Teens Church Surrey, Winners Chapel In't

11/01/2024

22/08/2017

MENTIONING THE NAMES OF ‘MEN OF GOD’: WHY THE CHURCH IN NIGERIA LOVES DARKNESS….

“For everyone who does wicked things HATES THE LIGHT and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed”. (John 3:20 ESV)

If you want to incur the BURNING WRATH of most of the believers in the Church in Nigeria, dare to mention the name of any of their ‘men of God’ in connection with anything that is wrong. ANYTHING AT ALL!

It does not matter if it is as clear as daylight that the ‘men of God’ are involved in deceit, extortion, sexual immorality, or other forms of crass ungodliness. JUST SAY NOTHING! Nothing at all!

For these men are the supposed ‘UNTOUCHABLES OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD’. Men that are above all laws of morality. Men that are above all laws of decency. To ‘touch’ these men is to infringe on the ‘touch not my anointed’ mantra, with which these ‘men of God’ have for long CAGED THEIR FOLLOWERS in a shameful CULTURE OF FEAR AND SILENCE. The culture of dark secrecy that sees no evil, and says no evil against supposed men of God.

For a couple of years now, I have been at the raw and intimidating end of the wrath of ‘born-again Christians’ for daring to challenge the Church in Nigeria to evaluate ourselves in the light of the Gospel of Christ. To check ourselves, and to check our leaders – according to the word of God in the Bible we all carry.

For my efforts, on a platform that I administer here on Facebook, I have literally been bombarded with THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of acidic and acerbic CURSES from supposed believers in Jesus Christ – who CLEARLY instructed his followers NOT to curse (Matthew 5:44, Romans 12:14)

The claim of thousands and thousands of curses hurled at me is not an exaggeration – all are still on the platform, all in the space of just two years. Curses on my life. Curses on my parents. On my ancestors long dead. On my generations yet unborn. Curses on virtually every facet of my life. This avalanche of curses include Redeemed curses, Winners curses, Mountain curses, Fountain curses, Rock curses, and so on. The pattern has now become so consistent that it is almost possible to detect the denominational membership of each ‘curser’ by the tone and severity of the curses!

All these – just for challenging the church to follow the words of Jesus Christ. Nothing exposes the SOFT UNDERBELLY OF THE HYPOCRISY of the Church in Nigeria like the viciousness she displays whenever the searchlight is beamed on her, or particularly, on her leaders. This church seems to be married to THE SILENCE OF DARKNESS.

This disposition stands in VERY SHARP CONTRAST TO EVERYTHING THAT JESUS TAUGHT, AND STOOD FOR. The same Jesus that described Himself as THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. How can the Light of the world give birth to so many DARKNESS-HUGGING children? How???

Please listen to Jesus in John 3:21: “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” If the deeds of our ‘men of God’ are above board, why is there such a COLLECTIVE, RABID HATRED for ANYBODY that examines these deeds in the light? Why???

Jesus did not stop at the thought-provoking challenge in John 3:21. He went even further. In Matthew 5:14, He made a very bold claim: “You are the light of the world. A CITY SET ON A HILL CANNOT BE HIDDEN”. Do you see that? ‘CANNOT BE HIDDEN’!!! So, it is Jesus Himself that puts His church, especially her leaders, ON A HILL so that THEY CANNOT BE HIDDEN! Jesus wants EVERYBODY to see them! Why? Because His GENUINE FOLLOWERS have NOTHING TO HIDE! Moreover, it is only by being on a hill that light can be useful. A light that seeks to hide itself under a bushel is NOT USEFUL to anybody! It is ‘FAKE LIGHT’, if we can borrow from the phraseology of President Donald Trump.

And, in truth, this is why the Church in Nigeria is BARELY useful to the Nigerian society AS LIGHT! Her love for secrecy and darkness is an eloquent testament to her sheer hypocrisy in the things of God, and the ways of Christ.

One more point from the Bible before we progress to the next aspect. Please have a look at the word of God through His servant in 1 Corinthians 4:9, “For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: FOR WE ARE MADE A SPECTACLE UNTO THE WORLD, AND TO ANGELS, AND TO MEN”. From this, it is clear that IT IS GOD HIMSELF that made the leaders of the early church ‘A SPECTACLE to the world … and to men’. GOD HIMSELF EXPOSED THEM to the scrutiny of the whole world (and even to the celestial realm of existence). Why? Because THEY HAVE NOTHIG TO HIDE. Their lives were above board. Their testimony was above reproach. For you CANNOT be a light to the world if you are untouchable and unaccountable - in the way that the church of today seeks to shield and hide their leaders and their deeds.

