By 'Gbenga Bankole
The Minister-in-charge of Christ Apostolic Church, Latona English Assembly (Anointing Chapel), Pastor E. O. Olowookere, has said the smooth running of the church to the fulfilling of her mission mandate can't be easily possible without the necessary support from (especially) members of the fold.
Pastor Olowookere noted this in an exclusive chat with CAC NEWS.
In his exact word;"the Church of God would best be understood if we (Christians) are able to view her as both organic and organizational entity which need not to experience setback or remain stagnant. In this view, the early church thrives.
That great apostle and the finest penman of the church, Apostle Paul, once pointed the Galatians brethren (members) to the necessity of giving to the progress of the church ministry. Galatians 6:6-8 put it thus, "Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."
"Applying the text to WHY SHOULD MEMBERS OF CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH PAY SEED OF BLESSING: it should be clear that the smooth running of the church to the fulfilling of her mission mandate can't be easily possible without the necessary support from (especially) members of the fold. The membership contributions had already been acknowledged by the leadership of the church. This is one of the reasons why Paul would pray for the Philippians church in chapter four verse nineteen that: "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." What brought about such prayers? Verse 18 pointed out that the brethren contribution made the mission works easier for him. In his own words, he said, "...I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God." (Phil 4:18), meaning that it is befitting of Christian faith to give sacrificially to the course of the gospel."
"Prior to the introduction of the Seed Of Blessing (SOB) in our church, Christ Apostolic Church worldwide, the central government of the church evidently weak in terms of financial prowess. The image of the church nearly got dented as it became apparent that to pay for the rented apartment of the then president was a sorry case. Not that our progenitors then lacks what it takes, but the financial commitment by the members like as of today reveals poor income generation.However, at the introduction of the SOB, initially we experienced a positive turn out virtually from every quarter of the church. But it seems the morale has become low. As a pastor with the little experience I have from various stations, I noticed that one of the factor that was responsible for the lack of interest in contributing immensely to the SOB has always been on a wrong motive given earlier when the practice begun. Some members would objected that they are not gaining anything from the church, but I believe most of these people have only been ill-fed with the purpose. Nevertheless, like I usually quote, *_"If the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable!"_* thus it is high time that we with scriptures educate all our members on the reasons they are to willingly and cheerfully play their roles in SOB. "
"Let me itemize the reasons as follows
1. Vision and money are insuperable, because vision will be useless when there's no money to implement it while money will remain ordinary note if there's no vision for spending it. By this, I want to believe that the church authority can only execute various visions they had conceived when there's adequate finance to fund it. Ecclesiastes 10:19 says, "money answereth all things."
2. All we have as Christians were given to us by God who in turn expected us to use part of the provision for serving Him. Just like the days of Moses, when they were about to construct the tabernacle, God requires the gifts of the Israelites (see Exodus 25:1-9). Christ Apostolic Church worldwide is a great project that can't be successfully sustained without the willingly and cheerfully giving of all us (ministers and members) accordingly (Exo. 25:2; 2Cor. 9:7).
3. The notion that CAC is fund of collecting money should be eradicated among us, because no Christian organization has ever thrive without the monetary support of their members. What we fail to understand is that the giving is to the benefit of the giver, because the Lord says, "it is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35).
4. Not everyone of us will be at the helm of affairs of the church but all of us (adherents of the Christ Apostolic) are by Divine Providence placed in the fold which makes our contribution to the progress of the church important and necessary (Gal. 6:9-10).
5. If truly we love the LORD, we will ever take His teachings important. Giving is one of the pivot teachings of the church as Christ taught that our giving will determine our receiving. Luke 6:38 is more than a plea but a command that we should obey. SOB policy is more often than a plea, it is not a sign of beggar from the top but our worship responsibilities unto the God of our fathers.
6. Truly the emphasis on JABU has been overstretched, however we ought to change our mindset of SOB JABU benefit. I can attest to it that members who follow due process enjoyed rebate from the school, but don't let us misinterpreted the process with the admissions. No school will ever admit any unqualified candidate and besides not all missions funded universities in the country have 100% indigent members. Because of this, I think all of us (ministers and members) ought to beware of transgressing from our worship duties in the name of no benefit from JABU!
7. Someone had said, "the level of your giving is an index of your love to God." Thus, if we claim true love for God, our tithes, offerings, vow payments and SOB inclusive will best reveal the depth of that love.
To not cumbered you with the list, I want to appeal to all members of Christ Apostolic Church worldwide (home and abroad) to see this church as our collective heritage that we must be proud of through our mutual commitment on the SOB for a stronger center (that is the central government of the church). The aim of our Lord Jesus is to meet (at His return) a bride (church) without any wrinkle or a spot. Meaning that you and I must be sincerely obedient in all aspects of our Christian worship (our giving inclusive)."
"Let not forget that at one point in time, we were paying ADF (annual development funds) before the introduction of SOB, to me, the current nomenclature is enough to motivate all of us without any manipulation from anybody before we pay up our SOB this year, because Galatians 6:7 says, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: FOR WHATSOEVER A MAN SOWETH, THAT SHALL HE ALSO REAP." Therefore I encourage all Christ Apostolic faithfuls (all over the world) to willingly, cheerfully and bountifully sow the SOB this year and see how God will in turn blessed us."
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