Tag: Weekly Messages

Tithing Pt. 2: The Forbidden City

In part one, we defined tithing as, That which belongs to God. We can then understand that the tithe isn’t optional. Why? Because the tithe doesn’t belong to us. The tithe belongs to God. It’s God’s portion out of what He has blessed us with. He gives us all we need, and in return, we give back a portion to God that we might honor the blessings we have received. And when we refuse to give to God what belongs to Him, we put ourselves under a curse because by refusing to tithe, we rob God. Throughout Scripture, God demanded what belonged to Him. Whether it was a forbidden fruit (The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) or a forbidden city (Jericho), God demanded the tithe then, and He still does now. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he goes a little deeper into the importance of bringing God the tithe in his message, Tithing Pt. 2: The Forbidden City.

Malachi 3:10–12
Joshua 6:17–21

Tithing Pt. 2: The Forbidden City

What is Tithing?

The Definition of Tithing

That Which Belongs To God.

Tithing is that portion that God has set aside for Himself out of what He has given to us. For all good things from the Father of Lights (James 1:17). Therefore, to refuse to give the tithe to the LORD is to rob God.

Jericho and the Tithe

¹⁵On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. ¹⁶And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. ¹⁷And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. ¹⁸But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. ¹⁹But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”
Joshua 6:15-19

Achan’s Sin

¹⁰The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? ¹¹Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. ¹²Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. ¹³Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.”
¹⁴In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man. ¹⁵And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.’”
Joshua 7:10-15

Jericho was not intended for the people of Israel. It was the first of the cities they had overcome in the land of Canaan and it was the city that the people of Israel were not allowed to gain from. Why? Because that was God’s portion. Jericho was the tithe.

Tithing Pt. 1: The Knowledge Tree

When Jesus came, He came to bring a new and better covenant. Since then, we have no longer been under the Law given to the Jews by Moses, but now under the Law of Liberty, as James puts it. Because of this, many of us believe that tithing was only for the time of Law, but is this true? Do we no longer have to tithe because we are no longer under the Law? Can man no longer rob God? What is the tithe? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes and lays a steady foundation for us to build on in his message, Tithing Pt. 1: The Knowledge Tree.

Malachi 3:6-9
Genesis 2:8-9
Genesis 2:19
Genesis 14:18-20
Hebrews 7:4-10
Genesis 2:8-9
Job 12:13NIV
Genesis 3:4-5
Genesis 3:22
Deuteronomy 8:17-18

Tithing Pt. 1: The Knowledge Tree

The Definition of Tithing

⁶For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. ⁷From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ ⁸Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. ⁹You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
¹⁰Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. ¹¹I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. ¹²Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
Malachi 3:6-12

So, what is the tithe? Tithing is that which belongs to God. This changes the perspective of the tithe because the tithe isn’t just some random law that God gave to Moses. This now makes sense why to not give the tithe is to rob God.

Tithe Before The Law and After The Law

¹⁸And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) ¹⁹And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; ²⁰and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Genesis 14:18-20

⁴See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! ⁵And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. ⁶But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. ⁷It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. ⁸In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. ⁹One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, ¹⁰for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
Hebrews 7:4-10

Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek long before The Law of Moses because He understood that He had to pay God that which belongs to Him, through the High Priest of God. This continued during the Law of Moses, and it still continues to this day after the Law of Moses. The tithe still belongs to God; nothing has changed. Therefore, man can still rob God. So, give to God that which belongs to God.

The First Tithe

¹⁵The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ¹⁶And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:15-17

The tithe was before the Law; it was actually from the Garden of Eden. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was forbidden for both Adam and Eve, as well as any of their descendants that would have been born in the Garden of Eden. The forbidden fruit was forbidden because that knowledge wasn’t for Adam and Eve or any of their descendants. That knowledge was only for God alone; that was Adam’s tithe to God. When they ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they stole from God. They robbed God of His tithe.

Part Two?

Is There Any Hope?

Hope seems to be a fleeting commodity that our young people have no access to it. Suicide rates have skyrocketed. Anxiety and depression plague the average young person. People are losing their jobs. Rights are being taken away. Families are constantly mourning and burying their loved ones. The world seems to be getting darker and darker as the light seems to dim all around us. The world feels completely hopeless. Where’s the hope? Where’s the light at the end of this seemingly never-ending dark tunnel? Is there even hope in our world anymore? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the light that shines in the darkness all around us in his message, Is There Any Hope?

