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Wednesday,
November 12, 2008
Frauds
Romans 13:1-6 Let every soul be subject
unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that
be are ordained of God. (2) Whosoever therefore resisteth the power,
resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to
themselves damnation. (3) For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to
the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good,
and thou shalt have praise of the same: (4) For he is the minister of God
to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he
beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to
execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. (5) Wherefore ye must needs be
subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. (6) For for this
cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending
continually upon this very thing. (KJV)
You know, many just think of God’s people
as those that attend a church organization or someone who is preacher or
pastor. But God ordained services that are being used by many Christians
and then it gets overlooked by many that decide they are above the law and
don’t need to pay their taxes for them. That road you drove in on today,
that water faucet you turned on in your building, as well as that toilet
you flushed, these services were put in by people, laborers, and they
deserve their reward don’t they? That police officer that went into a dark
alley or house to protect the citizens, isn’t his labor worthy of reward?
Not to mention all the men and women who gave up their family life and went
to a foreign country to protect us, they definitely are worthy of their
reward. So why do Christians cut and run; duck their obligations to pay
taxes when the Bible tells us to? There is not a bigger bunch of money
grubbing people with their hands out to the congregation is there, than the
pastors or preachers of these so called church organizations we see out
there today? With this in mind, are they doing their part as well or are
they just a bunch of frauds?
James 5:4-6 Behold, the hire of the
labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by
fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the
ears of the Lord of sabaoth. (5) Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth,
and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
(6) Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
(KJV)
Oh, but we will demand our tax free
status, how does that sound? Fine, then don’t call the police or fire
departments if you have a problem, deal with it yourself. Frauds and
phonies, especially those in the pulpits who twist and turn the laws to fit
their own desires and then demand that everyone else pay their fair share,
especially when it comes to their own upkeep. You have people out there
working the field and you are taking advantage of it, and as Christians we
should be setting the example for all and not ducking or shirking our
responsibilities. When there is smoke coming from your building, who is the
first ones you call? If someone is breaking into your building, who are the
next ones you call? How about when our military people return home,
especially those that have sustained wounds and need treatment; if we as
Christians don’t lead by example and pay our tribute or taxes, then who
will? You cheapskates and phonies, all these tax exempt statuses you hide behind
are nothing more than a cloak of your covetousness, which the Bible says is
idolatry.
Leviticus 19:11-13 Ye shall not steal,
neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. (12) And ye shall not
swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I
am the LORD. (13) Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him:
the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until
the morning. (KJV)
Whether you realize it or not, especially
those that live in this country, many services are done on our behalf that
require maintenance, and by not paying your fair share in the form of taxes
you are robbing and defrauding your neighbor. You may not think so, and you
may think just because others are doing it that it makes it alright, but
unless you do all things according to what the Word says then it is not
alright in the Lord’s sight.
Jeremiah 22:13-14 Woe unto him that
buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that
useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his
work; (14) That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and
cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with
vermilion. (KJV)
You know, if everyone did and paid their
fair share we wouldn’t have the problems we see going on today would we;
you know, like with bank failures and bailouts? Who better than to lead by
example than the Church? But sad to say, rather than being leaders many are
passing the buck, leaving it for others to take care of . Whether you like
it or not, the Bible is quite clear on where God stands concerning tribute,
paying our fair share so that we can stay in good standing with our Lord
and He can be our source. Once you try to sidestep your duties as a
Christian, once you try to cut corners and not do what is required, you
then take the Lord out of the equation and He no longer is your source,
which is why many look for loopholes and other means to make up for their
shortfalls.
Titus 3:1-2 Put them in mind to be
subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to
every good work, (2) To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but
gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. (KJV)
Yeah, you may not like some of the
wasteful spending we see at times, or how the rich just seem to be getting
richer and the poor poorer. It is not our duty to fuss and argue with those
of the world, because quite frankly nothing is going to change until our
Lord returns and sets things right again. So for now, don’t get entangled
with the affairs of this life, but rather do what the Lord is asking so
that you can be above board and in good standing with Him.
Williams New Testament translation
of Romans 13:1-6
1. Everybody must obey the civil
authorities that are over him, for no authority exists except by God's
permission; the existing authorities have been established by Him, 2. so
that anyone who resists the authorities sets himself against what God has
established, and those who set themselves against Him will get the penalty
due them. 3. For civil authorities are not a terror to the man who does
right, but they are to the man who does wrong. Do you want to have no dread of the civil
authorities? Then practice doing
right and you will be commended for it. 4. For the civil authorities are
God's servants to do you good. But
if you practice doing wrong, you should dread them, for they do not wield
the sword for nothing. Indeed, they
are God's servants to inflict punishment upon people who do wrong. 5.
Therefore, you must obey them, not only for the sake of escaping
punishment, but also for conscience' sake; 6. for this is the reason why
you pay your taxes, for the civil authorities are God's official servants
faithfully devoting themselves to this very end. 7. Pay all of them what is
due them -- tribute to the officer to receive it, taxes to the officer to
receive them, respect to the man entitled to it, and honor to the man
entitled to it.
I don’t care what label you put on
yourself or your organization, it is the duty of each and every Christian
to pay tribute or taxes as long as they are here, like it or not. Because
by not doing it you have violated God’s law, and are now considered frauds.
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