Subtle Deception Paves The Way For Blatant Error

Will I Get Into Heaven Without Tithing?


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Do You Realize How Many People Believe Your Eternal Destiny Depends on Your Tithe?

I was just reading the reviews of a few books on tithing on Amazon. One review said “Of course no Christian believes that you are saved by tithing.” Maybe she didn’t read the other reviews of the same book, or maybe the next one I saw was posted after hers was. Another review just a little after hers contained multiple statements that failing to tithe, or not believing in tithing, would send you to hell.

 

“For those who oppose the tithe the devil is gonna laugh in your face as he drags you into Hell and throws flames on you and cuts you into pieces.”

 

“So when anybody claims that Mat. 23:23 was only addressed to the Pharisees and not us, then that is a damn lie from Hell. (Damn lie because it will damn you to Hell if you believe, live, or teach that lie.)”

 

“…don’t let Satan nor false teachers deceive you and fool you into thinking that “the tithe has been done away with.” Not only is the church hurt but you yourself are also hurt and you even lose the salvation that Jesus worked so hard to give you when you were first born again.”…don’t let Satan, nor false teachers, steal your crown of eternal life.”

 

“Robbing God of his tithe…is an eternally serious sin and crime against God.”

 

“If you don’t pay the tithe or teach others that the tithe no longer applies—then you are going to hell.”

 

“This is about your eternal life here. We are not discussing matters of only losing rewards. We are talking about your very soul. We are talking about everlasting damnation. We are talking about Heaven and Hell here.”

 

These statements were all taken from a one-star review of Dr. Russel Earl Kelly’s excellent book, “Should the Church Teach Tithing?” These are only a few quotes but the author of the review went on and on with similar rants, even saying those who teach that tithing is Old Covenant will suffer hotter fires in hell, and referring to a book called “Hell Testimonies” by Mike Peralta, which claims many people are in hell for not tithing. He posted this as a review of multiple other books which he probably never read. It only shows as a verified review on Dr. Kelly’s book.

Many of you might initially assume that a guy writing like this is just a wacko, an extremist who believes things that very few people would actually teach. I would have assumed the same, but when I started questioning tithing, I was shocked to learn how many Christians actually think like him. You also may be shocked when you realize the extent to which this false gospel of salvation by tithing has gained ground in the church.

One American pastor recently wanted to discuss tithing with us, but we were unable to continue with a rational and respectful conversation. He continually stated that non-tithers were unsaved and destined to hell, rather than engaging in a biblical discussion of the matter. I am still shocked by how often this line of thinking comes out if we discuss tithing.

Many Africans, and especially Nigerians, are well-acquainted with the issue. Pastor Enoch Adeboye leads the Redeemed Christian Church of God, with branches in 110 countries and 5 million members in Nigeria alone. He has said bluntly, “”Anyone who is not paying his tithe is not going to heaven, full stop.”[1]

Pastor Adeboye then warned his pastors and leaders that they would also go to hell for sending other people to hell if they failed to warn their congregants that failing to tithe faithfully would send them to hell. He told a story about a pastor who was in hell for not teaching about tithing. He taught the leaders that any non-tithing member would get the whole church in trouble with God, open the door to witches and wizards, and bring God’s curse on the congregation like Achan brought trouble on all of Israel.[2]

Adeboye’s claim that Adam got kicked out of Eden for not tithing seems to suggest that his teaching of salvation by tithing, like Creflo Dollar’s teaching, was based on Kenneth Copeland’s doctrines about tithing. The leaven Jesus warned against entered with Copeland and earlier teachings, and we see how it worked through the whole lump in Creflo Dollar and Enoch Adeboye’s teachings.

Some people say “Oh, Adeboye is in Africa, and they are crazy over there.” Yet they fail to consider that his doctrine’s origins are in the United States, and it is coming full-circle. He has churches all over the world including in the US and UK.