It is for this same reason that we’ll never see it in the New Testament that God expressly forbids the scrutiny of His servants! We have already seen how God sets them ON A HILL as an example, and then made them A SPECTACLE to the whole world. This is COMPLETE TRANSPARENCY. The ‘touch not my anointed’ injunction that is COMMONLY MISUSED today is an Old Testament concept that God gave to protect the fledgling nation of Israel from the marauding nations around them (1 Chronicles 16:20-22). The specific reference to his prophets is also quite understandable. In the Old Testament, it was ONLY the prophets that routinely heard directly from God on behalf of the nation. Nobody else. Therefore, their words were unchallengeable, because their words were the words of God.

BUT NOT SO IN THE NEW TESTAMENT! We no longer have people that hear directly from God TO THE EXCLUSION OF EVERYBODY ELSE! All the children of God can hear Him today. God has given us the Scriptures, and He expects us to use it to TEST the words of our leaders, just like the Berean Christians TESTED the words of the apostles (Acts 17:11). God even went further to also command us to TEST EVERY SPIRIT (including the spirits that operate in our leaders) to BE SURE that they are from Him (1 John 4:1)

This constant (but respectful) check and evaluation of leadership is AN OBLIGATION that God has given to EVERY SINGLE BELIEVER in Jesus Christ. It is BOTH a sin and a huge disservice to the Christian faith to fail in this obligation.

But most of our ‘men of God’ do not consistently teach all these liberating, New Testament precepts outlined here. Rather, what they have do is to EXHUME and TEACH the expired Old Testament precept of ‘touch not my anointed’. This is what has bred the CULTURE OF FEAR AND SILENCE that cause many believers to lash out and curse anybody that does not conform to that culture of silence. A silence that puts the ‘men of God’ completely above scrutiny and accountability. This is how and why DARKNESS thrives in the church in Nigeria. And will continue to grow UNTIL this evil culture is broken.

It is in this same CULTURE OF FEAR AND SILENCE that these ‘men of God’ extort money from the weakest, poorest, and most vulnerable members of the society. While some of them have now become some of the wealthiest pastors in the whole world!

There is another side to this. Church members are not kept under control with only the CULTURE OF FEAR AND SILENCE. This is just the STICK aspect of the control technique. There is also a CARROT aspect. The carrot is a promise of the financial wealth that Jesus Christ will soon give to the members too, so that they also can become rich like the pastors! Members are told that this stupendous wealth will only come as they keep BRINGING THEIR MONEY to the ministries of these ‘men of God’. They MUST bring tithes every month, offering twice/thrice a week (depending on the number of church services), the whole of their January salary every year, and lots and lots of other types of special offerings, including (in some cases) offering for the redemption of first-born children! The members are told that if they keep paying these various monies faithfully, ONE DAY, their wealth will soon come from Jesus Christ! Do you see the holy scam? A holy MMM of sort.

Brothers and sisters, this is the ‘Gospel according to the Church in Nigeria’. The prosperity Gospel that has turned most of our ‘men of God’ into wealthy, ecumenical aristocracies that govern the Church in Nigeria. Their reign is protected by a church membership of many hate-filled, curse-spewing, men and women that RUSH TO VICIOUSLY ATTACK whoever ‘touches’ their anointed. Man and woman that know NEXT TO NOTHING about the GENUINE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. The Gospel of light, the Gospel of love, that sets men FREE in Christ through the knowledge of God.

FORTUNATELY, as sad as our situation is, it is not all gloom and doom in the Church in Nigeria. Thank God!!! God has kept for Himself a few men and women of integrity that have NOT bowed before the Baal of prosperity that RULES the church system in Nigeria.

In this minority lies the hope of a future for the GENUINE Gospel of Christ in the country. A Gospel that INDEED changes lives and changes society. As some are already doing, this minority needs to speak up more loudly and more insistently for the truth of the Gospel in Nigeria. We do not need A FALSE UNITY that is precipitated in darkness in the Church in Nigeria. The sword that Jesus Christ mentioned in Matthew 10:34-36 must be allowed to do its job in splitting light from darkness. If this DISTINCTION does not manifest OPENLY for the world to see the difference, the current FACE OF CORRUPTION will continue to be the WIDELY-RECOGNISED face of the Church in Nigeria.

