Stop manipulating church members to give, let them give willingly, Pastor Oladele tells Ministers

By 'Gbenga Bankole

The General Superintendent of Christ Apostolic Church, Worldwide, Pastor Samuel O. Oladele has urged ministers of God not to engage in manipulating or coercing members of the church in order for them to give.



He noted that the standard of the scripture is for givers to give willingly and cheerfully.




In an interview with Christ Apostolic Magazine, Pastor Oladele while commenting on the recent statement of a renowned preacher, Benny Hinn where he said raising money on the altar is like trading the gospel, he said the Bible in 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 verse 7 says "every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."



In his exact word: "I am not surprised about what Benny Hinn said. Pastor Famuyide said it some years ago that prosperity message is a wave. It’s going to pass one day. Bishop Wale Oke said recently that Christianity is not about prosperity alone. Thank God that some people are beginning to come back to the basis. It is not about feel-good messages. We have been saying this for years. It is rubbish to say “anointing without money results in annoyance.’’ If you want to give, give because you love the Lord, not because you are going to get anything in return. We have to go back to the basis which is the Bible.



"We didn’t receive this from our fathers and we thought they were fools? No! The Bible is there for us on how to get funds for the church. Your giving must be proportionate to your blessing. As a minister of God you don’t need to bamboozle, manipulate or coerce people to give. If we carry the love of God in our heart, nobody need to bamboozle us before we give for His work. In gatherings like that it doesn’t matter what you say I’m not going to come out. I know my Lord, I know His work and I know His word. Some people know how to misinterpret the scripture to suit their purpose. We have to return to the Bible. It is only in that measure that the church will be church indeed."