Dr. Abel Damina is a famous African preacher who until recently was known for his heavy emphasis on tithing and give-to-get messages. Then around the same time as Benny Hinn’s statements were going viral, Dr. Damina shared his personal story of turning away from such teaching, saying the whole nation should be outraged that a man would stand up and say “Anyone who does not pay a tithe will not make heaven.”  He continued “You render the blood of Jesus useless. You render the sacrifice of Christ useless. You render the finished work of Christ useless. And you want me to keep quiet!…You reduce the work of Christ to 10%! Is that how stingy a man can be, equating Jesus to 10%? Fatal error!”[3] In another sermon which YouTube later removed, Dr. Damina confessed he had no assurance of salvation while he was teaching tithing and give to get. He finally recognized the error!

I recently saw a video of an African pastor punishing his church members for not paying their tithes.[4] Dozens of people laid face down on the ground as the pastor went around, whipping each one with a stick. While this sounds extreme, it is not a far cry from the teaching of leading western ministers, who have called non-tithers God-robbers and threatened them with curses or even eternal damnation for their failure to tithe. After all, I’d rather have someone whip me with a switch than have God curse me!

Will western leaders consider the enormity of this issue worldwide, that there is now major controversy in Africa over whether a person can make it into heaven without a tithe? They are only taking the error we discussed in the previous chapter, imported largely from American teachers, to its logical conclusions. And the notion that tithes help secure your place in heaven has also gained unbelievable acceptance in the United States!

 

Christians Embrace a Book that Teaches the Tithe Secures your Place in Heaven!

I realize many people don’t like the word “heresy” since it’s been so misused to bash people who have different beliefs on non-essential issues. But when any teaching says that there is a way to the Father except through Christ, or another way to be saved, “heresy” is an appropriate word. The apostle Paul treated such teaching very seriously, as we see in the book of Galatians.

As an example of how the subtle deception we discussed in the last chapter has opened the way for blatant error to spread, consider several passages from the book “Heaven is so Real.” Consider what this book teaches and how quickly and easily it gained widespread acclaim in mainstream Christianity.

An imprint of the world’s leading Charismatic/Pentecostal publisher published it. The pastor of the biggest church in the world at that time wrote the forward. It became an international bestseller, selling over a million copies, and becoming the #1 bestseller in South Korea. It was translated into more than 40 languages, and the Spanish version won the Harold Kregel 2008 Book of the Year award for “most inspiring and impactful book” during the Spanish Evangelical Products Association Awards in 2009.

Charismatic Christians raved over it, including people I know. I don’t know how I myself read it the first time as a young teenager and did not see the blatant error. It clearly teaches salvation by works, especially that your eternal destiny hinges on your tithe.

 

Does a Little Poison in Your Good Food Matter?

Many Christians accuse the Jehovah’s Witnesses of preaching a false gospel because they teach salvation by works. I agree, yet the false teaching of salvation by our own works, as in “Heaven is so Real” comes through even more blatantly than in the Jehovah’s Witness literature. The Jehovah’s Witness literature has many statements teaching that Jesus died as the atonement for our sins, but they are mixed with teaching salvation by works.

If a Jehovah’s Witness says “Look, we teach salvation by grace. We teach that Jesus died for our sins,” Christian pastors respond, “Yeah, but you also teach that only 144,000 elite believers have a heavenly hope and only those of this group can partake of the communion bread and wine, so that most don’t dare take communion.[5] You teach that one must qualify for baptism by works like proselytizing and suggest that preaching enough is a requirement for obtaining salvation.”

Not for one moment would we imagine that saying something about Jesus’s atonement excuses such error, or say “A little poison isn’t anything to worry about. There’s a lot of good food in the Watchtower Magazine. In fact, the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is the Lamb of God and died for our sins.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses are widely considered by evangelicals to be wolves in sheep’s clothing, teaching a false gospel of salvation by works because they teach the few who make it into heaven secure their place by teaching and proselytizing. So how is it that “Heaven is so Real” teaches your place in heaven depends on your tithe, and it becomes a widely acclaimed international bestseller?

How is the first doctrine is considered “heresy” while the latter is acceptable, unless there’s an underlying heart issue that makes us want to overlook the latter error? Even if you personally find the doctrine that your tithe secures your place in heaven to be appalling, I want to make the case to you of how much this error has infiltrated the Pentecostal/Charismatic culture.

