‘Anyone who is NOT paying their tithes is NOT going to HEAVEN’..Pastor Enoch Adeboye

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ask any Nigerian about paying tithes and you will be embroiled in an unending controversy of what is right or what is wrong. Here is what the bible says

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. Mal 3:10

However, there has been an abuse of power and misinterpretation of the word and its purpose. What is meant to take care of the social needs and welfare of the needy and the vulnerable is used to buy private jets, luxurious cars and houses, the irony being that the poor are the targeted vulnerable are sucked dry to feed the very people whom they spiritually rely on for breakthrough.

On the other scale are the wealthy parishioners celebrated and sometimes idolised by church pastors irrespective of where their wealth came from, the embezzlers, con artiste, fraudsters are given ‘special privileges’ so much so people go out of their way to get money legally or illegally to get noticed by their pastors.

Lately, Tithes has been under microscopic viewing, with concerns raised by the public about the misuse of this funds and the guilty chain put around Christians who do not pay their 10% gross pay to church. Some churches will actually ask for your tithes payment book before they can give you a job!..

I have witnessed Christians who would rather let their neighbour die from starvation than not bring their tithes to church..Missing the whole point of what tithes are meant for..a practice of learning the habit to give continuously starting with 10% so the channels of blessing can be open up to the giver, for the more you give the more you will receive. Having a generous heart to aid the ‘Jesus ministry’ meaning to help the poor, the missionaries who serve the poor and oversee the earthly environment, to make the world a better place.

The gravity of church abuse of this tithe has cause concerned to many especially the abuse practised in African churches where celebrities globally have taken a sand on this and voiced out their concerns, people like the famous OAP Daddy Freeze or Pastor Sunday Adelaja.

The pastors also have retaliated back, some with the ridiculous claim, some candidly agreed while some has been preposterously shocking..

The General Overseer of Redeem Christian Church with over 100million worshippers globally said in his pastors’ conference that ”You will not enter heaven if you don’t pay tithe!..Does that mean heaven is based on monetary values? A poor man cant enter heaven?

Over to you?

What is Tithing and Tithe?

It is a tenth of your income. It’s in the Bible, Leviticus 27:30, TLB. “A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord’s, and is holy.”

What is tithe used for? In the Old Testament, the tithe was used to support the priests. It’s in the Bible, Numbers 18:20-21, NKJV. “Then the LORD said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting.

Does God need our tithe? No. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 50:10-12, NKJV. “For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine and all its fullness.”

Why should I tithe? Tithing is a way of teaching us that God must be our first priority. It’s in the Bible, Deuteronomy 14:22-23, TLB. “You must tithe all of your crops every year. Bring this tithe to eat before the Lord your God at the place he shall choose as his sanctuary; this applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn of your flocks and herds. The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives.