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The Storehouse Principle
- a study by Elder Douglas Hatten
The following is not an all-inclusive study of the storehouse and tithing, nor is it meant to be an exhaustive body of research. There are many related scriptures that are not used here, and my intention is not to give a thorough treatment of the broader topic, but instead to focus in on one of the most important aspects of this principle that God has given us. This article demonstrates by scriptural reference how we could gain much from embracing it, and how we are missing out on much by not heeding it. This article is not a complete study of every single aspect of the Storehouse and tithing, but was born out of a concern I have as a direct result of the passion God has put in my heart and by direct revelation. I believe it is one of His great concerns for us, as it is something He restored a knowledge of through Joseph Smith, and it was to be a light to the people of this nation, to lead others to a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ. I believe it is nothing less than one of the most important keys to the building of the Kingdom of God here on earth. This journey began a couple of years ago while attending worship services in the Kirtland Temple with Restoration Saints from all over the world. We had the temple for an entire weekend, under the auspices of the Association for the Unity of Restoration Saints. During the Saturday night service, I was sitting in the pew as the people sang, and my heart was drawn out to the Lord in prayer. I knew the expectations of the people. Many desired that the Lord would speak to them, or manifest Himself in some way. I asked the Lord if He would do so, and the Holy Spirit revealed to me that He would not, and gave the reason. He let me know, that for Him to speak now would only add to our condemnation. God reminded me that He had already given us instructions in His scripture and we were not following it, and He had spoken on occasion before, but we had not heeded. I asked the Lord if He would share something that should be accomplished that we might begin to come out of this condemnation. What I heard next was very clear and undeniably impressed into my heart and mind. He said, "Where is my storehouse, that there may be meat brought into it, that I may bless you?" This began a search in my life to understand storehouse better. I don't pretend to be an expert in the storehouse. I don't have all the answers. I am learning one day at a time. However, I would like to share some things that have come as a direct result of studying and experimentation so far. Our small mission in Lansing, Michigan began a storehouse as a result of those words God spoke to me in the Temple. We have been so tremendously blessed by the Holy Spirit since dong so, that I can only conclude much of it has come as a direct result of having a storehouse. When I say storehouse, I am speaking of something much more than a room with some food or clothing in it. It was not so much a place, nor just certain items that constituted the storehouse, but rather it was a principle. We had to make some adjustments to our traditions to meet God's expectations, but we were blessed tremendously for doing so. I would like to share a little about this principle. To do so, we must first look at another principle, which is really not "another" principle, but actually the same as the storehouse principle, although we have not recognized it as such. Tithing is that other principle I would write a little about. Our current understanding of tithing comes mostly from the traditions of the RLDS church. Some aspects of this tithing were correct, i.e. that it is a tenth of our increase (or that which is above our basic needs). Where we went wrong is in what we did with this tithe. In the RLDS, we sent our tithes to the world church. The world church would in turn send back a certain portion for branch needs, and the rest was placed into a World Church General Fund which funded many different programs and projects. This is not the purpose of tithing,
however. CURRENTLY: In one particular medium size branch I occasionally serve at, I know for a fact that the average amount taken up for oblation is typically well under $300. One poor family with a single bill they cannot pay, can use this fund up right at the beginning of the month. This means that no other family gets help that month. Normally, the funds for the poor are used up at the beginning of the month, leaving the church with no money to help someone in need for the rest of the month. Although some kind individual could potentially meet a person's unmet need, these needs are not generally known about, or broadcast to the church in general, (as should be the case, since we need to be sensitive in protecting a person's dignity), and so these needs often go unmet. It is hard enough, after all, for a person in need to go to a priest in charge of the oblation fund and ask for help from the church, much less having to go beg other members. Let's look at the word of God, and see what it says about the purpose of tithing. Early in the Book of Genesis, God sets up his High Priesthood - starting with Adam, and being passed along down the line to Enoch and eventually to Melchizedek. Melchizedek is mentioned not only in the Old Testament, but also in the New Testament, in the Book of Hebrews, as it says Abraham paid a tenth of all he had to him. Melchizedek came to typify this priesthood, being the example of this High Priesthood, which was eventually named after him. It is also the first time we are introduced to the storehouse principle in scripture. I believe this principle was practiced all the way back to Adam, and that it is intended to be practiced wherever God's people are, and that it is to be in existence when Christ comes again. Let's look at what God reveals to us early on in His dealings with man in regards to this principle. Inspired Version 26 Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire. 27 And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch, 28 It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God; 37 And he lifted up his voice, and he blessed Abram, being the high priest, and the keeper of the storehouse of God; Here we see that Melchizedek was the keeper of the storehouse! We also know that Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, but what were those tithes for? We find out in the next verse. 