And this will be A HUGE SHAME. A shame because this is not what Jesus Christ died for. He did not die so that His name would be used to scam the most helpless and vulnerable members of society, giving them A FALSE HOPE of prosperity that JESUS NEVER COMMITTED HIMSELF TO! He died so that we may live – live for Him in becoming His voice of truth, justice, and kindness, particularly for the most vulnerable members of our society. No decent human society (even ungodly societies) will KEEP QUIET in the face of exploitation of the poor and the needy.

Therefore, Brothers and sisters, please RISE UP in repentance. Rise up in the defence of the Gospel in Nigeria. Contending EARNESTLY for the faith (Jude 3) is an obligation we ALL owe God – so that the light of the Gospel of Christ does not go out in our nation in our days.

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, BUT INSTEAD EXPOSE THEM.” (Ephesians 5:11)

“But whoever does what is true COMES TO THE LIGHT, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:21)

Thanks for reading, God bless you.

(PLEASE NOTE: The yoke of leadership is difficult. Please let’s remember GENUINE men of God in our prayers. Even as we give them the due respect and honour that the Bible commands us to accord them. That is, to GENUINE men of God, not false teachers that are fleecing the flock of God.)

09/08/2017

"WHY I WON'T BE A DENOMINATIONAL PASTOR AND WHY I WON'T ADVISE ANYONE TO"...

Okay, so writing this article took me a bit of courage and I will tell you why;
This article will again ruffle feathers. I mean light feathers.
You have to read this article carefully and read every line so as to grasp the sense in it.

Recently, I had a discussion with a beautiful friend who is so good at business.
This girl is so good she can sell ice to an Eskimo, sell lie to the devil or convince you to buy your own shoe which you have already bought again.
Okay, just joking. But, she’s really good.
You know that kind of person? The kind of person that has built many businesses from her days as a kid.

So this dear friend asked me a plain and simple question that motivated this article,
‘How can I incorporate God’s kingdom ideas into my businesses?’
‘Like what business?’ I asked her back. (Don’t judge me, I was just being African).
Well, didn’t they say Africans answer questions with questions?
‘For example, if a man is a taxi driver, what should he do to show he is a Christian?’
‘That’s simple. Carry only Christian Passengers’ I replied her. My friend hissed and rubbed a palm on her nose.
‘So does it mean that if a lady is a hair dresser, she should write ‘Jesus’ on a piece of cloth and attach to client’s hair?’ She mockingly asked.
‘Exactly. You are so brilliant’. I fired back.
She hissed again, shook her head, and made a funny face before continuing;
‘What if he is a Christian doctor or dentist?’
‘Oh, that’s the simplest of all. Make sure you treat only Christian patients or hammer the Bible on their head. Ensure you prescribe Bible verses for Malaria, hymns for bleeding, prayers for vomiting, Offering and tithes for Headache’.
My friend could not take it anymore, she hissed one more time, left the room and threw a half-cup of juice on my face.
I laughed till something like water came out of my eyes.

Do you see how sarcastic and foolish my answers to her questions were?
Unfortunately, that's what many of us do.
So if a ‘Christian hairdresser’ is not to tag “Jesus” on her clients’ hair,
And a ‘Christian taxi-driver’ is not expected to carry only ‘Christian passengers’,
And a ‘Christian dentist’ is not expected to remove only ‘Christian teeth’ (lol),

Why then do we have ‘Christian Musicians’ who sing to only Christians?
And Pastors and prophets whose preoccupation is with their ‘Christian passengers’
And Ushers who usher just Christians,
And actors, actresses, dramatists and movie producers who claim to make only ‘Christian film’
Or rappers who rap ‘Christian music’
The list is endless…

When men say the Kingdom is here or there, they are lying,
When men say the kingdom is a person or profession, they lie again,
The kingdom is in your value system and the motive behind your work,
Your honesty as a hairdresser,
Your patience as a taxi-driver,
Your diligence as a doctor,
Your proficiency as a dentist, etc
That is what tells people which kingdom you belong to
The motive behind your work is what tells God whose you truly are.

Therefore, being a ‘Christian musician’ is limiting yourself,
Being a ‘Christian Pastor’ or ‘Christian Prophet’ is limiting and boring,
In fact, there are doors in the world that will get instantly shut in your face once you arrive with your title of a Pastor,
Hence, I cannot be a Pastor. And I don’t advise anyone to be.

