Part 1
Before you pay that firstfruit offering understand what the word of God says. You listen to your man of God and seek to do what he says. Will you then not much more listen to God’s own word and obey it? The Apostles in the book of Acts of the Apostles settled once for all the issue of payment of firstfruits offering.
In deliberating on the issue of whether the Christian is expected to obey the Law of Moses of which part the firstfruits offering is amongst others, a decision by the Holy Spirit was reached. What was it?
The Holy Spirit led the church to see that NO BURDEN [/b]was to be laid on the Christians regarding the external rituals or observances of the Mosaic Law. So in Acts 15: 28 we read:
“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us [b]NOT TO BURDEN you with ANYTHING BEYOND THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS: you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things”.
Now what led to the above declaration? It was whether the gentiles Christians were to be required to OBEY THE LAW OF MOSES – Acts 15:5. The decision reached shows us clearly then that the simple answer is that the gentile Christians are not required to obey the Law of Moses.
The question to you then is, according to the line of a song that was popular some time ago, “Whose report will you believe?” Will you take the simplicity of the Word of God and choose to go by it or do you prefer man’s position; man’s stand? The word of God says you as a believer are to be under NO BURDEN; man say no you must do it this way or that way.
The issue has been resolved yet many still stumble on it. If there is anything that is a matter of life and death for the Christian, as many today push them to be, will the Apostles leave them out of ALL that we have in writing from them; will they?

Part 2


Jesus and the abolishing of the law
Many argue that Jesus said ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them’ Matt. 5: 17. Most interpretations ignore both the context and other tools of biblical interpretation. Consequently wrong interpretation will lead to a wrong application. In that portion of scripture, Jesus clearly said that he came ‘to fulfill them (the Law & the prophets)’. So when in Romans 10:4 we read : ‘Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes’ and Galatians 3: 24-25: ‘So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we ARE NO LONGER UNDER [/b]a guardian’ we should clearly see that what we have here is a position or situation where [b]Jesus fulfilled ALL THE REQUIREMENTS of the law so that in believing in him we are counted as meeting God’s standard.
Through Adam all are counted as sinners; all without exception including the baby just born this very moment. On the other hand, as a result of Christ’s satisfaction of God’s REQUIREMENTS anyone who expresses FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE is counted as having a right standing with God. Such a one is counted as having fulfilled all the requirements of God – whatever they are. This right standing is not based on external observances by the individual or by following a set of REQUIREMENTS but by, as it were, piggy-backing on what Christ has done. He alone was able to DO all that God required. He alone is qualified (see Revelation 5:5). No one in heaven or on earth qualifies!
So when we read such passages as in Heb. 10:1a – ‘The law is ONLY A SHADOW of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves …’ or Gal.5:1 ‘It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free. STAND FIRM, THEN, and DO NOT let yourselves be BURDENED again by a yoke of slavery’, we see the decision of the Holy Spirit and the Apostles in Acts 15 reinforced.

Part 3

Those seeking to follow the requirements of the law are severed from Christ!

Galatians 5: 4 states clearly – ‘You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace’ (NIV). The ESV Bible states it this way: ‘You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace’. These are strong words; anyone who still seeks to have a right standing before God on the basis of observance of REQUIREMENTS of the law is severed from Christ; fallen away (drifted off course) from grace!

Do you see then how important this issue of following the requirements of the law or living the prescribed Christian way of life is? Will you rather be with Christ or on the side of man, no matter how persuasive his argument is for you to follow the law? The Galatians faced the same situation. God’s mind for them as expressed by Apostle Paul was for them to follow the path of grace rather than legalism. In grace the INDIVIDUAL BELIEVER can choose what to give; in legalism he is pressured into giving a fixed percentage, forced pledges, firstfruits, etc. Christian giving is not to be coerced but must be a grace expression on the part of the believer for (as a sincere response to) the grace he has experienced from God. Any giving, no matter what name it is called or what scriptural passage is conjured up to justify it, which is not in line with God’s will becomes zero before God. The story of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18: 9-14 illustrates this vividly. The religious legalistic man – the Pharisee – said amongst other things: ‘I give tithes of all that I get’, but Jesus said the one – the tax collector- who acted in grace ‘went down to his house justified (before God), rather than the other who reeled out his personal score card of adhering to physical requirements)’.

I will still pay my first fruit offering....

