WASTED OFFERINGS BY
Dr Ferdinand Nweke
Š 2014 by Ferdinand Nweke All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or other documents.
www.eternityministries.org
Clarion Call
Attention, beloved believer. Your offerings to the Lord are under attack. Since you love the Lord and His Kingdom, you must have been giving offerings. We believe they cost you something. After "paying" your tithes and seeing what is left for you, your family and other dependants to live on, you decide in your love for the Lord and in view of the stated need to squeeze yourself a little more to commit your precious, sacrificial offering to the Lord. Even if you have overflowing abundance, you still do not want to throw away your money. Any serious-minded person would want his offerings to go to what they gave it for, to affect the eternal destiny of as many persons as possible through the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, a sad situation exists today in the Church: much of the offerings of Godâ€&#x;s people are being wasted on vanity. Most offerings are given sacrificially, not out of abundance, by people who sincerely want to see Godâ€&#x;s kingdom advanced on earth through the salvation of the lost. But many trustees of these monies are squandering them on frivolous things that are of no eternal consequence, and kingdom treasurers must do something about it. What a dreadful day it will be when we stand before God to give account of our lives. Imagine preachers being asked to explain, in eternity, before God and His holy angels, and before the twenty four elders and saints who sacrificed all in their time, why they misappropriated the offerings of diligent and indigent believers. While I am persuaded that God will eventually call all to account, and that poor and posh preachers alike will eventually explain their expenditures at the judgment seat of Christ, I want to be wise. All trustees of kingdom resources must manage their trust in the best way possible to advance the interests of their King. So as much as it depends on me, I will make sure that the last cent or kobo of my offering does not get into the hand of anybody who will waste it. We must be profit conscious in the deployment of kingdom resources. We must ask, where will my money make the most strategic impact for the kingdom? Where can this $100 or N1000 help inflict maximum damage on the kingdom of darkness? Where can this money help ensure that the people who sit in darkness will see a great light?
An Ancient Pattern
Once upon a time, a king of Israel who loved the Lord came to the throne, and noticed that there was work to be done on the temple. The temple had been neglected and dilapidated in Israel's preceding years of idolatry. So as soon as King Jehoash (or Joash) sat enthroned, he treated the temple as a priority project, and handed the project over to those he believed were in the best position to execute it. And Jehoash said to the priests, "All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the Lord – each man's census money, each man's assessment money – and all the money that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the Lord (i.e. offerings), let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is
found." 2Kgs.12:4-5NKJV Joash instructed the priests: "Take the money that is brought into The Temple of GOD for holy offerings – both mandatory offerings and freewill offerings – and, keeping a careful accounting, use them to
renovate The Temple wherever it has fallen into disrepair." TM The priests were to collect the offerings and to use them to repair the damages and dilapidations (KJV: breaches) in the house of the Lord. The priests were not to use the money on themselves or on their fancies or to purchase things with which to compete with unbelievers. They were not to use the money to attire themselves or change their uniforms so as to prove that God is good or that the God they served was not a poor God. No! The temple, God's own temple, the cornerstone of their worship of Yahweh, was damaged and dilapidated and needed to be repaired. The offerings of God‟s people were to be used to effect these repairs so that the temple of the Lord might again be glorious, the centre of attraction that it had been for centuries before then. Verse 6 of the text contains the shocker: ―But in the twenty-third year of Jehoash’s reign, the priests still had not made any repairs to the temple‖ (Good News Bible).
But by the twenty-third year of Joash's rule, the priests hadn't done one thing – The Temple was as dilapidated as ever (The Message). Remarkable! These holy priests – ancient trustees of kingdom resources – collected mandatory, "special", and freewill offerings for twenty-three years and yet did not spend a dime of it on the temple. God's Temple remained as dilapidated as ever! What happened to all the offerings for twenty-three years? How much was the total sum? Can you quantify the offerings of a nation for 23 years? Imagine everyone in your country giving both mandatory and freewill offerings for 23 years! What of the widow who had starved herself and her family in her zeal to give for the work of the temple of the Lord? What happened to her money? Where was her money reflected on the temple? A priest collected her money on the pretence of repairing the temple and then spent it on himself. This is an amazing picture of events in our day.
