Tithing and First Fruits In Light of 2 Corinthians 9:7

[Prosperity]

Godson wrote, "What do you say to the people who believe that the heart is the spirit and not the soul?"

I hope that following will flow well for you.

I would say to the people who believe that the heart is the spirit and not the soul, "Study the subject more thoroughly."

With a few exceptions, the term "heart" almost always refers to the soul which is the seat of our mind will and emotions. Our spirit-man was restored and made sin free when we were Born-Again. In short, our spirit-man took on the nature and spirit of God when we were Born-Again. Our Spirit-man is also where the Holy Ghost abides in us, once we receive Him.

The spirit-man is not our soul which is our decision maker. We make decisions in our minds as an act of our free will. This is where we decide to believe or not believe, to have faith or not to have faith, or to exercise our faith or not exercise our faith.

I offer this to you. The soul is to our spirit-man, what our physical brain is to our body, except our soul has governance over our physical brain and body. Our soul is what determines the strength of our spirit-man, i.e. if we decided in our soul to speak in tongues, we edify/strengthen our spirit-man.

Our soul prospers as it is conformed, by the Word, to the mind of Christ. Our health and prosperity is proportionally effected to this confirmation of our soul and vise versa if we don't conform our minds to the Word of god.

Remember, our spirit-man is forever sin free and is home to the Holy Ghost already. As our mind aligns more with Gods Word, the more harmoniously it functions with our spirit-man because our Godly spirit-man always wants our mind to function in an ever increasing Godly way. Also, the more in line with the Word our mind becomes, the better we are able to hear from the Holy Ghost.

There are some references to the soul which include our spirit-man and soul as a whole eternal being, but should not be confused with the thrust of the above conversation.
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Strong's Number: 1771
Original Word Word Origin
e[nnoia from acompound of
(1722) and (3563)


Transliterated WordT DNT Entry
Ennoia 4:968,636
Phonetic Spelling Parts of Speech
en'-noy-ah Noun Feminine

Definition
1. the act of thinking, consideration, meditation
2. a thought, notion, conception
3. mind, understanding, will, manner of feeling, and thinking
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Greek Word: E[nnoia
Transliterated Word: ennoia
Book to Display: Hebrews
Verse Count: 1

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intent s of the heart.
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Greek Word: E[nnoia
Transliterated Word: ennoia
Book to Display: 1 Peter
Verse Count: 1

1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
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So I go back to:

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh (soul) in his heart (soul), so is he:

Philippians 2:5-7
5 Let this mind (soul) be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought (soul) it not robbery to be equal with God:

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing (soul),and hearing (soul) by the word of God.

Decide (soul) to speak words of life.

Profess it so you mind (soul) can hear (soul) it.

Your thoughts will determine you decisions (soul);
Your decisions will determine your actions;
Your actions will become your habits;
Your habits develop your character; and
Your character will determine your destiny.
Thought life- Decisions- Actions- Habits -Character -Destiny

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe (soul) that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Believe (soul) that what you are saying will happen, when you say it. Prophecy over the issues in you life. Give God something to work with.

 

[Prosperity]

Here is something I wrote on a previous post:
Dr. Murdock has a good definition of biblical prosperity:

"Prosperity is having more than enough to complete a God given assignment".
He also says, "Prosperity means never having to say 'no' to God."

God is for material prosperity, but He is not for any prosperity that exceeds soul/spirit prosperity. The word says,"A false balance is an abomination to the Lord. But a just weight is His delight."
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. "even as " means, in direct proportion to.

This is more than a formal hallmark greeting as has been taught. How cruel could Paul be to tell his converts that God (all scripture is given by inspiration) wanted them to prosper outwardly as much as inwardly and not really mean it. "even as" means "in direct proportion to" "nothing more nothing less".
It is only wrong when we begin to prosper outwardly more than we are prospering inwardly. Remember, a false balance is an abomination to the Lord.
Pastor J

Pastor J


We are very close and we may even agree here. What do you think of my last post to Godson777?

 

[PastorJoey]

I have underlined comments you made that I will address:

I hope that following will flow well for you.

1) I would say to the people who believe that the heart is the spirit and not the soul, "Study the subject more thoroughly."

With a few exceptions, the term "heart" almost always refers to the soul which is the seat of our mind will and emotions. Our spirit-man was restored and made sin free when we were Born-Again. In short, our spirit-man took on the nature and spirit of God when we were Born-Again. Our Spirit-man is also where the Holy Ghost abides in us, once we receive Him.

2) The spirit-man is not our soul which is our decision maker. We make decisions in our minds as an act of our free will. This is where we decide to believe or not believe, to have faith or not to have faith, or to exercise our faith or not exercise our faith.

I offer this to you. The soul is to our spirit-man, what our physical brain is to our body, except our soul has governance over our physical brain and body. 3) Our soul is what determines the strength of our spirit-man, i.e. if we decided in our soul to speak in tongues, we edify/strengthen our spirit-man.

Our soul prospers as it is conformed, by the Word, to the mind of Christ. Our health and prosperity is proportionally effected to this confirmation of our soul and vise versa if we don't conform our minds to the Word of god.

4) Remember, our spirit-man is forever sin free and is home to the Holy Ghost already. As our mind aligns more with Gods Word, the more harmoniously it functions with our spirit-man because our Godly spirit-man always wants our mind to function in an ever increasing Godly way. Also, the more in line with the Word our mind becomes, the better we are able to hear from the Holy Ghost.

I wont have time to elaborate on this interestng topic, but I would like to address some of this.


