On Wednesday, Adewale Giwa, the Senior Pastor of The Second Coming of Christ’s Ministry, urged the Federal Government to arrest any pastor involved in propagating fake miracles.
Pastor Giwa said the church is not a business centre, hence the government should arrest any pastor selling miracle soap and anointing oil to members.
Addressing a press conference in Akure, Ondo State, the clergyman also maintained that the government has no reason to tax the church.
According to Pastor Giwa: “In any church they see pastors performing fake miracles using one person on different occasions then the government has to come in and arrest any pastor involved in fake miracles. They call something money miracles – a situation where a programme will be going on and they would ask people to raise their phones and before you know it, they start receiving alerts, something they didn’t work for.
“You want to get what you didn’t work for? No, it shouldn’t be. That is the area where the government should come in and arrest those fake pastors.
“The church is a non-governmental organization that has no duty of paying tithe, the role of the church in Acts of the Apostle is to feed people physically and spiritually. You see the poor in the church while generating tithe and offerings, mine is to utilize the money for the benefit of the people.
“It’s not for me to embezzle the money or pocket the tithe and offering, that is not my business because we run everything on our own; the government does not buy fuel, instruments, or do anything for the church – so- why can they demand tax from us. That’s why if they see any fake pastor performing miracles, government should come in to set up a committee that would arrest such a pastor.
“I read of a pastor selling anointing oil and soap, that shouldn’t be, the government should come in and arrest him. The church is not a business centre but most pastors have turned it into a business centre, any pastor involved in that activity should be arrested.
“If tithe is not important, Jesus Christ wouldn’t have mentioned that you Pharisees are only after tithing while neglecting the most important aspect of the law that says love your neighbour as yourself, so tithe is important but not mandatory; there is no law according to Malachai 3 verse 10. Jesus Christ has redeemed us so we are not under law but grace. Tithing is not mandatory but important for Christians.”