Misappropriating Sacred Funds King Jehoash asked them, ―Why haven’t you done anything about the temple? Now don’t use any more money for your own needs; from now on, it must all be spent on getting the temple into good condition‖ Verse 7, Living Bible. King Joash called Jehoiada the priest and the company of priests and said, "Why haven't you
renovated this sorry-looking Temple? You are forbidden to take any more money for Temple repairs – from now on, hand over everything you get." The Message Notice the priests didn't deny the charge of spending all the money on their own needs. They were guilty of misappropriating sacred funds. There was a "sorry-looking temple" that needed urgent attention. It was where they worked; they saw it every day. The need was right before them, but their own concerns were their priority. Their belly was their god. And worst of all, they kept collecting the offerings on the pretext that it was for repairing the dilapidated temple. This event in ancient Israel is a scary, prophetic pointer to our present situation. Watch those who had been collecting your offerings. You should be concerned, even if you have tons of cash. Since you and others have been giving these two or three „special‟ or „break through‟ offerings every week, has any work been done on the temple? By temple we do not first of all mean physical buildings. While we do need places of worship, it must be kept in mind that our God does not live in temples made with human hands. He lives in living temples – believers, and desires to take over prospective temples presently occupied by sin and darkness.
A Sorry-Looking Temple
So, has any work been done on the temple? Are God's temples cleaner, holier, more set apart for His exclusive habitation? Has any missionary been sent from your church to reach those who have never heard the name of Jesus? Are there new temples being saved and washed for God to dwell in? What about the homeless, widows, orphans and drug addicts who contribute significantly to the sorry look of the temple? These are breaches in the temple – dilapidated lives, with broken hearts and hopes, sorry-looking sinners partying and socializing down the broad way to destruction. And there are more breaches in the body of Christ. There are sinners in Zion – gaping holes in God's holy temple who bring reproach to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by how they live, while holding the truth in unrighteousness. There is a younger generation who live on cyberspace, occupied with social media, and possessed with visions of the flesh and the world. What has been done about these? Why have the priests not repaired this sorry-looking temple? With all the money available to the Church in our nation, why have the "priests" not taken the gospel to those who have never heard it, some of who live a few hours' drive from our city centres? No wonder some priests like to have their churches in town – where they can collect more offerings without attending to the breaches! Has your Pastor or Bishop been spending the offerings on himself, on exquisite cars, bigger houses, designer clothes or for gourmet food in five-star hotels? Are these the reasons you gave offerings? You gave because they told you there were damages to be repaired in the temple – that there was some need in God's house. But are these the breaches you gave him your tithes and life savings to repair? Or is someone pulling wool over our eyes with covetousness, materialism and pursuit of earthly things? This story proves that there is money for God's Temple Project. It is false to suggest that the Church lacks money to fulfil the Great Commission. God has made money available for the gospel. But the Church of Jesus Christ is presently experiencing large-scale misappropriation and misapplication of divine resources. We spend on non-essentials. We preach and celebrate prosperity, but it is prodigal prosperity. And like the prodigal son, we squander our Father's resources on everything but His
priorities. Trustees of kingdom wealth must do something about this sorry situation, if this sorrylooking temple is ever to be repaired.
Taking Action
What King Joash did next is revolutionary. Notice he had not decreed that the offerings be brought to the king's house, to enrich himself. He had dedicated the money to the Temple Project. He had entrusted the money to the priests, whom he expected would be epitomes of trustworthiness. How mistaken! The king was not corrupt, but the priests were. And when King Joash reached that conclusion, He would not be intimidated by their priestly robes and duties. He stopped these predator priests from milking the people: "Why are you not repairing the [Lord's] house? Do not take any more money from your acquaintances, but turn it all over for the repair of the house. [You are no longer responsible for this work. I will take it into my own hands.] v.7 Amplified King Joash took the matter into his own hands. This boggles the mind: why should the king who should otherwise be occupied with other matters of state (having duly delegated the temple work to temple priests), now have to take responsibility for the work? But the king found a way around the priests. Believer, since we have no King Joash to stop our "priests" from collecting tithes and offerings and spending it on their fads and fancies, we must take matters into our own hands. Since we can't stop them from collecting offerings, we must stop giving our money to such priests. Any priest, Pastor or Prophet, Reverend or Bishop, Apostle or Apostate who is not focused on repairing the damages and dilapidations in God's temple, and cleaning out new temples for God to live in, is not worthy of your offerings. I refuse to give my offerings to sponsor the frivolity of this generation. I will check carefully before I put money into any offering box, no matter what the "priests" on duty there may say or threaten. The next action the King took is instructive: at the king's command, Jehoiada took a single chest and bored a hole in the lid and placed it to the right of the main entrance into The Temple of GOD. All the offerings that were brought to The Temple of GOD were placed in the chest by the priests who guarded the entrance.
