WELL MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, IT’S TIME TO BE SHOCKED AGAIN BY THE CULT OF BETHANY WORLD PRAYER CENTER, PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO BLIND GUIDES LEADING OUR CHILDREN INTO DITCHES!     

      

     

“Jesus Said DON’T WORRY About Justice, Mercy, And Faith(30:23) if you ain’t even learn to tithe”, Joel Stockstill.

      

Joel’s latest sermon has confirmed that his Black Remnant is either illiterate or or place Joel Stockstill in a holier place than their Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. Joel Stockstill has received complaints that Christ Jesus didn’t command us to tithe. After assuring his Black Remnant the answer is “YES”, Joel asks for Matthew 23:23 to be placed on the big screen. I’ll use the EXACT SAME english version of the greek text that Joel used to quote from.   

(Please note:  Please read it carefully and slowly and allow the context of the oppressive nature of the Pharisees and Lawyers on the poor that Christ constantly chastised their group for. Also cross reference other situations where Christ rebuked the leaders like Joel for burdening the people with unmerciful demands instead of helping them;  Here it is:     

      

23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but YOU IGNORE THE IMPORTANT THINGS OF THE LAW – justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things(Mt.23:23, NLT).     

      

Now Joel’s Version”(Minutes 30:16-26). He’s saying DON’T WORRYABOUT JUSTICE, MERCY, AND FAITH(30:23) IF you ain’t even learned to tithe”     

      

Joel’s version of Jesus claims that Christ IS NOT CONCERNED about:     

  1. JUSTICE-The principle or ideal of just dealing and right action
  2. MERCY- Compassion or a blessing that is an act of divine favor
  3. FAITH– Complete trust.

      

This is Amazing!! Right before their very eyes, Joel misquotes Scripture to prove to them Jesus stated that TITHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN JUSTICE, MERCY, AND FAITH! Poor Christ and His true words.      

Leaven and Burdens of The Pharisees:

Christ condemns the Pharisees in Joel’s proof-text because they  not only required the tithe BUT REQUIRED TITHES ON OTHER agriculture NOT LISTED in God’s law.  The (U)nited (B)ible (S)ocieties’ (T)ranslators (H)andbook informs potential translators:     

[Page 716] According to Deuteronomy 14.23, grain, wine, and olive oil were required to be tithed, though there is no mention of the requirement to tithe seasoning herbs such as mint and dill and cummin. It is possible though that this regulation was imposed by the Pharisaic interpretation of the Law. Newman, B. M., & Stine, P. C. (1992). A handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. Originally published: A translator’s handbook on the Gospel of Matthew, c1988. UBS helps for translators; UBS handbook series (716). New York: United Bible Societies.

      

Christ warned the crowds ahead of time of these burdens in the EXACT SAME CHAPTER(using Joel’s version of the greek text again)     

      

Mt.23:4 They crush you with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to help ease the burden.     

      

These Pharisees forced people to give over and beyond what the Bible teaches YET THEY DON’T PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH! Just like The Stockstills who:     

  1. Require The Poor To Make Financial Sacrifices BUT THEY TRAVEL ABROAD and SPEND WITHOUT DISCRETION
  2. Require The Poor To Tithe(their version not the bible) money even if they can’t afford it, yet they claim to tithe from the church’s abundance.
  3. Coerce The Poor To Tithe every paycheck not just the first[fruit]
  4. Require the poor to tithe and never question what Bethany is doing with it
  5. Require the poor to tithe even if they flush it down the toilet!

      

Christ condemned such Pharisaic oppression on the people. Again, the U.B.S. Translators Handbook informs potential translators:     

 “They bind heavy burdens is a figure that suggests that the way the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees required people to do many difficult things to fulfill the law was like giving them heavy loads to carry. For some the biblical form will be relatively well understood, as in TEV: “They tie onto people’s backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry.” Other translators will use comparisons of some sort; for example, “They force people to obey difficult rules that are like burdens on their backs.” Another possibility is to drop the image altogether, as in “They oblige people to do very difficult things” or “They give people many obligations that are difficult to carry out.” TEV Today’s English Version Newman, B. M., & Stine, P. C. (1992). A handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. Originally published: A translator’s handbook on the Gospel of Matthew, c1988. UBS helps for translators; UBS handbook series (703). New York: United Bible Societies.     

