This people draw near unto Me with their mouth and honour me with their lips; but their hearts are far from Me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men -Matthew 15:8-9.
God is as much concerned with our motives as with our actions. As a matter of fact, He will examine your heart, first and foremost, above your actions.
Actions can be deceptive. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God examines the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
Character, and not necessarily 'results' in one's ministry, reveals the heart of a man. One may deceive people for some time, but you cannot deceive everyone all the time and self-deception is the most dangerous lie. Character is like truth, you cannot bury it for too long. Ultimately, it will resurrect!
Many people give the example of Cornelius as a person whose “giving to the things of God” was what brought him favour with God and exposed him to the message of salvation. Let us check this story closely. It is recorded in Acts chapter 10.
The question is, was Cornelius' “giving” done with the aim of “receiving some financial or spiritual blessing” from God or was it based on his attitude (disposition of heart) toward God?
Let us first see the verses that describe the character of the man. I would be using the Amplified version for emphasis:
Now [living] in Caesarea, there was a man whose name was Cornelius, a centurion (captain) of what was then the Italian Regiment… a devout man, who venerated God and treated Him with reverential obedience as did all his household, and he gave much alms to the poor and prayed continually to God -Verse 1, 3, AMP
And they said, Cornelius, a centurion (captain) who is just and upright and in right standing with God, being God-fearing and obedient and well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, has been instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, and he has received in answer to prayer a warning to listen to and to act upon what you have to say -Verse 22, AMP
And he said Cornelius your prayer has being heard and harkened to, and your donation to the poor have been known and preserved before God [so that he heeds and is about to help you - Verse 31, AMP
In the first two of the passages above the character and disposition of Cornelius' heart towards God and people are described. Here we see that Cornelius was devout, he venerated God and treated Him with reverential obedience. It was on the basis of this mindset or attitude that he “gave much alms to the poor and prayed continually to God. Cornelius' objective was not to “sow seed for a harvest” but to worship God. He was a wealthy and very influential man and was most likely not “sowing” money for more money. He had a heart for God. His heart, which was the foundation for his giving, got God's attention.
Peter in judging the 'Cornelius' episode declared:
..."In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him -Act 10:34-35, NKJV.
Secondly, there are many things that happen naturally. God gives rain to the just and the unjust as well. There are blessings that will naturally fall on all men whether they are righteous or wicked. If you sow, you will reap, whether you expect to reap or not.
There are women who have thrown fresh tomato waste at the back of their kitchens, and because that backyard had good soil to grow plants, the tomato seeds germinated, began to grow and produce fruit right in that backyard. It did not matter if the women were wicked or righteous. Results do not necessarily always prove a man or woman to be of God or sent by Him.
It is the characteristic of false men of God that the things they do “in the name of God” are for self-gain and aggrandisement. Their god is their belly. Consequently, they have become swindlers using trickery and sometimes fetish means to blindfold and fleece unsuspecting and ignorant people.
But is it not also true that, beyond ignorance, the “bless me” culture in the church has equally developed a spirit of greed among many people that makes them easy prey for gimmickry?
Recently in a meeting, as I was speaking along the lines of biblical giving and receiving and mentioned some of the gimmicks of these men, a lady exclaimed in Pidgin English, “Hey! Dis people don take us chop mugu!” A euphemism for “These people have fooled and swindled us”.
Indeed, God really “helped” Cornelius. He was devoted to God, he gave alms to the poor, but the most important thing was missing in his life, his soul was not redeemed. God's action was 'in answer to prayer;' and if asking Peter to take the Gospel of salvation to this man, then that must have been his constant request or desire: That God should save his soul.
God ordered the gospel to be brought to Cornelius and his household. Cornelius never approached God flaunting his giving or tithing credentials, as a reason for which God ought to bless him.
Cornelius did not serve God for what he could get from God in material terms, nor was he giving so that he would reap a financial blessing. Such an attitude often comes from a 'lack-mentality'. We need this, so we need to sow that! People now approach God as though He owes them something that He must pay!
