The Tithers and the Profiteers

Thou shall not speak ill of the gods I used to hear when I was growing up. Today, the story is different; the gods must be questioned after all it is human beings that are behind ‘Oro’, which makes Oro to be perceived as a mystery being. The national debate is one funny but timely one. Yes a timely one because the multiplicity of religious organizations especially the Church has not resulted in reduction in crime and enhanced righteousness in Nigeria; rather, evil deeds are on the increase.

We are a religious nation not a righteous nation. This calls to question the importance of religion in human affairs. Ordinarily, when people go to church, they are supposed to learn the way of God, and imbibe the virtues of righteousness. This is not the case in Nigeria, miracles and wonders are the main essence why people go to religious settings.

The pastors and clerics sensing people gullibility have latched on their gullibility to exploit and explore for their own personal benefits. Thus the emphasis in churches is on materialism. It goes like this – the more you give the more you have, so people continue to give and give expecting that one day the God of wonders will smile on them one day.

There is no doubt that God indeed do smiles on people. He indeed raises up the beggars from the dunghill and set him among the princes and princess. He lifted up and bringeth down. He is a miracle worker who changes all things according to his divine plan. No searching of his understanding, whatever he will he does, and whatever he says he does. He is an unquestionable God, unmovable movers, and unshakable shakers; yet he is not a magician or a voodoo god as some men of God would like to portray Him.

Today, our men of God are more concerned about tithes and offerings than the salvation of their sheep. The struggle among clerics now is on the latest jet and cars. What determines people relevance in the churches today is the size of their offerings and tithes contrary to the doctrine that Christ laid down. The love of Christ was said abroad for mankind irrespective of race or colour, creed or tribes, status or titles. The length of your prayers from men of God is in proportion to your gifts – offerings, tithes or first fruits and whatever name they may call it.

Ideally, when people give or sew, they are to receive it in multiple folds for as the scripture and the scripture says:  "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." Yes! “He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” Unfortunately, many are sewing in my country without harvest because the land upon which they are sewing is a stony land full of thorns. What a waste!

Those who give, give not out of a pure heart, they do it unto men. While the Shepherds who collect it, collect it out of greed and for self-aggrandizement; so it profits none. The truth however is that you can only oppress people for some time, sooner or later, the oppressed will discover his fallibility and becomes wise. So here we are the tithers no longer one to pay tithe because he believes there is no biblical back up for it, but the profiteers are unwilling to yield ground. The war is on, but only the truth will prevail in the end.

As a believer, I believe in tithe because I believe the Christians are to live by the dictates of both the Old and the New Testament; but it is also time for our clerics to live above board. They must be concerned more about the welfare of the sheep under them than for the material gains they stand to derive from the payment of tithes and offerings by them. 

Be that as it may, the Christians must know it is ‘looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who in view of the joy lying before Him endured the cross, having despised its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of Go;’  and not to the pastors or any other clerics.

 God bless Nigeria.