A video recently surfaced of Joshua refusing a $1,000 offering from a Swiss lady who received healing during his crusade in Colombia. Several weeks ago, he spoke scathingly of ‘money-hungry’ pastors, insisting that ministers of God should not force members to give offerings or tithes as it was a thing of the heart. however recently, a retired teacher named Caroline Orugude had come to The Synagogue
Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos, Nigeria to share a curious
testimony.
After retiring from her job in June, 2012, Caroline was forced to
wait almost two years for the gratuity that she was supposed to receive.
“There was nothing much we could do except pray because the pension
system is so unreliable,” she narrated to the congregation.
After visiting various churches for prayer without any visible
change, she was introduced to Emmanuel TV, the popular Christian
television station broadcasting the activities at The SCOAN, and began
praying along with T.B. Joshua.
Within two weeks, she received a call from the treasury, asking her
to go to Abuja to collect her pension money. “I decided that when I got
the money, I would come to The SCOAN to appreciate the Lord,” she
joyfully said. “I am here with the small sum of 500,000 naira, to give
to the man of God and The SCOAN, as my tithe.”
It was an unexpected declaration but the response of Joshua was equally surprising as he insisted he could not collect the gift.
“Yes, it is written in the Bible that we should pay tithe but how can
we collect tithe from widows and the aged who are supposed to be under
our care,” he questioned the congregation.
“Remember, she has stopped working. She needs our care for the rest
of her life. These are the women we should be feeding and taking care
of. She is our mother; she is my mother too.”
The cleric, who is well known for his philanthropic gestures, then
announced that instead of taking Mrs. Orugude’s tithe, he would support
her with an additional 500,000 naira.
“When God calls a man or woman, what they will eat, what they will
use and everything they need for their journey will be provided
abundantly by God,” T.B. Joshua then explained, noting the attributes of
genuine ministers of God.
“When a minister begins to depend on tithes, you know he is not a
minister of God,” he added. “This is a message to ministers of God all
over the world. When we collect tithes, we should know those whom we
collect them from. Don’t force anybody – it is between them and God. Let
us worship the Giver of money, not money,” he concluded.
The post on Joshua’s Facebook page, followed by 1.5 million people,
ended with a poignant question. “Where are your elderly? Care for them
and you shall reach old age.”
by Ihechukwu Njoku
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