A Few Financial Questions For Ugandan Pastors Today
Kato
Mivule
November 26, 2007
Greetings Brethren and Shepherds,
I am writing to you about a sensitive issue in the Ugandan
Church Today concerning Finances today. This is in no way to
'attack' any preacher or pastor but to hold ourselves
accountable to the WHOLESOME WORD OF GOD...
If we are truly sincere to ourselves and God's Holy Word, then
we should at least take the challenge to answer a few of the
questions below...
The Issue of Finances has been abused and it has brought shame
to The Name of The Lord among Christians and none Christians
alike. Though there are few preachers and pastors who have
stood for noble causes and used Finances honorably; however,
many today are involved in what the Bible refers to as extortion
and defrauding of the saints…
I thought it imperative to call all Brethren and those who stand
in position of shepherds among them to Accountability to God's
Holy Word...
After doing some small research here in Uganda, focusing on the
Urban Areas - Kampala, Entebbe, Mukono, Jinja, I found something
alarming... almost 8 out of 10 sermons preached on Sunday
services are about money and manipulating people to give and sow
into some 'big ministry" or minister... Other messages center on
self motivation, positive thinking (thinking big, going to the
next level), etc…messages that seem very ‘Christian’ until one
opens their Bible to cross check just like the Berean Christians
did in Acts 17:10…
The News Media has had article after article exposing financial
malpractice among many preachers in Kampala... Many Pastors
dismiss these articles as 'witch hunt', yet The Name of The Lord
is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of selfish
actions by the Preachers and Pastors in the name of prosperity
and getting rich...
Story after story is out there of Pastors promising ‘big
rewards’ from God if believers give, claiming that The Lord
‘Told them so’…
Pastors are complaining that Folks are no longer giving Tithes
as they ought to... The Tithes are reducing and thus making many
Pastors angry with their congregations or issuing eternal
threats to believers... like "you will not get into heaven if
you don't tithe'...
When one turns on Christian Radio and Christian TV today, most
messages are about Prosperity, Tithes, and Sowing, how to get to
the ‘next level’ (High mindedness), getting Visas etc…
Christianity in Uganda is becoming a big business and money
generating machine… Some preachers and Pastors do it overtly,
others do it subtly in a very "organized way" yet still fleecing
and defrauding the Saints of God...
It is a shame to even mention what some Pastors and Preachers do
to get money from believers here in Kampala, a behavior not much
different from extortion and defrauding of the saints. The
News Media is full of such stories and it is not my intention to
bring those stories of palatial life styles and extortion among
Kampala Pastors in this simple letter... Jesus Christ gave a
stern warning to Pharisees about such behavior…that such folks
had greater condemnation to Hell… Pretty strong words…hardly
preached in today’s Prosperous Churches…
Matthew 23:14
(14)
Woe
unto you,
scribes
and Pharisees,
hypocrites!
for ye
devour
widows' houses,
and for
a
pretence make long prayer:
therefore
ye
shall receive
the
greater damnation.
Matthew 23:24-26
(24)
Ye
blind
guides, which strain
at a
gnat,
and swallow
a
camel.
(25)
Woe
unto you,
scribes
and Pharisees,
hypocrites!
for ye
make clean
the
outside of
the cup
and of
the
platter, but
within
they are full
of
extortion and
excess.
(26)
Thou
blind
Pharisee, cleanse
first
that
which
is
within
the cup
and
platter, that
the
outside of
them
may be
clean
also.
So, I thought it worthy to call our selves back to
Accountability NOT to MAN but to GOD'S HOLY WORD...Because it is
GOD'S WORD THAT WILL JUDGE US and NOT MAN...
-
What does Jesus Christ Teach about Giving?
-
What does Paul the Apostle Teach about Giving?
-
Does True Bible Doctrine on Giving Matter today?
-
Does Matthew chapter 13 speak about Sowing to Give Money or
about The Word of God and one’s response to God’s Word?
-
Is the Seed in Matthew 13 Money or God’s Holy Word?
-
Are we not supposed to give to the orphans, widows, poor and
those in need?
-
Are we to Tithe or not to Tithe under the New Covenant of
Jesus Christ?
-
Is tithing the only Old Testament Law of Moses we are
supposed to keep in the New Covenant under Jesus Christ?
-
Are Pastors and Ministers Levites in Churches Today?
-
If so, did the Church replace physical Israel?
-
What about Hebrews Chapters 7 and 8?
-
Is Jesus Christ not the New and Perfect High Priest?
-
Did
Jesus Christ not offer His Body as the perfect sacrifice
once and for all as the Perfect High Priest without sin?
-
If so, how can a High Priest (Jesus Christ is from the Tribe
of Judah) not from the Tribe of Levi receive Tithes?
-
Are All Believers not Priests in the Church Today according
to 1 Peter 2:9?
-
Who is the High Priest today - Is it not Jesus Christ -
Hebrews 7 and 8?
-
Then how comes a Pastor receives a Tithe and Not the High
Priest?
