” That was the tithe. By this command, God expressed his authority over Man. The idea of giving back to God continued through the ages and is most important even today to the believer. Take a look at the Lord’s order in Malachi 3:10 -11... “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.” A short phrase for tithe is 10 percent. It is one tenth of every increase we have. Whether it is income by labor or a … [Read more...]
