There are moments when silence becomes negligence. There are seasons when gentleness becomes irresponsibility. When a tornado approaches, one does not whisper. One does not soften language. One warns because danger is real. So must the Church be warned.
Christians have cheapened God through the manner of their giving. What is frequently presented as charity often reveals something far more alarming: a diminished reverence for God and a corrupted understanding of honor. Torn garments, worn out clothing, and expired food are routinely handed to the poor under the banner of generosity. Items deemed unworthy of personal use suddenly become acceptable offerings for those in need. This is not compassion. It is dishonor disguised as virtue.
Many church pantries are guilty of this. Many church members participate in this. Food unfit for one’s own table — food one would hesitate to give even to their household pets — is transferred to human beings created in the image of God. Clothing that would never be worn publicly is given without hesitation to the vulnerable. Such practices do not reflect charity; they expose a dangerous blindness. Those who engage in these practices often find themselves weak in health, drowning in financial instability, troubled by family matters, and consistently frustrated, for God is not mocked. As Galatians 6:7–8 (KJV) warns, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
Scripture leaves no ambiguity regarding God’s standards for offerings. In Leviticus, the command is uncompromising: “But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.” (Leviticus 22:20 KJV). God rejected what was defective, corrupted, or dishonorable. Offerings were never casual exchanges; they were reflections of reverence. To offer what is degraded is to reveal what one believes God deserves. Malachi confronts this distortion with piercing clarity: “And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 1:8 KJV). The rebuke remains devastating. God exposes the hypocrisy of presenting to Him what would insult earthly authorities. Yet the Church repeats the error.
Christ Himself established a law that governs giving with divine precision: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38 KJV). This is not a metaphor. It is divine economy. The measure is reciprocal. The return corresponds to the offering. One cannot sow what is torn and expect what is whole. One cannot offer what is expired and expect what is enduring. Many Christians lament the condition of their "blessings" — provisions that decay, opportunities that collapse, outcomes that feel worn and unstable — yet rarely consider whether the measure they have applied has already determined the measure they received.
From the earliest biblical narratives, true giving required cost. In Genesis, Abraham’s hospitality was marked by urgency and excellence: “And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.” (Genesis 18:6-7 KJV). David articulated the governing principle of sacrifice with unmistakable conviction: “Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24 KJV). Value, not disposal, defined offering. In the Law, God established provision for the poor that preserved dignity rather than humiliation: “And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat.” (Exodus 23:10–11 KJV). Provision flowed from abundance, not from refuse. Modern charity too often reverses this entirely. Believers discard inconvenience while calling it sacrifice. Goods long abandoned or already destined for disposal are rebranded as generosity. Yet Scripture never equates giving with transferring what one no longer values. True sacrifice relinquishes something that retains worth. Giving is not sanctified by the recipient’s poverty.
I experienced this firsthand. I volunteered at a church food pantry and witnessed members keeping the good items for themselves while giving the poor expired food. To me, this was outrageous. I later left the pantry for good. The members who participated in these practices were always sick, had family problems, and were in turmoil. When they observed some of my own blessings — after I underwent wisdom teeth surgery and returned to volunteer in under four days, while they had suffered weeks of gum numbness and fatigue during their respective recovery from the same procedure — jealousy became evident. Rather than confronting their own spiritual failings, they chose to afflict themselves further through envy and to block their own blessings. I began giving to the poor directly: creating food bags, giving them some of my personal clothing items, purchasing fresh groceries, buying bus tickets, giving out hundreds of Bibles, and praying with them. This personal, dignified giving built trust and opened doors for gospel conversations. Many recipients now approach me, thanking me for introducing them to Christ. My blessings expanded beyond measure, reflecting the principle of Luke 6:38.
I also experienced firsthand the disconnect between ministry preaching and ministry practice. During a season of adversity, I was a faithful partner with Jesse Duplantis Ministries in Destrehan, Louisiana. I reached out to the ministry for aid and they asked me to send an email explaining my situation. I did so, sharing my needs vulnerably. The ministry responded with an email stating that they could not help but were praying for me. While I would not have been disappointed if they had been honest from the outset, the disregard of my vulnerability with only a simple prayer was unacceptable. I immediately instructed them to close my partnership account and cease sending me partner letters. This is a ministry that outwardly preaches giving but neglects those who faithfully contribute. Such an example shows how ministries can preach giving while failing to uphold the dignity and support of those who faithfully contribute, reinforcing the necessity of personal reliance on God and discernment rather than institutional promises.
