The Hallelujah Network

8/14/2019 The Hallelujah Network

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THE HALLELUJAH NETWORKA Tall Tale of Preacher Repentance

By Patricia BackoraAll Rights Reserved

This document may be freely copied and shared for non-commercial purposes, so

long as content remains unchanged and credit is given the author.

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Pink curls bouncing, Gigi Conway did a girlish jig as the magic drum stopped rollingand revealed a new total for the semi-annual Give-a-thon. O-o-oh. thank you Jesus!

Were up to two million, six hundred thousand dollars! Can you shout amen,everybody?

Frenzied whistles and cheers split the air. Gigi giggled and jiggled hertamborine. Rich Conway, President of the worldwide Hallelujah TV Network, cried,

Praise God for another MIRACLE! After our next song, sung by our incomparableSusie Sweet, we have a special treat in store for you. Bill Blessing manages our


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studio in Tomahawk, Texas, and hes the earths most expert expositor on Biblicaleconomics. He hosts our daily program Reaping Richly. He hasnt been feeling up to

par these past few months, but I do believe the Lord is healing him. Still, he servesthe Lord with all hes got. And man, has he ever got a message for you thatll

knock your socks off! Now, Susie, well just sit back and let you minister to us all insong.

Her voice velvety, and her smile angelic, the winsome young soprano sang thehymn I Surrender All. Scattered sniffles broke out in the studio audience. Many

wondered whether theyd really given their all to Jesus.The telecast shifted to a subsidiary station in Tomahawk, where a lanky Texan

stood behind a pulpit, his trademark grin subdued. Thank you, Brother Conway,he said in his lazy drawl. Now before I begin, Ive got a confession to make. The

Bible exhorts us ministers of the Gospel to faithfully share the full counsel of God.Now, thisll surprise many of yall, but Ive failed yall in this area. For years Ive

withheld certain precious truths that would have set your lives free from financialbondage.

And why did I do this? Cause I was afraid some of yall watchin might not be

able to bear the deeper truths of the Word of God. Remember, the Word of Godpierces through the joints and marrow like a two-edged sword. Will you please

forgive me, Brother Conway, for the way Ive failed Gods people?Back in Hallelujah TVs home studio in California, Brother Conway said, softly

and tremulously: Praise Jesus for such humility in one who has suffered so greatly

in his body, after so many years of faithfully breaking the Bread of Life to us all.Brother Bill, if theres anything at all to forgive, all Ive got to say is this: Step boldly

out in faith. Never fear to speak the truth in love. Our precious brothers and sistershave a right to hear the inspired exhortations of Scripture, however difficult they

may be to receive. The Bible says in Hebrews 12: Now no discipline from Godseems to be joyful, but painful. But in the end it yields the good fruit of

righteousness to all who receive it.Brother Conway brushed away a timely tear. Father, he prayed, in the Name

of Jesus I ask that You would soften many hardened hearts today through the words

Brother Blessing is about to share. Help me and all our viewers around the globereceive the sincere milk of Your Word into our souls, that we may grow thereby.Amen and amen.

Thank you, Brother Conway, Brother Blessing said, lifting his eyes to theoverhead monitor. Brothers and sisters, were all fixin to have a Hallelujah good

time! Can you shout amen everybody?Whistles and shouts, and rousing amens shot back at him from the jam-packed

TV studio.A curious grin played at the corner of his lined mouth. Lets get down to

business, then, praise God. Im gonna speak tonight on The Fruits of Tithin.Moans of mortal agony.

Hey now, yall, dont look at me like that, like youre fixin to git a whippin.

Thisll be the best message youve heard in a long time, and I guarantee youll never

hear another cow-pokin pulpiteer preach it with the pizzazz Im gonna give it.Sprinklings of applause, and a few guarded smiles.

For years Ive said that if you give your all to Jesus, its a package deal, andyour wallet goes to the foot of the Cross with you. Nobody can argue that, now. And

I also said, if God dont have your 10%, He dont have your 90% either. Fact is, Heowns us lock, stock, and barrel. Everything weve got is His too, and Hes the One

Who entrusts us as good stewards to wisely use the money in our pockets.Tonight, he said gravely, Ill show yall how to pay a proper tithe, cause I want

yall to benefit from wisdom I gleaned from my personal Bible study.


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He turned his head and called: Honey, bring all the tithes into the storehouse ofGod!

From the side exit came his wife, leading a caravan of calves, muzzled and ropedtogether. A cowpoke in denim duds followed sheepishly, pushing a wheelbarrow

piled high with equally odd offerings: squash, beans, onions, melons, okra,tomatoes, corn, cucumbers. Presiding over the pile was a squawking hen in a

chicken wire cage.The already deafening ruckus increased when the man tripped and banged his

wheelbarrow against a chair, toppling the cage. When it hit the floor the bird flewout, squawking. Crazily it ran around, exulting in its liberty.

Hank! cried Sister Blessing, catch it!Hank ran round and round, finally cornering the hen against a showy floral

display. He carried it to Brother Blessing, who shoved the bird back in its cage. Heheld it up for all to see and shouted: Even a dumb chickens got enough sense to

know when its in bondage! Tonight Im lettin yall out of your cages! Can you shout hallelujah, everybody!

Effervescent joy filled every Hallelujah Network studio which didnt catch a

sudden technical difficulty.Back in California, Brother Conway frantically dialed his cell phone. He didnt

want to make a scene in front of all these people. After all, he had publicly pledgedto receive the Lords admonitions in a spirit of meekness.

No one answered. Oblivious to the merriment, he slipped away to the Control

Room.Heart hammering wildy, Brother Conway pummeled the ponderous door. Its sole

window was shaded over. Again, no answer. He yelled as loudly as he dared: Letme in! NOW! No one replied.

Ill fire all of you if you dont open right now! he barked.No luck. He paged Security on his cell phone.

Arrest the Control Room engineers! he yelled. Break the door down if you haveto!

No need to, sir, a voice droned back at him through a loudspeaker.

And why not!Were interrogating them right now, Brother Conway. Relax. Everythings undercontrol in the Control Room.

Oh, Jake, please, the preacher pleaded, make them scramble that signal fromTomahawk!

We will, Brother Conway, when were done questioning them.The offering cleared away, Brother Blessings sermon was in progress.

Thats right, folks, thats the kind of tithe people in the Bible really paid, thekind I never did preach on. I own a big spread fifteen miles west of here, the Big

Blesing Ranch. We raise cattle, hens, hogs, and organic produce for the yuppiemarket. Only reason I didnt tithe on the hogs, he sniffed, was they aint kosher

enough. Which triggers off a powerful point: If money-hungry preachers hung onto

Moses dietary regulations like they hang onto tithin, they wouldnt have their

fingers stuck in the pork barrel all the time.Deafening laughter, claps and whistles. At length Brother Blessing said, Now

Im gonna tell yall why Ive done this about-face, and truthfully, part of my reason isselfish. For months now Ive been mighty sick of a blood disorder, and short of a

miracle, Ill be meetin my Maker in a year or so. Even after I found out, I still keptGods truth secret, hopin theyd find a miracle cure so I could keep livin high on the

hog off your money!Yall probably know, cause I recognize a lot of your faces, but when Im home

from all my travels, I serve as a lay preacher at Green Harvest Assembly, here in


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Tomahawk. Our pastor, Brother Wiley Butcher, is the one with the cemet...er, Imean, seminary degree, but he lets himself decrease, so I can man the pulpit and

make his funds increase. After tonight, I expect hell cross me off his list, but Ivealways been top man in his inner circle of cronies. He says Im the one who put

Tomahawk, Texas on the map.I remember after one tear jerkin sermon at our church, one unhappy guy

shoved his way through our entourage of ushers and yelled: Brother Blessing,youve just gotta help me! They just laid me off at the plant! I lost my health

insurance and everything! Yesterday my boy fell off his skateboard and broke hisarm. He ran up a big emergency bill at the hospital. Not only that, theres no food

left in the house! Im awful sorry to hear about your boy, I said, and have you tried the local

food bank?His head hung low and he said, Ive always been a hard-workin man,

Brother Blessing, and Im just too ashamed to go over there.All I could contribute was: Well, Brother, maybe you oughta review your

personal givin record. Have you kept current with your tithes?

Well, he said, I didborrow the tithe a couple of times to pay the rent, andpatch up my old pickup so I could get to work.

Now, yall can guess what came out of my mouth next: Did you ever pay Godback?

He shook his head no. I couldnt, Brother Blessing. They closed the plant.

I put that poor man to shame, right there in front of a whole crowd of churchbigwigs, dressed in their sharp suits and gold jewelry. He looked like he coulda

crawled into a hole. NOT ONE of us fancy kingpins offered him any kind of help,except I said: No wonder your lifes under a curse. You broke faith with God, so you

paid the piper. Doesnt the Bible say: God whups every believer who disobeysHim?

Ill never forget the look in his eyes as he slunk away. Then he straightened upand said: My Billy didnt deserve that accident, and you know it! All of yall have got

a right to talk, when now youre about to take a rich tour group to the Holy Land to

get closer to Jesus! Well, let me tell yall somethin! If yall cant see Jesus, Whohad no place to lay His head, in the poor folk here in Tomahawk, Texas, yall mightjust as well go blow all your excess money in Las Vegas!

