TITHES DOESN'T BELONG TO GOD? READ A STUNNING REVELATION FROM MUYIWA AFOLABI

The following is an interview with Muyiwa Afolabi; A management consultant, business & career coach, professional speaker and a social reformer.

Muyiwa; the CEO of Frontiers International Services Limited is also a teacher of the word of God, called in 1996 to the prophetic and teaching office of the kingdom and since then has taught and supported many believers and ministries.

Muyiwa today coordinates a Christian discipleship class for men and women in career and business with over a thousand registered members; equipping them with the required wisdom, knowledge and understanding for total dominion in life and the fulfilling of destiny.

In this interview, he shares some stunning revelation about the concept of tithing; the origin, the purpose, the misconceptions and the traps. Is tithing still relevant? Does it really work? Are you wasting your money? How does it prosper you financially? Please read and enjoy…

Q. Mr. Afolabi, it's a pleasure to share this moment with you and getting you to publicly share your knowledge and your personal views about the concept and practice of tithing especially since that moment, weeks ago, I heard you say something like tithes does not belong to God?

A. Thank you but, I didn't say so, the bible says it all. As a teacher of the word I will never teach or share anything that is not CLEARLY stated in the word of God. The bible says so, not me. The bible clearly tells us who owns tithes.

Q. But many believers and pastors and respected men of God today say tithes belong to God. And they refer to the scripture in Malachi 3:8, where the bible reads, ‘will a man, rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?” In tithes and offerings.

A. Yes, a very popular scripture, but quoted and applied out of context. It is not the QUOTING of scriptures that empowers and liberates but the STUDY and UNDERSTANDING of scriptures. Many Christians today are lazy bible scholars, they don't STUDY the word hence, have never carried out a comprehensive study on the subject of tithes itself. Many pastors also, with due respect don't study to understand and teach, they study to preach and impress their audience so they are not deep - just superficial.

Many pastors don't even understand the purpose and real principles of tithes. Some however do, but choose to retain the practice and tradition the way it is for reasons best known to them.

Q. So, where in the bible does it say tithes does not belong to God? If it does not belong to God from your study, who owns the tithes then?

A. Well, every doctrine and practice in the bible has its origin and purpose, so to understand and have answers to your questions we need to go to where the bible introduced the concept of tithes and the purpose of tithing. The law of tithes is one of the 618 laws God gave to Moses for the children of Israel.

So to understand the origin, purpose and who owns tithe, let's go to where it was introduced by God in the bible.

Q. So the concept of tithes is one of the laws given by God to Moses, one of the Old Testament injunctions?

A. Yes. It's all clearly stated in Deuteronomy 14: 22-29. You can read it yourself and from any translation you choose, it means the same thing, but I'll want to highlight some critical points from the verses to answer your question about who owns the tithes.

1. First point is this: Deuteronomy 14: 23 to 26 clearly explained who ‘owns' the tithe and how it should be utilised. These four verses make clear who should spend the tithe and on whom. It says, take your tithes either in products or in cash, go to ‘a place of worship' with it, relax, settle down, SPEND the tithe on any good food and drink you desire and EAT IT in God's presence, you and your family should EAT IT. It's a demonstration of gratitude and thanksgiving. In summary, your TITHE is for you and your family to SPEND ON YOURSELVES in celebrating the goodness of the Lord to your family throughout the year!

2. Second point is this: Verses 27 to 29 of the same Deuteronomy 14 says, EVERY 3RD YEAR, don't take your tithe to church to spend on yourself and your family as usual, instead, keep it at home, in your house, ‘within your gates' so that strangers, and the poor, and the orphans and widows and Levites can come to your house and you give to them from it. Every 3 YEARS!

That is the origin and the purpose of tithe!

Q. Wow, this is revealing sir. So how do you relate this with the scripture in Malachi where God says the children of Israel Have robbed Him?

A. It's very simple, the children of Israel had been in captivity for about 70 years in a foreign land. The generation that practiced the Law of Moses including tithing had died off and two new generations of Israelites had been born in the land of captivity and knew little or nothing about the laws given through Moses hence, they worshipped the god of their captors.

After Prophet Nehemiah secured the right to go rebuild the temple and the worship of Jehovah commenced again in the temple, there was a need for the new generation of Israelites to be taught and instructed on the laws given through Moses. So a scribe called EZRA wrote the book of Malachi (Malachi actually means messenger) which was a documentation of the instructions passed by the Levites then, to this new generation of Israelites - Instructing them to stop taking their harvest and produce to baal; an idol, but bring it to the Lord's temple according to Deuteronomy 14, where the law commanded they do so.

The practice of taking what should be taken to God's temple to the shrine of baal is what God called robbery because God blessed their harvest not baal. God wanted the FOOD to be brought to His house for the people to eat and celebrate before him not gyrate before baal and also for the poor, the orphans, the strangers, widows and Levites to eat as well. ‘Bring all tithes so that there would be food in the house' He says. Usually the food ought to be kept within the gates of the Israelites every three years for Levites, strangers, orphans and the rest to come take and eat, but as a slave, anything within their gates belong to their masters, hence the instruction to bring it to the house of God.

Q. Wow, revealing. But sir, some people believe the concept of tithe does not emanate from the Law of Moses but from Abraham. They say Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek the priest, and was blessed, so if you also give your tithe to the priest you'll be blessed like Abraham.

A. This for me, is conjured; it's deductive in reasoning and not a fact of the scriptures. And I think there's a need to also understand the blessing of Abraham. As Christians or believers, we are not blessed WITH Abraham's blessings, we are blessed THROUGH Abraham's blessings. That's what God told him, check your scriptures. How is this so? Abraham did not withhold Isaac from God when he was asked to sacrifice him and for this single, but powerful demonstration of faith and obedience, God was excited and willing to release His own SON too as sacrifice for mankind and mankind was saved. This is the act through which we are blessed.

