Never heard of the fella called “Daddy Freeze” (Mr Ifedapo
Olarinde) before. I guess he must be some sort of clown, especially reading his
half-baked teaching on tithes, and his announced crusade against Pentecostal
preachers who ride personal jets to do their jobs, or establish high-quality
universities which not all members of their congregations can afford.
.
Don’t know if he is claiming to be a teacher of the
word of God, but a good number of folks seem to be taking seriously his
suggestions that rather than pay their tithes to worship God and take care of
needs in the Church, people should use their tithes to buy beer or some other
alcoholic drink of their choice and take these to drink at Church!
When the revered Pastor Enoch Adeboye observed that
“even mad people know you don’t go to Church to drink beer,” Mr Olarinde sneeringly suggested the statement
is based merely on “sentiments” and does not square up with the teachings of
the Scriptures. Obviously, Pastor
Adeboye is not likely to have the time to oblige Mr Olarinde of the response he
was demanding for. We therefore offer the man and those insisting on a response
the following comments.
Yes it is true that the Mosaic Law prescribes, in addition to the regular tithes payable
to the Levites,(Numbers 18:21,24) additional tithes (every three years) for
the poor and needy (Deut 14:28-29; 26:12-13), and also for the family to eat
with rejoicing in the presence of the LORD in the “place” He prescribes.(Deut.14:22-27)
All the extensive preaching by Mr Ifedapo “Freeze”
Olarinde on permissibility of wine and beer in the Christian culinary is
absolutely unnecessary. Most folks are
very familiar with the basic difference between getting drunk and having a sip
of wine recreationally. And that the latter does not constitute a “sin”. Of
course, the Freezes of this world are not likely to see the multitude of Bible
verses that additionally teach that not all that is allowed is expedient or
beneficial.(1 Cor. 6:12, 10:23) Even in
the Old Testament, there are scriptures that aver that wine and beer are not
for “Kings and Priests” who need to be sober at all times.(Prov. 31:4-5) Why, there is even the well-known story of an
old testament Priest, Jonadab of the Rechab lineage who actually forbidded his
children from ever tasting alcohol (Jer 35).
But as earlier said, the issue here is not about
the permissibility or otherwise of drinking alcohol; but the reasonableness of going
to Church to do so. The golden passage latched onto by Freeze is Deut. 14:22-26. It is actually interesting to see at least
for once, minions of the antichrist rooting for a text in the Old Testament,
which ordinarily they insist is no longer relevant. In Deut 14, the Law permittted
people to take whatever they considered as delicacy, including alcohol or beer,
and consume these with rejoicing before the Lord at “the place” He so
designates.
The “place” is obviously the Temple at Jerusalem. But the primary reason for the trip is not
just to go there and feast on the tithes before the Lord. Actually there are specified Feasts during
which a Jew is required to go up to Jerusalem to worship and celebrate. This
third type of tithes is provision set aside for the family feeding during these
Feasts.(see details at https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1958/09/the-three-tithes-of-the-old-testament)
Furthermore, and more importantly, the Temple was
never a one-compartment building. Most
Israelites never make it beyond the Outer Courts. That’s where they may eat their family tithes,
which might include drinking their beer and alcohol in moderation.(see details
at http://www.biblestudy.org/biblepic/interior-diagram-of-temple-in-jerusalem.html). But where the Levites/priests operate and eat
their own tithes is the Holy Place which they never approach until they have
washed at the Laver, and are garbed in special consecrated robes for service.
The Holy Place in the Inner Court is certainly no place for beering or
frivolities! Even up till today (without a standing Temple), priests in Judaism
are not allowed to as much as pronounce blessing on people even after a single cup
of wine (see http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/581082/jewish/What-is-Judaisms-take-on-alcohol-consumption.htm). For Levites who wish to consume alcohol, there are
myriads of side chambers (really like their private living quarters) where they
may do so – still in the Temple (see for example Jer 35:1-5). In other words, if they so desire, they may
drink wine recreationally in their chambers, but not “at work” in the Holy
Place.
But in the Old Testament Temple, the real place of
the presence of the LORD is the Holy of Holies.
The New Testament anti-type of the Holy Place is the Church. Even Freeze and his disciples seem to recognize
that the Church is more than the building (although they at the same time
refuse to recognize that Christians are Priests! – 1 Pet. 2:9, Rev. 5:10, etc).
The Church is indeed the coming together of the saints in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ – with the assured presence of the Lord guaranteed (Mat. 18:20). When the veil was torn from the Temple as the
Lord Jesus concluded the ultimate sacrifice at Calvary, the Holy of Holies and
the Holy Place merged to become a single compartment (Mat. 27:50-51). Going to “Church” today is therefore to be
likened to entering into the Holy of Holies in Judaism.
It certainly
will take more than a mad fellow to contemplate going into the Holy of Holies
to consume beer!
As for all the howlers that Pentecostal preachers
are threating to curse those who refuse to pay tithes, the reality is that it
is God who Himself warned that those who fail to discern between the “holy and
the profane,” and robbing Him of His due
tithes, are indeed opening themselves up for curses from Him. No raving pastor
here! (Mal 3:8-9)
One wonders what Freeze and his media flock would
have said of the Apostle Peter in the early Church. In Acts 5:1-10 is recorded the story of a
couple who were physically instantaneous slain at the pronouncements of the
Apostle. The Freezes of this world would
certainly have had much to pontificate about prestigious pastors who go about
killing people who offered only half of the price of their properties just for
the offence of putting such forth as the full price. And by the way, do you talk about giving
tithes in a culture where people brought ALL they have to the feet of the
Apostles? If only the 21st
Century Church will retrace her steps back to the ways of the early
Church. But certainly NOT by keeping
away tithes from the Church and diverting them for “beering” in the assembly of
the saints!
As the African proverb goes, “Half education is
more dangerous than no education.” It is
half-baked education that makes people insist that the universe came into
existence on its own without a creator (Evolution Theory). Likewise, it is
half-baked education that makes wanna-be scholars go around viciously teaching
that it is okay for a Christian to commit sins; and that confessing, repenting
or asking forgiveness of such sins is the only “sin” that God would not
tolerate or overlook! That is the core tenet in the Once-saved-always-saved
doctrine. It is exactly the same half-baked
bible education that makes people like Mr Ifedapo Olarinde, aka Freeze not see
what even a regular mad man on the street would instinctively recognize: you
just don’t go to Church to consume alcohol!
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