Apostles Not Included

Apostles Not Included

by Ronald W Robey

 

So many in the Charismatic/Pentecostal faith today like to say that “Unless you speak in tongues, you can’t have the Holy Ghost.”

 

But, is that true? Is speaking in tongues needed or the Holy Spirit is not present in a persons’ life? If we are to believe the Bible, (and we should) then the Holy Spirit can indwell a person and that person not speak in tongues ever.

 

Something to think about concerning the tongues. There is no evidence in the Bible that any of the apostles other than Paul spoke in tongues.

 

The promise of “new tongues” was not for the apostles…it was for those to whom the apostles would speak. If they believed the Gospel…they would speak with new tongues.

 

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

 

“These signs shall follow THEM that believe…THEY shall speak with new tongs” It doesn’t say “You shall speak with new tongues.”

 

Those who heard the Gospel that was preached by the apostles would speak in new tongues. They, the believers of the Gospel preached would cast out devils; speak with new tongues; take up serpents; not be harmed by poison. The believers would lay hands on the sick and the sick would recover.

 

In Acts 2, when the men began to scoff those who spoke in tongues, Peter said, “THESE MEN are not drunken as ye suppose…” He did not say, “We are not drunken as ye suppose…”.

 

Acts 1:15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)

Acts 1:16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.

Acts 1:17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.

Acts 1:18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

Acts 1:19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

Acts 1:20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

Acts 1:21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

Acts 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

Acts 1:23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

Acts 1:25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.

Acts 1:26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Acts 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

 

The “these men” in Acts 2 were the 120 disciples that Peter had been preaching to beginning in Acts 1:15 and reading through to the event in Acts 2. Those referred to as “these men” were not the apostles, they were disciples…students of the apostles.

 

The “sign” gifts promised by the Lord Jesus Christ were for those in the immediate audience of the apostles who believed the Gospel.

 

 

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They Ignore the Stipulations

They Ignore the Stipulations

by Ronald W Robey

 

Deuteronomy 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

Deuteronomy 14:23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

Deuteronomy 14:24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:

Deuteronomy 14:25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:

Deuteronomy 14:26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

 

I’ve seen many try to use Deuteronomy 14:24-25 in an attempt to defend the doctrine of a monetary tithe requirement that is being preached in church assemblies around the world today.

 

However, there are some things that those who use Deuteronomy 14:24-25 are overlooking entirely. God put stipulations in the verses.

 

God said “if the if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there…Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose”

 

God did not say “Thou shalt tithe thy money at the place I choose to place My name there.” God said the tithe of the seed that the fields produced was to be taken to the place He chose and eaten there..

 

Money instead of the tithe seed of the land could only be carried to the place God chose if the distance was too far to travel. The majority of church attendees today travel short distances to attend the services…they don’t travel distances that would be considered “too long for thee; or too far from thee”.

 

But carefully notice another stipulation in the verse…

 

…one had to have the tithe before one could exchange the tithe for money.

 

Deuteronomy 14:24-25 does not favor the monetary tithe requirement doctrine even if one wanted to say the money in those verses became the tithe. The only time money could be carried in place of the tithe is if one had the tithe first and THEN exchanged it for money. They first had to have the tithe…not the money.

 

But then, verse 26 utterly destroys their monetary tithe requirement doctrine. For it states that the money that the tithe was exchanged for was to be used to purchase food and drink that was to be eaten by the one who originally had the tithe but exchanged it for money. He was to eat and drink before the LORD, WITH HIS HOUSEHOLD, the food and drink he purchased with the money acquired in the exchange.

 

The money was not to be taken to the House of God and given to the House of God…it was used on the household of the one who traveled to the place God chose.

 

They Don’t Get It

They Don’t Get It
by Ronald W Robey

Kenneth Copeland once said, “Someone asked me, Brother Copeland, do we HAVE to tithe? I said, We GET to tithe.”

Is Copeland right? Do we GET to tithe? What does the Bible say?

From the very first instance of tithing being mentioned in the Bible, to the very last mention of it, there is a common thread of truth woven throughout its fabric.

That thread of truth is that not one person in the entire Bible is ever said to have tithed his monetary income to Tabernacle, Temple, Synagogue, Church, king, priest, apostle, evangelist, prophet, bishop, pastor or teacher.

Every single instance where tithes were either taken, given, received, or paid in the Bible, the tithe was taken, given, received, or paid in the form of war spoils or of agricultural produce. Not one person in the Bible is said to have received tithes of another person’s monetary income. Not one person in the Bible is said to have tithed his monetary income to another person.

