One of the biggest tragedies of our time is the fact that Christian do not know were we are coming from. The late Dr David Martyn Loyd-Jones used to say that Christians, along with a sound knowledge of the bible, should know church history. Because of ignorance of where the church is coming from, we are bound to repeat mistakes of the past.
Martin
Luther’s grouse with the Roman Catholic Church, which led ultimately to the 16th century
Reformation, started with this same issue of buildings. The Roman Catholic
Church was in the middle of re-building the St. Peter’s Basilica at Rome. It
was going to be the most awesome church building in Europe in those days. The
Pope, despite being the head of the Church, had such influence over European
countries that it was said that he could influence the overthrow of kings in
their own kingdom. To raise money for that building, the church began a series
of excruciating taxation. Quite naturally the money recovered from this means
was not enough and so they enacted the outrageous doctrine of indulgence. In
those days religious superstition thrived because very few people had access to
the bible and did not know the word of God for them selves. So it was what the
priest taught you that you believe. They taught the people the doctrine of
purgatory (and Catholics still believe that) and said that loved ones who were
dead were in purgatory and must be purged of their sins before being allowed
into heaven. If the people were to pay a certain amount of money as indulgence
money, it will speed up their being taken to heaven.
So the
people who quite naturally wanted their loved ones to go speedily to heaven
paid this money. In fact the more you pay, the faster the process. A certain
gentleman, Johann Tetzel, came to the town, from Rome, were Luther ministered
to collect these indulgence money and Luther heard of it. Before that time,
Luther a priest, had been having private bible studies with his students,
because he was also a theological Proffesor at the Wittenberg University. They
discovered from their study of Romans the profound doctrine of “Justification
by Faith”. The implication of the doctrine in relation to these indulgence
money was that there was no need for the people to taxed indulgence money. We
gain acceptance with God by believing what Jesus wrought for us on
the cross and we live the rest of our Christian life by faith; no amount of
indulgence money can move God. Salvation is free, having been paid for by the
death of Jesus on the cross.
Luther
stormed a public building in his home town of Wittenberg and nailed what is
today known as “The 95 theses” on the wall for people to read. On it he listed
95 errors of the Roman Catholic Church, including the error of
indulgence.Particularly in Theses 86, which ask: "Why does the
pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus,
build the basilica of St. Peter with the money of poor believers rather than
his own money?" By that time the fire of Reformation had began to
engulf Europe.
When the
church looses her vision like it was in Luther’s days, it would begin to
prioritize things that God doesn't. In Luther days the errors was indulgence.
Today, the error is tithe. One would have thought the money they
collect through tithes and offering should be able to build these projects they
are continually shoring up, but never. They will always ask for more like
Oliver Twist. So what do we have in our hand, a call for more money to build
our own “modern day St. Peter basilica”.
What is
more depressing is that what our Protestant fathers liberated us from, we the
children are returning to in bondage. The biggest culprit in this matter are
Pentecostals. There brazen ignorance is legendary. And this is further
compounded by the miracles, signs and wonders that the Pastors display, which
enslaves the worshipers and rids them of the ability to think. The
doctrine of “touch not my anointed” has become so widespread that it is
unbelievable how many have become servants to this lie. So the thinking is that
a “man of God” should never be questioned; should never be criticized; should
never be put in a bad light because if you do so, the anointing will fight
against you. The implication is that these men have become demi-gods in
their respective enclaves and they can do and undo - no one must
talk.
When we
question the tithe, we are told "who are you to question what your leaders
do with tithe money; as long as you have paid the money, you should leave them
to God." And I say, where do you find such in the bible? Paul said this
concerning monies being collected for the needy in Jerusalem due to ravaging
famine (and by the way all collections made in the New Testament were always
geared at providing for the poor and needy and not to build temples or buy
private jet for pastors):
2
Corinthians 8:19 And
not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to
travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the
same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind: 20 Avoiding
this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by
us: 21 Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of
the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22 And we
have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in
many things, but now much more diligent, upon the great confidence which I
have in you.
So the
collections were to be as opened as possible so that no one is blamed and that
the minister should provides honest things before God and men. In our days, we
claim that man need not know what another man is using Church finances for. But
here Paul tells us that both man and God should know. John had written in his
epistles that the person who claims to love God who he does not see but hates his
fellow man who he sees is lying. Same as the man who claims to be honest before
God who he does not see but sees no reason to be accountable to man who he sees
is not accountable to God in all reality.
The RCCG
should ceaze to build bricks and begin to build men. The purpose of the pilgrimage to Lagos-Ibadan
express way is dwindling every day. Pastor Adeboye is over 70 years old now.
His biological clock is running out. A wise master builder will not necessarily
be grooming a successor, like many of these men claim, but be working at
imparting himself in a great number of the leaders under him to continue the
work when he is no more. The proof that he is not doing this is in the fact
that the leaders under him, just as the Church members too, cannot but continue
going to “Camp” for spiritual blessings.
Jesus
left 11 illiterate men, after 3 years of earthly ministry, to continue the work
he had begun. He trusted them to do the job not because they were able in
themselves but because the Spririt of Truth will endue them from on high and
enable them to do as he did. And those men turned their world “upside down”
from Christ. When the Spirit of truth is abscent in a place, another spirit
takes over. What naturally the Spirit of God would do using men, any man for
that matter, this other spirit will require only one man to do; and he must
continue to do this things in the strength of the flesh. It is called another
spirit, another gospel. That is why the priorities of this other spirit differ
a great the deal from the priorities of the Holy Spirit. I call all men to
beware – these are the last days when falsehood will reign.
