The Church Has Missed It and Political Leaders Have Failed Us – Bishop Bank Jefferson

Mercy Tabernacle Transformed Life Christian Center, Aguda, Ogba, held their 26 years anniversary and annual manifest conference in Lagos, with the theme, “The New Anointing for Uncommon Breakthrough”.

Bishop Bank Jefferson, the presiding bishop of the church spoke with PROVIDENCE News on issues about the church, payment of tithe and the Nigeria society. Excerpt;

How would you describe your ministerial journey these 26 years?

It has been God all the way, He has done glorious and marvelous. 26 years of Mercy Tabernacle and manifest conference have been holistic and full of faithfulness.

How would you compare the ministry now to when you started 26 years ago?

There’s no comparison now to what it was before. Fact is, the church has drifted so wide from 26 years ago. The love of people to the service, work and worship of God 26 years ago was passionate and revelatory. This is why they enjoyed all the encounters with God. But, today, the hearts of the people have been polluted by false teachers who have come in to direct the hearts of people backward with all manners of false doctrine and wrong teachings, instead of taking them back to God.

What is the way forward?

The way forward is for the right teachers to keep teaching and keep impacting. There still great men and women of God that God has blessed with teaching rod to teach the church, they keep teaching and keep speaking. We will not just be tired and be overwhelmed by the age of social media. A lot of porousness has surfaced and people’s hearts are diverted to delusions. But the church would continue to teach the truth and there will still be fire on the altar communicating the truth of God and the truth cannot fail. It may overshadow for a time, but definitely will not fail.

What is your advice on the current state of the church?

The church should return back to God and stay with God where He is. There’s no other way, we can do this work and be successful without God. And whichever other way it may be, the church and Christians should go back to God. If you miss your bethel, you will keep roaming about. The church has missed it and is roaming about now; in power, authority and order. Let’s go back to God, He’s our bethel and habitation. When we do that, nothing can confront us, kill us or break us down. The church is there, it is the army that God has prepared. We are the hope of God, the hope of Israel and the hope of the world. No doubt, we must return back to God to experience fresh encounters.

What do you have to say on issue of giving tithe?

Those who don’t know the scriptures and don’t understand the Bible, they mixed it up. But insincerity, both of them are right, saying what their convictions are. Nobody should curse a man because he did not pay tithe. Because, we are not under the law. However, tithe did not start as a law and it is not a law. Abraham was never under the law and did not smell law, he had a relationship with God. Therefore, law was a governing system to a people promulgated through Moses and between the time of Abraham to Moses was wide, more than 600 hundred years. The misunderstanding is where people confused themselves with someone who knew God, had a relationship with God and wanted to continue doing good to his God in worship and in reference. Who voluntarily said, I will give God every 10% of my income.

Christians and the church should not be listening to, “we are no more under the law, therefore tithe is under the law”. We should not be tired of giving to God. Rather, we should be desiring to give more than 10th. To give 10th of all that God has given us, is an aberration and it’s not right.Those who don’t know the scripture and understand the Bible mixed it up. But sincerely, both of them are right, saying what their convictions are. Nobody should curse a man because he did not pay tithe. Because, we are not under the law. However, tithe did not start as a law and it is not a law. Abraham was never under the law and did not smell law, he had a relationship with God. Therefore, law was a governing system to a people promulgated through Moses and between the time of Abraham and Moses was wide, it was more than 600 hundred years. The misunderstanding is where people confused themselves with someone who knew God, had a relationship with God and wanted to continue doing good to his God in worship and in reference. Who then voluntarily said, I will give God every 10% of my income.
Christians and the church should not be listening to, “we are no more under the law, therefore tithe is under the law”.
We should not be tired of giving to God. Rather, we should desire to give more than 10th. To give 10th of all that God has given us, is an aberration and not right.

By now, christians should not be thinking and talking of giving 10% to God, but give their all to God.

Banditary, islamisation and others is because of the wealth some of their people give to them generously with all their might and mind to support the pursuit of their agenda. Your mind knows all your heart, strength and might, this is what you should give to God. At present, it is ridiculous talking and arguing about giving tithe to God, instead, we should be talking about giving all of our strength and ability to God. This is not about being under the law, it is about being in a relationship and it is not lust, but love. It is who you love, you will be committed to and the percentage of your commitment is the level of your love. Why the noise about 10% tithe? Is their level of love for God 10%? Instead of talking about deeper things of eternal value in God and things that can turn around human nature, people remain elementary arguing about tithe. But for those engaging in it, may God open their eyes and mind of understanding. Tithe is elementary doctrine, rather than debating on it, people should advance in deeper things of God.

The system of teaching about tithe came from a rebellion spirit. Everyone debating tithe are rebellious people in their family and in the church. The wave of rebellious spirit and the winds of false doctrines make them see loopholes of what they will do outside God rather than to see more responsibility for what they should do for God.

What is your opinion on the 2023 Presidential Election?

I have stopped prophesying about election because, we are not God who is the only One that can do what He wants to do for His glory. But, in Nigeria, 2023 is in the hand of God and my wish, not prophecy, but prayer is that Nigeria will no longer be under this wicked ruler. All of them are old enough to the grave, you send them to the grave and not to the palace. Then let the youths take over and reordered this nation. Nigeria is in woeful state, bad and sinking. People are in pain and agonizing situations. As a pastor, after every service, many people are waiting to see me for one financial assistance or another, either for food or for transport. The shepherds are feeling it much because people can’t reach the politicians. Our value system  been grossly broken and kidnapping is now a business in Nigeria. The schools are closed with many of our girls already pregnant and our boys are turning into internet fraudsters, because ASUU is on strike. These are the burdens many church pastors are dealing with on a daily basis in their churches. The political leaders have failed this nation and no one sees hope anymore in this nation, unless you look at it from the eyes of God and if you cannot see it from the eyes of God, then Nigeria is dead and decaying, there’s no hope in it again. We should break it, throw away the same faulty and failed constitution we are parading and be decentralized to restructure. That is the only way forward.

What is your advice to Nigerians?

The Church and the worshippers are now the target of  bombing by the terrorist with the Catholic priests and other church pastors, becoming targets of kidnapping for ransom and killing. Nigerians should continue praying to God, who is our only sustenance to continue sustaining us till we get it right.