 

Will Non-Tithers Go to Hell, or to a Sad, Dry Valley between Heaven and Hell?

I know many readers will imagine I’m taking something way out of context and extrapolating far-fetched conclusions, as many anti-charismatic “heresy hunters” do. Far from it! “Heaven is so Real” repeats this teaching clearly several times, claiming that God told it directly to the author. Consider a few quotes for yourself:

 

“Many Christians are poor and have problems in their lives because their hearts are not right with me and they don’t tithe. Any Christian who doesn’t tithe will not be blessed because they love money more than My Word. Those who love money more than My Word will never see My kingdom. You already know where they will be at the end.”[6]

 

The words “My Kingdom” in the context of the book refer to heaven. It is saying that non-tithers will never get into heaven. What is “where they will be at the end” referring to? Two previous passages give a clue:

 

“I looked out over a brown and lifeless valley. Everywhere there was brown. The whole region seemed to be filled with dead grass.

I noticed multitudes of people who were wearing sand-colored robes roaming aimlessly in the vicinity of the pit’s yawning mouth. Their heads were hanging low and they looked very dejected and hopeless.

‘Who are these people, Lord?’ I asked.

‘They are disobedient ‘Christians’.’

‘How long will they have to stay in this barren, lifeless place?”

‘Forever, My daughter. The only ones who will enter My kingdom are the pure of heart-My obedient children.’”

 

This passage reinforces the teaching that non-tithing (“disobedient”) Christians will never make it into heaven. Instead of saying they will go to hell, it seems to say they will exist in eternity at the edge of hell’s pit, dejected and hopeless. Yet another passage in the book seems to say they will be thrown into the lake of fire:

 

“He took me to another high mountain from which I could look down into another endless valley where a multitude of people dressed in gray-colored robes were wandering about in an apparent mood of dejection. Their robes reminded me of the gowns worn by hospital patients.

The people looked weak and lost, and their gray faces matched the color of the robes they were wearing. They stared at the ground in front of their feet as they walked around in circles, aimlessly and hopelessly. This place was mostly men with just a few women.

‘Who are these people, Lord?’

‘They are the sinful Christians.’

‘What is going to happen to them’ I wondered aloud.

‘Most of them will go to the lake of fire after judgment.’”[7]

 

When “Heaven is so Real” talks about sinful Christians, it says very little about sins like persistent sexual immorality. But it mentions failure to tithe more than anything else, along with lack of church attendance, not praying enough, and vague references to “loving the world.”

 

Christians Finding No Assurance of Salvation

I’ve responded to various messages from people living in torment and doubting their salvation, or even if they can ever be saved. They are suffering mental torment because they are relying on their own works for salvation, and they know they can never be good enough. I encourage them to call on the name of the Lord, receive Christ’s righteousness as a free gift, and enter communion with God through the free gift of righteousness so as to bear the fruit of righteousness.

When I see the widespread acceptance of a book like “Heaven is so Real” among Charismatic Christians, I think “It’s no wonder that so many people are living in such torment and bondage, never being able to trust in Christ’s work or experience any assurance of salvation.” It seems that few realize how many Christians either feel that they are right with God because they pay a tithe, or live in constant guilt and condemnation if they don’t. Is this the gospel? Is it what Jesus died for?

It’s not only non-tithing Christians who are having trouble finding assurance of salvation. It’s many tithers. If Dr. Abel Damina, a famous pastor who talked all the time about tithes, all the while had no assurance of salvation, then imagine how many churchgoers are in the same boat!

The nature of the teaching is that you can never do enough. It’s not only tithes, it’s tithes and offerings, so how do you know when your offerings are enough? The implication of many common tithe teachings is that if you are tithing and struggle financially, you aren’t doing it in faith or from your heart. If it doesn’t count to get you temporal blessing because you aren’t doing it well enough, it must not count to get your eternal blessing or build up your house in heaven either! (Another article which the author’s website links to shares a vision from a Presbyterian minister which teaches that your tithes provide building material for your house in heaven.[8])

I don’t come out and disagree with a teaching because I have my dogma and I like to argue with people who don’t agree with my doctrine. I make my disagreement with tithing public because we are dealing with teaching that is incredibly destructive. The apostle Paul said “But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed!”[9]

I heard of one person who began to doubt her salvation and felt great oppression come all over her when she read “Heaven is so Real.” She asked the Lord why and he said “This book isn’t from me. Trust in what Jesus has done for you, and throw this book out.” She then doubted if she was really hearing the Lord’s voice, but she finally experienced peace when she threw it away. Likewise, my mother felt such a demonic heaviness when she read the book that she threw it on the ground and started stomping on it, saying “Satan, you’re under my feet!”

