The topic about tithes and tithing has generated so much controversies of late, I am inspired to state my own side of the story.
The Bible is the standard to we Christians, no man-made doctrine can counter the Bible. Any thought or teaching that is out of scripture, is out of relevance irrespective of who says it.
For the sake of records, the church of Christ of which Jesus is the Head, is not under attack, what has come under attack is the Church of Men, which is what men have calved out of the church of Christ. Here are highlights of the reasons for the renewed onslaught.
I. You taught them that they should tithe, as long as they tithe, their jobs and businesses are covered.
A recession came, and they were believing that, “tithes” could save them, but it never did.
Some of them lost their jobs, and can’t even run to the “altar” where they “cast their seed” for a bag of rice.
II. You taught them to buy your “anointing oil”, water, stickers, ribbons, that no illness can near their dwelling place.
But they lose loved ones with your stickers on their car, your anointing oil in the house.
III. You taught them if they submit to you, the auction to perform all wonders would flow to them, they submit to you more than they submit to the Holy Spirit and you were happy.
But their marriage still crashed, recession came and affected them, they lost elections and you want them to be happy?
If I should name them, they are many. These are part of the reasons for what appear as “onslaught” on the Church.
3. MY VIEWS ON TITHING.
No material thing, can take the place or be compared with the precious Blood of Jesus, including tithes. You would go to heaven even without your tithes.
The Church of Men are the ones panicking, the Church of Christ is marching on.
We have not preached the love of Christ enough, “prosperity” has taken over the place of Jesus – the focal point of Christianity. Prosperity is a byproduct of what Christ has done for us. What is happening today is the failure of doctrine of prosperity extremism.
Doctrines would come and go, but the Word and Church of Christ would stand till He returns.
If we recognize Jesus and His Love, we won’t be giving and grumbling. The tithe thing has been bastardized and what we are seeing as “onslaughts” today are products of men’s doctrinal failures.
Tithing is a function of Honour, and not a perquisite for being saved as tithes merchants would want you to believe.
No man should force you to pay tithes, no man if whatever title should manipulate you to pay tithes on his altar. It is ideal to Honour God on the same altar you are constantly nourished spiritually.
In the new testament (2 Corinthians 2:9) “who sow sparingly would reap sparingly, he who sow generously would reap generously”.
This is a new testament teaching, God can never give you what you are not scripturally qualified for. You give, you get higher measures, it is in the scripture. You don’t give, you are still saved, but may not access that higher measure.
Although, some school of thoughts believe that tithe is an old testament law, of which Jesus has come to abolish, of which I subscribe in, giving to the work of Jesus is a necessity for every Christian.
If you love Jesus, you would give to his work, a true test of love is giving. Just give it as you are led.
If tithes makes one rich, how come we have multi billionaires today who don’t believe in it?
The Church of Christ is never attacked, She has survived attacks for 2000 years and still marching on. It is the Church of men that is under attack, and some men are “trying to protect the church”.
4. THE MANDATE.
If the way the men of the Church of Men are taking this tithe thing seriously, they had taken the Great Commission Jesus mandated the Church, the Church would have evangelized the north and breaking into Niger Republic by now.
The church in Nigeria has lost touch with the Great Commission, Jesus didn’t say go ye into the world and COLLECT TITHES, but ‘go ye into the world (unreached people) and preach the gospel”.
The Church of Christ is not a remittance centre where taxes are collected on heaven’s behalf.
The souls of men in the world should be our hunger as Christians, how do we get men to confess the Lordship of Christ, how do we spread the love of Christ to humanity? These should be our core mandate.
Jesus would not reward you on how big and beautiful your church buildings are. He would reward you on how sincere you were with the GREAT COMMISSION with regards to the resources he brought at your disposal.
Don’t fight for the Church of Christ, you can’t fight for the One that keeps you alive. But the Church of Men would need men to fight for them. They need men to defend them.
THE CHURCH OF MEN IS WHAT IS UNDER ATTACK AND NOT THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
…Enenche Enenche Abuja, Nigeria.
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