BAYO'S PERISCOPE

Samuel Bayo ArowolajuThursday, December 23, 2004
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WHERE IS GOD IN OUR CHURCHES


"Stealing in the name of the Lord; My Father's House of worship has become the den of thieves stealing in the name of the Lord."

igerians, beware of false profits, I mean prophets" was the topic of a piece written recently by Dr. Tonye David - West, Jr. on the commercialization of Christianity by some servants of money who camouflage as servants of God. He wrote about a personal experience in a Nigerian church. I will be surprised if he has not received hundreds of email or phone calls, from 'defenders of the faith' who feel that their pastors are too holy or too anointed to be criticized. Before Tonye knows it, some people will swear by the name of the Holy God that the pastor in question did not do or say anything wrong even when he was virtually cursing those in his church who will not empty their wallet on his altar that day.

Or how else does one interpret this: "If the Lord has blessed you and you are holding back (not giving), He (the Lord) would take his blessing from you." Who told this pastor that Godly blessings are like commodities in the grocery stores with price tags to be bought? I don't know which Bible this particular pastor read or quoted that from. Definitely, it is not from the canonized versions of the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible. Anyway, many are the pastors these days who read the Bible upside down.

The pastor continued with his unscriptural begging:

"If the Lord has blessed you this year, give Him something. If He has blessed you this month, give Him something. If He has blessed you this week, give him something, if He has blessed you today, give Him something. If you are hoping for His blessings in the future, give Him something now. Don't wait until he blesses you."

This is nothing but manipulation of members of the church into giving; sometimes involuntarily. When this type of manipulation fails, some pastors result into intimidation and when this doesn't seem to work, they changed to outright threat like the pastor in question. Don't be surprised to hear some swearing and cursing from the pulpit all in the name of making people to part with their money for 'the Lord'. Unfortunately, many people are still gullible that they feared these pastors rather than God and they end up giving grudgingly and therefore just ended up throwing their money away to satisfy the pastor and dissatisfying God because such coerced giving is not acceptable to God. Maybe, it is only acceptable to the shylocks in the robe and name of pastors. What a double loss - losing your money and the rewards of being a cheerful giver to God.


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I will not be surprised that as soon as this pastor has time to read Dr. David-West's article, he will pick up his phone immediately trying to find out who the writer is, who knows him, and how to get him. He will also start building defensive walls of sycophants and bootlickers who will defend their pastor from those who will want to "pull him down." From where, you may want to know? Yes, from the exalted position he has enthroned himself. What we find in many churches today are pastors, apostles, bishops, and whatever they call themselves to suit their ego, who have dethroned God and enthroned and entrenched themselves in their self created positions of power in their churches. It was in politics I learnt that power corrupts, while absolute power corrupts absolutely. It will be a mistake to limit this phraseology to politics alone these days. It has found its ways to the pulpits. Rather than humbly hiding behind the cross of Jesus, no way, most pastors are now too big for a position behind the cross; they, instead, hide the cross of Christ behind them and want to be treated as more important than any other worker or member of the church.

They have ignorantly believed that it is by doing this that people can fear them. I mean fear and not ordinarily respect them. No, they are too spiritual, too big, too high up in their self created spiritual heights, and too distant from the ordinary church members to be merely respected. After all, it was God who "called and appointed" them as 'Lords' over the church. Some will even tell you that it is God who gave them the 'vision' that is different from the vision of Jesus Christ for His Church. This is why some pastors teach the wrong doctrine that not all Christians are endowed with the Holy Spirit, except some special few ones like them. All to curry the power and dominion they do not deserve.

It is this godly self image that makes them think they can speak from both ends of their mouths from the pulpit since nobody dare ask questions or challenges them. The doctrine of 'servant-leader' which Jesus epitomized and instituted among the first disciples has no meaning to them. That was Jesus they probably will say, and that was then and not now. Some blasphemously have said that, if it were to be now, Jesus would fly a Concorde Jet for his crusades all over Judea and Samaria or from Galilee to Jerusalem. Believe me; he did not even ride a donkey until the last trip to Jerusalem to fulfill what God had spoken about him through the prophets of old. Yet, there were white horses also that time that he could have chosen to ride if he was as worldly as many of us today.