Likewise, you cannot be a ‘Christian Musician’ or ‘Christian rapper’,
That even sounds funny and odd. Sounds like a name for a Japanese restaurant.
NO! You are Kingdom musician,
And you are not a Kingdom musician until the whole world hears your music and you win Grammys for God.
You are not a kingdom actor and film-maker until you win Oscars.
You are not a kingdom Politician until you win the floor or the seat, enforcing justice and kingdom principles.
You are not a kingdom writer until you win the Pulitzer or the Nobel Prize.

There is nothing like a ‘Christian Musician’. You are lying.
You are either a musician with Kingdom values or not.
There is nothing like ‘Christian Instrumentalist’.
There is nothing like ‘Christian drama’.
There is nothing like ‘Christian Politics’ or ‘Christian political party’.
There is nothing like ‘Christian Pastor’…Hehehehe

Like a friend described it, it’s like saying you are a vegetarian-hotdog,
A vegetarian hotdog is not good enough for meat-consumers, and it’s totally useless for real vegetarians as well.

Let me tell you a story.
Recently, I went with certain friends to a Ukrainian opera.
We all paid a certain amount of money to be a part of the event.
So soothing and relaxing was the music, that a friend at the event fell asleep instantly;
So deep sleep that he was even snoring in the theatre.
I could not make so much sense of the many words of the Ukrainian music, but even the blind could see that the music was so good.
The hall was full and everyone had a great time.
It was a daily opera.
I would be a part of that event again and again and again.

There and then, I knew that is what real Christian musicians ought to be doing.
Unfortunately, the best among us only sing on Sundays wearing funny-looking robes or looking like High School kids; White shirts, black pants, and red tie.
They have limited God’s presence to a location rather than take God’s presence everywhere. They have limited themselves.
Don’t limit yourself, don’t be a Pastor.
Don’t limit yourself, don’t be a Christian musician.
Don’t limit yourself, don’t be a Christian Politician.
Don’t limit yourself, don’t be a Christian actor or writer.
Be fully everything that God has designed you for, and carry God’s presence and values everywhere.
Engage your world, invade it.

I have so much more to write, but my pen has decided to stop here.
I can only hope that the knowledge of the glory of God covers the earth as the waters cover the sea. And that through you.

Finally, please stop limiting God to your meagre and modest Church and Christian activities. It’s depressing. It’s also boring.

31/07/2017

I WARNED YOU DON'T BOTHER TO READ IF YOU ARE ON RELIGIOUS PILLS...
-WHY WE BECAME DULL-

Have you ever observed how difficult it is to lie to a child? Why? Because through the simplicity of his thoughts, a child is going to ask you many questions based on what you tell him. Hence, you will have to answer for every lie you told him.

There is this really funny story that readily comes to my mind and I will love to share it with you. But before I do, I must warn you that this article you are about to read might seem to some to be controversial, however we learn little or nothing without controversy.

Back to the story I had in mind, a small child and his father had both gone to a beach on a hot afternoon. Suddenly they came across a large dead sea animal which was lying lifeless on the sand. The small child of about 4 years in the innocence of his thought asked his father what was wrong with the animal. The father trying to impress his son told him, “The animal died and went to heaven”. The son out of curiosity asked his father ‘Then did God send it back?’

Stories are powerful. Stories have lasting impacts. Stories are used to communicate truth. However the stories we are told as kids also determine how we perform on the stage of life. The stories that we have come to believe determine to a large extent our belief system.

This is why stories form a major part of every culture. Stories, like proverbs and myths are used to build young boys into fine men. Stories are used in the family for love and bonding. Stories are incredible tools.

I love stories. A mother whose two young boys were fighting over a piece of pancake told the two boys a formed story of how Jesus was in a similar situation when he was small. One of the young boys immediately asked his mom, ‘So what did Jesus do?’ ‘He gave his pancake to his brother’ His mom replied. Turning to his young brother, the boy said, ‘You, you can be Jesus’.

Personally, I read a lot of stories as a kid. It was always fascinating for me. Like many kids my age, I read the stories of many ancient fathers of faith, read books like ‘God’s generals’, ‘Fathers of the church’, and several of such books.

I was told stories of many men such as Smith Wigglesworth, John Wesley, George Whitefield, John Wycliffe, William Carey, Charles Spurgeon, D.L Moody, Billy Graham, John Lake, Kenneth Haggins, William Seymour, EW Bounds, Jonathan Edwards, Yonggi Cho and many others too numerous to mention.

