Introduction
Transactional giving is a scheme through which prosperity gospel preachers promise people that God will give financial breakthroughs, cars, jobs, marriages, babies, contracts, visas, scholarships, healing and other material benefits, to those who sow financial or material seeds popularly known as seed offerings. Different terminologies such as “connect to collect,” “provoke the anointing,” “servicing the altar” and ”oiling the altar” are often used to amplify this teaching, among others.
The teaching insists that seed offerings must be given to an “anointed man of God” or to a church with a particular outcome in mind. Other jargons such as “fertile ground” make an emphasis that these seeds must only be given to thriving churches or successful men of God. The giver must name the seed. If you want a baby write the word baby on the seed offering envelope. If you want money, you’ll be directed to write financial breakthrough on the offering envelope.
A special offering of this nature may also be designated as “raising the altar,” with the offering sometimes referred to as “sacrificial giving,” but the intent remains the same: give some in order to get more or connect with little in order to collect much. You will hear the preacher say: “if the money you have cannot meet all your needs, it is a seed, come and sow it right now!” This teaching is a great perversion of the Biblical doctrine of giving. It is completely contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Apostles on giving.
The Bible clearly teaches that giving is a responsibility of every Christian. Believers must demonstrate their love for God and one another through giving. In Acts 30:35, the Bible states, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ The Bible teaches how we must honour God through giving for the cause of the Gospel, to missionary efforts, to pastors (the clergy), to our parents, to our fellow Christians, and to the poor.
The motives of giving in transactional prosperity gospel are all centred on the belly. Both the preachers and their hearers are motivated by greed and desperation.
The theologian, Joe Kapolyo once stated in his book that “the difference between a gift and a bribe is simply the motive.” The prosperity gospel portrays a picture that you can bribe God into acting favorably towards you, by giving money and other material things to the men of God or to their churches. These men claim to have a some mysterious, supernatural grace to attract material blessings and miracles towards you – and this is only possible when you contact them with a financial seed or some valuable item.
But God doesn’t operate like that. God weighs our motives, that’s why not every offering given to him counts. We are warned to stop bringing ill-intended offerings to God in Isaiah 1:13.
Giving must be done freely and graciously. Prosperity preachers promote transactional giving.
Transactional giving says “come and put $1,000 on this altar and in seven days you shall receive $10,000.” Does this sound familiar? It transacts for houses, money, cars, jobs, business connections, marriages, babies, healings, miracles, and much more on the holy altar. All you need to do is sow a seed, give a dangerous offering and so forth – and boom like a magic show, things will easily flow in your life. Transactional giving is a serious form of deception associated with the prosperity messages.
Transaction giving versus Biblical giving
In prosperity preaching (transactional gospel) you give in order to receive more, or in order to earn something better. For example you surrender a $1,000 seed offering in order to earn a spouse, or you gift a Corolla in order to earn a Range Rover. However, under Biblical giving you give because you have already received priceless eternal life in Christ.
The motivation behind Biblical giving is love towards God and his people. Biblical giving has four major themes:
1. Love;
2. Worship;
3. Thanksgiving; and
4. Faith
Transactional giving has six major themes:
1. Money;
2. Materials;
3. Mansions (houses);
4. Mileage (cars, visas);
5. Marriage; and
6. Meals (good food).
Biblical Giving is Christ-centred while transactional giving is self-centered. In Biblical giving you give to express love, in transactional giving you give to get. A transactional giver is like a lustful lad spoiling a young girl with so many gifts with just the intent to get sex in return. Transactional giving is the climax of the greedy. That’s why those who give feel cheated later on. Greed rules in both the preachers of transactional messages and those who respond to those messages.
I must emphasise here that just like any other doctrine, the doctrine of giving as taught in the Old Testament must be interpreted in light of the New Testament. Remember that in the New Testament, Jesus has already died, his sacrifice is sufficient for eternity and there is no material offering you can give to obtain any kind of mercy or grace under the New Covenant. Under the New Covenant we give in response to the grace that has already been freely given to us. Therefore, to assume that we must give God an offering in form of money in order for him to act graciously towards us is a huge error, a costly heresy.
