CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Giving appears on the surface to be sharing possessions, wealth, income, tithes,

offering and the like. Most importantly, giving is sharing self. Giving is a most

remarkable concept, originating in the heart of a giving God, a God who pours forth

more blessings on his people than we can ever deserve or expect. The gift of life, the

gift of love, the gift of salvation, and the gift of eternity in heaven-all of these is

priceless. The possessions we have are generally a tangible result of what we have

invested in time and energy and talent. But who we are-our character-is always a

direct result of what we have invested of ourselves with God and others. And one of

the great and unique promises of the Bible is that the more we give, the more we

receive-not necessarily in material possessions, but in spiritual and eternal rewards.

Is tithing mentioned in the Old Testament or is it an Old Testament practice of the

law? What is the purpose of tithing? There are many questions around tithing and

giving money to the church and God's Word has plenty to say about it! Money is

mentioned over 800 times in the Bible! God knew money would be something we

would hold tightly to and place a lot of importance on. Let's take a look at what the

Bible says about tithing and giving 10% back to God. The below Bible verses should

help you decide how you can thank God for what He has blessed you with.

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This research work want to reflect the way giving was practiced in the Bible time and

the way it was being practiced in Christ Apostolic Church so as to make some

necessary amendment where necessary because of the future generation.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

We have different denominations with different perspective towards giving. Some

believe that giving in terms of tithe and offering is not relevant to our present age that

it peculiar to the people in Bible time. They move from one house to the other

polluting the heart of people by passing heretical doctrine across to them.

In addition, it is very difficult to acknowledge which one is true giving, which one is

the conception of the so called prophet, because in every gathering, if they do not raise

money they think their service is incomplete. This is the likely problem the researcher

can face in course of this research work.

1.3 Purpose of the study

This research work is aiming at bring to the mind set of people the efficacy of giving.

To establish to people that God is the first giver and author of giving. To assist the

future reader of this research work that God is the owner of wealth and appreciate

Him accordingly and appropriately.

1.4 Research Methodology

Some books written by various authors in the Library will be making use of in order to

buttress the research topic. The researcher will also have a look to the lifestyle of

some biblical Patriarchs in the Bible by making use of some related references that are

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in line with given. Some Electronic Books such as Libronix and Internet would also

be looked into in order to aid this research study.

Some books written by our church fathers both dead and alive would also be utilized

to learn from their practical life of giving.

1.5 Limitation of the study

This researcher will be limited to the usage of some literatures in the Library so as to

apprehend the efficacy of giving.

Some experienced members and ministers of God in Christ Apostolic Church would

also be interviewed to get some elaborate details about the motive behind giving and

how it should be handled most importantly among the so called ministers in CAC.

1.6 Definition of terms

Appraisal: This is a judgement of the value, performance or nature of something.

Tithe: A tenth of the goods that somebody produced or the money that they earned,

that was paid as a task to support the church.

Offering: something that is produced for other people to be used, watch, enjoy, etc.

Giving: A verb used to indicate that somebody presents or delivers something that he

or she owns to another person to keep or use

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 Endnotes

1. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th Edition)

2. Illumina Gold (Encyclopedia) Software np

3. Rodger E. Dickson (2012) Biblical Research Library

4. Microsoft Encounter Dictionary (2009)

5. CAC Constitution

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 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 God the Origin of Giving

John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so

that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

In this statement Jesus continues the preceding thoughts. He announces here the result

of God’s grace for all men. When Jesus is lifted up, all those who believe in Him will

not perish. As the people of Israel obediently looked on the serpent that Moses lifted

up in the wilderness, so those who obediently look unto Jesus will be spiritually

healed. So loved: God’s action toward man was the result of love (Rom 5:8,9; Eph

2:4; 2 Thess 2:16). Therefore, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Only begotten: 1:14. Should not perish: This is the subjunctive mood. A condition is

thus expressed. It is not that one must exercise a simple belief in Jesus. God’s grace on

the cross through Jesus must stimulate an obedient faith response (2 Cor 4:15). The

faith response is the condition. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for

he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who

diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6; see Matt 7:21; James 2:17-26). Those who do not

respond to God’s grace by obedient faith will perish from the presence of God (2

Thess 1:7-9). But those who do believe and respond, will have life because they will

remain in the presence of God throughout eternity.

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God also gave ways for miracles through His spokesmen to compliment His heart of

giving. Here are some of the miracles:

The Exodus miracles established Moses as God’s spokesman. But they had an even

more significant function. This function was stated by the Lord in Exodus, when he

explained the purpose of the devastating plagues he brought on Egypt. On the one

hand, the plagues were a judgment on Egypt’s gods (Ex. 12:12). More importantly,

the miracles were performed so the Egyptians might know that Yahweh is God (Ex.

7:5) and so Israel might realize that “I am the Lord your God, who brings you out

from under the burdens of the Egyptians” (Ex. 6:7).

Israel had known God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the revelation of

his personal name, Yahweh, “I AM,” was given through Moses at this critical point in

sacred history [see pages 176–178]. The Exodus miracles, both establishment and

support, affirmed a central truth of Scripture: The Lord is God.

When the Elijah-Elisha miracles took place, the people of the Northern Kingdom,

Israel, were wavering between Yahweh and Baal. Who was the real God? Whose

ways should the Israelites follow? Elijah the prophet was thrust into this gap. On

Mount Carmel he performed a miracle which convinced Israel that “the Lord, he is

God” (1 Kings 18:39). The establishing miracles of Elijah and the supporting miracles

of Elisha served as a reaffirmation of the truth that the Lord truly is God and is present

with his people.

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The third cluster of miracles was concentrated in the three years that Jesus taught and

healed in Judea and Galilee. These miracles established Jesus as God’s spokesman

and authenticated his message. At the core of Christ’s message was the stunning

affirmation, “I and My Father are One” (John 10:30). Jesus had spelled out the

meaning of this statement in a controversy with some Pharisees.

After being ridiculed for his claim of having seen Abraham, Jesus responded, “Most

assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). Christ’s listeners

understood this claim, and they tried to stone him for blasphemy. Jesus was

identifying himself with the Yahweh of the Old Testament! Christ was claiming to be

God!

Genesis 3:21 says: “To Adam also and to his wife the LORD God made coats of skins

and clothed them”. There was hope of posterity through Eve (“life”), since she,

through childbearing, would be the one through whom humanity would be preserved.

The coats of skins meant that some animal had to die in order to rectify the nakedness

of man. And from this time on we would assume that animals were commissioned to

die for sacrifices for the sins of men until the final death for all sin on the cross of

Calvary (Rom 3:25; Heb 10:1-4). This is act of giving by God.

2.2 Giving as Practiced by Jesus

The baptism with the Holy Spirit was specifically promised to the apostles. Acts 2 is a

record of this historical event which happened in A.D. 30 in the city of Jerusalem.

This marked the beginning of a new dispensation, a dispensation that will continue

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until the time when Jesus comes again. The Pentecost event was the fulfillment of the

promise. On this day came the “good things” of the apostles that were promised by

Jesus to the disciples. In discussing the baptism with the Holy Spirit, we must

understand that the Bible teaches that the Acts 2 event was a onetime historical event.

It was onetime in the sense of what was accomplished with the apostles on Pentecost

has never happened since. If this is true, then there is no baptism with the Holy Spirit

today. If this baptism was specifically promised to the apostles, then it was not given

all Christians throughout all history. There are two specific things to remember

concerning the baptism with the Holy Spirit. One is that Jesus is the administrator of

this baptism. The other is that Jesus promised that His apostles would receive this

baptism. The first point reveals the origin of the baptism and the second reveals the

ones on whom the Spirit came on Pentecost. The origin of the baptism of the Spirit

was Jesus. The ones on whom the Spirit came in a baptismal manner were the

apostles.

Jesus was the administrator of the Spirit. The Father told John, “Upon whom you see

the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy

Spirit” (John 1:33). In Matthew 3:11 John the Immerser stated that the One who

would come after him would “baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mark 1:8;

Luke 3:16). These are references to what Jesus would do. He would be the one who

would baptize with the Holy Spirit. The point is that God is the one who would give

the Holy Spirit (1 Thess 4:8), but Jesus would be the administrator of the baptism with

the Holy Spirit. No man would have such power or authority. The baptism with the

Holy Spirit, therefore, was not left to the self initiative of the Holy Spirit. God the

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Father, Son and Holy Spirit worked as one in order to bring about the baptism with the

Holy Spirit on the apostles in A.D. 30. The promise of the baptism was made to the

apostles. It is important to understand that the baptism with (or “in”) the Holy Spirit

was a promise made exclusively to the apostles. As previously discussed, John 13-17

is a key context in understanding this point. As stated before, it must be clearly

understood that these few chapters contain a conversation between Jesus and the

eleven apostles (Judas had already left the group to betray Jesus.) This was a personal

conversation. In the context of this meeting, Jesus directed specific statements to His

chosen eleven. Everyone else, including ourselves, are included only in a secondary

sense. By secondary, I mean that these promises are made to us in an indirect way.

