SHOULD CHRISTIANS GIVE FIRSTFRUITS OFFERING?
Firstfruits was one of the offerings in the Old Testament, is it still applicable in the New Testament? Let's see some facts and truth about FIRSTFRUITS from the Bible.
Firstfruits was not just an offering like tithes and offerings, but it was an offering for sacrifice. Leviticus 2:12. "As for the offering of the firstfruits, you shall offer them to the Lord, but they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet aroma."
Leviticus 23:20, "The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest."
In the New Testament, the word "firstfruits" was mentioned about 8 times, and none was refereed to for monetary offering, because in the New Testament, Jesus Christ became our Firstfruits, the sacrifice of offering unto God, and the monetary or animal offering of firstfruits is no longer necessary and biblical.
1 Corinthians 15:20, "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
1 Corinthians 15:23, "But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming."
In the New Testament, firstfruits is no longer monetary offering but Christ became our Firstfruits, and then every person who first gives his life to Jesus in a family is the firstfruits of that family unto God; people who first give their lives to Jesus in a particular community or country are the firstfruits of that location, and every first church in a particular community or country is the firstfruits of that place.
Romans 16:5, "Likewise greet the church that is in their house.Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ."
James 1:18, "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures."
THE MERCHANDIZING OF MODERN CHURCH
Quoting firstfruits from the scripture as a means of collecting money in the church is another means of ungodly money making of the modern church. Some of those churches who collect offering of firstfruits do that, and put the whole money in the pocket of a single person - the Senior Pastor or the Daddy G O. Now, how will such pastors not become millionaire overnight? Such practice is not only unbiblical but in a wrong means, even the Old Testament firstfruits offerings were not given to the High Priest or a single person.
The churches who practice firstfruits offering are the decayed churches that have been perverted by modern demon of mammon spirit. Some even go to the extent of telling their church members to redeem their first children with money. If you are redeeming your first child with money in your church, it means the blood of Jesus is not enough to redeem your child. Christians are not redeemed by money or offerings; we are redeemed by the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:18, 19, "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
If any pastor or church asks you to redeem your child with an offering, tell them that the offering by the Blood of Jesus Christ is more than enough for the redemption of your children and yourself.
One of the popular pastors in Nigeria whose church practices collection of firstfruits offerings usually visit the capital city of Nigeria, Abuja, every year; and in the churches, the ministers would announce, "if you want to meet our Daddy G.O at the National Cathedral, you will need to buy invitation card of N15, 000 (About $100), so you can have access to him." Every year, this church usually sell invitation cards to their members to have access to their senior Pastor, maybe thousands of people do buy the card. The question is that, if you do not pay money to see Jesus, do you have to pay money before you can see the servant of Jesus? This is evidence on how far Satan has gone in the church.
One of the terrible things about modern church ministers is the possessed spirit of mammon, everything is monetized. Calling certain amount of money for special prayer, selling anointing oil for special blessings, asking prophetic offering - meaning if you need prophecy of prayer of prophet, you need to pay - collecting firstfruits offerings and paying money to see a man of God are few of the way they make merchandize of the free gifts of God in the church.
You will not hear such things from the founding fathers of faith, in America, Africa, Europe or Asia. The Apostles and our contemporary founding fathers of faith who founded some of the churches did not practice such system of money collections, and if our founding fathers were godly and contented, if they did not collect firstfruits offerings or special invitation offerings, if they did not sell anointing oil or organize special 700 clubs to raise fund, are we wiser than them? Are we wiser than the Apostles whom God used in the Acts of Apostles in the Bible? Why didn't we read such practices about them?
Wisdom demands that we should all repent from our love of money, and be delivered from the demon of mammon. From whom scripture is given, sincerity is expected. When you know the Truth, He will set you free if you allow Him.
1 Timothy 6:3-5
If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
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