They have forgotten or in their ignorant and perverted mind they did not realize that Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, out of humility, chose to be borne in a dirty manger in the little town of Bethlehem Ephratah and not the sparkling palace of King Herod some few miles away. He knew of the imperial empire of Rome before he decided to be counted among the persecuted people of Palestine. He left his Crown of Gold in His Kingdom with streets paved with gold before he took the crown of thorns on the dusty road to Calvary. He forsook the throne of Glory before he took the cross of gory; and as a Good Shepherd, he voluntarily laid His life for His sheep that know and hear His voice. This is why many faithful and humble followers today still including many pastors, bishops, apostles or plain Christians worship and exalt Him and not themselves or any man. How much did anybody pay for the salvation and eternal life that Jesus paid for, with his life and blood? Then, how dare anybody, under any name or title, arrogate heavenly blessing or prosperity to the amount of check one writes or did not write for a pastor or a church.

Nobody will deny the place of money in the affairs of man or any organization, the church inclusive. The Bible does not condemn the use of money, but the love of it. There is the need to meet the financial obligations and responsibilities of the church. The mortgage or rent has to be paid. The bills, utilities, salaries and allowances of the staff have to be paid. All these and other overhead costs, cost money. That is not to say that churches should substitute the love and worship of God with that of money or at best try to serve two masters at the same time - God and money. Judas Iscariot was the treasurer of the disciples, which means they even needed money then. Yet, it was the love of the same money more than the love of Jesus that sent Judas to his perdition. There are growing numbers of Judases in our churches today. Some of those whose primary motives of "answering their call", is for the financial gains or security they stand to gain and not how many lost souls they intend to win for Christ and his Father's Kingdom. Even governors now want to be pastors after leaving the governor's house. Indeed, we must "beware of false profits, I mean prophets."

In an effort to build financial kingdoms or empires for themselves, some churches have clearly bitten more than they can chew in terms of the expenses their pastors have brought upon them, and unfortunately, maybe, without carrying them along in the decision making process. Why and how? We can examine this from the perspective of the type of edifice they desire to build as a place of worship and therefore the type of jumbo loan they usually lead the church to take from the bank or the mortgage companies. Unfortunately, little do these people realize that it is not the building that makes a church, as it is not the collar that makes the monk. The Good Book says that God does not live in a house build by hands.

Therefore, the greatest fraud in the church today comes from the area of the church building or landed property. The question may be "who owns the Papas land?" A church with a very "clever and foresighted" pastor goes ahead and acquires a sizeable landed property in a choice and highly prized area. This soon appreciates into thousands and maybe millions of dollars. But here is the joker. The mortgage and the deeds are all in the name of the pastor but the church - the men and women, who comes in weekly; in many cases about three times a week and even visitors who occasionally zoom in on special "holy ghost or anointed" services or programs are the people paying for the mortgage of the property, which is legally owned by the pastor!

This is not only wrong; it is immoral, unethical, and against the will of God for His Church and His people. It is also absolutely fraudulent. It is the typical way of stealing in the name of the Lord. Some have even gone a step further. They buy luxury cars with the money and in the name of the church (some in their names) but have the title in the pastor's name. The church as a Not-for Profit corporate entity is a legal person, who can own property in its name completely and totally separated from that of the pastors. The pastor of a church is the first employee of the church doing his job for which he is being paid. This is in the same way as any other employee of the church is employed and paid; or how any other member of the church is doing his/her job outside the church and paid by his/her employer.

Bearing all things, everybody, including the pastor that comes to the church is like birds of passage. People will always come and go. Some people will surely move one day away from the church environment either voluntarily or involuntarily but the church is expected to remain until Jesus will come back to take his own home. Even after that, the property of the church like the building will still remain behind for those left behind. I am sure no pastor wants to remain as pastor of the left-behind-church after the rapture, because his property has appreciated into millions of dollars. Besides this, nobody is expected to leave for ever even if Jesus will prolong his coming; though many powerful or rich including some so-called religious people have forgotten that death is a necessary end. Now, let us see this from another perspective. What happens when the church's property is paid off? Then, who own the property? It is the pastor or whosoever whose name is on the property? So if the Church of Jesus Christ owns a property that worth ten million dollars, it should not be in the name of a Pastor Samuel Bayo Arowolaju but in the name of the Church of Jesus Christ, so that his children would not think they have a ten million property to inherit after his death.

Come to think of this, imagine Jane Doe, a faithful giver and tither who in the course of her faithful giving and tithing to the church contributed $50,000.00 during her active membership of her church. She suddenly decided to move to another greener pasture in another state; if the church's property for which she has been billed to her marrows, and made to pay the monthly mortgage is in the name of the pastor, does she have a right to the share of the equity which the property has built up over the years? From all indications Jane Doe like many other faithful members of the church might not even know if the property was in the church's name or the pastor's name because of so much deceit and manipulation they have been through. What happens after the property is paid off is another cup of tea all together. The church - the people whose money was used, need to know. This is why it is the church and not the pastor that owns the church!