They apply to us only in the sense that Jesus commanded the apostles to teach us “to

observe all things that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:20). We must keep in mind

that in the Matthew 28:20 passages, Jesus told the disciples to teach what was

commanded, not what was promised specifically to them. In John 13-17 Jesus made

some promises specifically to the apostles that are not made to us today.

Anything that is stated in the context of John 13-17 would apply to us only when Jesus

said it applied to us. We cannot arbitrarily claim promises that were made in this

personal meeting of Jesus and the disciples. The statements of John 13-17 apply to us

only when Jesus takes the application of what He said outside the immediate

discussion with the apostles. In the context we are directly addressed when Jesus made

such statements as “If anyone ...”. We are the “anyone” when we believe on Jesus.

Keep in mind, however, that when reading these chapters, only those statements that

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are directly associated with the “anyone” would apply to us today. If we say that

everything in John 13-17 applies to all Christians of all ages, then we have left

ourselves in a position of not allowing Jesus to make specific promises exclusively to

His chosen apostles without having those promises apply to all Christians of all time.

However, Jesus did make special promises to the apostles which do not apply to us

today. These chapters of John contain some of these promises. This personal

conversation between Jesus and His apostles began in the first part of chapter 13. It

extends through the end of chapter 17 with the prayer of Jesus. In John 15:26,27 Jesus

promised the apostles, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you

[apostles] from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will

testify of Me. And you [apostles] also will bear witness, because you have been with

Me from the beginning.” The apostles had been with Jesus from the beginning.

Therefore, they would be His special witnesses because they had been with Him from

the beginning of His ministry. It was to these apostles that Jesus is directing these very

important promises. One of these special promises was the coming of the “Helper,”

the Holy Spirit. In John 14:26 Jesus personally promised the apostles that the “Helper”

or “Counselor” would “teach you [apostles] all things, and bring to your remembrance

all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). Jesus said that He would “pray the Father”

that they (the apostles) receive this “Helper” (Jn 14:16). The Greek word paracletos is

used here and is translated in different versions either “Helper,” “Counselor,” or

“Comforter.” This same word is also used in reference to Jesus in 1 John 2:1

concerning Jesus’ relationship to Christians.

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Jesus promised, “He [the Holy Spirit] will tell you things to come” (John 16:13).

Things that were to come were revealed to the apostles. Specifically, information

concerning the destruction of Jerusalem was revealed to the apostles in order to guard

the church from the calamity of the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The book of

Revelation is also a fulfillment of this promise. In Revelation John speaks of things

which must shortly come to pass in the lives of those to whom he wrote (Rv 1:1).

Once again, the emphasis of the message that was given by Jesus in John 13-17 was

directed specifically to the apostles. In His personal conversation with His apostles

after His resurrection and prior to His ascension, Jesus became more specific

concerning the effects of the baptism with the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. Only a

few days before Pentecost, Jesus promised the apostles, “For John truly baptized with

water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (At

1:5). The pronoun “you” in this verse finds its antecedent in verse 2. The promise of

this context, therefore, is made to the apostles. Jesus was saying that in a few days the

apostles would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. In the Luke 24 context Jesus had

made a general promise by stating, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon

you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high”

(Luke 24:49). Though given at different times the thoughts of Luke 24:49 and Acts

1:8 are similar; Jesus was making a general statement concerning the reception of the

promise in Luke 24. The promise was specifically made to the apostles in Acts 1

because in Acts Jesus was discussing the baptism with the Holy Spirit which only the

apostles would receive and did receive. Acts 1:8 was a definite promise to the eleven

because the antecedent of the “you” in verse 8 is the eleven apostles of verse 2. “But

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you [apostles] shall receive power,” Jesus promised, “when the Holy Spirit has come

upon you ...” (At 1:8). It was the apostles that would initially receive this power from

the Father. They would receive the first good things of the promise. The apostles

would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. This promise was to “all flesh,” but it would

first be fulfilled in the baptism with the Spirit upon the apostles. The effect of this

baptism, therefore, would go to “all flesh” as promised in Joel 2:28. Through the

laying on of the apostles’ hands, the promise would go to those who believe. All

Christians today are the descendants of those who originally believed and had hands

laid on them by the apostles. Every Christian throughout history, therefore, has

benefitted from the miraculous blessing that was bestowed on the early disciples by

the laying on of the apostles’ hands.

Acts 2 is the beginning of the fulfillment of the promise of God concerning the

outpouring and baptism with the Holy Spirit. There are many misunderstandings

concerning this fulfillment. As we study through the letter of Acts, we must remember

that all things should be studied in the context of their historical happening. Since the

prophecies concerning the future were not fully understood when they were made,

then we should allow the historical fulfillment of the prophecies to interpret the

prophecies themselves. The unveiling of the prophecies concerning the Holy Spirit

took place in the first century. Our commentary on the work of the Holy Spirit in this

dispensation, therefore, must be the Spirit’s definition of His work that is recorded in

the New Testament. This must be our first and final dictionary of the work of the

Spirit in this dispensation.

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Immediately before His ascension, Jesus commanded that the apostles tarry in

Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. This exhortation to tarry in

Jerusalem was first to all the disciples in Luke 24, but specifically to all the apostles in

Acts 1. There were, as a result of Jesus’ command to tarry in Jerusalem, about 120

disciples there on the day of Pentecost in A.D. 30. They were waiting for something,

though they did not know exactly what to expect. Acts 2:1-4 is the first case history of

the work of the Holy Spirit to be studied. It is in this historical record of Luke that the

apostles received the promised baptism with the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, it is a

common misunderstanding that some believe all the approximately 120 individuals of

Acts 1:15 received the baptism with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1-4.

However, this belief does not harmonize with what the text actually states. The

following are reasons why the text does not teach that the Holy Spirit came upon all

the 120 disciples in Acts 2:1-4 in a baptismal manner: Only the apostles were baptized

with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1-4. In the context of Acts 2:1, the antecedent of the

pronoun “they” is the apostles of Acts 1:26. Acts 2:1 states, “Now when the Day of

Pentecost had fully come they [the apostles] were all with one accord in one place.” It

was upon this “they” that the Spirit came in verses 2-4. By referring back to Acts 1:26,

one can easily determine the antecedent of the third person plural pronouns of Acts

2:1-4. Acts 1:26 reads, “And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he

was numbered with the eleven apostles.” Beginning in 2:1, the pronoun “they” refers

back to the apostles of 1:26. By keeping this in mind, it is easily understood that it was

the apostles who were baptized in the Spirit in the context of Acts 2:1-4. They were

the ones who initially received the good things of the promise.

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When the Spirit came on the apostles, there appeared to the entire group “divided

tongues as of fire” which “sat upon each one of them” (Acts 2:3). The apparent reason

for this phenomenon was to select and identify the true recipients of the baptism with

the Spirit among the 120 disciples who were assembled. The Holy Spirit was not the

fire. The text says tongues as fire. This is a simile. Whatever it was, it had the

appearance of fire. This was the Spirit’s “stamp of approval” upon the apostles alone

in order that no one be confused as to who received the baptism with the Spirit. In

Luke 6:13 Jesus “called His disciples to Him; and from them He chose twelve whom

He also named apostles.” In Acts 2:3 the Holy Spirit in a sense is doing the same

thing. He is re-selecting from the group of 120 the Christ-sent apostles who would

receive special authority by His baptism. These were the special witnesses of Jesus,

and during the event of Acts 2:1-4, the Spirit reaffirms the call of the apostles.

3. Only the apostles spoke with tongues. Those who spoke in Acts 2 were accused of

being drunken with wine (Acts 2:13). “They are full of new wine.” The antecedent of

the pronoun “they” is the apostles of 1:26. Eleven apostles were thus speaking. In the

next verse, Peter, “standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said ...” (Acts

2:14). It was the eleven who were accused of being drunk with wine because it was

only the apostles who were speaking in tongues. Peter joined them in explaining what

had happened.

