There is now a church operating in the heart of Abuja which does not
collect tithe nor offering from members, SUNDAY ISUWA reports.
Givers
Embassy, aka Home of Consular Generals, was formally established in the
heart of Abuja at the conference hall of 3J’s Hotel last Sunday, 30th
July, 2017.
What stands the church out is that it neither
collects tithe nor offering from members. The church, according to the
pastor, is dedicated to the service of humanity especially Nigerians who
are mostly poor in the midst of plenty.
Givers Embassy has a football club called, “Givers Shooters FC (1Timothy 4:.” The players were selected from local football fields, it was gathered.
During the inauguration service, the church commenced with greetings and after a warm welcome address, an opening prayer ensued.
The
first hymn followed thereafter with praise and worship. There were
scriptural readings and intercessory prayers for the nation.
Thanksgiving and personal prayers were also offered.
After a
drama presentation, there was Psalm chant and a presentation called,
“project free Nigeria,” a talk show magazine programme on nationhood.
Just
after the second scriptural reading was offered, special guests were
celebrated with another special hymn and thereafter, the preaching of
the word.
There was dedication with a second set of worship
songs, benediction, hallelujah chorus and withdrawal hymn which followed
with dance.
After the dance, food was offered to members before the second service – business and investment service which commenced at 3pm.
“Givers
Embassy exists to raise Consular Generals for God’s kingdom on earth.
We give visas to houses, cars and businesses. Above all, we give visas
to things that make life meaningful.”
“These consular generals
would, through their devotion to God’s word, worship, and worthy living,
inspire the much needed spiritual and socio-economic transformation in
their lives and that of others,” the pastor of the church, Edward
Olutoke said.
The maiden church service had a former presidential
adviser, Dr. Sarah Jibrin in attendance where widows were given forms
to fill under “Project Father A Child.” (James 1:27).
Widows who filled the forms will start receiving N20, 000 every month starting from August.
“The
problem of our society is greed. It’s not Boko Haram, it’s not biafra.
If we can solve the problem of greed in Nigeria, we will be better for
it,” the pastor of the newly established church, Edward Olutoke said
shortly after the first church service.
“In Nigeria, we don’t
give back to the society. People who give back, give peanuts. We don’t
need to only feed the people who are in poverty, we need to give them
life. Instead of giving them fish, we teach them how to catch the fish,”
Olutoke said.
Speaking on why his church doesn’t collect tithes and offering, Olutoke said the vision came from God.
“God
told me that as the owner of the church, he would build and sustain the
church. God asked me not to collect tithes and offering. We are to help
the needy. God said any member of the church who wants to touch other
people’s lives can do it directly to the needy.”
“The Holy Spirit
is leading us and we don’t want people to believe that they must bring
offering to church before they are blessed, no. If I give offering in
the church while a woman close to me is dying of hunger, what have I
done? As a Christian, I should not allow that woman to die. The God who
created the woman won’t be happy with me if I packaged an offering to
the church while she is suffering,” the pastor said.
He called on
Christians to allow the Holy Spirit to lead them adding that, “People
set up churches in the villages that don’t even have roads and instead
of catering for them, they collect N100, N50 from them and take it to
the city to people who are already rich. Something is definitely wrong
because that community may not have water, electricity, good roads and
other essential things that make life meaningful.”
“So, we are
supposed to look at our environment. Let us learn to take care of our
environment and that is what we do at Givers Embassy. If you want to be
packaging your tithes and offering directly to the poor, we don’t want
to know, just do it.”
“This is not our project. It is God’s
project. We know that people make a lot of money in Nigeria. Some don’t
even know how to help others. We will be reaching out to people who are
doing well in Nigeria that can be giving widows N20, 000 every month.”
“I
know over 500 people I have helped who are doing very well in
businesses. I’ve contacted some of them and on a monthly basis, as God
is blessing them, some of them have taken the responsibility of given
not less than five women N20, 000 each every month. We have started with
the first batch and as more people give, we will be expanding it to
every community in Nigeria,” Olutoke said.
The pastor said that
apart from the morning services, they will be doing business and
investment services in the evening of every Sunday to help in the
empowerment of the widows and other Nigerians.