38 Him whom God had appointed to receive tithes for the poor. 39 Wherefore, Abram paid unto him tithes of all that he had, of all the riches which he possessed, which God had given him more than that which he had need. Here we see, according to Genesis, tithes were taken up for the poor. This was the original purpose of the storehouse. Why was it changed? Did it change? - If you believe it has changed, may I ask you why? Have the poor ceased to be among us? I believe the Jews eventually did away with this storehouse principle. The tithes eventually went instead to the Temple Treasury. Instead of a storehouse for the poor, the Jews on certain occasions, or at certain times of the week or month, went out to give alms to the poor. Sound familiar? Instead of bringing tithes into the storehouse for the poor, they instead gave alms to the poor. A meager amount I am sure, compared to the much larger sum of tithing which was taken up and placed in the Treasury of the Temple. Have we done the same? Have we replaced the storehouse principle with the maintaining of our general church funds? And like the giving of alms that the Jews did, in place of our tithes, do we give instead a meager offering to the poor once a month call "oblation"? Did God cease talking about the storehouse principle after the storehouse ceased from among the Jews? No... He continued to bring it up throughout the Old Testament, but it appears the Jews did not repent. He again warned that entire nation just prior to the coming of the Messiah through the prophet Malachi. This is a familiar passage of scripture, and you may be tempted to skim past it, but I would implore you to take another look. Inspired Version 5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. 6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. 7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Herein is the question... where has Israel departed? What is it that they can do to return to God, that he may again bless them? Perhaps we should ask the same question. Is the answer the same for us? I believe it is. 8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. What is the solution? 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Wow... what a promise! And yet, we have possibly missed the entire meaning of this most commonly used passage of scripture. It is a favorite at Sunday services when it comes time to take up the offertory, and it is a favorite among television evangelists. We have used this passage of scripture to chide people for not having paid their tithes as they should, and as a guilting device to get more funding for our ministries, our churches, or our programs. Did the Jews not tithe as they should? Did they not give a tenth? Is this what God was saying in Malachi? Surely this most fanatical and religiously devoted people, who tenaciously clung to the doing of the law, and stoned people for not following it, gave their tenth as required. I do not believe God was chastening the people, so much as he was chastising the religious leaders of the day, even the priesthood. The learned leadership should have known better, but instead they caused the "entire nation" to ere. They are the same people whom Christ confronted when He came. He did not chastise the lower class, the everyday working people, or the sinners... but rather he loved them, showing them the correct way. He knew they had only been victims of wrong traditions handed down and propagated by their errant leaders. Because of the errant leadership of the nation, the vast majority of common men had either followed wrong traditions, or ended up walking away from religion altogether, becoming known as "sinners." What wrath Jesus did show was not against these sinners, but instead directed at the leadership of the nation; not those who were openly known as wayward, but rather upon those who thought themselves pious. Why? Perhaps the book of Malachi was not saying that the nation had erred because no one was paying a tithe or giving an offering. After all, he said the "entire nation" had robbed him. Do we really believe everyone forgot to pay their tithe? Certainly, only a certain percentage of the people were lax in this. Perhaps what God was really saying instead was that they had robbed Him because they did not bring the tithes into the storehouse! Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. A Lesson in History I believe one the great problems that persist for us, is that we have been unintentionally brainwashed into believing that we are suppose to be trying to build up the church, grow the church, convert people to the church. We were never told to do this. We were instead to build up the Kingdom of God here on earth. We are to convert people to Christ, NOT the church. Those who believe and follow Jesus Christ, and obey His commandments ARE His church. It is not a building or an organization. It is a people. We have used our tithing to build up the church, to fund projects, to build buildings. God has taken the church organization away from us now... we find ourselves scattered, and still we persist in our wrong traditions. We are to build up the Kingdom of God, and the CAUSE of Zion, not a church. The church is what we ARE, whether organized or unorganized, we do not cease to be the church. The church is not our focus, Zion, or the Kingdom of God, is. Don't get me wrong, church organization is a good thing, and can be a valuable tool for the building of the Kingdom. Organization is always preferred to disorganization, for obvious reasons, so long as we allow Christ to be the head, and not man. Organization is a tool, as is priesthood authority, that better enables us to accomplish His will. However, the building of the church, or the propagation of it, is NOT our mission. Rather, we (who are the church) have a mission, and that is to build up the Kingdom of God. When we are fully engaged in this work, we ARE the church. At this point, we are a scattered people. Maybe there is a reason why. Perhaps we should learn a lesson from history. We were driven out of the land of Zion at one point early in