 Okay. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to BC 106, interpreting scripture. We're going to take a moment just to pray together and we will get started. May I request somebody to please pray with a class and we can start. Anybody can pray? Okay. Anitha, would you like to please pray? Yes, Pastor. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, Lord. Thank you for this morning, Lord. As we come before you, Lord, this morning, as we are learning from your word, Lord, help us to understand from your word, Lord. As we are learning interpreting scripture, Lord, help us to understand, Lord, how to interpret your scripture, Lord. I would like to give each one of us into your hand, Lord. I will ask you, Pastor, into your hand, Lord. Help us understand Holy Spirit guide us, Lord. In Jesus' name, we pray, Lord. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Okay. So in our journey so far in learning the various rules or guidelines to interpret scripture, last week we were looking or we spent some time looking at interpreting the Old Testament that is contained in the New Testament. How do we do it? So we looked at a couple of examples, two examples of passages. So a statement we made last week, which I like very much. I don't know who came up with this, but they said the New is in the Old Concealed and the Old is in the New Revealed. So the New Testament and the Old Testament are, you know, very, you would say, tightly integrated, you know, because the New is contained in the Old. The Old is explained in the New. So when we read the Old, we can look for glimpses of the New. When we read the New Testament, we can look for the further understanding or explanation of the Old Testament. So very tightly connected. But we give some examples of how we interpret. You know, when the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament, we have to look at the context. We have to look at what was stated originally and then we need to look at what is further amplified in the New in that same context. Then after that, so we spent quite a bit of time, we looked at two passages, spent time on that. Then we went into the next chapter, which was just some guidelines and application. Basically, we're getting ready to go to the final chapters, which is we had addressed some difficult passages and we tried to apply all the rules that we learned. We tried to apply those rules to understanding or interpreting difficult passages. But before we go into that final chapter, we started just sharing some thoughts on applying God's word. I will share the notes with you. I just need to get a little final touch up and then I'll share the notes with you. I'll put it on the class and the coursework section. So some thoughts on applying God's word. So what we said last week was we have to interpret correctly, which is important, but we also need to apply it correctly. Now both are connected. Only if you interpret it correctly can you apply it correctly. And we started looking at some examples where we said if somebody can read the Bible, of course, you're reading scripture. And if they misinterpret it, or if they misapply it, apply it to wrongly, it can either lead people into unnecessary travel, or sometimes it could be very devastating. So we're giving some guidelines on how to apply the word of God into our lives. So first we said the application must be built on what else does the Bible speak about that subject? Interpret the whole thing. So example, we talked about Luke 14, Jesus said, if a man doesn't hate his father and mother and wife and children and take up his cross and follow him, he cannot be my disciple. That's Luke 14, 26, 27. Well, somebody can take that scripture and tell their family, their wife and children, take care of yourselves. I'm following Jesus and abandon them. Is that the right thing to do? No. Why? Because, well, you have to read what else the Bible says. The Bible tells us to be responsible for our family and to care for our spouse and to care for our children. So that is also in the Bible. So we can't just take Luke 14, 26, 27 independently and just go with it. No. Look at everything. What does the New Testament teach on that and you have to follow it? Second thing in learning how to apply the Bible correctly is understand progressive revelation. Understand progressive. That means over time, God has either expanded the understanding of truths or maybe even revised it. So we have to live by present truth. Is that a second Peter chapter one verse 12 is what we said, live by present truth. So we used Sabbath as an example. Yeah, Sabbath is there right from Genesis chapter one or chapter two when it says God himself rested on the seventh day. And so the Sabbath was introduced as a day of rest. It is part of the Ten Commandments. But then when you come into the New Testament, Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, meaning saying man is more important than that day. And then the New Testament teaches us, you know, nobody can judge us based on the Sabbath. Then we know that people started meeting on the first day of the week and nowadays in different parts of the world, people observe their rest day of rest on different days of the week, some on Tuesdays, some on Fridays. So it