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Welcome To Asa-Ministries International
Bringing The Good News Of Jesus Christ To All Nations
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about sending a love gift offering to help keep this ministry operating.
Obligations Regarding
Tithing
and Charity
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Understanding Charity
An act of charity can take place with or without
being an act of love. Charity is the giving of food, clothing, time,
energy, or finances to someone in need. To be spiritually meritorious
charity must be given unselfishly. There is no desire for temporal
recognition in a charitable act given in love.
"If I give
away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so
that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing." [1 Cor. 13:3]
For many charity is no more than a social event, albeit
for a good cause. Other acts of charity are done for political purposes.
Such acts are of no eternal value if they were not done in real love (one's
reward is received here on earth).
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites
do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. [Mt.
6:2]
The Golden Rule: "Do to others whatever
you would have them do to you." [Mt.
7:12 & Lk. 6:31] A corollary to
this rule is: "Pay attention to and serve God as you would have Him
pay attention to and serve you."
Always keep in mind that God has full power. We are
given but an infinitesimal fraction of that power for momentary use in this
life. However, those received into Heaven will have an extensive use of
power. This power will first be used to give glory to God and then be used
to bring every saint perfect happiness. Those sentenced to Hell will only
have a limited use of power. This limited power might be used on others in
Hell in a repetitious but ever expanding cycle of mutual hatred and torment
— hoping to find temporary distraction from their never-ending suffering.
Existence, in both Heaven and Hell, is eternal.
"We know that
we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers.
Whoever does not love remains in death. [1
John 3:14]
Love is never one sided. God gives and we must give
in return.
Understanding Tithing
The advent of tithing
The advent of tithing took place when Abram [Abraham]
gave ten percent of his possessions to the protominister Melchizedek. The
practice of tithing [contributing ten percent of one's income to the
Church] and other offerings was confirmed in the Mosaic Law and
acknowledged in Matthew, Luke, and Hebrews.
1
The
following excerpted from
— Make ALL THINGS RIGHT with GOD —
an Examination of Conscience
Have I tithed
to my church (if it is actively promoting the true teachings of the
Church and observing correct liturgical practices)? 10% of one's net
income (all income less the actual cost of acquiring income, that is,
seed, tools, . . .) must be given in the following order:
a.) given to the Church of the parish in which one resides (boundaries
defined by diocese).
b.) given to the Church where one attends Sunday Mass only if one's own
parish is not acting in accord with the teachings of the Church and the
pastor has been properly notified of existing concerns.
c.) given to promote the restoration of the Church to its own formal
teachings and practices.
d.) given to the cause of promoting justice within the Church.
e.) given to serve the justice that should have been overseen by the
Church.
f.) set aside for future giving to worthy advocates for truth and justice
within the Church.
"In generous
spirit pay homage to the LORD,
be not sparing of freewill gifts.
With each contribution show a cheerful countenance,
and pay your tithes in a spirit of joy.
Give to the Most High as he has given to you,
generously, according to your means." [Sir. 35:10-12]
Charity is
apart from and in addition to what is given by tithing. The giving to any
diocesan sponsored collection is part of charity, not of tithing. Those who
can afford it should minimally give an additional 10% of their income to a charity
serving Christian goals of one's own choosing, that is, not in conflict
with the interests of God. Direct acts of charity are to be preferred to
institutional giving.
NOTE: Personal involvement in charity is greatly more
meritorious than a hands off / indirect method of giving. Those who have
substantial wealth should give 20% or more to charity in addition to
tithing. Those who give large sums and
others, through the actions of committees, should have access to record
keeping and be able to reasonably investigate the use of charitable
donations.
Additional offerings in the form of Mass stipends, prayer requests, and other offerings are given to
ministers or religious? This living custom in today's Church was
foreshadowed in the Old Testament.
The Church, ministers,
religious, and the poor are consumers of offerings made to God (God
has no practical use for temporal offerings but values them as a witness to
faith in Him). These offerings are given either as a corporal work of
mercy or in the making of a special request to God. Offerings given to the
poor, whether ministers, religious, or laymen, are covered under the
concept of charity as stated above. The worthiness of an offering to God is
largely in the degree of sacrifice being made. NOTE: A dozen
Masses said with minimal offering of stipends (non-sacrificial) is
of less value than one Mass said as a result of real sacrifice made in
faith.
Which is the more worthy
offering, a dollar from a hungry person or a hundred thousand dollars from
a millionaire? Which is more apt to gain the greater attention from God?
"A poor widow also came
and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to
himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in
more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all
contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has
contributed all she had, her whole livelihood." " [Mk.
12:42-44 also Lk. 21:1-4]
"But Zacchaeus stood there
and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall
give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay
it four times over." [Lk. 19:8]
Since such offerings are in
effect being made to God, a minister or religious may not discourage or
reject them without giving offense to God. (Ministers and religious that
do not need or want them for themselves may always give them to a worthy
person in need or to a just cause.)
The following are all factors in regard to the
acceptability of an offering:
- The offerers faithfulness to Jesus and
to the teachings of His Church
- The quality of the intention
- The quality of the offering
- The quality and true need of the
receiver of the offering. – Such person at some level must be open to
the word of God and must be willing to improve his own condition
according to the degree available.