2.3 Giving as a means of Evangelism

Evangelism is the prime assignment given to us as believers. “And Jesus came and

spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye

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therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the

Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have

commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Or

more literally thus: “And Jesus came near and spoke to them saying: All authority is

given to me in heaven and on the earth. Go ye therefore and make disciples of all the

nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy

Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you: and, lo, I

am with you all the days, even to the end of the age.”

These are the words of Jesus to His eleven Apostles a short time before His ascension

to the throne of the universe. He had, ere this, by the grace of God, tasted death for

every man; he had been buried; He had risen from the dead the third day, according to

the Scriptures; He had on sundry occasions appeared to some or to all of His Apostles,

and given them many infallible proofs of his resurrection and personal identity; and

now, on a mountain in Galilee, and in the presence of about five hundred of His

disciples (1 Cor. 6), He appeared to them again, in order to ordain and appoint them as

His ambassadors to the nations; or, as Mark says, to send them out to “preach the

Gospel to every creature.” How very appropriate, then, is the preface that is here given

to this Commission! “All authority,” says Christ, “is given to me in heaven and on the

earth.” These men were now about to engage in a most difficult work; in a work that

was fraught with consequences of the very highest importance to their entire race.

They were about to go forth as the Apostles of a religion on which were suspended the

destinies of mankind; a religion that was opposed The Great Commission Of Jesus

Christ - Milligan 5 to all the other religions of the world, to much of the literature,

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philosophy, politics, manners, and customs of the world; and which would, therefore,

of necessity arouse against them the violent opposition of all the kingdoms,

principalities, powers, and authorities of the whole earth. (Matt. 21, 22, 34-36). But to

meet and overcome such opposition, they had no power in and of themselves. They

were all men of the lower ranks and walks of life: men of but ordinary talents; of but

little learning, wealth, or means of any kind. And hence to go forth on such a mission,

with so great a disparity of power and influence, would have been madness and folly

in the extreme. Our Saviour knew this perfectly; and He had therefore provided for

them all the help that was necessary. The same infinite wisdom that had in the

beginning weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance, had now fully

solved the great problem of man’s redemption; and had also now fully provided all

that was really necessary, in order to make the mission of the Cross a grand, and

glorious, and final success. This is all implied and guaranteed in the preface and

sequel of this extraordinary Commission: “All authority is given to me in heaven and

on the earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them

into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to

observe all things whatever I have commanded you: AND, LO, I AM WITH YOU

ALL THE DAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE.” This was enough. The

Apostles needed nothing more; they desired nothing more. They now went to

Jerusalem; waited there a few days for the promised aid of the Holy Spirit; and as

soon as it was received, and they were endowed with the necessary power from on

high, they commenced their work of faith and labors of love, in the midst of the

greatest enemies of the Cross. But whether they were in Jerusalem, Samaria, Antioch,

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or the uttermost parts of the earth, THEY DID AND SAID ALL, IN THE NAME OF

THE LORD JESUS. They felt that their agency was comparatively but as nothing.

They knew that the treasure had been put into earthen vessels, in order that the

excellency of the power might appear to be of God (2 Cor. The Great Commission Of

Jesus Christ - Milligan 6:7). And hence they never arrogated any honor to themselves;

but in all their words, and in all their deeds, the name of the Lord Jesus was

magnified.

They said to kings and princes, just as they said to the lowest and humblest peasants

of their realms, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry with you, and ye perish from the way,

when His wrath is kindled but a little.” This will be made plain and obvious to all, by

merely citing a few brief extracts from their recorded discourses. On the ever-

memorable day of Pentecost, when Peter stood up with the eleven before the

assembled thousands, from nearly all parts of the civilized world, he said to them in

the conclusion of his discourse: “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are

witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of

the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, HE hath shed forth this which ye now see

and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, Jehovah

said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand till I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore, let

all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye

crucified both LORD and CHRIST.” Now, when they heard this, they were pierced to

the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall

we do?” Then Peter said unto them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the

name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy

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Spirit.” In like manner he also testified to the vast multitude that had run together to

witness the marvelous cure of the healed cripple, recorded in the third chapter of Acts.

When Peter saw the wondering crowd he said to them, “Ye men of Israel, why marvel

ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness

we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the

God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied

him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the

Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you. And killed the

Prince of life, whom God bath raised from the dead; whereof we The Great

Commission Of Jesus Christ - Milligan 7 are witnesses. And his name through faith in

his name hath made this man strong, who ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by

him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. And now,

brethren, I know that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But those

things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ

should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and turn, in order that your

sins may be blotted out, and that times of refreshing may come from the presence of

the Lord. And He will send Jesus Christ, who before was preached to you; whom the

heaven must receive, until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath

spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began. For Moses truly

said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your

brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto

you.

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And it shall come to pass, that every soul who will not hear that prophet, shall be

destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel, and those

that follow after, as many as have spoken have likewise foretold of these days.” (Acts:

12-24.). On the next day, when Peter and John were required to make their defense

before the rulers, and elders, and scribes, and Annas, the highpriest, and Caiaphas, and

John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the highpriest, Peter,

filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them all: “Ye rulers of the people, and elders of

Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what

means he is made whole; be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that

by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from

the dead, even by him doth this man stand before you whole. This is the stone which

was set at naught of you builders, which has become the head of the corner. Neither is

there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among

men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 8-12). Many other examples and illustrations

might be given; but these are sufficient. They indicate very clearly that Jesus Christ,

crucified, buried, risen, and glorified, was the burden of all the Apostles’ preaching.

He is everywhere represented by them as the living, reigning, and Almighty Sovereign

of heaven and earth; but, at the same time, as being every ready to receive and save to

the uttermost all who will come unto God by Him. The result was grand and glorious

beyond all description. The word of the Lord increased and prevailed mightily.

Everywhere, from Jerusalem to Samaria, from Samaria to Rome, and from Rome to

the ends of the earth, the Gospel was demonstrated to be the power of God for

salvation to every believer.

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And just so it would have ever been, had the professed heralds of the Cross but

continued to preach Jesus Christ, and Him crucified and glorified as the power of God

and the wisdom of God. Never since the fall of man did Satan obtain so great a

triumph over the cause of truth and righteousness, as when he persuaded the Church to

substitute tradition for revelation, philosophy for inspiration, and the authority of

priests, popes, and councils, for the authority of Christ and His Apostles. This is all in

direct violation of the constitution and laws of the kingdom of heaven. The decree of

God is, that Christ shall reign absolutely over the Church in His own proper person,

and through the agency of His Apostles, as long as time endures.

2.4 Advantages of Tithes and Offering

There are a number of other principles that businessmen need to know and

employ.  Tithing is one such principle. ‘Tithe’ means ‘one-tenth of one’s income or

produce’. God has promised that in paying our Tithes, by doing that one thing for

Him, He will do seven for us in return – He asks us to prove Him.  He said:

1.  “I will open the windows of heaven …”

What this means is that the Lord will give us New Businesses,  New Investments,

New Ideas and Initiatives to present, New    Products on the Market and the

Best Quality Staff to enable and enhance your vision.

2. I will pour out for you a blessing.

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This means God’s power to produce in every area of your life.  It also means Health,

Wisdom, Knowledge and Interest on your Investment.  (NB The

word ‘Blessing’ comes from the Hebrew word ‘Barak’)

3. There shall be no room enough to receive. This simply means expansion in every

area.

4. I will rebuke the Devourer for your sakes.

Who is the Devourer?  The Devourer is the devil and what this statement means is that

God will prevent loss by theft, fraud, sabotage, industrial action, and setbacks in

Strategic Planning.   He will ensure that everything is insured by Him.  You will not

make a loss; you will achieve your monthly budget and earn profits.  You will have a

good family life!  He will protect you from accidents.   You will have job security and

good health.  You will also benefit from high staff morale levels.  Only God can

protect you from the Devourer!  (John 10: 10)

5.         “Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field …”

It does not matter what business you are in, He will prevent the devil from messing up

your business – whether he attacks through witchcraft and other setbacks, which

are    designed to (and can) destroy your business.

6.         He will deal with your vine, the very source.

He will ensure that your crop will not be dumped before the opportune time to

harvest.

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7.         “…All nations will call you blessed …”

You want to be well thought of in your land and your job.  You want the

promotion. God will promote you and establish your reputation.