      

Joel’s version of Jesus has once again sided with the oppressing Pharisees and Teachers of The Law. The IVP  Background To The New Testament agrees with Christ, ” his point is that they should have learned justice, mercy and covenant faithfulness first “(9:13; 12:7 Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament (Mt 23:23). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.”     

THE TITHE RE-DEFINED AGAIN!

When was the last time the tithes and offerings were brought from The Stockstills' Storehouse and Sent To God? According to Scripture it should be burnt to send up in smoke! In fact, when has The Stockstill followed ANY OF GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS ON how to consume the tithes, offerigs, sacrifices?

As noted in the first post on Bethany’s version of the tithe, they’ve redefined it to mean ONLY MONEY given weekly and/or monthy. Yet have neglected on what God’s words says about who enjoys the tithes. It’s not the Priest alone! Again, for an exegetical study on the tithe and it’s abuse by televangelist like Joel, read the informative study by Russel Earl Kelley(PhD) at http://www.tithing-russkelly.com/     

A final reminder and confirmation that Christ was NOT TEACHING his disciples to neglect Justic, Mercy, and Faith:     

  Warnings About Experts in the Law(NET VERSION, GOSPEL OF MARK)     

  12:38 In his teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for the experts in the law. They like walking around in long robes and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces, 12:39 and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 12:40 They devour widows’ property, and as a show make long prayers. These men will receive a more severe punishment.”     

  12:41 Then he sat down opposite the offering box, and watched the crowd putting coins into it. Many rich people were throwing in large amounts. 12:42 And A POOR WIDOW CAME and put in two small copper coins, worth less than a penny. 12:43 He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the offering box than all the others. 12:44 For they all gave out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in what she had to live on, everything she had.”

   

  

      

Christ is NOT CONGRATULATING THE PHARISEES and LAWYERS for oppressing the poor widow! Christ forewarns his disciples how the Pharisees and Lawyers oppress the poor(Mk.12:38). The term “experts of the law” represented the leaders who were suppose to interpret God’s Word for the people. Yet, out of their greed like JOEL STOCKSTILL “THEY DEVOUR…(v.40)”     

      

Joel forgot the advice Paul gave to the Overseers of The Church,i.e., it’s better to give than receive. These words weren’t addressed to the congregation, THEY WERE TO THE LEADERS OF THE CHURCH!     

Acts20:28 Watch out for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. 20:29 I know that after I am gone fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 20:30 Even from among your own group men will arise, teaching perversions of the truth to draw the disciples away after them. 20:31 Therefore be alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears.     

 20:32 And now I entrust you to God and to the message of his grace. This message is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 20:33 I have desired no one’s silver or gold or clothing. 20:34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. 20:35 By all these things, I have shown you that by working in this way we must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”    

       

I understand that many of my brothers and sisters are unable to afford the commentaries and other works by the translators who produced our english bible. So I’ll add one more for your benefit to motivate you to conduct your own research:     

 23:23 “you tithe mint and dill and cummin”     

“NT believers must be careful of turning Christianity into a new legal performance oriented code (Christian Talmud). Their desire to be pleasing to God causes them to try to find guidelines for every area of life. However, theologically it is dangerous to pull old covenant rules which are not reaffirmed in the NT and make them dogmatic criteria especially when they are claimed to be causes or promises of prosperity!     

In their legalism, they counted even the smallest spices so as to give precisely ten percent to God, but they neglected justice, love, and fidelity. The New Testament does not speak of tithing except here. The heart of New Testament giving is not found in a percentage (cf. II Cor. 8–9)! Utley, R. J. D. (2000). Vol. Volume 9: The First Christian Primer: Matthew. Study Guide Commentary Series. Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.