 

How Many Steps Have You Taken Towards Accepting this Error?

What paved the way for the evangelical church to widely accept such blatant error? It was the subtle error of the most common tithe teachings, disguised as truth. It was only a little bit of leaven. The book “Heaven is so Real” only had to take the tithe teaching a little bit beyond what many pastors were already teaching in order to get to the point where your eternal destiny now hinges on your tithe.

Being led astray into false doctrine happens in steps, and it begins with a heart-compromise. In this case that compromise is teaching tithing because we want it to be true and using logic that we wouldn’t apply to anything else, even when the weight of scripture and church history is against it.

So many people say “We would never teach salvation by tithing. You’re just reacting to some fringe extremists.” So, I respond, “How then did ‘Heaven is so Real’ become a bestseller among evangelical and charismatic Christians?” If you still think I’m exaggerating or just lifting something out of context, consider yet another quote:

 

“The Lord is very unhappy with people who are not tithing. The Lord showed and told me clearly that whoever doesn’t tithe will not see His face because they love money more than Him.

The tithe is 10% of whatever your gross pay is, not your net pay. God doesn’t need our money, but he wants every believer to bring the tithe to His house so the church can do God’s work. Offerings are love gifts for the needy and a giving of thanks to God’s house and different areas of ministry. All of God’s work requires money. Anyone who is able to do these things faithfully will be blessed by Almighty God the most because it is obedient and shows love. These two things are very important commands of God.

If you truly want to be with Jesus forever in heaven and have a blessed life while you are on this earth, please pay close attention to what the Lord says. I have a responsibility to write the truth of God’s words. I wrote this as clearly as I can so new believers and some Christians who are confused about the tithe and offering can fully understand.”[10]

 

Again, it states that nobody will see God’s face without tithing. It primarily defines obedience as giving tithes and offerings. “Obedience” has become a buzz-word for tithing, even though there is no place in scripture that God has ever commanded gentile Christians to tithe, and the modern tithe differs vastly from the Mosaic tithe which God commanded under the law.

And then the book says you need to pay close attention to this if you want to be with Jesus forever in heaven. What is it saying to pay close attention to if you want to make it to heaven? The whole context leading up to this statement talks about nothing but tithes and offerings.

 

“The Lord told me that the only ones who are truly saved are those who live according to His commandments and walk in His Holy Spirit.

Whoever believes in Him must love Him with their whole heart and have fellowship with other Christians. God also expects them to attend church and pay their tithes and offerings. Those who are unable to attend church must give their tithes and offerings to the local church or any other church.”[11]

 

This quote comes under the heading “Marks of salvation.” Talking about obeying God’s commandments and walking in the Spirit, the whole thing is about paying tithes and offerings, church attendance, and praying enough!

Here again the book is very clearly saying that those who don’t tithe aren’t saved. They aren’t Christians; not part of God’s family. I’ve shared my experience when I stopped tithing. Is it any wonder that my closest friends reacted as if I was backsliding, although I loved the Lord and was trying to honor him in the best way I knew how? How do so many people experience what I did in good Charismatic churches, even in “grace churches?” who “teach tithing by grace?”

With tears, I write this plea to pastors of the Charismatic churches which I love. Many of you say “We’d never teach tithing in such a legalistic way,” yet people in your own churches have had experiences similar to mine. There are people in your own churches who feel ashamed to approach the Father without a tithe, or feel like they can approach the Father boldly because they come with a tithe. Could it be that you have been lured into compromising with a false gospel?

