Theology Archives

January 7, 2022December 5, 2023

Firstfruits vs. Tithes

We’ve heard teachings on the importance of tithing and offerings, but do we understand the difference between them? Are all offerings the same? Is the firstfruit offering the same as the tithe? Does it matter if we bring a firstfruit offering or a tithe if we are no longer under the law? What does the Bible say about tithing and firstfruits? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he answers these questions in his video, Firstfruits vs. Tithes.

Genesis 4:1–7
Malachi 1
Leviticus 23:9–11
Romans 11:16
Deuteronomy 8:11–18
Leviticus 27:30, 32–33

Firstfruits vs. Tithes

Firstfruits

¹⁵You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed. ¹⁶You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.
¹⁷Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God. ¹⁸You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning. ¹⁹The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Exodus 23:15-19

Tithes

³⁰Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. ³¹If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. ³²And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord. ³³One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

Leviticus 27:30-33

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Come As You Are

It’s easy to feel afraid to come to Jesus. A lot of us feel unworthy like He could never understand how we feel. Can anyone truly be worthy of Christ? Is anyone worthy of Salvation? We often use the phrase, come as you are, but do we actually understand the meaning of the phrase? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture for the answers in her video, Come As You Are.

Hebrews 10:11-18
Romans 8:1-8
Revelation 2:18
Leviticus 1
2 Corinthians 5:16-19
Ephesians 4:17-24
Romans 12:1-2
1 John 2:15-17
Ezekiel 46:9

Come As You Are

¹⁴Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16

Jesus didn’t come for those who could save themselves, otherwise, He wouldn’t have needed to come at all. Jesus came for all of mankind because none of us are good enough.

¹⁵And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and His disciples, for there were many who followed Him. ¹⁶And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that He was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷And when Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Mark 2:16-17

¹⁶For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 3:16-18

None of us can save ourselves. None of us can clean ourselves enough to deserve Christ, that’s why we have to come as we are. None of us deserve the love of Christ, but that’s what grace is.

⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

⁷For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. ¹¹More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Romans 5:7-11

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What The Devil Meant For Evil

If you’ve grown up in the Church, or you’ve been in the Church for a little while, then you’ve heard the phrase, What The Devil Meant For Evil, God Turns For Our Good. This phrase is often used in times of distress or grief. We use this phrase to declare that God is still on His Throne and still in control no matter what comes our way. While this is true, does the Bible actually say What The Devil Meant For Evil, God Turns For Our Good? Is this an uplifting or encouraging Bible verse? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the truth behind the phrase, What The Devil Meant For Evil, God Turns For Our Good.

Genesis 50:20
Romans 8:28
2 Corinthians 11:24-27
1 Peter 5:8
Psalms 91:13
Psalms 91:11-12
Matthew 4:6
Genesis 3:15
1 Corinthians 2:9
James 1:12
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Philippians 4:4-7

What The Devil Meant For Evil, God Turns For Our Good

Does the Bible actually say What The Devil Meant For Evil, God Turns For Our Good? Though this statement isn’t directly in the Bible, it is directly rooted in Scripture. It means that no matter what the world throws our way, God is still in control. No matter what man tries to put into law and change, it is God’s will that will prevail.

God is Still on His Throne and in Control

²¹Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Proverbs 19:20-22

Man often plans and plans, but it is God whose purpose will come to fruition.

¹⁰For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, ¹¹so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:10-11

¹²Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”
Jeremiah 1:12

Uplifting and Encouraging Bible Verses

God has never left us alone. Even though it may feel like the darkness is overpowering the light, the light always shines in the darkness, and it can never be overcome.

⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5

¹²Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12

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Why Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?

2000 years ago, Jesus was born in the city of David, the town of Bethlehem, but why? Why did the Messiah have to be born in Bethlehem? What’s so special about Bethlehem? Does it have to do with the Messiah being the descendant of David? Or maybe it was just a perfect shot to Egypt? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the answer in her video, Why Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?

