Femi Aribisala: Pastor Paul’s Manipulative Witchcraft

Femi Aribisala

Hold on to your wallets and purses boys and girls. Pastor Paul and his minions are after your money. Have you noticed that the primary business of pastors is the collection of money? Every manipulative trick in the book is used to do this. The father of this disgraceful practice is Paul. Without a doubt, Paul is a past-master at manipulating churches for money. It is not for nothing he boasts to the Corinthians: “Crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery!” (2 Corinthians 12:16).
Mercenary Paul
Paul says Christians are “indebted” to preachers: “If the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.” (Romans 15:27). This self-serving principle provides the blueprint for the “sowing and reaping” deception prevalent in the churches: “Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:6-7).
The deceiver here is Paul. For him, “sowing” is not planting the word of God in our hearts according to Jesus’ injunction. (Luke 8:11-15). It is not even giving to orphans or to widows. It is giving money to the so-called “man of God;” in this case, Paul himself. You see the trick here? Paul fabricates a highfalutin religious principle primarily designed to get people to give him money. He says: “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” (1 Timothy 5:17-18).
Since man is not an ox, this amounts to quoting Moses out of context. (Deuteronomy 25:4). Indeed, according to Jesus, we should not even expect a “thank you” for our services: “When you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.” (Luke 17:10).
419 specialist
Paul barrages the Corinthians repeatedly. He says to them: “If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 9:11-12).
The man is nothing but a 419 specialist. Paul says it is “a right” to collect money from them, but he will not use this right. So why is he talking about it if not because he wants their money. Is he not, in effect, doing what he says he should not do- hindering the gospel- by asking them for money? Then he goes on: “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:14).
This is another one of Paul’s blatant lies. Surely, the Lord himself does not want the gospel to be hindered? All believers are required to preach the gospel. Does it mean, therefore, all believers should live by the gospel? Certainly not! Jesus’ position is diametrically opposite. He says: “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8). This means we are not to insist on payment for spiritual services rendered.
Master manipulator
Paul’s tactic is to go around asking for money while protesting he is not: “For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. (1 Thessalonians 2:9). Okay Paul, why not leave it at that? But no! He goes on: “I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:15-18).