Do you serve God or Money?

Tele-evangelists and Christian television constantly request money for the help with their ministries. I recently watched a few of them and saw how manipulative they can be. One gentleman (who called himself Dr.) used Deuteronomy 1:11 to dictate that people should send 111 dollars and that God would bless them for it. Another spoke of the need for people to obtain blessings from God during various "Windows" of opportunity. He stated that during the time of the three Jewish festivals was those opportunities and he also quoted Deuteronomy 26:1-2, which is written:

After you have occupied the land that the Lord your God is giving you and have settled there, each of you must place in a basket the first part of each crop that you harvest and you must take it with you to the one place of worship.

This gentleman emphesised the one place of worship as that particular TV Telethon! When we read the scriptures, it is very important to divide it the right way. Start by asking, is this concerning the nation of Israel or is it concerning the church? Clearly, Moses was talking to the nation of Israel. He was providing their instructions on what they were to do when they entered the land that God was giving them as an inheritance. The one place of worship started to be Shiloh during the times of the Judges and King Saul. King David, however, was shown to choose Araunah's threshing place (2 Samuel 24)

, that is where the Temple was built by Solomon.

Later, when a Samaritan woman questioned Jesus about the one place in John 4. Jesus answered that neither on the mountain (which the Samariatns worshipped) or Jerusalem (which was the place where the Temple was) but He said: But the time is coming and is already here, when by the power of God's Spirit people will worship the Father as he really is, offering him the true worship that he wants. God is Spirit, and only by the power of his Spirit can people worship him as he really is. (John 4:23-24)

Deuteronomy 1:11 is concerning the number of people - not money. Don't be fooled by these charlatans who disrespect God's word in order to obtain money! The tithe was an Old Testament ordinance of the Law of Moses. The nation of Israel was reprimanded by the prophet Malachai about robbing God in the matter of tithes and offerings. This scripture is misused by churches to scare people into giving money to fund the churches. We are not under the law of tithe for God since our High Priest is Jesus and not the Levitical priests of the Old Testament (Hebrews 7)

A man named Samuel tried to give Peter money in order to buy the gift of laying on of hands. What was Peters response? But Peter answered him, may you and your money go to hell, for thinking that you can buy God's gift with money! (Acts 8:20) Jesus set the example - notice what He told the rich man who wanted to follow Him: Jesus said to him, (the rich man) If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me. (Matthew 19:21) Notice:He did not request the money for Himself!

Jesus told the Apostles that "You have received without paying, so give without being paid." (Matthew 10:8) Why give to these men who do not teach but their own ideas about what scripture states?