The teaching of tithing is legalistic at its very root, and a little leaven works through the whole batch.[12] If you say “I teach tithing but I’d never say it secures your place in heaven,” I ask you to re-read the last chapter and ask yourself how many steps you’ve taken towards that very error. Even if you will never teach that tithing secures your place in heaven, it only takes the next generation to go a step further by taking your teaching to its logical conclusion. I know this is shocking, but it is already happening.

 

We Get into Heaven by “Being Good Enough” so We Need to “Do Our Best While We Have a Chance?”

One of the foundations of the Christian faith is salvation by grace through faith in Christ, not of works, lest any man should boast.[13] Yet “Heaven is so Real” could not be more explicit in teaching salvation by works, and mainly, by tithing faithfully.

 

“Whoever wants to be with the Lord Jesus forever must work for his salvation daily, all the days of his life.”[14]

 

Here is a quote from the front page of the author’s website:

 

“He said, He is giving people a chance to know what it takes to enter His Kingdom through this book. Remember, none of our salvations are secure until the end. We must do our best while we have a chance.”[15]

 

Where is this teaching leading Christians? Here are two reader testimonials from the revised and expanded edition of the book:

 

“I know that in talking to her, I want to be good enough to join her (Choo) in this glorious kingdom she has told me so much about.”[16]

 

How has such doctrine made its way into mainstream Christianity? This reader concluded that she hoped she could be good enough to get to heaven! If we get into heaven by being “good enough,” we’ve disposed of the gospel message and our “Christianity” is no different than any other religion. How could the world’s leading Charismatic/Pentecostal publisher share such a statement as an endorsement of the book rather than being grieved at how it is leading people away from Christ? This deception came in through the Trojan horse of the common teachings about tithing that we discussed in the previous chapter.

 

“I tell you humbly that this book is next to the Holy Bible to know our Lord Jesus and his coming.”[17]

 

Many critics of the Charismatic movement accuse us of putting personal revelation on the same level as scripture. This is usually a straw-man argument. Yet the author of “Heaven is so Real” actually does treat her book as if it were scripture, saying she transcribed the words exactly as Jesus told her.[18] From the quote above it’s apparent that some of her readers do too. Similarly, many of today’s churches teach the modern tithe as if it were scripture, even though it contradicts scripture on several points and it’s indisputable that the first generations of the church did not practice it.

I know that we as Charismatics often tend to dismiss criticism, because we’ve heard so many attacks with false accusations and faulty reasoning coming from “heresy hunters.” I am a Charismatic who ministers healing and whose life has been dramatically impacted by people closely connected to the much-criticized Toronto revival and the so-called “NAR.” (New Apostolic Movement.)

I rejoice when people tremble, weep, shake, scream, or fall as the Holy Spirit touches them. I’ve written to refute the accusations that these are usually manifestations of a “kundalini spirit.” I love the sound of wailing mixed with laughter and screams as people cry aloud to Jesus.

I am by no means a critic of the Charismatic movement. I am speaking up with great appreciation for many Charismatic Christian leaders, full of thanksgiving for the church, and saying “We are really missing it here with the tithe teaching and in danger of being led astray. You haven’t realized the implications of this teaching or where it is leading. Let’s not start in the Spirit and end up in the flesh.”

It’s remarkable to me is that even much of the non-charismatic criticism of “Heaven is so Real” says little or nothing about the really serious error in it, which is teaching salvation by works. Rather, it complains about the way the author shook and danced!

The mainstream acceptance of “Heaven is so Real” shows me that the false doctrine of salvation by tithing is drawing far more Christians astray than cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses are. I’ve known more Christians who’ve talked excitedly about “Heaven Is So Real” than I’ve known who got entangled in the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

If tithing faithfully and working hard for our salvation every day for the rest of our lives is what gets us into heaven, we have nullified the gospel. The difference between the other major religions of the world and Christianity is that they try to qualify for salvation based on their religious works, but we preach Christ crucified and salvation by grace through faith in him.

 

Blatant Teaching of Salvation by Tithing Going Around the World on Christian Television

As more evidence of how easily Charismatic Christianity has embraced teaching that blatantly says your tithe gets you into heaven, consider a few quotes from Creflo Dollar. If I’m not mistaken, at the time he had a larger TV audience than any other preacher in the world.

