Every Sunday is a Special Event at our Church!!, Our Top Ten Reasons for Giving

1. FIRST SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH of NORTH HOLLYWOOD (1-818-761-4800) NON-PROFIT ORG.
“The First Family” (www.fsbcnh.org) U.S. POSTAGE PAID
10853 Victory Boulevard PERMIT #660
North Hollywood, CA 91606-3826 VAN NUYS, CA
Address Service Requested
THE BAPTIST VISITOR
Paul D. Whetstone (Interim Senior Pastor) April 26, 2017 Charles Cutney (Minister of Encouragement)
Every Sunday is a
“Special Event” at our Church!!
We cordially invite you to come join with us for one or
more of these “Very Special Events”—Things like…
…1. Our 8:30AM Worship Service! (Warm-hearted praise and worship led by Rev.
Steve Green and then preaching by Pastor Charles.)
…2. Our 9:45-10:45AM Sunday School Classes! (Exciting, informative, Bible-
based classes for every age…)!
…3. Our 11:00AM Worship Service! (Lively praise and worship, and then preaching by
Pastor Paul.)
…5. Our 1:00PM “Spirit of Zion” Worship service! (Wonderful music, joyful
fellowship, and a message by Rev. E.V. Hill, Jr.)
…6. Our 4:00PM (Hispanic)“Good Shepherd” Worship Service! (Very lively,
praise-focused music, and a message by Rev. Javier Albo.)
…7. Our 6:30PM Creative Worship Service! (“Creative” means things like a variety
of musical themes—and some wonderful Guest Preachers, etc.—to “close out” the Lord’s Day
and get our hearts and minds ready for a super week ahead!)
Vern Holford went Home to be
with Jesus on Friday, April 21
For years, Brother Vern was one of our “Official
Greeters”—you know, those folks who welcome you
when you enter our Church Door—and he surely did
make everyone feel welcomed! But several months
ago, he was diagnosed with cancer. He had surgery,
and the doctors hoped they had “gotten it all.” But
after a few months, it became evident that the cancer
was spreading! After several months of therapy and
intense suffering, God finally gave Brother Vern his
“Welcome” into Heaven! There will be a Memorial
Service for our brother at 10AM on Saturday
Morning, May 6—and yes, you are WELCOME!
Business Meeting May 24th!
OUR RECORD SPEAKS: April 16, 23, 2017
8:30AM Worship Attendance 34 / 18
9:45AM Bible Study / Sunday School Attendance NR / NR
11:00AM Worship Attendance 50 / 23
6:30PM Worship Attendance 28 / 13
Offering **$1,736.32 / $5,589.55
(** 2016 Budget Offering Goal**$2,603.46)
Benevolence $00.00 / $205.00
Children's Ministry $40.00 / $20.00
First Family Friends Who Will Celebrate a Birthday or a
Wedding Anniversary During the Month of May
01 – Perla Noel-Preciado
02 – Jillian Barrett
04 – Christopher Hall
07 – Blanca Ward-Herrera

2. “Our ‘Top
Ten Reasons’
For…”*
(*With apologies to David Letterman, who came
up with the “top ten lists” in the first place!)
Actually, I’ve never had anyone just walk
up to me and say, “Hey, Pastor Chuck, why DO you and
Sister Sandra tithe?”
But if they ever DID, I’d like to be ready to
answer them, so here goes: I could try to be funny, and
tell them some silly reasons, such as: “So that we won’t
have to duck under the pew when the offering plate is
passed!” or, “So we’ll have something to fill up those
jazzy ‘offering envelopes’ that the church gives us!” or
perhaps even, “We need some kind of an outlet for all of
our ‘surplus money’!”
Or I could get serious and tell you some of the
real reasons why we make out our tithe check (when I
say “tithe,” by the way, I mean 10% of our gross
income…) each week—before anything else gets paid
(NOTE: We originally ran these “reasons” on January 6,
1997):
Reason #10: We can’t afford NOT to tithe!
