Should you tithe?

Welcome back to my blog. I am glad you are here. The topic of tithing to the church can be a difficult one. To investigate young believers’ beliefs over this fascinating issue we conducted a survey of which 548 persons completed. Participants were: 80% female, 82% evangelical, and 85% <40 years of age. See full report here Tithing: What young believers believe? How the participants tithed is described in Table 1.

 

Further, 82% said that missions or parachurch organizations could receive part of their tithe while 60% indicated material possessions or time could be part of their tithe. Table 2 addresses the participant’s biblical basis of their tithing.

Tithing is a concept introduced in the Old Testament law and refers to 10% of gains in crops and herds be given to the use of God (Numbers 18:24-28; Deuteronomy 12:6-12; Deuteronomy 14:22-28). One prior mention of tithing stretches back to Genesis 14 in Abraham's tithe to King Melchizedek after his great victory over the Mesopotamians.

Tithing is not mentioned in the New Testament epistles for the church. Importantly, Christ said He is the end of the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4). Therefore, the law has been discontinued and does not govern the church; Christians do not have to follow it (Hebrews 7:12-22). 

The New Testament does state (2 Corinthians 9:7), however, everyone should choose to give to God’s work, without sorrow, because God loves those who give joyfully!  The Apostle Paul (Philippians 3:8) provides us an example when he states that he counts all things loss for Christ. Importantly, everything we do as Christians is done by faith, including the extent and manner of giving (Romans 14:23).

Many who adhere to Reformed Theology believe the church was mysteriously present in the Old Testament and so we must obey the law, including tithing. However, no one obeys all the law, so its practical application is selective and inconsistent. If the church was present in the Old Testament, it is not mentioned specifically, it existed spiritually and here was certainly not a church structure that required a tithe. 

In summary, tithing is based in the Old Testament law which New Testament believers are not required to obey because they follow Christ. In contrast, we have the opportunity to serve Christ with all our mental and physical possessions, in faith, as guided by the New Testament and prayer (1 Timothy 4:4-5).

Thanks for visiting and see you again next week.

William C. Stewart, MD

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email - info@teleiosresearch.com 

Website - http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos/ 

Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

Our duties towards the Spirit

Our duties towards the Spirit

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. 

We continue discussing the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We surveyed 475 young participants on the topic. See full results here - Holy Spirit influence on Christians’ lives.

The Holy Spirit is a very important yet controversial topic. However, there is often a general lack of knowledge of what scripture teaches about the Spirit. We are covering these pertinent topics.

I generally breakdown the Bible’s handling of the Spirit for the New Testament church into three basic realms: 

• The Spirit’s work in salvation 

• The Spirit's role in our Christian walk 

• The Christian’s duties to the Spirit

This week let us cover the last point, our duties to the Spirit. What our survey participants thought is in the below table.

 

What the Bible says

Our actions towards the Spirit are nicely divided into two subcategories, what to do and what not to do. According to scripture, the Spirit dwells in us permanently from the time we believe unto the day of our redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14) and we have full use of the Spirit’s power available to us throughout our lives.

 What not to do!

• Grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) 

• Suppress the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

These verses do not explain how not to grieve or suppress the Spirit, but we might assume it's related to sin that would make the Spirit sad, or suppress His actions in our lives, because we are seeking our own desires.

 What to do! – These amazing verses are mostly related to our seeking God and being obedient. Again, scripture does not tell us the specifics, giving us great freedom to live our lives in faith.

• Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25) - The word ‘walk’ (peripateoo, περιπατεω) indicates our manner of life, especially in the moral realm.

• Be mature in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) - The illustration in this great verse is not to be drunk. Alcohol literally can control brain cells by its chemical effect. In contrast, for mature Christians, their old actions are no longer possible as they have been changed by the Spirit.

• Be zealous towards the Spirit (Romans 12:10)

• Put to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13) - Last week we learned the Spirit helps us defeat sin but this verse also indicates that it is by our initiation towards obedience that we facilitate the Spirit’s gracious help. 

Note: Do not commit the unforgivable sin by blaspheming the Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32) – Importantly, this verse often is taken out of context. In this passage Christ is directing His wrath towards the Jewish Pharisees.  At Christ’s baptism, at the initiation of his ministry, the Pharisees had rejected the witness given by the Holy Spirit when He came down from heaven on our Savior. 

Therefore, to blaspheme the physical manifestation of Christ on earth is forgivable but to reject God's approval (signified by the Spirit) of his spiritual mission to bring salvation to man is unforgivable, otherwise by rejecting the salvation message.

Importantly, Christians are not in view in this passage as we to have the Spirit’s sealing until the day of our redemption, having accepted Christ as Savior (Ephesians 1:13,14 and 4:30). 

Thank you for joining me today. Please join me again next week as we continue to explore fascinating results from Teleios’ research.

William C. Stewart, MD

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email - info@teleiosresearch.com 

Website - http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos/ 

Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

Ways the Holy Spirit helps our Christian walk!

Ways the Holy Spirit helps our Christian walk!

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. 