Abraham did many good things and a few bad things; Jesus is superior to Abraham, Jesus and His word is the standard, not the religion or ritual of Abraham. “Before Abraham; Jesus was” We can as well keep sacrificing animals and practice polygamy since Abraham did it, don't you think so? Laughs.

Q. Awesome. Sir, but some people believe tithing works for them. When they tithe, things are easy that month, when they don't tithe, things are usually difficult in that month.

A. Yes it's true and it's very easy to explain. In psychology there is what is called the LAW OF ATTRACTION. When you think and meditate on something, it eventually happens to you; it becomes your reality. You see, your mind is designed like a magnetic field that attracts into your life anything you think and believe strongly. Even the bible corroborate this principle; ‘as a man thinketh, so is he”. Every month you pay your tithes in church, you don't expect negative things to happen so they don't happen. The month you don't pay, you expect negative things to happen, so they happen. It's a subconscious experience. Its simple psychology. It's all about your expectations…your expectations won't be cut short either good or bad. What you expect is what you'll experience whether you pay your tithes or not.

Q. Sir, if according to the scriptures you referenced sir, we are to eat our tithes. How will the church run without funds from tithe, what will pastors live on?

If God truly called you, God will fund the ministry. A good shepherd will not keep ‘killing' the sheep to take care of the farm and himself. He would seek for pastures and still waters for the whole flock.

Jesus worked till he turned 30 and I believe he probably raised the initial funding for his ministry before appointing disciples who remained in business and employment also and hence, supplied funds and transportation for the ministry. The bible also says the ministry of Jesus was funded by some people He had ministered to. Luke 8: 1-3 mentioned names like Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and many others who supported the ministry from their private means. If God truly called you, He will pay the bills, He will send you financiers. That's why Jesus never bothered collecting offering or tithe from the multitude. In fact, he was worried about them and feed them with fish and bread twice without collecting anything - thousands of them. I think a lot of pastors should go get jobs or start businesses. Through that employment or business, God will fund the ministry.

By God's grace today, I oversee a Christian ministry of over 1000 registered members. And I still work as a CEO of a world class consulting firm. I own the company and through it, God has been supporting His ministry by blessing the work of my hands extensively. The contribution we make is towards welfare and charity according to God's commandment, members don't pay tithes. If God truly calls, He will provide.

Sadly, greed, vain competition, vile ambition and carnality is the reason many pastors keep taking from their poor and ignorant members; blackmailing and scaring them with the scripture about the devourer. Some pastors are sincerely ignorant though.

Q. Having said all these, are you suggesting I eat my tithe, spend on myself and family?

A. What I'm saying is this; tithes is an Old Testament injunction, part of the old covenant of God with the Israelites. There are about 618 laws, the only ones still strongly in practice in churches today is tithes and of late, first fruit. Why is this so? I do not know.

The new covenant is superior to the old. The Spirit of God lives in you, you have become your own priest – a royal priesthood (1 peter 2:9). You are God's ark of Covenant, you don't need a Levite to go before God anymore; you can approach God too by yourself. The ministry of the Levite is over! We are all now ‘Levites' we all can approach the throne by grace! The era of tithes ended with the old covenant; the old law.

The new law of prosperity is in sowing and reaping. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says if you give sparingly you reap sparingly, if you give bountifully, you reap bountifully. This naturally nullifies the law of 10%!

Will and capacity has come in to play. You give not as you like but as instructed by the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit does not tell you to give, don't give either to a ministry or to any individual, some ‘soils' are cursed, stop wasting your seeds!

Stop wasting your hard earned cash ‘paying off' the devourer, Jesus also destroyed poverty and the devourer on the cross; you're free!

Give as led by the Holy Spirit, not according to the marketing skills, eloquence, ‘sweet mouth', or threat of devourer by any minister of God. Study your scriptures, know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

Q. Wow, this is quite revealing and may be seen as controversial. How do you think many pastors and church leaders will accept your views?

A. Well, I'm sorry if this appears controversial, it's not my intention. All I've shared is CLEARLY stated in the bible. I didn't interpret or conjure anything, it's clear. It's not my opinion, it's all in the bible; it's in your bible too. However, I understand how difficult it is to accept the fact that your highly revered and respected pastor could be wrong. Many great men of God in the bible also made mistakes at some point: Abraham, Moses, Jacob and David they all missed it at a point. It's no big deal. Only God is perfect. The word of God is settled forever; not me, His word. Read your bible. Let God be true.

Q. What's your final word on this sir?

A. Well, it's a simple question, with all your tithes all these years do you have financial abundance or surplus? How rich has it made you? Are you still struggling financially? How come the biggest businesses and corporations in the world are not owned by tithers? How come the richest black man in the world is not a tither? True prosperity is in generosity to the less privileged and the poor - not in tithes to Christian ministries that invest very little in souls and people, but extravagant sums in luxury items, profit driven investments and vain projects – laying up treasures on earth!

Q. Thanks for your time sir.

A. You're quite welcome, God bless you.  

 -(Source: MuyiwaAfolabi)

*EDITORIAL:

Having Read this, What do you make of this new revelation? Well, it reminds me of the scriptures in Daniel 12:4 and Habakkuk 2:14 which says that in the last days, Knowledge shall increase(Paraphrased). It's your choice to believe or reject what you read or hear. However, do you agree with Muyiwa Afolabi on the above? Drop your comments