Today’s Church, at least here in America, is not functioning in the Biblical Pattern of the Early Church. In 1st Corinthians 14:26 the Apostle Paul addresses the issue of what should take place when Christians meet together in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
1st Corinthians 14:26 - "My Brethren, when you meet together, every one of you have something to help the other. One has a song, One has something to teach, One has something to share which God has shown to him, One has something in a tongue, One can tell the meaning of a tongue. Do all these things to help one another."
The Apostle Paul makes it quite clear that each Christian is to have the opportunity of being able to participate and share when we meet together in the name of Jesus Christ. This is how the Body of Christ is Built Up.
1st Corinthians 14:26 clearly gives us the PATTERN by which the Church is to put into action in order that the "Royal Priesthood" of Believers in Christ can be Spiritually built up. This is part of the HERITAGE of Christians as the "Royal Priesthood" of Believers in Christ.
The Church Pattern that we have today, at least here in America does not allow for 1st Corinthians 14:26 to take place in our Churches.
1st Corinthians 14:26 shows us clearly that the Lord never intended for just 1 individual, or 2, or 3 individuals to have CENTER-STAGE in the Church, week after week, month after month, year after year.
It is evident that the Body of Christ today does not have much of an understanding of how Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Shepherds, etc. are to function in the Church.
The Christian individuals whom The Lord has chosen for these positions are to function in the Church in such a way that all or most of the attention is not being constantly focused on them. The very opposite is taking place today in our Churches.
Because of the mainstream Church Pattern that is functioning in our Churches today, Christian individuals who hold these positions are functioning in such a way, that it promotes a great deal of attention to be focused on them, week after week, month after month, year after year.
This is the result of the Body of Christ not recognizing and implementing the role of the "Royal Priesthood" of each and every Believer in Christ. The teachings of JESUS and the Apostles do not support or promote this type of Church System.
The type of Church System that we have today is ROBBING the Body of Christ of the rich vibrant life that the Lord intended for each and every Christian to experience when we meet together in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
In fact, the type of System that is in place today DEFEATS the very purpose of the "Royal Priesthood" of the Believer in Christ.
The input of each and every single Believer In Christ as part of the "Royal Priesthood" is VITAL to the very health of the Body of Christ.
We have become so steeped in the present day Church Pattern that is functioning today, that we think that this is the way that it is meant to be. We think that this is the way that it has always been, and yet 1st Corinthians 14:26 tells us differently.
The Institutional Church System has in effect Institutionalized the ROLE of the Holy Spirit.
An in-depth Bible study will reveal that the "doctrine of tithing" that is widely taught in our Churches today is not valid for the New Testament Church.
It is very unfortunate that this type of teaching has been responsible for putting so many Christians under unnecessary bondage and unnessary hardships.
The question then becomes How can the Institutional Church System survive without tithes? Well, it can't!
This further proves the point that today's Instittutional Church System is not functioning in the Early Church Pattern that the Lord intended for His Church.
This further validates the point that the Church needs to recognize that each Believer in Christ is part of the "Royal Priesthood," and provide the setting for the function of the "Royal Priesthood" of the Believer in Christ to take place when they meet together as described in 1st Corinthians 14:26. The Institutional Church Pattern does not provide this type of setting.
Christians have been blinded by the Institutional Church System to such a degree that they do not understand their role in the "Royal Priesthood" of Believers in Christ, and of how VITAL their role is to the health of the Body of Christ.
To find out the Biblical Truth about tithing simlpy go to the internet and key in any one ot the titles listed below:
The truth about tithing and the tithe - Fact verses fiction!
Exposing the tithe lie - Jack Helser
Tithing, robbing God by restoring the law of Moses - Ken Sublett
The tithe - is it still abblicable today? - Lee Underwood
Studies on the tithe - Vision Of The Church