When they saw that a large sum of money had accumulated in the chest, the king's secretary and the chief priest would empty the chest and count the offerings.
They would give the money accounted for to the managers of The Temple project; they in turn would pay the carpenters, construction workers, masons, stoneworkers, and the buyers of timber and quarried stone for the repair and renovation of The Temple of GOD--any expenses connected with fixing up The Temple. Vs.9-12 The Message ―And they gave the money‌ into the hands of them that did the work: that had the oversight of the house of the Lord and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD‖ v11. I don't believe the priests liked this arrangement, but they had to comply with the King's directive. All the loose funds which passed directly into their hands were now banked in a single chest! Every coin went into that chest, and it was locked; it was only opened in the presence of the King's secretary and the chief priest. I can imagine the chief priest's eyes popping as he looked at all the money which he and his crony priests could have collected and spent on themselves. But he couldn't take any of it; the King's secretary was watching! The money was counted, documented, and turned over to the managers of The Temple Project. This story reveals why many laudable projects of Kings and Presidents do not see the light of day. Those entrusted with the funds for the projects cripple the projects by consuming the money entrusted to them for the work, on themselves. And what King Josiah did is what any leader who wants to see his projects completed must do: they must keep the project in view, and if no appreciable progress is made after a reasonable length of time, they must confront those responsible and thereafter, take matters into their own hands.
Liturgical Extras
King Joash ensured that all of the monies realized from the offering were given to those doing the work. This was not for them to spend on vanity and luxury under the guise that their God was not poor but for the work. This does not at all imply that preachers should not be provided for. You don't muzzle the ox that threshes the corn, but when the cow begins to eat all the corn that it is threshing then that ox must be replaced. It should eat for strength to thread out more grain for the owner, not consume everything on itself. Ministers of the gospel must show moderation in all things. They must not live in luxury at the expense of God‟s people, or spend the money entrusted to them on irrelevancies: ―None of the money, however, was used to pay for making silver cups, bowls, trumpets, or tools for tending the lamps, or any other article of silver or of gold. It was all used to pay the workmen and to buy
materials used in the repairs‖ v13,14, GNB. The Message translation of this verse is illuminating: But none of the money brought into The Temple of GOD was used for liturgical "extras" (silver chalices, candle snuffers, trumpets, various gold and silver vessels, etc.). It was given to the workmen to pay for their repairing GOD's Temple. From the above Scripture, certain things are liturgical extras. And you don't focus on these extras when you have a sorry-looking, dilapidated temple sitting in front of you. What is the use of silver and gold cups and bowls when there were breaches on the temple? I saw in the news and read in the papers how a Pentecostal preacher gave out thousands of naira to the national female football team! Whether it was his money or Church money, this was God‟s money. How could female football take priority over the 2.7billion peoples of the world who do not know whether Jesus is the name of a person, a place, or something? We spend huge sums on frivolities. We may try to defend some of our outrageous expenditures by referring to Solomon‟s temple, but Solomon is not our pattern. We forget we are not Solomon, and that the Head of the Church didn't send us to do what Solomon did. Jesus even said that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like the lilies and the
grass of the field, not to talk of his harem of over 1000 women. Such a person cannot be our role model. Of what eternal value are these vain perishables we waste money on? They are reserved for fire. And these millions can do wonders if invested on the frontlines, amongst those advancing the gospel at the borders of light and darkness.
