Tax exempt – donations stranglehold

“IRS Stranglehold  http://rahabsplace.wordpress.com/2008/04/02/irs-stranglehold/ In case you haven’t noticed, I added a DONATE button to the page. I thought there might be some folk out there who wanted to help us as a ministry, and I wanted to give them the opportunity to do so. The important thing is not “Give us your money,” but rather the blurb below the button.  We, the leaders of Xtreme Encounters and Rahab’s Place, have made a decision not to play the non-profit game that the IRS imposes on churches who want the tax exempt recognition of what is known as 501(c)3. We have chosen to set both organizations (Xtreme Encounters is our church and Rahab’s Place is my personal ministry identity) up as for-profit entities.  Why on earth would we do that?  First, the benefit of being tax-exempt and not paying taxes on corporate assets is outweighed for us by the need to be a part of the political dialog in our city. IRS rules state that an organization can lose it’s tax exempt status by:  attempting to influence legislation if it contacts, or urges the public to contact, members or employees of a legislative body for the purpose of proposing, supporting, or opposing legislation, or if the organization advocates the adoption or rejection of legislation.  So, if we decide to show up at a city council meeting as a group to express our disagreement with a proposal before the council to grant a zoning exemption for yet another nudie bar to open up in our area, that could jeopardize our tax-exempt status. To us, it is worth the amount of taxes we will have to pay as an organization to keep the right to be a part of the dialog in our city. It is imperative to us to be able to be a voice for righteousness.  Another issue is that in order to keep your tax-exempt status, a certain percentage of your income has to come from charitable contributions.  In other words, you have to badger people for money.  If there is one thing that irritates me beyond endurance it is the beg-a-thons that Christian stations engage in, as well as the “GIVE TO UUUUUUSSSSSSS” letters that some ministries send.  After studying the IRS code, I have decided that some of that is dictated not by a need for funds, but rather the need to have enough donations to cover the money they make on their other activities in order to keep their tax-exempt status.  What about paying taxes on ministry assets?  What about it?  We want to be a positive influence in our community, an example to others and an instrument for change.  In America, money talks.  We want to start some self-supporting activities and businesses that will provide employment opportunities for people coming out of maladapted lifestyles.  If the Lord blesses our efforts, we don’t want our tax-exempt status being held over our heads because we become good business people and make a profit rather than begging for money.  We also feel that we will have greater accountability as a for-profit than as tax-exempt.  We actually have to file quarterly taxes and reports.  People will know where our money comes from and where it goes.  Some in the church have used their tax-exempt status as a means to grow wealthy at the expense of people who believed that their money was being used to promote the spread of the gospel.  Currently, the Senate is investigating a number of such ministries, some of whom are refusing to provide the requested information.  We feel that the best way to keep the government out of our business is to quit taking favors from the government.  Jesus said to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.  So we will pay our taxes like good citizens, and believe that God will bless us as we seek to be an instrument for righteousness and change in our city.”

Posted on April 2, 2008. Filed under: Church Planting | Tags: Christianity, Church, Church Planting, Religion |

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Now I really do agree with you here in your financial approach 

 I have also written about some of the clearly perverse Church Corporations, that are not congregationally owned, for one example such as the Alliance, The Christian Missionary Alliance denominations where they clearly not only abuse the donations but  they do not give a full account of it too. An abusive  empire building self servicing corporation at that too. https://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/05/13/christian-missionary-alliance/   https://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/05/10/christian-and-missionary-alliance-denomination/

http://pbulow.tripod.com/faceit.htm

“All the great outpourings of the past have had their outstanding truths.

 

Luther’s truth was Justification by Faith. Wesley’s was Sanctification. The Baptists taught the premillenial [sic] coming of Christ. The Missionary Alliance taught Divine Healing. The Pentecostal outpouring has restored the Baptism of the Holy Ghost to its rightful place. The next great outpouring is going to be marked by all these other truths plus such a demonstration of the nine gifts of the Spirit as the world, not even the Apostolic world, has ever witnessed before. This revival will be short and will be the last before the Rapture of the Church.”