1 Kings 11:9-13
2 Chronicles 11:5-12
Jeremiah 23:5-6
Ezekiel 34:11-16
John 6:35
Matthew 2:18
Jeremiah 31:15
Genesis 21:12-13
1 Kings 11:11-13
John 1:29-30
Hebrews 9:11-28

Why Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?

The Physical Reason Jesus Had to be Born in Bethlehem

¹ In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Luke 2:1-7

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in the city of David.

Bethlehem Fun Fact

Bethlehem is Spiritually or Symbolically Called ‘Rachel’

¹⁶Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ¹⁷Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
¹⁸“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Matthew 2:16-18

To avoid the massacre that Herod ordered in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph fled with Jesus to Egypt. This fulfilled the promise that the Messiah (the Descendant of David) would be called out of Egypt.

¹³Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy Him.” ¹⁴And he rose and took the child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Matthew 2:13-15

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Winter and The End Times

Winter throughout history has been associated with darkness. From Greek mythology to the Bible, winter isn’t really a time associated with peace and comfort. So, then could there be a connection to winter and the end times? And if so, what does that have to do with us, the Church? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the connection between Winter and The End Times.

Song of Solomon 2:10-12
Matthew 24:15-22
Matthew 24:3
Matthew 24:29-31
John 8:12
John 9:5
Matthew 5:14
John 1:5
Matthew 24:36-37
Song of Solomon 2:10-12
Mark 13:32-37
Luke 21:25-28

Winter and The End Times

Winter Verses About The End Times

Winter in the Bible, at the very least Biblical prophecy, seems to be associated with The Great Tribulation of the Last Days, which occurs before The Rapture.

¹⁹And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.
Matthew 24:19-21

¹⁷And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ¹⁸Pray that it may not happen in winter. ¹⁹For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be.
Mark 13:17-19

¹⁰My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, ¹¹for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. ¹²The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. ¹³The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.”
Song of Solomon 2:10-12

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Immanuel: God With Us

We’ve all read the prophecy of the coming Christ. We’ve read how He, Jesus, will be called Immanuel (which means God with us). We know the verses by memory, but do we fully understand them? Do we truly understand what the prophecy of Jesus being called Immanuel means? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scriptures for answers in her video, Immanuel: God With Us.

Matthew 1:20-23
Romans 5:9-11
John 14:16-17
1 Corinthians 6:19
1 Timothy 2:5
Hebrews 10:19-22
Hebrews 4:14-16
Ephesians 2:4-7
Revelation 21:3
Acts 4:12

Immanuel: God With Us

The Prophecy of Immanuel

¹⁴Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14

²⁰But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ²³“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Matthew 1:20-23

The Fulfillment of Immanuel

Immanuel means God with us. God has finally come to dwell with man forever and He will one day physically dwell on earth with His people.

¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

John 14:16-17

³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.”

Revelation 21:3

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The Mystery of The Shepherds

The shepherds are a large part of the Nativity Story, but the real question is, why were they chosen? Why did the angel specifically go to the shepherds? Was it because the coming Messiah is the Good Shepherd, or is there more to the story? How did the Shepherds know where to find Jesus? Join Rev. Kenny Yates as he searches through Scripture to find the reason the shepherds were chosen in his video, The Mystery of The Shepherds.

Luke 2:1-20
Genesis 49:10
Micah 5:2
Mark 14:14
Luke 22:11
Genesis 12:1–3
Ezekiel 16:4
Micah 4:8
Genesis 35:21
Luke 2:34–35

The Mystery of The Shepherds

How did the Shepherds know where to find Jesus?

The biggest mystery of the shepherds is the sign they were given. The only sign the shepherds were given was that a baby would be wrapped in swaddling cloths. How did the shepherds know which baby was which?

⁸And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them,
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be a sign for you (The main mystery of the shepherds): you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

Luke 2:8-14

Was this sign a code for the shepherds? How did they know where the Christ Child was if that’s their only clue? This mystery seems to be deep-rooted in the prophecy of Christ’s birth and who the shepherds were.

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Was Jesus Born Without Sin?

The birth of Jesus Christ is an undeniable historical event. Though Christ’s birth, in itself, is undeniable, His sinlessness is often brought into question. So, was Jesus born sinless? And if He was born sinless, how is that possible? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture for the answer in our video, Was Jesus Born Without Sin?