our history and scattered. But why? After much study in this area, I conclude it was mainly for one great reason. Only one sin stands out above them all that would cause God to withhold His protection and allow them to be driven from the land. It is the one area they were persistently disobedient in. This sin directly violated the law of the land which God placed in Zion. He told us that if we did not live by this principle we would suffer a curse. What did they refuse to live by? Something which we still refuse to do to this day. They refused to live with all things in common. There were, even in the land of Zion, and later at Nauvoo, both rich and poor. They never did, in all of the history of the early restoration, nor in the reorganization, ever build the Storehouse as they were commanded. They instead wanted to live as the rest of America did, by the principles of Capitalism, building up business and industry, working to get gain and riches. They delved into politics, and wanted to have a militia rather than in trusting in God for protection. They thrived in their industry, and worried their neighbors with their politics. However, they should have focused more instead upon living in the world as God intended. According to the laws of the Kingdom, in harmony with nature, and with love for one another and all people around us. Rather than frightening our neighbors with our prosperity, we should have shared our riches with them, and given to them freely and abundantly, so that we would have been to them, a great blessing. We should have been different NOT because of our politics, but because of our LOVE, not just love for ourselves, but love for our neighbors and those who knew not God. Somehow though, we instead alienated and frightened them. You cannot tell me God would have allowed us to be defeated and driven like that, unless we had fallen into a great sin. The truth is, they were focusing on a physical Kingdom of monetary, military and political power, rather than a spiritual kingdom that would last forever. They never lived with all things in common, nor did they build the storehouse. And neither have we. We are the same as they were, we are their children, the children have not repented for the sins of their fathers, but our sins instead of increased. We are steeped in the traditions of the American Dream, and the building of our own personal wealth and pleasure. How long shall we continue to rebel against the storehouse principle? If our hearts were in the right place, we would not give because it is required, we would give because it is a joy. The storehouse principle is not only a joy, but it is a missionary outreach and a way of protecting people's dignity by use of confidentiality through the use of selected priesthood ordained for this purpose. It is a way to keep us from getting the credit and glory, and instead letting the help come through the church so that God gets the glory, rather than ourselves, and we in turn get our reward in heaven. The storehouse is an essential part of Zion. In fact, we cannot have Zion without it. What is Zion? Inspired Version (Genesis 7:23) 23 And the Lord called his people, Zion, because they were of one heart and of one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there were no poor among them. There were NO POOR among them. Do we have poor among us? Why do we withhold our substance from them? Are we cursed for this? Inspired Version (James 2:16-19) 16 For if a brother or sister be naked and destitute, and one of you say, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled; notwithstanding he give not those things which are needful to the body; what profit is your faith unto such? 19 Thou believest there is one God; thou doest well; the devils also believe, and tremble; thou hast made thyself like unto them, not being justified. Here we see James saying that all our preaching and teaching of the gospel doesn't add up to much unless we are also prepared to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and help those in need. It is a fundamental part of what we are to be doing as a church (or followers of Jesus). In fact, James as much as states that we are like the demons if we give lip service, but do not do good works, such as taking care of the poor. Pretty strong language. James asks the question, "what profit is your faith unto such?" In other words, so long as people are destitute, our gospel is worthless to them, or has no power. What will win them over to Christ? Good words, exciting sermons, logical arguments? No. The real harvest of souls will come only by the power of the demonstration of God's love. They will know we are who we say we are, Christians, by our love.... not by our doctrine or by mere words. Show them love, and they will hear you. John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah, to prepare the way for the Lord. He was a forerunner to Christ. He helped prepare the people to receive the Messiah, he preached repentance and baptism for remission of sins. But when the people came to be baptized he chastised them firsts and warned them that first they should bring forth works of repentance before being baptized. What were those works? See below. Inspired Version (Luke 3:12-16) 12 Then said John to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, crying against them with a loud voice, saying, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 13 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, Abraham is our father; we have kept the commandments of God, and none can inherit the promises but the children of Abraham; for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 14 And now also, the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire. 15 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 16 He answered and said unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Do any of us have two coats? Are there any in our community with none? How about food? Are there any of us who have plenty, and to spare, when there are people who cannot afford groceries? How about money or our savings accounts? Is there any of us who have thousands in the bank, when there are some around us who cannot even make their electric bill? John's words should echo in our hearts, and convict us. Or do we think we are