Pastor TB Joshua Reveals How He Gets Money for His Ministry

Prophet T.B. Joshua

Nigerian Pastor TB Joshua has revealed his position regarding asking for monetary offerings through his popular Christian television channel Emmanuel TV.

Although Joshua was not physically present during the broadcast of Sunday 3rd Mary 2020, his ministers responded to a question posed by a viewer about how the cleric raises funds as he is never heard preaching on the subject of tithes and offerings.

The cleric described giving offerings as “Scriptural” but emphasised that people should give as “God prompts their conscience”.

“They may not be many but people of conscience are giving – I mean, the right people are giving genuinely, for the salvation of their soul—and their giving is blessed of God,” he conceded.

“Wrong people have to be reminded many times before they can give because it is not from their heart,” he explained, clarifying that wrong people referred to “dubious” or “corrupt” individuals who “who got their money, their things from the wrong source.”

He elucidated that such people would give “to be seen, to be heard and to be praised here”, adding that if they later hit hard times, they would often write letters to the church reminding them of the money they had previously given.

He described that such people misguidedly felt their offerings were a form of “bargaining with God to get what they want” or a way of manipulating Him “to give approval to their selfish motives.”

“Giving is like serving. Both should be done with joy – without being reminded, because you don’t need to be reminded to do that which gives you joy,” he continued, adding that believers should ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in giving, receiving and asking.

“The force behind the money given determines the kind of money it is,” Joshua thoughtfully expanded. “When we inherit stolen wealth, we would live under a stolen future, thereby mortgaging our future. Remember, what comes from God goes to Him.”

The cleric stated he was “very careful” when it came to receiving offerings from congregants. “If I receive something from you, the source and the manner you give will determine whether it’s a blessing or a curse that I receive from you,” he posited.

Relating the question to the current situation in which churches have been shut worldwide due to the coronavirus pandemic, Joshua explained such a period “demands conscience”.

“If you give something from your heart, it will bless you that gives it and also bless the person or ministry that receives it,” the cleric concluded in the interactive program, citing Apostle Paul’s admonishment in 2 Corinthians to give as “each one proposes in his heart, not grudgingly, for God loves a cheerful giver”.

Joshua has gained a reputation for not focusing on money during his sermons, asking for offerings during his broadcasts or selling merchandise during his large overseas crusades.

With nearly 1.7 million YouTube subscribers, he is also one of the platform’s largest users who doesn’t monetise his videos with the placement of third-party advertisements.

During the global lockdown, his ministry has engaged in extensive humanitarian programs, assisting vulnerable citizens most affected by the economic impact of the crisis in nations spanning Europe, Africa, South America and USA.

Ihechukwu Njoku is a freelance Nigerian journalist…

Join Prophet TB Joshua to Look Forward for Further Anointing

Prophet TB Joshua

Apostle Paul wrote (Philippians 3: 13-14), “Brethren I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”. In SCOAN we are similarly encouraged that “Better is not good enough, the Best is yet to come”. This is our outlook for the months ahead; though the past years had been exceedingly great, the man of God in SCOAN and his team had been doing great exploits for God, but better days are still ahead. This is cheering indeed. Prophet TB Joshua is a man of dynamic faith in Jesus Christ and His Word, teaching people not to be ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that will believe; That we should have absolute faith in the Word.

In this year 2019 we recall, with great gratitude to Jesus, several spectacular new blessings and exploits God did through His servant, Prophet TB Joshua, his team of prophets, evangelists, glorious choirs, and Emmanuel partners worldwide. For example, the meeting in Nazareth and the opening for the public to climb up and pray at the SCOAN altar, where multiple of infirmities are cured simply by rolling on the altar and fetching living water, are worthy of our mentioning. Those who choose to grow their faith in Christ Jesus through the teaching, testimonies and the freely accessible provisions in the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) may begin to appreciate the living Jesus the more.

Yet we know that, if we believe, there is no limit to what God can do in our lives and nothing is impossible with our God. God opens doors that no man can shut and also He closes doors that no man can open. The possibilities are endless with faith in God that is according to His will. We look forward to what God has planned for us, and willingly ready to walk by faith in obedience and to follow His leading. We are comforted that His plans are always for our good and not for evil to give us a future and a Hope, (Jeremiah 29:11-13). We also remember that God always has a reason for what He allows in our lives and through it we can trust Him completely, (Proverbs 1:3-5).

In appreciation, on behalf of the growing SCOAN family, we thank our prophet TB Joshua for allowing himself to be so used for humanity in a pure and holy Christian way. The variety and volume of miraculous healing, deliverance, prophecy, and teaching witnessed in 2019 are simply enormous. Hence we join ourselves together in our common faith in Christ Jesus to pray for more anointing and God’s abiding presence on prophet TB Joshua, Emmanuel TV partners, and on the entire Ministry of SCOAN. We are assured by the Holy Spirit that the best is yet to come. Being confident of this very thing, that He whom hat begun a good work in prophet TB Joshua and each one of us, will perform it until the coming of Jesus Christ.