I dare say that the stories of these men and many of such men is the reason many young people including myself became dull.

We were told stories of how Smith Wigglesworth gave punches to tumors and they melted, but we were not told how Joseph Lister, also a Christian saved millions of lives in the world through antiseptic surgery without a punch.

We were told how Charles Spurgeon gave truths of God’s word but we were not told how Isaac Newton discovered the truth of gravity as a Christian.

We were told how Yonggi Cho built the largest Church in the world but we were not told how Carl Linnaeus gave the largest taxonomy of living species.

We were told how Jonathan Edwards distilled the conscience of people with sermons like ‘Sinners in the hands of an angry God’ but we were not told the story of Benjamin Silliman, a Christian gentleman who was the first person on earth to distill petroleum.

We were told how John Wesley became the Father of Methodism but we were not told how Antoine Lavoiser became the father of Chemistry and Albrecht Von Haller became the father of physiology. One was a Pastor, the other two were scientists. Seemed Church historians favored the preachers but ignored the researchers.

We heard stories of how William Carrey established large fields in Asia but we were not told how Robert G LeTourneau, a Christian businessman established largest earth-moving equipment’s company and became one of the wealthiest in the world.

We were told how William Seymour started the Azusa street revival but we were not told how a Christian, Sam Walton started Walmart and began the revolution in retail service all over the world.

Shall I mention of more prestigious men whose inspiring stories we were denied as kids? Shall I mention Ian Paisley, Winston Churchill, William Wilberforce and Benjamin Franklin who changed entire faces of nations through politics?

May I give you more examples of JK Rowling, JRR Tolkien, and CS Lewis who broke all literary records that existed before their time? They were Christians too after all, or is it because they were not Pastors and evangelists. It is unfortunate that their stories are not told to kids in Sunday school.

How about David Green, one of the world’s richest and most successful businessmen, yet a Christian. James Simpson, the man who gave the world Chloroform. Alesandro Volta the Italian Physicist and Blaise Pascal. They were all Christians too. Their list is endless but their names is what many young people will never know. Hence, we became dull.

We became dull when we thought men who wrote with Bible quotations were the servants of Gold but JK Rowling, a Christian who wrote Harry Potter, one of the bestselling books on earth isn’t.

We became dull when we thought men like Martin Luther who fought against heresy and apostasy were ‘men of God’ but William Wilberforce who fought against slave trade wasn’t.

We became dull when we put the preachers on the frontline and men like Louis Pasteur, with his extraordinary ideas of immunization on the backseat, calling his work secular.

What more shall I say? May our generation listen and understand this truth. We are all equal before God. It is not what you do that glorifies God, it is faithfulness in what you do.

Whether it is research, business, or politics, we are all servants of God and God is using every man equally. We are all on same pedestal. There is no career that is secular or spiritual. Spirituality is in the reason behind what you do.

When we understand this truth, only then can the dull mind be reawakened.

So when Kids learn about Billy Graham in Sunday school, it is highly important that they learn about Galileo Galilei as well. Caput.

31/07/2017

The trial of pastor Jones

The truth about tithing
(unknown author)

Judge: Mr. Jones you have been charged with multiple counts of extortion. Your crime spree covers 20 years and thousands of victims. You have defrauded people out of their money with fear and manipulation, telling them they had to tithe 10% of their income as per the LAW to your Regd. organization (called Church) and that God would bless them if they did. You also told them that if they didn't tithe God would curse them.
How do you plead?

Mr. Jones: I plead not guilty your Honor,
I have done nothing wrong. I have only preached what the Bible says. In the Bible Abraham tithed to Melchizedek and God blessed him for his faithful giving. The Bible even says he was rich in silver and gold.

Judge: Is it not true, Mr. Jones, that in Genesis chapter 13 verse 2 the Bible says Abraham was rich with livestock, silver and gold?

Mr. Jones: Yes, you are exactly right, that's what I just told you.

Judge: Ok, we read about Abraham being a rich man in chapter 13 but it is not until Genesis chapter 14 that we read about Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek. So Abraham was already a rich man before he tithed to Melchizedek, wasn't he?

Mr. Jones: Yes, I suppose you are right.

Judge: So his riches were not the result of his tithe to Melchizedek?

Mr. Jones: No.

