Of Tithe, Tithing, Tithers, Tithe-Eaters And Haters -By Imma McGerrard

In this time of life, there are obviously some things filling up the conversation queues, be it face to face or the ones where we hide behind the façade of social media to air our views and the debates on tithe is one of them, Nigeria being grouped with Argentina in the 2018 world cup draw, like an incessant nagging wife who is always giving the husband hell before he goes to the office every morning, another.

For those who place so much premium on the division of the holy bible into the old (law) and new (grace) testament. Tithe, originated from the bible, is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution and chronologically, it preceded the giving of the laws to Moses.

Abraham gave tithe of the battle spoils and that was long before Moses, who received the tablets- not modern-day smartphone- was born. The father of faith understood the importance of giving to God from a cheerful heart, not after coercion and not as an exchange for all he has given.

To those who think there is nothing related to paying of tithe in the new testament, I hope this “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former” answers the burning question on your mind.  Note: Practise the latter without neglecting the former.

Tithe is the ten percent of your income due to God and it is a law with a test for God and a promise attached to it. A man is claimed to rob God if he does not give it and men are now justly incensed against pastors for eating this sacred thing and some brand-freaks even label them robbers- I think some really are.

Tithing in itself is a profitable thing and preachers diverting it to their coffers should not change our minds about what God has said in the third chapter of Malachi or debate His seriousness about it. We are to do our part and not excuse ourselves from tithing responsibilities because the pastor is not responsible or accountable enough. The fact that some pastors, who were not really called or missed their divine calling at some point, have turned tithes of church members to money meant to enrich their pockets, does not and cannot change God and what he has said. No matter the progressiveness of our knowledge, we cannot improve on God.

Some claim they are no longer under the law but under grace: they are now seeds of Abraham under grace yet Abraham paid tithe and he did give his tithe before the law. That means being under grace does not excuse you from paying tithes and it‘s God’s business if your pastor is eating your tithe.

It is evident that the people clamouring against paying tithes are either in it for the cheap popularity it would garner them, the need to just say something or support a revolution or really angry that some are suffering and some preachers are still “duping” the suffering folks in the name of tithe and obviously, the battle of words by Pastors, is making mess of the whole situation. And this I have seen under the heaven, those who really pay tithes are not complaining, just the other folks.

How do you stop a man who curses, gets intimidated by intellectual arguments, and bent on soiling reputations, under the guise of freeing the “sheeple” by exchanging tirades? You can only get a pyrrhic victory at best. God is a living God, He needs no one to defend him, but nevertheless those who cannot see beyond their noses should be made and guided to see the truth, in and with love.

There is no doubt there are Pastors that have made a wreck of their calling and the campaigning against payment of tithes is either borne out of hate for the preachers, their jets or their lifestyles. Some people even rant about them commercializing the gospel, have no regard for the responsible preachers with integrity and they always think delusively that it is easy to start a church. If you think it is easy to start a church, get a bible, get your English polished, your bell and microphone and try get attention at the market square and see who cares to listen to you. You can even go as far as booking a venue.

Angry some people are poor while there are some few living extravagantly? I am so sorry to let you know or remind you, there would always be poor people. There were many of them when Christ was on earth in the form of a man and there would still be. Many churches are still working assiduously to empower the underprivileged either through their corporate social responsibilities or otherwise.

I am not validating embezzlement of funds neither am I supporting launching tirades against preachers but whosoever will take sides must do so thoughtfully and from a position of knowledge. And let your giving of tithe come from your belief; strengthened by knowledge you have gotten thoroughly and investigatively from the bible and not your pastor.

An ignorant man in this age is someone who is going to take things hook, line and sinker without any findings by himself and is easily tossed about by any new thing, be it true or not, be it sound or not. While “an illiterate”, according to the sage Alvin Toffler, “of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

The best things in life are not for lazy thinkers to know and everyone should strive to read between the lines and stop scratching knowledge on the surface. Read more, study more, think more, do more and be more.

Imma McGerrard writes from Abuja, FCT. You can reach him at immagerrard@gmail.com