Needless to say, folks, that guy grabbed the attention of a gang of ushers wholooked a lot better-fed than he did. But as they gave him a polite escort out he

turned round and left a bombshell to eat at my conscience, loud enough to hush upall the noisy chitchat of folks leavin the sanctuary: If youre like Jesus, Im through

with Him!That softened me up just enough to interest me in helpin him, but in a way

that saved his dignity. I took him on at the ranch as a hired hand, on condition hedstart tithin each pay day and set aside a little extra to pay installments on his past

due tithes he owed ...ahem!... the Lord from the job he lost at the plant. He

didnt sound too thrilled about that idea, but as he had a family to feed, he

swallowed his pride and accepted. I gave him an advance on his wages, but I lethim know he was on probation, and hed better put in a mans day.

Brother Len, the preacher choked, Im so glad you come tonight, and thanksfor lettin me tell the story. I truly value you now, not just as an employee, but as a

wonderful friend and brother in the Lord. You showed me a lot more about the realJesus than I learned from most anybody else. Would you please stand up?

Everybody give our brother a big love clap.A tall, lean man in the second row rose up, acknowledging the commendation

with a shy smile and a quiet thank you.


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Were so happy you came to help out on the ranch, Brother Len, and youveblessed us here as well. Thanks, brother. We really love you in the Lord.

It wasnt long after that the doctor told me why Ive had all those blackoutspells, and have lost so much weight. Then last week, I had the scariest dream of

my entire life. I dreamt I was standin before Jesus. Thought Id passed away in mysleep. Wasnt too thrilled to see Him, either. Uh-oh, I thought, the jigs up! This

boys in BIG trouble now!But Jesus didnt look mad, just sad. He came closer and asked me: What do

you have to show for your long life, Bill Blessing? What treasures did you bring to layat My feet?

Everything I ever loved and worked for appeared before me in a sort of vision.My very first Cadillac. My first Rolex watch. My big wardrobe full of Armani suits.

My gold rings sparklin with diamonds. All those jaunts to the Holy Land, alwaysfirst class, of course. The Caribbean cruises. My two Lear jets. My luxury yacht. The

Social Security income bilked out of old ladies who ate cat food, and could barelykeep their lights on. All the five-star restaurants. My summer cabin in the Rockies.

My winter home in Palm Beach. My condo in Hawaii. All the fancy cocktail parties.

The heady power I wielded over fearful saints who swallowed my lies hook, line, andsinker and were suckered into tithin out of their poverty, while all along I half-

suspected the truth: The Scriptures only commanded Old Testament saints to tithe!Even then, they were to bring their tithes to a place of worship presided over ONLYby priests of the Tribe of Levi, and even that tithe they brought the Lord was to be

ONLY ON THEIR FARM YIELD! Paul the Apostle says in I Corinthians 16:2: Leteveryone give AS GOD HAS PROSPERED HIM! God doesnt demand a dime if youre

destitute! He wants to give to you first! God aint so broke He needs your childrensmilk money! Can you shout amen, everybody?

There was an explosion of rejoicing. Tamborines rang. My, the crowd was in areal good mood.

His voice breaking, Brother Blessing said, All those things I set my heart on inthis life got thrown in a big bonfire and burnt up. And Jesus said, Is there nothing

left for Me, Bill? I poured out My lifeblood on the Cross of Calvary to save your soul

from hell, and all you labored for was things which perish.Oh, how the tears rolled down my face. Id gotten saved when I was barelyseven. My, how I loved Jesus back then. But what a wily old fox Id grown up to be.

I was scared stiff as I faced my Righteous Judge. All I could think was: If only Idgone home to Glory before I learned enough street smarts to turn Jesus into a big

con game!Jesus voice shook me to the depths of my being, yet it was oh, so sorrowful.

Why, He asked me, did you rob My little lambs and lead them down the path ofcovetousness?

At that point I saw another vision. It was like I was transported to somebodyskitchen back down on earth. A heated argument was in progress, and guess who

was responsible for it? I saw a woman yellin at her husband. Her eyes were wild. He

was coverin his head, and her fists were a-flyin at him. Their words are branded in

my mind to this day.You numbskull! that angry woman yelled at him. Whyd you send our rent

money to that clown on TV? Theyre gonna throw us out on the street! I just lost myjob, so Icant take up the slack for your stupidity!

But dear, Brother Blessing said faith without works is dead!Your brain must be dead to fall for that one!

But sweetheart, he said, its in the Bible!So is this one: Judas went out and hanged himself! So why dont you go out

and do likewise!


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Now, saints, heres the whole dirty psychology of religious racketeerin in anutshell. He said to her, and I quote: But Brother Blessing made me feel like a stingy

jerk, the way he laid it on thick about givin by faith even when I cant afford to. Hesaid if I really loved Jesus Id give till it hurts. After all, He died for me, didnt He? So

whats a little money? The preacher promised the Lord would pay it back 100-fold. Itmight just take Him a little time, thats all. Now calm down, dear. Ill think of

somethin to bail us out of this mess.Ill never forget what that woman said next: Joe, I just give up! First, it was

the dog track! When you got tired of that, you got mixed up in a pyramid schemeand that fell through! Then you blew all our savings on lottery tickets! I guess you

got those screwy ideas from the Bible too!Folks, that man was speechless. And you wont believe what she said to him:

Joe, I might not be a Christian, but I find it incredible that Jesus runs a protectionracket!

Then I was lifted up out of their kitchen, back into the presence of the ChristWhose Holy Name Id dishonored. By then I was flat on my face squallin like a baby

and pleadin for mercy. Jesus raised me to my feet and looked me square in the eye.

His eyes were shinin with such love for me, though I felt lower than a snakes belly.How my heart broke, just to see how bad Id hurt Jesus by usin Him to get rich. Just

so I could enjoy a life style my TV viewers could only dream about.It was then I remembered I was a mighty sick man. I asked Jesus right then

and there: Lord, will I get well so I can mend my ways and serve You like I should?

Jesus only said: My child, learn to number your days so you might apply yourheart to My wisdom. What you do to the least of My children, you do also to Me.

Consider in your heart that mortal life is not forever. Then I woke up with a startand knew I had to tell yall the truth, and hang the consequences.

Folks, anybody with a mind to study the Scriptures and take em at face valuecan learn the real truth about givin and tithin, irregardless of what any slick

preacher might say to pull the wool over your eyes. Now Im gonna reiterate what Isaid earlier: Among the sons of sinful men, only the sons of Levi were ever

authorized by Moses to collect tithes! Ive read the Bible through several times, and

not once did Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles ever command his converts to paytithes! And if any preacher alive today, especially someone who cant claim anunbroken line of descent way back to Aaron the High Priest, lays a guilt trip on you

for not coughin up 10% of your salary, hes either ignorant of what God really saysabout tithin, or if he does know the truth about it, hes just takin advantage of your

ignorance!Amid shocked gasps, Brother Blessing continued: If yall have your Bibles, turn

with me now to Deuteronomy chapter 12, verses 17 to 21. Dont eat the tithe! Now youve heard me hammer you over the head with that

line thousands of times. Now for a real bombshell of a sermon, one youll rememberthe rest of your life!

The viewers could barely believe what their ears were hearing or their eyes were

reading. Scriptures glossed over or ignored by ministers over the centuries sprang

to life. God had commanded the Israelites to bring in tithes of grain, wine, oil, andlivestock to their place of worship. Not money!

And thats not all, folks! shouted Brother Blessing. Now lets go to thefourteenth chapter, and examine verses 22-29. Excitedly he read the passage, amid

shouts of Thank You, Jesus, and hallelujah!.Now, heres a real heart-stopper for preachers who try to slap Old Testament

ordinances on Gods people who are under the New Covenant of Grace. Not only isthe tithe an edible product,but it was levied on the yield of the land, not on peoples

paychecks! Furthermore, it was to be EATEN by the tither as well as the Levite,


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fatherless and widow. And if the journey to the tabernacle was too long to haul allthat produce, it was to be converted into...ah! CASH MONEY, to use to buy

substitute farm produce when they got there, so they could consume it before theLord! That, folks, is the ONLY time in all of Holy Scripture that money is ever

mentioned in conjunction with tithin!So what did the people do with that money once they got to their place of

worship? Yee-haw! Heres where the fun begins! In verse 26 it says: You shallspend that money on whatever food or drink you desire; for oxen, or for sheep, for

wine, or strong drink, or whatever you (not some religious dictator) desires! Eventhe Prophet Malachi, so often misquoted by modern Pharisees, tells us the reason

for tithin was to keep food in Gods House!Child of God, listen! If any preacher insists on saddlin you with Old Testament

Laws, let em go whole hog and tell you to go buy a six-pack of Bud with your so-called tithe! Just kiddin, of course. Though were under grace, were constrained

by the Love of Christ, and no true believer would ever use that scripture as anexcuse to go out and get plastered. We are to give ourselves, not just 10%, but

100% to the Lord. Everything we do, even partakin of food and drink, is to be done

to the glory of God. Youll read that in I Corinthians 10:31. Some people say onlyfastin can make you more spiritual, but there you have it. But thats a tangent I

wont take time to go off on right now.Turn with me now to Leviticus 27, verse 30: And all the tithe OF THE LAND,

whether OF THE SEED or OF THE LAND, or OF THE FRUIT OF THE TREE, is the

LORDS. It (not money) is holy unto the Lord. And its the tithe OF THE LAND, notyour paycheck!