Judge: Mr. Jones, you also say God blessed him for his faithful giving. How many times is it recorded that Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek?

Mr. Jones: Well, just once.

Judge: So the Bible never said that he gave week after week?

Mr. Jones: No it does not.

Judge: Where did Abraham get the things that he gave to Melchizedek?

Mr. Jones: Well the Bible says it was from the plunders of war?

Judge: So you are telling me that he gave from the plunders of war?

Mr. Jones: Yes that's what the Bible says.

Judge: So he basically took things that were not really his in the first place and gave them as the tithe?

Mr. Jones: That is what the scripture seems to indicate.

Judge: Is it recorded that he ever took anything from his own possessions and tithed them to Melchizedek or anyone else?

Mr. Jones: I guess not

Judge: You guess not, you are a teacher and you are only guessing, is it or is it not written that he ever gave any of his own possessions as a tithe to anyone?

Mr. Jones: No it is not written anywhere that I have seen.

Judge: Is it recorded as to what exactly Abraham did give Melchizedek?

Mr. Jones: I believe it says plunder?

Judge: So plunder could be any number of things?

Mr. Jones: Yes, I suppose

Judge: It could have been food, cattle, sheep, the people's possessions or any number of things. It does not say it was all money correct?

Mr. Jones: Yes you are correct, it does not say just money

Judge: As a matter of fact money is never mentioned in that account at all is that correct Mr. Jones?

Mr. Jones: Yes your Honor, money is never mentioned just goods and food and people.

Judge: So there is no way you can say with any certainty that Abraham in fact gave Melchizedek any money at all?

Mr. Jones: That is right.

Judge: I only have one last question for you Mr. Jones, did God command Abraham to give this plunder tithe to Melchizedek?

Mr. Jones: No, it appears that he did this voluntarily.

Judge: So are you trying to tell me that because of this voluntary, one time gift by Abraham, that may not have even consisted of money, all Christians everywhere are obligated to bring 10% of their weekly paycheck to a local Regd.Organization-church?
Considering all the evidence I would say you are beyond any shadow of a doubt guilty of deliberately trying to make the scriptures says things they have not said for financial gain.

Mr. Jones: Ok your Honor, I can see how foolish I was to try and use the story of Melchizedeck to try and get the people to tithe money. But there are many other verses that will support my belief on tithing. Jacob said he would give God 10% of everything. I think we should follow his example.

Judge: Let's see what Jacob said. Please read the verse you are talking about for me Mr. Jones.

Mr. Jones: In Genesis chapter 28 starting at verse 20 it says. Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, and Yahweh will be my God, then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God's house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give the tenth to you."

Judge: You said we should follow Jacobs example, is that right Mr. Jones?

Mr. Jones: Yes that is right, he vowed to give a tenth and we should too.

Judge: Let me point out one thing for you Mr. Jones, Jacob said he would Give God a tenth, ONLY if He blessed him first. So as you said previously, we should follow Jacob's example and tell God that we will only give him a tenth if he blesses us first. Is that right?

Mr. Jones: That is not what I meant.

Judge: What did you mean then?

Mr. Jones: That we should give God a tenth also.

Judge: There you go again, trying to make the scripture say what you want it to say for your benefit. I would also like you to tell me the scriptures that say that Jacob kept his vow with God. I would also like to know where he gave the tenth to because there was no temple or levites to give it to at that time.

Mr. Jones: I can not think of any scriptures that say where or if he ever tithed after his vow.

Judge: It seems fairly obvious to me that Jacob made a voluntary and conditional vow to God. This in no way can be used as a reason to demand others to bring their income to you or any other place.

Mr. Jones: I do have a few more scriptures that I believe will show that we are supposed to tithe.

Judge: You have not said anything yet to convince me one little bit that people are obligated to tithe money to the local organizational institutions -churches and that you were justified in what you were doing. You have taken scripture and misapplied it to your beliefs and for your gain. But in order to be fair to you I will allow you to present more evidence.

Mr. Jones: In the book of Malachi chapter 3 starting at verse 8 it says, will a man rob God? yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, In what have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the store-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now with this, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. So you see your Honor, we are commanded to bring the tithes into the storehouse or God will curse us.

Judge: Answer me this Mr Jones, Who was God Speaking to here?

Mr Jones: To the People of Israel

Judge: Can you please read Malachi 2: 1 Please Mr Jones

Mr Jones: Now This command is for you O PRIEST !!

