micklplus: Very well written! God bless you. My people perish because, they lack knowledge.

I commend you for this post. Weldone @Op

Controversy: FALLACY OF SEED SOWING (2 TIMOTHY 3: 6, 4:3-4) We are in the heart of the last days and the prophecies of the scripture are being fulfilled in our very own eyes, daily. Today if you turn to virtually every corner of the city, you see a church or ministry as they are called now. Frankly, most believers in Christ misconstrue the meaning of church, ministry and denomination. That is a message for another time though. The Scripture says in 2 Timothy 3: 6-7, “For this sort are they which creep into houses, and led away captive silly women laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” In 2 Timothy 4: 3-4 it says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers with itching ears; “And they shall be turned unto fables.” In Micah 2: 11, the Scripture says, “If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying I will prophesy unto thee of wine and strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.” This scriptural verse agrees with 2 Timothy 4:3-4, all that most ‘followers of Christ’ want in these last days, are self- edifying sermons, not necessarily what God wants them to do. The reigning message is no longer, ‘seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things shall be added unto you,’ but sow seed in the church or ministry and whatever you want shall be added unto you, in the preacher’s declared measures. I think every believer with the spirit of discernment ought to know where this heretic doctrine comes from. Most Christians are very deficient and lazy in searching the scripture to listen to what God wants them to understand about His purpose for their lives, but run to places where all manner of teachings and doctrines are taught. We prefer to follow the easy way where multitudes are found while neglecting the caution that says ‘the path that leads destruction is broad and narrow is the way and strait is the gate that leads to eternal life’. The first time I heard of the sowing of seed was when I came to Jos newly. On 9th September 2001, the Sunday after the Friday 7th September 2001 Jos North ethno-religious crisis, I went to a church in Kufang. After the sermon, the pastor of the church said that there was need for us to pray so that we will have a peaceful week, which was good. But what troubled me was, when he asked who will sow seed of three thousand naira (N3000.00), two thousand naira (N2000.00) and one thousand (N1000.00) and so forth. I was wondering when the Lord has changed his principle of answering prayers by grace, to answering prayers by sowing of seeds. I was invited to a program in a church some few years back at FDA Road Dadin Kowa Jos; a pastor from a different church was invited to preach. He preached wonderfully about the last days and the maneuvers of Satan to destroy the church, but after the sermon he said that those who would want to escape the snares of the devil should sow seed of two thousand naira (N2000.00) to be prayed for. And if they didn’t have the cash on them at the moment, they should make pledges. Those pastors are cunning with words and intimidate their congregation into sowing seeds; otherwise, their prayers will not be answered. In fact that same pastor gave a testimony, where he said in his church the Lord told them to bring plastic chair each, but a lady refused. So one day when she was preparing for her wedding, he met her and reminded her about the chair, but she didn’t take heed. On her way to the village he said, a car lost control and drove straight to where she sat in a bus, and hit it hard and she died. According to him, she died because she refused to bring a plastic chair to his church, by implication, it can be said that she went to hell because she refused to bring a plastic chair to a church. Candidly, only Satan can do that and not Jesus Christ of the Holy Bible. When has God dropped faith to embrace material things as a condition for inheriting his promises? His word says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” (Hebrews 11: 6). In James 1: 5-6 it is written, “If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and up braideth not; and it shall be given him. “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with wind and tossed.” When Peter met the lame man at the Gate called Beautiful, the man did not sow seed before Christ healed him through Peter, but his faith. The woman with the issue of blood was not healed by Christ because she sowed seed, but her faith. I can go on and on. The people that believe such pastors don’t have the spirit of God. The spirit of God is not the author of confusion, and is full of knowledge and wisdom. I want those that sow seeds for prayers by their pastors to tell me, the prayers they do before eating their food, their morning devotion, before embarking on a journey and so on, to whom do they sow seeds to? Are they not the prayers of faith? If you believe that praying at night before going to bed will move God to protect your family, why would you believe that sowing seed is prerequisite for God to answer your prayers on other issues?. What is it that you have that has not been given to you by God? And what will you give to God to bless you and how much do you worth to buy His blessings? He said, “The Heaven is my throne and the earth my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? And where is my place of rest? “For all these things had mine hand made, and all those things have been saidth the LORD: but to this will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word.” Isaiah 66: 1-2. To prove further that God is more interested in our hearts, Jesus Christ said that if you bring your offering to the alter, and remember that someone has something against you, leave your gift at the alter and go and reconcile first. With these how can someone tell you that it is the seed, and you believe? Apostle Paul through the spirit of God said, “Let us come with boldness unto the throne of grace to obtain help in time of need.” In Hebrews 4: 16 Jesus said, “He that comes to me in no wise will I cast him away.” Why is it that you cannot go to the throne of grace with boldness so much that you have to sow seed for someone to pray on your behalf? Is there fire at the throne of grace? Has God cast you away? Why fall prey to these Sooth Sayers that pose as servants of God? Christ said, “Come unto me ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest, do you exclude yourself from this call? Matthew 11: 28. Christ wants you to come to him directly, he is not a terrorist. How many seeds did you sow, that made God sent Him to die for you and I? If his death was free, where did God say you must sow seeds for Him to hear your prayers? God cannot be bribed. God spoke through the Psalmist saying, “I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest are mine and the cattle upon thousand hills. “I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Psalm 50: 9-15 Brothers and sisters God wants us to ask in faith and not sow seed for our prayers to be answered. Christ paid the supreme sacrifice; all that He wants from us is to reach out to Him in faith.