Verse 31 says: And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall addthereto the fifth part thereof. Now, how can filthy lucre, which probably passed

through the hands of dirty-dealin sinners before it got to you, possibly be redeemedas a holy thing? How can you redeem money with money? Let me put it this way: Is

Gods Church supposed to be a Savins and Loan, chargin the saints 20% interest?Are preachers supposed to be loan sharks for Jesus, then?

Have I ever got a soo-prise for yall now! Another trick preachers use is to say:

Youve gotta tithe on your first tenth to God. But, child of God, I can prove right outof this Bible that it just aint so!Loud gasps of sheer shock.

What a rousing roar filled the room! Brother Blessing said: I cant wait, yallwill love this one: Verse 32 says: And concernin the tithe OF THE HERD, OR OF THE

FLOCK, even of WHATSOEVER PASSETH UNDER THE ROD (Yall ever seen a twenty-dollar-bill walkin by on two legs to be counted by the preacher)? Sheer

pandemonium before he could go on: Anyhow, the verse goes on to say: the tenthshall be holy unto the Lord.

Hang onto your hats, saints: Verse 33: He shall not search whether it be good orbad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, both it and the change shall

be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

Brother Blessing rocked back on his boot heels and clapped. Who-o-o! man, am

I ever havin fun tonight, I hardly feel sick anymore! Youve heard this a lot of times,now: Put your best tithe , the very first 10% of your hot-off-the-press paycheck,

into the offerin plate, before you pay any other bill. But these verses show that itwas every TENTH cow which was counted holy unto the Lord as a tithe, not the first

one passin under the rod. Even if a rancher counted nine prize heifers walkin pasthim, and then a sickly, scrawny runt turned up as the tenth in line, the cowpoke

wouldnt be allowed to pass that poor lil critter over for the honor of bein theLords tithe, even though he might feel to ashamed to call it a tithe. Occasionally it

would be the sickliest animal that ended up tenth in line. Even then, the tither


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wasnt allowed to swap one animal for another, although the tithers could pay cashmoney to buy his own fruit and veggies back. Even if he tried to swap a better or

worse animal for the tenth in line, both animals would then be counted as holy untothe Lord and he couldnt get either of em back anyway. And, by the way, tithe

means tenth, not first! Lev.27:32Yes, child of God, it was the landwhich produced the tithe, not the Federal Mint!

And it was wheat plants, grape plants, and olive plants which produced the tithe, notthe plant where Brother Len worked! If you werent a landowner, you didnt tithe,

plain and simple. If locusts gobbled up your barley patch, you didnt tithe on it! Andnowhere do you read that God ever taxed poor wage slaves one-tenth of their

income! Can you shout praise the Lord, everybody! Brothers and sisters, God issettin His people FREE!

It was several minutes before the joyful noise subsided. Brother Blessingglanced down at his notes.

Child of God, there were four types of tithe paid in any given seven-year period,three of em by the people, and one by the Levites. On the seventh year no tithe

was collected at all, cause the land was to be allowed to lie fallow. Now have you

ever heard of any so-called spiritual Levite stoppin his fund-raisin every sevenyears to give Gods people a break?

More deafening pandemonium.It worked like this: One tithe, the Festival Tithe, was eaten by the worshipper, as

well as the poor and the Levites. Another tithe, the Poor Tithe, was just for the poor

and the Levites. Did you know, saints, the Levites were considered poor because Goddidnt assign em a share of the Promised Land? One special tithe was reserved just

for them. It was given to them as compensation. The Levites assisted the altarpriests by takin care of humbler tasks, and they served as Israels health inspectors

and policemen. Still another tithe was paid by the Levites themselves out of whatthey received, and they gave it to the Priests, a tenth of their tithe, or one percent.

All priests were Levites, of the Tribe of Levi now, but not all Levites were priests.None of em ran big dude ranches like I do, either.

Brother Blessing grinned. Saints, I know quite a few spiritual Levites who own

very real real estate. They not only own their own land, but big sprawlin mansionssittin on em free and clear, while some of you tithe-payin slaves pay rent on rabbithutches with whats left of your shriveled-up paychecks. Now if theyre gonna be

consistent, its the landownin Levites who oughta pay tithes to help you out, dontyou think?

Amen, brother! shouted a man in the front row.Saints, the Bible is clear about this, and you cant just pick and choose which

bits you like and toss out the rest. Most wage slaves dont have an Old Testament-style inheritance to pass on to their future generations! Some people cant even

afford to own a dog, much less a herd of cattle! How can people be taxed on cropsthey dont possess the land to grow, and what right do preachers have to substitute

slave wages, produced by human sweat in Gentile territory, for crops springin up

from the soil of Israel! How in Sam Hill can they yield the tenth of their non-

existent crop to men who arent descended from Levi in the first place, men whodisobey Gods commandment to Levites not to have any inheritance in this world?

Shouts of Preach it, Brother! Glory! Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus! Praisethe Lord! and Amen! mingled with wild applause. More than a few leaped for very

joy.The preacher shook his head and whistled. Man alive, have I got one for you

now. I have yet to hear any televangelist lay claim to this New Testament Scripture:3 John 7...here, now...its a little hard to find, way in the back, just before Jude and

Revelation, the end of the story. Maybe those preachers had already found so many


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other Scriptures to make money from, they didnt bother to go on to this one...now... lets see if I still know how to read. Yall found it yet? It says...ahem!

Because that for their fames sake, they went forth, takin filthy lucre of theGentiles.

What a buzz broke out. Just tryin to catch yall off guard, like those wilyProsperity foxes do, but now yall are learnin fast. Now to get the cobwebs outa my

eyes and Ill try again: Because that for His Names sake they went forth, takinNOTHIN of the Gentiles. See? Now, those preachers were perfectly within their

rights to take up freewill offerings, though tithe-takin was strictly taboo. But theygave up the right to collect donations from poor Gentiles and ministered to them free

of charge. Now, I know a few of yall might be of Jewish origin, but I know mylisteners are predominantly Gentile. When was the last time a TV preacher was in a

hurry to claim 3 John 7 as the foundation of his ministry?Know somethin else, child of God? Ill bet if I got hungry and went out to some

prosperity Levites vineyard to stand around and eat my fill of grapes, hed call thelaw down on me; although that same Old Testament Law he uses to get extra cash

contains a provision in Deuteronomy Chapter 23: 24-25 that says if youre hungry,

its okay to go onto your neighbors property and eat some of his grapes, providedyou dont haul any away in a container. Saints, he sniffed, you oughta see the big

buckets makin their rounds at some of these so-called miracle crusades. Thosespiritual Levites dont have any compunction about carryin your money crop awayto consume somewhere else...in Hawaii, maybe?

Riotous laughter. My, but the viewers were enjoying Gods correction.The biggest miracle in those services, saints, is that folks would rather shut up

and pay up than make waves when they smell a rat as some fisher of funds makes afishy sales pitch for prosperity! Whooo! Im on a roll tonight! Can yall shout amen!

Brother Blessing was grinning from ear to ear from all the jubilation. The otherside of the coin is to tell poor folks that God is gonna disinherit them if they dont

measure up to some preachers standards of generosity and prove their love forJesus by tithin by faith even if their kids have to go hungry or do without decent

school clothes! What right have they got, anyway, to tell you God cant be pleased

with you unless youre sufferin in that way? Well, I sure dont see many skinny,raggedy TV preachers!Laughter, swelling to hysterics when he added: Yeah, child of God. Where is that

money-hungry preacher when you take a big leap of faith off the cliff, and end up inthe fryin pan? Man, youve just landed on his plate, and hes havin you for lunch!

Hes like that Pharisee who devours widows houses!A lot of Pharisees encouraged their disciples to take money which could have

eased the sufferin of elderly parents and consecrate it to God. Jesus rebuked themfor it, too. Believe me, brother, you dont rack up Brownie points with God when you

treat your family that shabby, especially the ones who borned you and put clothes onyour back and food in your belly. But thats just like whats happenin today, when

shifty televangelists tell you a vow of faith will get you out of a jam. In my book

itll only get you deeper into the doghouse with your Maker. Woe unto those who

railroad spiritual babes into makin stupid vows they cant finance. It says inEcclesiastes that its better not to make a vow, than to vow and not pay. If youve

tangled your life up like that, humble yourself before God now and pray: Father,forgive me my debt, and accept instead the sacrifice of a contrite heart sprinkled by

the Blood of the Lamb. Saints, Jesus taught us to pray that our Heavenly Fatherwould forgive us our debts. How dare anyone undercut the mercy and grace of God

by tryin to get you to jump the gun and get into bondage, carried away on a wave ofhyped-up, pre-orchestrated carnival emotion!