  

And yet in many of these same groups the followers, and leaders still next became corrupt.. the same groups are too often fake today rather. The Christian Missionary Alliance now included.

 

EVEN IF A GROUP HOLDS TO SOME VALID TRUTHS SUCH AS
– Jesus Christ is the sole Savior, Lord of your life.
– The concept of the restoration of the Tabernacle of David. Praise & Worship emphasized as a means to usher (1) in God’s presence and (2) to usher God’s people into His presence. Singing in the spirit congregationally, I.e. in other tongues. The “song of the Lord” a prophetic song or one in other tongues but interpreted
– The belief that God has now restored all the ministry gifts back to the Church, especially the office of the prophet and apostle {this is where today’s prophetic/apostolic move comes from}.
– The practice of laying on of hands to be filled with the Holy Spirit (and the evidence of speaking in other tongues).
– The practice of laying on of hands to impart spiritual gifts
– The belief Christians can be demonized and need to be delivered through the laying on of hands.
– Divine healing is obtained by faith and also is imparted via the laying on of hands
– Emphasis on spiritual warfare
– Emphasis on personal and directive prophecy
– Anointed Women have a full and equal ministry role in the Church, I.e. women pastors, prophetesses, elders, etc.
– The Rapture, the second coming of Christ is inevitable, soon
– Emphasis on Missions, evangelism, the Bible, a Pastor..

 

 The same group can still be false, led by false men and not by the Holy Spirit.

    

Some quick signs of a false, cultist leader are that one  rapidly sees their own personal visible inconsistences, they even show false partialities towards certain persons, they can be seen by their own lack of love towards others, and by their being mostly unavailable to help others now as well. They are also know to run away from prayer meetings.. they hold strange and different doctrines too.. and are known for supporting isolated verses of scriptures and making major doctrines of them too.

  

(John 10:1 KJV)  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.2  But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

 

(Mat 10:17 KJV)  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18  And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19  But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

 

(Mat 7:15 KJV)  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

 

(Mat 24:11 KJV)  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

 

(John 10:12 KJV)  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.13  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14   I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

 

(Rom 10:3 KJV)  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.  

 

(2 Tim 4:1 KJV)  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 

  

(John 15:10 KJV)  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.      

 

 The true pastor, elders  nurture  and nourishes their congregation and are available to them even at off hours. He knows his accountability is to God first, and then the to church. I have use the word “true” in this essay concerning pastors for there are also many false pastors, false elders. 

 

(Rev 19:10 KJV)  “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

  

 Yes there is a demon called “Jesus” too that pretends to be even the real Jesus and many people wrongfully worship him instead of the real Jesus.

  

 Ironically it was in Calgary amongst the mostly still false Christians I had learned that there was an  evil spirit called Jesus and many people where EVEN  filled with this evil spirit rather.. ” For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Note! There is  a real counterfeit, evil spirit of Jesus which exist today even in Christian Churches and which falsely allows Christians to stay unrepentant of their unacceptable personal sins and allows them to continue to do them now as well!!! Note even Apostle Paul said in his day that there were those who preached “another Jesus”. 

 

2 Cor 11:3-4 (NKJV) says: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. {4} For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted; you may well put up with it!

 

There is a simple way to see if someone has the true Jesus or not. By true Jesus, I mean the one of the Bible, not the Jesus  of Mormonism who is the brother of the devil, nor the Jehovah’s Witness Jesus who is Michael the Archangel, and certainly not the one of the New Age Movement who is simply a man in tune with the divine consciousness.

• The Jesus of the Bible is prayed to (Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 116:4 and Zech. 13:9 with 1 Cor. 1:1-2).
• The Jesus of the Bible is worshiped (Matt. 2:2,11; 14:33; 28:9; John 9:35-38; Heb. 1:6)
• The Jesus of the Bible called God (John 20:28; Heb. 1:8).

      In cult theologies, Jesus is a creation in one form or another (this is why the Jehovah’s Witnesses add the word ‘other’ four times to Col. 1:16-17). Therefore, He is not to be prayed to, worshiped, or called God.