Prof. R. A. Ipinyomi, University of Ilorin, Nigeria

The SCOAN not Merely a Growing Tourist Destination

The SCOAN

It is true that in recent years Prophet TB Joshua, the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, (SCOAN), Lagos Nigeria has attracted to his ministry Christian pilgrimage and tourist from around the world. The prophet has been unintentionally working on this, a global image he now has, within the last three decades. Nevertheless, he has been working with the less to do, the high and the low in the society, running international crusades, conducting weekly prophecy, healing, deliverance, etc. Hence under 30 years of his ministry, TB Joshua has become a major world-class Prophet of all time.

The main question and our concern are knowing which ministry best represents “Jesus Christ’s Expectation of Faith”. We all need to know what Jesus expects to find at His return. The apostles Jesus trained, left to continue His works after His ascension became our reference point, especially after they were baptized by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ represented and performed three functions in His earthly ministry. He was the Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:14-22), the Priest (Psalm 110:1-4), and the King (Psalm 2). He raised disciples who would become “Fishers of men”, people who could draw others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is not just the weekly crowds and the economic benefits to the local environment that are most paramount.

Our proper personal response in our relationship with Christ Jesus is what Paul calls “the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5, 16:26), or which SCOAN always encourages to new converts as “making the Word a standard for life”. The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ, the oral tradition of the early apostles, and the written Word, now become our essence. The community is interested in the crowds but within the teaching of SCOAN is the full Gospel of Jesus Christ in His ramifications.

The result of the work of Prophet TB Joshua and SCOAN, aired by Emmanuel TV, will become more visible when the disciples raised by this prophet move out to every corner of the globe preaching Christ and living in His obedience and holiness. In the world today we have academic preaching, Schools of Divinity where deep knowledge of Jesus Christ’s history and work are learned and taught. But (Acts 4:13) now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Being with Jesus in His teaching, living, preaching, and love is what we seem to be seeing in SCOAN. Hence those coming to see prophet TB Joshua of SCOAN are encouraged to come expecting to meet Jesus Who will use His prophets to meet their needs. Of course, SCOAN is a growing Christian tourist destination and shall remain so many years ahead.

Prof. R. A. Ipinyomi, University of Ilorin, Nigeria

TB JOSHUA PULLS CHINESE CROWD TO NIGERIA!

Christians from as far afield as China have trudged in their numbers to Nigeria in search of a ‘miracle’ through the ministry of Pastor T.B. Joshua.

Despite recent reports highlighting the suppression of Christianity in Communist China, it has not deterred large groups of Chinese citizens embarking on religious tourism to Joshua’s popular Lagos-based church named The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN).

On Sunday 25^thAugust 2019, in Joshua’s church service broadcast on Emmanuel TV – YouTube’s most watched Christian ministry network with over 500,000,000 individual views – more than 150 Asian worshippers can be seen in the midst of the multicultural crowd.

A Chinese citizen named Shou Qiang shared a public testimony that he was ‘delivered’ from a ‘suicidal spirit’ following Joshua’s prophecy and prayers.

Accompanied by his wife and young daughter, Qiang admitted he had almost committed suicide on three occasions prior to his visit to Nigeria but that after his ‘miracle’, he no longer nursed such ‘demonic’ tendencies.

“I feel very free and calm in my heart; I am totally delivered,”he divulged in his ‘testimony’ subsequently uploaded to YouTube, adding that he now intends to ‘share the good news’ with his fellow Chinese citizens.

Recent months have seen a spike in Chinese visitors to Nigeria for the purpose of pilgrimage to Joshua’s church, with groups equally arriving from Hong Kong, Vietnam, Korea and Singapore.

Tourism experts estimate religious tourism contributes over 3% of Nigeria’s GDP, and official figures

indicate visitors to The SCOAN account for 60% of foreigners entering the nation.

According to Wikipedia, the two nations have a rich history of bilateral relations and China is considered one of Nigeria’s most important trading and export partners.

Ihechukwu Njoku is a freelance Nigerian journalist

 

Why Does The Media Always Misrepresent TB Joshua?

Fake News Logo

Writing By Gordon Anderson

On Saturday 10thAugust 2019, I read a report in Zimbabwe’s Herald Newspaper alleging the Southern African nation’s Belgium-based football captain Knowledge Musona was set to undergo surgery for a nagging ankle injury that has dogged his career for several years. My attention was drawn because headlines were rife several months earlier of Musona’s public testimony in The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) in which he stated this ankle injury was healed after prayer at the well-known ministry of T.B. Joshua. Skeptics and cynics understandably capitalized on the news of his ‘impending operation’ to tout their adverse assertions about ‘miracles’ and paint Joshua’s ministry in a condescending light.