Teleios recently surveyed the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives in 475 young participants. Wow, we received some amazing answers! See full results here - Holy Spirit influence on Christians’ lives.

The Holy Spirit is a very important, yet controversial and often emotional, topic. However, often people generally lack knowledge of what scripture teaches about the Spirit. We are covering some pertinent topics over the Spirit, examining what scripture alone says.

I generally breakdown scriptures handling of the Spirit for the New Testament Church into three basic realms: 

• The Spirit’s work in Salvation 

• The Spirit's role in our Christian walk 

• The Christian’s duties to the Spirit. 

Today let's examine the most common responses from our participants regarding how the Spirit helps in our Christian walk (please see table).

 

What the Bible says

The scripture states that the Spirit plays a vital and active role in believers’ lives, and can divided into two basic types:

Constant roles - The Spirit has several constant roles not dependent on us:

• Points to Christ – The Spirit glorifies Christ, and gives and teaches us the information our Savior has given to him (John 16:13-14; 1 John 2:20,27)

• Indwells us – Remember, we learned last week that the Spirit indwells us completely until the day of our redemption so we have full access to His power and help. 

• Prays for us (Romans 8:26) - This great truth indicates the Spirit prays on our behalf to God. What better source of prayer could we have?

Believer dependent roles - However, importantly there are roles for which the Spirit assists us that are variable and depend upon our obedience. Two passages are critical to understand the Spirit’s help for us:

Romans 8:13-16,26

• Stops sin (V.13) - As we are obedient the Spirit helps us put to death the deeds of the flesh.

• Leads us (V.14) - Christians commonly believe this biblical concept but we should understand how He leads. In short, the Spirit use God’s word (please see below passage in Ephesians 6). Indeed, the Bible often tells us to be people of knowledge and understanding, for example in Paul’s prayers for us (Ephesians 1:17; Colossians 1:9). 

• We are God's children (V.16) - The Spirit comforts us that we belong to God and not to be anxious over our eternal security 

Ephesians 6:10-17 - The magnificent armor of God passage is critical to understanding our Christian walk because it instructs us how to access God’s power by describing a Greek hoplite soldier and his armament. Often Christians wonder how they can know the power of God. These great verses describe it! However, it is also important in showing the role of the Spirit because His mighty actions are linked to each of the pieces of armor in other scripture.

• Truth (our belt to prepare us V.14) - Living in truth is a fruit of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:9) and prepares our mind to making proper decisions and actions.

• Righteousness (our breastplate V.14) - A fruit of the Spirit is a holy heart that is set apart to serve God and perceives and rejects sin (Ephesians 5:9)

• Share the gospel (the shoes to carry us to battle V.15) - By telling others the message of salvation we see the power of God to change others and positively affect our society, which is assisted by the Spirit (Romans 1:16-17; 2 Timothy 1:7; John 16:8-11).

• Faith (our shield V.16) - A fruit of the Spirit also is faith in which we make all decisions and God desires from us (Galatians 5:22,23; Romans 14:23).

• Eternal security (our helmet V.17) - The sound knowledge of our security of salvation protects our heads as we face troubles in this world and its function is from the Spirit (Romans 15:13).

• The Bible (our sword V.17) - The power of God we experience in our Christian walk is through the action of the Spirit in accordance to the Bible.

Wow what great truths! These passages tell us how the Spirit acts in our lives to cause us to please God and to experience His power.

Join us again next week as we describe what are our responsibilities are to the Spirit so He's free to act in our lives as described above. Join us again then. Thank you for visiting this week.

William C. Stewart, MD

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email - info@teleiosresearch.com 

Website - http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos/ 

Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

Beliefs about the Holy Spirit

Beliefs about the Holy Spirit

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. We are exploring relevant research findings from Teleios! More compelling findings are on our website.

Teleios examined the important role of the Holy Spirit in Christians’ lives in visitors to the Instagram account, InstaPray. We had 475 participants, 68% were adolescents (<18) as well as millennials (18-34), 78% evangelicals and 71% female. Wow, we received some amazing answers! Holy Spirit influence on Christians’ lives.

The Holy Spirit is a very important yet controversial and often emotional topic. Opinions vary widely about the role of the Spirit, from traditional orthodox to charismatic beliefs. However, in all groups there is often a general lack of knowledge of what scripture teaches. Let's cover some pertinent topics over the Spirit examining what scripture says and perhaps we can all better shape our own thinking based on the truth of God. 

I generally breakdown scriptures handling of the Spirit for the New Testament Church into three basic realms: 

• The Spirit’s work in salvation 

• The Spirit's role in our Christian walk 

• The Christian’s duties to the Spirit

Let's examine what our participants said regarding the Spirit and salvation (please see table).

What the Bible says

Indeed, the Spirit in salvation in scripture is key. He performs the following vital functions.

• Convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8) - This role is vital because left to our own resources, as fallen man both physically and mentally, we would not come to faith and salvation by our own reckoning (Romans 3:10-12). Therefore, the Spirit is central to help unbelievers recognize their faults, coming judgment and God’s demand for righteousness.