   If you are a Christian then you will be able to pray to Jesus, not just through. You will be able to worship Jesus equally with the Father. And you will be able to call Jesus your Lord and God. A cultist cannot do this. A cultist has a false Jesus, and, therefore, a false hope of salvation.

(Col 3:9 KJV)  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

 

(1 Tim 2:7 KJV)  Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

 

(James 3:14 KJV)  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

 

 

I have been ministering to the Lord for so many years and I have never had an offering plate, not have I ever begged for money too. God supplied the needs.
 
For years I had a regular, weekly church service for poor people where I had supplied a full great meal there too and they never paid a dime for it too nor was  there any offering.
  
Some people who donate also do try to influence what can and cannot be preached too and do tie the hands of God here.
 
“First I rightfully still do not endorse any Christians adds, anyone, any person, any organization, any Church  now trying to make any money from  the gospel, or begging, asking for money or even  any of the adds here.  I also do not endorse any of  Bibles, books, tapes listed here for sale too. Jesus said as we have freely received so we are freely to give. Hirelings in their greed and visible lack of faith don’t do that. I do believe we should have the faith for God to supply what anyone needs  freely to anyone who needs it.  “Rev George Muellar did.”

Note This site solicits no funds, or donations, or money what so ever.. ( nor does it sell any Christian supposedly literature, media)
 
and it has no political, denominational affiliations, aspirations. Do use and Distribute all this material freely.

http://pbulow.tripod.com/
  
No More Rich Seat/Poor Seat .  George became the pastor of a small church in England. The church wanted to pay him a good salary from the money it received renting pews to rich church members who sat at the front of the church. (Poor members had to sit in the “cheap” seats in the back.) George told them that this had to stop if they wanted him to be their pastor. Even so, he did not allow the church to pay him a salary. He trusted God to meet his needs, and God did. George and his family never missed a meal and were always able to pay their rent. George began to sense, however, that God had something else for him to do.

Praying Food into the Home.   Each day as George walked the streets, he saw children everywhere who had no mom or dad. They lived on the streets or in state-run poorhouses, where they were treated badly. George felt God calling him to open an orphanage to take care of the children.  George prayed, asking God to provide a building, people to oversee it, furniture, and money for food and clothing. God answered his prayers. The needs of the orphanage were met each day. Sometimes a wealthy person would send a large amount of money, or a child would give a small amount received as a gift or for doing chores. Many times food, supplies or money came at the last minute, but God always provided without George telling anyone about his needs. He just prayed and waited on God..  More than 10,000 children lived in the orphanage over the years. When each child became old enough to live on his own, George would pray with him and put a Bible in his right hand and a coin in his left. He explained to the young person that if he held onto what was in his right hand, God would always make sure there was something in his left hand as well.

1. Do you see any similarities between George Mueller’s and the Apostle Paul’s decisions to follow Jesus? How did George change after he became a follower of Jesus?
2. What did Mueller mean when he told the orphans to “hold onto the Bible in your right hand”?
3. Describe a time when God has answered your prayers and provided for you or your family.
4. 4: Do you live by faith in God, to provide your needs, or do you rely on others, your job, your own efforts still?

(  Ironically many of his present supporters beg for money, sell his Books also  to make money, instead of praying.) http://chi.gospelcom.net/kids/glimpsesforkids/gfk008_2.php

for more see

http://www.bsmi.org/download/mueller/GeorgeMuellerOfBristol.pdf

http://www.christiansintouch.com/greatMen_GM.cfm 

 

“HOW TO ASCERTAIN THE WILL OF GOD

• 1. I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the LORD’s will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.
  
• 2. Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.
  
• 3. I seek the Will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.”

George Mueller 1805-1898  –from the classic biography of George Mueller, “George Müller of Bristol,” —New Window by A. T. Pierson —New Window, Appendix N: “The Wise Sayings of George Mueller“ —New Window

 

 

Philippines 1:2-21 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

 

CAN GOD SPEAK TO YOU?http://groups.msn.com/AFOLLOWEROFCHRIST2/listen.msnw