Question: What does it mean to be saved? Do I have to accept Jesus Christ to be saved?

Answer:
To be saved means that you have asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart and be your Savior. When you take your last breath on earth you will go to be with Him in Heaven for eternity where you will live forever and ever.  There is only one way to the Father and that is through His Son, Jesus Christ…there is no other way.   

Question: What is tithing?  Churches and ministries that just seem to want my money turn me off. 

Answer:
Remember the song, “Money, Money, Money, Money”? 

There are many people who feel ministries are out to get your money to use it for their own personal gain.  I will attempt to tell you what I have learned about money as far as the Bible teaches and what I have tangibly seen in my own life. 

Tithing is 10% of your gross income whether you measure it in weekly or monthly increments.  It is not 6%, 7% or a pledge of some random amount…. it is 10% of your gross income, which means before taxes.  Tithing is an obedience thing.  God doesn’t need your money, but the people that God chooses and ordains to do the work of the Lord do.

Malachi 3:8-10 Will a man rob God?  Yet you have robbed Me!  But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’  In tithes and offerings.  You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.  Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.   


God is very clear in the above scripture. It is the only time in the word that God says, “Test Me.”   So I took Him at His word years ago and thought to myself,  “ Ok, I’ll test you.”  So I started tithing where I felt led to tithe.  I didn’t know exactly where, but I stepped out in faith and gave my tithes where I was getting fed in my spirit.  Believe me everything in you will tell you you cannot afford to tithe, but I stand today and tell you that you cannot afford not to tithe.  It is for your benefit.
 
I found that my money went further when I started to tithe.  All my bills got paid.  I got things I didn’t ask for.  My business was kept going.  Somehow when you give unto the Lord through the places and ministries that He establishes on earth, a supernatural occurrence takes place.  I still can’t believe that I didn’t know about this but it is never too late to learn.   In 2003 I made $12, 712.00  which to most people is poverty level.  I tithed and offered up to the Lord $4,929.00.  I had the best tangible year I had in years…. and that was just one year! 

You see, I wanted what God wanted for me this time around, not what I wanted for me.  If I was going to believe He was God, then I was going to have to take Him at His word and “do” all of what He was telling me, not just the parts I liked.   
I have discovered that if I do my part, He is always faithful to do His part.  You test Him and find out for yourself…I did.          

Molly