Encounter Church

What vision for our lives are we left holding onto after the 'honeymoon' period is over?After we make that decision to give Christ our ALL, and then all Hell breaks out.....what will we do? Will we quit and give into the lies of satan, or will we maintain our course (continue by FAITH) and refuse to be moved!Satan knows he can not stop the blessings of God in our lives....but he also knows WE CAN.We must refuse to doubt and question God, but instead HOLD-ON and keep believing!

We make the commitment to Trust God with our TITHE........and then it seems like all HELL breaks loose........What now?We must continue to have FAITH (maintain the course) and refuse to listen to the lies of satan.Satan has nothing GOOD to give us- only EVIL.Keep trusting GOD!

In the Word Of God there are many life changing principle Jesus preached and taugh on. One of these was 'going the extra mile' ((Matt. 5:41)Jesus showed that there are greater rewards available to those who move beyond just obligation or requirment....those who go the second mile.As we have been teaching on the Blessed Life, we have discovered that there is more than just our Tithe- but also our offerings. This I believe takes the believer into 'the extra mile.' Above and beyond that whcih is requirred....a gift that expresses or total love for HIM.

Many want their lives to be 'touched.' meaning they want the blessings and everything that goes with that........BUT very few want to 'touch' God- the true BLESSER!It takes FAITH to touch God.......a true touch of purpose, believing that He is more than able. Refuse to allow your NEED to determine your outcome......Allow Faith to pave your way.'Without faith it's impossible to please HIM.....'(Heb 11:6), But remember 'He rewards those who diligently seek HIM.' That means those who touch Him with purpose!

Church 101- (Acts 2:42)Four things we see in the lives of the early believers.They devoted themselves to- 1) The Apostles teachings.2) To fellowship.3) To the breaking of bread.4) To prayer.

When God tells us that He will 'Open the windows of Heaven and pour out SUCH a blessing we will be unable to handle it'......it's not that he is wasting extra on us- He's given us more than we can handle so we can pass it on! That it can become a seed in our hands.God is able to meet ALL of our needs (sufficiency) but then there is another level called Abundance. How will we handle that? Will we pass the test? can He still trust you?Will we use our money as a SEED, trusting Him with our NEED....and never be found in GREED?

To be honest with you.....It's really simple. Your money can be either under the control of God, or under the control of Mammon.Mammon is an Aramaic words that means 'riches'. Mammon is the spirit of the world that is completely opposite to God. When we Tithe (Give God His portion- the FIRST portion) He redeems the rest. Thus meaning He places His spirit upon our money instead of that of the world.It's either, or....never BOTH. You cannot serve 2 master, (Matt 6:24)

When it comes to giving to God- It's a test of our hearts. Are we going to trust God or not?It's so easy to allow our hearts to Be 'ATTACKED' by selfishness and grief, instead of having a generous, grateful heart.Really it all comes down to the right perspective...realizing that it's all aready His. That's the way we should give, because we have an unselfish, liberal heart of gratitude towards God!

From God's Word I believe we clearly see that Tithing (firstborn/first fruits) is a principle of LIFE- not a constraint of the LAW.Tithing is NOT law, but rather it's an unchanging principle established by an unchanging GOD! Yes today we are under Grace, but that doesn't abolish the law. Under Grace we are still to uphold the priciples we read of under the old covenant (OT). Those principles don't change- because God doesn't change.....but living in obedience to those principles will change YOU!

It's time that each one of us become good stewards with that which we possess (right now....not someday). God needs to know that He can trust you.The Bible reminds us that faithfulness in little will lead to greater things- that's why stewardship is so important.Stewardship is defined as- 'A person who manages another's property or finances.'Whether you have much, or little, it still applies to us all. If we can't handle now what we have (and put GOD FIRST with it) why should He entrust us with more?We must get this principle right!