1) I have studied this topic very extensively and my conclusion is that the heart and spirit are synomonous terms. However for those who believe different as you, I have not noticed any difference or hindrance because of either understanding. I agree primarily with Bro. Hagin’s & Copeland’s teaching on this subject of spirit soul and body.

2) I completely agree with this statement. It could be said that: “The brain is the tool that the mind (soul) uses to express itself”.

3) I think that I see what you are saying here, but technically the spirit determines the strength of both mind and body.

Proverbs 18:14 KJV

(14) The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?

(AMP) The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?

(MSG) A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?

4) I also completely agree with this statement.

PJ

 

[Prosperity]

I wont have time to elaborate on this interestng topic, but I would like to address some of this.

1)I have studied this topic very extensively and my conclusion is that the heart and spirit are synomonous terms. However for those who believe different as you, I have not noticed any difference or hindrance because of either understanding. I agree primarily with Bro. Hagin’s & Copeland’s teaching on this subject of spirit soul and body.

2)I completely agree with this statement. It could be said that: “The brain is the tool that the mind (soul) uses to express itself”.

3)I think that I see what you are saying here, but technically the spirit determines the strength of both mind and body.

Proverbs 18:14 KJV

(14)The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?

(AMP) The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?

(MSG) A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?

4)I also completely agree with this statement.

PJ

PastorJ,

I thank you for you comments and again we aren't too far apart. The shadow of difference between us is not even close to a deal breaker.

I've known for sometime that Bro. Hagin’s believes the heart is the mind and the mind is seated in the soul along with the will and emotions. I have read this more than once in his writings.

All that I see that you two quotes from the amplified Bible does, is to tell you the capabilities of strong spirit, not how it becomes strong. I know from the Word and my experience that speaking in tongues edifies and strengthens my spirit, but the decision to speak in tongues took place in the mental part of my soul.

As your body obeys you brain, so your spirit man obeys your soul. Our spirit-man was cleansed when we were Born-Again, providing a clean house for the Holy Ghost to move into. Conversely, our soul, (mind, will and emotions), to a large extent, still worked the way it did before we were born again. This is why our mind needs to be cleansed and we need to bring our will and emotions into line with Word. As your brain is integrated into, and is part of, your body, so too the soul is integrated into, and is part of, the whole spirit-man.

The soul emanates from, and co-exists in the same space as our brain, while our spirit-man emanates from and coexists in the same area as our blood. Together, they comprise what we (our soul and body) look like in the spirit realm. When we, that is our souls and spirit-man, leave our flesh, then our flesh dies. Our spirit-man, comprised of our soul and body, has a physical existence in the spirit realm, something like it does here, but on a much higher plain.


Comments are welcome!

 

[J4Jesus]

Hi Pastor J and Prosperity! Great to see you guys !


In most ways I can agree with both of you. This is the way I have always understood it was taught by Brother Hagin.

Man was created in the image of God. God is a Spirit so you are a spirit. You have a mind and you live in a body.

Many people think they are a Christians because they "believe" in Jesus but it is only "mental" (soul, mind) assent. They believe he exists and everthing the Bible says about him. Even the devils "believe" and tremble ( James 2:19) . But if we believe with our heart (spirit) and not just with our mind, mental assent , then we can be saved and truly know Him. that is, have a relationship with Him .

Romans 10:

9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

With the spirit man believes . Our soul (mind, will, emotions) is neutral and can choose to side with either the flesh, (carnal nature) or the spirit, which ever is strongest.

Bless you two !!!
J4Jesus

 

[PastorJoey]

Hi prosperity , I wasnt sure if you saw my response to your question a few days ago so I reposted my reply.

From Prosperity:
PastorJ,
We are not far apart.
Would you please specifically address the underscored portion of the following statement I made?

"With the afore mentioned serving as a backdrop for the preceding, then why should I try to fulfill any part of the law, since Jesus fulfilled the law and removed the curse from me"?

I do not believe that there are any new concepts presented in the law that God did not already require. The law was written because of the rebellious and disobedient hearts of Israel. IT was written to get them back on track with God. It was not some form of punishment, it was guide lines for living a blessed and prosperous life (Joshua 1:6-8).


I don't believe that purposing to obey God's law necessarily equates to trying to fulfill it. It is often quoted, “Jesus fulfilled the law so I don't have to.” I don't believe that this is accurate. I know what is trying to be said, but it is misleading. People have run wild with that! Instead, “Jesus fulfilled the law and bore its curse so that when I miss the mark, the curse is no longer there to pounce on me”.
PJ

 

[Prosperity]

It was not some form of punishment, it was guide lines for living a blessed and prosperous life (Joshua 1:6-8).

More importantly the law was imputed so that God could deal with the sin issue of His people which would enable Him to enter into fellowship with them. At the core of what God has done, from the time that Adam fell until now is to bring us back into fellowship with him. Sin is dynamic and doesn't stay static ("...a little leaven leaventh a whole lump..") Sin entered in when Adam sinned, but did not remain static. It continued to corrupt man to and ever increasing degree. God had to do something or forever lose His creation (us) to absolute corruption. The law was God's way of dealing with the sin issue. When God's Old Testament people fulfilled the law by obeying it, their sins were put off for a year. This allowed God to have limited fellowship with them. Under the New Covenant we can have intimate fellowship with God.

Jesus fulfilled the law and bore its curse so that when I miss the mark, the curse is no longer there to pounce on me.

I need to further explain what you mean by the above statement before I can answer it.

 

[J4Jesus]

Never write a long response using the reply boxes provided. Write your response on a word document then cut and paste.

This has happened to me so many time even on short private messages or posts. Even tho I just signed in 5 minutes earlier ,when I review or send it says I am not logged in or not to post "links" to other sites , which i am not doing !