A
friend of mine invited me to their church, which is among the chief Pentecostal
Churches in Nigeria, and which also belong to Orthodox grouping; hence, not one
of those churches referred to as prayer houses. According to my friend, they
have a special programme that very Sunday and I did honour the invitation. After
the worship and other activities, the man of God of the Church rose to
introduce the guest preacher who he said is still undergoing training in a
theology college to become a full time priest but carries great anointing. The
guest preacher came to the podium and started preaching. As he preached,
members cheered and hailed him to encourage him to speak on, because his
message, I can say, is really powerful, compelling and persuading. It was
really an exciting moment for every member of the church. The look on their
faces is enough to tell that they really are having a wonderful moment in God’s
presence.
I
was also really moved by that powerful message from their guest preacher; particularly
when he said “If the money you have at the moment is not enough to solve your
many problems, sow it as a seed and see how God will embarrass you financially”.
Another one that pulled my leg is when he said, “Believe in the Prophet of God
and you shall prosper (2Chronicles 20:20)”. After his message, he made an altar
call for those who are led to sow seed and many people started moving to the
altar. I wanted to make a move but somehow, I started arguing with my
conscience and thereafter, I remembered the argument I had with a friend about
giving to God. Then I stubbornly sat down. On the other hand, my friend got up
to go and I held her cloth but she jerked off my hand and left hurriedly to the
altar. Before the end of service that day, the host man of God instructed that
offering basket be brought out so that collection be made for the servant of
God who God has used to bless His people. According to him, the guest preacher
needs money to pay his school fees to enable him complete his studies in
theology college. I learnt so many
lessons that day but no one to share with because I felt as usual, no one will see reasons with me.
One
month after the altar call experience, the same friend of mine came to me to
share a financial burden. She said that her mother is seriously sick and that a
deposit of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira is needed to commence treatment
and that she has only Thirty Thousand Naira in her account. I was so shocked
that I didn’t know when I asked her “What have you been doing with your money”.
She looked so helpless and left in utter disappointment and I followed her. I
kept giving her suggestions of who to meet and ask for the money or borrow the
money from but she said she has tried them all to no avail. Then I suggested
her church. I told her to go and meet her pastor; since she is an usher and a
group leader, they should be able to assist her. At that point, she broke down
and started crying and I became embarrassed and asked myself, have I made a
sarcastic suggestion? Since I only wanted to help, I tried to cheer her up.
Then she opened up and started telling me what is eating her up; and what was
that?
She
told me that the day I followed her to her church, she was moved to make a vow
and that later on, she emptied her account of Three Hundred Thousand Naira and
gave to her pastor in response to what the guest preacher said that day. She
said that presently she needs to renew her rent, buy a laptop, complete her master’s
degree school fees, etc. and that the money she has is not enough. Hence she
sacrificed the much she had, trusting God to embarrass her financially. The
worst is that she said she has also gone to see her pastor and this is their
pastor’s response, “What do you want me to do? I don’t have money. Do you want
to take back what you have given to God? Do you think money falls from the sky?
And bla bla bla”. Even when she pleaded for the pastor to lend her the money, for
her to pay back at a later date, he directed her to meet some members of the
church to document her request for approval. And after all said and done, they were only
able to lend her Fifty Thousand Naira, which she is expected to pay back. I was
really angry when she finished that I dragged her with me to go see their
pastor but she told me it is of no use, as we are not going to fight him. She
blamed God for abandoning her. She blamed people around her for not lending
money to her. But I asked myself, who is to be blamed? God did not tell her to empty
her bank account, neither did anybody around her. I simply told her to learn
her lessons, as experience is always the best teacher.
When
will Christians learn to use the sense that God has given them? Is it not time
to read the handwriting on the wall and understand that times and seasons have
changed? When are Christians going to understand the signs of the times like
men of Issachar to do the right thing suitable for the season? It is not wrong
to give to God but such giving should be channeled properly. During the times
which were recorded in the bible, prophets then sacrificed for the poor and
needy. They toiled to alleviate the problems of the helpless. People believed
in them then and they never failed to proffer solution. When they ask anything
from anybody, they do so with good motives, leaving people who were good to
them better than they met them.
But
today, the story has changed. Men of God these days are after expensive cars,
flying abroad and acquiring jet. Their messages are coated to attract riches to
them so that they can compete and prove to others that God is on their side. Building
cathedrals and acquiring expensive cars and jets have become evidence of God’s
presence in their ministries. It doesn’t matter if their members who are sowing
into their lives are experiencing God’s goodness or not. They have turned the
building called churches to Ponzi offices. They have messed up the Word of God
on giving.
God
is more concerned about those He created in His own image and likeness than cathedrals
and other material things. Common sense should tell Christians that when a man
of God becomes more interested in material things than his members who are God’s
mobile altar and the main temple of God, then that man of God has deviated. Is
it not written that we should seek first the kingdom of God and all its
righteousness and every other thing shall be added? God is more honoured if I
help any needy person around me to realize his or her dreams than give to a man
of God whose desire is to entertain his selfish interests. There is no
difference between circular leaders and church leaders anymore. If the men of
God who are to bring God’s judgment upon the evil politicians in Africa have
also become crooks, who will call the evil politicians to order?
Why
is it that the so called men of God pray these days without effect? I have even
observed those who frequent prayer houses and found out that they get worse every
day, when actually they are supposed to be better off, yet they give their
fortunes to receive prayer and prophecies. It’s time for Christians to reason
and break free from religious bondage. These men and women of God waste their
member’s money printing posters and fliers for their selfish programmes that
are meant to protect themselves and gather more offerings, and they make such
programmes sound like God will come down from heaven, yet, after such
programmes, there is nothing to show for the money spent to host it. It’s time to
think. How many of such programmes have we attended these days and see the
blind, deaf, lame, dumb, etc all receive their healing?
Written by Olive Chinyere Amajuoyi
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