GIVING TO CHARITY: BETWEEN DAVIDO AND THE CHURCH OF GOD IN NIGERIA Let us be guided in our idle talks – By Bola Adewara

Consequent upon the donation to charity the money raised by the musician called Davido, there have been a considerable taradiddle and snide remarks on social media on how pastors would have behaved in a similar situation. Critics said pastors would have built more empires while some would expend it on fancy cars.

I regard many of these comments as idle talks steeped in ignorance and lack of information. The Church in Nigeria remains the biggest giver to charity. But for the Church, this country would have scattered. My sense of truth revolts against the enunciation of this cheap taradiddle.

If you have no information, knowledge, or you are deliberately blind to what God is using the churches to do in the lives of many people and organisations, why not just keep quiet.

To those who talk about pastors using tithes and offerings for their fancies, how much have they ever given as tithes in their churches?

Tithers don’t complain about their tithes. Once they give, they are happy they did. What is your business about those who give it? Do they come to your house to complain? Keep quiet!

If you know how many churches help their widows, orphans, students, orphanages, etc., these people will not open their mouths in ignorance. Do you know how many churches give to prison ministries?

Scholarships to students? Pay hospital bills for sick members? A church in Kafanchan is sponsoring the children in a whole village to schools, not minding if they are Christians or Muslims.

Many people are ignorant of this because churches don’t give before the camera lights. There is a standard for Christian giving.

And by the way, do you think these pastors buy these jets, limousines, etc., with tithes and offerings? Ignorance! Do you know how much some churches realise on Sundays from tithes and offerings? As a journalist of the gospel, I know this and pity most churches.

Can I tell you how these pastors get blessed? More often than not, a few wealthy people in churches bring themselves together and contribute to bless their pastors. God blesses the pastors He called. Not these tithes and offerings.

After Sunday services, go to their account departments and see mountains of N50, N10, N20. Before you see the N1000 notes, you will wonder.

And this is what the ignorant people say pastors use to buy jets! Those helicopters and jets you see were not products of N50, N100 notes.

Moreover, do you know the bills most churches pick every month? Security, NEPA, diesel, repairs, data, payment of instrumentalists, associate pastors, instruments maintenance and upgrading, running services on Sundays, mid-week, and vigils on generators. Do you know the costs?

Do you know how much comes in on Sundays in most churches? And you accuse pastors of using tithes and offerings to buy cars! What tithe? What offerings?

Please be careful so that God will not destroy you for vilifying innocent people. Most of these pastors end up sourcing money on their own to run their churches.

Can I shock you? Most pastors get blessed not by their church members but by people they attend to often outside their churches. Some of them are non-Christians who believe in the calling of God in the lives of these men. I am speaking as an authority in gospel journalism.

I know three pastors who were blessed with cars and SUVs by Muslims. I know a pastor whose Jerusalem trips for five years were paid for by a Muslim politician. Yet, his church members would say, ‘Our pastor is using our tithes to travel!’ Stupid ignorance.

There is an Anglican priest who continually prays for people online. In a particular year, God hears the prayers of three of them, and they individually invited him to the US. He visited the US three times that year.

Getting there, all his spiritual children bought him so many things, clothes, wristwatches, shoes, etc., and plenty of items for his wife.

Back in Nigeria, two SUVs were waiting for him from America. This was a priest using a rickety Toyota Camry.

Pronto, he sowed the car and began to shine in these items. As expected, some members of his parish began to talk: ‘our vicar is shining with our tithes. The man nearly fainted when he heard this.

In the Anglican Church, no vicar can see the tithe and offerings contributed on Sundays. A priest cannot touch the tithe.

There are bodies saddled with that role. Priests get salaries! But the very church members spoke in ignorance. The priest tongue-lashed them the following Sunday. Ignorant people!

Using church money criminally does not happen in denominational churches like Baptist, ECWA, Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, etc. There are bodies saddled with receiving, counting, banking, and using the money.

The criminal tendencies often happen in independent churches. And how many of these independent churches can make tithes and offerings big enough to buy Rolls?

Let us be guided in our vituperation and idle talk about pastors. Many of them are not guilty of these stupid talks! Pastors are rich through appreciations, not your tithes and offerings.

How many church members are faithful tithers? Go siddon ojare! Mtcheeeeww!
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