Transactional (prosperity) preachers assume that people give better when you put a bait in the message. Sometimes they do it so deliberately, you can’t tell the difference between fraud and the gimmicks of fundraising employed in some of our churches today. A preacher will claim that God has showed him five people who must give $500 each in order to meet his $2000 conference budget. He will further attach a huge promise to it: “God is showing me that your finances will miraculously turn around within the next 21 days if you sow a seed of $500 into this conference.” Sometimes a cooked up testimony of how somebody gave a $100 last year and received $1,000 within five days will follow. An internationally respected accent is an added advantage in such scams on our pulpits.
My question has always been why can’t we just be honest ,and tell people the truth about the budgets of our conferences and request them to kindly contribute as they want from the bottom of their hearts? It is an act of fraud to use such spiritualized baits simply because we want people to give. Let us be honest in fundraising. Whether for building, missions, conferences or meeting a pastor’s needs; decency and honesty in raising funds must be maintained.
Here are some Scriptures on what the New Testament teaches on giving:
1. When Giving in your Local Church
‘But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you— see that you also excel in this grace of giving.’ 2 Corinthians 8:7
Giving is a Christian virtue, a responsibility of a believer. Christians have a God given responsibility to financially and materially support their local church.
‘There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.’ Acts 4:34-35
This narration shows that the apostles did not consume the monies given, but they gave what was brought into the local church to those in need. Our giving must meet the needs of the local church.
2. When Giving to support Gospel Endeavors
‘And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.’ 2 Corinthians 8:5
These poor Christians of Macedonia are commended by Paul for their generosity towards God’s work. They gave beyond their ability. Why? Because, first of all they gave themselves to Jesus, and then also to the cause of the Gospel. A person whose heart is given to Jesus doesn’t need tricks associated with the transactional gospel for them to give.
‘Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should GIVE what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.’ 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Many people in our churches give under compulsion because the preacher has given fraudulent promises that their giving will cause them to receive cars, money, marriages, jobs and international connections. Whenever you attach a bait to giving in church, that ceases being worship – it becomes fraud. People must give willingly on their own, not under compulsions engineered by crooked sermons.
3. When Giving to Your Pastor
“If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?” 1 Corinthians 9:11
Give to your pastor because of the blessing he has been to you, by sowing spiritual seed in your life that leads to eternal life. Your pastor is not a magician. Pastors don’t manufacture husbands or cars. Pastors point you to Jesus. Any pastor who points you to himself and claims that he will solve all your problems is a danger to both himself and to you. Watch out!
‘The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.’ 1 Timothy 5:7
It is just normal good manners to take care of pastors who are committed to preaching and teaching the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is clear that the local church has a responsibility to take care of the material and financial needs of its faithful pastors who provide good leadership and labor in the teaching and preaching of the Gospel. Again we note here, that this kind of support is a matter of christian responsibility.
4. When Giving to Your Parents
“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:2-3
Honor in this passage also implies honoring your parents with a material or financial substance. God expects us to express honour to our parents through giving.
5. When Giving to the Poor
‘Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, TO VISIT THE FATHERLESS and WIDOWS in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.’ James 1:27
‘Those who give to the poor lend to God, and God himself will repay them.’ Proverbs 19:17
This simply means when you show kindness to the poor you are showing it to God. The poor have nothing it takes to pay you back, only God will reward those who are kind to the poor. This too, is an expression of love. We practice true christianity when we become deliberate in helping to meet the needs of the poor.
6. When Giving to the Fellow Believers and other people including Non-Believers
‘Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.’ Galatians 6:10
Giving is one of the good things we can do to any body, particularly to our fellow Christians. Christians need to understand that giving must be practised as a spiritual discipline.
Recommendations to the Church
1. Genuine repentance is urgently needed, specifically by the clergy for deceiving people into suggesting they can transact with God, through various types of offerings in order to obtain material blessings.
2. There is need to restore the sound doctrine of giving in the Body of Christ. Teach giving as a spiritual discipline. Giving is a virtue. You cannot give your life to Jesus but find it hard to materially or financially support the Gospel.
3. Disciple people to learn that giving is an expression of worship and love for God. It is also an expression of faith in God and thanksgiving for the great things He has already done in our lives – specifically our salvation.
Conclusion
Let us check our motives in our giving. Giving to get is bad manners. True giving springs from a heart of love and not a heart of greed. The danger in many of our churches today is that we have greedy preachers preaching lies to greedy hearers. Let us change our ways.
Keep it Jesus.
By JPC NTUNTU