Once you are not paying your Tithes – whether you are a Christian or not, there is no

2.6 Giving as a means of Appreciating God’s Faithfulness

In one sense, God's people are to give everything to God in order to appreciate His

faithfulness. (Matthew 19:21; Luke 12:15; 12:33; 14:33). One's loyalty and devotion

cannot be shared between God and material possessions (Matthew 6:24). In another

sense, we recognize that we really own nothing, that all things belongs to God and we

are stewards of them. We may have possessions, but we are not to be possessive (1

Corinthians 7:30). From Acts (2:44-45; 4:32-35; 12:12) we conclude that the early

Christians did not claim anything as their own, but neither did they sell everything

they possessed. They would, from time to time, sell what they did not need to meet the

needs of others, as needs arose. Paul makes it clear that people should give only what

they have to give (2 Corinthians 8:12), and this according to one's ability and

according to what he or she has purposed to give (2 Corinthians 8:3, 10-14).

We tend to think primarily of money when we speak of gifts or contributions.

Certainly money is one form of contribution to God's people and His work. But in

addition to money, other possessions may be given. For example, the materials

necessary for the construction of the Tabernacle were donated (Exodus 25:1-8). Food

and clothing may be shared with those in need (Luke 3:11). Another form of

contribution is that of labor (Exodus 35:30--36:5; Philippians 2:25-30; Hebrews 13:16

22
"doing good"). All these are said and done in order to give appreciation to God for

who He is in our lives.

2.7 Giving as the Commandment of God

When the Christian gives, he may give to individuals or to the church, but in the final

analysis in doing so he is giving to God (Proverbs 19:17; Matthew 6:2-4; 22:17-21;

Acts 5:4; Romans 14:4-8; 2 Corinthians 8:5; Colossians 3:22-25).

Only those who have been united with Christ and His church by personal faith in

Jesus Christ should give to the people of God and the work of God. In the Bible, every

command or exhortation to give is addressed to believers. Taking funds from

unbelievers is prohibited (3 John 7; see also 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

1. Giving is an obligation: In the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 14:22-29; Haggai 1:1-

11; Malachi 3:7-12) and in the New (Romans 12:13; Galatians 2:10; Hebrews 13:16; 1

John 3:17), the people of God are commanded to give for certain needs. Failing to

give for such causes when one is able is therefore an act of disobedience. Not all

giving is required, however (Leviticus 7:16; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15).

2. Giving is a privilege: The churches of Macedonia were models of generosity in

giving, even though they were poor. They gladly gave out of gratitude toward God

and love for their brethren (2 Corinthians 8 and 9; see especially 8:4, 9). Paul reminds

us of Jesus' teaching that "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).

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3. Giving is one dimension of our stewardship: Very often Jesus spoke of the

stewardship of His people in terms of money (see Luke 16:1-13). Our faithfulness as

stewards in this "little thing" of money has a bearing on what other (and greater)

responsibilities we will be given (Luke 16:9-12).

4. Giving is an act of worship: The Old Testament saints could only approach God in

worship with a sacrifice, and this sacrifice was a contribution, whether whole or in

part. In the New Testament, contributions were also described as sacrifices offered up

in worship (Hebrews 9:1-10; 10:1-25; 13:10-16).

No offering is taken during the teaching hour. This is so that unbelievers will not feel

obligated to give, or think that their giving would contribute to their salvation.

Unbelievers do not need to give to God, but to receive the gift of salvation which He

offers to them in Jesus Christ. The offering is taken during the worship time, after the

Lord's Supper, to encourage the saints to give as an act of worship.

5. Giving is an investment: Jesus encouraged believers to give in order to "lay up

treasure in heaven" (Matthew 6:19-21). Investing earthly money in the advancement

of the kingdom of God is one way in which we can lay up spiritual treasure in heaven

(Luke 16:1-13).

6. Giving is an act of self-sacrifice: All Christian service should be a sacrifice

(Romans 12:1-2). In giving, we should not seek man's praise, but God's (Matthew 6:2-

4). We should not give with the hope of getting ahead in this life, but with the faith

that God will reward us in heaven (Luke 14:12-14). We should not give under

24
pressure, but willingly and cheerfully, with gratitude for God's grace to us, according

to our ability (2 Corinthians 8 and 9).

7. Giving is an expression of brotherly love: Giving is an expression of brotherly love

and of Christian unity. The principle is set down in texts such as Matthew 25:31-46;

Luke 3:11; Romans 12:13; James 2:15-17 and 1 John 3:15-18. The practice of this

principle is seen in Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-35; 11:27-30; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5; Philippians

4:14-19. In the Old Testament, the Israelites gave for the construction of the temple

and for the on-going maintenance of its worship and ministry (Exodus 25:1-9; 35:4-9;

2 Kings 12:4-16; 1 Chronicles 29:1-17; Matthew 17:24-27). They also gave to the

poor and needy (Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:19-22; Mark 10:21; Acts 2:44-

45; 4:34-35; 11:27-30; Romans 12:13; 2 Corinthians 8 and 9; Galatians 2:10). Old and

New Testament saints also gave in remuneration for ministry which they received (see

Numbers 18; Luke 10:1-9; Galatians 6:6; 1 Corinthians 9:1-14). They supported those

who ministered to others (Luke 8:1-3; Acts 18:5; 2 Corinthians 11:8; Philippians 4:14-

19; 2 John 7-11; 3 John 5-8). There was also ministry to those who were suffering and

in need (even imprisoned) for the sake of the gospel (Matthew 25:35-40; Philippians

2:25-30; Hebrews 13:3).

2.8 Giving as Practiced by the Early Christian and its Impact

From the first—and Jewish—great centre of Christianity in Jerusalem to the second—

and Gentile—centre in Antioch there were a number of important steps (Acts 8:1–

12:25).

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The Scattering Abroad of the Members of the Jerusalem Church (Acts 8:1–4)—This

dispersion, which led to such large results, took place between five and six years (35

or 36 A.D.) after the descent of the Holy Spirit at the day of Pentecost and the formal

organization of the Jerusalem church.

The immediate cause was the persecution which arose after the martyrdom of

Stephen. This was an exclusively Jewish matter. Undoubtedly the leaders of the Jews

took advantage of the unsettled state of the Roman empire at this time—and the

summons, to Rome, of Pilate to meet the charges against him—to press their case

against the Christians. The searching nature and merciless severity of this persecution

are seen in the case of Saul who made “havoc of the church, entering into every house

and haling men and women committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3). “No man’s house

was safe from the persecutor.” The Christian church was laid waste.

While the immediate effect of the activity of the enemies of the church seemed very

bad, yet in reality it was a blessing and marked a new epoch in the extension of the

gospel. The great effort put forth to stamp out the new religion caused it to be spread

abroad and to increase with wonderful rapidity. “Therefore they that were scattered

abroad went everywhere preaching the gospel” (Acts 8:4) “and they were all scattered

abroad throughout the relions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1).

The way for this new campaign had been prepared for by Jesus Christ, when, in bodily

form He passed through this territory. It may seem strange that the apostles remained

in Jerusalem while the deacons were compelled to flee, yet the deacons had lately

come very largely and quickly into the public view by their intense earnestness and

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zeal in the new cause and they, after Stephen’s speech and martyrdom, were doubtless

singled out as special subjects of persecution.

The men who had been selected by the church, like Stephen and Philip, to perform a

social service for the new community (Acts 6:2, 3, 5) we now find in the forefront of

the new preaching cause of Christ (Acts 6:8–15; 8:5, 6, 26, 40). This shows, for one

thing, that the Spirit would not have men seek only the social welfare of their fellow

men, but also the higher spiritual good. Social good to the individual or community

always follows spiritual regeneration, but social elevation alone does not always bring

in spiritual good.

The Organization of the Church in Samaria (Acts 8:5–25)—Possibly we should read

in Acts 8:5 that “Philip went down to a—rather than the—city of Samaria” in which

case the city might be Sychar or Shechem, but the matter of the particular locality is

unimportant as the gospel was preached at this time in many places in Samaria (Acts

8:25).

This region was the first district into which the word was carried beyond the

immediate Jewish pale. It is interesting to note that while fleeing from persecution the

disciples did not hide, but proclaimed everywhere their message.

The cause of the organization of the church in Samaria was the preaching of Christ.

The effect was that the people gave heed to what they heard. There were numbers of

manifestations of divine power in the casting out of unclean spirits and the healing of

the sick.

