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New covenant giving
What is God worth to us? Is he only
worthy of a tithe of our income?
Every Christian should be allowed
to determine this for himself. Institutionalised
tithing limits the generosity of a believer. Once
we give 10%, we believe we have fulfilled all
righteousness. But this limitation is shortsighted.
Jesus says: “Give, and it will be given to you.
A good measure, pressed down, shaken
together, and running over, will be poured into
your lap. For with the measure you use, it will
be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38).
Therefore, we must not use the measure of a
delimited tithe.
Hardened hearts
Jesus says divorce is not God’s will: “From
the beginning, it was not so.” (Matthew 19:8).
Moses only gave the law permitting divorce
because of the hardness of the hearts of the
Jews.
The same thing applies to Malachi and the
compulsion to give tithes and offerings. From
the beginning, people of God were not
compelled or threatened to give. Indeed, the
insistence of pastors on tithes and offerings
today is anachronistic. It is tantamount to
putting Jesus’ new wine in old bottles which
Jesus says is inappropriate. (Matthew 9:16-
17).
The Law of Moses was given to the Jews
because they did not know the right thing to
do. But in spite of the law, the Jews were still
not inclined to give because their hearts were
hardened. Therefore,
Malachi called them
robbers of God; and he
threatened them with
curses, the devourer, and the
denial of blessings.
However, the application
of Malachi’s invective to
believers today is insulting.
The believer is a lawkeeper,
but Paul says: “The
The only acceptable
basis for all action in
Christ is love
law is not made for a righteous person, but
for the lawless.” (1 Timothy 1:9). Indeed,
once a man makes it a law that you must
pay tithes and give offerings, he has spoilt
you for the gospel. He has already
determined that you are a hard-hearted
lawbreaker.
But in the believer in Christ is fulfilled
the promise of God: “I will give them an
undivided heart and put a new spirit in
them; I will remove from them their heart
of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
Then they will follow My decrees and be
careful to keep My laws.” (Ezekiel 11:19-
20).
The true believer no longer keeps God’s
laws out of compulsion. But he or she says:
“I desire to do your will, O my God; your
law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8).
Instead of the Law of Moses, God has now
given us “the law of liberty.” Accordingly,
we no longer give because of “legal”
requirements. The only acceptable basis
for all action in Christ is love.
New spirit
How can you get a believer in Christ to
do the right thing? You do not have to do
SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 20, 2022, PAGE 21
anything at all because a true believer will
naturally do the right thing. A true believer will
do the right thing because it is in his nature to do
so. He gives because it is in his nature to give.
Nobody has to compel or threaten him. Nobody
needs to manipulate or bewitch him. Doing the
right thing is the fruit of his spirit.
When Samuel was explaining the dynamics of
the kingdom of God to Saul, he told him that the
Spirit of the Lord would come mightily upon
him, and he would start to prophesy like one of
the prophets. When that happens, he told Saul to
do whatever seemed best to him for God would
guide him. (1 Samuel 10:7). Saul would not need
any man to teach him what to do: he would do it
naturally.
It is this dynamic that John was referring to
when he wrote that believers have received the
Holy Spirit and therefore no longer need anyone
to teach us what is right: “You have received the
Holy Spirit, and He lives within you, in your
hearts, so that you don’t need anyone to teach
you what is right.” (1 John 2:27).
Free will giving
This was the case of Abraham. When Abraham
gave a tithe (tenth) of all his spoils of war to
Melchizedec, a priest of the Most High God,
nobody told him to do so. He did so of his own
volition. The pureness of Abraham’s heart
naturally led to his godly decision to honour the
Lord with his possessions and with the first fruits
of the increase in his resources.
Where the Spirit of God is there is liberty. (2
Corinthians 3:17). Even in the Old Testament,
God only welcomed offerings not given out of
compulsion. Thus, He instructed Moses: “Take
from among you an offering to the LORD.
Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as
an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze.”
(Exodus 35:5).
“Then everyone came whose heart was stirred,
and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they
brought the LORD’S offering for the work of the
tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for
the holy garments.” (Exodus 35:21)
In the construction and furnishing of the
tabernacle, the people gave so willingly, they
even gave too much: “The people were
restrained from bringing, for the material they
had was sufficient for all the work to be doneindeed
too much. (Exodus 36:5-7).
That is the giving that pleases the Lord; giving
that derives from the abundance of the heart.
Whole-hearted giving
This principle of whole-hearted giving is
amplified in the New Testament. Paul notes
that: “If there is first a willing mind, it is accepted
according to what one has, and not according
to what he does not have.” (2 Corinthians 8:12).
However, many pastors ask their congregants
to make pledges even according to what they
do not have. They tell them to “stretch their
faith.”