-
Who is Head of the Body of Christ or the Church, is it
Pastors, Apostles or Jesus Christ?
-
Why did Paul NOT teach the Church to Tithe but taught them
instead to GIVE?
-
Why did Jesus Christ NOT teach about Tithes but taught
people to GIVE?
-
Yes,
the Bible Teaches Giving but are we not taught in the same
Bible to Give freely and cheerfully but not out of
compulsion?
-
Why are Pastors and Preachers forcing and manipulating
Christians to give in Churches today with threats?
-
Is Tithing NOT part of MOSAIC LAW?
-
If it is, then why are we SUPPOSED to Keep It?
-
If we are to keep it then why NOT Keep the Circumcision and
Sabbath Laws?
-
Is it NOT a Curse NOT to keep the Whole Mosaic Law according
to Galatians Chapter 3 and 4?
-
So, why do Pastors and Preachers keep ONLY the Mosaic Law of
Tithing yet they refuse to keep The Other Mosaic Laws like
Circumcision and Sabbath observance?
-
If Tithing was before the Mosaic Law, then what about
Circumcision which was before the Mosaic Law…why not keep it
to justify both Tithing and Circumcision since both were
practiced by Abraham before the Mosaic Law?
-
How to we obtain God’s Blessings?
-
Do we Obtain God’s Blessings (Abraham Blessings) through
Tithing?
-
If so, what about Galatians 3:13-14?
-
Why did the Apostles have the ACTS chapter 15 Conference?
-
Was it not about the Issue of Keeping or Not Keeping the
Mosaic Laws and Circumcision as a prerequisite for
Salvation?
-
Is Tithing Not part of the discussed Mosaic Laws in the
‘Acts 15 Conference’?
-
Are we not guilty of Extortion and Devouring widows’
properties with Today’s Prosperity and Tithing Gospels?
-
Did Jesus Christ Really Promise to Make Material Wealth
those who came to Him?
-
Did the Apostles promises Material Wealth to those whom they
preached?
-
Is the Prosperity Gospel really scriptural?
-
What are The Lord’s Instructions to those who are Rich
Materially in the Church?
-
Should we not repent to The Lord of Extortion, Defraud,
Manipulation, Mind Control, threatening Saints for their
failure to give to our ‘big ministries’?
-
Why don't Pastors and Ministers support themselves by
Vocational Jobs Like Paul the Apostle did with his Tent
Making Skill in order to support himself and NOT be a burden
to the Churches?
-
Is it a sin for Pastors and Ministers to take on vocational
jobs and work while they minister?
-
Is it
right
and biblical for Pastors to spend excessive amounts of money
buying expensive cars, Gulf Stream Jets, Palatial Houses,
and Designer Clothes all in the name of Prosperity, using
funds given to Church by the Saints?
-
If so, is that not extortion?
-
Is it Biblical to preach that those who are poor will go to
Hell and only the rich will go to heaven (because they don’t
complain)…what about Lazarus and the Rich Man, what about
James chapter 5:1-7, what about The Lord being the Defender
of the poor, widows, orphans, and needy?
-
Does the Bible contradict itself or is someone preaching a
false teaching?
-
Is it biblical to spend huge amounts of money on building
Mega Churches (Cathedrals) while the rest of the saints
starve and are filthy poor?
-
Where in the Bible did the New Testament Saints build
Cathedrals or fundraise for Cathedrals?
-
Why did Jesus Christ not fundraise to build a temple when He
preached on Earth?
-
Was Jesus Christ just being Lazy?
-
Why did Jesus Christ Not Fundraise to build the temple or
refurbish the existing one but spoke doom and destruction to
it in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21?
-
Where is the Word Cathedral in the Bible, is it not a
Catholic Term?
-
Do we NEED (Require, in sense that we cannot preach the
gospel except we have money - Mammon) Money to Preach the
Gospel though we can USE money to preach the Gospel?
-
Did the Early Church NEED Money to preach The Gospel or did
they NEED the Holy Spirit and Truth in Preaching the Gospel?
-
Are Pastors and Christians Not supposed to STUDY God's Holy
Word?
-
Are Christians and Pastors above Accountability to God’s
Holy Word?
It seems that we need to be sincere and search out these matters
in the Bible again, otherwise The Lord is holding all guilty who
extort and defraud saints of money and possessions through such
Doctrines as the Prosperity Doctrine, Tithing Doctrine, and
Manipulative giving Teachings…
I stand to be corrected if Scriptures prove me wrong… However, I
believe Christians ought to wake up and look into these matters
just as the Berean Christians did in Acts chapter 17…
Acts 17:10-11
(10)
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night
unto Berea: who coming
thither
went into the synagogue of the Jews.
(11)
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the
Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
These are just a few financial questions I have for Brethren and
Pastors and hopefully it explains why many believers are
shunning Tithing in Churches today and instead opt to give
freely as they are led of The Holy Spirit…
In Christ Jesus
Kato Mivule
www.yesumulungi.com
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