The family of God here at Dowagiac Church of Christ wishes to extend to you a warm welcome. If you have questions about our worship services and why we do what we do, we will be glad to give you a biblical answer. The uniqueness of the Church of Christ is that we are trying to restore to the best of our ability those things that we see the first century Church doing. We are also working hard at building the spirit, unity, and love that Jesus taught and prayed for. We have no clergy, but are working together as equal co-workers trying to serve one another and the area in which we live. Come study with us, grow with us, and serve with us as we strive to do God's will in all things.


WOW!! LOOK AT THE BASEMENT. A week ago Saturday, a good percentage of the congregation worked on painting the basement. If you have not been down there in a while, you need to go look at what has been done. It is bright and cheerful and nearing completion. Our thanks to all of you who came and spent your Saturday getting that job done. The ceilings have been painted and while a few places need another coat, most of the walls have been completed. We have fixed the water problem, repaired the water damage, put in an escape window, redone the electrical system, and dressed up the rooms so all of them are now able to be used for class sessions. We need to install carpet and do some touch up, but before long our Children's Worship class should be able to start meeting downstairs. Thanks again to everyone who has donated time and energy to get our building as functional as possible.

LISTING OF THOSE IN NEED OF PRAYERS. Julie and Karl Marcussen have started preparing a sheet that we hope to make up each week that will have a list of people that we know who are in need of prayers. We hope that we will be able to keep it fairly current, and perhaps include addresses and situations that we want the congregation to be aware of. The blackboard in the front of the auditorium we will continue to use, but try to confine those listed to the immediate Dowagiac Church of Christ family. If you have a friend or associate you want to ask prayers for, give the information to Julie or Karl so it can be in the hands of all of us when we get home and we can send cards and notes to them and know what their situation is.

FIVE ESSENTIALS
2 TIMOTHY 1:12

I appreciate those of you who are putting questions in our question box in the lobby, because it helps in the preparation of our lessons, both from the pulpit, in class, and in this bulletin. The question of tithing is one that has been misunderstood by many people and has been used sometimes as a method of intimidation to raise funds. Nearly all ancient people practiced tithing and the Israelites were no exception. Tithing did not just involve giving a tenth of one's income. Leviticus 27:30-32 instructed that crops and herds were to be tithed. The Levites who administered the religious and civil law were supported by the tithe of the other tribes of Israel (Numbers 18:21ff). The methods of giving the tithe were very simple and straight forward. As Israel added bureaucracy to the system, the tithing became awkward and unfairly imposed

When Jesus came, the ancient Old Testament law was done away with. Jesus nailed the system to his cross (Colossians 2:13-15) including tithing. There was no longer a priestly tribe to be supported, and Romans 13:1-7 makes it clear that civil government was to be responsible for law and order, not the dictates of the religious leaders. What replaced the old system of tithing was a system that depended on the hearts of the people. We are told to give as we are prospered and we are told that the Lord loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). We are not to give because we are pressured into giving. The passage in Corinthians tells us we give as we "decided in our heart." How much you give is a good barometer of what your heart condition with the Lord is. That is something for you to know and no one else. If you cannot give cheerfully, then do not give. What we would hope is that the attitude which stops you from being able to give to others will change. The best things in life come when we learn how to give cheerfully. That is true of money, family, possessions, sex, friendship--all of life. In verse 6 of the passage in Corinthians we are told "whosoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly ... ." We are planting seeds now as spring gets closer, and how much seed you put out is directly related to what you will reap. That is common sense in gardening, and applies to life as well.

No, God does not require a tithe. What we would hope is that we would be able to do far more than a tithe later in life, but Christ freed us from the legalism of tithing.