NOTE: An offering knowingly given to a minister or to a
religious group who is opposed to even one formal teaching of the Church is
wasted. *
In regard to a minister (or
religious community) who receives an offering: Which would be
considered as the more worthy offerings in the sight of God:
- An offering made to a minister who is
humanistic?
- An offering to a minister who places
spiritual values above human values?
- An offering made to a minister who will
use it selfishly?
- An offering to a minister who uses the
money not only for his own support, but also for the good of the
Kingdom?
"If you can trust a
man in little things, you can also trust him in greater; while anyone
unjust in a slight matter is also unjust in greater. If you cannot be
trusted with elusive wealth, who will trust you with lasting?" [Lk.
16:10-12]
Then he told them a parable. "There
was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself,
'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' And he
said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger
ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to
myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for
many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!" But God said to him, 'You
fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you
have prepared, to whom will they belong?' Thus will it be for the one who
stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to
God." [Lk. 12:16-21]
Request for Financial Support
Due to unjust and arbitrary
action on the part of my bishop (Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb)
concerning defense of the unborn – the opinions of Vatican
theologians have been equally divided and there is no doctrine of the
Church to cover justifiable defense under current conditions of civil law
protecting murderers who painfully slaughter numerous unborn children whose
spirits are individually created by God at the instant of conception — a condition more abhorrent to God than the slaughter of
16,000,000 people during the regime of Adolph Hitler or the 911 murders at
the World Trade Center 2001 A.D. by eternally damned Muslim suicide killers – I have been deprived of justly due income for more
than nine years. During this time period I have developed this web site
containing sound theology not only in defense of the unborn but even more importantly
expanding theology to overcome many of the existing problems within the
Ministry.
Biblical Quotes Concerning Tithes
And blessed be God Most High, who delivered
your foes into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of
everything. [Genesis 14:20]
This stone that I [Jacob] have set up as a
memorial stone shall be God's abode. Of everything you give me, I will
faithfully return a tenth part to you." [Genesis 28:22]
"All tithes of the land, whether in
grain from the fields or in fruit from the trees, belong to the LORD, as
sacred to him. [Leviticus 27:30]
"To the Levites, however, I hereby
assign all tithes in Israel as their heritage in recompense for the service
they perform in the meeting tent. [Numbers 18:21]
"Give the Levites these instructions:
When you receive from the Israelites the tithes I have assigned you from
them as your heritage, you are to make a contribution from them to the
LORD, a tithe of the tithes; [Numbers 18:26]
Thus you too shall make a contribution from
all the tithes you receive from the Israelites, handing over to Aaron the
minister the part to be contributed to the LORD. [Numbers 18:28]
"When you have finished setting aside
all the tithes of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithes,
and you have given them to the Levite, the alien, the orphan and the widow,
that they may eat their fill in your own community, [Deut. 26:12]
Dare a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me!
And you say, "How do we rob you?"
In tithes and in offerings! [Malachi 3:8]
Bring
the whole tithe
into the storehouse,
That there may be food in my house,
and try me in this, says the LORD of hosts:
Shall I not open for you the floodgates of heaven,
to pour down blessing upon you without measure? [Malachi 3:10]
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have
neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity.
(But) these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
[Matthew 23:23]
Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of
mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to
judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without
overlooking the others. [Luke 11:42]
And Abraham apportioned to him "a
tenth of everything." His name first means righteous king, and he
was also "king of Salem," that is, king of peace. [Hebrews 7:2]
See how great he is to whom the patriarch
"Abraham (indeed) gave a tenth" of his spoils. The
descendants of Levi who receive the office of minister have a
commandment according to the law to exact tithes from the people, that
is, from their brothers, although they also have come from the loins of
Abraham. But he who was not of their ancestry received tithes from
Abraham and blessed him who had received the promises. [Hebrews 7:4-6]
In the one case, mortal men receive tithes;
in the other, a man of whom it is testified that he lives on. One might
even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, was tithed through
Abraham, [Hebrews 7:8-9]
I, for my part, would often make the
pilgrimage alone to Jerusalem for the festivals, as is prescribed for all
Israel by perpetual decree. Bringing with me the first fruits of the
field and the firstlings of the flock, together with a tenth of my income
and the first shearings of the sheep, I would hasten to Jerusalem and
present them to the ministers, Aaron's sons, at the altar. To the
Levites who were doing service in Jerusalem I would give the tithe of
grain, wine, olive oil, pomegranates, figs, and other fruits. And except
for sabbatical years, I used to give a second tithe in money, which
each year I would go and disburse in Jerusalem. The third tithe I gave
to orphans and widows, and to converts who were living with the Israelites.
Every third year I would bring them this offering, and we ate it in keeping
with the decree of the Mosaic law and the commands of Deborah, the mother
of my father Tobiel; for when my father died, he left me an orphan. [Tobit
1:6-8]
They decreed that they would use up the
first fruits of grain and the tithes of wine and oil which they had
sanctified and reserved for the ministers who minister in the presence of
our God in Jerusalem: things which no layman should even touch with his
hands. [Judith 11:13]
[8] With each contribution show a cheerful
countenance, and pay your tithes in a spirit of joy. [Sirach 35:11]
Let Jerusalem and her territory, her
tithes and her tolls, be sacred and free from tax. [1 Macc. 10:31]
From this day on we grant them release
from payment of all other things that would henceforth be due to us, that
is, of tithes and tribute and of the tax on the salt pans and the crown tax. [1 Macc. 11:35]
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