any different than the Jews of that day? We are rich in comparison to those who lived at the time of Jesus, yet we have poor who are every bit as poor as in that day. We have children, right in our own American cities that go to bed hungry. We have single mothers with children who don't have proper clothing or other essential items right in the very city or town you live in. The children cry out because of their poverty, but we cannot hear their cry behind the dull roar of our television sets in the warmth and security of our houses with cupboards filled with food. We read our scriptures, which are replete with instructions about taking care of the poor and needy, but somehow we don't seem to think they apply to us. Or perhaps we are waiting for the poor to somehow know that they are to come to us directly, personally... and then if they beg you, then you might give to them, so long as you don't think they will buy drugs, cigarettes or beer with it. How hard hearted are we? When we give, we should use wisdom, but we should not use bias and suspicion. For many of us, our meals are what would constitute a feast to many of the poor among us. How many times do we have a backyard BBQ and invite all our friends over? However, Jesus said that when YOU (meaning: a follower of Jesus) have a feast, don't call your friends or those who can return the favor and invite you to their party, but instead... Inspired Version (Luke 14:13) 13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, When is the last time any of us have done this? Do we think these words Jesus spoke somehow don't apply to us or our lives today? Since beginning our Storehouse, (which by the way, consists both of a place where we store up food, clothing, books, etc, and also a checking account so that we may be able to help people with bills, auto repairs, etc.), we have been able to help many, and by doing so, have also shown them a little bit about who and what Jesus Christ is all about. Jesus isn't about good preaching, big buildings, and satellite broadcasts... he is about love, and helping one another. Some of those whom we have helped belong to other churches. They have faithfully given and given to those churches, but when they found themselves in dire need, and they go back to those same churches for help, they get none, except maybe advice on where they might apply for some governmental assistance, etc. In other words, the money all flows one way... INTO the church, but never does it flow back out to the people when they need help. Before you jump onto the bandwagon, and get into the spirit judging other churches, I would ask you, are we really any different? How much are we giving back? Consider these scripture passages, and rather than thinking on other churches, think on ourselves and ask yourself if there is something more we can be doing. Remember, we are not to contend with other churches, according to the D&C, but rather we are to be a beacon of light to the world, showing them the way by example. When we judge, we should only judge ourselves. Let us be judged by the following scriptures: 1908 Book of Mormon (RLDS) (2 Nephi 11:91) Nevertheless they... preach up unto themselves, their own wisdom, and their own learning, that they may get gain, and grind upon the face of the poor; Do we preach up unto ourselves? Talk about how we are better than everyone else, how we have the fullness of the gospel, and yet... what have we done with it? Should we not be living by the Storehouse principle, which is to love our brothers and sisters? Are we grinding upon the face of the poor by preaching about how great Christ and His true church is, and about Christian love, yet withhold our riches from those in need? Do we really love them, or our own wants and desires more? 1908 Book of Mormon (RLDS) (2 Nephi 12:15) They rob the poor, because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor, because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek, and the poor in heart; because in their pride, they are puffed up. Why do we require our priesthood to wear a suit and tie on Sunday? Does this really honor God? Or is this more tradition? How was John the Baptist dressed? How did Jesus dress? How is a suit and tie any better in our minds, than a Catholic priest or a Lutheran Minister wearing a special minister's robe to set them aside? A suit and tie is far more expensive than a robe. If there are poor among us, and we are to be a servant, should we not dress no better than those whom we serve, even the poor? "A servant is not greater than his master." Perhaps we should stop buying and wearing suits and ties unless we are willing to share our substance of wealth with them, so that we can all be dressed as equals. How about our sanctuaries? If we are blessed enough to have a building, did we plan for only what we needed to keep us out of the weather, or did we spend more than necessary for it to look beautiful as well? Perhaps we wanted a steeple on top, bricks on the side of the building, perhaps we chose more expensive materials for the sanctuary so it would be appealing to the eye. Perhaps we paid off our building and are thinking of expanding, improving. Are we helping the poor first? Are we robbing from them? If we put a building before the needs of the poor, we may be committing that very sin. 1908 Book of Mormon (RLDS) (Book of Mormon 4:50) For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted. Is this scripture true of us today? Ponder this in your hearts this day. Remember this: All wealth and material things belong to God. He made it, and not we ourselves. Therefore, our money does not belong to us. We are merely stewards of it. What are we to do with the wealth He provides us? A great part of it, is to see to the needs of those around us. To withhold our wealth and live better than others, and not be willing to share it, is a sin. The law of the Kingdom is "all things in common", and this is the rule that all members of that Kingdom are to live by, but we are also to give a tenth for the storehouse, so that those who are not yet a part of the covenant can also be warmed and fed, so that it becomes a living testimony of the TRUTH of the teachings of Christ and the glory of His Kingdom, to draw all men to it. "For they will know you are