“We have state
coordinators that will be training the widows on how to do businesses
from the monthly N20, 000 they will be receiving under the project
Father A Child.”
“These same children of the widows will turn out
wealthy tomorrow and they will build houses for the poor. That is how
we want our society to grow,” he added.
Pastor Olutoke sited Deuteronomy 15:7- 11, Luke 6:38 and Proverbs 14: 31.”
Even
though the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) could not immediately
comment on the newly established church, some Christian leaders and
theologians have expressed divergent views over the giving of tithes and
offering.
A Christian author, Richard Anthony who wrote about
tithe, said the first time “tithe” is mentioned in scripture is in the
book of Genesis.
“In Genesis chapter 14, there was a war. Abram
was victorious in this war: Proverbs 3:9, says: “Honour the LORD with
thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase. See also
I Peter 5:2, “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the
oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy
lucre, but of a ready mind,” he said.
The National President,
Nigeria Christian Graduate Fellowship, Prof. Charles Adisa said “If we
are talking about tithes and offerings, we have laid some scriptural
background which can be summed up as ‘’Tithing is an ordinance
instituted by God in the scriptures, and continued even in the New
Testament, never condemned by God, Jesus Christ nor his
disciples/followers.”
“It is the basic minimum of 10 percent of
our total income and earnings. There is no restriction on giving more
than the 10 percent by God, but severe penalties for not practising it.
Read Numbers 18:21-24, Mathew 23:23, Luke 11:42; Lev 27:30-32.”
“Truly,
I don’t know anything about this church, but reading the statements
made by the pastor, I believe that the tithes and offerings are not
being discouraged from being brought into the church, however, they are
specific about who it goes to and that’s to the widows and the orphans.”
“Tithes
and offerings are not meant to enrich pastors and their families. That
is one massive sickness plaguing most churches in Nigeria.”
“I
pray that God will bless their ministry because honestly I have prayed
and fasted for years for a church in Nigeria that will address the ever
growing needs and horrible plights of widows and orphans, and I’ve not
given up,” said a Christian leader, Mrs Vivian Pam.
Rev Zenald
Zidon Love while reacting, said, “Those who are receiving tithes are not
ungodly and no one should condemn those doing it. From the time of old,
tithe has its use in the house of God so if others are not using tithe
for its original purpose does not mean that receiving tithes is evil or
wrong,” he said.
Another Christian leader, Jacob Marshal Neyu
said there was no any place the Givers Embassy pastor condemned any
church that collects tithes and offering.
He said: “Our duty as
Christians is to pray, if really it’s God’s vision, it will stand the
test of time. That’s my opinion and I stand to be corrected.”
Responding
to LEADERSHIP Sunday’s enquiry, another Christian leader, who only gave
his name as Rev Dr Shuaibu, said addition or subtraction in the Word of
God has its consequences.
“What is the motive behind such an
operation if it is not the Gospel we preach? Jesus Christ would teach
that give to Caesar what belongs to him and to God what belongs to Him.
If Jesus came to fulfil the law, how did he fulfil the area that is
championed?”
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye
say, wherein 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 storehouse, that there may be meat in
mine house, and prove me now here with, 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. And I will rebuke
the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your
ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the
field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed:
for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts. Malachi
3:8-12 KJV,” he said.
“Read Hebrews 7:5-6 KJV. Some may say that
tithing was only practiced in the Old Testament, but the Bible, being
complete also speaks of tithing in the New Testament. In fact, in the
New Testament, it is a command for the priest to collect tithes of their
members, their brethren,” said Malachi Agwaatyap.
For Joseph Oloyemi Olotu, in Matthew 23:23, the Master Himself didn’t condemn tithe.
“Even
offering too. He commended the widow who gave her all. The New
Testament is the fulfilment of the old with some amendment by the
Master. After all, most of the serious promises we claim are from the
Old Testament, why didn’t we say they are New Testament stuff? The
scripture is whole, written at different times but inspired by His
Spirit. Therefore, though some were written under Judaism, they are
still powerful even today.” Olotu said.
Leadership