₦airaland Forum

I'm interested: 0705 842 4438

By Maikhael Etto

With the recent happenings in the country where Fulani herdsmen - with the full support of the Fulani North including their senators (via their statements in the Senate) and President Muhammadu Buhari (via his body language) – have gone on a genocidal rampage to wipe out the people of the Middle Belt and take over their land; it is time to seek a permanent solution to this madness.

If the South does not take action now, what is happening in the Middle Belt will sooner or later happen in the South. Today the Fulani North claim they have a right to annihilate the Middle Belt people and that the Middle Belt people have no right to self-defense. They also claim the Middle Belt is their property by right of conquest. If we in the South do not find a permanent solution to this madness, they will one day make similar claims about the South.

Therefore in my humble opinion, I think the permanent solution to the Fulani hegemony will be for the South West, South East, South-South, and the Middle Belt to come together, seek referendum, and secede from the present contraption to form a new nation; a new Federation where all the zones/states control their resources and pay taxes to the federal government, formulate their own laws, and have their own police.

In the new Federation, each of the zones should have equal number of states and each of the states should have equal number of representation in a unicameral Federal Legislature (senate). Each of the arms of government and the electoral body should be 100% independent, and the President of the Federal Republic should only be entitled to a single term of 5 years, with each of the zones taking turns to produce the president.

History has shown that the Fulani Muslim North is the primary reason Nigeria is not working. Each of the other ethnic groups has learnt to live peacefully with people of other ethnic groups, but the Fulani Muslims are the only exception.

Therefore, it is time to put aside party politics, come together and form a new nation without the Fulani Muslim North. Let us come together, carve out and build a country of our dreams – a country we will be proud to bequeath to our future generations. Let all the leaders and people in the South and Middle Belt come together and push for a referendum at the UN.

If South Sudan and other countries could have theirs, so can we. Enough is enough!

Click like if you agree.

Tithing 101: A Comprehensive Response to the Campaign Against Tithing

By Maikhael Etto

Preview:
People who claim that tithing is an outdated, Old Testament doctrine and that Jesus only talked about tithe once and in passing, certainly do not know the Word of God the way they ought to.

1. Introduction & Definition
There have been arguments against tithing recently on the Nigerian Social Media and I wish to address each of these arguments. I will begin with a definition of tithe to clarify what tithe is and what tithe is not.

There is a difference between a tithe and a tenth. By definition, a tithe is a tenth of one’s income consecrated (set apart) and dedicated to God and to the service of His house. A tenth is just one-tenth (10%) of anything. The primary difference between a tithe and a tenth is the purpose behind it. A tenth of your income given to God is a tithe, but a tenth of your income given to a relative or someone else in need is not a tithe; it’s called alms giving. So, one-tenth of your income which you decide to save in your piggy bank or savings account is not a tithe. A tenth of your house rent paid to the agent is also not a tithe. These few examples show that there is a difference between a tithe and a tenth, though some people are not aware of this. Even some Bible translations make this error by using tithe and tenth interchangeably.

Every Jew was required by the Mosaic Law to give out a tenth of their income in three different ways and for three different purposes as follows:

i. A tenth of their income to be given to the Levites (Tithe) – Numbers 18:21,24; Deuteronomy 18:1-5; Nehemiah 10:37
ii. A tenth to be given for celebration of feast in the Temple – Deuteronomy 12:17-19; 14:22-23
iii. A tenth to be given every three years to cater for the poor and needy in their community (Deuteronomy 26:1-3, 12)

Only number 1 qualifies as a tithe because of the purpose for which it was given.

Colossians 1:9 says “We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Without complete (wholesome) knowledge of God’s will, our theology becomes a half-truth. And like someone said, a half-truth is a whole lie. We can never have wholesome, complete knowledge of God’s Word by basing our doctrine or argument on a single verse of Scripture.


So let me begin to address the different points of arguments against tithing.

2. One argument against tithing is that pastors are not Levites and therefore not entitled to receive tithes. The Levites were members of the Hebrew tribe of Levi chosen and ordained by God to be His priests. Hebrews 5:4 says Gospel Ministers are called by God the same way Aaron, the first levitical priest, was called. This makes them the New Testament equivalent of the Levites.


3. One argument against tithing is that it is an ancient African culture. Tithing does not have its origin in some African culture. The only way to convince me, or any reasonable person, about this is by supplying documentary evidence of African culture of tithing that dates back to before the time of Abraham. I don’t think such exist.

4. One argument against tithing is that it is an outdated Old Testament doctrine. This argument is false because tithing does not have its source in the Law of Moses; it was incorporated into the Mosaic Law. When Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek in Genesis 15, the grandfather of Moses was not yet born. Moses was born about 500 years after Abraham paid tithe, and the Law of Moses came into being about 580 years after. Abraham neither lived nor paid tithe under the dispensation of the Law, but under grace (Romans 4:13-16).

5. Another argument is that Abraham paid tithe once, and as such is not enough for it to become a church doctrine. The fact that the Bible records something once does not necessarily mean it happened only once. For instance, it’s only recorded once that Jesus wept over the death of someone. So are we to assume that for the 33 years He spent on earth Jesus never wept over the death of someone else? Are we to interpret this to mean that Jesus never wept during His childhood and that He did not weep at the death of Joseph His earthly father? Such argument shows a deep ignorance of how to understand or interpret the Scriptures.

The Bible is not a chronicle of the daily activities of people’s lives, but a chronicle of important facts and historical events as the Holy Spirit sees fit (2Peter 1:21). The Bible says the things Jesus said and did which are not recorded in Scripture are much more than the things He said and did that are recorded in Scripture (John 21:25).