has moved from a particular day, which in the beginning was the seventh day, to a day of the week that you just take to worship God, whatever day it is, whether it's a Sunday or a Tuesday or a Friday, that's up to you. But the principle is there, but we are not bound to a day. So progressive truth or present truth, that's the New Testament. The New Testament says you make the decision when you are going to worship God. So that's the second guideline. So otherwise we can become very harsh with people. So you have to do it only on the seventh day. And we forget that the New Testament is teaching us something more about that day of rest and the day of worship towards God. The third thing that we just, the guideline that we just started talking about in applying the word of God correctly is stay with what is well understood. Right? Stay with what is well understood. Don't let obscure, you know, maybe I'll just share my screen so you could also see this. I haven't converted into a PDF yet, but it might be useful to see what I'm talking about. Yeah. Yeah. So this is the Word document. I'll save it as a PDF and give it to you. So we said build application on interpretation, which is apply the word in the whole context. Stay with present truth. And right now I'm talking about the stay with the well understood. Right? So don't let obscure and difficult passages override the clear and the obvious. Right? So, you know, one example is in the book of Job, you know, and a lot of people have these kinds of questions. They say, well, you see, you know, God removed that hedge of protection from Job. So Job suffered so much. And so everybody's pointing to Job and see how, you know, what the devil did and all of that. And God didn't prevent the devil from, prevent Satan from attacking Job in such a way. And then they translate that into New Testament believers. Well, first of all, we are not Job. You know, and we're not living in Job's time. We are living in New Testament time on the other side of the cross. A lot has happened since the time of Job. A lot has changed. A lot of things have changed spiritually since the time of Job. Jesus Christ has come. He has defeated Satan on the cross. He has disarmed Satan. And we have been lifted into a place of domain and authority. So we can't take what happened to Job and just put that on the New Testament believer. No. And we may not understand everything that happened with Job. But don't let that keep you from living or applying the truth that is so clear in the New Testament. The New Testament is very clear that we are in Christ and God always causes us a triumph in Christ. And God has given us the armor by which we can protect ourselves and we can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And so, you know, those that that truth is very clear. So we don't take some things that we don't understand about Job and put it on the New Testament believer. No, no. What do we know very clearly in the New Testament? Live by that. Apply that to the life of the believer. Right? Another very important thing. I'm moving to the next point. So we covered till that last week. Number four, very important is ultimately, ultimately, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is the truth. He is the truth. Oops. Right? He is the eternal word. That means God who is referred to as the word, who became the incarnate word. That means he was the word in flesh. And he is absolute truth. Truth. Jesus. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth. So he is the truth. That means everything that you see in Jesus is absolute truth. Whatever he said, whatever he did, that is truth. Whatever he said, whatever he did, that is truth. So all interpretation of scripture, all revelation of scripture must be aligned to what he said and what he did because he is truth. He is the word who became flesh. That means I cannot interpret anything in the Bible and contradict Jesus. I cannot because Jesus is truth. I cannot come up with some teaching in the Bible that contradicts Jesus. He is the eternal word who became the incarnate word. Whatever I see in him, that is truth. So everything else must be aligned to what he said and did. So example, and we can think of many examples, but think of Jesus and how he dealt with sinners. How he dealt with sinful people. The Bible says he sat and ate with the publicans and sinners. The Bible says he even went to the house of the tax collector. So now the tax collectors in those days were very corrupt people financially. That means they would always collect more money than they're supposed to collect and all those financially they were very corrupt. So but he even went to the house of the tax collector. He even let a woman who many said was a prostitute touch him and wipe his feet and then they brought the woman caught in adultery. He didn't condemn her. He said, woman, I don't condemn you. Go and sin no more. So you look at Jesus. How he dealt with sinful people. Did he reject sinful people or did he welcome sinful people? Well, he welcomed them. Yes, they were, you know, each one had their own problems, but he didn't despise them. He loved them. He welcomed them. Now that so when you think, oh, what should I do with people who how should I as a believer