That said, if there is any ounce of truth to the claim that “We GET to tithe,” then the tithe we would GET to give would be either agricultural, or of war spoils. It could never be of one’s monetary income, for God never received tithes of monetary income in His word. Nor did any of God’s ministers receive tithes of monetary income.

“We GET to tithe.” is nothing more than manipulation. It is a statement made to bewitch the hearer into believing that God accepts tithes of their monetary income.

If it is true that, “We GET to tithe,” then WHO gets to receive this tithe that we allegedly GET to give? Not once in the word of God do we see Apostles, Evangelists, Prophets, Pastors or Teachers GETTING to receive tithes from any of the first Century saints.

Apostles, Evangelists, Prophets, Pastors and Teachers were given for the perfecting of the Church, (Eph. 4:11-12) yet not once in the New Testament do we see any of these men GET to receive monetary tithes from anyone..

So, who is it that GETS to receive tithes? If the leadership of the first Century Church did not GET to receive tithes, then what makes these preachers of today think they GET to receive tithes?

The hard facts are, preachers have no right to receive monetary tithes today. God never authorized anyone in His word to receive monetary tithes from anyone. And, since God has not given preachers the authority to receive tithes, we don’t GET to tithe to their religious organizations.

Tithing exists in religious institutions today due to lies from the pulpits and ignorance in the pews.

According to the Book of Hebrews, the ONLY people who GET to receive tithes, are those who have a command to TAKE tithes…the sons of Levi. And the ONLY tithes they GET to receive are tithes ACCORDING TO THE LAW.

The Law said God’s holy tithe was to be agricultural…not monetary.

If we “GET to tithe” as Copeland claims, and the only tithe that can be received is agricultural, then the ONLY tithe we could possibly GET to give…is agricultural.

Oh…according to Deuteronomy 12:1,10-11,…the tithe “we GET to give” must not be observed unless we are living in the Promised Land.

But that’s another article.

 

The Reason You Struggle

The Reason You Struggle

by Ronald W Robey

 

You’ve tithed faithfully for months or years and still struggle financially. Have you ever considered that your financial struggles may be brought on because you tithe?

 

Now, I know what you are thinking after that opening statement…

 

…”this man is trying to get me to question Gods’ word.” As an ordained minister of the word of God, I can assure you I am not. What I am hoping to accomplish is for you to dig deeper in the pages of Gods’ word as the men of Berea of Acts 17:11 did in the first century upon hearing something preached that they had never heard before.

 

I would hope that your love for truth and love for God would compel you to search the Scriptures to see what they say concerning tithes. For, you see, it is the word of God that matters. Jesus said in John 17:17 that God’s word is truth.

 

That said, I encourage you to take time and research the following. It doesn’t have to be all at once, but study when you have free time. If you take the Scriptures to heart, it can be quite liberating.

 

The word “tithe” in relation to God’s commanded tithe appears only 14 times in 13 verses of the KJV. (Lev. 27:30,32; Num. 18:26; Deut. 12:17; Deut. 14:22,28; 2 Chr. 31:5; Neh. 10:38; Neh. 13:12; Matt. 23:23; Lk. 11:42)

 

The word “tithes” in relation to God’s commanded tithe appears only 23 times in 20 verses of the KJV. (Le 27:31; Nu 18:24,26,28; De 12:6,11; De 26:12; 2Ch 31:12; Ne 10:37,38; Ne 12:44; Ne 13:5; Am 4:4; Mal 3:8,10; Lu 18:12; Heb 7:5,6,8,9)

 

The word “tithes” in relation to a voluntary tithe appears only 1 time in 1 verse in the KJV. (Gen. 14:20)

 

The word “tithing” in relation to God’s commanded tithe appears only 2 times in 1 verse of the KJV. (Deut. 26:12)

 

The phrase “the tenth” in relation to God’s commanded tithe is found only 2 times in 2 verses of the KJV. (Lev. 27:32; Num. 18:21)

 

The phrase “the tenth” in relation to a voluntary tithe is found only 2 times in 2 verses in the KJV. (Gen. 28:22; Heb. 7:4)

 

The phrase “the tenth” in relation to a forced tithe by man is found only 2 times in 2 verses in the KJV. (1 Sam. 8:15,17)

 

The phrase “a tenth” in relation to a voluntary tithe is found only 1 time in 1 verse in the KJV. (Heb 7:2)

 

Of the forty-four (44) references to tithe found in the Bible, only thirty-six (36) speak of God’s commanded tithe. Only fourteen (14) of the thirty-six verses where God’s commanded tithe is seen mention the elements of God’s commanded tithe. Those fourteen (14) verses reveal God’s commanded tithe to be agricultural…not monetary.

