Let’s Make Our Local Congregations Stronger!

From time-to-time, we at DCM are accused of trying to get money from people. When people who know Nancy and me hear this statement, they find it quite humorous. Let’s be very frank and very up front. We teach tithing on the DCM website. But check out the following:

DCM does not expect people to tithe to us. DCM does not demand that people tithe to us. When we teach tithing, we teach that the Christian should tithe to his local church!

I find it disappointing to see churches that could be doing so much more, but cannot because their members don’t tithe. They could be providing more services to the brethren and to the world if they weren’t so stingy with their church contributions.

Indeed, this is a hot button topic in the Church these days. People have all kinds of excuses for not tithing. For example, they point out that they have seen tithes misused in the past and, therefore, tithing is now somehow done away with. Or they say, “I tithe, but I do it in my own way by spending my tithes on what I think is best.”

Let’s be clear that tithing is like prayer, fasting, and Bible study. Whether a person does these things properly is ONLY between him and God. I can’t judge him in this situation. Judgment in these matters is reserved exclusively for Jesus. You and I should never try to sit in our Savior’s seat and perform his function.

We are to judge doctrines and teachings. But only Jesus can judge actions, motives, and the heart.

At DCM, we believe we have a responsibility to encourage our brethren to do the right thing. We teach people to pray and study and fast. And we teach that people should tithe!

Get with it, brothers and sisters! Let’s be obedient to God not just in Sabbath-keeping and observing the laws of clean and unclean. Let’s be obedient to him in all matters! Tithing helps your local church.

It is along these lines that I am pleased to make the following announcement: DCM is now going to have a page with contact information for independent Sabbath-keeping churches. From time-to-time, we receive questions such as: “Is there a church in a certain city? I will be traveling there next weekend.” Or some will say, “I have a relative in a certain city and I want to encourage him to start attending church.”

It is our hope that this new list will help people get connected to churches.

If you are going to be travelling to another city over a weekend, I encourage you to visit a local church in that city! Don’t just sit around on the Sabbath if you can be fellowshipping with other Christians! Use this trip as an opportunity to meet new people. Make new friends. Share your love. Yes, a new group will probably be different than what you are used to. But it’s not going to kill you to fellowship with a group that has a different approach to Sabbath-keeping than your regular group. You might learn something.

Let’s do all these things (prayer, Bible study, fasting, tithing) as we work to make our local congregations stronger!

Can We Please Not Do That Anymore?

I really don’t like it when a guy gets up to preach in church and he decides to use his sermon time as an opportunity to introduce some “new” doctrine. I figure there are better venues in which to introduce this type of discussion. I also don’t like it when someone performs special music which contains elements that go against the congregation’s belief system. There should always be a certain etiquette when we assemble on the Sabbath.

I mean, if I were asked to preach about Jesus in a Sunday-keeping church, I’d try to talk about elements of our Savior that they and I have in agreement. I certainly wouldn’t use their pulpit as an opportunity to promote something like the Sabbath or observing the laws of clean meat. There’s a proper time and place for things like this.

That being said, we must acknowledge that occasionally someone will manipulate his way into being in front of a local Church of God group so he can either preach or sing something that goes against our beliefs. You may have witnessed this.

And, if you did, how did you react?

One of the reactions I wish we could get away from in God’s Church is the standing up and walking out of services in a huff. This is usually followed by some type of tirade to an innocent bystander in an adjoining room. The offended party so needs “to vent!” I’ve seen this happen several times in church.

And I don’t understand this. How difficult is it to sit and listen to something that is not scripturally accurate? How hard is to open one’s Bible, start reading, and tune out the offending message? Wouldn’t this be the preferable way to handle it?

Someone asks, “So you’re advocating that we just accept wrong teachings in church?” Not so. I just think a better time for protest would probably be a few days later. At that point, the offended person should go to whomever is in charge and say, “Can we please not do that anymore?”

In such a situation, the person in charge might just say, “I agree with you. That shouldn’t have occurred. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.” And, if he has manners and knows principals of good customer service, he might even thank you for bringing the problem to his attention.

Sometimes it’s not best to try to react to a bad situation in the heat of the moment. Sometimes, it’s best to let things cool. Pray about it. Think about it. Determine who would be the best person to talk to. Determine the best time to talk to that person. Measure your words.

No, we should not blindly permit anything and everything to be presented in our worship services—whether it is a sermon or a song or an announcement or prayer request. Indeed, we need to speak up when things are said and done that are not correct.

But we don’t have to make an ugly scene when things go wrong. We don’t have to demonstrate what we sometimes incorrectly call our “righteous indignation.” Most of the time, it is preferable that we quietly endure and later politely request, “Can we please not do that anymore?”

Using civility and good manners is just another way we can show love for one another.