What happens to the car bought and paid for by the church and maybe maintained including gas and services? Does it mean that the pastor can trade the car in anytime he or she wants another more luxurious car? Like the insurance people would say, suppose the unthinkable should happen - death, can the pastor will "his" property to his wife, children or next of kin? There are more questions than answers. Let us all remember that some of these pastors earn between $50,000.00 and $100,000.00 a year, paid by the church. In some cases, their spouses may suddenly find that it is better to work with the church taking a higher undisclosed pay than working outside as before.

What is my business about this, you may be asking yourself now? A lot; is my answer. Jesus told his earthly mother and father when they nervously found him in the Temple in Jerusalem discussing the Scriptures with the elders, that he was doing his "Father's business". Any matter concerning God and His people should be the concern of anybody who "has been blessed by God," especially with the privilege of being called son of God.

One of my areas of concern is that this is one of the reasons why many pastors manipulate, cajole, threaten, and even curse people in the church to make them pay their tithes or give their offerings. I have been to Christian gatherings where people were asked to pure 'anointing oil' on their credit cards and thereafter give abundantly, with the understanding that God through the olive oil will bless the givers generously. If this is not manipulation or deceit what else do we call it?

Reacting to my last article about the central place money has occupied in our churches, a very genuinely concerned writer said that while he agrees with everything I wrote and the need to bring sanity to the House of the Lord, his greatest fear was how he felt that exposing such absurdity might affect immature believers or unbelievers who might be considering giving their lives to Christ. In short, he felt that sanitizing the church on the pages of the World Wide Web or washing our proverbial duty clothes in the open might discourage unbelievers or "baby" Christians. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to respond to many feed backers. If I had, I would have reminded my friend and those like him of the Apostle Paul's warning that we must rather please God and not men. Most importantly is the doctrine of pre-destination; that those whom God knew he already predestined to conform to the image and likeness of His Son. God has predestine those to be adopted as His sons and daughters through Jesus Christ all in accordance to His pleasure and will (Romans 8:29, Ephesians 1:5); therefore nothing will "snatch them away from His hands."

Besides, not all churches are money-centered; as not all pastors are servants of money. Some are still sincerely and genuinely true servants of God. I was in a church very recently where another pastor with a prophetic gift asked everybody to bring out their wallet, saying that that was the first time she would do what she wanted to do. I know what might be going on in your minds, but wait. She said we all needed financial breakthrough and blessing of God. She then asked people to open and laid their hands on the opened wallets, and she led a very powerful prayer for abundance and financial success for all. Guess what happened after? She asked everybody to close their wallets and put them back into their pockets or bags. That was it. To me that was a very honest, sincere, and Godly spiritual exercise. She did not use the opportunity to raise money, which I am sure many would have answered after the powerful prayer. That is how it should be, let everyone wait for God from whom all blessings flow!

Let me say it loud and clear, here and now that I am not in any way or manner against people giving their money or even their property or giving themselves for the cause and course of the gospel. Without the faithful giving of the faithfuls, it will be very difficult for the Church to achieve a lot in its battle against the forces of the kingdom of Satan, which are out competing with the saints of the Kingdom of God. The Bible is very clear of the rewards for tithers and givers alike that an average Christian can understand and choose to receive, when and where; by obeying or not, by disobeying. "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." All our relationships with God are based on our free will, not intimidation, coercion, or force. Our services, our worships including our tithes and offerings, should not be given to God because we want something from God or the pastors, but it should be because we love God, who first love us.

I have not read from the Bible where God declared not paying tithe or giving offerings as a sin against him as he declared for what most people have taken for granted. Today from our homes, offices, and churches, I mean churches; from the pulpits to the pews, people gleefully or in disguise indulge in sins against God such stealing, lying, adultery, idolatry, fornication, homosexualism, malice; I can go on and on and on. Yet, how many pastors spent the same amount of energy, time, and resources they spent on prosperity as they do in making people aware of these sins and to repent from them? If the number of churches on our streets is a reflection of our genuine walk with the Lord and having Christ in us, the world and especially Nigeria will be a better place. It is on record that Nigeria tops the list of church attendance by adults in the world with 89% followed by Ireland with 84% and Philippines with 68%. Sweden has 4% and Switzerland with 16%. USA has 44%.

