Why do some christians find it difficult to part with their monies?

If they are truly born again, giving should not be strange or difficult to them!

They find it difficult to pay tithe, sow seeds or give their first fruits

a good way to judge a man is by what he says
a better way is by what he does
the best way is by what he gives!

Giving is a proof that you have conquered greed!

The test of your generousity is not necessarily how much you give but how much you have left.

Anyone that fights giving does not know who God is.

Ole

the first thing a man must give to God is himself

2Cor. 8:5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

if you have truly given yourself to Him, parting with your substance is very easy.

@ pastor kun
you should know when serious matters are being discussed. stop calling names and contribute reasonably or else do not talk. this thread is not for abusive fellows who will not make good contributions.

OmoPastor:


@ pastor kun
you should know when serious matters are being discussed. stop calling names and contribute reasonably or else do not talk. this thread is not for abusive fellows who will not make good contributions.

Quite right! Pastor Kun, if a thief came to steal your belonging and you shouted 'ole' after him, I'm sure you wouldn't be sticking out your tongue in such a playful manner at the same time. This is a SERIOUS MATTER!

This guy is saying that if you are a born again you must perforce find it easy to give. Of course what he really means is that you should give to his jankoriko pastor. I'm sure that everybody got that subtext.

Yet what are the signs of someone that is born again, according to the bible. Is there anywhere where it says that if you are born again we will know because you pay tithe. or whatever other form of giving you want to style your theivery as.

OmoPastor,

If Christians are to give tithes and first fruits etc, who should they give it to? Is it to their pastor or to the church (i.e., those who administer over the church). If this is your view then I think you are making the assumption that if people do not give especially "sacrificially" to the church structure then they are not giving at all. Perhaps they are giving where the needs are greatest? Have you considered that?

James 1:27 defines what is pure religion as thus:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

I do not however see any scripture which says that a born again Christian should give tithes and first fruits to the church. These are man-made doctrines to serve a man-made church structure that is far removed from the practices of the early church.

@ poster.

i think giving is a grace that many christians should crave for even though every christian is a giver but there is room for improvement. giving is more of who you are than what you have; there are many examples in the bible that supports this.

How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. 2Co 8:2 KJV

Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously. 2Co 8:2 Contemporary English Version

on the other hand, many so called pastors take undue advantage of this giving nature in every christian and muzzle their members to give. i think irrespective of what these so called pastors do with whatever is given, God will still bless the giver but deal with the pastor that misappropriates the churchs' funds.

many christians are very careful in giving today cos there are many thieves in the name of pastors out there but as a christian you cannot stop giving!

@Hutchie
God bless you for your insightful post.

@All
Whilst I agree that by nature a christian ought to be a giver, my grouse with the OP is that contrary to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles the focus of giving in the post was the man made church structure and not the poor and the needy which is the emphasis of christian giving. Even church collections is also partly meant to assist those in need but this practise is almost extinct in our churches today. False brethen like 'omopastor' manipulate scriptures for their selfish motive to get people to give to them and their so called churches.

Do not tell me that you are ignorant of the fact that not all who say they are christians are truly christians.

CHRISTIANS GIVE!!!!!!!!

So your question to me is invalid. There are hypocrates in the church who call themself christians and are not.

OmoPastor:

Why do some christians find it difficult to part with their monies?

If they are truly born again, giving should not be strange or difficult to them!

They find it difficult to pay tithe, sow seeds or give their first fruits

a good way to judge a man is by what he says
a better way is by what he does
the best way is by what he gives!

Giving is a proof that you have conquered greed!

The test of your generousity is not necessarily how much you give but how much you have left.

Anyone that fights giving does not know who God is.

Omo Ole.
Go and fend forself instead of using religion to blackmail people to give to you and your fellow pastors. Shamless thieves.

