The Glorious Power of the Tithe 10: The Sorry State of Non-Tithers Part 2 – Rebellion 

Did you know one of the biggest non-tithers in the Bible was King Saul. No one wants Saul to be an example for their life! In 1 Samuel 15, the nation of Israel “smote” the Amalekites and beat them in battle, and took all their sheep, oxen, and lambs. God told the people through Samuel the prophet to sacrifice every single one of those animals to the Lord.

This would have been Saul’s tithe, his firstfruits, and it would have opened the door to so many victories going forward. But Saul withheld offering the animals to the Lord and held them back and kept the best ones. He sacrificed the sick and weak animals, but kept the best ones for himself. Not only was it greed and immaturity, it was actually rebellion. One of the issues of being a non-tither is that you are a rebel to God and His Word.

The instruction from God was clear – sacrifice all the animals, but Saul ignored that and tried to give an offering that was in disobedience to God’s instruction.

What God says to Saul next through Samuel is exceptionally powerful, and everyone who is giving 1% or 3% or 9% of their income and calling it their tithe, or paying their Bible College fees and calling it their tithe, or throwing the smallest note in their wallet in the bucket when it pases, needs to hear these words and consider them very carefully:

“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
    your burnt offerings and sacrifices
    or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
    and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
    and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
    he has rejected you as king.” (1 Samuel 15.22-23, NLT)

A rebel will not tithe. They will not obey God’s Word and tithe. They will sacrifice but they are not obeying God’s command to give 10 percent. It’s an outward show of obedience but it is sheer rebellion to God. Don’t be the next Saul, hear His Word and submit to His commands!

The Glorious Power of the Tithe 09: The Sorry State of Non-Tithers Part 1 – Disloyalty

Christians who do not tithe are in a very poor place spiritually. They are not using their faith in the least thing, they are rebelling against a simple command, and they will be unstable people. I want you all to grow spiritually which is why I am talking about tithing. There are a number of spiritual issues that stop people tithing, and the biggest one is disloyalty.

There was once a woman who gave a huge offering to Jesus, she gave a jar of perfume worth £30000. That’s a lot of money to put in the offering bucket whoever you are. Only one of the twelve disciples got upset about this – and it was Judas. The Passion Translation says this in John 12:

4But Judas the locksmith,  Simon’s son, the betrayer, spoke up and said, 5“What a waste! We could have sold this perfume for a fortune  and given the money to the poor!”6(In fact, Judas had no heart for the poor. He only said this because he was a thief and in charge of the money case. He would steal money whenever he wanted from the funds given to support Jesus’ ministry.)

You see Judas was not a giver because he was not loyal to Jesus. He eventually turned out to be disloyal to God, disloyal to Jesus – his pastor, and disloyal to his peers – his church.

Loyalty to a vision never gets upset about money being given to it. Every politician is wise enough to know this, but the church does not seem to know. The amount of money given by someone (expressed as a percentage) is an indication of how loyal someone is to a cause.

Many people do not tithe to local church because they have no loyalty to the local church. They don’t understand the power of giving money to the local church so it can reach the world. They don’t understand the power of extravagant, strong, bold giving. They get offended.

The solution is to actually start tithing, and start putting your treasure in the church, as you do, Jesus said “where your treasure is, there is your heart” (Luke 12.34). You do not need to move your heart if you are a Judas here today – you need to move your money, and your heart will follow. Take a bold step to change your heart today, and become a tither!

Adventures at the European Victory Campaign – Day 03 – part 02

The last night of this conference did not disappoint! The worship just kept getting better and better, and there was such a sense of the presence of God. Kenneth Copeland preached on the prayer of agreement, and I have never heard such a powerful message on the prayer of agreement (and I think my message on the prayer of agreement is pretty awesome!). It was so clear, and filled with some glorious examples and illustrations. We need to join together in prayer, not just for our needs but for our communities and nation!

Just before the meeting, we had a large rush to our stall, people wanted our books – especially the Healing Book, people were asking about church planting, and it was just awesome to be there and be honoured.

