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VISITING PROGRAM TRAINING
CLASS
Seventh Class
December 15, 1968
FORMAT:
1.
Open with prayer.
2.
World news discussion and drill (5-8 minutes).
3.
Difficult scripture drill (30 minutes).
4.
Sermonettes and evaluations (30 minutes).
5.
Recess (10 minutes).
6.
Lecture (one hour).
7.
Assignments for next class.
DIFFICULT
SCRIPTURES
I.
Did Jesus say a rich man would never enter the Kingdom
of God (Matt. 19:23)?
A. He did not say that. He said it was very difficult for a rich
man to
enter God's Kingdom.
B. Christ was referring to the example He had
just given (Verses 16-22)
where a rich young man turned
down a calling to help preach the Gospel
because he did not want to
give up his wealth.
In the parallel account (Mark
10:24) Christ emphasized that it was
trusting in riches that would
keep a rich man out of the Kingdom.
C. Paul showed that the love of money could
keep a man from entering the
Kingdom
of God (I Tim. 6:10). Those who desire to be rich fall into
temptation and a snare (Verse
9). They become lustful. The more they
get the more they want. Soon they are more intent on getting riches
than striving to enter the Kingdom
of God. It becomes their
god
(Col. 3:5).
Christians are to flee the
lust of wealth and concentrate on living a
godly life and striving to
lay hold on eternal life. A Christian
can't
serve God and mammon -- a
Greek word meaning wealth or riches (Matt. 6:24).
Jesus said where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matt.
6:21). A man will
either direct his efforts to increasing and main-
taining his material wealth
or to serving God.
D. God is not opposed to wealth. His desire is that we prosper (III John 2).
Many of God's servants were
wealthy. Joseph was a prosperous man
(Gen.
39:2). Job was the greatest man in the East (Job
1:3) Abram was rich
in cattle) silver and gold
(Gen. 13:2).
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These men were wealthy, but
they did not put their trust in riches,
nor seek their own
blessings. They obeyed God and were
blessed
Natually by Him, and they
will be in God1s Kingdom.
II.
Does God allow you to borrow from your second tithe if you pay it back
and add 20 percent (Lev.
27:31)?
A. First of all, this scripture does not say
anything about borrowing
from your tithes. Secondly this scripture is not talking
about second
tithe. Notice -- the scripture says all the tithe
of the land is holy
to God (Verse 30). This tithe belongs to God. Second tithe belongs
to the individual for the
purpose of observing God!'s annual Feasts
(Deut. 14:22-26).
B. God says ten percent of a person Vs. crops
and fruit belongs to Him
(Lev. 27:30). In ancient Israel most of the people were engaged in
farming. Therefore, most of the tithes were in the
form of crops,
fruit or livestock.
C. Often the individual would have a fruit
tree and because of the excellent
quality of fruit, he would
want all of it for seed purposes.
Because
it was of a perishable
nature anyway and often would spoil before the
individual could turn it in
as tithe, God permitted the farmer to keep
it and pay the market value
of the fruit plus 20 percent of its value.
This did not apply to
livestock. No tithe of the herd could
be re-
deemed (Lev. 27:32-33).
D. Since we do not live in an agrarian society
today, a Christian farmer
may redeem (convert) the
tithe of his land and herd and send it to
God's Work.
III.
Did Christ tell us to make friends of the world through unrighteous
mammon
(Luke 16:9)?
A. Christ was referring to the parable of the
unjust steward which He had
just given. Here the Lord commended the unjust steward
for the worldly
wisdom (shrewdness) he used
in making himself friends through money
(Verse 8). He went on to say the children of the world
have more
worldly wisdom than do
Christians.
B. Christ told His disciples to make friends
through the use of unrighteous
mammon. Christians should give generously in
offerings to God's Work.
These offerings enable many others
to hear God's truth and become con-
verted. They thus become our brethren -- our
friends.