Another Temple Project
Many years later in the history of Israel, another king undertook a major repair of the temple, similar to what King Joash had done. But the people to whom he entrusted the project were very different from the ones we have encountered so far in Wasted Offerings. The king's name was Josiah; he began to reign when he was just eight years old, and was 26 when he commissioned the repair of the temple. Following the idolatrous, decades-long reign of Josiah's grandfather, King Manasseh, and father, King Ammon, the temple had fallen into disrepair and was thoroughly "sorry-looking". Manasseh and Ammon were champions in idolatry and while they led the nation to worship a host of abominable foreign deities, little attention was paid to the temple of the Lord. Besides, Manasseh deliberately destroyed several parts of the temple to make space for his idols which he installed inside the temple! It was in this state of degradation and dilapidation that King Josiah found the temple when he began to reign. Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem‌ 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 3 Now it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the LORD, saying: 4 "Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been brought into the house of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. 5 And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the LORD; let them give it to those who are in the house of the LORD doing the work, to repair the damages of the house — 6 to carpenters and builders and masons — and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house. 7 However there need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully." 2 Kings 22:1-7 NKJV Thankfully, despite previous misappropriation, the people kept bringing offerings to the house of the Lord. One of the effects of embezzlement of divine resources is that it discourages genuine givers from giving to God's work. If the integrity of the managers of kingdom resources is in question, why continue to pour money down the drain? Many cheerful but discerning givers have
had their zeal to give to the gospel quenched by observing how their money is squandered by the trustees of such funds. However, in this instance, people kept bringing both mandatory and freewill offerings to the Lord, and the priests gathered the money at the command of the king.
WORKMEN: The Doers Of The Work In relation to our focus in Wasted Offerings, several things are noteworthy in this story of restoration. First, they gave the money "into the hand of those doing the work" – "the doers of the work" as the King James Version puts it. These were carpenters, masons, builders and other craftsmen. This is significant: the money was not given to some middleman or to some priests attending to other functions, but to the laborers who were actually doing the work. Much of the money in the Church right now is not in the hands of workmen. Jesus said the harvest is plentiful but that laborers are few (Matt.9:36-38). This is still true today. However, while genuine kingdom laborers who are actually focused on reaching the lost and discipling believers to maturity are few, the Reverends are many. No one can say today that the Bishops and Pastors and "Men of God" are few. No. The pastors are many, but the laborers are few. The "Prophets" and "Anointed Men of God" are plentiful, but actual laborers who are advancing the kingdom of God are few – and mostly unknown. May God re-channel the money in His Church to those who are actually doing the work. The above might seem insignificant, but mission experts tell us that 98% of all the money in the Church is being spent on those who have already heard the gospel. As we have seen when we looked at the misappropriation of kingdom finances, and expenditure on "liturgical extras", huge chunks of the money that should be poured into soulwinning and discipleship (especially among those who have never heard the gospel) are being wasted on lavish lifestyles, elephant projects and flashy perishables. The kingdom of God would make rapid progress when the money gets into the hands of the doers of the work.
HONEST MEN: Faithful Stewards of Divine Resources
The next thing we notice is that no accounting was required of these doers of the work (verse 7). This is remarkable! What a stark contrast with the priests that King Joash dealt with. These workmen were honest men. The following varied translations of 2Kings 22:7 throw further light on the integrity of these workmen: However, they did not require an accounting from the supervisors given the money to spend, because they dealt honestly. CJB The men in charge of the work are thoroughly honest, so there is no need to require them to account for the funds." GNB The latter were not required to render account of the money handed over to them, since they were conscientious in their work - NJB But don't require the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive, for they are honest
and trustworthy men." NLT Do not audit the foremen who disburse the silver, for they are honest – NET Bible
These workmen were faithful so there was no need for close scrutiny of the accounts. They had an internal audit system within their hearts that made it unnecessary for anyone to audit them. While we do not recommend that organizations abandon their audit of all workers entrusted with diverse resources, this testimony of these workmen speaks volumes. Their faithfulness is an enduring example – from the Old Testament for that matter – for New Testament believers who are engaged in God's work. We must be faithful; we must be honest men. If we cannot be trusted with "unrighteous mammon" which is least, who will entrust us with true riches (Lk.16:10-13)? We are at a point now when even church offerings are not safe from theft by the church officers responsible for collecting, counting, banking and managing such monies.
