Tithing, a Real Concern for All of Us

Raffy Ablong
November 10, 2012

Help us call, educate and encourage Philippine blessed brothers in Japan to give their tithes regularly!!

Our goal is 100% tithing membership for Philippine Unification Church.

You can start by reading or sharing True Father's words about this on: www.tparents.org/Moon-Books/wsl1/Wsl1-2-4b.htm

Dear Philippine Brothers in Japan,

There is one issue of real concern to all of us. Recently, leaders were asked to report members in the different regions who are regularly giving their tithes. We have a lot of members especially in the Eastern and Western regions of PUCMJ who are not giving their tithes regularly. Some even have not given their tithes at all. There are many different reasons for this happening but they are basically internal (faith, tithing education and religious life) and external (family, health, environment and state of employment or livelihood).

The providence is moving forward and we cannot allow anyone of us to be left behind or not to receive blessing because of the sheer failure to share information about this very important part of our faith and urge each one of us to externalize or manifest our being one with the providence of God and True Parents.

We only have 51 days before the end of the year and exactly 62 days before our third and final blessing on January 12, 2013 as families blessed by God and True Parents. There is a great need for us to challenge ourselves in these last days of the year 2012. Let us challenge ourselves to fulfill the tithing tradition. We need to repent if we have not followed this very important tradition established by God literally after the Fall of Adam and Eve. It is very hard for God to bless us more or work with us completely if we could not even meet this foundation of faith. We do not have enough reasons to offer zero or nothing to God. We should even be thankful and grateful to God that we can at least in very small and simple terms manifest our intent to confirm or strengthen our relationship with him.

True Father has emphasized to us that 10% of what we earn belongs to God. We should not take it away from Him as this represents 100 percent of what God has given to us. If we truly believe that this 10% belongs to God and give it to Him with deep thanks and gratitude then God can bless us more and He can work with us completely. If it is really hard to fulfill this 10% according to the Book then have a representative number or offering of 10% to accomplish this very important and delicate value of our life and relationship with God ñ not zero. Let us make a goal NOT to make a zero tithes or offering every month from now this month of November 2012 onwards.

Tithing is a very important condition of faith and also a very essential element to operate a church organization. The reason why religions like Mormonism and Iglesia ni Cristo are successful is not just because of the faith of their members but because each member fulfills his tithe regularly. Thus, their church can manage their overall needs and even buy properties as offering for a higher public purpose.

Let us give our tithes regularly. Let us make a goal, all 16 of us, to perfect our attendance to God by giving our tithes monthly. Let us all do our best to fulfill 100% of our tithes from this month of November 2012 onwards and receive more blessings and heavenly fortune for our families, societies, nations and world. Let us make Heavenly Father and True Parents happy by fulfilling our responsibility, showing our maturity and relationship with Them more substantially.

Let us all do our best to achieve a goal of 100% for all Japan-based Philippine blessed brothers to give their tithes. If you know someone who is not giving tithes, please help us call, remind and encourage them.

Thank you.

Rafael E. Ablong
Vice-National Minister
Philippine Unification Church Ministry in Japan

P.S.

Please forgive me brothers if I am being so demanding or for saying these things to you. I have always been demanding to myself only for many years even if it is very hard because I don't want to cause any pain to all of you. I kept my silence about this for so long and I am suffering inside because I feel God's pain whenever I look at our tithes and offering as a region. I know it is very hard on your part, too. But I have to tell you this because it is my responsibility to remind everyone. Help me encourage each one of us to accomplish this. If this is the only thing we can do here in Japan, why not do our best? As True Mother said recently, "working hard is not good enough". We have to do our best and show it in our result.

True Father said, "when you tithe, it should be the purest one with your sincere heart and mind invested in it. That is what the offering object is supposed to be. If we talk about this, it will be endless. Anyhow, you must understand that an offering object should be pure. Suppose that you are going to offer a son as an offering object. Would you offer a son whom you dislike or who is hopeless? Such a son is not qualified to be an offering object. But he should be the best son whom you love the most. Why? Because an offering object is instead of yourself. (48-85) The Way of the Spiritual Leader, p. 139-141.

Please remember these biblical words about tithing:

Malachi 3:8-10 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring 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.

Mark 12:41-44 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Leviticus 27:30 "Every 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.

Numbers 18:26-28 "Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, 'When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe. And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. So you shall also present a contribution to the Lord from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the Lord's contribution to Aaron the priest.

Raffy Ablong