Friends, this isn’t about picking on Creflo Dollar. In fact, I’ve heard that he’s totally changed his tone and publicly apologized for some of his earlier teaching that led people into bondage. He’s even developed a friendship with Pastor Andrew Farley, who teaches that the tithe does not apply to New Covenant Christians, and he’s had Andrew speak at his church.

My point is the extent to which a false gospel of salvation by tithing has made its way into mainstream Christian culture, and how easily Charismatic Christians have embraced it. Creflo was only saying what the teachings we have examined in the previous chapter logically imply.

 

“The tithe is the covenant.” [19]

 

“If you take the time to tithe and tithe correctly, it’s impossible to go to hell, because if you’re doing all that, the tithe will keep you in heaven. The tithe will keep you in the presence of God.” [20]

 

“It’s impossible to get healing or deliverance or any other promise in the word of God except through the tithe.” [21]

 

In fact, Creflo joked about handing guns out, then lining up all the non-tithers and shooting them down at the count of three “Jesuses,” then throwing them into a mass grave out back so that God could come to church.[22] He said, essentially “I’m serious. That’s what they deserve if not for God’s grace.”

What shocked me is not just that somebody said some really stupid things. What shocked me is how many Christians I found defending such statements, and even laughing at the comment about shooting down all the non-tithers and throwing them in a mass grave.

What shocked me was the level of mainstream acceptance in Christianity of a preacher teaching such things. This was one of the most influential people in Christian culture, yet I heard very few Charismatic Christians, much less leaders, show even a hint of concern. Rather, if the subject was brought up, many people would go to any length to justify him!

By the way, I can’t even tell you how many non-tithers I’ve seen healed by Jesus as I laid hands on them and I myself was in financial distress and not giving a tithe to my local church. The statement that people can’t be healed or delivered without a tithe is just laughable to me. Yet sadly, all too many Christians wonder if it’s true.

If we’re honest with ourselves, Creflo’s statements here didn’t really go a whole lot further than what some of the other teachers who’ve done the most to promote tithing have said or strongly implied.

 

Demonically Inspired Rage

The hatred and anger evident in the joke about shooting down non-tithers is perfectly consistent with the self-righteous and furious responses of so many Christians today if anybody so much as questions if tithing is the biblical model for Christians’ giving today. I’ve experienced this again and again. It shows that so much more than being a minor doctrinal disagreement, it is a case of demonic deception.

I know some pastors will be shocked and have trouble believing me when I talk about how pervasive this level of hatred and self-righteous judgmentalism has become. I guess you would hardly know if you’ve never questioned the tithe. I was also shocked when I encountered it.

But please consider how eager Christians were to embrace and defend one of the world’s most influential Christian preachers joking about shooting down non-tithers and throwing them in a mass grave. You can hardly imagine the extent of damage this has caused in the body of Christ, especially in poverty-ridden places like Africa where these teachings have reached.

One friend of mine, a pastor and a godly man, became so angry when I questioned the tithe that he later came back and apologized. He didn’t know why he acted so irrationally and out-of-character. It was like something came over him. Another friend who became very angry when I talked about tithing heard the Holy Spirit respond “The reason you are so angry is because what he’s saying is true.”

We have heard the same testimony from other people. Bertie Brits tells of a man who wrote a book on tithing. It was endorsed by well-known leaders and about to be published. Then he heard Bertie preaching that the tithe has no value for Christians today. He became furious, thinking it was righteous indignation. And the Holy Spirit said, “You are furious because everything Bertie is saying is true.” He repented.[23]

Irrational rage is a manifestation of a demonic stronghold. It’s one of the strongest manifestations of a religious spirit of self-righteousness. Speaking the truth confronts the lie the demon is holding on to and stirs up resistance. There are godly men and women who have a demonic stronghold that was built up by today’s tithe teachings. If you want to consider the matter from the perspective of scripture or history, they suddenly change and act way out of character. It’s a demon manifesting.