2 Timothy 3:1
Matthew 24:21–22
Hebrew 10:32–35
Matthew 9:36
Mark 5:25–26
1 Corinthians 3:21–23
1 Samuel 30:6

Is There Any Hope?

⁵For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. ⁶If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. ⁷Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
⁸For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. ⁹Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. ¹⁰He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
2 Corinthians 1:5-10

⁹The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. ¹⁰For to this end we toil and strive,because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
1 Timothy 4:9-10

There is light at the end of the dark tunnel. There is hope in our world. Our hope is in Christ Jesus, the Light of the World, who saves us from our sin and is coming back for us. One day He will rid the world of all of its sin and create a new earth just for us. There He will abide with us and we with Him forever and ever.

https://www.prisoneralert.com/
https://www.persecution.com/
https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/who-are-the-fulani/
https://www.persecution.com/stories/fulani-muslim-convert-prepares-new-believers-for-persecution/
https://aclj.org/united-nations/religious-freedom-shaky-ground-united-nations

Remember Me

Today is National Religious Freedom Day; it’s a day when we acknowledge and celebrate the freedom of religion that is written into our constitution. This luxury is not found in any other country. So, why does it feel like our society today is very keen on giving up our religious freedom? Are we just destined to join the Persecuted Church? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the dangers of losing our religious freedom and so much more in his message, Remember Me.

Matthew 24:9–12
1 Corinthians 13:1–3

Remember Me

Remember the Persecuted Church

Today we still have freedom that the early Church didn’t; don’t let that religious freedom come to an end. Don’t give it up, lest we too join in the persecuted Church. And for as long as there is a Church, we must pray for the persecuted Church, for prayer is our greatest weapon.

⁸For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. ⁹Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. ¹⁰He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again. ¹¹You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
2 Corinthians 1:8-11

Websites to Partner with to Fight the Good Fight of Religious Freedom

Speak Up For the Least of These

We often talk about the slavery of the past. We make movies, songs, slogans, t-shirts, etc. about it, but we don’t really talk about the present slavery that takes place worldwide. The vile slavery of human trafficking is prevalent in our world today. It affects millions of people every single day, yet there doesn’t seem to be much anyone is doing to stop it. Is it our job to do something about it, or is this just out of our hands? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he shines a light on the darkness of sex trafficking in his fiery message, Speak Up for the Least of These.

Proverbs 31:8–9 (NIV)
Revelation 18:11–13

Speak Up For the Least of These

The sex trafficking industry is one of the most financially lucrative crimes to get involved in. So many lives have been destroyed because of this evil. We have an obligation as humans, to help those who have been the victim of this horrible and vile practice. Look at what Jesus told us about taking care of others.

⁴⁰And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Matthew 25:40

Human Trafficking Stats

Louis-based Missouri Eastern District, said there has been a tremendous uptick in the number of children being recruited online for sexual purposes during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Jansen, a former FBI agent, said 83 percent of prosecuted defendants last year used the internet as a means of solicitation.
news.ag.org

How to Help The Human Trafficked

JAN 1-31 | Move to End Human Trafficking

In honor of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, join us this January for a month of awareness to end human trafficking.

How To Get Involved?

1. Wherever you are, walk, run, or cycle this January to raise awareness about human trafficking in your community. Share your miles completed on social media with the hashtag #MovetoEndHT

2. Pledge $ per mile for someone you know participating this January, or follow Dr. Sandra Morgan on her goal of completing 100 miles in January to raise awareness about human trafficking.

3. Listen and learn about human trafficking by tuning into 31 Days to End Human Trafficking with the Ending Human Trafficking podcast on Instagram at @eht_podcast

Get involved!

Good Organizations to Support

Human Trafficking Summit

Hold Fast

Throughout Scripture, the second coming of Jesus is prophesied. From the prophets of old to the apostles to Jesus Himself, there are prophecies after prophecies of the second coming of Jesus. We get closer and closer to His return with every generation, yet the Messiah hasn’t returned yet. So, is the return of Jesus Christ something to worry about; will it happen in our lifetime? or is the return of Jesus Christ something far off that won’t happen in our lifetime? Is Jesus even coming back? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the promises of Jesus in his message, Hold Fast.