Judge: Did God stop talking to the Priest in chp. 3 Mr Jones?

Mr Jones: No your Honor!

Judge: Answer me this Mr. Jones, were you aware that God never required anyone to tithe money?

Mr. Jones: No I didn't know that.

Judge: The tithe spoken of here was always edible products never money.

Mr. Jones: well your Honor that is because they didn't have money at the time so God had them tithe food instead.

Judge: Not true, money is first mentioned in Genesis and Malachi was written hundreds of years later. God had them bring food in so that the levites, the fatherless and widows may eat and be satisfied. The tithe was used mainly to take care of people. Also notice it says in the verse you quoted, that there may be food in my house. The food was the tithe. How do you completely overlook the word food in those verses?

Mr. Jones: I don't know

Judge: I also want you to know that these verses speak to nation under the Old Testament law. As you may or may not know Jesus fulfilled the law, it is no longer binding.
Once again you have tried to completely take a scripture out of context and apply it to others for your benefit. Can you give me a single scripture where God changed the tithe from food to money?

Mr. Jones: I do not know of any.

Judge: So if God never changed it from food to money who did?

Mr. Jones: Man must have.

Judge: So far all you have done Mr. Jones, is take Old Testament scriptures out of context and try to apply it to believers under the New Covenant. Is this all the proof you have?

Mr. Jones: I do have a New Testament scripture that will show that Jesus told us to tithe.

Judge: Ok let me hear it.

Mr. Jones: Jesus said in Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. See Jesus said we should be tithing.

Judge: Let me ask you a question, who was Jesus talking to?

Mr. Jones: The scripture says the Scribes and Pharisees.

Judge: Are you a scribe or Pharisee?

Mr. Jones: Of course not.

Judge: Jesus also said in that passage, you have left undone the weightier matters of the law. Are we under the law Mr. Jones?

Mr. Jones: No.

Judge: Why not?

Mr. Jones: Because Jesus fulfilled it.

Judge: When did Jesus fulfill the law?

Mr. Jones: When He was crucified.

Judge: So the law was still in effect until Jesus death?

Mr. Jones: That is correct.

Judge: I think you know where I am going with this don't you?

Mr. Jones: Yes your Honor. Since Jesus had not yet been crucified and the law was still binding the Pharisees were required to tithe because it was part of the law. Once the law ended, tithing ended also.

Judge: I want you to take a look at that verse again. Also tell me, what were they tithing?

Mr. Jones: The scripture says it was mint, dill and cumin.

Judge: Is money mentioned?

Mr. Jones: No it was not.

Judge: Once again it was edible products that they were tithing, not money. Do you have anything else you would like to say?

Mr. Jones: If people only tithed edible products like the scripture says, then how would the church survive? We have our mortgage payment, utility bills, staff salary and a host of other things that we have to pay each week. We depend on the money from the people.

Judge:By "church" you mean your organization isn't it Mr Jones ?
-The need does not justify the means. In other words, just because you have all these debts does not give you the right to twist and manipulate scripture and cause people to give under fear of being cursed by God to meet your needs. Does It Mr Jones?
In closing, let me recap a few things for you Mr. Jones.
-The tithe was never money;
-The tithe was an Old Testament law, which is no longer binding. When it was binding the tithe was used to take care of people, not buildings.
- We are under a new covenant now.
Paul instructs the Corinthian believers how they are to give. He says in second Corinthians chapter 9 verse 7, Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart; not grudgingly, or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. So each believer is supposed to give as he or she has determined in his or her heart.
If they determine to Give 10% well and good, If they keep aside some every week to meet this more better.If you are trying to make people give under the threat of being cursed or any other reason even blessing, you are wrong. Someone can not give cheerfully if they are being forced to give. If 'your church can not survive on freewill offerings maybe God is not part of your church at all.
Mr Jones, Do you intentionally put your people under a Curse or a Bo***ge?

Mr Jones: Of Course Not !!

Judge: Can you Read in context Gal 3:10-11 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them ....
AND
Gal 5:1-4 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bo***ge....

Mr. Jones: I never realized all these things, I have always been taught that we had to tithe money to the local church and that is what I have always taught. I can see now that I was completely wrong. I did not study the scripture for myself, I only took mans word for it.
Yes ' am guilty. I will not teach this error anymore.

Sentencing....... All Arise .......Apostle Francis Akinnola , Clems Aigbe, Apostle Apst Samuel Onuora