Another Mistaken Idea: Luke 6:38 is speaking of money

 13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” Mark 7:12 NKJV








  In times of crisis, one constant we always see is the helpers arising. We see those who respond with actions of love, kindness, and ministering life to those who've been negatively affected. First responders bring physical aid and then we see charitable groups bringing material aid. Many sincere people will give something, no matter how small, to help.

 In the face of such charitable giving, it seemed good to share again on some more mistaken ideas. When it comes to giving there is a mistaken idea that abounds through much of the Body of Christ. The idea that Luke 6:38 is referencing financial giving and receiving. 

 I can't number the times I've seen or heard this passage referenced before an offering at a church gathering or special meeting. The idea is that if you give your money, then it will come back to you good measure, pressed down, and running over. God will give all this money plus more into your life by using men to give financially to you. 

upon hearing news like this many many people will open their wallets, grab their checkbook, or empty their pockets. What a fantastic promise! God is going to make us richer and richer because we gave in a particular offering. 

 This kind of hype and gimmickry will fatten the offering plate or donation basket, but what about when people don't see their $50 offering returning unto them by the hundreds of dollars? What then? What happens to the offering plate then? 

 Now one must convince the giver that there must be some reason they aren't seeing this kind of promised return in their life. Maybe it's because they've sinned too much. Or maybe it's because they didn't give in Faith. They didn't believe just right when they gave. Or maybe the group the giver gave to wasn't "good ground." The giver needs to give to the "right" group. The "right" group, or "good ground" is usually the ministry or church that's currently asking for the financial offering.

 I want you to see just how much confusion and discontentment arises from mistaken ideas. The first and foremost method to see if something is true or not is to look at the passage in its context and setting. I challenge you to look at Luke 6:38 in its full context.  

 Note the setting and context of this passage. Jesus is speaking about how we treat our enemies. How we treat others who've wronged us. How we look upon others without judgment and condemnation. He is speaking to us to be merciful as our Father is merciful. Not one place does Jesus mention a financial exchange between God and man. 

 So if Jesus isn't discussing a financial exchange what gives us the right to lift one verse out of its setting and try to assign some financial exchange teaching to it? God's Word is God speaking to you. It is God speaking to me. It is not, nor ever been man speaking to God how things ought to be. We don't get to pick and choose what we like or don't like based on our emotions or intellectual reasonings. We don't get to assign meanings and interpretations to passages just willy nilly. 

 It's been said before, and it's worth repeating. When we lift a text out of its context, all we have left is a con. Men have been using Luke 6 as some offering or financial exchange teaching and all they have done is bring about disappointment and heartache and setback and shipwreck to the faith of so many.  

Why are you giving?

This brings the most obvious question. Why are you giving at all? Are you giving to further advance the Kingdom of God? Are you giving so that avenues such as radio, TV, and books are paid for and made available to proclaim the Gospel to a lost and hurting world? Are you giving to fund the operation and upkeep of the local church so they can feed the flock, seek and find the lost, and impact the local community? 

 Or are you giving financially so you can be made richer? I mean really ponder that. Luke 6:38, as it has been traditionally taught, turns giving into a selfish act and not a loving one. If we are giving to get back or receive something then we are focused on ourselves and NOT the Gospel or the Kingdom of God. 

 I strongly encourage all of us as believers in Christ, to relinquish man-made ideas, mistaken ideas. Understand the Word, rightly divide the Word. Keep the Word of God in context and don't let mistaken ideas con you. 

 So let's ask again with a confident heart and mind in Christ, why do we give? We give because we are loved eternally and unconditionally by God our Good Father. Because we are loved, we can now demonstrate that love. His Love is our supply that never runs dry. 

 So we give because we love God and want to see His Kingdom advance on Earth. We give because we want to see this Gospel of Grace, the Goodness and Love of God proclaimed through every means available. We give because we belong to a family. The Family of God. We, therefore, give to the local church where the local family gathers throughout the week. And finally, we give to aid and help meet the physical needs of the truly poor and needy.

 Well, what about our own needs one may ask? What about our own financial position? No matter our financial status we should give something, even if it's just a dime. Give something. Also, we can freely give of our time and prayers. 

We aren't giving to get something. We are giving to bless others. We are blessing God's work on Earth. We are already blessed in Christ. We also have the promise He supplies our needs. So we can give generously and joyfully. 

3 Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts! Ephesians 1:3 TPT

19 But my God shall supply your every need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 MEV

 However, one may be inquiring if there is any passage speaking of giving and receiving. Paul speaks of this in 2 Corinthians. Again the purpose of giving is to be a blessing not seek after a blessing. Paul simply encourages us that when we give we won't go without or be in want, when our heart, our motive is to be a blessing when we give.

 In summation, Luke 6:38 is about giving love and mercy and forgiveness and not giving condemnation and judgment. It is telling us when we give mercy we will get mercy in abundance from those around us. Don't allow mistaken ideas to rob you from the wonderfully amazing truths of God's good Word. We give to be a blessing not to selfishly desire some personal gain. We are blessed so we are a blessing. 

Image by 3D Animation Production Company from Pixabay 

Reigning in Life

What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, Psalm 8:4-6 NASB

17 For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Romans 5:17 AMPC

 Who do you think you are? That seems to be the theme and question we are exploring as of late. Too often the world system likes to tell us who we are. That we are people of hate and narrow mindedness because we don't indulge in sinful lifestyles. 

 The enemy likes to tell us who we are. The enemy says we are either too far gone for God to help or save us. Or that we are powerless. Through fear, the enemy cunningly tries to convince us he is more powerful than the Cross and what Jesus accomplished. 