Let me use this opportunity to tell a story.
A few years ago, I was to be the bestman in my firend's wedding. During the course of the rehearsals at his small anglical church,I met the priest, a simple middle-aged man. Although I am not religious, I found him to be simple, open-minded and accomodating even after I made my aversion to religion know to him. I was so intrigued that I decided to attend one of their sunday services.
After the service, the pastor was giving a monthly financial report to his flock. He revealed that for the previous month, after all their expenses(including the pastor's allowance or salary) that they had a surplus of abt $4000.
They pastor now asked for suggestions from his flock as to the best way to spend the surplus money. After hearing few suggestions, One of the church members mentioned that she had seen , on the internet, a picture of a very old dilapidated and run down primary school in Timbuktu, Mali . She suggested that that money be used to renovate and rebuild that school. Everyone agree and immediately a committee was formed to contact the school and see what and how they could go about the assistance. I was so thrilled, That I volunteered to be involved even though I wa sanot a member of their church.
A few weeks later, it disclosed that abt $8000 was needed to to rebuild the school, so the church asked members to contribute in order to raise the additional sum.

Six months later, the school was rebuilt along with new desks for the pupils and i felt proud to be a small part of that great act of charity.
Although I did not continue to attend the church, that example would have been the best greatest motivation to follow the Christian path.
Can any single Nigeria church show such an example?
On a previous thread, i challanged This Op(omo Ole) to present a list of at least one Nigerian church that is involved in any known charity. Just one.

Why do some christians find it difficult to part with their monies?

If they are truly born again, giving should not be strange or difficult to them!

They find it difficult to pay tithe, sow seeds or give their first fruits

a good way to judge a man is by what he says
a better way is by what he does
the best way is by what he gives!

Giving is a proof that you have conquered greed!

The test of your generousity is not necessarily how much you give but how much you have left.

Anyone that fights giving does not know who God is.

Omo Sir, are the bolded the only ways of giving (you know about)? If that is the case, you are amongst all men most misguided.

When you talk about giving first thing that should come to your mind is how do i give? This question would naturally prompt you to search the bible on how giving (which appeals to God) is done and follow suite.

Why don't you give for a change.
Jesus was always the giver. . . what kind of Christianity do you Nigerians practice?

@ pastor kun

my grouse with the OP is that contrary to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles the focus of giving in the post was the man made church structure and not the poor and the needy which is the emphasis of christian giving.

support your claim with the scriptures and i will tell you more

Even church collections is also partly meant to assist those in need but this practise is almost extinct in our churches today

give me evidence from the bible.

False brethen like 'omopastor' manipulate scriptures for their selfish motive to get people to give to them and their so called churches.

and you are what? where have i manipulated the scriptures for my selfish motive? do you think pastors called of God live off your monies? who deceived you?

@ plaetton
i don't know who you are refering to in your post.

@omopastor
Matthew 25:31-40 answers your first request whilst Acts 4:34-35 answers the second. I am browsing with my phone else I would have posted both scriptures here for all to see.

OmoPastor:

Why do[b] some christians [/b]find it difficult to part with their monies?

If they are truly born again, giving should not be strange or difficult to them!

They find it difficult to pay tithe, sow seeds or give their first fruits  

a good way to judge a man is by what he says
a better way is by what he does
the best way is by what he gives!

Giving is a proof that you have conquered greed!

The test of your generousity is not necessarily how much you give but how much you have left.

Anyone that fights giving does not know who God is.

This is an abused on Christianity. Make your point without pinpoint Christianity as the main victim.

@ chiteny

Omo Sir, are the bolded the only ways of giving (you know about)? If that is the case, you are amongst all men most misguided.

these are only popular few ways of giving, so am not misguided.

When you talk about giving first thing that should come to your mind is how do i give? This question would naturally prompt you to search the bible on how giving (which appeals to God) is done and follow suite.

thank you very much, this is really good stuff.

Lasinoh:

Why don't you give for a change.
Jesus was always the giver. . . what kind of Christianity do you Nigerians practice?

Wipe my eyes, wipe my eyes.

@omopastor
When you talk like this you give me the impression that your frustrated because your church business is doing bad. You said in the topic post that to be a born again you have to be a giver. So I want to know are you a born again? If YES! How much of the tithes you collect do you give back to your community? Or do you just keep your tithes for your own personal use?

@ manmustwac

When you talk like this you give me the impression that your frustrated because your church business is doing bad.

well you are entitled to your opinion. i do not have a church business but am only concerned about the rising spate complaints about giving on this forum. irrepective of the negetivity being propagated here, giving is of utmost importance to a child of God. when you cease to give, you begin to die.

So I want to know are you a born again?

yes

How much of the tithes you collect do you give back to your community?

the distribution of the tithes by the pastor of a church is as directed by the Holy Spirit as well as making the work progress as led. if the leading is to help the community as at the time, then you go ahead and do it but if its to conquer more lands for the gospel, you just go ahead. there are various ways the tithes can be used as stipulated by the Holy Ghost.
one time during the independence day celebrations, i saw a church on TV, i think it was Christ Embassy that renovated a school, gave computers to prison training arm, bought vehicles for the police as community service which is commendable but this may not have been done using the tithe cos there must be a direction by the Holy Spirit on how the tithes must be used.

Or do you just keep your tithes for your own personal use?

no pastor called and led by God keeps the tithe for his own personal use. the pastor CANNOT be enriched by taking what belongs to God, the pastor can only be enriched through his own giving.

these are only popular few ways of giving, so am not misguided.
thank you very much, this is really good stuff.

Good thing you are not amongst all men most misguided. So why did leave out the more important form of giving clearly stated and demonstrated in the bible (especially the new testament after the death and resurrection of Jesus)? The once you listed are i can say have some shady parts in them.

What i mean by shady is that they are either not clearly deduced or stated in the bible or even practiced (especially after the death and resurrection of Jesus). Thus stand the risk to be tagged "man-made".

People find it very difficult to give because they are myopic, (not able to see clearly things that are far away, or unable to understand a situation or the way actions will affect it in the future). The truth is that, if you only think of your present predicament, you will find it difficult to give, but if you can just see far and look at the harvest, you will be the first to give.
Moreover, many are of the opinion that the pastor or MOG are the people enjoying the money, they have forgotten that MOG are stewards, they will give account to God. MOG must also give to the work of God, if they want to prosper. They must pay tithe and offering, as they say leadership is by example. Overall, we are all accountable to God.
Also, some people believed that they do not have enough to give, they have forgotten the story of the widow in Bible that gave so little to God, but Jesus said the widow was the only one that gave everything she had, she was the greatest giver. So, the bottomline is when you have a little, it is not an excuse for you to be stingy, but rather, it is a great opportunity for you to be blessed. The measurement of God, is not how much we have but what do we have left after we have given. Some people give 1%, 2%, others 5%, 10%, while some mature christians take the risk and give 90%, 100%. It depends on the grace of God on your life. God bless you. God2man.

while some mature christians take the risk and give 90%, 100%.

Agidigba o!

[flash=500,500]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgAo-EfCodo[/flash]

@ pastor kun

Matthew 25:31-40 answers your first request whilst Acts 4:34-35 answers the second. I am browsing with my phone else I would have posted both scriptures here for all to see.

what the Master mean here in matt 25:31-40 is our personal relationship with other fellow believers, we should learn to accommodate other believers in our budget no matter how intangible it looks even as emphasized by apostle Paul:
Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
your every show of kindness to all men especially believers will not go un-noticed.
remember that what got these people in verse above into the kingdom was not the act of kindness but their belief in Jesus; as they were called righteous.
in acts 4:34-35 this was the beginning of the early church, notice that this act of selling stuff and bringing it to the apostles seem to be the first time it was mentioned and probably done in the new testament. this must have been the leading of the Holy Spirit as at then. furthermore, the apostles were seriously under the surveillance of the roman government and the Jews led by the high priest. they were always together in one place and many were rejected in the society cos they bought into the so called new movement which preached the risen Christ and ministry of the Holy Spirit which many Jews were angry at and looking for ways to kill. so it was the best practice then to share among the believers possessions they had. remember also that alms giving was and still a very strong tenet among the Jews. they thought salvation Jesus brought was only meant for the Jews which explained the reason they stuck to themselves in Jerusalem but God had a better plan for them. as at that time, the few believers then were only known through baptism and this kind of giving cos if you were baptised and had sold your stuff for the sake of the group, then you have totally become part of them as they had not been accepted by the society dominated by Judaism in those days.

remember, revelation is progressive, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is dynamic, never try to cage God in your mind, He can lead you in a new way but must not be contrary to the scriptures.