C. When Christ comes to set up His Kingdom,
material wealth will not be
of value to us. At that time, those who have become
converted through
this Work for which we
sacrificed financially, and who we perhaps have
never seen till then, will
greet us with joy and thanksgiving in God's
Kingdom as spirit beings.
HOW TO MANAGE YOUR
FINANCES GOD'S WAY
I.
THE IMPORTANCE OF MANAGING YOUR FINANCES GOD'S WAY
God is working out His purpose
of bringing billions of sons into His Family
to share in the rulership of the
universe. In this life we are
developing
the character and mind of God
which we need in order to fulfill our future
responsibilities. We must learn to put God first in every
area of our
lives. Today we are going to look at a major area
of our lives which will,
to a large degree, determine our
position and reward in God's Kingdom --
and for some of us may determine
whether we will BE in God's Kingdom!
This is the area of our personal
finances. How we manage our finances
is
vitally important to God. He is very concerned about how we spend our
MONEY!
Luke 16:10-11 -- God expressly
states that what we do with the compara-
tively small amount of wealth He
allows us in this physical life shows
what we would do with the vast
power, authority and wealth we would in-
herit as His sons in ruling the
universe! This is one of the major
areas
of our lives in which we are
being tested, evaluated,.and judged every
day by Jesus Christ (I Pet. 4:17).
Matthew 6:21 -- Just as our faith is demonstrated by our works, we
demon-
strate whether or not our hearts
are in God's Work by how we spend our
money.
Any of us who takes lightly the
serious responsibility of properly man-
aging our finances takes lightly
what God has in store for us. Managing
our finances God's way will help
us QUALIFY for a position of authority in
God's Kingdom. Failure to do so may DISQUALIFY us for ANY
position!
Many in the Church
of God, by the way they manage their finances -- by the
way they scrimp on offerings and
spend their money for material things --
show their hearts are on the
material things of this world rather than on
seeking the Kingdom
of God.
II.
HOW ARE YOU HANDLING YOUR FINANCES?
A. Don't Be Materialistic In Your Approach To
Life
God wants all of us as His
people to prosper (III John 2). He
wants
us to enjoy the physical
things of this life (Eccl. 5:18), but
He
doesn't want us to set our
hearts on the pleasures, pastimes and
material pursuits of this
physical life. It is a matter of our
attitude
and approach!
I Corinthians 7:31 -- God allows us to USE, but He does not want us to
ABUSE -- or use too fully --
the physical things in this world. He
wants us to realize they
have a part in this physical life for character
development but then pass
away!
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II Corinthians 4:18 -- We need to understand that which we can see,
taste, feel, hear and smell --
that which we can discern with our
physical senses, is not the
reality. The physical things around
us,
that which means so much to us
and appeals so strongly to our Ph)ysical
senses and pulls of the flesh,
are only temporary -- eventually to be
destroyed with this world, when
God has finished using this physical
earth as a training ground for
adding sons to His Ruling Family (II Pet.
3:10-13). Therefore,
no physical thing is of lasting value, and the
pursuit of physical comforts,
accouterments, food, clothing and
pleasures should not be our aim
or goal in life and should not con-
sume the majority of our time,
nor fill the majority of our thoughts.
What we will retain after this
physical life is God's Spirit and the
character we have built, not the
physical possessions we have accumu-
lated (I Tim. 6:6-10)!
Matthew 6:19-23 -- God counsels
us to lay up treasures in heaven --
to set our affections on THINGS
ABOVE, not things on this earth (Col.
3:3). We do this by putting our treasure -- our
money -- into God's
Work rather than lavishing it on
ourselves out of proportion to what
we should be spending on
ourselves in view of our level or station in
life. We must be singlemindedly seeking His
Kingdom (Verse 24). It
is utterly IMPOSSIBLE for us as
carnal human beings to set as a goal
the attainment of material things
-- the status symbols, creature
comforts and physical pleasures
of this life -- and at the same time
to wholeheartedly seek God's
Kingdom and His righteousness.