 

God’s commanded tithe is

 

a) seed of the land. (Le. 27:30)

b) fruit of the tree. (Le. 27:30)

c) every tenth animal to pass under the rod. (Le 27:32)

d) corn. (De. 12:17)

e) wine. (De. 12:17)

f) oil. (De. 12:17)

g) seed. (De. 14:22)

h) corn. (De. 14:23)

i) wine. (De.14:23)

j) oil. (De.14:23)

k) oxen. (De. 14:26)

l) sheep. (De. 14:26)

m) wine. (De. 14:26)

n) strong drink. (De. 14:26)

o) oxen. (2 Ch. 31:6)

p) sheep. (2 Ch. 31:6)

q) tithes of our ground. (Ne. 10:37)

r) tithes out of the fields. (Ne. 12:44)

s) corn. (Ne. 13:5)

t) wine. (Ne. 13:5)

u) oil. (Ne. 13:5)

v) corn. (Ne. 13:12)

w) wine. (Ne. 13:12)

x) oil. (Ne. 13:12)

y) food. (Mal. 3:10)

z) mint. (Matt. 23:23)

aa) anise. (Matt. 23:23)

ab) cummin. (Matt. 23:23)

ac) mint. (Lu. 11:42)

ad) rue. (Lu. 11:42)

ae) herbs. (Lu. 11:42)

 

Money is never required as tithe in the entire Bible, even though they had money. This is why I said what i did in my opening statement. I am not trying to discourage giving, but rather to bring awareness to the fact that yielding to false doctrine may be the reason many are struggling financially.

 

Grace Cannot Be Bought with Money

Grace Cannot Be Bought with Money
by Ronald W Robey

In many pulpits around the world today it is being preached that those who do not give 10% of their money to the local church they attend will end up in the flames of hell or the lake of fire for all eternity.

The doctrine is not of God. It is from the enemy of God and the enemy of your soul.

If you tithe to escape hell, you will end up in hell.
If you tithe to enter Heaven, you will end up in hell.

Salvation is by Grace through Faith in the only begotten Son of God Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Gods’ Grace cannot be bought with your money. Gods’ Grace was purchased at the cruel cross of Calvary at the expense of His only begotten Sons’ life.

To believe that your money can purchase your way out of Hell or into Heaven is to say the blood of Jesus was worthless and was shed in vain.

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Acts 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

If you have trusted Christ, you are a member of His Body. You are a member of His Church, which He purchased with His own blood. Don’t believe the lie that you have to pay for entrance into God’s eternal Kingdom. Don’t believe the lie that money will keep you out of Hell.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

 

It’s Their Tithe…Not Gods’

It’s Their Tithe…Not Gods’
by Ronald W Robey

So many want us to “Tithe because Abraham tithed,” but don’t want us to tithe what Abraham tithed.

They instead want us to tithe what Abraham did not tithe.

So many want us to tithe because God said, “The tithe is the LORDs’,” but don’t want us to tithe what God said to tithe.

They instead want us to tithe what God did not require to be tithed.

So many want us to observe their tithe…not Gods’.

 

The Purpose of the Tithe

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The Purpose of the Tithe

by Ronald W Robey

 

There were three tithes that God required. Each one had a purpose.

 

1 The Levitic tithe – Numbers 18:21-26; Deuteronomy 14:27; 26:12 – The purpose of this tithe was to sustain the tribe of Levi because they received no land inheritance among the other eleven tribes of Israel. This tithe was not taken to either Tabernacle or Temple. Instead the Levite traveled to the farming community every third year and upon receiving his tithe, took a tithe of the tithe to the House of God. – Numbers 18:21-26; Nehemiah 10:37-38

 

2. The Feast tithe – Deuteronomy 14:22-26; 2 Chronicles 6:5-6 – The purpose of this tithe was that the children of Israel show reverence for God by eating the tithe at Jerusalem along with the members of his household.

 

3. The Poor tithe – Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 26:12 – The purpose of this tithe was to sustain widows, orphans, and foreigners in the land of Canaan. This tithe, like the Levitic tithe, was kept in the farming communities and the poor went to the farms every third year to receive their tithe.