Barely 24 hours after apologising for his controversial sermon about tithing, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has explained why Jesus Christ did not collect tithes during His ministry.
Speaking during the church’s October Holy Ghost Service on Saturday at the Redemption City, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, Adeboye said Jesus and His disciples didn’t collect tithes because they were world evangelists and not parish pastors.
Adeboye faulted a sermon by one of his parish pastors, which went viral online that payment of tithes was not compulsory.
Reacting, the RCCG General Overseer described the sermon by his junior pastor as “shallow” claiming that the younger pastor did not say anything new in his message.
Adeboye said, “One of my pastors went online and preached a sermon on why people should not pay tithes. I watched the sermon, thinking I would learn something profound.
“He said we shouldn’t pay tithes because Jesus didn’t collect tithes. I said, ah, Jesus was not a parish pastor, He was a world evangelist.
“Jesus was not a parish pastor; He was a world evangelist.
“The Bible in Luke 8:1-3 tells us that certain women, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna, supported His ministry financially.”
Adeboye had apologized on Friday for saying any believer who does not pay tithes will not make heaven.
The pastor’s apology came while delivering a message at the ongoing annual National Youth Convention of the church at the RCCG Redemption City.
He had said, “I am going to be talking to everybody as soon as God permit me, I am going to apologized for making a mistake for saying that if you don’t pay tithe, you will not be making it to heaven. it is totally wrong, it is not what the bible said. What the Bible said is to make peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see God.”