If we can read between the lines, we will see that the statistics is a reflection of the instability/poverty/economic difficulties in those countries. With our almost 90% of Nigerian adults in churches almost every day but surely on Sundays, yet the level of crimes and poverty and corruption are at the level it is in Nigeria today, our pastors should revisit their "callings". Most of them need deliverance. The greatest 'miracle' however, is that while the pastors are upwardly moving from poverty and economic retrogression, they have failed to drawn most of their church members with them, like Jesus promised that if we lift him up, he will draw us unto him, so that we can be where he is. Then whose examples are they following?

Maybe some of our pastors are themselves the barriers between their people and the blessings of God for the monies given in their churches. This is because while we think we are giving to God, we might have indeed been giving to the pastors who have no blessing to give back in return. Remember God loves a cheerful giver but most of the times people are forced or intimidated to give grudgingly, which is not acceptable to God like the offering of Cain. There are people who can testify to being blessed because of their faithful giving without any coercion from the pulpit.

How do you know if what you have giving is to God or the pastor? You will know by the way the money is collected and spent. I have heard stories of where pastors always order sumptuous lunch for the pastor and his family on Sundays after services straight to the pastor's office and straight from the collection buckets before the rest of the money is counted. Who knows, maybe, the family's expenses for the week are also deducted. This is not the same as the pastor's salary at the end of the month. Are such offerings for the Lord or pastors? Will the blessing come from God or the pastors? Many of our churches have become so much money-centered rather than being Jesus-centered that electronic tithing and giving is now the vogue of the day. So, even if you do not come to the church, you can obey the pastor's commands from the pulpit "just wire your tithes and offerings and my God will supply all your needs". So even if a parishioner was on Sunday morning robbing a bank or on the streets selling cocaine; as long as he/she wires the tithes and offerings from the 'business', there is no problem, as the pastor's God will bless him/her. Where is discipleship, where is worship, where is stewardship, where is Christian ethics, morals and values, where is the high standard into which we have all been called as Christians. Remember every Christian has been called; it is not only the pastor who boasts of the God that called him/her from the pulpit every Sunday that is only called of God. The apostle Paul assured us all that it is by the same Spirit we are all baptized into one body; and made to drink into one Spirit. I don't know how a person will be a Christian if he/she was not called from darkness into the marvelous eternal light of God. What might differ are the Spiritual gifts, which have been given to each of us according to the choice of the Spirit himself. These gifts are to be used in the church for the purpose of building and edifying the Body of Christ and not for boasting. We should stop deceiving ourselves and others.

There is therefore no wonder, the theme of most messages from the pulpit, if any, is taken from the song: "Money, money�� money, money�� money." Many pastors today don't even have any knowledge of preparation and delivery of message from the pulpit. They don't even feel it is necessary as they can easily mambo-jumbo their ways, saying whatever comes to their minds or in their shallow and na�ve believe in, "whatever the Holy Spirit" put in their mouths to say to the church. This is not diminishing the power and fire of the Holy Spirit, it is not undermining it. A preacher should have waited on the Holy Spirit while preparing for his/her message days before coming to the pulpit to deliver the message. For a preacher not to prepare for a sermon and to lazily walk to the pulpit, hoping that the Holy Spirit will fill his mouth or teach him/her what to say to the church, there and then, is the height of pastoral or spiritual laziness, or, and arrogance.

Most people don't go to church these days, they go to meetings; where they have opportunities to socialize and meet people they could not see during the week. This is why the church has become the place to test or show off the latest designs in dresses, shoes, hats, jewelries and name it. This is no respecter of persons; that is, it includes the pastors as Dr Tonye David-West wrote in his article. To some, the church has become just an avenue to ease the tension and stress of the working week. On the other hand, some goes so as to have people to invite to their parties when they have one, and this is often. To these people, they will shout and laugh at whatever comes out of the preacher's mouth, however unscriptural or unedifying it might be. This is ungodly, as God demands that worshippers should worship Him in truth and in spirit.

The situation has gone haywire that something has to be done. If Jesus did not just pray and fold his arms, but did something about people messing up the Temple in Jerusalem, sane Christians today should not just pray and fold their arms. The church is not a private enterprise Sole Proprietorship. It is funded and managed by the peoples' money for the course of the gospel. That is why the managers like Caesar's wife, must live above board. Even if the pastors like others contribute or even contribute more than anybody in the church, the church's financial survival still depends on the sweats from the brows of the members of the church. This call for accountability not only to God but also to the people whose money they gathered every time they meet; all in the name of the Lord.