 Religious tradition also tries to tell us who we are. Tradition will tell us we are mere worms in the dust. That we are so unworthy. That God sometimes likes us but at other times He doesn't. That we disappoint Him. That He is in control of all things, whatever happens in this life is because He has ordained it or caused it. We are just pawns in His hands.

 This is who the world and the devil and religion tells us who we are. Who does God tell us we are? What does God say about us? 

 God declared to us in Genesis that He made us to have dominion and authority. He said in Psalms that He crowned us with glory and honor and gave us dominion over the works of His hands. Paul reveals to us, that in Christ, we have been made the very Righteousness of God in Christ. 

 We are overcomers in this life because of what Christ did for us in the Finished Work. We don't have to be victims of circumstance. We don't have to just sit idle as the enemy comes to steal and kill and destroy in our life. We can stand victorious in the complete triumphant work of Christ Jesus. We have authority over all the work of the enemy. We've been redeemed from darkness and defeat and are now seated with the risen Christ. 

 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied when I awake with Your likeness. Psalm 17:15 MEV

 Who do we think we are? We are the Righteousness of God in Christ. We are recreated in Christ, brand new, accepted, and approved. As He is so are we in this world. 

 We are Righteous, approved, and accepted. We stand before God just as Jesus does. Perfect and whole. We are just as Righteous as Jesus. We have the same standing as Christ. We've been given this dominion and authority to walk victoriously. How is this authority seen or released?

Words

 Authority and dominion are expressed through our words. Think of it, how did Adam have dominion over the animal kingdom? He couldn't fly with the birds. He couldn't swim with the fishes of the sea. How was his dominion exercised? Words. He spoke the will of God over them.

 You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways. Job 22:28 NKJV

“I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,” Says the Lord, “And I will heal him.” Isaiah 57:19 NKJV

Our authority and dominion are released through our words. Our words are powerful. They create life or death in all areas of our life. Words are containers. They can contain hope and life and peace and love and goodness and healing. Or they can contain anger, strife, doubt, unbelief, death, or agreement with the world system, or the enemy and his schemes. 

 Traditional religion says God controls all things, so no matter if one is speaking death, disaster, doom, and gloom. No matter if one is a "Debbie downer". Surely unbelief and negative thinking and speaking have no bearing on what happens in your life. Your words surely have nothing to do with what you experience in life. It's all God's doing and controlling.

 I trust you are seeing how powerful words are. How your authority and dominion are released through your words. So learn to tame your tongue. Speak life, not death. Speak in line with what God has said about your situation or circumstance.

 In summation, again we ask who do we think we are? We who've believed are the very Righteousness of God in Christ. We are just as Righteous as Jesus. We are just as accepted and approved and loved as Jesus is. As He is so are we in this world. Our words, therefore, have power.  As we grow in this New Creation reality, of who He made us, we will grow stronger and stronger in this new identity and take dominion over all areas of our life. We have peace and we reign with Christ as kings in this life. 

Image by 272447 from Pixabay 

Your Authority in Christ

   19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19 NKJV

17 For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Romans 5:17 AMPC


 In times of fear and anxiety and uncertainty, it's comforting to know that God is with us and has never left us or abandon us. It's equally comforting knowing that God hasn't left us helpless or weak and wanting in tough times. God has given the Church something to overcome in this life.

 God has given us the authority to rule and reign over all the power of the wicked one. He has equipped us with His name, the name above all other names. God has given us His authority to operate in this natural realm.

 One of the most neglected and little taught truths throughout the Body of Christ is the believer's authority. If we have authority, this threatens the religious traditional concept that God controls all aspects of life and everything that occurs is because God did it or approved of it. If we have authority we have to take some responsibility for our lives and the conditions that exist in this world.

 To understand authority we have to revisit the Garden of Eden. Note in Genesis what God declared about man. God gave mankind authority and dominion in this Earth. Man was to operate in dominion on this planet. 

 In fact, God gave man three things in Genesis. First, God gave man His image. We are created in the likeness of God. We have His image. We need not try to conform to some worldly image that leaves us wanting and hurting trying so desperately to attain or achieve. We already have the image of God. God isn't suffering from low self-esteem and neither should we. 

 Secondly, God gave man dominion over this planet. Did you know man was created to rule and reign on this Earth? Man fell and turned over this rulership to the enemy, but Jesus defeated the enemy and stripped the crown from him that he stole from Adam. As a believer, you have been given this restored dominion. 

 Now we can exercise this dominion over this planet. This doesn't mean we can lord over other people and demand of others. We are speaking of the dominion over the Earth. Read it in Genesis. We have dominion over the animal kingdom, the plant kingdom, and the Earth. We have the authority to pray God's will be done on this Earth.

 This means we have dominion over famine, disaster, and drought. This means we have the authority to stand against "natural disasters". We can take dominion over destruction and speak life. We can also be something else. We can be a blessing to desolate lands and those afflicted with disease, and drought and death. 

 Thirdly, God gave us the blessing. God blessed us. We have the blessing of God upon us so we can be a blessing. The enemy has sought since the fall, to bring the curse, to oppose the blessing, on those who believe. 

 The enemy has worked overtime to ensure that the Church never recognize our true identity. The enemy would have us shrink back while accusatively asking who do you think you are? We need to stand strong and walk tall and declare to the world, the flesh, and the enemy that we are the Church. The very Righteousness of God in Christ. That we are made in the image of God and carry this image on the inside of us, and walk in the dominion and authority He delegated to us. 


 In summation, we need to know and understand our authority in Christ. This is such in-depth teaching we have just scratched the surface. Who do you think you are? You are the Righteousness of God, you are the King's kid. You're accepted and approved in Christ. You have been given dominion and authority in Christ. 


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