relate to people who, you know, are sinners who, you know, in the world, well, whom should I follow? I should follow Jesus. How did Jesus treat them? He loved them. He didn't reject them. He didn't chase them away. He loved them. He sat with them. He mingled with them. But he didn't let their sin influence him. Of course. Right. So what am I saying? Well, we should love sinners. We should relate to them. Of course, we're not going to let their sin influence us. And neither are we going to learn their ways, but they need to know and experience God's love through us. Just one more, one more point and then I will, I know somebody raised their hands. I'll take it. Another aspect if you want to look at Jesus is how did he, how did he relate to people who are sick and troubled with demon spirits? He is the model we have to follow when we minister to the sick and those oppressed. Jesus never told any sick person. God has made you sick. The Father has made you sick. He never said that. Jesus never told any sick person. It is God's will for you to be sick. He never said that. He never said to any sick person, God has made you sick to teach you a spiritual lesson. He never said that. Not even once. He never told any sick person, wait for God's perfect timing to heal you. Till then you have to be sick. He never said that to anybody. But these are the kinds, these wrong things are the things that today many people are speaking. But Jesus never said any of that. The Bible always says that everyone who came to Jesus in faith received their healing. He healed all who were sick. So that is truth. That is the will of God. That is what God desires and that is what we have to preach and teach. So all theology, that means all our understanding about God must come from the person of Christ and it should be perfectly aligned to him because he is the truth. If anything is different from what we see in Jesus, then we have to reject what is different and accept what we see in Jesus Christ because he is the Word who became flesh. So let me pause here and I'll take up any questions that are there in the... Isaac, you have a question please. Go ahead. Did you have a question? Okay, I'm not sure. Anybody else have a question? All right, so maybe it was a mistake. I'm not sure. All right, so I'm going to continue. I'll just continue. All right, so everyone's with me so far. Yeah, so what we see in Jesus is so important, especially when it comes to how Jesus dealt with sinners, how Jesus dealt with the sick, follow the example of Jesus. You know, he healed the sick. He healed all who came to him in faith. Jesus also spent a lot of time teaching the Word of God. So he didn't just lay hands on people and heal them. No, he taught them the Word. So people came to hear and to be healed. So he spoke the Word to them. He let the Word, let them listen to the teaching and so obviously the things he must have said to them, encouraged their faith and he then ministered to them and they were healed. So that's the example we have to follow in the person of Jesus Christ. Okay, what are the other things that we can learn in terms of correctly interpreting the Word of God? Let me just go back to sharing that word and document. Right, number five. So we want to be relevant, be relevant to present-day readers or hearers and then connect with the original audience. So we know that times have changed, culture and all those things have changed but we are still human beings and so there is that connect that we have through time even in our life experiences and so you can connect. The application is made relevant to today's audience, to today's people of course, but you can connect back in life experience to people across time. We all go through challenges, we all face the same temptations. So we all feel, we all have the same kind of emotions, whether you're depressed or angry or fearful, hey, through time people feel the same way. That hasn't changed. So you can apply the Word of God to those kinds of things, it's all the same. And the culture and the place has changed but there's so much in common that we share in life's experiences. Number six. So this kind of connected to this progressive revelation is understand God's working in various ages and different ages. That means what is God doing today? Where are we in the unfolding of God's purpose today? So we are in the church age and in our day and time God is anointing everybody, every believer with the Holy Spirit and God is working through everyone and in our age, in the age we are living in, he wants to equip every saint, every believer for the work of the ministry, so that we can all build up a work for the edifying of the body of Christ. And that's the time in which we are living. So this aspect of equipping every believer for the work of the ministry was very different from the Old Testament. That idea was not even there in the Old Testament. It was only the Prophet, Priest and King who were anointed by God to serve God. But here we are in the New Testament in the church age where every believer is part of the body of Christ and is given a role and a function and is empowered by the Holy Spirit. And we are in the age where the gifts of the Holy Spirit are being given to every believer. And so this is