Isaiah 55:2 -- We who understand
God's plan are without excuse! The
spiritual Gentiles of this world
do not have the perspective or the
understanding to "lay up
treasure in heaven" by properly spending
their money. But how about us? Have we been giving in to the pressures
of this materialistic society in
which we are living, or can we say
honestly before God that we are
seeking His Kingdom first in every
way -- including the way we
manage our finances?
B.
God Knows Our Needs
Matthew 6:25:31-- God doesn't
want us to be anxiously concerned about
our basic NEEDS of food, drink
and clothing. How much LESS, then,
should we be concerned about
other things in this physical life which
aren't really "needs"!
Verse 32 -- The Gentiles -- those who don't know
God and who don't
have the goal of someday becoming
God -- seek after material things.
But we - - as converted sons of
God whose eyes have been opened and
enlightened - - we of all people
should not be overly concerned about
things pertaining to this
physical life and realize that God will and
does provide for us.
C.
Live by Faith
Matthew 6:33-34 -- God promises us that He will provide for our needs
if we do seek His Kingdom first.
He wants us to learn to LIVE BY FAITH.
We must trust HIM to provide for
our needs. It isn't natural to trust
God and exercise faith, but that
is what we must do if we set ourselves
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to manage our finances GOD'S
way. As a way of life, God wants us to
look to Him and trust Him in
everything. Our attitude must be that
of
Faith and complete
CONFIDENCE in God.
This should be our attitude
and approach in managing our finances.
We must, first of all, set
our hearts on God's Kingdom and His Work
NOT the things of this
world! Secondly, we must have Faith IN
GOD
that HE will provide all our
NEEDS and also any ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
BLESSINGS He decides we
really should have (Ps. 34:10)!
III.
OBEY GOD'S FINANCIAL PRINCIPLES
We have seen what our attitude
and approach should be. Now let's look
at
some specific principles we
must follow in managing our finances God's
way.
A. Pay Your Tithes Faithfully
Malachi 3:8 -- Do
individuals in God's Church steal first, second or
third tithe? You bet they do! Every year before the Feast, we discover
literally dozens of
"members1' who have stolen from their second tithe,
either by failing to save it
or by "borrowing" from it.
There are
dozens -- perhaps hundreds
-- more who we don't discover, but God
knows! We have found that "leading men"
in the Church -- men being
considered for ordination as
deacons, and some who are in the Visiting
Program Training Class -- do
not faithfully pay even their first tithe!
These, according to Malachi
3:9, are cursed with a curse. They
will
be cursed financially now,
and if they don't repent, they will be
cursed for all eternity and
perish in the lake of fire!
Others pay their tithes,but
grudgingly. Many hate to see their
third-
tithe year approaching.With this
kind of an attitude, they, too, are
cursed financially. God will never prosper them.'
Job 41:11 -- Remember, God
owns everything -- even you (I Cor. 6:19-20)!
Your income and everything
you own belongs totally to God. He
requires
you to pay the first tenth
to Him through His Work. The second He
commands you to save in
order to keep His Feasts. A third
tenth He
requires you to pay every
third year out of a seven-year cycle as a
form of welfare to help
widows, orphans, strangers, and His ministers.
Then, once you have
discharged these obligations, God gives you the
rest. However, God still has prior claims on part
of it.
B. Remember The Poor
Leviticus 19:9-10 -- God made special
provision in Israel for the poor
and needy to acquire
food. This was a command from
God. He is just
as concerned about the poor
among His people today. Many places in
Proverbs show God's concern for the
poor (Prov. 19:17; 21:13;
28:27).
How can we give to the needy
today? The primary way is by
contributing
a regular amount to the LOVE
FUND. This is a fund that is administered
by your local minister for
persons in need in your local area who do
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not qualify for third tithe
help. It doesn't have to be a large
amount, but you
should contribute a small amount on a regular basis.