Christians by your love." There is so much more we are called to do, to live in a Zionic condition, but at a minimum we can start by committing ourselves to the storehouse principle, and paying our tithes to it. You may be wondering "how do we pay for our church building, our programs, our Sunday school supplies, etc.?" I believe these funds come in the form of offerings and sacrifice. I am not a rich man, but I am what you might call middle class. I began very poor however, and because of the foolishness of our youth, my wife and I still have some substantial debts left over from our past that we are trying to pay off. We could use this as an excuse not to pay tithes, however, in addition to our tithes to the storehouse (or poor), we also give weekly offerings to the branch we currently serving at. I believe these offerings are over and above the tithe required for the poor, and it is these offerings that should pay church bills and expenses. Congregations can also take up special offerings specifically for certain needs or projects within the church. If a building or improvement project is really needed, then the congregation can start up a special fund and hold fund raising projects. They can also take up special offerings from the congregation, or ask if there are any who are blessed monetarily, (the rich) if they would be willing to give extra towards the project. All these offerings, however, are in addition to our standard tithing. Because of our obedience with tithing, God has blessed my wife and I both spiritually and financially. We have found we can live with less. When God gives us more now, I see it as more opportunity to help those less fortunate than ourselves, and God's providence to help us pay off debts. We do not put the debts ahead of the poor however, people come first. We have faith that God will bless us for this. I don't believe we as a people know what it means to truly sacrifice. We do not know what it means to give a tenth to the poor, consistently, obediently, cheerfully, and then still give more for the needs of our branch. If the branch suffers because we give our tithing to the storehouse rather than the church, and as a result there are not funds to buy books or supplies for the Sunday school classes, then we need to dig deeper, and learn what it means to sacrifice to invest in our children. I do not believe we can out-give God. When we feed someone, we feed Christ. When we clothe someone, we clothe Christ. When we visit someone, we visit Christ. When we do something for someone, we do it unto Christ, for he will say to us, that inasmuch as we have done it unto the least of these, we have done it unto Him. Why don't we trust God, that He will pour us out a blessing we cannot even contain, if we would become obedient to this principle? Consider this passage when pondering our sacrifices: Inspired Version (Luke 21:2-4) 2 And saw also, a certain poor widow
casting in thither two mites. Most of us fit into the category of the others who gave, and not the widow. We give of our abundance. We do not truly sacrifice. A tithe is not really a sacrifice, it is a blessing. A tenth of what we have over and above our necessary expenses is not really much to ask. It allows us to have all our bills and needs met, and then we get to keep 90% of what is left over. Only 10% must go to the storehouse. (Of course... you can always give more). From this other 90% we can also give love offerings to God, and towards the daily costs of running the church. No matter how much we have given, how many of us have ever come close to given as this poor widow did. She had nothing... what she cast in could have got her some bread, but she gave it all away. How can we begrudge giving only a tenth of all we have left over after our needs? It seems to me, we must surely be robbing from the poor... and by it, also robbing God, for it is all His anyway. Who does the storehouse serve? Inspired Version (Deuteronomy 15:7) If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother; Inspired Version (Deuteronomy 15:11) For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. Here we see that the storehouse is for local needs. In other words, you are responsible for the needs of your city, county or area of ministry. A storehouse in Lansing, Michigan is for the needs of that city or area. A storehouse in Independence, MO would be for the needs of that area. The storehouses may perhaps borrow from one another, or lend help from one to another, depending on need, but God has not asked us to send money to programs in far away places. When it comes to giving, we should be lead by the Spirit. There is nothing wrong with sending donations to hungry children in other counties, and you may count these as free will offerings. However, our tithes, and the storehouse is designed to meet local needs. Part of the reason for this, is it becomes an outreach for the local church. You're church may send food or money to people thousands of miles away, but unless you can also travel there and establish a branch, you are unable to meet their spiritual needs. You may convince them of the cause of Christ, by your love, but can you come help guide them in their spiritual walk? Can you come baptize them, and begin a life-long discipleship with them? So long as there are needy and poor locally, your first objective should be to help those closest to you, as it says in Deuteronomy, the poor within the gates of your land. By doing this, the church should begin to grow locally, especially as God begins to pour forth His spiritual blessings because of your obedience. Not only will you be able to help them with temporal needs, but spiritual needs as well. Because those you help will be local, they will be able to come and fellowship with you if they so choose, and learn more about Christ. As the church grows outward from its local center, it will begin to affect nearby cities, and eventually more branches may begin to sprout up and spread across the land. By loving our neighbors and serving the local populations, we will eventually spread and affect in a positive way, the entire globe. In the land of Zion, there should eventually be a central Storehouse governed by the Bishop. There are several of us, who have received additional revelation by the