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Ill let yall in on another secret too, said Brother Blessing. In Malachi 3, thechapter most used as a crowbar to pry tithes out of churchgoers, youll see the word

hireling spoken of in the very same breath as the orphans, fatherless, widows, andstrangers, which means foreigners. Now, lets see here... he flipped open his

Bible...verse 5. And I will come near to you in judgment; and I will be a swiftwitness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers,

AND AGAINST THOSE WHO OPPRESS THE HIRELING IN HIS WAGES, THE WIDOW,AND THE FATHERLESS, and that turn aside the stranger (or alien) from his right, and

fear not Me, saith the Lord of Hosts.Saints, it just dont make sense. Ever since I was knee-high, Ive heard

preachers use this chapter to heap condemnation on humble folk who struggle frompaycheck to paycheck, even against some who dont even have a steady income. But

how in the world can this verse, which happens to be in the same chapter as theTithin Scripture, be aimed at poor wage-earners, who were clearly classed as bein

among the needy who had no inheritance in the Land to tithe on? How can thehireling be accused of oppressin the hireling? its very clear to me that the hireling

was classed with the poor, the fatherless and the widows because people dependin

on meager wages are just as vulnerable to exploitation as they are.And just how would they turn those poor people from their right? By denyin

em access to the food in the tithin storehouses, thats how! The tithe for the poor,which just happened to include the landless Levites, was collected on the third andthe sixth year of the seven-year tithin cycle, then stored up in storehouses in all the

cities of the Children of Israel. Those were, by the way, the very same storehousespastors condemn the saints for not fillin up with bigger bills. Now if were gonna

compare apples with oranges, we oughta be a bit more consistent, dont you think?When I told Brother Len to to go to the food bank, I shoulda just passed him the

offering plate, and told him to help himself to some of the tithes, so he and hisfamily could eat! Can you say amen, everybody!

The people stood up, clapped, and clamored for more. This was one sermon onfinances that didnt feel like a shakedown. Now, Brother Blessing continued,

Ive got another question, folks. Just who is this Book of Malachi addressed to in

the first place? Granted, its bedrock principles of righteousness ought to have beenobserved by all the people, but I think it was primarily aimed at a thievin priesthood.If youll bother to read the whole book, youll unearth some hidden worms about the

Priesthood which tithe-hungry preachers have whizzed past for a long time, thosespiritual Levites who are so eager to claim all the financial perks of that office, but

who sure as shootin wouldnt be so quick to claim the rebukes of that chapter. Thenot-so-fun stuff like the rebukes theyve reserved for the peons out in the pews, can

you say amen?When it was quiet enough he continued: Youll discover that corrupt priesthood

rebuked by God for some heavy-duty sins: profanin His holy offerings, neglectinthe care of orphans and widows, adultery, corruption, and for causin the other

Israelites to stumble out of the way of holiness. Just to be brief, well look at some

key Scriptures which prove its for the priests: Malachi 1, verse 6 to 8. A son

honoureth his father, and a servant his master. If then I be a father, where is Minehonour and if I be a master where is My fear? saith the Lord of Hosts unto you..unto

whom, saints? Lets go on. O PRIESTS that despise my name. And ye say, Whereinhave we (THE PRIESTS!) despised thy name?

The Lord goes into detail about how those crooks palmed off the worst of theiranimals on the Altar of Sacrifice, and as if that wasnt bad enough, they made the

Table of the Lord contemptible. And God asks them whether theyd feel it was okayto present such sacrifices to their earthly governor.


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Again in Chapter 2, verse 1: And now, O YE PRIESTS, this commandment is forYOU! This chapter denounces the dirty-dealin, adulterous ways of that Old

Testament Priesthood modern preachers are so eager to identify with.Ah, but maybe Chapter 3 is for the laity. Not so fast, folks. In verse 3 we read:

And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the SONS OFLEVI, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an

offering in righteousness.Why was all that purifyin necessary, saints? Because God had just rebuked the

priesthood for profanin His holy offering, and they had to be purified before theirwork could be pure before God.

Brother Blessing danced a little jig. Come on now, you spiritual Levites! Youwho strain at a gnat and swallow a camel! You can dish out rebukes, but you cant

take em! Ive been set free! Glory hallelujah!Saints, even in the secular workin world, its usually the department bigwigs

who get chewed out first by the company president when company profits nosedive,and theres lots of consumer complaints. And I know God lays much more

responsibilty upon blind leaders of the blind than He does upon the so-called lay

people theyre layin a big guilt trip on with their baldfaced lies. Yes, child of God,Malachi was addressed primarily to priests whose sins led the whole nation astray.

They were the ones to blame for why the whole nation stopped bringin in tithes andofferings. The tithe wasnt bein used to care for the widow, the poor, and thefatherless, and the priests were givin God only those animals they wouldnt miss

anyway. We can only speculate about what they did with the best of the beef.Maybe they were runnin an illegal butcher shop on the side.

Now, how can anyone worship a Holy God in the midst of such greed andcorruption? And, after makin it clear that it was the priests who were bein dealt

with, why should God suddenly decide to switch his focus to the lower-rankinIsraelites? That tithe was brought to the storehouse to keep meat (food, not

money!) in Gods House, not only for landless Levites, but for all the truly vulnerablepeople of that society---even the hungry hireling whos been beat over the head with

that very same Scripture!

Child of God, can you see how ridiculous those religious bigwigs are bein?Why dont they latch onto all the rebukes aimed at the Levites of the Book ofMalachi, if they want all the exaltation of bein one? Why dont preachers claim the

curses laid on those Levites for the miserable ways they sinned against God, iftheyre so eager to be the New Testament counterparts of those varmints ? Why on

earth dont they go the whole nine yards and keep all the less lucrative rules andregulations of playin their Levite game; a game they play just to make you think

theyve got the God-given right to garnish 10% of your paycheck by threatenin youwith Gods retribution!

His eyes flashed fire. God is sick and tired of prayer peddlers preyin on poverty-stricken saints with empty refrigerators and emptier bank accounts! And He aint

gonna hold His peace about it no more! Thank God I repented while there was still

time! Yall pray for me that Godll let me live long enough to be a blessing in deed

as well as in name, so I can spread a little of His Love around before Im gone.Warm-hearted amens resounded. Brother Blessing smiled. Talk about miracles.

No hecklers to speak of, just a few disgruntled folks leaving the studio. He felt bothforgiven and revitalized.

What few times Christ mentions tithin in the Gospels, it is ALWAYS inconjunction with rebukin the scribes and Pharisees for their ugly attitude toward the

Love of God; the way they robbed poor widows and misrepresented God to thepeople, and were really blind guides of the blind. Turn with me now to Matthew

23:23-24. Christ is in the middle of chastisin some high-and-mighty hypocrites for


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shinin off on the weightier matters of the Law: justice, mercy, and faith, even whilethey meticulously tithed mint, anise, and cumin out of their gardens (again, no

mention of money!) Every archaeologist worth his salt knows that money wasminted in the time of Christ, so wily preachers cant wiggle out of this one by sayin

that in Moses time, cash money didnt exist, and thats why they had to tithe oncommodities instead!

Some of yall are gonna remind me now that Christ still told the Pharisees theywere supposedto tithe on those garden herbs! But dont forget now, Jesus and the

Pharisees were still livin in the Old Testament when He rebuked them. After Christsresurrection, the Old Law got replaced by the New Covenant of Grace. Now, praise

God, Gentiles could enter the Kingdom of God through faith in Christ alone and nothave to worry about keepin hundreds of Old Testament ordinances. Lots of

preachers wish yall were to stupid too know that!In Acts Chapter 15, the apostles were convenin in Jerusalem to settle once and

for all a long, drawn-out dispute over whether Gentiles should be obligated to keepthe Law of Moses after conversion, and if so, how much of it were they supposed to

observe. The Holy Spirit led the Council of Jerusalem to a simple resolution of the

whole matter. The Apostle Peter, chief spokesman for the council, reaches thisconclusion: Seein that God has saved those Gentiles by faith even as he did us,

why should we provoke God by layin a yoke upon their necks which neither we norour fathers were able to bear?

God sure dont like it when some preacher tries to put a yoke on your neck that

He never told him to put there!In verses 19 and 20 James says: Lets not burden them with the Law of Moses.

If theyll just abstain from four forbidden things, theyll do well. These four thingsare: idolatry, fornication, eatin strangled animals, and consumin blood.

Brother Blessing cackled. Oops! Did they forget somethin? What aboutcompulsory tithin? If its so all-fired important for Church Age saints to tithe on

somethin which Old Testament saints never tithed on, why on earth didnt the BigFisherman give James a jab in the ribs and say: Hey, buddy, wake up! You forgot the

most important part! Incidentally, folks, Peter never paid tithes on his smelly fish,

neither.Roars of good-natured laughter, and surging applause.Another rousing ovation. Meekly Brother Blessing lowered his eyes. Folks, Paul

the Apostle became the Apostle to the Gentiles because the Jews wouldnt listen tohim. Read all of his epistles to these non-Jews who never were under the Law of

Moses to begin with, and that includes me too. Not once will you ever find Paulputtin the screws on these people, demandin one-tenth of everyones earnings.

Man, if that dude had gotten his hands on that kind of loot, he never would have hadto do without or say: At this very hour we are hungry, and thirsty, and goin in rags.