A guideline might be about
one-half of one percent of each paycheck,
or several dollars a month
depending on your income.
Luke 14:12 -- In addition to a regular Love Fund donation, there
are
other ways that we can give
to the poor. We can invite them to
dinner
on occasion. We tend to invite over for dinner only
those whose com-
pany we enjoy, or those who
will return the invitation. That is
not
wrong, at times, but you'll
be blessed if you also entertain the needy.
C. Lay Up
Treasure In Heaven
After you have faithfully
paid your tithes and given to the poor,
realize that you still have
not put one cent of your TREASURE into
God's Work! The tithes are not yours, and the other --
even though
commanded of God -- did not
go into the Work. Your treasure is
what
you have left after you pay
your tithes. It is through our
offering
that we "lay up
treasure in heaven"!
Notice that in Malachi 3:8,
God says He had been robbed of tithes and
offerings. This means regular offerings as well as the
special offerings
(Deut. 16:16-17) that God
commands for the Holy Days. Offerings
are
an absolute requirement,
just as much as tithes are. The
difference
is that God sets the amount
for His tithes, but He leaves the amount
of the offerings up to
us. This is the gauge that indicates
just how
much our hearts are in the
Work of God!
Mr. Herbert Armstrong has
said again and again that those who do not
have their HEARTS in the
Work of God are not growing spiritually,
while those who do have
their hearts in the Work grow steadily and
continuously. We saw the principle in Matthew 6:21 that where a man's
treasure is, his heart will
be also.' Those who are not diligently
putting their treasure into God's Work do
not have their hearts in
it. God does not need our money, but He has
given us a tremendous
opportunity to be a part of
this end-time Work which is fulfilling
the office of Elijah!
IV.
INSURE YOUR FUTURE BY INVESTING IN GOD'S WORK
A. Give According To Your Blessings
Luke 21:1-4 -- God is not
concerned with the amount, per se, of our
offerings. He wants us to give an offering that
reflects the degree
to which we have been
blessed and which reflects our awareness and
appreciation of His
blessings. Most of us in America and Canada in
God's Church have been blessed
above measure in every way -- not just
physically. But by nature we are Unthankful for most of
the blessings
we have. Instead of naturally desiring to show our
gratitude through
our offerings, the more we
get, the more we naturally covet and lust
for.
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Deuteronomy 16:17 -- The principle of giving offerings is that WE
SHOULD GIVE ACCORDING TO THE
BLESSINGS GOD HAS GIVEN US. As God
increasingly prospers us, we
should increase our offering at least
in proportion to the increase we
receive) if not more!
II Corinthians 9:6-7 -- Here is a
principle to remember. What you
sow this year in offerings to
God's Work) determines to what extent
God will bless you financially
next year. If a man has a bumper crop
of wheat, sells it and lives it
up on the profits, failing to invest
in seed and machinery for next
year, he fails. So it is with you.
If you have spent your extra
money lavishing physical things on your-
self and have neglected investing
sufficiently in God's Work this
year, you will not prosper financially
next year. It is a simple
equation -- the extent to which
you give this year largely determines
the extent to which God will
bless you next year. The die is, for
the
most part, already cast for you
for 1969, based on your offerings
through the Feast in 1968. But you can insure a prosperous 1970 by
your generous offerings this
coming year!
If you are not being blessed now
as a result of not sowing generously
in the past, YOU have to break the
cycle! You have to begin to give
more, realizing that you aren't
being blessed because you have sowed
sparingly. This may, for a time, require a real
sacrifice, but if
your ATTITUDE is right, you have
an absolute guarantee from God that
He will prosper you!
B.
Go Into Partnership With God
God is in the BUSINESS of
bringing sons into His Family. He is
carrying
out this business -- this Work --
through His WORK on earth, and He
has called us to have a part in
it. He has called us to become
partners
with Him! We have a certain amount of capital, which
is what we have
left after paying our tithes and
all our living expenses. Our entire
approach toward managing our
finances should be to have as much capital
as possible to INVEST IN GOD'S
WORK! It is the only concern on earth
that will really pay off! Investments in God's Work, which are our
OFFERINGS will pay off in
blessings here and now, and for ALL ETERNITY
in God's Kingdom!
