Endless Blessings of God in Times of Recession
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February 22, 2009 |
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Many people say we are in even more difficult times than during the IMF financial crisis in 1998. Dozens of small or middle size companies are shutting doors every day. Many people are losing jobs even today. Prices have soared and it has made consumers cut back on their spending. But God promises in Deuteronomy 28 that we will be blessed when we come in and when we go out and will not borrow but lend if we observe basic rules of believers including whole tithe, keeping the Sabbath and living by the word of God. Let us meet people who experienced blessings from God after giving tithes in these times of difficulty.
 God Blessed Me with a Promotion!
Elder Cho has been faithfully serving the church as a member of the Financial Committee, Vice President of Financial Companies' Mission, and Vice President of 3-1 Men's Mission. He is 50 years old and belongs to the 14-1 Parish, Manmin Central Church, Seoul, Korea. He works at the Industrial Bank of Korea. On January 22, he was promoted from a 4th level position to the 3rd level position.
One day last November he gave God the whole tithe. He had not given it properly until that time. Ten years ago he got a loan and from the month following he started to repay it, but ever since that time he had felt troubled in not having given the tithe for that loan. He asked Senior Pastor Dr Jaerock Lee what he should do. He answered, "Giving the tithe first of all by faith is a priority in any circumstances."
In December, unexpectedly, Senior Pastor prayed, saying "Let the impossible be possible and the possible even better. And give him the blessing of promotion." It was no more than a month before he received the answer.
"Mr. Cho! You've got promoted! Congratulations!"
When he tried to be perfect before God as an elder, he could experience the love of God who made him realize what His will is and what his mistake is and gave him blessing.
 Blessing Came upon a Chinese Restaurant Named "The Great Wall of China"
Deaconess Oksun Yu is running a small Chinese restaurant named "The Great Wall of China" in Sindaebangdong, Donjak Gu, Seoul.
After she lost her husband in 1992, she lived in despair and sadness and even suffered from works of demons. In 2000, she was led to Manmin Church and two years later shed attended the 2002 India Miracle Healing Prayer Festival on the Internet. When the speaker, Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee prayed for the sick, forces of darkness left her and she regained her health.
She came to Korea in May 2003. She moved from restaurant to restaurant to earn her living and at one of these restaurants she met her husband. He was working in the kitchen and listening to hymn songs. They married and opened a Chinese restaurant called "The Great Wall of China" in May 2008. She put all her sincerity even into preparing a bowl of noodles called 'Jajangmyeon' and she served her customers with a smiling face. She has installed a GGN receiver in her restaurant and spread the holiness gospel.
But she couldn't give her whole tithe. Because she considered her husband's amount of faith, she offered tithe irregularly and on Sunday she attended the Sunday morning service but opened her restaurant in the afternoon. But the business became worse. She fasted a few times for her restaurant and her husband's faith.
She said, "While Senior Pastor was preaching the message titled 'The Whole Tithe and Offerings' through Sunday morning service, I felt sorry before God because God had even allowed us to test him about the tithe, but I couldn't show faith. One day I said to my husband, 'Let us offer the whole tithe and see what happens', and my husband agreed with pleasure.
From January 1, 2009 they separated the whole tithe from their gross income. The change had come much faster than they expected. From the very next day they had twice as many customers as they previously had. She reported, "Each day we count the income and customers. Previously 30 customers visited our restaurant but the number increased to 70. The blessing is still going on." She and her husband looked very happy during their testimony.
In Malachi 3:10 is recorded, "'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,' says the LORD of hosts, 'if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows'".
God has promised us that He opens the windows of heaven for us and pours out for us a blessing until it overflows if we give the whole tithe, and He has allowed us to test this. Deaconess Yu and her husband realized the love of God who wants to give blessings to His children, and it improved their faith.
 "In the Ten Years of My Faith, I Have Finally Found True Peace!"
Junghwan Kim (52, 31st Parish)
Although he had been busy working hard, his income always seemed to fall short. He wondered why his financial condition didn't get better despite hard work. Finally he thought to himself, "Does this have anything to do with offering tithe?"
His parish pastor had taught him many times that he should offer tithe to receive blessing. But, he had not given full tithes for 10 years. Sometimes he just gave thanksgiving offerings instead. In his heart he knew he had to do it and with the passing of time it became one of his prayer titles.
Meanwhile the message entitled "Whole Tithe and Offerings" started to be preached during Sunday morning service. It was not just by accident, but by the grace of God for him. Deeply moved by the sermons, he had an assurance of the command of the tithe and began to offer whole tithe each week beginning the 2nd week of December. Then, a surprising thing happened to him.
He reported, "I hadn't received the payment for an interior I finished last mid-October. I visited and asked for the payment a few times a day, but couldn't receive it. On December 31, to my amazement, they sent the remaining money, 35 million Won, to my account. It was the 3rd week from the time that I had started to offer the whole tithe. This experience taught me a great lesson. I thought, 'This is a blessing caused by living by the word of God.' Most of all, I have peace in my heart that I have never had before."
Not only did he receive material blessing, but he received the smile back on his face. A farmer harvests what he has sown, but it is God who gave him water, sunlight, seeds to plant, and the health and wisdom to labor. Now he has realized the love of God. Though everything is His, He lets us keep nine tenths!
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Manmin News 