Saints, anybody with half an eyeball can see Paul never took one penny of tithemoney from anybody. In fact, some congregations were so stingy with love offerings

they would have made Scrooge look like Santa Claus. Amazingly, Paul continued to

minister, even when he suffered need. Now that testifies to the Love of Jesus in that

preacher.Now lets talk about Jesus Himself. NOT ONCE did Jesus ever charge His

followers 10% of their wages to finance His earthly ministry! And if anybody had aright to, He surely did. Jesus could have feasted on the fatted calf single night if that

had been the case, and He and His disciples never would have had to forage from figtrees or pick through other peoples grain fields to kill their hunger pangs; especially

that day they were caught red-handed pickin a few measly grains of barley on theSabbath, which raises still another point: Why on earth hadnt they bought a few


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groceries the day before the Sabbath; if, as a lot of scripture-twisters claim, Jesusand His disciples lived and preached earthly prosperity?

If Jesus was loaded, folks, He sure didnt flaunt it. And He never would havesaid: Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests. But the Son of Man has

nowhere to lay His head. I say to every faith preacher out there who claims tofollow Christ: It takes more faith to live without money than with it! Can you give the

Lord a big hand-clap offering, everybody!Paul the Apostle said that legalizers would try to keep you under the Old Law. If

you back em into a corner, they might concede that Gods people are no longerunder the 600-odd ordinances of Mosaic Law, which were later added to the Ten

Commandments. Yet theyll latch onto their favorite one_tithin_because it aint verylucrative for them to let Gods people go. Theres way too much gravy to skim off of

other peoples misery.Paul did, however, encourage Christians to give liberally to support Gods work.

Dont forget, folks, God owns you, and every cent you have, and its only by Hispermission you may spend any of it on your own needs, and youd better not be a

Scrooge with Him and withhold that portion He clearly tells you to set aside for His

Kingdom. But, I would stress, Paul directed each individual to give only what he wastruly able to give, out of a willin heart, not out of constraint, or legalism. II

Corinthians 8: 11-12 tells us that God wants us to give what we can out of what wehave, not what we dont have! Saints, I ask forgiveness for every time I badgeredyall into puttin God to the test by sendin in a big love offering beyond your means.

How unlovin of me! Jesus Himself said to satan: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thyGod; that is, put God to foolish tests of so-called faith! God knows how many saints

Ive put in such a bind that they had to take an extra job just to pay Uncle Sams30% AND the Lords 10%, on top of all the sacrificial love offerings which gave me

a little taste of heaven on earth! God forgive me!Some of yall are wonderin: What about the widow who gave her very last

penny to God? My, but preachers have milked that story for all its worth. Theyvesaid she gave out of love and faith. That could well be, but what if the widow took

the bread out of her own mouth because the Scribes and Pharisees taught her that

God demanded it and shed better pay up? How it breaks my heart, to think howIve badgered Gods children into givin beyond their means, and way beyond theirlevel of faith! It sure wasnt faith that drove my ministry, and whatsoever is not of

faith is sin! For an eternal moment he hung his head, amid softly whispered prayers.He shuffled and cleared his throat.

Jesus heart went out to that poor little widow. He knew that corrupt religiousleaders were skimmin the fat off a system which had been intended by God to be

a safety net for poor people. Rich priests were oppressin the people of God byenforcin their own traditions on the needy, like so many do today. No wonder Jesus

got so hoppin mad He drove the money-changers out of the Temple with a whip!Open your Bibles with me and well take a peek at the FLIP SIDE of the widows

mite. Turn with me please to Mark chapter 12, and well begin with verse 38, which

gives the true BACKGROUND, or context, of this story, where Jesus rebukes those

who profiteer from the widows mites.Starting with verse 38, where Jesus is teaching His disciples: And he (Jesus)

said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in longclothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the

synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: WHICH DEVOUR WIDOWS'HOUSES, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater

damnation.Folks, this term devouring widows houses sounds an awful lot like whats goin

on today. Sneaky preachers are gettin so desperate theyll put the squeeze on some


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poor old lady whos scrimped and scraped and worked hard all her life and wants toenjoy whats left of her life in peace. Once sleazy preachers have cleaned out her

nest egg, theyll rob her of her nest. Once her savings are used up, theyll tell thatpoor woman that the reason her seed hasnt sprouted up yet is GOD is testin and

tryin her (see how the Lord gets the blame for the devils dirty deeds?) So theyll tellher to take on more shot at it and refinance her humble home in order to take out a

big loan so she can make a vow of faith to the Lord. And whos there to pick upthe pieces when that unfortunate, lonely elderly lady gets foreclosed on and put out

onto the street? Oh, she might have children or other relatives, but in these hard-hearted times everybody seems to be out for themselves, just like preachers!

Now most preachers who read this story of the widows mite in the Gospel ofMark tend to start readin from verse 41, instead of startin with those earlier verses

where Jesus is ALREADY in the Temple sayin bad things about bad preachers takinpoor widows money. And its against this backdrop well continue with verse 41:

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money intothe treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor

widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him

his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hathcast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in

of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all herliving.

Jesus did NOT tell that poor widow she had to pay preachers the last of her

bread money in order to get God to bless her. Out of sheer religious sentimentpreachers read things into that passage that arent there. Jesus doesnt heap praise

on the widow for denyin herself the basics of life to make needless sacrifice to thebig fat religious system. Nor does it say Jesus recommends her example to be

followed by all believers. In fact, Jesus condemns a widespread practice of his day,where people would take money they needed to support elderly parents and devote

it to the Temple. Youll read about that problem a few chapters earlier in Mark 7:11.No, it is NOT all right in the sight of God to mail in your familys grocery money to

some fancy-dancy TV preacher! Just like a newspaper reporter, Jesus only

commented on the fact that poor widow gave everything she had to live on!That poor hungry widow could have received a FREE blessing from Jesus. Jesusnever charged anybody a dime for eternal life. And Jesus never ordered His own

disciples to tithe, either! In Matthew 23:23 Jesus was speaking to the scribes andPharisees, hypocrites! not to His own children. In Hebrews 8:13 it says of the Old

Law, fulfilled in Christ: In that he (God) saith, A new covenant, he hath made thefirst old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

During His earthly ministry Jesus taught that the keeping of the Law mustcontinue until it passed away. Colossians 2:14 teaches that the handwriting of Mosaic

ordinances which condemned us before God has been nailed to the Cross of Christ.And those Mosaic ordinances included tithin! Preachers, youve got not right to

hang onto an ordinance of a legal system which was nailed to the Cross of Christ,

and Christianize it by substitutin money for farm produce! Nor does God authorize

just any old Tom, Dick and Harry to dun any man for 10% of his wages, especially ifhe aint a Jew from the Tribe of Levi, and especially since the Jewish Temple got

burnt to rubble long ago. It grieves God to see some Levite-wanna-be chainChristians to laws Jesus died to set them free from!

My, but preachers worm out of that one. Know how they manage that? By sayintheyre the New Testament counterparts of the Old Testament priesthood, and

youre supposed to serve them. So thats their ticket to ride on the gravy train.Wow, have I ever got news for them! I Peter 2:9 says: But YOU are a chosen

generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Just who did Peter write this epistle


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to? Ordinary, everyday Christians, like you and me. Now if professional pulpiteershave a right to collect tithes, so do you! Brother Blessing said, pointing to one

grinning man. You too, Sister!When I get through talkin, Im gonna SHOW my repentance the same way

Zacchaeus the tax-collectin crook showed Jesus he was sorry. Im gonna liquidateall my extra fat and use the proceeds to help my brothers and sisters in need. After

the service, my associates will get the names of those of you who need our help torecover from any onslaught of satan which has left you destitute. Besides preachin

the true Gospel of Salvation, well concentrate on helpin to feed and clothe needypeople. As God enables, we also hope to provide emergency rent relief for those

who need it. Our trust fund will will be called the Blessing Bank. But this time,well be doin the givin! Whatever comes in is gonna go right back out to bless

others. Ive discussed this plan with Jeremy and David, two of my fellow laborers inChrist. They also have forsaken the love of Mammon for the Love of Jesus, and

wholeheartedly support me in this work.As the Lord provides, well undertake that ministry in Jesus Name. But never

again will we make appeals for tithe money, which is a man-made doctrine of

bondage. And I know you wont lie to me about your circumstances, either. God iswith me and in me as never before. Its Christ in me youll be approachin for help,

and God forbid you should lie to the Spirit of God. Its a wonder I wasnt struck deadlike Ananias and Sapphira, after all the brazen ways I filched funds prayed over andconsecrated to God by Christians!

Brother Blessing was notified that air time was winding down, so he said,"Brothers and sisters, it's time to wrap up the show, but if any of our studio guests

can stay with us here a little longer, we'd sure appreciate it. This off-the-air segmentwill be made available to all who would like to view it on podcast or DVD. Any of

y'all at home who'd like a DVD of tonight's discussion, just let us know and we'd behappy to send it to you as our love gift free of charge."

As Brother Blessing told everybody his mailing address he waved and grinned.The show closed on its music theme: "The End of the Trail's Just Over the Hill."

