THE TRADITIONS OF ELDERS ON GIVING
Matthew 15:2-6 "Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” 3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."

Traditions of elders are popularly accepted notions in Christianity which has no biblical backing, they are human imaginations and opinions placed equal to scripture as if it is from the Scripture. Such teachings and traditions are seriously upheld and believed as if they are from the Bible. Lay Christians who cannot search the scriptures, or who respect their senior pastors more than the scriptures will take and swallow such traditions without cross checking from the Bible. You will save yourself from serious danger if you confirm every teaching from the Bible before you digest in your life.

THE TRADITION ABOUT GIVING
The scribes and Pharisees taught the people that instead of giving to their parents, they should give to the work of God; they were teaching the congregation that giving to them in the name of God was more profitable and acceptable than giving to their parents. They were turning Scriptures upside down, they were using the name of God to exploit people, in the name of giving to God; they made people to ignore their parents and people who were in needs.

The similar thing is happening today: modern gospel teaches that giving to big pastors, senior pastors, bishops and prophets is more acceptable to God and profitable than giving to your parents or people around you who are in need. By so doing, many ignorantly ignore their parents, fellow church members, family members and friends in need so as to sow into a big pastors and their multimillion building projects. Have you ever heard a saying that the life of some particular pastors are the most vital land to sow? Such statement has no biblical back, you will never read it anywhere from our founding fathers of faith, either in America or Africa, it is the statement of our modern preachers, it is from the pit of hell. Many Christians are ignorant today, so they ignore people around them who have basic and genuine needs, and they go ahead to give prophetic seeds into the lives of big pastors who have millions laying fallow in their bank accounts.

Because such people have been taught repeatedly that it is more profitable to give to a big Pastor, Bishop or a daddy GO than giving to missionaries, village pastors or people around; since everybody is looking for a shortcut blessing from God, they keep "sowing" into the lives of such big Pastors. The notion of this tradition is that as respective a minister of God is before people, so he is before God, and there will be a respective return - monumental error!

Can you imagine a Christian buying a very expensive car for a big pastor who has more than 3 vehicles already, while he ignores neighbors and church members who need small car to do business so as to survive their families? Can you imagine many Christians donating for multimillion church auditoriums while many families of same church can’t afford to pay their house rents? We are living in the age where Pharisees are the Pastors and Sadducee are the teachers. So people ignore the basic needs of people around them to meet the luxurious needs of their big Pastors, daddy GO or Papas for them to pay their private jets' tax.

So was the reason when of these "Big" pastors in Nigeria clearly stated in a program that he is richer than Bill Gate, because if he needs a car, shoe or anything and inform the congregation, he would get them in multiple.

There is no where in the Bible that says giving to a big minister makes your giving special and brings more blessings; the notions are traditions of elders.

A Pastor or Bishop who has millions of dollars or his national currency laying fallow in his bank account, and you are adding to his money is simply a kingdom waste; a pastor or bishop who has a car and another for his wife, and you go to buy another car for him while nothing is wrong with the two cars he and his wife have, such giving is simply a spiritual ignorance and craving for shortcut blessing. A Pastor or Bishop that has accommodation where he lives, and you build or buy another house for him is a waste to the kingdom of God. When you ignore brethren in your local church, families who have basic needs, singles who are ready to marry but no finance, unemployed brothers and sisters who need incentive to start something, missionaries in remove villages who need just little amount to reach people with the gospel, Pastors in your village who need just basic amenities to sustain their ministries; when you ignore such people and you are sowing or go into partnership with a senior, big Pastor to maintain his luxurious amenities, to tour the world or to fuel his private jet, it simply means you are spiritually ignorant. Such sowing or partnership will only attract God's judgment.

Do you know that a person can give and have problem as a result of that giving? When it is given in un-biblical way. If you give to the rich, either a rich pastor or a rich person, you will attract God’s judgment on yourself. Proverbs 22:16, "He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, and he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty."

When you ignore people with genuine needs, with basic needs and you go ahead to give people with social needs or with comfort needs, it means you are either looking for human favor or you are looking for shortcut blessing of prophetic declaration from such big pastors. But the mistake here is that the whole Prophets, Pastors, Apostles and Bishops can pray for you, but they cannot answer the prayers themselves, only God chooses which prayer He will answer. God does not answer prayer by big names of a pastor or bishop but by the name of Jesus Christ. Such senior pastors may psych you with different testimonies or prophecies, but you will never find a backing from the Bible.

HERE ARE FOUR BIBLICAL INJUNCTIONS FOR GIVING:

(1) Give Your Life Before Your Money
Giving your money, properties or possessions to God's work is totally useless without you first giving your life to Jesus in genuine salvation.The first and foremost gift to give to God is to give your life Him, because the first gift you ever received came from God, He is your first Giver, and He must be your first Receiver - and that gift is your life, to give back the life He first gave you.

Whatever you give unto God or in God's name without new life in Jesus Christ is nothing and unacceptable. While modern churches may say anybody can give to God's work, Bible says only the regenerated people who have genuine salvation and living above sins are accredited by God to give to His work. When it comes to giving for God's sake, genuine ministers of God and genuine church of God do not receive from people who are not genuinely saved. 3 John 7, "Because they went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles."

(2) Give To Minister To Needs.
Do not give somebody except you first see a genuine need. Don't give because somebody wants you to give, don't give because somebody is simply a minister of God, don't give to people because they have "heavy" anointing or because they are popular. You should only give to people if they have genuine needs, that is the acceptable giving. If you give without meeting genuine need, your giving is useless and a waste. Your purpose of giving must aim at ministering to the needs of people. Philippians 2:25, "Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need."

Giving to minister to people's needs is what makes your giving acceptable and pleasing to God. "Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God." Philippians 4:18.

Do not give to people if there is no genuine need to meet. Your giving can only be acceptable if it meets needs in the lives of the person or people.

2 Corinthians 9:12, "For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God"

Romans 15:25-27, "But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 26 For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. 27 It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things."

It is very important to give to those who have none."He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” Luke 3:11

(3) Give To Minister With Needs
When it comes to giving to ministers of God or works of God, you can give as much as possible, and as many time as possible to meet genuine and necessary needs, not because of their positions and not to meet excessive or unnecessary needs. Multimillion church building projects are inessential to the salvation and transformation of lives. Philippians 4:16, " For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities."

(4) Give To All
We are commanded to be good to all and give to all men, to Christians or Non-Christians; but the needs of the brethren in the Lord come first. Galatians 6:10, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."

Our lives, our teachings and ministries should not base on traditions of elders but on the unchanging scriptures as written in the Bible; by doing so, we will be free from errors and doctrines of Pharisees.

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