２０２５年６月１日～約１年間かけ、キリスト教入門・神学コースで学んでいきたいと思います。只毎回集いたいのに集えない学びたいけど１年間を通すとなれば～？？？と思う方朗報です！この度HPから見る・学ぶことが可能になりました。数年後あ！こんな話してたよねって振り返えり誰かの力になることもあると思います。

 　　　　26.  Tithes and Offerings & The Lord's Supper

  26.  Tithes and Offerings & The Lord's Supper

                      Giving to the Lord

2Co 9:6  But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

2Co 9:7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

2Co 9:8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

2Co 9:9  (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

2Co 9:10  Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

2Co 9:11  Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

2Co 9:12  For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;

The Apostle Paul used the whole preceding chapter and the whole of chapter 9 to talk about giving.

The church in Jerusalem was going through a hard time financially and were facing persecution.

Paul was telling the Corinthians how sacrificially the Macedonians had given to Jerusalem and how he was counting on them to give well like they had in the past.　

The Apostle Paul brings out several very important truths about giving.

1.       The more you give to God's work, the more will be accomplished. More churches, more      preachers, more Bibles, more of the Gospel preached and more souls saved.   (Verse 6)

2.       If we are overly careful and stingy with our giving, God's work will shrink. (Verse 6)

3.       We should give from our heart  (Verse 7)

4.       When we put God first and give, God causes all His grace to abound towards us!! (Verse 8)

5.       We should give to those that are less fortuanate than us. (Verse 9)

6.       God made the seeds and God can make the seeds produce even more.

       God sees your giving and will make sure your daily needs (bread) are met.  (Verse 10)

7.       When you give with a thankful heart and the needy receive with a grateful heart, thankfulness    abounds to God  (Verse 12 )

Our tithe (Tenth)

Lev 27:30  And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD. 

All of our money and everything else we own is God's but we give one-tenth of our income back to God to show Him that we trust Him and that in reality, everything is His. Every Christian that I have talked to who practices tithing is blessed tremendously in many ways.

•   Tithe first mentioned in Gen 14. Abraham gives tithe of all the spoils taken in battle.

•   Those that purposefully withhold their tithe are robbing God of His rightful due  Mal 3:8-10

•   Jesus tells us that we are to tithe   Luke 11:42

Giving is a joy

1 Chronicles 29:9  Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

                 The Lord's Supper  (Communion)

1. Definition

It is a memorial of Christ’s death and atonement and a spiritual participation in Christ. It is a ritual through which the body of Christ (the church) comes together to give thanks to the head of the church (Jesus)  It is not a repeated sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12) or a means of salvation (we are not saved through communion but we partake because we are saved) 

2. Institution of the Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Jesus on the night before His crucifixion, during the Passover meal. In a way, the Lord's supper takes the place of the Jews annual Passover feast.

(Matthew 26:26–28)    And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 

3.  The New Testament or Covenant

The old testament was that of yearly animal sacrifices made to God for people's sins. A priest had to stand between a holy God and a sinful people.

The new testament was established by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and it makes it possible for us to be saved from sin and commune directly with God the Father.

4.  Meaning of the Bread and the Cup     John 6:1 -6:63

The bread and the cup are symbols representing Christ’s body and blood. The Catholic church teaches that when the priest prays over the bread and cup, they turn into the actual body and blood of Jesus (transubstatiation). One of the reasons we reject this teaching is because of John 6.  In this chapter Jesus told those that came to Him wanting more free miracle bread (He had just fed 5000) that He was the bread from heaven and if they wanted eternal life they would have to eat His flesh and drink His blood. They thought He meant it literally and so many people stopped following Him at that time. Jesus then explained to His 12 disciples that "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” He was not talking about the physical at all.  Jesus wants us to “eat” or partake of Him spiritually. To mediate on His words, to receive His grace, and to draw strength from His presence. Communion is a completely spiritual experience.

5. A Memorial of Christ’s Sacrifice    “This do in remembrance of me.”  (Luke 22:19)

Communion remembers Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice on the cross. We never want to forget or take for granted the awful price that He paid that we might be saved from sin and Hell.

6. Who Should Participate and how often should we have communion?

•   Born again Christians who have put their trust in Jesus to forgive their sins.

•   The Bible mentions no set schedule. Some churches have weekly, monthly or quarterly communion. (At this point our Iwakuni church offers communion on New Year's Day and Good Friday)

7. Church Unity

The Lord’s Supper testifies that believers are one body in Christ.　　　　　　　1 Cor 10:17

For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.