I’m not questioning the validity of their salvation experience or ministry. Some have powerful ministries. Peter was a true apostle who walked with Jesus, had a powerful ministry, and healed the sick. Yet as we’ve pointed out, he was led astray by the circumcision faction and Jesus told him “Get behind me Satan”[24] not long after his glorious revelation that Jesus was the Christ. That’s how quickly it’s possible to flip from truth to error.

With great love for the church and thankfulness for all the Holy Spirit has done in the Charismatic movement, I am telling you, the teaching that your tithe is the door to God’s blessing is satanic. You may have taught this and you’ve had a powerful ministry, seen the sick healed, and even experienced revival. Yet none of that is God’s endorsement on all you do or teach.

You may think I am being dramatic, but I can tell you very truly that today’s teaching about tithing has opened up many people to demons of self-righteousness and false religion. This is true to the extent that some people who are even defrauding others think their wealth is a sign of God’s blessing because of the tithe. The few stories I share in this book are just the tip of the iceberg. These issues are pervasive in the church today and it is major deception!


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[1] Nigerians Debate Giving 10% of the Income to the Church. Online: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43286733

[2] Online: https://www.facebook.com/RONALDWROBEY/videos/10216909828204217/

[3]Dr. Abel Damina Takles Pastor Adeboye On Tithe Principles Online:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXbD11_BolU&fbclid=IwAR0YQAr2qzNawRDs7mIOhqdNuAG2WlHcNAnyld-nPeSo9dlsiHulqEcXm24 Accessed November 15th, 2019

[4] Pastor Beating Members For Not Paying Tithes Online: https://www.facebook.com/bajanmass/videos/10162603508660282/ Accessed December 15th, 2019

[5] Conklin, Paul K. American Originals: Homemade Varieties of Christianity. The University Of North Carolina Press, 1997. Page 160 https://books.google.com.br/books?id=NDrqCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA150&lpg=PA150&dq=144,000+who+make+the+most+converts&source=bl&ots=qzGj5bQ1W6&sig=ACfU3U1m0s_lltwqOK-iE7hU-SUkKQkl7g&hl=pt-BR&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwij2IDd6brmAhV1GLkGHfWiDE0Q6AEwDXoECA0QAQ#v=onepage&q=144%2C000%20who%20make%20the%20most%20converts&f=false

[6] Thomas, Choo. Heaven Is So Real! Expanded Edition. Charisma House, 2003. Kindle Locations 2023-2025

[7] Thomas, Choo. Heaven Is So Real! Expanded Edition. Charisma House, 2003. Kindle Locations 1083-1087

[8] Park, Yong Getting Into Heaven Online: http://www.divinerevelations.info/documents/pastor_park/ Accessed December 8th, 2019

[9] Galatians 1:8 (NRSV)

[10] Thomas, Choo. Heaven Is So Real! Expanded Edition. Charisma House, 2003. Kindle Location 3073-3080

[11] Thomas, Choo. Heaven Is So Real! Expanded Edition. Charisma House, 2003. Kindle Location 3475-3482

[12] Galatians 5:9, 1 Corinthians 5:6

[13] Ephesians 2:8+9

[14] Thomas, Choo. Heaven Is So Real! Expanded Edition. Charisma House, 2003. Kindle Location 3058

[15] Online: www.choothomas.org Accessed July 12th, 2019

[16] Thomas, Choo. Heaven Is So Real! Expanded Edition. Charisma House, 2003. Kindle Location 10

[17] Thomas, Choo. Heaven Is So Real! Expanded Edition. Charisma House, 2003. Kindle Location 197

[18] Thomas, Choo. Heaven Is So Real! Expanded Edition. Charisma House, 2003. Kindle Location 2369

[19] Dollar, Creflo. Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLsDNxZcOa8 Accessed December 16th, 2019

[20]Dollar, Creflo. Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLsDNxZcOa8 Accessed December 16th, 2019

[21] Dollar, Creflo. Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLsDNxZcOa8 Accessed December 16th, 2019

[22] Dollar, Creflo. Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLsDNxZcOa8 Accessed December 16th, 2019

[23] Brits, Bertie. Money Crucified-The Tithe Eating Tithe Starting 24 minutes and 48 seconds into the video. Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mzICkJqltE Accessed December 20th, 2019

[24] Matthew 16:23