Besides your regular offerings, a
generous amount should be invested
on a regular basis for the
Property Fund. Remember, God's
building
program is soon going to envelop
the ENTIRE EARTH! You should eagerly
want to have a part in it!
In addition, a large portion
should be carefully set aside each payday
and planned for the larger
investments on the Holy Days. Your
Holy
Day offerings especially reflect
whether you are taking seriously the
partnership to which God has
called you.
If you are running your business
carefully and well, you can invest as
much as ten percent of your gross
income, or more, in God's Work as
offerings.
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Matthew 6:19-21 -- Your
treasure is not your tithes, but your offerings.
That which you lavish on
yourself will perish! But your
investment
in God's Work will insure
your future, as well as blessings here and
now, and will provide the
means for others to be called in this age
as well (Luke 16:9).
V.
CHOOSE WHOM YOU WILL SERVE!
We all realize that the Work of
God is the best investment that we can
make. We all know this intellectually, and most
of you on your entrance
examinations indicated that you
would advise investing in God's Work
rather than in anything in this
world, but as a WAY OF LIFE, is this
your approach in managing your
finances?
For most of you it isn't -- at
least not to the extent it should be!
We have found that many in the
Visiting Program Training Class are not
regularly contributing generously
to the Property Fund - some, NOT AT
ALL! Many aren't looking ahead and preparing for
Holy Day offerings, as
shown by what they give in
comparison with the income God has given them!
How about YOU? How do you stack up in comparison to the
widow with two
mites? Most of us fall short, but let's resolve to
CHANGE! Let's resolve
to begin to manage our finances
with a new and different approach.
We can't buy our way into the
Kingdom of God. It is a gift of
God. But
by managing our finances God's
way and by striving to invest as much as
possible in His Work through our
offerings, we are building CHARACTER
which will qualify us for a
position in that Kingdom. By proving
ourselves
faithful in that which is least,
we show that we will be faithful in much
in the future!
This, then, is the crux of
managing our finances God's way. God
requires
that we pay tithes, give to the
poor, and give offering. Our choice is
only whether we will obey God in
these matters, but the amount of offerings
we give in comparison to what we
could give clearly shows our attitude and
approach to managing our
finances.
If we allow ourselves some THING
-- whether it be a new home, car, tele-
vision set or even a night out at
the movies - - which cuts into the amount
we should be giving as an
offering, based on our capacity to give, we are
robbing God! Our attitude is WRONG! We have set our hearts on that
material pleasure or thing,
whatever it might be. This is a form
of
Idolatry (Col. 3:5 -- last part)!
God plainly sees whether the
emphasis in our life is on acquiring and
envying material things, or on
putting our treasure into His Work as a
type of investment for the
future. He can clearly see whether we
are living
by faith and trusting Him to
provide, not only our needs but also any
special blessings He might want
to give us, or whether we are constantly
"making provision for the
flesh" in our approach to managing our finances.
No man can serve two masters
(Matt. 6:24)! You can't serve the true
God.
and continue to spend most of
your time and money on other things.
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I Kings 18:21 -- The time has come
to make a choice! If God be God) then
follow Him) trust Him, obey Him and
begin to manage your finances His
way.' Your eternal reward depends on it!
ASSIGNMENTS FOR
NEXT CLASS
1.
"Which Day is the Christian Sabbath)" by Mr. Herbert W.
Armstrong.
2. "Rejoice in God's Sabbath," by Mr. Roderick C. Meredith,
Reprint #300, GOOD NEWS,
December 1962.
3. "Keep God's Sabbath Holy," by Mr. Bill McDowell, GOOD
NEWS, March 1968.
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