the age in which we are living. So in our application of the Word of God keep those things in mind. So we shouldn't go and tell somebody, oh, God will only work through the people who are in full-time ministry or dedicated themselves to full-time ministry. And God will never work through somebody who is a professional, those kind of things. No. Understand the time in which we are living and they interpret the scripture with that in mind. Number seven, determine what is God's normal way of working for today. So how is God working in our day, in our time? What are the things God is doing? So apply the scriptures to the way in which God is moving, in the way in which God is working. For example, this is an example. Suppose you're ministering today and you could be ministering online. So right now I'm speaking to you online. There are people in the class who are from different parts of the world. We're all actually on different continents. Some are here in Asia, some are in Africa, and there are some of other classes. We've got people from so many different parts of the world. Anyway, suppose somebody said, well, you cannot teach online because nobody in the Bible taught online, or you cannot pray for people over the phone because nobody in the Bible did that. There is no example in the Bible of praying for somebody over the phone. So this is kind of something that you run into. People say, show me where that is in the Bible. Where is that in the Bible? Nobody, of course, in the Bible, nobody would have had mobile phones. So that question, that argument, show me where that is in the Bible, that kind of an argument or that kind of a question, it has its place, but it cannot be used in every situation because why? We are in a time that is very different from Bible times. So nobody in the Bible prayed over the Bible, prayed over the phone and got healed. But can God do that today? Of course, He can. We've seen people being filled with the Holy Spirit when we prayed for them over the phone. We've seen demons cast out, ministering over the phone. We've seen people healed, ministering over the phone. We've seen houses delivered over the phone. Somebody said show me where that is in the Bible. Sorry, it's not in the Bible, but that is God's way of working today. He's just using a tool. God is God. So what are we saying? We take Bible truth and we apply it to today's situations. You will not have a precedent for every scenario in the Bible. You won't because times are different, but the truth of who God is, God is God. He's greater than the method. He's greater than the tools. In the Bible, He used a rod. Today, He will use some other tool, some other instrument that He wants to use. God is God. But if somebody comes and says show me where that is in the Bible, sorry, we cannot show you because times have changed. So they will use that to argue against certain things. You shouldn't pray for people on the phone or on the TV or on the internet and all these things. They will use to argue, but really it's a foolish argument because they are not applying Bible truth to the ways in which God works today. So when we apply Bible truth, we must take the truth of the Bible, but at the same time be open to the ways in which God is working today. God cannot be put in a little box. Sometimes I say this, but it has to be understood correctly. I say this, God is bigger than the book he wrote. God is bigger than the book he wrote. So it has to be understood correctly, of course. What am I saying? That this book doesn't have everything that God, every possible way God is going to work. No, it has ways in which God has worked in that time, but that doesn't confine God, that doesn't limit God. God is bigger. So in our day, in our time, God will be using the tools that are available to us. He still heals when he can use different tools and methods. Right? So keep that in mind as you're applying the word of God to yourself or to people that you are teaching. Last few points before we finish this chapter, let me just share again the Word document. So determine God's way of normal way of working. Okay. See the principle that is in the text. So what is the principle? It's the generalised statement of truth that can be applied to different or through different or similar situations. Right? So see the principle that is in the text. Right? So let's take one example. The issue of tithing. There are people who fight about this, meaning they say, well, New Testament believers do not need to tithe. That means to give 10% of whatever their income is. They say, well, tithing is something only in the Old Testament. New Testament, we don't need to tithe. The New Testament is in command believers to tithe. So they fight about it. How should we think about tithing? Well, we must try to understand what is the principle behind tithing? So what is the principle behind tithing? So if you go back in the Old Testament and look at it when it happened, well, I'm just giving a quick summary here. This is not a complete teaching on tithing, but I'm just using this as an example where it's important to understand the principle. So if you go back in the Old Testament, the first person that we record who tithed was Abraham. So Abraham went to battle. He conquered his