Image123:

His 10% would do the job, but his 90% won't? Commoooon. He'd die if he had 80% for himself this month?

The point is that nobody's saying he shouldn't help others. But if he considers it God's money, then he should use his own money.

cicero:

@op
If you are genuinely wanting to get sound, scriptural advice Nairaland is the last place you want to ask.
You will receive all manner here based on logic, atheism, Rotary clubs 4 way test and even Muslims. Even Anti Christs are here.
You are obviously from a tithe paying church, don't you have christian brothers and sisters? mentors that could advice you?

stagger:

Let me address some of the bolded points.
Many bankers are skill-less. In today's world, anybody who wants to make it has to acquire skills outside the regular stuff you get from the university.

I did not attend any private schools. I went public the whole time. My secondary school had no functional Physics or Biology labs. I learnt practical Physics from PN Okeke's Practical Physics textbook on my own. The first Physics experiment I ever did was during the SSCE exam. I made an A2 in Physics, and an A2 in Biology.

If I had relaxed and said "oh, there was no functional lab in my school", what would have become of me?

Most of what I use today to feed myself and my family are skills I picked up outside of what I studied in University. I understood that to survive in this world, one has to be versatile, and many bankers don't have that.

Did Bill Gates or Steve Jobs go to conventional universities to learn how to write computer programs or build computers? THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LUCK IN THIS WORLD.

We have a saying in my language: that when an individual agrees to make progress, his God will also agree with him.

The first capital for my business was N500. Yes, N500. I crafted a business idea, used N500 to print out the advert on A4 and shared it out on the streets. I made N42,500 out of it and the rest is history. So anyone who languishes in his pitiful state by saying there is no capital is just deceiving himself.

The journey of a thousand miles always begins with a small step. I know the ex-banker's problem; having tasted the perks of banking, he is probably too proud to engage in certain "demeaning" ways of making money. There is a woman who used to live close to my house in one of the Northern states. I got to know that her business of frying plantain, akara and yam at night was giving her N40,000 daily. Honestly the day I heard it was the day I made up my mind that I had no excuse to be a poor man.

The ex-banker should wake up!

fummylolah:

Similar incidence happened to me 4 months ago. a junior colleague of mine had his first daughter at UCH Ibadan because she had kidney related ailment. There was no place for him to get money cause he actually dropped his whole salary for treatment and has borrowed from everybody he can imagine( kidney problem of over 7 yrs) and still needs more or else his daughter (14yrs) would die,  I prayed to God and asked for forgiveness if i was doing d wrong thing by giving the guy my tithe. i also made d guy to understand dat i was giving him my tithe and so he should use it for d purpose to which i am giving him. i beleive there are some conditions to which the tithe can also be used to help the needy, Pls correct me if i was also wrong,

debosky:

That's missing the point - if he has already set aside the 10%, God accepts using 'his money'  to help the needy and he should feel free to do so.  No one is saying the 10% would do the job - you don't refuse to assist someone because you think your assistance doesn't solve the problem completely. The man needs help now, give what you can - that's all a person can do.

It is ALL God's money - God gives everything so this artificial division doesn't exist - anything he gives the man is God's money, and since he's already set aside this 10%, he can use it in a way God approves of - helping your brother in need.

I repeat - this artificial elevation of giving to the church above giving to those in need is very wrong. The church is made up of people - if you give to a member of the church, you have given to the church. It's really that simple.

The money in my hands, isn't it God's money?
I am here asking for your advise because I ended up not dropping the tithe and I am still holding on to it hoping to give it to that brother to settle part of his children school fees so they can get back to school. I would av loved to assist him from another source but wat i av left is not even enof for my monthly transportation cost not to talk of some other needs I am yet to meet.

[/quote]
Hear the OP
[quote]The money in my hands, isn't it God's money?
I am here asking for your advise because I ended up not dropping the tithe and I am still holding on to it hoping to give it to that brother to settle part of his children school fees so they can get back to school. I would av loved to assist him from another source but wat i av left is not even enof for my monthly transportation cost not to talk of some other needs I am yet to meet.

fummylolah:

Similar incidence happened to me 4 months ago. a junior colleague of mine had his first daughter at UCH Ibadan because she had kidney related ailment. There was no place for him to get money cause he actually dropped his whole salary for treatment and has borrowed from everybody he can imagine( kidney problem of over 7 yrs) and still needs more or else his daughter (14yrs) would die, I prayed to God and asked for forgiveness if i was doing d wrong thing by giving the guy my tithe. i also made d guy to understand dat i was giving him my tithe and so he should use it for d purpose to which i am giving him. i beleive there are some conditions to which the tithe can also be used to help the needy, Pls correct me if i was also wrong,

texazzpete:

You are truly pathetic.
You are supposed to give your Tithe to God (if you believe in the Tithing doctrine - personally i don't). Jesus Christ took the pains to show how you do things for God when you do things for the needy. What happened to "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, that you do unto me"?!
Abeg help the needy when you can with your tithe money. You are handing it directly to God and not to some greedy Pastor.

emmatok:

@OP

Tithe or no Tithe, that money is not your money.

It belong to the suffering member of your church, some of them can't feed yet they pay tithe.

It is absolutely wrong, to give other peoples money kept in your care.

Will you tell your members you spent their money, when some of the are pay through their nose.

Agbo2:

I have a brother in my church who lost his job during the 2009 Tsunami experienced in Nigerian Banking sector.
He has been out of job since then, his wife is not working too with 3 kids to cater for.
Before the service started this morning, we spent 5 to 7 mins together and he let me into a little of what he has been going through and that his 3 kids are yet to resume back to school because they don't have any money to pay their fees.

I encouraged him as a brother to keep praying to God, that only God is capable of pulling him through all this.
But come to think of it, will God come down from heaven to assist this brother in need?
The money in my hands, isn't it God's money?

I am here asking for your advise because I ended up not dropping the tithe and I am still holding on to it hoping to give it to that brother to settle part of his children school fees so they can get back to school.

I would av loved to assist him from another source but wat i av left is not even enof for my monthly transportation cost not to talk of some other needs I am yet to meet.

Candid advise only please.

this artificial elevation of giving to the church above giving to those in need is very wrong. The church is made up of people - if you give to a member of the church, you have given to the church. It's really that simple.

debosky:

How has it become the members' money - are churches now esusu or co-operative societies or where people give freely as they decide?

Madness has replaced sanity in many of these so called churches if this is how their members reason.