Such manipulation is anathema to New
Testament precepts where compulsive giving is
now out of date: “Let each one give as he
purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of
necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2
Corinthians 9:7).
Should you give a tenth, a fifth, or half of your
income? Decide for yourself between yourself
and God. It is no business of your pastor.
Tithing because of Malachi is tantamount to
giving out of necessity. But the believer of today
(the new creation) no longer gives because he is
trying to avoid curses and the devourer. He gives
because he loves to give. He gives because he
wants to be like our heavenly Father. He gives
because he loves God.
This means he can decide to give this
proportion of his income this month and another
proportion next month. The decision is entirely
up to him.
Moreover, if he chooses not to give, God is
not going to deny him His kingdom. He is not
going to rain down curses on him. The devourer
is not going to be let loose on him. The windows
of heaven will not be shut against him. Let no
one deceive you. A true believer cannot be
cursed. You can only curse a believer who
believes he can be cursed.
Jesus says: “According to your faith will it be
done to you. (Matthew 9:29).
RUNNING WITH VISION UNTO SUCCESS: THE ART OF LEADERSHIP (6)
INTRODUCTION
IN the last serial, we
introduced the subject of
motivation as a tool for
developing corporate success by
the leader for an organization.
In this serial, we will continue
with this subject and look at
factors that enhance
motivation, which leaders can
consider as the occasion
demands.
THE FACTORS NEEDED
FOR MOTIVATION
You can motivate members of
followers with the following
factors in their order of
importance.
Treating them with respect
wins them over and wins battles.
Next is by assigning work that
is interesting and meaningful to
them, because each person
performs best in his or her field
of expertise. Another important
factor that is often overlooked
is giving appropriate
recognition for good work and
performance. Recognition and
appreciation for good work
done by an individual makes
that person perform more in
subsequent times. Next in
importance is making sure they
have the opportunity to develop
their own skills. People need to
be personally fulfilled too while
they are involved in matters of
Pastor Akinola
on and assure them of ‘job
security’ while you also
treasure their involvement in
the organization.
MOTIVATION AND
TRAINING IN THEIR
SPIRITS
We must strike a balance
between motivation and
training them to respond to
the stirring of the Holy spirit
in their hearts. We must
remember that we are more
concerned here about
spiritual organization; hence,
the factor of the Holy Spirit
leading on the individual must
not be overlooked. In spiritual
organizations, it is also
pertinent to note that each
member is almost like a
volunteer, and must be
encouraged accordingly.
Motivation is not absolutely
effective all the time, and
hence we must look “outside
the box” for solutions to
Are you a Christian or just a believer?
NOT all those who call
on the name of the Lord
shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven, because they are
not Christians, but mere
believers in Christ, who have
not the Spirit of Christ, as
written in Romans 8:9c;
“Now if any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of
His.” That is, such one is not
a Christian but a mere
believer in Christ like Judas,
the devil amongst the twelve
apostles.
In Jeremiah 5:26, God said;
“For amongst my people are
found wicked men: they lay
wait, as he that setteth snares;
they set a trap, they catch
men.” These are the workers
of iniquity who believe in
corporate success. Next is to
encourage them to do better and
more effectively the things you
assigned. This might be by way
of providing an enabling
environment for their better
performance. Next in order of
importance is specifying the
freedom they have to think for
themselves in relation to the
assignments. An independent
thinking mindset helps
followers to come up with
ingenious solutions to
problems, and harness the best
of them for the organization.
Next in importance is keeping
them in focus at the end results
of their work. It is good to make
our followers have an eye for the
finishing line while working.
This is one of the reasons for
stating ab-initio to our followers
the Vision and Mission of the
organization. The Scripture says
in Hab. 2:2 that “write the
vision, and make it plain upon
tables, that he may run, that
readeth it”. The reader of the
vision sees the finishing line and
work towards it. The next is for
you to be an efficient manager
and leader to your members and
followers, and give them
assignments that are
challenging enough to them.
Also, make them feel well
informed about what is going
Christ but they are not
Christians, hence Jesus does
not know them, even if they
have done wonderful works in
His name – Matthew 7:21-23.
If believers in Christ must
be Christians indeed, then they
must be born again of the
word of truth, which is the
gospel of salvation that will
seal them with the Spirit of
Christ, as written in Ephesians
1:13; “In whom ye also
trusted, after that ye heard the
word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in whom also
after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that Holy Spirit
of promise.” That is why all
believers in Christ must hear
the word of truth, believe it
and obey it, that they may be
saved to become Christians
indeed, otherwise, they will
be eternally damned, if they
do not believe the truth as
written in 2 Thessalonians
2:10,12 "And with all
deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them
that perish; because they
received not the love of the
truth, that they might be
saved. That they all might
be damned who believed
not the truth, but had
pleasure
in
unrighteousness.”
The mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven, given
by Jesus to the few chosen,
who are of the truth, make
up the truth – Matthew
13:11. But many prophets
and righteous men who are
not given to know these
mysteries, desire to see and
corporate success. Members must
therefore motivate themselves and
respond to the leading of the Holy
Spirit in their quest to contributing
to corporate success of an
organization.
CONCLUSION
Motivation is a concept that
relates more to the followers in an
to hear them but have not –
Matthew 13:17.
Those who go by the broadway,
the way of the world, that
leads to destruction, are the
believers in Christ, and they are
very many. But those who go by
the narrow way, the way of truth,
that leads unto eternal life, are
the Christians, but they are very
few – Matthew 7:13-14. The
righteous nation who keep the
truth are the Christians, who will
be allowed to enter through the
gates into heaven as written in
Isaiah 26:2, and I quote “Open
ye the gates, that the righteous
nation which keepeth the truth
may enter in.”
But believers in Christ, who are
adulterers/adulteresses cannot be
said to be Christians, because they
are in friendship with the world
and they are the enemies of God
– James 4:4. Therefore,
Christians are those who practice
organization, and it is very
essential for leaders to consider
the relevance of this in the lives
of their followers. The leader, on
the other hand, must possess
certain charisma and character
that will influence followers to
run with him. In the next serial,
we will consider the leader
himself in this perspective of
driving followers towards
pure religion by keeping
themselves unspotted from the
world of ungodly festivities
and ceremonies - James 1:27.
As written in John 1:17, the
grace that brought salvation
came with the truth. This truth
teaches Christians, who have
the Spirit of Christ to deny all
ungodliness and worldly lusts,
and to live soberly, godly, and
righteously in this present
world – Titus 2:12.
Christian Gospel Church
(The Truth Centre),
4 Christian Gospel
Avenue, Beside Psychiatric
Hospital,
Uselu, Benin City, Edo
State
Email:cgc.com.ng@gmail.com
Telephone: +234(0)
7 0 5 2 0 6 1 1 3 5 ,
+234(0)9030731406
W e b s i t e :
www.thetruthcentre.com
success.
•J.K. Akinola. (Senior
Pastor), The Gospel Faith
Mission International
(GOFAMINT), Ibadan,
Nigeria.
E m a i l :
flprofenassociate@gmail.com,
kolajoshua2003@yahoo.com
Pastor (Dr). E.O. Abina –
General Overseer.
Kumuyi identifies forgiveness as panacea for peace,
unity
By Sam Eyoboka
PASTOR William Kumuyi,
the General Superintendent
of Deeper Christian Life Ministry,
has identified forgiveness as
panacea for peace and unity in
the church and society.
The man of God said even
though there are offences that can
leave a deep cut in people’s hearts,
there is always need for anybody
who feels offended by actions of
another person, to take the
initiative for reconciliation and
forgiveness.
Pastor Kumuyi who preached
during Monday Bible study on the
topic, “Forgiveness in the
fellowship of the father’s family”,
emphasized that people should go
beyond seeking for forgiveness
from human to seeking
forgiveness from God as that is
the surest path to heaven.
The Deeper Life founder
who drew his reading from
Matthew 18:15-17, urged
Christians to stay within the
confine of their fellowship to
settle any case they have with
fellow Christians.
He added that if such a
believer neglects all entreaties
initiated for reconciliation,
such a person should be
regarded as a publican that
should be preached to, prayed
for and even be assisted.
“You don't need to carry any
grudge in your heart. As a
believer, we must come to a
place of maturity where were
should forgive without bearing
grudges against any offender.
“Personal forgiveness
cannot take one to heaven until
such a person is born again.”
The man of God revealed
that even though Moses
forgave the children of Israel
for their idol worship, they
needed the forgiveness of God
to make it to the promised land,
reason he said God allowed
only Joshua and Caleb into the
promised land.
“As evil and terrorising Saul
was, David forgave him even
when he had opportunity to
kill him. The forgiveness
David gave was not sufficient
to take Saul to heaven. He
needed forgiveness from God.
“The forgiveness we give as
human is not enough to take
backsliders to heaven.
Anybody who is not free from
sin cannot set another person
free. If you bind yourself with
the chord of animosity you
cannot pray for anything to
happen. Lose that chord of
hatred first then you will have
the freedom and anything you
say God will confirm it in
heaven.”
Pastor Kumuyi noted that
reason Christians bind on
earth but those things the bind
are not bound in heaven is
because of sin that is binding
such Christians .
“When there is holiness, not
even Satan can stop whatever
we bind on earth to be bound
in heaven. When you stand as
a real child of God and
iniquities far from you,
whatever you agree and
disagree on earth will be done
same in heaven.
“God wants us to clear off
all sins and when we unite in
holiness anything we do shall
be forgiven.” the man of God
said.