Cowboy fiddle music whined and a lazy drawl began the song: "God's got a big

spread in the Sky, where I'll bunk down by and by"

$ $ $ $ $ $

Two Texans Wrangle Over Tithin'

Time for Round Two, and this time Brother Blessing would get in the theological

boxing ring with the mother of all religious traditionalists. Even though the networkbroadcast was over, the real fun was about to begin.

Brother Blessing smiled at everybody and said, "Now it's just us home folks.Most of y'all decided to keep me company a bit longer, and that's wonderful. We're

mighty proud to have y'all."Now well throw the floor open for questions. Ill stay up here onstage, so I

can sit down if I get to feelin weak. Brother Ray will go around with themicrophone, and take just a few questions on this subject. Please speak into it so

everybody can hear, and try not to interrupt me when I answer, cause I know thissubject makes emotions run high. Yes, you sister in the blue dress? He pointed.

Brother Ray hurried down toward her.Brother Blessing, one preacher told how a poverty-stricken church in Macedonia

gave a big donation to Paul. Why did he take money from the poor?Well, Sister, in the first place, Paul didnt force those poor saints to give

anything. In fact, they insisted he take their offering, despite his very human


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once did he ever tell his followers to go into debt to finance a $2000 vow to save hisministry. Actually, Paul disapproved of gettin into debt. He said in Romans 13:8:

Owe no man anything, but to love one another. God have mercy upon my soul if anyone of you got yourselves into hock just to keep me in Ferrari coupes! Oh, dear

sweet Jesus, forgive me!One stern-looking lady was unimpressed. Brother Bill, she snapped, your

heart isnt right with God, the way you peddle a cost-free Christianity, even if you doknow how to play on peoples sentiments. There were times money was paid by

worshippers at the Temple and you know it.Brother Blessings eyes darted as he wondered how to answer, then he

brightened. Sister, lets start off by askin you your name, and do you have anychildren?

My name is Martha Smith. I have five children, and theyre all upstandingChristians.

Whats the name of your oldest, Sister Smith, and how old is that child?Phil, hes fifteen.

Sister, Brother Blessing grinned, did you remember to pay your redemption

fee for your firstborn child, and if you did, where did you pay it, to whom, and whatcurrency did you use to pay it?

Whatredemption fee? she snapped.Oh, but didnt you know? Under Old Testament Law, the firstborn of every

human and animal is holy unto the Lord, and you cant keep it unless you pay so

many shekels to a Levitical Priest as a redemption fee. Wheres the money, SisterSmith, and who are you gonna pay it to? It surely cant be me.

But I dont have any shekels! Sister Smith snorted.But if you want to be under the Law of Moses, sister, or any part of it, you still

owe God that money.I was planning to give a $100 offering tonight, but I dont know about that now.

Sister Smith, I dont care if you were gonna give me $1000. As everybodyheres my witness, Id rather turn my back on questionable donations than turn my

back on Jesus. Youve kept the good Lord waitin fifteen years now, and I can prove

from Scriptures in Numbers 18 and Leviticus 27 that your redemption bill for thatboy has accrued to 20 specially minted Shekels of the Sanctuary. God could careless about Uncle Sams money, thats in Caesars domain.

I certainly havent heard that one before, said Sister Smith. Just why wontU.S. currency do?

Well, sister, if youre gonna keep the Old Law, youve gotta do it on Gods terms.Remember how Jesus showed some people a coin with Caesars picture on it and

said: Render to God what belongs to God, and to Caesar what belongs to Caesar?To put it bluntly, Caesars money just aint holy enough to settle Old Testament

religious debts with. Under the Old Covenant, it was expressly prohibited to worshipGod with anything that had an image of any livin creature on it. In Jesus day,

secular currency had to be exchanged for the Sanctuary Shekel before it could be

offered unto the Lord. Secular coins bore the image of Caesar, a heathen emperor,

just like our own money has American presidents on it.Surely God isnt that picky, said the lady.

Oh, but He is, sister. Back in King Davids day, a man got killed just for puttinhis hand on the Ark of the Covenant, to keep it from fallin from an oxcart onto the

road. That tragedy coulda been avoided altogether if only that Ark had beentransported back to Jerusalem the right way, as God commanded. Levites were

supposed to pick the Covenant Box up with specially made poles and carry it on topof their shoulders. Even the Priests were forbidden to touch this Most Holy object

with sinful hands, a place where Gods Presence rested. But those people didnt


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listen to God, and that poor guy died. Whenever we tinker around with the way aHoly God wants things done, its downright lethal. Thats exactly what tithe teachers

are doin today, as they reintroduce, reinterpret, and rigidly enforce old laws nailedto the Cross of Christ.

Now, sister, if you still think the New Covenants too easy to suit you and youinsist on goin back to the Old Law, its a package deal, and youve gotta shoulder

the whole burden of it. The Bible says that whoever offends in just one point ofthe Law is guilty of breakin the whole thing. So lets just tackle this knotty problem

first. Its enough to chew on. If you fail to find a way to keep that Law about payinthe redemption fee, youll come under a curse, just like those rascally priests who

robbed God in Malachis day. Galatians 3:10 says this: As many as are under the Laware under the curse. Now, if a professional priest who knew all the ordinances of

Moses inside out couldnt keep the whole Law, neither could you.Well, hedged the woman nervously, I live a very commendable Christian life,

considering the kind of husband I have to put up with everyday!Sister, Gods gonna hold your husband accountable for his own sins, and they

probably are worse than yours in some ways. But know this: Our God will settle for

nothin less than absolute perfection, and if you cant deliver that degree ofperfection, you wont inherit the Kingdom of God any more than he will. That is,

unless you place your trust in none other righteousness than that of our Savior, Whoalone was able to fulfill all the points of the Law in His own sinless life. Think youcan do that, sister?

I think God expects me to stand on my own two feet, she huffed, as anymature person would! Ive made a covenant with God, too. He doesnt have to bless

me unless I pay Him 10% of all the money that falls into my hands. After all, it takestwo to fulfill a legal agreement. Tithing is a far more reasonable bargain than you

give it credit for. After all, I still get to keep 90%. dont I?So that 90% is all yours, not Gods, and He has absolutely no say in what you

do with it.I never said that! she snapped.

Brother Blessing frowned. I think youre missin my whole point, sister. If you

first offer yourself up to God, as Paul says in Romans 12:1, then He owns you andeverything else you have. He really owns 100%, not just 10%, but I think He mightbe just a bit more compassionate than we give Him credit for.

But if I tithe, I obligate Him to bless me! cried the woman.Sister Smith, God aint some puppet on a string you can control with cold, hard

cash. From what I gather, you think that the day you welsh on payin tithes, youcant expect any further blessings from God.

Thats right. God promised the ancient Israelites earthly blessings, but only iftheyd be faithful to observe all His Law. I certainly dont want to be a poor church

mouse who has to wait till I get to heaven before God blesses my basket and mystore, and Im above and not beneath. I want Abrahams blessings to be mine,

NOW, while Im still on earth, and people can SEE how God rewards those who keep

His statutes! And I dont expect any favors from God unless I keep my end of the

bargain. God is my Partner in prosperity, and I dont intend to let Him down! Hecan count on Martha Smith to tithe to all those fine men on this Network who shed

tears of tender compassion as they pray for all the Christian viewers who are boundby poverty; souls who could be set free, if only theyd keep Gods Laws of

Prosperity.Look what youve gone and done now, Sister Smith. Youve been taken in by

crocodile tears shed by money-hungry sharks, I oughta know. God forgive me, Iused to spend hours in front of a mirror practicin my Sarah Bernhardt faces to get

ready for the show. Every actor knows how to turn on tears like a water faucet. It


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just aint that hard to do, once you get the knack of it. This is me doin my bit for theHallelujah Telethon.

He looked up at the TV cameras, squinched his eyes, and stretched his widemouth into a contorted grimace. Oh, Je-e-e-sus! He gyrated wildly and jerked his

hands heavenward. Set your people free, he groaned in his deepest tremolo. Setem free to sow a seed out of their need. Helpem believe so theyll receive. O-h-h-

h...JE-E-ESUS!... he shrieked, gripping his chest and swooning. O-h-h-h. child ofGod! his twiddling fingers outstretched like a hungry beggar, you gotta GIVE, or

God cant give to you. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy, and itll come backto you packed down like a cup of brown sugar, shaken together, and runnin over so

you wont have nowhere to put it.And, he said matter-of-factly, thats where the canned organ music would

come in to play peoples hearts like a fiddle. Only thing we forgot was the fakeangels flyin around my head to go with it.

A big hubbub broke out. A few shouts, a few getting up to go. Brother Blessingbowed his head. His wife rushed to his side. She took the mike and said: Saints,

my husband didnt find it easy to come clean. Weve got no excuse for how weve

done yall over these past few years. Like Jesus in the Wilderness, we were temptedby satan to seek after earthly riches and power. But the difference is, we gave in,

and believe me, weve suffered for it. You know what trial were goin through, hervoice quavered. All we can do now is ask your forgiveness, and for you to rememberwhat Jesus said: If you refuse to forgive your brother for his trespasses, neither

shall My heavenly Father forgive you your sins. And as Bill said, were gonna do ourutmost to make it up to every one of yall. Now, could yall please give my husband

the greatest blessing one child of God can give to another...forgiveness and love in atime of great sorrow? Tears brimmed in her eyes.