Rediscovering The Word
Something amazing happened in the course of the temple repairs: the Book of the Law was found in the house of the Lord by the high priest while these honest and faithful workmen repaired the house. We read from the very next verse and following, 8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe,"I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, "Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the LORD." 10 Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it before the king. 11 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes. 2 Kings 22:8-12 NKJV This singular discovery sparked revival in Israel. The rest of the great things that King Josiah did – the solemn assembly he called, destroying idol worship, keeping the Passover etc. all arose from the restoration of the Word of God to the nation. This Book of the Law had lain forlorn and neglected, but it never lost any of its power. It had been buried in the rubbles of the decrepit, sorry-looking temple, trampled underfoot by preceding idolatrous kings and their sham priests. But while honest workmen repaired the temple, the Book of the Law was found and restored to its rightful place in the life of the nation. The work of honest workmen helped bring back the Word of God! The revival we seek may well lie in the re-alignment of divine resources: it is our strong conviction that there will be a revival of transforming truth if honest laborers had the kind of funding that many questionable "Prophets" and "Men of God" now command. The problem is that the lifechanging truths and fire that they carry lacks the financial vehicle to take them to the uttermost ends of the earth. Kingdom advancement and kingdom resources are inseparably interwoven. May God raise up faithful workmen, honest men and women who will serve God, not for filthy lucre sake, but for the restoration of God's glory among His people. Amen. In the interim, the custodians of kingdom resources must, as far as lies in their power, ascertain the honesty and faithfulness of those to whom they entrust their offerings for kingdom advancement.
Wasted Offerings
Don't waste your offerings. Give it or send it [even if they don‟t come after you] to ministers and ministries that will use it in the light of eternity, to reach the lost. Take $1000 for instance; there are many ways to spend it. A "Priest" or "the Man of God" can use it to sleep in a posh hotel for one night. Or it could be used it to replace a few square meters of carpet in church. Or it could keep a missionary on the field, reaching the unreached for a whole year. [Note: $100 – about N16,000 – can sustain a missionary family for a whole month as they serve in a place where Christ has never once been preached]. The problem is that for years the „priests‟ have collected the offerings while those that are doing the work lack resources. Or we have been spending on "liturgical extras" while the breaches remain in the Lord‟s house. While we throw money around, or are occupied with our own agendas, the dilapidated, sorry-looking state of the temple receives no attention. For the record, we believe genuine ministers of the gospel must be provided for. The way some congregations treat their pastors and other ministers has driven them beyond the brink into squeezing out the money by unrighteous extortion and carnal gimmicks. But we must cultivate the contentment and moderation necessary to channel as much resources as possible into kingdom priorities. According to 1Timothy 6:6-8, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
Lift Up Your Eyes...
Jesus said to lift up our eyes and look on the fields. How far does your vision go? Does your giving go beyond your church‟s four walls? Do you have a vision for the Body of Christ? Some parts of that one body are overfed and overweight while another part is malnourished. If indeed we are one body something must be amiss. You are responsible for your offering. It‟s your seed; don‟t sow it among thorns where the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things will choke it from bearing abundant fruit. King Joash is not around to stop fraudulent priests who would collect offerings for 23 years without doing any work on the temple. You are responsible, as a steward of divine resources, to allocate God's money to God's priorities. Watch those receiving your offerings. Are they attending to the damages and breaches in the temple? Are they rooted in solid Bible truth, and focused on winning the lost and discipling the saved? Or, are you contributing to their ostentatious and flamboyant lifestyles? Once you convince yourself that they are spending it on their lusts and luxurious, materialistic lifestyles, stop giving it to them, no matter their gimmicks or eloquence. Willing labourers are available, ready to be sent into the harvest field, but there is no money to send them. Widows, orphans, and a broken world await the day when the Body of Christ will look in their direction, but the "priests" have collected all the offerings! Those who love the Lord cannot continue this rascality in the name of Christianity. Dare to be different. Let the Holy Spirit lead you, even in your giving. In line with the protocols of kingdom finances, it is clear that a steward must be found faithful: the money you give as tithes or offerings are not yours. They belong to the Owner, the Creator of the ends of the earth, and such funds must be channelled towards His kingdom projects on earth. While others who may not be aware of the truths encountered in this study can throw away their God-entrusted resources, direct yours into some other areas that the church has neglected. Nobody should use your money to prove that "God is not a poor God". He never gave them such an assignment. I want my offerings and gifts to ministries, ministers and churches to earn the greatest possible reward in eternity by making the greatest possible impact in extending God‟s kingdom here. Let as
many of us who are similarly persuaded begin a revolution of realigning divine resources away from the vanities and frivolities of the modern Church, into the advancement of God's kingdom priorities. Amen and Amen. May God, who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. "God will make you rich enough so that you can always be generous. Your generosity will produce thanksgiving to God. 2Cor.9:10-11.
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