The one spurious convert mentioned is Simon Magus (Acts 8:9–13, 18–24) and he has

received large attention from writers, upon this period, as he is the type of a man who

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in all ages has sought to make gain out of the church by joining it as a member, and

because he is also a typical representative of “the travelling impostors who swarmed

over Greece and Rome, at this time, pretending to magical powers derived from the

spirit world; they were readers of the stars, interpreters of dreams, fortune-tellers,

medicine men—in brief they exercised the same arts as the modern fortune-teller and

by much the same methods.” Philip in his preaching seems to have paid little or no

attention to Simon but the falling away of the multitude from the latter led him to

pretend a conversion and to seek to buy the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:18, 19).

The chief effort of Philip was to convince men of their sins, lead them to repentance,

point them to their Saviour and reconcile them to God he endeavoured to do good to

men in their bodies and souls. Simon sought to do wonders that he might attach the

people to himself and to get large money by working upon their credulity and “giving

out that himself was some great one.” There is the same contrast between the false and

the true to-day.

So great was the work in Samaria that when the apostles heard of it in Jerusalem they

sent unto them Peter and John (Acts 8:14), “Who when they were come down prayed

that they might receive the Holy Ghost” (Acts 8:15–17) It is to be noted that now, as

at the beginning, the Holy Ghost is unceasingly active in building up the church. The

apostles taught that it was not only necessary to turn from sin to righteousness but it

was also necessary to be born into the kingdom by a divine power, as Jesus had taught

before them (John 3:5–8).

The Mission to Ethiopia (Acts 8:26–40)—This is the Greek and Roman word for the

Hebrew name Cush. In its widest significance it included Nubia, Sennar, Kordofan

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and Northern Abyssinia, but in its more limited application it included only that

portion of territory from the junction of the White and Blue branches of the Nile to the

south border of Egypt and known as the kingdom of Meroe. The name Candace,

mentioned as queen of the Ethiopians in the narrative, is a dynastic title.

In the establishment of this mission the course of events is plainly marked out. The

divine element comes to the front in the speaking to Philip by an angel of the Lord. He

is told to go to the “South unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza.”

Obeying the divine command he meets the treasurer of the queen of Ethiopia who

reading from the Old Testament, a prophecy concerning Christ, asks an explanation of

it from Philip. This gives Philip an opportunity to present the crucified and risen

Christ. The eunuch believes, is baptized and proceeds on his way carrying the gospel

to his country. Here the curtain shuts down, but we know this much that ever since

that time Abyssinia has been, and now is, a Christian kingdom.

In this brief narrative we get a glimpse of how the church was enlarging her borders in

these early days of primitive Christianity.

The Conversion of Saul (Acts 9:1–22)—This is another epoch making event. The arch

persecutor who “made havoc of the church” now becomes its chief advocate.

The infant church had good cause to remember Saul. He took care of the clothes of the

witnesses who killed Stephen (Acts 7:58) and he left no stone unturned to drive the

believers in Christ out of Jerusalem. In carrying his persecuting zeal to Damascus he

must have been informed of a somewhat considerable body of Christians in that city,

which was finely situated and had a large population. We have no account of how the

gospel was carried to Damascus.

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Saul was born in the university town of Tarsus in Cilicia, but at the proper age he was

sent to Jerusalem to study the law under the celebrated Jewish teacher Gamaliel. He

had a singularly acute mind combined with a boundless enthusiasm for the cause

which he espoused.

It was on the way to Damascus that his conversion took place, when his mind was full

of plans to put an end to Christianity. This marvellous event, which in the changes it

has wrought in the world is greater than any decisive battle ever fought between

nations, is related in very few words (Acts 9:1–8). It is very evident that, after he had

fallen to the earth from the effect of a blinding light, his mind was perfectly clear and

he understood what was taking place for he asks the question, “Who art thou, Lord?”

He shows here the character of a man who is perfectly collected and cool in his mind

under all circumstances. The Lord whom he persecuted convinced him that he was

wrong in his attack upon His church and won him to Himself. His beliefs and his

whole life plan, were in consequence of his conversion, radically changed. Besides the

report by Luke of his conversion, in Acts 9:1–8, Paul gives two other accounts, one to

the Jews in the Temple court (Acts 22:6–11) and the other before Agrippa at Cæsarea

(Acts 26:12–20). He stoutly maintains in his Epistle to the Galatians that he received

(Galatians 1:11, 12, 8–24) his revelation of the Gospel from Christ. It was the real

appearance of the risen Christ to Paul which made him a Christian, Christianity’s most

efficient missionary and next to Christ, its greatest thinker, preacher and teacher.

Paul at once began to preach Christ in the synagogues that “He is the Son of God”

(Acts 9:20), but he found now that the Jews, while they were confounded and amazed,

30
sought to kill him (Acts 9:21–25), and when he had escaped and had come to

Jerusalem the disciples were afraid of him (Acts 9:26–30), so he returns to Tarsus.

From this time 35 or 36 A.D. until Barnabas seeks him to take up the work in Antioch

(Acts 11:25), in 42 or 43 A.D. Paul dwells in comparative obscurity, but God is really

preparing him for his great missionary work. In Galatians (1:17–24) he declares that

these years of retirement were spent in Arabia, Syria and Cilicia.

Peaceful Times (Acts 9:31–43)—“Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea

and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and in

the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.”

After the conversion of Saul the persecution doubtless soon burned itself out. There

were few men with his fiery zeal to keep it alive. Then too the Jews soon had large

troubles of their own which gave them little time to keep up the persecution against

the Christians. When Caius Caesar Caligula became Emperor of Rome in 37 A.D. he

claimed that divine honors should be paid to him. He commanded that his statue be set

up in the Temple at Jerusalem with this inscription, “Caius the New Incarnation of

Jupiter.” When this command became known to the Jews they assembled in a vast

throng before the palace of the Roman proconsul and, uttering wild and piteous cries,

declared they would die rather than have this sacrilege committed. The most however

that the Jews could accomplish was to have the Temple remain unoccupied by the

statue, but many altars, where divine honors were paid to the emperor, were erected

outsides its gates. Troublous times continued for the Jews until January 24th, 41 A.D.,

when Caligula was murdered.

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During these few years of freedom from persecution the church had time not only to

engage in new work, but to strengthen that which had already been accomplished. We

have an account in Acts 9:32–44 of how one Apostle (Peter) was occupied during this

time in passing through “all quarters” and some things that he did at Lydda, Saron and

Joppa. Doubtless the other workers were similarly occupied.

The Vision of Peter and the circumstances attending it (Acts 10:9–16, 1–48; 11:1–18).

The time had come when Gentiles were to be received into the church and it was to be

broadened from a Jewish to a universal church. The Gentiles at this time were

forbidden to enter the most sacred places of the Jewish worship. The Jews by the

Mosaic law were interdicted from articles of food in common use by the Gentiles.

There were other barriers.

Was it necessary or not for a Gentile to become a Jew before he became a Christian?

This was shortly to become a burning question.

Peter is taught, by his vision of the great sheet let down full of all manner of four

footed beasts and creeping things which he is to use in disregard of the Levitical law

(Leviticus 11:2–25), that a new era is about to dawn. The teaching is that God, who

made the old law, has replaced it with a new law and that the wall of partition is

broken down between Jew and Gentile. The story is here told of Cornelius who seeks

instruction in the Christian way at the hands of Peter. The apostle goes to Cornelius in

Cæsarea, after seeing his vision, and says “of a truth I perceive that God is no

respecter of persons. But in every nation he that feareth Him and worketh

righteousness, is accepted with Him.” Then he presents Christ as the chosen of God

32
(Acts 10:34–48), and baptizes and receives into the church not only Cornelius, but

many of his friends, who accepted Christ as their Saviour.

When Peter returned to Jerusalem, he was remonstrated with by the Jewish Christians

for eating with Gentiles, but when he had told them of the whole matter, “they held

their peace and glorified God, saying, then hath God also to the Gentiles granted

repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18, 1–18).

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 Endnotes

1. R. Milligan, (1873). The Great Commission Of Jesus Christ. New and Enlarged

Edition. Lexington, Ky.: J.B. Morton And Company. p4-8

2. Richards, Larry: Every Miracle in the Bible. Nashville : T. Nelson, 1998, p.

158

3. Sell, Henry Thorne: (1998, c1906). Studies in Early Church History. Willow

Grove, PA : Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, Study 2

4. Rodger E. Dickson, (2012). Biblical Research Library Bk15, Chap 4&3, p674

34
 CHAPTER THREE

RELEVANCE OF GIVING IN CAC

3.1 Brief History of Christ Apostolic Church

A group of Christians called Precious stone prayed in 1918 that God should send

down revival. This group is called Precious stone saw a tract titled. “Sword of the

spirit,” through Pastor D. O. Odubanjo who wrote a letter to Pastor Clark in Philadefia

of America to receive correspondence from Faith Tabernacle. The named precious

stone was changed to Faith Tabernacle; this is how they became Faith Tabernacle

before the call of Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola.

Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola was born in April 1904 at Ilofa, in Odo Owa via Ilorin

Kwara State, Nigeria. The day he was born, there was a mighty thunder from the East

towards the west, at the age of seven, he stopped her aged mother from eating any

thing offered to Idols. He started elementary school in 1914 at Oto – Awori a town on

the Badagry road in Lagos State. He got to standard four, before he became

Blacksmith apprentice and he learned it for two years, before he became Caterpillar

Driver under P W D (Public Works Department), then under the control of the whites,

learning to become a Caterpillar Driver. After 15 days of learning how to drive the

caterpillar, he was able to drive it without any assistance. After nine month; he

became a master in his class. A Caterpillar was first given to him on 1st April 1928 to

work on the Osogbo – Ilesha road. June 14th 1928 he was transferred to Akure –

35
Ilesha road. Before the Caterpillar stopped, the Caterpillar that 158 can not push off

the road, he pushed it alone by the power of God.

On the 9th of Oct. 1928 about 12 O ‘Clock he was by his Caterpillar by the river

Ariran, it was here he heard a loud voice from above like the roar of thunder which

called his name thrice saying Joseph! Joseph!! Joseph!!! Leave this job you are doing

if not, this year you are going to be cut off from the earth. Like wise the message

repeat itself on 11th Oct. 1928. That is how he received the call and he went into

fasting and prayer and God fed him with half of a tuber of yam that God used to feed

the whole world through his angel during the fasting. And the Sign of the palm tree

fronds and the meaning. That is how Babalola joined Faith Tabernacle.

Prophetess Sophia Odunlami (Mrs. Ajayi) she was the one that God spoke to that

people should stop using these thing. 1. Cola nut 2. Chasm. 3. Alcoholic drink and

palm wine 4. Spoiling the day of the Lord. In holden days any where she preached on

this the church would be full of the multitude of people with Zechariah 14. And she

was first Prophetess in this land.

The great revival of 1930 at Oke Oye in Ilesha where God raised a death body alive

and which marked the end of the meeting of Authority of Faith Tabernacle at Ilesha

when they were in second point of the agenda which was healing without medicine

that was how God prove himself and the revival lasted for 60 days which there what

no one of it recorded as great as the revival of 1930 in the history of Nigeria up till

today.

Prophet Daniel Orekoya was called on 17th of Feb. 1930 and God gave him three

36
messages

1. Quench the light of Spirit

2. Stinging and

3. Fornication

He prayed for four days a dead pregnant woman Mrs. Abeo at Oke Bola Ibadan was

raised and God delivered her, after three month she delivered a baby girl. In between

24th of Sept. – 4th of Oct. 1930 healing miracle performed by him was on 5,538

people. When he traveled to Warri he met his death through electricity light. Before he

died in Ijebu Ode he said disobedient to the Authority caused his death because they

did not permit him to go to Warri. Before his death, he mentioned these statements 1.

Beware of Pride, Doing self will and Disobedient. Because disobedient was the cause

of his untimely death. He warned others not to do so.

Misunderstanding in Faith Tabernacle of America in 1925 in which Pastor Clark

committed adultery and the Authority sacked him but some groups backed him and he

went and found his Church called First Century Gospel. Faith Tabernacle of Nigeria

wrote him to follow the Authority but he refused. That is why in Nigeria they changed

their name to Africa Apostolic Church, and after this caused a lot of Problems in C M

S and the Government for them to have back bone; they have to change their name to

The Apostolic Church because they have their Head quarters at Bradford in England.

They were arrested because of 12 points of which 4 will be mentioned. 1. They were

been arrested by police because of giving their life to Jesus Christ. 2. This group of

37
Ministers of God became enemies of Herbalist because their entire customers had

gone to church for Healing. 3. Prophet. J. A. Babalola became enemy of evil spirit the

power of God moved beyond their imagination, every body that had evil spirit came to

give their life to Jesus Christ. 4. They arrest Apostle J. A. Babalola not only that, they

put him into prison in Otuo town of Edo State for six months. Many suffered for the

sake of Christ. Because of this problem that was why they joined The Apostolic

Church, after long relationship they break with The Apostolic Church because of

Healing without Medicine this make them changed their name to

Nigeria Apostolic Church, when other countries heard, they thought Nigeria left them

alone, they wrote Nigeria, because of this, the name was changed to United Apostolic

Church. And there was an organization called U A C in this country there a lot of

confusion between the letters that were going to church and the ones that were going

to U A C that was why the Authority then prayed to know the name of this church

before it was finally named Christ Apostolic Church 1942. In the year 1943, they

registered it under the Federal Government of Nigeria with Number 147 up till today.

These are the name before we got to final name:

1. Precious Stone / Diamond Society Okuta Iyebiye

2. Faith Tabernacle

3. Africa Apostolic Church

4. The Apostolic Church

5. Nigeria Apostolic Church

6. United Apostolic Church

7. Christ Apostolic Church.

38
God used Apostle J. A. Babalola throughout his life time before he slept in the Lord in

Ede Osun State on 26th July 1959. That day was a great day in the history of this

mission, before he finally buried in Efon – Alaaye in Ekiti State.

3.2 Giving as Practiced by our Forefathers

Albert Schweitzer once pointed out that there are only three ways to teach a child. The

first is example, the second is example and the third is example. And that is exactly

what Paul is doing in teaching his Corinthian children about giving. He teaches them

by way of example and the example is the churches of Macedonia mentioned in verse

1. “We wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the

churches of Macedonia.” The church at Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea, those three

cities were the churches in Macedonia who were models of Christian giving. Those

churches had learned that any earthly possession can be turned into eternal wealth

because whatever is given to the Lord’s work becomes immortal. They had learned

what Martin Luther knew when he said, “I have held many things in my hands and I

have lost them all, but whatever I have placed into God’s hands, that I will always

possess.” The Macedonians had learned what Jim Elliot, the great missionary martyr

in Ecuador, said. “That he who…He is no fool who gives away what he cannot keep

to gain what he cannot lose.” The Macedonians were examples of giving. They

exchanged gladly earthly treasure for heavenly wealth. And the way in which they

gave serves as a model for all of us as Christians and sets off the whole section on

Christian giving which encompasses chapters 8 and 9. In the first eight verses of

chapter 8 we learn a very great principle from the Macedonians. And that principle is

39
that giving is the behavior of devout Christians. It all starts with Christian

commitment, Christian devotion, love for God, love for Christ. It rises out of a

devoted heart. And the Macedonians, whose hearts were so totally devoted to the Lord

as is expressly stated in this very section of Scripture, “They first gave themselves,”

that’s very, very much at the heart of the whole issue as it’s noted in verse 5. They

were devoted to the Lord, and out of that devotion to the Lord came this model for

Christian giving. Verse 5 says, “They gave first themselves to the Lord.” Everything

flowed from that. So as we look at the Macedonians’ devotion to the Lord and the

consequent character of their giving, several elements are manifest in this text. First of

all, their giving was initiated by God’s grace. That is it wasn’t just human, it was

something supernaturally motivated and produced. Verse 1 says, “We wish to make

known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,”

or the grace of God which is at work prompting their giving.

Secondly, their giving transcended difficult circumstances. Verse 2 says, “They were

in a great ordeal of affliction,” while they were giving. Thirdly, giving was with joy,

even in that ordeal of affliction, “their abundance of joy” was manifest in their giving.

Fourthly, giving was not hindered by poverty but rather “their deep poverty

overflowed.” Deeply poor and yet they were generous in their giving. Their giving

was not hindered by poverty, number five, their giving was liberal. It was generous. It

overflowed in the abundance of their generosity.

So their giving was initiated by God’s grace, transcended difficult circumstances, was

with joy, not hindered by poverty and was generous. And we’ve already looked at

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those five truths, those five indications of their devout Christian commitment in just

those first two verses. We come, then, this morning to verse 3. And try as I did, I

couldn’t get past verse3, and it’s very, very important. Some of the other ones are

going to go a little more rapidly, but there is something that is inherent in verse 3 that

demands careful attention this morning.

