what blessing is there in a tithe?

 We are taught in some places that as followers of Christ we need to bring our tithes and offerings into the storehouse, where the storehouse today is the local church or congregation.  Why?  By paying your tithes and offerings we are taught that we will personally receive blessings and provisions, eve rebuke Satan.  Some even teach that not doing this will cause the person who holds back to be cursed. This teaching comes...

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to gather or to have mercy ... which is the question?

I have heard it taught that when two or three people gather together in the name of Jesus, he will be also present (Matthew 18:20).  This has come to my ears in three ways: Jesus has asked all who have faith in him to gather and when we do he will turn up.  This is why we gather for Sunday church services Jesus says he will be present even if there are two people of faith gathered together for his purposes.  This means we can...

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did jesus lie to us?

Remember Paul?  Remember when he traveled to Jerusalem to see Peter and co? How long had he been serving God without them even knowing Paul? 14 years!  14 years of mission without contact with a local church, a HQ, etc. One moment having Christians killed, the next WHAM serving God amongst a mob who no one else had time for.  A mob who knew nothing of how to be a traditional Jew.  Totally uncircumcised! Next thing Peter toddles up to see Paul in his stomping ground.  Peter hangs out with the Galatian locals and...

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god gifts the rebellious

Today I was discussing with a friend something read in Ephesians 4 earlier in the week. Basically, I can sometimes skip over the parts of scripture which refer to other parts of the Bible. For example occasionally in the New Testament, Paul or another writer, will refer to a scripture from the Old Testament. My assumption has been that this does not need reading because the writer is simply repeating something he will explain elsewhere in...

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