Let me end my blog on this three day conference with a huge thank you to the KCM UK staff, to Martin Hawkins, Julie, Andy and all the others. They were so professional, so kind, so honouring to the Tree of Life Church team, so grateful for us to be there, it was a wonderful experience on a level I have honestly never seen before. They all did a wonderful and glorious job, they made this conference so enjoyable and pleasant on every level and created a culture that was welcoming and positive, from the water bottles to the going to find my lost Bible, to ushering people who need a good church in our direction – all of it was just wonderful to be around.

Kenneth actually ended his message with a strong call about the importance to be in local church. It’s so true. Conferences are awesome, but they come and go – church makes us consistent!

I felt yesterday to double our monthly partnership with KCM, and I believe this seed will produce a life-changing harvest across the Tree of Life Family and the UK.

And rememeber JESUS IS LORD!

Adventures at the European Victory Campaign – Day 03 – part 01

This morning was Healing School and KCM very kindly invited me to open the meeting, which was a true honour.

Kenneth Copeland preached a very comprehensive message on healing, starting with how sickness is in the curse and how we are redeemed from the curse, and ending focused on God’s compassion.

It was a powerful time with people laying down crutches, receiving mobility and all sorts of healings. There was not nearly enough time for all tbe testimonies.

For lunch today, I surprised my wonderful wife with lunch at Betty’s. Apparently it’s got a reputation. I enjoyed spending some time with Amanda. Massive thanks to Lee, Jannet, Jon, Reuben and Lydia for manning the stall while we sneak off for a dinner date.

This evening will be very powerful and I am expecting to be stretched even further. Something powerful has happened in my heart at this conference.

The atmosphere here has been so powerful, Amanda and I have been so loved and celebrated and honoured. So many people are finding us and telling us testimonies from watching Tree of Life TV, and how the Healing Book healed them, and I’m sure that the churches will have a few new people going forward.

Adventures at the European Victory Campaign – Day 02 – part 02

What a glorious evening. I mean just so powerful. Kenneth Copeland continued teaching on how to pray effectively, and of course, majored on the essence of faith in prayer.

We heard that faith is an attitude whereas prayer is a discipline. We need to have the discipline of prayer in our lives and routines AND then bring the attitude of faith into our prayers by believing God loves us and believing our prayers are answered.

Kenneth said “Faith is acting like it’s done” which I consider an awesome definition of faith because it lets us know if we are in faith just by checking out how we act.

The whole evening was inspiring and challenging. Glad I was here.

Adventures at the European Victory Campaign – Day 02 – part 01

Today has been sublime. Kenneth Copeland preached with so much passion and wisdom this morning on the power of partnership. Stories of how he started out with some powerful Biblical truths about what it means to partner. I’ve never heard it more clearly.

Then Kellie Copeland took us out for lunch with Kim Stephenson, and she had purchased Amanda the most beautiful necklace. It was a very thoughtful and beautiful gift.

This afternoon Jerry Savelle spoke his Year of the Maximum message. I’ve heard it in France, I’ve heard it on YouTube (at least eight times from eight different churches) and heard it in the Tree when Brother Jerry came to preach for us, but each time it goes deeper in my heart. God wants to load us with benefits not once in a blue moon but every single day of our lives! God wants to turn every area of our lives up to the maximum. I was so inspired by today.

Following that, a quick visit to our stall. People are buying books and asking about our churches. It’s wonderful. The secret that is Tree of Life Family is being found out!

Then I took Reuben and Lydia, and Cal, who is doing a remarkable job for Andrew Cannon, out for a curry.

Part 2 will let you know what happens in the evening service. Whatever it is, it will be awesome.

Adventures at the European Victory Campaign – Day 01 – part 02

Evening meeting here was absolutely wonderful. The worship was powerful, then the offering was also powerful. Then Kenneth Copeland taught on the checklist for prayer.

He explained that when you fly an aeroplane there is a very strict checklist that must be followed because what you are doing is very important.