@omopastor
I see you are really skilled in twisting scripture and forcing your opinion into it to fit your selfish agenda. The scriptures I quoted are clear enough and all the hubris you just wrote to obfuscate the truth does not hold any water.

@omopastor
I see you are really skilled in twisting scripture and forcing your opinion into it to fit your selfish agenda. The scriptures I quoted are clear enough and all the hubris you just wrote to obfuscate the truth does not hold any water.

Seconded. And this is what i hate most amongst those who say they are Christians especially those in position of pastoring others. Annoying. keep twisting the word of God for their personal gain.

Religion including Christianity and Islam is a fraud. They use fear to make people that refuse to use their brain to reason to be docile. Why will someone that was born thesame way as you were born claim to be superior to you through religion and you believe? I don't know why people suffer themselves by giving to millionaire pastors and still live in poverty.
People open your eyes and kick out religion from you life. All you need to be successful is hard work with a little bit of luck.
Also, why is religion only based on money, money, money, money and money? Is there no other good thing to talk about? people are suffering so your preaching should rather be give your excess money to your neighbour in need and not some con pastor that will use the money to buy exquisite cars, jets and properties all in his name. people use your brain

@ 2good

Why will someone that was born thesame way as you were born claim to be superior to you through religion and you believe?

stop deceiving yourself and stop displaying your ignorance. if you are not born again, i think you need to do that right now cos the path your are on is very dangerous.

All you need to be successful is hard work with a little bit of luck.

are you? and what is your definition of success? very pathetic!
2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Also, why is religion only based on money, money, money, money and money?

what do you know about something you do not subscribe to? what do you know about christianity?

people are suffering so your preaching should rather be give your excess money to your neighbour in need and not some con pastor that will use the money to buy exquisite cars, jets and properties all in his name.

what do you know? stop talking like a baby.

oloriooko:

@ 2goodstop deceiving yourself and stop displaying your ignorance. if you are not born again, i think you need to do that right now cos the path your are on is very dangerous.
are you? and what is your definition of success? very pathetic!
2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
what do you know about something you do not subscribe to? what do you know about christianity?
what do you know? stop talking like a baby.

FYI, I was born into a very deeply religious christian home and when I was practicing born again back then, you didn't know anything about the religion and god you so much carry in your head today. But I was able to find the truth about the sham in religion early enough which made me to be on the right path today.
The bible is a fairy tale book, so don't quote it to buttress any argument you want to put forward to me. Instead prove to me the authenticity of the bible without quoting any verse from the bible.
I don't need any stupid treat from you to succumb to the religious madness that have made your continent to be in a state of stagnation in development and abject poverty this long. Use your religion to free your people from the suffering they go through today. the problem you have is illiteracy as the best you have seen in life is what Nigeria has got to offer to you, so you follow the bandwagon. Get an education outside Nigeria and see that 80% of all the things you pray for are most basics in the west.

@ 2good

FYI, I was born into a very deeply religious christian home

no wonder you are totally confused about what christianity is all about. religion does not save anyone!

when I was practicing born again back then

haba, dude, no one pratices being born again, its either you are or not. i think you must have been seriously twisted up in your religious background.

you didn't know anything about the religion and god you so much carry in your head today

and you think you do?

But I was able to find the truth about the sham in religion early enough which made me to be on the right path today.

but dude from your tone, you are in more trouble than you think. which right path are you sef?

The bible is a fairy tale book, so don't quote it to buttress any argument you want to put forward to me.

then there no need for any further discussion with you cos the bible is my reference for anything i may put forward to you.

thank you and bye!