• Baptizes (Romans 6:2-3,9; Ephesians 2:4-7; Colossians 2:12-13) - In the epistles the word ‘baptism’ signifies spiritual baptism which occurs at our salvation by the Spirit. The actual meaning of the word baptism (βαπτιζω, baptizoo) is ‘to identify with’. Therefore, the Spirit baptizes us by identifying us with Christ’s death and resurrection.

The Spirit accomplishes this by putting to death our old person and resurrecting us to a new living person. ‘Regeneration’ and ‘born again’ are other concepts in Scripture signifying this important event (Titus 3:5; John 3:3). These wonderful verses demonstrate to us the profound importance of the resurrection because there is no eternal life without the resurrection and regeneration (1 Corinthians 15:13-19). The incredible fact of spiritual baptism (which water baptism may symbolize) gives us surety for our great salvation as a new creature that cannot be slain and re-created our old dead self. 

• Seals to Redemption (2 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14) - This great promise indicates that each of us has the Holy Spirit from our time of belief in salvation until the day we die and go to be with God. Indeed, one of the definitions of a Christian is that we have the Holy Spirit for we if do not have it we are not yet a Believer (Romans 8:9).

• Places us into the church (1 Corinthians 12:13) - The spirit graciously has placed us at salvation into the universal church of Christ for which he is the head.

As you can see, the Spirit is integral in bringing us to salvation, completing salvation and bringing us to our eternal life. What a fantastic blessing that we have such a gift from God as the Holy Spirit!

Please join us next week as we continue the scriptural discussion of what the Spirit does for us. Thank you for reading my blog. I hope it is an assistance to you.

William C. Stewart, MD

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email - info@teleiosresearch.com 

Website - http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos/ 

Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

How to share the gospel

How to share the gospel – 5 simple tips

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. We are exploring research findings from Teleios! See all of our compelling findings on our website - Research.

Last week we spoke about people's fear in sharing the gospel, so this week let's discuss some basic principles about how to communicate the gospel in an easy, acceptable manner that you can adapt to your lifestyle.

Fortunately, scripture does not tell us that we need to beat people with the gospel in a socially awkward and isolating way. So how do we relate the ‘good news’ to others in today's world? Well, there are many ways to share the plan of salvation, but here is a process that my wife, Jeanette, and I often use:

1. Prayerfully consider others - Most of us are so busy that unless we stop and specifically consider those around us we may easily miss wonderful opportunities to spread the gospel. Therefore, try thinking through the people you know and who might respond to the gospel. Many Christians say, ‘well nobody!’ So then, consider how you can meet more people and know your acquaintances better (please see next point). Start by praying for them!

2. Create a solid base for a relationship - This is vital as people need to know that you genuinely like and respect them. There are many books on the subject and perhaps the best starter is the classic, How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. You can buy a cheap used copy (or download a copy) at Amazon. It is frightfully easy to read and apply. Do it! In short, good relationships are built on, at least in part: listening, asking inquisitive questions about people's passions, work, interests and family. This should be done in a genuine, affable manner with a smile, gratitude, appropriate specific compliments, and saying ‘I’m sorry’ as needed. A solid relationship may take some time to build, months to years. Be patient.

3. Build a spiritual rapport - This can be done by simply asking them about benign religious topics, progressing through such questions as: 

o Were you raised in the church and what denomination? Did you like the church? Was it a good social environment?

o What do you think about religious-based political issues such as Christian persecution? Does religion or the church help our culture, etc.?

o Work towards issues pertaining to Christ, who is the major goal of the conversation, such as: what did their Church teach about Christ? What do they themselves believe about Christ? What is Christ’s role in salvation? 

Important note: You don't have to respond to the above questions, it is better that you mostly just listen initially and gather information, again showing you respect for their opinions.

4. Identify a need – As you listen you should be able to perceive spiritual needs such as: are they are saved? Are they concerned about not going to heaven? Do they express reasons for guilt or unhappiness? Based on these issues you can develop a plan to assist them.

5. Make an offer - Based on your assessment of their spiritual needs, plan how to explain the gospel as a specific solution to their need. Make sure the offer is clear and unambiguous, that they must say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and they know what they are accepting. 

Although you may be able to discuss the gospel directly, I generally find it is helpful to offer a Bible study for 4 weeks to study the claims of Christ in Ephesians 1:1-14. During this study they can discover the truth themselves, ask questions and you can share the gospel as issues of salvation are raised in the text. Salvation is neatly packaged also in Romans 3:10-26 or Ephesians 2:1-10. 

Watch this video, where we demonstrate how to share the gospel: https://teleiosresearch.com/how-to-share-the-gospel/ . 

Even if this individual says ‘no’ to your efforts, the strong relationship you've built in the initial steps outlined above should overcome any social awkwardness. Through prayer and patience perhaps the opportunity to share again will occur. 

If they say yes and believe, then praise be to God. What a privilege to see God save and change a life!

Thank you for reading my blog. Join me again next week as we continue to discuss Teleios’ findings and the wisdom of God's word.

William C. Stewart, MD

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email - info@teleiosresearch.com 

Website - http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos/ 

Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.