In contrast to Cornelius' attitude is that of the Pharisees, full of themselves and their assumed closeness to God (Matt 6:2, 5, 7, 16; 15:8-9):
Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God I thank You that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all I possess'. And the tax collector standing afar off, would not so as much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying' 'God be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted -Luke 18:10.
When the Philippians sent an offering to the Apostle Paul, God supplying their own needs was not what was on their minds, but care for Paul. They considered Paul's needs and out of their own necessity they gave. They were neither mandated nor cajoled to sow a “prophets offering”.
Also, Paul received their gift because he had their well-being in mind, “that it would abound to their account”. This was mutual love in action: The grace of giving and receiving.
E. W. Kenyon aptly defined grace as “love in action.” The Philippians gave with the heart to bless Paul, not for themselves to reap a harvest, and Paul received from them so that they would be blessed and have much more.
Philippians 4:19 is a prayer by Paul in response to the generous attitude of the Philippians, who out of their own necessity gave out of love and not because they were needy (and they were) or desired a “breakthrough”.
Giving is God's character. “He gave His only begotten Son”. His Son gave His life and sent us the Holy Spirit. The first and foremost thing God gave us is His life (Himself). Then when we have freely and willingly embraced Him, He withholds nothing from us.
He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus and given us all things that pertain to life and godliness not because we give tithes and offerings (normal or special), but because of what Christ has accomplished. He made that choice on His own because He loved us.
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? -Romans 8:32.
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust -2 Peter 1:3-4.
You cannot cajole or bribe God. To attempt to bribe God is to ridicule His integrity and for a person to want to purchase His gifts is to violate His character.
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all... neither is there any shadow of turning in Him (1 John 1:5; James 1:17).
The kingdom of God is not for sale. Anyone who trades God's gifting, offices, anointing, or healing and deliverance is a criminal. 'Selling' the gifts of God to you, he places a curse both on himself and upon his clients (actually victims) that purchase from him.
And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money -Acts 8:18-20.
These men are “clouds without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withers, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots (Jude 12).
They are all about “results” but zero on “fruit”; they promise heaven on earth, instead they produce a parched earth and barrenness in the lives of people that follow and venerate them. “Papa”, Daddy, Yes sir! Yes, sir!” But it is all emptiness.
We have a situation today where all manner of prayers, special anointing and 'anointed products' are up for grabs “for a special offering (or faith-seed) of N10,000.” There are special prayers that will not be said unless a certain amount of money is 'sown' or an 'offering' befitting the status of the 'man of God' is first delivered. The bigger the “seed” the more readily available the “man of God” will be, and the more 'powerful' the prayers.
Meanwhile, those that do not have the requisite cash are left in limbo. Such do not qualify for special prayers. The 'bishop' will not visit their homes. He has more important engagements. Lesser mortals can visit those poor ones. The “gold coin” is in the mouth of the big fish.
But it is a curse to think that the gifts of God may be purchased with money. A dear sister once told me of a case in her church. A young man told her that he was going to become a deacon within that year. And she asked him, “How will that be?” He replied that all he needed to do was to “pay his dues”. He did, and he was made a deacon that year.
Child of God, God's health, wealth, and wisdom are your privileges. His gifts, His graces and all that Christ has fully paid for and made available belong to you even if you do not have a dime. Trading and merchandising gifts, callings and the blessings of God with money is not a kingdom principle. In the kingdom,
Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find; knock and the door shall be opened unto you. For he that asks, receives; he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks, the door will be opened -Matthew 7:7-11.
In the kingdom, your relationship is with the Father-God, not with a godfather who you have to “settle” (pay off) to protect or help you prosper. Leadership ought not to be for sale.
Today many people give only with the expectation that they would some time or somehow receive from those to whom they have given. “Today I scratch your back, tomorrow you scratch mine”.
But Jesus says, if you give only to those from whom you expect to receive, what thank have you? Even the heathen (sinners) do that. (Luke 6:32-34). In other words, there should be a difference between the reasons we give and the reasons unbelievers do. Ours should be much more altruistic.
Jesus often used earthly or natural illustrations to explain the principles of the kingdom. He did this to help people understand His message, but we build doctrines around the illustrations and dump the kingdom principles.
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