- Should Christians Pay Tithes?
There have been debates, arguments and controversies among Christians fold as to why Christians, especially in Nigeria should pay Tithes. Now every church you go to in Lagos, tithes topic has become the bone of contention between the congregation and Pastors. Majority of Nigerians believe tithes money are being used to buy private jets, exotic cars, mansions and many other luxury materials by Pastors, while majority of their members live in poverty and slums. Many believed that, tithes are the reasons more and more churches are springing up by the day.
It’s not new to say that Nigerian Pastors are the richest in the world. An internet search for the phrase ‘world richest pastors’ will give you, a list that will mostly be dominated by Nigerian Pastors/General Overseers.
What really is tithe?
According to Wikipedia explanation on Tithe: Tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organisation or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques , or stocks , whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as in agricultural products. Several European countries operate a formal process linked to the tax system allowing some churches to assess tithes.
In the past, many people have spoken against Nigerian Pastors who collect tithe. Four years back, Pastor Femi Aribisala bodly came out and said that : “every Pastor who collects tithes is a thief. This statement and his explanations were not only rebuffed by Nigerian General Overseers/ Pastors, but also condemned by their members who believe so much in the practice. The statement also made the Pastor to be referred as a controversial one because he didn’t have much support from his colleagues and many Nigerians thought he wasn’t in his right senses.
Did God actually approve tithes?
In the book of Malachi 3: 10 in the Bible: it 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”
So, God actually approved the tithes, but there are also some questions as to who qualifies to pay tithes. This is the major argument among Pastors; some of them are saying that, we (Nigerians) are not mandated to pay tithes.
So, the people authorised to receive tithes were the Levites. According to the book of Hebrews 7:5, it says “And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the lions of Abraham”
Why do Christians pay tithes? Should Christians pay tithes, especially Nigerians?
These are some of the questions trending on social media and societal gathering in the past 3 weeks.
Few weeks back, a popular on air personality, Ifedayo Olarinde, popularly called Daddy Freeze, boldly came out to speak out his mind on how many Nigerian Pastors enrich themselves with tithes money.
Daddy Freeze disclosed this in an interview on SaharaTV.
The OAP, in recent times, has been tackling Nigerian preachers for their ‘excessive display of wealth’ and asking their members to pay tithes while they (the preachers) seem to get richer from the money collected.
He also maintained that he is only trying to preach the truth about Christianity, and is after pastors who preach mostly about prosperity.
“Why do the ‘Yahoo’ pastors appear to be filled with greed, as far as I can tell, no Muslim cleric in Nigeria actually owns a private jet as some of their Christian counterparts,” Freeze said.
The OAP, who backed up his claims against tithing from the Bible, said there was no evidence of Jesus and the 12 disciples collecting tithes from anyone.
This ‘claim’ has generated a lot of debates/arguments among Christian followers/ believers and eminent people in Nigeria and around the world. Some are in support, while others are against.
For the Pastors who condemn Tithing, a popular verse in the Bible was being quoted to back their claims, the book of James 2:10 that says “for whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Why do Christians still make use of the Law of Moses is their question? And if we do, then we should be killing ram as sacrifice for God to forgive our sins.
One of the top Pastors backing Daddy Freeze is Femi Aribisala. A few days back, he released another powerful message on why Christians shouldn’t pay tithes. He released a message titled “Don’t Persecute Daddy Freeze: Tithing Today Is A Scam” He says, no Nigerian prophet, so-called pastor or highfalutin General Overseer is qualified to receive tithes from members of his or her congregation.
Few days back, Agbara nla producer, Mike Bamidele came out to air his view on how Christians should Tithe. He says he saw nothing wrong with the practice of tithing.
He said, “I am an Evangelist. I believe strongly in tithes and giving offerings as God commanded in Malachi 3:10.: “I have believed and practised this for more than 35 years. I pay tithes. My Ministry pay tithes.
“On many occasions, we had laid all we had on the Altar before God. On some Occasions, we had emptied our accounts and laid all before the Lord in obedience to His specific command and in appreciation of His goodness.
“We believe heavily in tithes and offering, and also in the Biblical Principle of first fruits.
“I have seen marvelous Wonders of God at home and on evangelistic fields as I held on to the Biblical Doctrine of Tithes and Offerings, Sowing and Harvesting. I have been on this for more than 30 years in the ministry.
“I pay my tithes and I give my offerings as instructed by God but it is never and can never be my business, whatever the tithes and offerings are used for.
“I have given the Tithes and Offerings to God and It is no longer in my care. It is God’s Business to determine if it is well used or not. Not Mine.
“Another popular man of God Pastor Adefarasin: during a midweek service on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, attended by Pulse Pastor Adefarasin delivered a sermon entitled: ‘Abraham’s Blessings Are Already Upon My Life’. The central Bible passages for the sermon were Hebrews 6:13–14; and Genesis 12: 1–3.
Thirty minutes into his sermon, the popular man of God started to talk mainly about the principle of tithing. “Tithe is a way to show that God is the supplier of your resources. God blesses and I respond with my 10%. It is a honour system, it means the money is not your’s but God You won’t be cursed if you don’t tithe but when you tithe, you are saying you recognise Him and it keeps the cycle moving,” said Paul Adefarasin. This statement is based on Hebrews 7:5–8. He used the part of the Scripture to explain why it is important to pay tithe to ordained Men of God, while noting that this payment is not compulsory, as it will not stop anyone from enjoying God’s blessings.
“He did not make everyone a preacher, don’t let anyone tell you to take your tithe to charities, elsewhere.” he further said as he used Ephesians 4:11–14 as a reference.
Few days ago, another eminent personality also spoke against the payment of Tithe. Sam Okundzeto from Ghana. He is a popular lawyer and a former member of Parliament in Ghana. He says, ” I don’t believe in tithing because it’s in the old testament. Many pastors will tell you to bring your tithes for God to bless you; God blesses you because you worship him. He blesses you because you provide for your neighbours”. He said further that the tithe they collect doesn’t help the poor or the needy and that’s why many of them are opening up churches everyday. He concluded.
Recently, human rights lawyer and constitutional lawyer, Femi Falana, faulted churches, especially General Overseers and Senior Pastors for using tithes for private business, purchase of jet, others.
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