Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri has opined that many people go into ministry in Nigeria because of the tithes that worshippers pay. The activist and the award-winning author has continued with his fight against pastors whose priority is to take tithe from their followers.
According to Omokri, there is no compulsion to tithe – what attracted many into ministry is the love of money.
In his words, he said "Abraham tithed. But He did not tithe to be blessed or that the devourer would be rebuked.
"In fact, the tithing that Abraham tithed is completely different from the tithing God commanded the Israelites to do.
"The tithing of agricultural goods came into Jewish law by Moses. However, Abraham tithed military plunder. Abraham did not even tithe agricultural goods. He did not tithe from his income.
"This is very clear from Hebrews 7:4
"Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the PLUNDER! (NIV).
"And one other thing that we should note is that Abraham paid tithes once. He did not pay tithes on multiple occasions to King Melchizedek, or to anyone else. It was a one time specific event, not a recurring weekly, biweekly, monthly or annual payment.
"Are those pastors who insist on collecting monetary tithes aware that money existed during the times of the ancient Israelites, yet God never told them to pay monetary tithes. He only requested for AGRICULTURAL tithes so the Levites, who had no farms, could eat.
"As a matter of fact, God told those Israelites who lived far away from the Temple not to even bother paying their agricultural tithes but to convert it to money and spend it on themselves.
"We see this in Deuteronomy 14:24-27:
"But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.
"Yes, Abraham tithed from his military victory but it does not mean that you must also tithe. Abraham had concubines. By the same logic, should you also have concubines?
"The point I am trying to make is that the faith of Abraham culminates in Christ and under Christ, there is no compulsion to tithe. God has given each of us a conscience and His Spirit. If you are led to tithe then tithe. If you are not, then don't"
He added "In my OPINION, there is no place for tithes in Christianity. I believe it attracts charlatans into ministry for the sole purpose of financial gain.
"Moreover, in Scripture, tithes are strictly for the Levitical priests, according to Numbers 18:20-21, which says:
"The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.“ I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting. (NIV).
"This was because Levites were not allowed to own land. I went to Israel and I researched the tithe system from the Jewish perspective as well.
"Pastors do not replace Levites. In the New Testament, we are all priests. We see this in 1 Peter 2:9:
“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
"Neither Christ, nor His disciples, nor Paul, nor any of the fathers of the early church collected any tithes from their congregation because they were not Levites who were prevented from doing any type of work other than temple service. Yes, they did collect offerings. However, these were free will offerings.
"Rather than tithing, the book of Acts teaches us in Acts 2:44-45 that the early Christians lived a communal life and shared EVERYTHING they had.
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
"However, I do not condemn those who collect tithes. I have been an ordained minister for a decade and I do not collect tithes.
"I also REFUSE to argue about tithes. When people disagree with me, I read and move on without even responding, for the simple reason that God did not call me to argue. He called me to teach. And they may even be right, and I may be wrong.
"Since it does not affect my salvation, I will not get into arguments about it."
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