Hebrews 4:15
1 John 3:5
Genesis 3:6-7
Romans 5:12
Genesis 5:3
1 Corinthians 15:45
Luke 1:34-35
Genesis 3:15
Romans 3:21-25
1 Timothy 2:14
Luke 4:1
Hebrews 4:14-16
1 Timothy 2:5-6

How Was Jesus Born Without Sin?

The Birth of Jesus Christ

How was Jesus born sinless? Jesus was able to be born without sin because Jesus was born to a virgin and He was conceived from the Holy Spirit.

³⁴And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”
Luke 1:34-35

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ²³“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
Matthew 1:18-23

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The Immaculate Conception

We’ve all heard the phrase, the Immaculate Conception. In fact, we’ve probably used it in a sentence or even an argument, but do we really know what it is? According to the Catholic belief, Mary was born without sin, but is this true? Was Mary kept from sin because God favored her? Does Romans 3:23 have exceptions, including Mary? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the truth behind these claims in her video, The Immaculate Conception.

Luke 1:28-33
Esther 4:13-14
Romans 3:23
Romans 1:20
Luke 1:46-47
Acts 4:12

The Immaculate Conception

The Birth of Christ Foretold (AKA the Call of Mary)

According to the Catholic belief, the Immaculate Conception is plain in Gabriel’s message to Mary. The problem with that is that Gabriel never once says that Mary was kept from sin from the point of her conception. He never even hints at this.

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”²⁹But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, ³³and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Luke 1:26-33

Was Mary without sin?

According to the Catholic belief, the Immaculate Conception of Mary made her an exception to Romans 3:23.

²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 3:23

The problem here is that Paul, influenced by the Holy Spirit, doesn’t say some or most; he writes that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Mary herself acknowledges this in Luke 1:47.

⁴⁶And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,”
Luke 1:46-47

I personally believe that this idea of the Immaculate Conception was born out of the Catholic’s desire to elevate Mary from regular human to divine mother.

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The Father is Greater Than I: John 14:28 Explained

In John 14:28, Jesus declares that He must return to His Father for His Father is greater than Him. This single verse records Jesus declaring the Father to be greater than He seems to completely destroy the Trinity argument since Jesus would be beneath the Father, which would mean He isn’t equal to God. Is that what Jesus was saying? Is the Father greater than Jesus? If so, is Jesus God, or is He just a man? Does that then mean that there is no Trinity? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to explain Jesus’ words, “The Father is Greater Than I” in John 14:28.

John 14:28
John 8:28-29
John 8:54
Matthew 24:35-36
1 Corinthians 14:33
Mark 4:10-12
2 Corinthians 3:14
John 1
Genesis 1:1
Genesis 1:26-27
Deuteronomy 6:4
Matthew 12:29-30
James 2:19
Hebrews 5:11-14
Philippians 2:5-11
Revelation 2:8
Revelation 3:7
Revelation 22:12-13
Revelation 5:5-6
Revelation 5:1-5
Acts 4:11-12
Revelation 19:11-13
John 1:14

More On ‘The Father is Greater Than I’

They Have Different Roles:

While only the Father knows the day or hour of the return of the Son of Man, Jesus also has things that only He knows.

¹¹This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. ¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:11-12

⁵Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,⁶who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,⁷but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11

¹¹Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. ¹²His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written that no one knows but Himself. ¹³He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God. ¹⁴And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. ¹⁵From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. ¹⁶On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Revelation 19:11-16

Jesus’ Authority:

Jesus speaks differently about Himself after the resurrection. He no longer claims that ‘The Father is Greater Than I,’ instead He claims He is the Alpha and the Omega with all authority in heaven and on earth.

¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18

⁵And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. ⁷The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”
Revelation 21:5-7

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Tag: Theology

Firstfruits vs. Tithes

Firstfruits vs. Tithes

Firstfruits

Tithes

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Come As You Are

Come As You Are

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Why Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?

Why Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?

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Bethlehem Fun Fact

Bethlehem is Spiritually or Symbolically Called ‘Rachel’

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