Holy Spirit that local storehouses should tithe to the central storehouse, the same as an individual tithes to the local storehouse. In other words, once a central Storehouse in Zion is established, the local storehouses from around the globe should themselves tithe 10% of their increase, (or 10% of that which is left over after their needs are met) to the central storehouse in Zion. The central storehouse is also where you would tithe of all you own before the Bishop, per scripture, when gathering to Zion. After gathering and tithing, per God's instructions, we are suppose to live with all things in common. What the storehouse is not... Many have come to think of the storehouse simply as a place of storage, in preparation for some cataclysmic event, so that we, as Saints, may be able to survive it. I don't believe this is so. Although a storehouse could be used in case of emergencies and catastrophic events, this is not its main purpose or intent. Substance should flow out of the storehouse almost as quickly as it comes in, unless there is a lack of needs locally. We are not to be overly concerned with our own future material welfare. God made a promise to the believers that we should heed. If we have faith in His word, and obey his instruction, we can feel confident about the future and trust that we shall be taken care of. Inspired Version (Luke 12:24,26) 24 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. 26 Consider the ravens; for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; nevertheless God feedeth them. Are ye not better than the fowls? Inspired Version (Matthew 6:37-39) 37 Behold, I say unto you, that your
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. If we are right with God we need not worry. He shall provide for His people. In a very real way then, the storehouse is often times more for the unbelievers, those we might witness to, or those who lack faith in God's provision. It is also for the fatherless and the widows in the church, but typically only coming to bear when the immediately family is not able to provide for them, or if the family needs help in providing for them. It can also be used to help members in need, but if we are abiding by God's law we should have no need, for two reasons.
I am not saying the Saints should not prepare for the future. We should be prepared in all things, but we should be more concerned for the spiritual condition of the church, for if God fed the Israelites manna from heaven, and brought forth water from the rock, after they complained continually against God and Moses, how much more will our Heavenly Father take care of us, if we please Him, and put forth all our efforts to build His Kingdom here on earth. If we feed the poor around us, and take care of them, will not God in turn take care of us? Fasting It is amazing (if you do a search in the scriptures) just how often the poor are mentioned. There are hundreds of scriptures dealing with how we should help those in need. They are found throughout both the Old and New Testaments, and throughout the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. It pours over into almost every facet of our Christian walk. It even has a place in our prayers and fasting. In Isaiah 58, God describes to us what the true meaning and purpose of fasting is: Inspired Version (Isaiah 58:7) Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; Prayer Consider these verses... Inspired Version (Psalms 41:1) Blessed is he that considereth the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. Inspired Version (Proverbs 21:13) Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. Here we see in the first verse, a promise, that if we reach out to those in need, even the poor, that God will deliver us out of our own problems. In the second verse, we see that if we do not help those in need, our prayers will not be heard. These verses offer powerful insight into how we can directly alter the effectiveness of our prayers, either positively or negatively. If we are praying to God for revival in our church, perhaps we should consider living by the storehouse principle. Repentance I am beginning to believe that repentance goes a lot deeper than we have traditionally understood it. We have made it to be very shallow. Our expression of repentance mainly consists of saying we are sorry, and then trying not to do it again. However, I believe repentance may also include a number of other aspects to it. One of these is restitution, or the act of making it right. A number of times, this act of repentance was directly related to the treatment of the poor. When the people came to be baptized of John, he told them first they need to repent, but not just be sorry. They were to bring forth works of repentance. The people asked him, what they needed to do. This was his answer: Inspired Version (Luke 3:16) He answered and said unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. In another place, Jesus comes across a man named Zaccheus, who was a rich tax collector. Tax collectors got rich by exacting more from people than necessary and then holding that money back for themselves. Inspired Version (Luke 19:8) And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by unjust means, I restore fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house. Here we see that giving to the poor became an important part of his repentance. Is it a part of ours? Perhaps we need to repent of not bringing our tithes into the storehouse to meet the needs of the poor, so that we may return to our God again, and regain the blessings that are His to give? Let's look at another young man. This one did not sin, but kept all the commandments. He asked Jesus what more he needed to do. Inspired Version (Matthew 19:21) Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. We all know this story... the young man went away sorrowful, unable to part with his money. I am not saying God is asking all of us to give everything away, but we should come to understand why Jesus asked this man to do so. He asked him to do this, because it was the one thing he was unwilling to give up. Can any of us say we are any different? Especially if we are not even able to become obedient to the storehouse principle, where we give only a small portion of what God has blessed