Many years ago, before I became a pastor, there was a
period of time during which Sandra and I stopped tithing
altogether. We felt, as many of you may feel today, that
we “just couldn’t afford to tithe.” Too many bills and
other living expenses, etc.—but I’m sure you understand
where I’m coming from. The result of our withholding
of the tithe was that we went through an incredibly
miserable time—and, incidentally, continued to get
further and further behind financially—until we
repented, got our act together, and began to tithe once
again. We have never wavered since then in our
commitment to “put God first.”
Reason #9: God always meets our needs when
we tithe! Sometimes He “waits until the last minute,”
but He always comes through! We don’t have everything
we WANT (but then, how many of us do?) but every
NEED of our life is always supplied by Him.
Reason #8: I don’t ever again want to develop
that former deadly “non-tither mindset”! It has been
my observation that non-tithers, as a whole, seem to
have a very unhealthy view of money and/or material
things in general. They are either “tight as Scrooge” with
their money, or else they spend every dime they make,
and then put the rest on their credit cards. Both of those
lifestyles are totally self-centered, so neither one brings
them any true happiness.
Reason #7: Tithing reminds me, on a weekly
basis, that God owns EVERYTHING! I need this
regular reminder, because it is so easy to look at my
bank balance and think (like the “rich fool” of Luke 12):
“MY money!” I love to give Satan a black eye by
making out our tithe check FIRST—sometimes even
before I leave the bank!
Reason #6: I love what our church does with
our tithe! I love the First Family, and I appreciate from
the bottom of my heart all the pains that our financial
people take to make sure that every penny is used
wisely. They are doing what they sincerely believe they
are called to do. By the way, our financial “books” are
open to all active members at all times!!)
Reason #5: Tithing is a thoroughly biblical
practice. I know, I know—there are some misguided
Bible teachers today who will try to tell you that tithing
is “under the Law,” or that we should “split up” our
tithe, and use parts of it for other worthy things, like
charities, or down-and-out relatives, or (surprise!) TV
evangelists—BUT THEY ARE WRONG! The tithe is
the LORD’S (Leviticus 27:30) and it is to be channeled
THROUGH HIS CHURCH (1 Corinthians 16:2). Sandra
and I give to other charitable and godly causes, but OUR
FIRST 10% goes directly to the FIRST SOUTHERN
BAPTIST CHURCH OF NORTH HOLLYWOOD!
Reason #4: My parents gave me a great
example of tithing. Even during the years when my dad
was paralyzed and unable to work, and very little money
was coming in, they tithed. Even when they could have
used that 10% to make things easier for themselves, they
tithed. Even while mom was in the hospital in the
months leading up to her death, she ordered me to make
sure that her tithe check was in the offering plate on
time! (That’s why I had her box of offering envelopes on
the table at her Memorial Service.) For that super
example, I am eternally grateful.
Reason #3: Other believers have provided
great examples for us. I think of people like Bob and
Ethel Thomas (they’re both with the Lord now) who
continued to tithe over the years as they aged—in the
face of a number of reasons why they shouldn’t have
been able to afford to do so. Praise God for people like
them who take God at His Word!
Reason #2: As a part of God’s Family, we also
want to set an example of giving. Not because I’m an
Associate Pastor. Not so that we can brag. Not so that
we will have a lot of “clout” at a business meeting. And
certainly not so that we can look down on people who
are still struggling with their giving. I just want folks to
know that we “put our money where our mouths are!”
Reason #1: We are following in the footsteps
of Jesus when we tithe. I have no doubt that Jesus was a
tither. For one thing, if He hadn’t been, you can bet your
life that His legalistic enemies would have nailed Him
about it—in a heartbeat! In addition, He actually
commended those antagonistic legalists (in Matthew
23:23) for the intensely scrupulous way in which they
tithed EVERYTHING—down to the tiniest cumin seed!
But even more than this is the way Christ’s giving is
used by Paul as an incentive for us to give—and not just
a mere 10% of our income, but to also freely give
OURSELVES as a sacrifice to God: “…you know the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich,
yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His
poverty might become rich.”—2 Corinthians 8:9
We have learned—the hard way—that: “You
can give without loving, but you can’t love without
giving!” To quote Joshua, in Joshua 24:15: “…as for me
and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
April 25, 2017