Many ministries preach word-of-faith or prosperity gospel and insist that if one does not sow seed, God will withhold blessing. This is an outright lie. Scripture makes it unmistakably clear that blessings are not earned through manipulation or ritualistic giving. In Galatians 3:14 (KJV), Paul declares that “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” The blessing of a born-again child of God comes by covenant and faith, not by sowing seed. In 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (KJV), God commands, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” Giving is a reflection of the heart, not a transactional guarantee of blessing.
Furthermore, Galatians 6:7–8 (KJV) warns, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” God’s blessing cannot be manipulated; attempting to do so through forced sowing or seed doctrine is rebellion against His order. When people approach “seed sowing” as a transactional system, they project their own desires onto God and then blame Him when their expectations collapse. One person may want a sports car and assume that sowing a seed will secure it, never pausing to ask God’s opinion. When the seed does not “work,” they accuse God of failing them—though God never intended for them to have the car in the first place. What if His will was a luxury SUV instead? Another may sow a seed believing it will guarantee admission to an Ivy League university. When the acceptance letter never comes, they blame God, ignoring the possibility that His plan was far better—such as a full‑ride scholarship to an international university in Europe. Human desire is not divine will. Man does not know the mind of God, which is why the seed doctrine has failed so many: it teaches people to believe they can bribe or manipulate God into endorsing their personal ambitions.
Every born-again child of God has a covenant right to blessing. God blesses automatically, but faith, obedience, patience, exercising authority over the kingdom of darkness, giving from a joyful heart as led by the Holy Spirit and most especially knowing the will of God regarding one’s needs remain the proper channels. Tithing belongs to God, as Abraham, the father of faith, faithfully demonstrated: "For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;" (Hebrews 7:1–2 KJV). God’s covenant blessings are consistent across time: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8 KJV). There is no “New Testament God” versus “Old Testament God”; any teaching suggesting otherwise is a lie from the pits of hell. The Old Testament is just as important as the New Testament.
I also confronted hypocrisy within the Church itself. During a period of testing caused by a delay outside my control, I reached out to a bible study group I was a member of at Eagle Mountain International Church in Fort Worth, Texas for assistance. The group’s leader removed me from the group and rebuked me for asking for help. Seeing the contradiction between their conduct and the faith they claimed to uphold, I told the leader that the group did not reflect authentic Christian values and instructed them never to contact me again. This Bible study operated under a megachurch in Fort Worth, Texas, a ministry that publicly claimed to “preach the uncompromised word of God.” When God ended the delay, I emailed the former leader to share the testimony of God’s provision, thanking them for revealing—through their behavior—what a Christian is not. The experience solidified my decision to disengage from performative Christian spaces and group Bible studies. I chose instead to cultivate my own relationship with God Almighty, guided by the Holy Spirit and grounded in Scripture, rather than seeking validation or instruction from those who fail to act with love and integrity. As Scripture teaches, “If thy brother be hungry, and thou sayest unto him, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give him not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit?” (James 2:15-16 KJV). Empty words without tangible action reveal a disconnect between profession and practice, a warning the Church cannot ignore.
There are ministries that do give with dignity, however. One clear example is Emmanuel.TV Ministries (www.emmanuel.tv). I have personally witnessed how they bless the poor: providing thousands of dollars to individuals, buying plane tickets, providing scholarships for students, and rebuilding communities internationally after floods and earthquakes, amongst others. I too was personally blessed by them when I first gave my life to Christ Jesus on my 25th birthday, April 10th, 2022. During that time, I remained at the Church for three weeks and was prayed for by Pastor Evelyn Joshua (the wife of Prophet TB Joshua). They exemplify the biblical model of giving with honor, dignity, and excellence. Christians who wish to give through a ministry should research carefully to ensure their contributions are treated with respect and faithfulness to God’s standard. When in doubt, giving directly to the poor ensures that offerings maintain value and integrity.
True giving is a sacrifice. It requires relinquishing value, not eliminating inconvenience. Give what retains worth. Give what carries cost. Buy clothes even if on sale, but give them brand new or fairly used. Buy the poor groceries that are fresh and not expired. Give directly to the poor, and watch God honor your offerings beyond measure. Your jacket, your bag, your money, your time — all returned in abundant blessing because God’s law is perfect, exact, and unavoidable.
The question before the Church is therefore unavoidable: What does the quality of our offering reveal about the God we claim to serve?
Authored By Osaromwenyeke King Osemwota.
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