3.3 Positive Effect of Giving

1. Giving makes us feel happy. A 2008 study by Harvard Business School professor

Michael Norton and colleagues found that giving money to someone else lifted

participants’ happiness more that spending it on themselves (despite participants’

prediction that spending on themselves would make them happier). Happiness expert

Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at the University of California,

Riverside, saw similar results when she asked people to perform five acts of kindness

each week for six weeks.

These good feelings are reflected in our biology. In a 2006 study, Jorge Moll and

colleagues at the National Institutes of Health found that when people give to

charities, it activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection,

and trust, creating a “warm glow” effect. Scientists also believe that altruistic behavior

releases endorphins in the brain, producing the positive feeling known as the “helper’s

high.”

2. Giving is good for our health. A wide range of research has linked different forms

of generosity to better health, even among the sick and elderly. In his book Why Good

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Things Happen to Good People, Stephen Post, a professor of preventative medicine at

Stony Brook University, reports that giving to others has been shown to increase

health benefits in people with chronic illness, including HIV and multiple sclerosis.

A 1999 study led by Doug Oman of the University of California, Berkeley, found that

elderly people who volunteered for two or more organizations were 44 percent less

likely to die over a five-year period than were non-volunteers, even after controlling

for their age, exercise habits, general health, and negative health habits like smoking.

Stephanie Brown of the University of Michigan saw similar results in a 2003 study on

elderly couples. She and her colleagues found that those individuals who provided

practical help to friends, relatives, or neighbors, or gave emotional support to their

spouses, had a lower risk of dying over a five-year period than those who didn’t.

Interestingly, receiving help wasn’t linked to a reduced death risk.

Researchers suggest that one reason giving may improve physical health and

longevity is that it helps decrease stress, which is associated with a variety of health

problems. In a 2006 study by Rachel Piferi of Johns Hopkins University and Kathleen

Lawler of the University of Tennessee, people who provided social support to others

had lower blood pressure than participants who didn’t, suggesting a direct

physiological benefit to those who give of themselves.

3. Giving promotes cooperation and social connection. When you give, you’re more

likely to get back: Several studies, including work by sociologists Brent Simpson and

Robb Willer, have suggested that when you give to others, your generosity is likely to

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be rewarded by others down the line—sometimes by the person you gave to,

sometimes by someone else.

These exchanges promote a sense of trust and cooperation that strengthens our ties to

others—and research has shown that having positive social interactions is central to

good mental and physical health. As researcher John Cacioppo writes in his book

Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, “The more extensive

the reciprocal altruism born of social connection . . . the greater the advance toward

health, wealth, and happiness.”

What’s more, when we give to others, we don’t only make them feel closer to us; we

also feel closer to them. “Being kind and generous leads you to perceive others more

positively and more charitably,” writes Lyubomirsky in her book The How of

Happiness, and this “fosters a heightened sense of interdependence and cooperation in

your social community.”

4. Giving evokes gratitude. Whether you’re on the giving or receiving end of a gift,

that gift can elicit feelings of gratitude—it can be a way of expressing gratitude or

instilling gratitude in the recipient. And research has found that gratitude is integral to

happiness, health, and social bonds.

Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, co-directors of the Research Project on

Gratitude and Thankfulness, found that teaching college students to “count their

blessings” and cultivate gratitude caused them to exercise more, be more optimistic,

and feel better about their lives overall. A recent study led by Nathaniel Lambert at

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Florida State University found that expressing gratitude to a close friend or romantic

partner strengthens our sense of connection to that person.

Barbara Fredrickson, a pioneering happiness researcher, suggests that cultivating

gratitude in everyday life is one of the keys to increasing personal happiness. “When

you express your gratitude in words or actions, you not only boost your own positivity

but [other people’s] as well,” she writes in her book Positivity. “And in the process

you reinforce their kindness and strengthen your bond to one another.”

5. Giving is contagious. When we give, we don’t only help the immediate recipient of

our gift. We also spur a ripple effect of generosity through our community. A study by

James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, and Nicholas Christakis of

Harvard, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, shows

that when one person behaves generously, it inspires observers to behave generously

later, toward different people. In fact, the researchers found that altruism could spread

by three degrees—from person to person to person to person. “As a result,” they write,

“each person in a network can influence dozens or even hundreds of people, some of

whom he or she does not know and has not met.”

Giving has also been linked to the release of oxytocin, a hormone (also released

during sex and breast feeding) that induces feelings of warmth, euphoria, and

connection to others. In laboratory studies, Paul Zak, the director of the Center for

Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University, has found that a dose of

oxytocin will cause people to give more generously and to feel more empathy towards

others, with “symptoms” lasting up to two hours. And those people on an “oxytocin

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high” can potentially jumpstart a “virtuous circle, where one person’s generous

behavior triggers another’s,” says Zak.

So whether you buy gifts, volunteer your time, or donate money to charity this holiday

season, your giving is much more than just a year-end chore. It may help you build

stronger social connections and even jumpstart a cascade of generosity through your

community. And don’t be surprised if you find yourself benefiting from a big dose of

happiness in the process.

3.4 Negative Effect of not Giving

Giving is not easy! But have you ever thought about the cost of not giving? The cost

of not giving is very significant. When you don't give...     

 you miss out on a very special way to worship God.

 you more easily feel disconnected from your church.

 you are exponentially more likely to be in deep debt.

 you are more likely to allow "stuff" to stress you out.

 you ignore a basic teaching in the bible separating your spirit from God's.

 you battle a twinge of guilt that does not have to exist.

 you never fully mature spiritually.

 you don't teach your children to give.

 you attend church on spiritual welfare from the people sitting next       to you.

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  you leave the local church limping along instead of thriving.

 you are more likely to let your money control you instead of vice-a-      versa.

 you miss out on the joy of seeing God use your gifts to bless others.

 you prevent God from planting seeds of materialistic contentment in your heart.

We total up 10 percent of our income and say to ourselves, that's a lot of money. One

lady actually said to me, "I can't tithe, I make too much money." That one still makes

me smile. It's hard to honor God with a tithe when our society tells us we "need" so

many things. Recent studies tell us that 21 percent of regular church attendees don't

give at all. Another 71 percent of church attendees give about 2 percent of their

income. That leaves 8 percent who approach a giving level that looks like a tithe. Yes,

God's financial plan for his kingdom to advance on earth is the tithe. If God's plan

takes flight then the church will shine, slick slimy preachers will finally be out of

work and the widow and orphan will receive provision once and for all. Only a portion

of church income will go towards staff salaries and building maintenance instead of

60,70, and 80 percent. When God's people get serious about following him and start

honoring him with the tithe we can change the world! We will be a light on a hill just

as Jesus called us to be.

So much is at stake! The mission of God's church is at stake. Our fellowship together

is at stake. Each individual relationship with God is at stake. Shut him out of your

wallet and you shut him out of your life. It's no different than shutting him out of your

marriage relationship, your work day, your viewing habits, what you say, or how you

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act. When we say no to God in any area of life we pay a high personal cost.

It's not easy to surrender a portion of our income to God, but when we don't the cost is

often higher than we imagine. In fact, we rarely trace our problems back to the source.

It's often financial disobedience. We trust our money more than God. 

3.5 Giving in CAC as a means of Church Growth

If you want your church to grow, you must learn how to motivate believers to invest

their resources into the Kingdom for ministry and for facilities. It is a key

responsibility of leadership. Whoever writes the agenda must be able to underwrite the

agenda. If you’re going to form the vision, you also have to be able to fund the vision.

A lot of pastors, a lot of elders, and a lot of church leaders have a real hang-up about

asking people to give. They allow personal insecurities and personal fears to limit the

ministry. You don’t need to be embarrassed about asking people to give. There is

nothing greater than the Kingdom of God. There is no more significant cause than the

church.

The researcher is not talking about fundraising, but teaching people to give. In giving,

we simply challenge ourselves to give out of our own resources for spiritual reasons.

The result of fundraising is that funds are collected. The results of teaching people to

be givers are that funds are collected and disciples are developed.

And to develop generous disciples, we need to understand why people give in Christ

Apostolic Church.

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1.  People give because they trust the leadership.

John 10:1-11 says, “The sheep listen to [the shepherd’s] voice. He calls his own sheep

by name and leads them out. … He goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him

because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will

run away from him ….  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired

hand is not the shepherd …” Study after study has proven that in the hierarchy of

giving, people give first of all to people they believe in. Then they give to purposes.

Finally they give to programs. That means the most essential elements in teaching

people to give are relational, not functional.

