Your Excess Will Supply Their Needs!
The socio-economic systems of the world — whether you call them capitalism or socialism do not ensure equality. The reality is no matter how you try there are bound to be those who have a lot and those who have little or none at all. It is the reality with individual citizens of one country as it is with countries across the globe. There are the world's rich and poor countries with the poor countries looking toward rich countries for aid.
The nationals of poor, underdeveloped, and developing countries resident in the advanced economies would testify to the pressures they are constantly under from their relations and friends back home soliciting financial assistance. Ironically, in some of the relatively rich developing countries, like Nigeria, public office holders and politicians increasingly widen the gap between the have and the have-nots by looting the national commonwealth — siphoning them to banks in the developed economies.
The impression is created among the poor that their compatriots living abroad are picking money on the streets or plucking them from over the trees.
The great apostle Paul invested his life into the lives of the social outcasts and ethnically neglected. Apart from seeking out the Gentiles and apprising them with the Gospel, he went from city to city, congregation to congregation collecting offerings and donations for the needy. He wrote to the Corinthian brethren:
“The goal is equality as it is written: The one who gathered much did not have too much, and one who gathered little did not have too little.” (2 Corinthians 8:14–15).
It is about gathering here. The needs are already provided by God.
Apostle Paul echoes God’s plan for His people — the Israelites — both in the wilderness and in the promised land. It is never in God’s plan that some should have in excess while others live in penury. After all, He providentially makes available the work of His hands — the sun, the moon, and the stars to all. He sends down the rains, and in His benevolence equips humans to access the riches of the earth for the good of humankind.
He provided for the Israelites in the wilderness by dropping manna daily from the sky, commanding that each person takes only what is needed. Whenever they took more than they needed in one day the excess got rotten, stinks, and unfit for human consumption.
But on the sixth day of the week, they were permitted to gather double their daily portion as they prepare for the sabbath — the day of rest — and the portion so gathered remains intact for consumption on the seventh day, the sabbath (Exodus 16:19–27).
In Canaan, where the land was divided among the tribes, the Levites were excluded from sharing in the land because they were set aside exclusively to minister in the temple. Landholding was a critical factor in production and agriculture needed for the economic well-being of the tribes — but not without adequate provisions catering to the needs of the Levites (Joshua 13:33). The other eleven tribes were charged with paying tithes of their proceeds to the storehouse — the national treasury.
Our Lord Jesus had no land and no property of his own. He told those willing to follow him that “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Mattew 8:20). Yet he provided for the mass of the people who came in search of succor — healing and feeding them.
The apostle Paul summarised his ministry years this way:
“We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:7–10).
Paul, the apostle, followed Jesus’ example, through whose poverty believers become rich (v.9).
This aspect of ministry is no longer emphasized in our churches today. No one wants to suffer for the gospel anymore. But not so with the missionaries who left the comfort of their more advanced environments in Europe and America for the “jungle” of Africa so that Africans may come to the knowledge of Christ.
Given the model provided in the Scriptures regarding God’s dealings with His chosen people, both in the Old and New Testaments, the churches have no excuse for acting differently when it comes to the wellbeing of all believers. The Scriptures have given the Church a clear blueprint for balancing inequalities in the Church and the society at large.
It is unbecoming for a preacher of the gospel to acquire personal aircraft not to mention the acquisition of two or three aircraft by one apostle or church founder in an underdeveloped or developing economy where the mass of the population is languishing in poverty and hunger. It is nothing but an example of an ostentatious lifestyle that encourages “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.” (1 John 2:16).
The preacher/apostle who does that is not better than greedy politicians!
Jesus Christ likened his followers to a house built on a hill, and light in the world. The light shines in the darkness showing the way.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ..” (Mattew 5:13–16).
The Church in history played its role as light in drawing peoples out of different forms of darkness — from a life of sin to righteousness, ignorance to enlightenment, poverty to riches, disease to health.
The Church through its enterprise in establishing schools and health institutions at different levels has helped to create and distribute wealth in the society — thanks to the labor of early missionaries.
The modern-day crop of pastors, apostles, and founders of whatever church, denomination, and creed in Africa are products of the enterprise of those missionaries.
Interestingly most of the present Church leaders are not following in the footsteps of their European and American predecessors. Rather, there is a culture of bastardizing Christianity’s core values and misplaced priorities in ministry focus in a country like Nigeria.
Many individuals who identify as church pastors, apostles, and prophets have abandoned their role as a beacon of integrity, righteousness, and hope. All they are concerned about is motivating their members to become millionaires and billionaires preaching prosperity gospel messages in expectation of the tithes that will accrue to them.
Sadly, Christ’s rhetorical question, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his soul?” would apply to our Church leaders of today (Mark 8:36}.
It is time to wake up from our slumber, shake off all those unholy hangovers, and move forward.
If for nothing let us remember that at the end of the day, we shall give an account of our stewardship to the One who called us and that none of our material possessions — cars, buildings, aircraft, money in the bank, etc., not our position and popularity with people will be there to save us from His righteous judgment.