The studio quieted, except for a few whispered prayers and sniffles. Thank you,brothers and sisters, she said. And thanks to everyone who asked questions

tonight...Brother Blessing took the mike from her hand. Id like to say more to Sister

Smith, honey. Thank you for what you just said to all our brothers and sisters out

there. Thank you for puttin up with me all these years. He gave his wife a quickpeck on the cheek. Aint she wonderful? He smiled warmly at his audience, most ofwhom smiled and applauded--except Sister Smith. She was determined not to let

the rascal off that easy.Sister Smith, he asked, can you forgive me too?

For all your silly theatrics, she said unctuously, Ill forgive you. But one thingthats unforgivable is the disgraceful attitude youve developed toward Christian

finances.So you thought my attitude was more Christlike when I robbed people blind?

And you attacked the anointed ministry of other preachers by calling themcrooks and thieves.

If my memory serves me right, Sister Smith, I didnt assign any names to those

crooks or thieves, except I pointed the finger at myself; Bill Blessing of Tomahawk,

Texas.But what about Brother Conway, and your pastor? You mentioned those two.

All I said was they had much to gain by me helpin em. God knows theirhearts, and every preacher out there who knows hes guilty of the same tricks I

pulled isnt accountable to me, but to God. And those who know theyre scamminthe saints are skatin on thin ice if they claim their ministry is anointed of God. As

for me, I was crafty about it. I dont think I ever labeled my ministry as anointed; Ijust hopped on the same gravy train others were ridin , and I told so many truth

twisters that I ended up brain-washin myself as well as others. I wanted with all my


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Oh, youre just being stubborn as a mule! she protested. You, who supposedlyrepresent the Lord, are making a mockery of holy things! Wait! Ive got you now, Bill

Blessing, and youve got no answer for this one! My Bible says this, and its found inthe New Testament: ALL Scripture is profitable for instruction in righteousness. That

must include Old Testament Scriptures as well.By the works of the Law shall no man be justified, Brother Blessing countered.

Thats in My Bible too. Still, the one you quoted is very true, sister. Now, can youremember what Scripture says the tithe was used for in the first place?

To provide for the priests and feed the defenseless and hungry, she said.Right. Although there are no Levitical priests today, the Book of James asks us

this question: If ye see a brother or a sister lackin food or clothes, and ye say: Goin peace, be ye warmed and filled; yet give them not those things necessary to meet

the needs of their body, what good does it do? He also said: Pure religion andundefiled in the sight of God is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their

affliction.Despite all the cheers, Sister Smith gritted her teeth and acted like she hadnt

heard him. One more quick point, Brother Blessing, she said, breathlessly. How

about this one? Jesus said Whosoever shall break one of the least of these Mycommandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom

of Heaven.Here we go, runnin round the same old mulberry bush, said Brother Blessing.

As I said earlier, Jesus never did command tithin on money. If yall will all turn with

me now to Matthew Chapter 5, youll notice Jesus sayin right before that verse youquoted, there in verse 17: Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the

prophets: I AM NOT COME TO DESTROY, BUT TO FULFILL. And in Luke 16:16 Jesussays: The Law and the Prophets were until John (John the Baptist, that is). He was

considered the last of the Old Testament prophets who served under the oldeconomy of Law, and he said of Christ: Behold, the Lamb of God, Who taketh away

the sins of the world. At that time Jesus was about to offer Himself up as anAtonement for the sins of the world, and usher in the New Covenant of Grace.

Now what would cause Christ to bring up the subject of destroyin the Law? I

suspect because there were lots of times the Scribes and Pharisees accused Him oflaw-breakin; like that time He healed people on the Sabbath Day, when no work wassupposed to be done. He chose the way of mercy over the way of sacrifice. And

Paul teaches in Romans 10: Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. In other words, Christ fulfilled the Law of Moses in His own

perfect Life, which was a sinless Life He could offer up as payment for our sins. AndIn that passage we quoted earlier Christ warns us that if our righteousness isnt

greater than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, we just cant make it into theKingdom of Heaven. Saints, thats a mighty tough challenge to undertake, to live

independent of Christs righteousness, and goin about to establish our own. InRomans 10:3, Paul speaks of those who, bein ignorant of Gods righteousness, will

try to create their own kind of righteousness; instead of acceptin Christs Gift of

Righteousness, which God, the perfect Record-keeper, posts to the account of those

who believe on His sinless Son.Sister Smith said nothing, only gnashed her teeth and furrowed her brow.

Remember, sister, Christ came to dwell in our hearts by faith, to fill us with Hisown Life, and to give us His zeal for holiness. Before Gods people could be born

again through the Spirit, and have the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus dwellin in theirhearts, ancient Israelites struggled to keep a complicated legal code written on

tablets of stone. They followed the letter of the Law out of fear, because the spirit ofthe Law hadnt been written on their hearts yet. The Bible says: Love is the

fulfillment of the Law. If you love your needy brother or sister, youll do anything


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you can to lighten their load, even if you cant bear it altogether. Id say since thegoals of the old tithin Law were: to rejoice before the Lord in a fellowship meal with

Gods other people, and provide for the poor and the priesthood; it must be that youserve its purpose when you share meals of thanksgiving with every class of people in

the congregation; and also, give free-will offerings to feed the poor and support thetrue work of God both at home and abroad, dont you think?

But what about those tithing storehouses spoken of in the Bible? Sister Smithpersisted. Arent they analogous with the church treasury?

Do we have to go through all that again, Sister Smith? asked Brother Blessing,wiping his brow. Food was stored in those storehouses, not money. Dollar bills

dont satisfy hunger, at least not directly. They dont grow from the soil of the land,unless you mean the trees they grew from, before they were cut up in a pulp mill

somewhere to make paper for the money.Ripples of laughter.

Another thing, sister. Ive already explained that the tithin system was enforcedby Mosaic Law, which also served as the civil law, at least so long as the Israelites

werent under foreign occupation. Israel was a theocracy. We live in a secular

democracy, and our elected leaders are accountable to the people, not to God,insofar as the carryin out of their duties is concerned. Theres a Separation of

Church and State here in America, and in most of the worlds other democracies.God knew that people who didnt have His Law of Love written on their hearts wouldnot by nature keep it, and were less likely to support the Priesthood and look out for

the welfare of needy neighbors. Until Christ came and fulfilled the Old Testamentceremonial ordinances, people brought in farm produce to feed the hungry because it

was against the Law not to. When I was a kid, I didnt always like doin what Pa said,but I knew what Id get if I didnt.

But Brother Blessing, I still think youre supposed to keep the best of the OldTestament Laws. Its sometimes a sacrifice to, but I want everyone here to know

this: it builds character. Besides, it would be a waste to discard such nobleprecepts instead of making some use of them.

Brother Blessing shook his head. It would be a waste of good sacrifices.

Hmmm.... Thats the same excuse King Saul gave when he disobeyed Gods order to utterly destroy all the wicked Amalekites and everything they have. Now, as Paulsays, the Law is perfectly just and good and righteous, but the same principle applies

here. King Saul spared King Agags life and kept the best of the animals forsacrifice. But the prophet Samuel got mad at Saul and said: Hath the Lord so great

a delight in sacrifice, as in obeyin His voice? Just as God would rather have mercythan sacrifice, as I said earlier, God delights more in obedience than sacrifice. And in

our case, the righteous can only please God when they obey Him by remaininconnected to the Life of Christ through faith in Him alone. It wasnt long after that

fiasco, Saul lost his kingdom. Ive read too many stories of cult members tithinthemselves into utter destitution, and wonderin why God didnt come through with

all the big juicy rewards they were promised by their leaders.

Well, principles need to be given time to work properly, Sister Smith said,

primly.Sister Smith, some principles were made by men out of material they took out

of the Bible and twisted. Do you think it matters to God whether a command isplainly stated in the Bible, or if its invented by men? Does God have to reward

those who obey religious principles people invented just because people thinktheyre an improvement on whats plainly stated in Scripture? Its just as if I asked

one of my men to brand the prize bull, and that cowpoke thinks: Brother Blessingwants that bull to suffer pain, so Ill go a step further and castrate him! Think that

cowpoke would get paid for doin more than I asked him to? No! Hed get fired!


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Loud guffaws broke out. The lady blushed. Brother Blessing! Really! Youre justtrying to get me all flustered! But I do know that God looks on the intent of the

heart, and I have heard of tithers being blessed.But what you dont hear about, Brother Blessing said, is about non-tithers

getting their needs met by God. I know of quite a few people who have very littlemoney, but they dont complain much because God feeds them real good every day

and meets every need. These people give what they havetheir time, their love,their talents, and they reach out and help others as theyre able to. But Ive known

of many folks who hardly ever see their kids, cause Mama has to work all the time,and Daddy has to work two or three jobs so he can pay the bills and still turn tithes

over to the preacher. Does it sound like tithers who are workin themselves to deathand havent got any time for their kids are livin in prosperity?

