Bishop David Ibiyeomie, the founding pastor of Salvation Ministries, has commented on the most recent dispute surrounding the subject of Christians’ tithing.
On Monday, he responded roughly a day after eminent American preacher Creflo Dollar issued an apology for misinforming his congregation about the tithing practice.
Dollar said that if one is in a state of grace, Jesus removed the curse of failing to pay tithe. He then ordered his congregation to discard every book, film, and cassette he had ever taught in favor of tithing.
He added that “Nowhere commands that Christians should submit to a legalistic tithe system: the new testament does not designates a percentage of income a person should set aside but only says gifts should be in keeping with the income.”
Pastor Dollar was not specifically mentioned by Ibiyeomie, but it is assumed that his sermon was in response to what he had to say.
Ibiyeomie stated that the concept of tithing is approved by the Bible and that a pastor who criticizes it never had a strong foundation in the study of the subject at the church’s Week of Spiritual Empowerment service, which our reporter observed.
He said “They quote Bible upside down, that’s why you have to be a Bible student, even a pastor can deceive you, please read Bible for yourself.
“So that somebody cannot preach something up-side down and you believe. All manner of things are everywhere, some people preach tithe and they said no more tithe because they did not have solid foundation in the Bible and some of you believe it.
“What’s my business, didn’t I read my Bible? Follow anything you like, you too, read Bible for yourself, let nobody deceive you.
“Can somebody now tell me not to pay tithes? I will be foolish, I’ve read Bible for myself so nobody can preach to me, I saw it from the Bible so nobody can tell me not to pay tithes.
“I don’t need you to preach to me, I will pay tithes till I die.
“I’ve read it from the Bible, if another said grace made it, let him stay there. You can turn the Bible upside down, please don’t follow all manner of doctrines. Read Bible, God gave it to you. Pastors can go astray. I learnt all manner of gospel are in town. Any man can change any day.”