It is therefore not what people like me or Dr. Tonye David-West writes that will discourage people from serving God or giving their lives to Christ, it the actions and words or the inertia of some of these wolves in shepherd clothen that may scare away or scatter the sheep from the flock of Jesus Christ. How do you feel if you invited your pastor to perform the naming of your new born baby, only to be told that you don't qualify for that special service from the pastor because the record shows that you don't pay your tithes regularly in the church. You will be surprised that the same could happen, if you want your church to conduct your wedding or that of your son or daughter. Money and not your services to the Lord determine your walk with the Lord in some churches these days. Or how do you react where you testified in the church for the recent promotion that it has please God to grant you, only to receive a letter from the church later not even congratulating you but reminding you that "records have shown that your tithes have not reflected your recently testified promotion?" Revulsion! Or in the least, most probably you will be discouraged.

In the Church of the 1st Century, what they contributed was for the good of the poor and needy among them. They willingly shared what they had between the haves and the have-nots. The apostles as the first set of leader-servants served the people. It was because the church expanded and they could no longer do it alone that they appointed the first set of seven deacons to assist in ministering to the need of the church members. This is what it means to minister. It is to serve and not to be served. A Minister of God is therefore a servant of the Church and not its master. That was the Church of God in Christ Jesus. Today, people who paid their tithes monthly and gave bountiful offering when they had jobs cannot receive help from the same church when they face the vicissitudes of life or become unemployed; even if it is to feed their children or pay their rents. Someone asked me recently what I think would happen should Jesus suddenly appear in some of our churches today. I said many pastors will run out of the window without waiting to take their Bibles from the pulpit if they recognize him. Or maybe, Jesus will repeat exactly what he did at the Temple in Jerusalem, and chase these money-raiser-leaders out of his Father's House. Today, many pastors and church leaders bring pseudo-professional fund-raisers cum public speakers to their churches or ministries, even across the Atlantic, not because they are good soul winners but because they are good money raisers. That is not the purpose of the Church of Jesus Christ.

How I wish many of us will realize before it is too late that Christianity is about our relationship with Christ and not about how much we contribute or give to the church. This is why ability to build a cathedral and pay the salary of the pastor for life, is no guarantee or passport for eternity without a relationship with Christ. After all, not all philanthropists will make Heaven since not all know Christ even with their millions of dollars giving to the poor or needy every year. Remember, many of these people give for tax purposes sake and not for God's sake, and so have received their rewards from the Internal Revenue Services, and not from God. No wonder the question has been asked severally: Where is God in our churches today?

Some of the people who reacted to my last article testify that they have been discouraged from going to churches for more than two years because of this type of worldliness that has pervaded our churches. Unfortunately rather than the Church influencing the society, it is the society that is dictating to the Church today. I am not talking about the intrigues; conspiracies, backbiting, and backstabbing that are going on. Some people have sacrificed their relationships both familial and matrimonial or friendship of more than twenty years on the altar of the church, in ignorant believe that they are serving God. They should read their Bible very well and ask for God to give them the spirit of understanding of His words. Then they will see from the example of King Saul, how one can diligently and enthusiastically serve God in a wrong way and receive the reward of eternal condemnation not only for himself but for an entire generation. This is why King Saul and his entire generation lost his throne to the House of David. "Those who have ears let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church."

In order to bring sanity to our churches and ministries, some people have suggested the establishment of an organization to be called "Church Watch Tower." The purpose of which will be to put our churches and ministries under watch and draw their leaders more towards accountability to God, and then to man; To defend and protect the interest of the Clergy and the Laity in accordance with biblical principles; To return the Church back to the leadership and headship of Jesus Christ, the owner of His Church; To make sure that the Church - the body of Christ, is not manipulated, deceived, and cheated; and to make sure that the Bible becomes the final arbiter in the affairs of the men and women of God.

Yes, I will support such an organization; provided it will be Christ-centered, non-denominational, non-political, non-partisan body, which will be funded by public funds for public interest; through grants, aids, and donations from individuals and groups without strings attached. It must be open and transparent to all without exceptions and restrictions; operating the open book system. Some of our churches have degenerated to a point that they can no longer clean themselves; they surely need a new external broom or a watchdog; since they survive on peoples' money. After all, he who pays the pipers should dictate the tunes. Interested God-fearing, Christ-centered, and public-spirited, Godly, and honest people can respond, indicating their interests through the e-mail address above. This may be your way of working for the Lord; by bringing decorum to His House. We have all been called as co-laborers in His Vineyard.