us with to help those in need. I wonder what Jesus would tell us, if we came to him and said, "We believe Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and we don't drink, smoke or cuss... and we are good church-going people. What more must we do?" Perhaps He would say to us, "where is the storehouse I commanded you to build? Bring your tithes into the storehouse and see to the needs of those less fortunate than yourselves, so that I may bless you, and be proud to call you mine." Is God ashamed of us because we have withheld our substance from the poor? I keep quoting Malachi, but In case you think this storehouse idea is Old Testament, think again. When the Church of Christ was first established in the Book of Mormon lands, the following was done: 1908 Book of Mormon (RLDS) (Alma 1:40) And they did impart of their substance every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; When the church was re-established and fully restored at the appearance of Christ, the following was accomplished: 1908 Book of Mormon (RLDS) (4 Nephi 1:4) And they had all things common among them, therefore they were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift. And in the New Testament church of the Bible in the book of Acts, the following took place: Inspired Version (Acts 4:34,35) 34 Neither was
there any among them that lacked; for as many as were possessors of
lands or houses sold them, and brought
the prices of the things that were sold, And in the restoration of the church again in 1830, the same principles were applied: The Doctrine and Covenants (RLDS) [Sec 77:1c] for verily I say unto you, The time has come, and is now at hand; and, behold, and lo, it must needs be that there be an organization of my people, in regulating and establishing the affairs of the storehouse for the poor of my people, both in this place and in the land of Zion, or in other words, the city of Enoch, [Sec 82:2b] And the storehouse shall be kept by the consecrations of the church, that widows and orphans shall be provided for, as also the poor. Amen. I personally believe that we, as a people, are living absolutely contrary to God's laws governing the distribution of wealth. I believe we are very far away from the righteousness of the church as found in the Book of Mormon and the New Testament church in the book of Acts. There is one thing that stands in our way, preventing us from accomplishing this principle, and it is doing its best to bar us from entry into the Kingdom way of living. What is that one thing? It is an idol as big as they come. It is called, the American Dream. The American Dream is a philosophy that says we should continually better ourselves financially, not so that we can help others, but to better our own situation. It is a state of independence, and the desire to feel secure in temporal matters. It says we should work towards getting a nice home (larger than we really need), and own multiple vehicles. To pursue this idol, we need to obtain a good paying job so that we can afford these things, even if that job interferes in our pursuit of God and serving one another. We need to keep up with the latest technology and new devices. We need a new car every few years. We are saving up for a nice retirement so we can live out are last years in comfort. We need a faster computer every couple of years. We need to upgrade our movie collection from VHS to DVD. We need to have nice clothes that are "in style" or brand names, and we love to shop and buy things we "want," rather than just the things that we need. It's the American way after all. We like knick-nacs and the adorning of our homes with useless items for decoration. We like to collect valuable or rare items and store them, or show them off. We invest much on our own lusts and desires. And of course, we purposely try not to think about the poor around us and we shut our eyes to the needs going unmet all around us so that we will not feel guilty in purchasing these things. The American Dream stands in direct opposition to the Storehouse principle. The American Dream is selfish. Are there reasons not to help someone in need? There are many Saints who don't get real excited about helping the poor. Their reasons vary, but mostly have to do with the conditions or lifestyles of many of the people who are counted among the poor. Sometimes they are people who we feel have "worked the system" or whom we may deem as lazy. Sometimes we loath to impart of our substance because of the unsavory character of some of the people. Perhaps they smoke, drink or cuss. Perhaps it seems that some of them have brought their poverty upon themselves, and that they are simply paying the price for their wrong choices, and perhaps we think rewarding them will only encourage these wrong choices. While there are certainly some unsavory characters who will seek our aid, there are also many wonderful people who have simply fallen on hard times. Many are hard working mothers, who's husband has left them and do not pay child support. Many of the those helped are children who are innocent, no matter what their parents are like. Either way, God loves them all, even the foul mouthed drunkard. Jesus died on the cross for us while we were still unrepentant sinners in hopes that we would finally come to Him and be saved. Fortunately for us, the scriptures do not call upon us to make judgments about people, while dispensing help to those in need. If they misuse what they are given, they have not taken advantage of us, but of God. They shall have to reckon to God for anything misspent. After all, should we forget, the substance we impart is not our own, but God's. God does however, expect that we should act wisely in the stewardship of His resources. There are ways of doing this without passing judgments on people, or speculating on how they will use the help we give them. Using Wisdom Our Mission would impart food items, clothing etc, to any family in need, according to their need. If there were a mother and five children, we imparted enough food items to feed six people for the period of time needed. Many families on aid get food stamps once a month. By the end of the month they may need assistance. Perhaps they have run out of food and have no money, but will receive government assistance in another