Merely hours later however, a fuming Musona took to his Twitter account to debunk the story, reaffirm his good health and decry the lies being unrepentantly peddled in the media. “I am not having ankle problems and I am not having an operation on my ankle! Please get your facts right first and stop writing false articles about me,” he angrily wrote to Robson Sharuko, the article’s author. However, reading between the lines, Knowledge was not the target of this flagrant falsehood – T.B. Joshua was. Musona’s story is just one of countless examples where the media have grossly misrepresented the cleric, choosing sensationalism over soundness, fiction over fact and bigotry over reality.

Last month, I saw a scandalous headline on Google News: ‘How Pastor TB Joshua Raped Me – Another Nigerian Woman Speaks’. The source was PM News, a Nigerian evening newspaper turned online outfit. A quick read revealed a clearly malicious attempt to drag Joshua’s name into the current quagmire of prominent pastors accused of sexual misconduct. The lady in question did not directly mention T.B. Joshua’s name and earlier articles suggested her sexual predator was actually a ‘prophet’ from the Celestial Church.

Merely hours later, PM News retracted their initial story and issued an apology, stating: “The reference to TB Joshua is regretted.” Shortly afterwards, the lady at the center of the scandal, Vicki Royce, tweeted: “Please media, stop accusing pastors. TB Joshua is NOT THE ONE!” She later admitted – after tales of her ‘running mad’ surfaced on social media – that she was ‘paid’ to formulate the story against the Nigerian cleric. But the ‘damage’ had been done. Casual observers glancing at headlines had already formulated ill-informed conclusions and multiple blogs had reposted the initial story with all defamatory details in place. Shortly afterwards, more Nigerian media jumped on the bandwagon to propagate wild claims of a lady named Bisola who made similarly brazen allegations – despite video evidence she previously apologized for her ‘lies’ against Joshua and admitted to mental instability.

Late in June, a work colleague sent me reports from Nigerian media – Premium Times and Sahara Reporters to be precise – that T.B. Joshua’s visit to Nazareth had been stopped due to the volume of local protests by religious figures. Despite this online furore and supposed protestations, I personally watched Joshua’s two-day revival at the Amphitheatre of Mount Precipice live on Emmanuel TV. The meetings were safe, successful and well-attended, receiving even favourable reportage in The New York Times and Reuters. The Nigerian media which trumpeted the apparent cancellation were conspicuously silent.

I equally recall the time media erroneously shouted T.B. Joshua’s name as one of those involved in the Panama Papers scandal that toppled heads of state and prominent figures worldwide. After all the ‘noise’, the exposé was itself exposed and the attendant racket simmered into insignificance. What about the horrific incident in which over 100 lives were lost during the collapse of a building at The SCOAN in September 2014? The media – especially in South Africa – quickly painted the cleric black, propagating a one-sided narrative that the structure was shoddily built and blithely ignoring the existential evidence of external interference. The case has been in court for five years and the legal quagmire drags on till date.

Examples validating this opinion literally abound – from Kenyan media linking Joshua to a gruesome murder case to Ghanaian media claiming he was ‘spiritually manipulating’ their elections to Zimbabwean media erroneously attributing to him prophetic messages he never uttered to UK media accusing him of contributing to those who died with HIV/AIDS after prayer despite no demonstrable link to the individuals involved. I once even heard that a Nigerian journalist at The National Mirror was sacked for writing a favourable report about The SCOAN, contrary to the biddings of his paymaster! But the question remains – what does the media have against the unusual enigma of T.B. Joshua? Why would they willfully engage in propagating or promoting defamatory or derogatory accounts? Why do reports presenting the positives appear so overwhelmingly underwhelming?

Despite his enormous reach and teeming supporters worldwide (records reveal he attracts sixty percent of foreign tourism to Nigeria), the truth is that Joshua still remains a mysterious, misunderstood, misrepresented figure. Even his clerical colleagues who’d you expect to rally around him amidst media attacks – including the likes of Enoch Adeboye, Matthew Ashimolowo and Paul Adefarasin – are among his fiercest detractors. Intriguingly, the cleric himself has chosen the ‘loud path’ of silence, unprovoked and unperturbed by the deluge of disparagements.

While I don’t really understand why Joshua is the subject of such media disdain, let me end by quoting a parable he once used himself in a sermon: “No matter how long a lie is sustained, the truth will someday prevail. No matter how fast a lie runs, the truth will someday overtake it.” I am personally convinced history will paint a truer picture of Joshua’s credibility and consistency, not the jaded pages of fading newspapers.

Gordon Anderson is a writer based in London, United Kingdom. He is an expert on African religious affairs and paid a visit to The SCOAN in 2013.