Seed harvest beliefs, I want your opinion please?

Question

A couple of weeks ago i got some junk in the mail from a church in Oklahoma called Saint Matthews telling me they were told by God that I was having spiritualist issues, they said they would pray for me if I replied to them. The strange thing is I've been having a lot of doubts about who I am and what I believe, so i filled out their card and mailed it back to them, since that time I have received about 6 letters from them wanting me to Tithe them but Titheing was one of the Issues I had with the Catholic church in my past! Has anyone heard of these people or is it just another scam?

Answer 1

This is how they get money. Everything they said isn't 'untrue', but when someone goes looking for you and has you on a mail-list, it is just to GET YOUR MONEY!!
Something you said? May I comment?
Tithing is as old as the Garden of Eden. God had a tree in the middle that was ALL HIS. When God instituted literal tithing, it was so HE could get an inroad into your life.., the very HEART of your life, so He could BLESS THE REST OF YOUR STUFF!
If you give Him back 10% off the TOP, He will make the other 90% go even further and He rebukes the devourer and all your "stuff" is blessed and that's just the way it is. The truth is, it's ALL His anyway..., He wants you to have it, but there is another system at work in this world and it is "taking and stealing and killing and devouring system" and He's only trying to get you to let Him into your portion.
I NEVER was taught to tithe in my life and I always had financial problems..., ALWAYS, until... l learned what tithing is all about. It is my 1st to GOD through a ministry or charity; like "starving children", but definitely in God's hands. I am NOT giving it to a preacher like some people say.., if the church misuses my tithe, THEY answer to God for it. I give it to God with GRATITUDE. HE is faithful to supply all my needs then. Of course I choose not to be stupid with my money.
THEN, every thing I sow as seed above and beyond the tithe is the way I INCREASE. I increase ONLY by sowing seed money and again, it must be into the poor or a ministry that honors God..., you can name the money seed any harvest you want to. It CAN be money in return, but it can also be a new job, a new car, healing, etc. I know there is lots of people who are offended with this but this is exactly what the New Testament teaches regarding seedtime and harvest. You can't reap a harvest when you have not planted one unless you are a thief. Read Galatians 6:7. Every business in the world knows you have to invest in your prodict or service to have an income but folks truly don't want the church to do it.
Anyway, the point is: I RECEIVE BACK FROM WHAT I SOW..., not what someone gives you. I don't reap from YOUR SOWING. I REAP from MY SOWING.., that's the way it works. I may want beans and tomatoes, but I don't get them from your garden. I get them from my planting the seeds in my garden and then harvesting them. SEE?
I can beg beans and tomatoes from people who have them over and over again; but God says, "Man reaps whatsoever HE sows" Plant what you want with SEED and the harvest from your seed WILL RETURN TO YOU.
This ministry who contacted you.., or any other, may be legitimate, but they need to sow $$ if they need $$. Money is the only monetary exchange I know of that can be named as a different harvest. Like you can't sow "time and help" and get anything but "time and help". If you sow $$ you can name that seed anything you want it to be as a harvest. And you have to water the initial seed sown.
Hope you begin to understand tithing and sowing seed. It's to your benefit to learn it. God doesn't need your $$, but you surely need Him in your finances.
God has prospered us abundantly and you just can't figure it out on paper the way it will come around.

Answer 2

Sounds like another scam, you can not be saved by throwing money at it or your spiritual self, you seem like a pretty smart person and i am pretty sure you have already come up with this answer on your own. If you want to look into religion search the web. you'll find mostly christian and catholic stuff but really delve into it. Think of specific things to search, like if you want an earth based religion then search that. But, always remember to do what you think is right, if you are catholic and you do love the religion but not all of it then search for a church near you that might not be what your last one was, or hell, if you want to go toward a magickal religion try Voodoo (many different spellings for the word). They do believe in God and the Devil but a lot more then that and they are very spiritual. Just thought i would try to help.
Good luck and brightest blessings.

Answer 3

The Catholic Church should never ask you to tithe, or send random stuff in the mail this is a scam

Answer 4

They're all scams, especially where money's concerned. Unfortunately, by replying, you may be targeted even more as they know you are gullible. Report it to your bank and the authorities a.s.a.p. to protect yourself & others. These chain letters were made illegal in some places before email, whether they were scamming for money or just trying to 'scare' people in some aspect.

If you want to donate money to a church, do it in person; at least that way you can see the place exists and how the money's spent.

Good luck :-)

Answer 5

It is true that you should present ten percent of your income to the Lord but I am of the firm belief that it should go to your local church. Your local fellowship is the one you turn to for prayer and help and in giving to them, you will see how it is being used...there are way too many scams through the mail, so if you are not familiar with the people that run this Church (like you can be with the 700 club, for instance) I wouldn't give them any of my hard earned money.

Answer 6

This sounds as though it's part of the Word of Faith stuff. Basically, they say that if one pays them (or their "ministry") X amount of money, then God will bless them ten or more fold. The ones I've seen on TV focus on material wealth and posessions. Great. So I might have a new 2008 Mercedes (assuming the 2008s are even available). What good is that thing going to do me if I die?

Yes, I believe that all that I have, inculding my husband and our baby who will not be born until September (unless she gets restless) are blessings from God. However, God did not give me any of this because I paid money to a church or "ministry" or with a scrap of cloth, or with supposed "holy water" from the Holy Land. (These shows are on in the middle of the night. I spent many nights in my early pregnancy awake and watching TV.) I was blessed because I have faith and I live that faith. And, my husband being a seminary student persuing his Maser's of Divinity Degree or my father being a pastor does not give me any more pull with God than any other human being on earth. We believe that God saves and blesses through grace. With happiness, we respond to that grace by wanting to do good things for him. I volunteer at church or put some money in the offering plate not because I think that if I do, God will bless me more, but because I'm thankful for what God has given me and I want to share it with others. I consider things like helping out with homeless ministries or sharing extra food or clothing (even if I got it for free) with others who may not have the blessed resources I do offering as well. To me, it's not just about putting money in the plate. Anybody can do that.

(My thinking comes from Lutheran theology. I was raised in the Lutheran church and my husband is studying to become a pastor in the Lutheran church as well. www.elca.org www.lcms.org I am a member of the ELCA.)

Anyway, I hope this helps. There is some decent information if you do a search for "word of faith" and "prosperity gospel" and "prosperity preaching" and "prosperity teaching". I found this http://www.askthebible.com/prosper.htm with the last search. That seems to sum up just as well as other sites I've seen.

God knows you have trouble. Everybody does. You can talk to God about it without giving any money to anybody. Go to God with a sincere heart. That's what matters.

I hope my rambling has helped and that I didn't sound too preachy.

Answer 7

They are a scam. Tithing protects one from the curse of poverty, so find a local Church you believe in and get involved and support it...

Answer 8

I went to their website. Their links don't work and it looks very cheesy
my guess is "scam"

If you have questions, why not read the scripture and ask God. Find an evangelical church near you and speak to the pastor or an elder.

blessings :)

Answer 9

It's a scam. They send out these letters to everyone they can get an address for (and they're very inventive about finding addresses) hoping to find someone who's sucker enough to send them money.

Answer 10

Scam. Pass it on to the States Attorney.