Well, maybe theyre doing what the feel is the right thing, said Sister Smithtartly, but God intends to reward them in heaven. Thats a more spiritual attitude to

take.Ah, said Brother Blessing, theres another point. As a rule, there was much

more emphasis on earthly blessings in the Old Testament. Now, if youre gonna live

under the old economy of law, you might as well set your sights on temporal rewardslike wealth, perfect health, wipin out your enemies, length of days, descendants as

numerous the stars of heaven, and prestige in the community. These things werementioned much more often in the Old Testament than in the New, which tells us toset our hearts on things above. And, he added, what did you just tell me about

wantin Abrahams blessings in the here and now?Now look whos sassing me! snapped Sister Smith, after all your sermons on

hundred-fold harvest blessings for giving big donations!Look, Sister Smith, said the preacher gently, I know where youre comin from,

believe me. Its hard to break with wrong ways of thinkin, and I had the most awfulstruggle to get out of bondage to the Prosperity Gospel. Its harder than breakin the

cigarette habit. Satan sold me a lie, I swallowed it hook, line, and sinker, and turnedaround and passed it on to you. All my gold toys were nothin but chains on my

spirit, and I very nearly lost my soul. I feel like I wasted the best years of my life, so

Im givin God back what few days I have left. I cant do more than that to say Imsorry.She frowned and bit her lip.

What I was tryin to say is: If Old Testament ordinances were still in force, andcould be enforced in any way we saw fit, even with no Temple and no Levitical

priesthood, it seems God would have to keep His end of the bargain and bestow theOld Testament reward of material prosperity for fulfillin Old Testament obligations.

Else, I never woulda heard so many shockin stories about poverty-stricken tithe-payers.

Remember what the devil said to God, Brother Blessing, said Sister Smith. Does Job serve God for nothing? Maybe theyre being tried in the furnace of

affliction, and it will be a long time before they reap their harvest of prosperity. I

certainly dont tithe on my income expecting an immediate return. God always

demands costly sacrifices of His people, because Ive never had an easy ride. Myticket to heaven has cost me plenty. Ive always said you get just what you pay for,

and theres no free lunch. We must pay as well as pray. Youre making it sound tooeasy to get to heaven.

Look, Sister Smith, said Brother Blessing, looking a bit peeved, you cant haveit both ways. Mixin the Old Covenant of Law with Christs New Covenant of Grace is

just as hopeless as mixin oil with water. You either choose one or the other, and ifyou pick the Old Law to live under, youve gotta take the whole kit and caboodle.


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Brother Blessing, she said airily. Dont you think your approach to salvation is a bitlax, considering the transitory nature of earthly life?

The preacher winced, but stood his ground. Listen, sister, Im sayin this in love,Im not tryin to give you a hard time. With my track record, Id be mighty scared if I

had to face a holy God standin on my own merits instead of Christs. When He hungon that Cross, He said: It is finished, and Hes the Author and the Finisher of my

Faith. And: He is able to save to the uttermost those who come unto God throughHim, seein He ever lives to make intercession for them. Now how can I possibly put

in my two cents worth to improve on my chances of makin it to Glory?Well, she sniffed, God helps those who help themselves. You just seem to

have a cavalier attitude to it all.Brother Blessing grinned. Sister, Ill take back everything Ive said up to now, if

only youll show me that verse God helps those who help themselves.A collective cry of shock broke out in the studio, and in TV Land. Pages rustled

as people flipped through concordances in the back of Bibles, searching for thattime-honored scripture.

Ive got news for you, Sister Smith, her opponent finally said. Thats the

worlds most popular scripture, but it just aint in the Bible. Anything more youdlike to ask?

Her face reddened. Let me tell you this, Brother Blessing, I have set my facelike a flint that I will not depart from any of Gods statutes, and you cant charm meoff my straight and narrow path with your cunning words of deceit!

Well, fine, shrugged Brother Blessing, if youre determined to travel that hardroad, instead of takin Jesus light yoke and easy burden upon yourself. But before

we even start in on hundreds of other laws youve got to keep, lets settle the issueabout the redemption fee for your son, which is fifteen years overdue. How do you

propose goin about payin it? Do you know where you can get hold of one authenticTemple shekel, let alone twenty, and even if you could, who could you pay em to,

and where? The Temple in Jerusalem hasnt even been rebuilt yet, and the Leviticalpriesthood hasnt been reestablished. That probably wont even happen till after the

Rapture of the Church.

Sister Smiths eyes darted. A well-educated woman of great refinement anddignity. she was ever one to shrink from a challenge. She must be victor in thiscontroversy, and win over all those millions of viewers. Well, she said, its no

fault of mine the Temple hasnt been rebuilt yet.Surely God cant demand more ofme than my best.

Oh, but he does, sister, and if you dont pay your sons redemption fee, yourerobbin God.

It burst out. But JESUS redeemed my son, eight years ago! What more doesGod want!

Brother Blessing chuckled, as did lots of other people. I rest my case. Thats mysermon in a nutshell. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, and He is

the end of the Law to righteousness to every one who believes on Him and rests on

His perfect righteousness by faith. Sister Smith, would you like to join me onstage

so I can pray for you to be set free from the bondage of legalism?Not thank you, she said primly. There are plenty of other preachers who are

willing to pray a blessing on my tithe, then present it to God so I can receive myharvest. Youre the first preacher Ive ever heard of whos turned down a big

donation and turned his back on revolutionary new doctrines that a few faithfulpreachers are teaching to bless millions.

Brother Blessing rolled up his eyes. Sister, if your soul wasnt at stake, Idlaugh. Yeah, plenty of preachers will twist Gods Word to prey on your tithe, and

theyll sure present it to their god, their bank account. And millions of gullible


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givers bless a few faithless preachers with millions. And youll get your harvest, too, just like I did. A heart full of regret in later years, when you realize how much

youve hurt Jesus by tryin to manipulate him with your money. And as for Prosperitybein a revolutionary new doctrine, youre contradictin what you said earlier about

stickin to what the Bible says. When it comes to sound doctrine, this adage holdstrue: if the Bible says it, it cant be new. If its new, it cant be true.

Furthermore, Sister, do you really think tithe teachers are bein faithful to theinerrant Word of God, the way they transfer the tithe to modern Christendom?

She gave him a funny look. And I suppose youre getting ready to pull stillanother rabbit out of your hat? Dont you know when to quit? Dont you ever get

tired of resisting God?Sister Smith, all Im doin is untyin a few knots that have tied up Gods people

for a long time.You said youd rested your case, Brother Blessing. Long-winded as you are, I

bet you cant think of any other argument against tithing on money.He only grinned and said: All yall listeners out in the studio audience, do you

want to know the biggest reason of all why I cant preach monetary tithin anymore?

Tell me right this minute, or Ill quit right now.A rash of shouting broke out as his studio listeners rose to their feet. Soon they

were crying in unison: We want more! We want more! as feet stomped and handsclapped.

Praise the Lord, he said, praise Jesus. I got a question somebody out in my

audience can answer. Now can anybody tell me what Scripture says is the earnest,or down payment of our inheritance in Christ Jesus? Think about that one a

minute.To his delight, Brother Len, seated in the second row, rose to his feet.

Brother Len, I believe you can answer it better than anybody here. What is theearnest of the inheritance God has promised us as believers in Christ Jesus?

Its none other than the blessed Holy Spirit, Brother Bill, and Ill look it up foryou right now. He thumbed through his concordance and read Ephesians 1:13-14,

to the delight of those who already had an inkling of what the preacher was driving

at.Thank you, Brother Len, he said. I believe God has saved the best for the last.Brothers and sisters, remember how back in the Old Testament, the Israelites

received an earthly inheritance from God in the land. But the Levites didnt get any.Rather the Lord says to Aaron in Numbers 18:20: I AM thy part and thine

inheritance among the children of Israel. And as for the other eleven tribes, the tithewas taken from the fruits of their inheritance, and shared with those who had no

inheritance of farm land.Now New Testament believers are called a Royal Priesthood. And Scripture says

we are strangers and pilgrims in the earth. Our sights are to be set on a heavenlyinheritance. The Holy Spirit Himself is the down payment, or earnest, of our

inheritance as born-again believers. And if He is the down payment, plain logic tells

us we have yet to receive the rest of our inheritance. And even if God has deeded

the entire earth to us, it isnt yet in our hands. Besides, God only ordered tithes tobe taken of the produce of the Land of Israel, and not all His people are engaged in

agriculture. Now, if God had meant for tithin to be carried over to the NewTestament, seems to me like He woulda carried over the bedrock principles of tithin

along with it. And even if we ignore the fact that only Levites were supposed to taketithes, and that those tithes were to consist only of edible agricultural produce, that

still leaves the fact that mandatory tithes were to be collected only on the Israelitesinheritance!


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the stipulations of a Law He enacted under the Old Covenant. God never intendedfor preachers to resurrect any ordinance of the Old Testament so they could make a

gold mine out of it in the Church Age. I committed that sin with my eyes wide open,and its a miracle God could forgive me for it.

But all those other TV preachers cant be wrong! she cried, dismayed by all thewild jubilation around her. They make up the vast majority, and they sound so

spiritual! Youre the odd man out!Sister Smith, as I

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