We were then reminded that prayer is far more important than flying a plane, so what we must do is have a discipline of prayer.

It was an excellent message on the importance of prayer, and was very challenging.

After the evening, it was fairly quiet at the stalls but we sold a few books and had some great conversations. A lot of people watch me on TV and tell me what a blessing I am.

Then we realized none of us had eaten, so a late night trip to McDonald’s to feed everyone, some great evening fellowship talking about what the meeting meant to all of us, then bed.

Adventures at the European Victory Campaign – Day 01 – part 01

So, it’s nearly midday here and Amanda, Lydia, Reuben, Lee and Jannet, and Jon have done a remarkable job setting up the Tree of Life Family stand. We have Rhema UK on one side and The Joseph Storehouse on the other, and it’s a beautiful atmosphere.

Apparently the doors open at 2pm and we are looking forward to a powerful and glorious evening. I’ve had a tour of the auditorium and it looks remarkable, such a well-designed and beautiful building. Also got some great information from some of the media ministry team that will really help me going forward!

Immediately opposite us is the CFAN stand, and it’s great to see how much respect and honour they have for Reuben! Obviously, we all know that he is awesome, but it’s beautiful to see how it plays out! Lydia is about to attend the health and safety seminar (of course) and keep us all in line later no doubt.

There is a real sense of expectancy in the air this morning, and not just because Kenneth Copeland is preaching this evening, but there is a real sense that things are happening in the UK, a lot of people are seeing salvations on the streets, touching the presence of God in their meetings, and other things. It’s great to be in this kind of atmosphere, it’s refreshing and powerful.

Looking forward to tonight’s message!

Adventures at the European Victory Campaign 2023 – Day 00

Today, we (we being my wife, Amanda, my youngest son Reuben, and my daughter Lydia) drove up to Harrogate to be part of the European Victory Campaign, and we are buzzing with excitement! Pastors Lee and Jannet Collingwood are also here!

The Campaign does not start until tomorrow, but Kenneth Copeland Ministries very kindly offered us a stall at the event, which we are setting up tomorrow morning, and this afternoon I am being interviewed for a TV broadcast.

Most of you will know that Tree of Life Family is starting a church in Yorkshire, near here, and we are always overwhelmed by how beautiful this part of the country is.

Please pray for us for three things:

  1. For us to get as much out of each session as we can – to be inspired, challenged, encouraged, stretched, fed – all of it! We want to leave here as strong as mustard and go damage satan’s kingdom and build the kingdom of Jesus Christ
  2. For us to have divine connections. What an honour to have a stall here and meet people – often people who are hungry to find a church full of the Word and full of the Spirit, pray we would find people who would become the next disciples in Tree of Life, the next deacons, elders, pastors and even apostles!
  3. Pray for us to be effective servants here and honour Kenneth Copeland and his UK staff. They have honoured us in the most wonderful of ways, and we want to do the same for them.

Your prayers and thoughts are very appreciated.

The Glorious Power of the Tithe 08: The Tithe Empowers the Church!

All over the world, there are people who hate and attack the local church. Of course that is to be expected, because people hate Jesus and the church is the body of Jesus. Jesus promised us that He would build the church! It of course amazes me when a Christian is not a supporter of the local church, does not go to the local church and is not involved in the local church. The church is the body of Jesus and we should be as involved with the local church as we are with Jesus Himself. You should love the body as much as you love the Head!

One of the ways that you can support and empower any local church is tithing. Tithing gives a church the power to have good, appropriate places to worship. Tithing gives a church the power to employ good, godly pastors and good, godly admin staff. Tithing gives the church the power to share the gospel through media, through advertising, through crusades and many other ways. Therefore, when you steal the tithe and keep it to yourself, that’s serious, because you are failing to empower the body of Jesus Christ on earth!

If people do not pay taxes, they might be robbing people of good roads, or a good nurse, or school books for their children. But if you do not tithe, you are robbing the house of God and preventing the church from bringing people out of Hell and into Heaven! Do not rob the church of its power to win people, disciple people and grow. Become a consistent tither!