As a young Christian, an infant in the Word, I was under the impression that my belief in Christ was about my salvation and seeds and offering were to increase my quality of life. If things where going bad then it was because God was displeased with me. If I was happy with things then I believed it was because I was in right standing with God. I think many Christians believe this false perception. Scripture does not agree with this way of thinking. In fact we are told to store up treasures in Heaven and not on this earth.
Mat 6:19-21 NET 19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
When we do things in this world for our own benefit we recieve our reward in full.
Mat 6:1-6 NET 1 “Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward. 3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 5 “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
If ever a church teaches that by giving money, "seeds", you will reap money in a greater return that church is teaching a false teaching. Each seed bears fruit after it's own kind but the seed dies and God gives the fruit of the seed it's new body by His order.
1Co 15:36-38 NET 36 Fool! What you sow will not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare seed – perhaps of wheat or something else. 38 But God gives it a body just as he planned, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.
We see here that a seed dies and does not become a seed again, rather a fruit that produces seed after it's own kind. Can the fruit of the seed be the seed? When we give money we are sowing our motive. Money can become anything and is linked directly to our intent, we can buy life giving water or vanities like art with the very same currency. When we give a seed to the church our intentions should be on the storehouse provisions for the poor and the widows. Maybe our motive is to provide for church needs or a church mission. The intent of the seed should never be for ourselves or our comforts in this world, they should be on the glorification of YHVH and Yeshua, on lifting up others and blessing others and with no reward for ourselves. The less we receive in this world the more we store up in Heaven.
Mat 19:30 NET But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
- The Responsible Christian
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