01/22/2012  Bring It, Don't Give It:  Four Principles for Tithing

The church is not exempt of materialism. We all struggle with greed in some capacity. It could very well be that the powerless state of the Western church is due to her lack of prayer and her adulterous affair with the god of materialism. Personal as well as national debt are at astronomical levels. In order for one to grow in maturity with Christ, one must give over all control to Him including one's finances. Four Principles for Tithing helps us understand God’s view of money.

‘And the government will be upon his shoulders’

Isaiah 9:1-7

We are all quite familiar with the link between the child born… the son given… from Isaiah’s prophecy as referring to the miracle at Bethlehem… the Birth of the Christ Child.

But we tend to gloss over the other aspects of this prophecy which spans time and covers more than one event. Isaiah tells us of a different kind of government… an eternal one which will be upon the shoulders of this special child. This future time will be characterized by wonderful counsel, mighty power, benevolent paternal care, and a peace that will also know no end. World Wars One and Two were to be the wars to ‘end all other wars’. With human institutions, this will never be the case as we see all around us today.

12/11/2011  Everlasting Father:  Isaiah 9:1-7

For Unto us a Child is Born; Unto Us a Son is given… How can a Son be named “Everlasting Father?” A good question. The prophet Isaiah, centuries before the birth of the baby Jesus in Bethlehem, foresaw that the Christmas Child would one day grow up to become the Everlasting Father to all who call upon His name in faith.