Revelation 3:11
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
Philippians 4:1
Luke 16:16
Revelation 4:4
Revelation 4:9-10
Revelation 22:7
Matthew 22:37-40 (KJV)
John 13:34-35
Revelation 22:12
Revelation 22:20
2 Peter 3:9-10
Revelation 22:17

Hold Fast

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

What are the prophecies of Jesus’ second coming?

²⁹Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Matthew 24:29-31

The Great Tribulation is initiated during the time of the Man of Lawlessness, which Paul confirms in the verse below. This is one of the biggest and most important signs of the second coming of Jesus Christ.

¹ Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers,²not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. ³Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3

According to both Paul and Jesus Himself, the second coming of Jesus Christ will not come until after the Great Tribulation. This is one of the great signs that Jesus, the apostles, and the prophets of old have given us.

The video from the Head of WHO:
https://rumble.com/vrmc4o-must-watch-who-director-generals-slip-of-the-tongue.html?mref=4pvd7&mc=b2gay

‘Tis The Season: Twas The Day After Christmas

After Christmas Day, we tend to move on and forget the Birth of Christ because of the rush of cleaning up the mess of the presents/gifts and preparing for the coming new year. As the year moves on, we slowly forget more and more, until December 1^st comes around again, then suddenly we are all about the Birth of Christ. But is this the way it should be? Is the day after Christmas as important as Christmas Day? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the importance of the story of the Wise Men in his message, ‘Tis The Season: Twas The Day After Christmas.

Matthew 2:1–6
Matthew 2:11 (KJV)
Matthew 2:16 (KJV)
Daniel 5:10–12
Matthew 2:7
2 Timothy 3:5
2 Timothy 3:10–12
John 4:35–38

Twas The Day After Christmas

The Day After Christmas: The Story of the Wise Men

Many believe that the Wise Men came to find the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger, but this isn’t actually the case. They arrived, if you will, the day after Christmas.

Their Encounter with King Herod

¹ Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying, “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.” ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ⁶‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Matthew 2:1-6

Their Encounter with The Messiah

This is how we know for sure that the Wise Men encountered Jesus after He was grown a little. This had to be, if you will, the day after Christmas because Jesus was a child living in a house with His two parents.

⁷Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.” ⁹After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹²And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Matthew 2:7-12

Today is the day after Christmas, are you still seeking Him?

Part Two?

‘Tis The Season: O Little Town of Bethlehem

Happy Christmas Sunday! Christmas is about the promise of the Messiah being fulfilled. The prophets prophesied that the Messiah (Jesus) would receive an everlasting kingdom with eternal dominion. Every prophecy was tied into one, Immanuel. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he explains biblical mysteries in his Christmas Message, ‘Tis The Season: O Little Town of Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2
Matthew 2:6
John 7:14
John 6:35
Joshua 19:14–16
John 1:5
John 8:12
Isaiah 9:6–7
Micah 4:8
Matthew 28:18b
Genesis 49:10KJV
Psalm 110:4
Hebrews 7:15–17
Exodus 28:31–32NIV
Matthew 26:65
Isaiah 7:14

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Prophecy of Jesus’ in Bethlehem

² But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Micah 5:2

This prophecy stirred the writing of the Christmas Carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem:

O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see Thee lie
Above Thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in Thee tonight

Jesus’ Authority

Jesus, through His earthly ancestry, has the right to sit on David’s throne, and through His heavenly ancestry, that is His deity, He has the right to sit on the Father’s throne with Him. So, Jesus has inherited the former and the ever-present dominion.

Part Two?

Part Four?

‘Tis The Season: Our Christmas Mandate

Christmas is the season of hope and good news. The joy of the birth of the Son of God, but do we take the time to share the good news of Christ? Is it even important for us to share the good news of Christ? Isn’t it the pastor’s job to preach and teach the Gospel? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he shares the importance of the Great Commission in his message, ‘Tis The Season: Our Christmas Mandate.

Luke 2:8–20
Luke 2:10b-12
Luke 2:15–16
Luke 2:17–18
John 1:35–42
Mark 16:15
Romans 10:14–15
Luke 2:12

Our Christmas Mandate

The Great Commission

¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 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 28:16-20

¹⁴How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Romans 10:14-15

This is our Christmas mandate. For as the Shepherds were told of the good news of the birth of Jesus Christ and shared all they have seen and heard, so are we to go and share all we have seen and heard.

Part Four?