week. We would impart enough so that they could easily make it until the first of the month. Of course, a single person would need less than a family of six. We would carefully inquire into what their exact needs were and then make sure they had plenty to meet the need. This interaction is a good opportunity for the love of Christ to shine in our faces and in our attitudes. We are not a government agency worker, passing out aid because it's just our job. We are happy, joyful Christians, eager to get to know the person, and eager to help. If we would approach it in this manner, then we will truly give them much more than material substance, we will have fed them spiritually, and perhaps planted a seed for the future. We would also help people with bills, or gas money, etc. This is where a storehouse checkbook became necessary. However, we always avoided giving people cash. Cash can be too easily misused, and it is hard to give an accounting for. We would however meet the need according to the dictates of wisdom. Let's say a family is having a hard time making ends meet, and they don't have enough money to pay their utility bill that month. We would ask them for the bill, and send a payment into the utility company for them, keeping a copy the bill for our records. The check would be made out to the company, and sent directly to them. If someone needed gas, sometimes we would simply meet them at the gas station and let them fill up and we'd pay for it. Depending on circumstances, or if the storehouse was short on certain grocery items, a gift certificate at Meijers, marked for grocery use only, might be given out. If we knew a family, or some children needed clothing and we did not have proper clothing for them in the storehouse, again a gift certificate might work. With one particular lady we helped, she had a bad habit of writing bouncy checks to pay for something needed. She did this because she felt she had no other choice. Her children needed something, and so she did whatever she had to in order to meet the need. Even though we knew these checks were written for needful things, she would first write the check, and then after getting nervous, and working up to the courage to ask us for help, would then have to ask us to cover it because it might bounce before she got paid. This basically meant we would need to write her a check to put into her account. In this case, we helped her once, but then instructed her that from that point onward, we could no longer do this, as we could not prove where the money was going, or what it was used for. We explained to her that we were accountable to God and government for where these funds went to, and that although we loved her, and knew she would never misuse it, we could not prove it to anyone else, and that the next time she wrote a check first and then wanted us to cover it, we would have to decline her request for help. We encouraged her though, that the next time she had a need, that she should not be ashamed or afraid to simply come to us first, before writing a bouncy check, and let us know about her need. I don't believe the storehouse should become just another local soup kitchen, homeless mission, or government assistance program. We should not advertise it abroad. This is not the sole purpose of the church, and it will only invite abuse, and will likely over-tax the church. I believe the storehouse should instead be shared as you might share the gospel, one person, one family at a time. We all come in contact with people daily who are in need of help. They may be someone you know at work, or you may hear about someone in need through a friend. In the same way you might share the gospel with someone, you might share with them knowledge of the storehouse. We have seen that God will lead us to people, or the people to us, who are in need. We didn't have to advertise. There are plenty enough needs around us, that it is not hard to find them, if we keep our eyes and ears open. We should share the gift of storehouse while also sharing the gospel. This will be a good opportunity to share the uniqueness of this church, and the beauty of the storehouse principle. Most importantly, it will be an excellent opportunity to share the love of Christ. Every member of the branch should know that as they find those in need, whom the Lord brings their way, they can direct them to the storehouse, and to the church, for help and for hope. Let it be used as an opportunity to share Jesus Christ. Should we withhold? In case you still feel we should perhaps withhold our help from those we deem to have deserved what they have gotten themselves into, I would like to share another passage of scripture, which I believe you will find very sobering. 1908 Book of Mormon (RLDS) (Mosiah 2:29-37) 29 And ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. 30 Perhaps thou shalt say, The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance, that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just. 31 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this, the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done, he perisheth for ever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. 32 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same being, even God, for all the substance which we have; for both food, and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? 33 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. 34 And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? 35 Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped, that ye could not find utterance, so exceeding great was your joy. 36 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives, and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how had ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have, one to another? 37 And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance, that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation, for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you, but to God, to whom also, your life belongeth; And now, in the words of Alma, I leave you this final passage of scripture to meditate on. 1908 Book of Mormon (RLDS) (Alma 3:96) Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them?
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