the enemy. He came back from battle. He met a high priest of God Melchizedek and the Bible says Abraham tithed. He gave him a tenth. Now think about this. Some those who argue against tithing, they say tithing was a law, was part of the law. But here's a clear example. Abraham, during Abraham's time, the law was not in effect yet. So Abraham was not tithing because of the law. He tithed because he felt he was led by God to do it. He felt that was the right thing to do, that he would give to God one tenth of the all the things that he had gained. And obviously to give to God means he felt he gives it to Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God. So who was going to use it? It was not going to be sent to heaven. Melchizedek, the priest, was going to use it to just to be blessed and take care of himself, the priest of the Most High God. Or we also find Jacob who promised God, he said, God, if you bring me back to, when he was going through the problem, he made a promise to God, if you bring me back, I will give you a tenth of everything. So again, Jacob was before the law and he promised to give to God a tenth of whatever he gained, which he did. So we see people giving God a tenth even before the law. Why did they do it? They gave it as an act of worship. They gave it as an act of giving thanks to God. They were not being compelled by the law to tithe. They were doing it as an act of worship. So that's the first principle. Tithe was given as an act of worship. Did Melchizedek need the tithe? He didn't even need it. He was king of Salem. He was a king, but Abraham gave as an act of worship. Jacob promised to give as an act of worship. So what's the principle behind tithing? It's an act of worship. It was there before the law. So if it was there before the law and we are outside the law, why can't we tithe? And how about tithing? Tithing is only a 10%. I feel we should give more than the tithe as an act of worship. So don't fight about the tithe. Give more than the tithe because it is your act of worship. Secondly, when you come to the time of Moses, and that's when God gave tithing as part of the law of Moses, and he told Moses, you tell the people, you read about the Sinjichromes after 26, 27, that when you come into the land, you bring a tithe. The tithe is holy to the Lord. So it became a part of the law that whatever is holy, whatever, the tenth of everything, the tenth of the land, that is the produce of the land, the tenth of the fruit trees, the tenth of the flock, they would give to God. So it became part of the law of Moses and then the tithe would be brought into the storehouse. That means it will be brought to the temple or the or the tabernacle, the priests. And now we see something more. Not only was the tithe as an act of worship, which you, which it was, and you'll read about that in Deuteronomy 26, that in 26, Deuteronomy 26, when you come to worship God, you bring your tithe. Not only was the tithe as an act of worship, but you see an extension. It became a means to support the people who were serving in the tabernacle, because the priests and the Levites, they didn't have jobs outside in this, they didn't go farming and taking care of animals. They were serving in the temple. So obviously they needed to have a means of sustenance. So the tithe became that it became the means of sustenance. Not only was it an act of worship from people to God, an act of honoring God, but it was also an act, way of supporting the work that was taking place. So you see that. That's why God says, you bring the tithe into the storehouse so that there can be food in my house. And then in return for that, God said, I will open for you the windows when I'll pour you all this blessing. It's Malachi chapter three. So if you look at the Old Testament, you see this. It's an act of worship. It is a way to support the people who were serving God. Nothing wrong on it. So now that's the principle. That's the principle we must see. So now when you come into the New Testament, what do we see? Well, first of all, we see Jesus in Matthew chapter 23, verse 23. He tells the people. He says, you know, you should have kept, you know, you should done mercy and justice and all of that. And also given your tithe. So Jesus didn't say, don't keep your tithe. He said, do the most important things first, which is mercy and justice and also give your tithe. So Jesus said that. Then when you come to Hebrews chapter seven, the writer of Hebrews is explaining. He says, you know, you look how Abraham gave tithes. So he's using the same reasoning. Abraham gave tithes. And then it's as good as Levi. That is the priesthood giving tithes. Abraham giving tithes. And the priesthood receiving tithes. And then he says, Jesus receives tithes. Jesus in Melchizedek. So in Melchizedek, it's a type. Melchizedek is a type of Christ. So Christ receives our tithes. We are Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek. We are descendants of Abraham. Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. So we, descendants of Abraham, are giving our tithes to Christ. Hebrew seven. So two things. In the New Testament, do New Testament believers worship God? Yes. Do New Testament ministers need to receive sustenance? Yes. So the principle is applicable. So that's why we believe that we should tithe and maybe give more than our tithe, tithes and offerings we give to the work of God. Right? So I'm just giving this as an example where when you start looking at the subject of tithing, it's not just the practice of, oh, I do my calculation one-tenth. It's not about that. What is the principle behind it? Look at the principle. And that's what we are following. It's an act of worship and its purpose is to support the work of the ministry. Okay? And number nine, let me finish this before we go for a break. Think of the Allante questions. Think of the principle as a bridge to application. So if you understand the principle of tithing or behind tithing, then comes the application. So in the application, people will have questions. A lot of questions. Should I give my tithe to my local church? Can I give my tithe anywhere? All those kinds of questions people have. So that is where if you understand the principle, then you can apply it correctly. So I give, when people ask me, should I give my tithe to the local, my local church? Or can I break up my tithe and give it to 10 different places? Well, I tell them this. See, first of all, you need to do what's in your heart. But if you ask me practically, your tithe must go to your local church. Why? Because the people in the local church are the ones who are ministering to you, just like how, you know, the priest was taking care of the things in the temple. And so the tithe was given there. So in that way, so they are serving you. So you are supporting them. You're supporting the work that's being done in your local church and through your local church, of course, is blessing many others. Now, but I will not judge somebody if they say, I am dividing my tithe and giving it to 10 different places. Well, if that's in your heart, it's between you and God. If you're at peace with it, do it. Because ultimately, it's going into the kingdom of God, right? So, so practically, I would, you know, I would tell people, yeah, you give your tithe to your local church because you're part of that church and the work of the ministry is taking place there. You give it there. But if somebody says, no, I want to divide it in and give it to 10 different men, okay, that's in your heart. Do it. You're answering to God. And even if you give it to 10 churches, these 10 churches are still part of God's kingdom. So, you know, it's still in the kingdom. So, I wouldn't argue with them. I wouldn't force them any other way. But if they ask me the application, where should I tie it? Is it okay to divide it and give it? I would give them this understanding, right? Understand the principle. Now, how somebody is going to apply the principle? They pray, let the Lord lead them. And I'm not going to judge them about it. I can teach them the principle. What is behind the tithe? Why are we tithing? The application, may the Lord lead them, may the Holy Spirit lead them, you know, so we give them the freedom to decide. But if you ask me, this is what I will tell you, but that is not a rule. It is only my understanding of the principle of tithing, right? So, we give people freedom there. You know, you do what God leads you to do, but the correct way in my understanding is this. Leave it at that. Okay. So, here you see how in applying the word of God, you understand the principle, then that principle, how you apply it, you can share it, but don't make it a law, right? Because God may put something different in somebody's heart and so, let them have the freedom to follow God. That's more important, right? Apply the principle, but ultimately, follow God, right? And so, you can think of specific ways to respond to the word and most important, depend on the Holy Spirit in applying the word. So, let me stop here, let me see if there are any questions and so far, any questions? Let me see. Any questions? Is everybody with me so far? You're all okay? Any questions on things we've talked about so far? All okay? Okay. Any questions? Lyndon, Anitha, Isaac, Aradhana, Lessing, Rosalind? Any questions? Nicholson? No questions, Pa. Again, again. Jafira, Leah, Lama, Lubega, Collins, Brother Manohar, Nicholson, Paul, Silvish, Sid, Kanu, Silatoli. Any questions? Are you all clear? Pastor, can I just, but I just, I've read in a few books and things where people, I don't know the exact term they use, but they say that tithers, blessing or something like that, where they say that since you tried, you can ask God, like you say, to the extent of they say, because we tithe and give not only our money, but our time and everything, you kind of, they almost hold God accountable. They say, like, you know what we've done up at our blessings, you have to bless us accordingly and everything that's mentioned in the new covenant. Is that a right way of looking at it or is that a wrong way of looking at it? See, the thing is this, we know God's promise in Malachi chapter 3. Even in Deuteronomy 26, also in Malachi 3, there is the blessing of tithing. God says, you bring the tithe, I will bless you, I will open the windows of heaven, I will pour out on you such blessing, you won't have room enough to receive it, and he will rebuke the devourer for our sakes and all that. So it is there