Therefore, Abraham couldn’t have given away such wealth (a tenth of wealth taken from 9 kingdoms) as tithe to Melchizedek if he was just meeting him and knowing him for the first time. (How many people would accept food from a total stranger and pay tithe to him?) Melchizedek gave Abraham bread and wine, which are symbolic of the Word of God and the Spirit of God. They are also symbolic of the Holy Communion. Then Melchizedek spoke God’s blessing over Abraham before Abraham gave him the tithe. This shows that Melchizedek had been a blessing to Abraham and had always performed the duties of a priest to him before that incident.

Secondly, a careful look at the tithe Abraham paid to Melchizedek would also make you know it was not the first time he paid tithe. Genesis chapter 14 tells us the spoil Abraham took from defeating the four kings was not of little value. These four kings, including King Kedorlaomer and the king of Babylonia, had defeated five other kings and took away spoils from their five kingdoms. So when Abraham defeated those four kings he took double spoils from them – spoils of their own kingdom and the spoils they had taken from the other five kingdoms they earlier defeated. These spoils were worth millions in any currency for they were spoils from nine kingdoms; they were of immense value. This shows that the tithe Abraham paid from these spoils were almost equivalent to the spoil (wealth) taken from one kingdom.

My point is that, it would only take someone addicted to tithing to give away such wealth as tithe. If Abraham did not know the importance of tithing and was not used to tithing, he would never give away such wealth as tithe. This is because a person who is not faithful with little cannot be faithful with much (Luke 16:10). A person who cannot pay N10, 000 tithe can never have the presence of mind to give away N1million as tithe. Therefore, by paying such amount of tithe Abraham proved that he had been faithful in tithing lesser amounts of income before that incident.

It’s also important to note that as at that time, this was probably the biggest amount of wealth Abraham had ever acquired (Genesis 14:23) and the biggest amount of tithe he had ever paid. Like I earlier said, the Bible mostly records events that are of significance. This particular event is significant in the sense that shortly after paying this tithe to Melchizedek the Lord visited Abraham in a dream and made a covenant with him to give him the land of Canaan and an heir by his wife Sarah to inherit his wealth and carry on his legacy.

This shows that one of the blessings of practicing the tithe principle is that it moves God to bless you with things that people cannot give and things that money cannot buy. The problem with some people is that they think the blessing of tithing is only limited to money. No matter how rich a person is, there are things that he cannot buy with money; things that only God can give. God mostly gives His blessings to those who give to Him, even as Jesus taught that if you give it will be given to you.

It’s hypocritical and self-serving for people to claim the blessing of Abraham but do not want to practice the principles he practiced.

6. Another argument against tithing is that Jesus only talked about it once and in passing. But they fail to understand that anything written in the Book of the Law, even in passing, is still part of the Law and is legally binding. A law is not inconsequential because it appears once and in passing in the constitution. Whatever law and instruction is included, even once and in passing, in the constitution is constitutional and valid before any court of law. So this argument is bogus and invalid.

Jesus said “For most assuredly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18, WEB) So if a full stop or comma in God’s Word is of significance and importance and stands valid forever, then whatever Jesus said, even once and in passing, is of significance and importance and stands valid forever. There are many things Jesus never mentioned, even in passing, yet there are underlying principles in God’s Word to guide us on them, example child pornography.

Furthermore, Jesus may have talked about tithing only once and in passing, but the truth is that He never condemned it. It’s a well known fact that, just like John the Baptist, Jesus rebuked and condemned many of the things done by the religious leaders of His time on several occasions and at any given opportunity. However, there isn’t a single record of Jesus or John the Baptist or any of the prophets condemning the religious leaders for receiving tithes. This is simply because they knew that speaking against tithing would be against God’s ordinance. Therefore, anyone who condemns tithing is invariably saying that Jesus was wrong for not condemning it, which of course is a sin.

Throughout the Bible, the only time Jesus said something good about the Pharisees was when He acknowledged their faithfulness in tithing in Luke 11:42. This shows that people who do not tithe can never claim to be more righteous than the Pharisees (Matthew 5:20).

The question is this: the people who heard Christ talk about tithing that day in passing, what do you think was their perception and understanding of what He said? Did they leave that place discouraged from paying their tithes or encouraged to do keep on tithing?

The simple truth is this: if Jesus never wanted His hearers and followers to continue paying tithes He would have clearly condemned it that very day, just as He clearly condemned other practices of the religious leaders. So, I would really appreciate it if someone were to show me a single place in Scripture where Jesus, or any of the prophets, condemned the paying of tithes, despite the many failings of some priests throughout Bible history. This shows that the failings of some priests and the proliferation of false prophets does not invalidate God’s ordinance.

The truth is that Jesus did not talk about tithing once and in passing. He also talked about it in Luke 20:25. Jesus was asked if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar or not, and He replied: "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." The things that are due to Caesar (the government) is the tax and the things due to God (the Church) are the tithes. This is Jesus clearly endorsing paying of taxes and paying of tithes, showing that people who pay their taxes but do not pay their tithes are in violation of God’s command.

If Jesus could pay tax and encourage His disciples to do same (Matthew 17:24-27) then He must have also paid tithes before urging His hearers to do same, for the tax He paid was a Temple tax. This is because Jesus was never a hypocrite; He preached what He practiced and practiced what He preached. Acts 1:1 says Jesus practiced everything He taught the people before teaching it to them.

click the link to continue reading

http://hub.me/alAIV