Even if you use a consultant to help you raise money, you as the pastor still need to be

out front. Because the person who asks for the giving needs to be the person with the

most credibility. And if you are a pastor and you are not the most trusted person, then

you have a leadership problem and you’re not ready to teach people to give yet. You

need to be the most visible because the person who is the best qualified to ask for

money should be the person who’s the most trusted.

2.  People give because they catch a vision, not when they see a need.

The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV).

Did you know that Ivy League schools usually receive the largest endowments? And

they are the schools that need the money the least. Why? People give to success. They

give to vision. They don’t give to needs.  That’s why in fifteen years we have never

had a bulletin with our financial reports in it along with how much we need. Why?

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Because bills do not motivate people to give. People give when they catch a vision

and they get the big picture.

You must be very clear about what your vision is. At Saddleback, we’ve never had a

vision for a building, but rather for what the building can help us do. We’ve never had

a vision for raising money, but rather for what the money can do. Emphasize the lives

that will be changed as people give – the marriages that will be saved, the broken

people that are going to be put back together, the people who will break addictions,

the changed lives that will happen. That’s the vision!

3.  People give to experience the joy of generosity.

It feels good to give generously – it really does. A person who doesn’t understand that

has never given generously. The happiest people in the world are the most giving

people. Guilt never motivates people to give. Giving that is motivated by guilt only

lasts as long as the guilt does. So you never use guilt to motivate people to give. You

use joy to motivate people to give.

I absolutely do not accept the health and wealth theology, which teaches that God

wants everybody to be rich. But the fact is, there are more promises in the Bible

related to giving than any other subject. You cannot out-give God. If you’re going to

be Christlike, you’ve got to learn to give.

4.  People give because they are inspired by models.

We learn best by watching models. That’s why a testimony about giving is a thousand

times more effective than a sermon on giving. Models motivate us. Giving is

49
contagious. So I encourage people to write down and send me their testimonies, how

they decided to give, and what they were giving.

6.  People give because you ask them to give.

James says, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2). The Bible

says ask and seek and knock. God asks people to give. The fact is we’re doing people

a favor when we ask them to give because they grow in faith, they grow in love, they

grow in sacrifice, they grow in commitment, and they grow in character as they learn

to give. They will be blessed in return. Never say no for anybody. Your church will be

hurt more by those who would have said yes and were not asked, than by those who

were asked and said no.

7.  People give because you make it possible for them to give.

Second Corinthians 8:12 says, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable

according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” That means you

need to make it possible for people to give in as many ways as you can. Teach people

how to want to give, and they’ll figure out how. Teach people that they can either give

by reason or by revelation. Giving by reason means this – I look at what I have, I

figure out what’s reasonable, and I commit that amount. It doesn’t take any faith to

give by reason. I just figure out what can I afford to give. Giving by revelation means

I determine my gift by praying “Lord, what do you want to give through me?” This

requires faith. When you give by revelation, you’re committing an act of worship and

saying, “How much am I willing to trust God?”

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8.  People give when their gifts are appreciated.

The whole book of Philippians is just a thank-you letter from Paul for their offerings,

for their financial support. Figure out seven ways to thank people for their gift – a

card, a call, a banquet, etc. A little appreciation goes a long way in encouraging

people to be generous for the long haul.

There was lots of giving we introduced in Christ Apostolic Church that changed the

life of the denomination as a whole as well as the life of entire worshippers who

diligently hearkened to the instruction. These are: Seed of Blessing, Sacrificial

Offering, Missionary Fund and so on. These and many more serve as a catalyst to the

growth of CAC worldwide.

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 Endnotes

1. Pastor J. O. Afolayan. www.cachistoryworldwide Posted by joa4christ at 1:10

PM

2. A Biblical Model for Giving, Part 3 (http://www.gty.org/connect/copyright)

3. Strazdins, L., et al, (2007). The Mental Health Costs and Benefits of Giving

Social Support. International Journal of Stress Management, 14(4), pp370-385.

4. Tennen, H., et al, (1987). Depression, Self-Esteem, and the Absence of Self-

Protective Attributional Biases. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,

p72-80.

5. Thoits, P., & Hewitt, L. (2001). Volunteer work and well-being. Journal of

Health and Social Behavior. pp115-131.

6. Thorsteinsson, E., & James, J. (1999). A meta-analysis of the effects of

experimental manipulations of social support during laboratory stress.

Psychology & Health, p869-886.

7. Twenge, J., Campbell et al, (2011). Generational increases in agentic self

evaluations among American college students, 1966-2009 Self and Identity, in

press.

8. Warren, M. (1993). The effectiveness of volunteer service: An occupational

therapy intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder. San Jose State

University.

9. Watson, P., & Biderman, M. (1993). Narcissistic Personality Inventory factors,

splitting, and self-consciousness. Journal of Personality Assessment, 61(1), 41-

57.

52
10. Weintraub, W. (1981). Verbal behavior: Adaptation and psychopathology. New

York, NY: Springer.

11. Windsor, T. D., Anstey, K. J., & Rodgers, B. (2008). Volunteering and

Psychological Well-Being Among Young-Old Adults: How Much Is Too

Much? The Gerontologist, 48(1), 59-70.

12. Uchino, B., Cacioppo, J., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. (1996). The Relationship

Between Social Support and Physiological Processes: A Review With

Emphasis on Underlying Mechanisms and Implications for Health.

Psychological Bulletin, 119(3), 488-531.

53
 CHAPTER FOUR

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

4.1 Summary

One of the mandates of God for every Christian is the heart of giving. Giving is an

integral part of the attributes of God. God Himself is the first giver. The Scripture says

in John 3:16A that: “For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten

Son….. Therefore, for someone to live a successful and fulfilled life, he/she must

inculcate the habit of given. In it we have joy and people around us and in far places

would be able benefit and refer to it.

4.2 Conclusion

The researcher wants to conclude that all denominations should endeavour to practice

giving in their various local assemblies. Practicing this helped Christ Apostolic

Church immensely, to the extent that what we could not afford before was attained

since we started teaching and practicing giving. The happiest people in the world are

the most giving people. For someone to live long in life giving must be part of his/her

curriculum.

4.3 Recommendation

This research study is hereby recommended to every future reader so as to

acknowledge the efficacy of giving in the life of every mankind. It is also

recommended for further research study in case there is need for any researcher who

54
has similar research topic to make reference to it in order to gather information for

evaluation and approval.

55
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Afolayan . J. O. www.cachistoryworldwide Posted by joa4christ A Biblical Model for

Giving, Part 3 (http://www.gty.org/connect/copyright)

CAC Constitution

Illumina Gold (Encyclopedia) Software

Microsoft Encounter Dictionary (2009)

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th Edition)

Rodger E. Dickson (2012) Biblical Research Library

R. Milligan, (1873). The Great Commission Of Jesus Christ. New and Enlarged

Edition. Lexington, Ky.: J.B. Morton And Company.

Richards, Larry: Every Miracle in the Bible. Nashville : T. Nelson, 1998,

Sell, Henry Thorne: (1998, c1906). Studies in Early Church History. Willow Grove,

PA : Woodlawn Electronic Publishing.

Rodger E. Dickson, (2012). Biblical Research Library

Strazdins, L., et al, (2007). The Mental Health Costs and Benefits of Giving Social

Support. International Journal of Stress Management.

Tennen, H., et al, (1987). Depression, Self-Esteem, and the Absence of Self-

Protective Attributional Biases. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Thoits, P., & Hewitt, L. (2001). Volunteer work and well-being. Journal of Health and

Social Behavior.

56
Thorsteinsson, E., & James, J. (1999). A meta-analysis of the effects of experimental

manipulations of social support during laboratory stress. Psychology &

Health.

Twenge, J., Campbell et al, (2011). Generational increases in agentic self evaluations

among American college students, 1966-2009 Self and Identity, in press.

Uchino, B., Cacioppo, J., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. (1996). The Relationship Between

Social Support and Physiological Processes: A Review With Emphasis on

Underlying Mechanisms and Implications for Health. Psychological Bulletin.

Warren, M. (1993). The effectiveness of volunteer service: An occupational therapy

intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder. San Jose State University.

Watson, P., & Biderman, M. (1993). Narcissistic Personality Inventory factors,

splitting, and self-consciousness. Journal of Personality Assessment.

Weintraub, W. (1981). Verbal behavior: Adaptation and psychopathology. New York,

NY: Springer.

Windsor, T. D., Anstey, K. J., & Rodgers, B. (2008). Volunteering and Psychological

Well-Being Among Young-Old Adults: How Much Is Too Much? The

Gerontologist.

57