As time went by, more and more young people began to listen to his lectures. Many of them began to recommit their lives to Christ. Part of their commitment meant giving God an tenth (a ‘tithe’) of all that God had giving them. Many people who rededicated their lives to the Lord through the preaching of this man began to give the Lord a tenth of all their possessions; some even gave more up to 50 percent or 75 percent of all they had.
The result is one of the most amazing chapters of church history in Africa today. In a few short years, this renewal movement, based on total commitment to Christ, has grown into one of the largest churches in Africa. In a country where many people cannot afford to buy even the basic necessities of life, this church has built a large college campus in the capital city. Many students from this denomination receive theological education at this school and are trained for the ministry of the gospel at the very low cost. Why? Because the church receives large sums of money from outside the country? No. It’s because the members of the church have learned to give generously to the Lord from what they have. God has blessed their faithful giving and multiplied their resources. This denomination also has a local church with one of the largest weekly attendances in the world. This story is a living example of the words of the apostle Paul from 2 Corinthians 9, which are quoted above. God blesses individuals and churches that give generously to the advancement of his work. When God blesses what they give, he makes it grow beyond their imagination regardless of the country, culture, or condition of the economy in the country – because God is all-powerful and faithful. God keeps his promises. He is the God of the resurrection. He is the God of the impossible. He is the God for whom no human situation is too difficult. It is up to his people to do what he asks them to do and them to discover with amazement what God will do. This not to say that God promise financial prosperity and wealth to his people if they just have faith. That is a false idea being taught in many places today. The apostle Paul said he knew what it was to be in need, that he had learned to be content with either a lot or a little (Phil. 4:12). None of the apostles of Christ died as rich men. What God does promise is to meet our basic needs (Phil. 4:19). Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread (that is, our daily needs; Mt.6:11). At the same time, the Bible warns us that people who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction’ (1 Tim. 6:9).It is evident from the examples given above that money can be used to bring great blessing and great good to the lives of many people, but that it can also be the means of great temptation, sin and evil. The question is what can be done so that money does not bring temptation, sin and evil as in the story of John? Clearly there is a need for God’s wisdom if money is to bring deliverance and not destruction. In what follows, we will take an imaginative journey into what is possible when a whole community of God’s people (for example, a group of local churches or all the churches in one country) act together to do something for the kingdom of God. Not done read part 2 of this series. (Resource: Biblical Christianity in Modern Africa by Wilbur O’Donovan).