in the Bible. But we must understand that tithing is not the only thing God has told us to do. So I must tithe because it's an act of worship and I am supporting the work of, I'm giving to the work of God, I understand. And yes, God has promised to bless me if I tithe. But he has also told me other things to do. Example, he has told me to love people. He has told me to walk with wisdom. He has, you know, there's so many other things. So I can't just tithe and sit down and say, okay, I tithe so everything else, the blessing has to come. Well, what if I am not, you know, I'm hating my brother? I may be a tither, but if I'm having hate in my heart towards somebody, what has happened? Hate is a sin. Hate is a Bible, first John says hate is, he who hates his brother is a murderer. So I am tithing, but I'm hating my brother. Is God happy with that? No. And my hate could actually stop the blessings of God. You know, I'm just giving one example, right? So the answer to the question is tithing is only one of the commandments or instructions God has given to us in his word. We need to live by the full counsel of God. And just because I tithe doesn't mean I can, you know, I cannot follow or ignore the other instructions of God. I have to follow the instructions to live in obedience to whatever I know God has taught and I should follow that. And that positions us to receive the blessings, because if a person is tithing and hating somebody, that hate can stop the blessings of God. And he'd be wondering why I'm not getting the blessings, why are things not happening, why am I in trouble because of this? Thank you, Pastor. Paul, you have a question your hand is raised. Yes, Pastor. I have two questions. The first one, one pastor told us that when you get the tithe, when you get money, before you spend it, you should first pay the tithe. Once you get the money and you first use, maybe it is your salary and you first pay certain bills and then you pay tithe later that one is wrong. And then number two is the issue of loan. When I get a loan, should I tithe it? Is a loan an income? I get confused when I get a loan whether to tithe it or not. Thank you. Okay, good questions. These are all the practical applications of principle, right? So we will quickly answer that and go for a break. Paul, you have another question? No, no. Okay, yeah, no problem. So the answer to the question is, you see, God said, bring your tithe. So when you receive an amount of money, whether, you know, you're going to give one tenth of that money. Now, whether you pay the bills first or you're setting that money aside. So example, suppose you receive the money on, I'm just giving an example. Suppose you receive the money on Tuesday. Now, on Wednesday, you have to pay, you know, you keep that 10% aside or whatever amount you want to give. Now, Wednesday, you have to pay a bill or Wednesday, you have to pay your rent. You pay your rent on Wednesday because, you know, you have to keep that commitment. Now, the tithe, the coming Sunday is when you will, you know, most likely go and put, give your tithe in the house of God, unless you're doing it online or whatever. But, you know, so let's say on Sunday, you give your tithe. You haven't sinned. You haven't done anything wrong. You know, just because on Wednesday, you paid the rent or paid some bills or whatever, you haven't done anything. You have given, you've been faithful to give your tithes and offerings to God. So perfectly fine. There is nothing in the Bible like, you know, this, it has to be in this specific order. All he's God said was bring the tithes into my house, bring it to the work of God's kingdom. So that's, that's how I would apply the principle of tithing. It doesn't matter which order or which day of the week you're giving it to God. And nowadays we do it online. So, you know, because that's easier. And so it happens automatically, you know, it goes. Now the other thing is, when you have an income, for example, when you're taken a loan, a loan is not an income, because it is not something you've earned. It is not an income. It is, it's actually an obligation, right? That means you're going to repay the loan. It's going to go back in full to, you know, whoever you took the loan from, if it's a bank or whatever. And not only is it going to go back in full, it's going to go, most likely it's going to go back more with interest. So you, you don't have to tide of the loan because it's not an income. Right? It's very clear. So if you look at the tide, the whole detail, if you go into the details of the tide, basically he said, from the produce of your land, from the fruit of the trees, or from the flock, that means the increase of your flock. So as your flock multiplies, that means in those days, that's the, that was their income. Tenth, out of every increase you give. So if there are 10 new sheep, you give one new sheep. That's the income, right? But a loan is not that. So the application, my understanding would be, or my answer to you would be, you don't have to tide up the loan because that is going to be given back. Is that okay? It's okay, Pastor. Okay. All right. So let's go for a break. I know we went over a little bit. We will come back in 10 minutes and we will continue. Thank you.