Oya go and faint

Gombs: I will still pay my first fruit offering....

Oya go and faint

Every Christian stands or falls against the Word of God.

At the end of the day EACH ONE OF US will stand before the evaluation throne of Christ.
It will not matter what Trustman said or what what the most highly regarded 'man of God'
anywhere said. It will be a matter of what the Word said.
At that time any excuse such as Eve's excuse in the garden - so and so made me do it, bla bla bla -
will not matter. It will be what did God's Word say?

It calls for no fainting - a christian who walks in grace should always relax knowing even in the world's
tribulation peace has been offered to him.

Part 4

Closing Words

All we need to do is just to stick to the challenge and instruction of the epistles regarding giving by the Christian. Period. In 2 Cor. 9: 7 we read “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or UNDER COMPULSION, for God LOVES a CHEERFUL GIVER”. May all your giving not become wood, hay and straw at the evaluation throne of Christ.
Emotions play no part in pleasing God. Remember the story of Uzzah in 2 Sam. 6: 6-7 who felt (an expression of emotion) he needed to steady the Ark of God (contrary to God’s directive) when the oxen carrying it stumbled. This appeared to be a good thing to do, a noble deed. He was struck down by God. God sticks to his Word not what man feels or wants.
So, before you pay that firstfruits offering think again – is it the prescribed way of giving for the Christian way of life? Is it out of compulsion; based on man’s coercion? Is it to please your church or organization? Is it to satisfy your conscience? Or is it in line with God's prescribed way for you as a believer under the New Covenant? Remember, God sticks to his Word, nothing else!

Still on "First fruits"
The call by some pastors on Christians to pay the so-called "first fruits" offering like many other issues is a call to go back to Judaism. Do today's Pastors know more than the Apostles did who never for once told Christians that they needed to pay ''first fruits" offering?

There were many things in the Old Testament that were for Israel and Israel alone. The Christian needs to distinguish such things from the requirements for the Christian way of life. Failure to do that invariably leads to the Christian subjecting himself to "a yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1). 

How come pastors who advocate for "first fruits" offering on the basis that it is in the Bible never emphasize all the other FEASTS and ordinances which Israel was to observe?

What is the Biblical definition of first fruits? How does it line up with what is practiced today? Or are pastors at liberty today to redefine "first fruits" and apply it as they wish? Was Israel to give ALL of their 'first' HARVEST to God? Honest answers to these questions should help the Christian to better understand this matter. 

The real truth is that it's all about money today. In a bid to increase their revenue pastors are coming up with more and more devious ways of raising money. And what better thing than to look for a biblical nomenclature to attach to their new creation. And less it be resisted they add the carrot and stick approach to it - if you do it blessings await you, if you don't, the opposite. 

The real truth is this: what we see from the Bible is that "first-fruits" were strictly-speaking agricultural produce. Moses says: “The first of the first-fruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God.” (Exodus 23:19). This points to "first-fruits" as being crops. Also that it is the "first" of the "first fruits" that is to be given - not ALL. 

So, before you pay that "first fruits" offering ask yourself and honestly answer this question: 'As a New Covenant believer I'm I required by the Word of God to pay this?'

Gombs:
I will still pay my first fruit offering....

Oya go and faint

^^^

Jokester... trust Gombs not to let anyone down

^^
Just in case you've not noticed, the thread is almost a year old. Now, it's no news that your stooge, trustman, has made me laugh as early as last year. I only continued.

Happy New year bro

Gombs:
I will still pay my first fruit offering....

Oya go and faint

I weep for you bro. After all the education your parents paid just to make you become somebody you went ahead and choose the part of foolishness.
How did pastor Chris do this to you? Am amazed how you sold your brain to another man.

Gombs:
^^
Just in case you've not noticed, the thread is almost a year old.
Now, it's no news that your stooge,
trustman, has made me laugh as early as last year. I only continued.

Happy New year bro

^^^
"I will still pay my first fruit offering....
Oya go and faint"
- © Gombs

You're absolutely right, I didn't notice that the thread was originally from last year's January
The continuation by trustman, apparently was a blissful reminder
but the way you continued with the smirking POTUS gif was diamond, it made me ROTBL
No doubt your envelope is going to be bulging, thick and fat
Or it's going to be Ghana-must-go bags

Anyway, likewise to you too, Happy New year, again, bro and a year less of potty mouths and/or name-callings