First Fruits offering dey Biblical or na arrangee to collect from Church members?

As di month of January dey end, for some churches, na di time to give first fruits offering.

While first fruits offering dey di old testament of di Bible, how to apply am dey generate some debate as some Christians believe say na sometin dem gatz do while odas see am as a form of exploitation to collect money from church pipo.

While some dey give all dia salary for di month of January as dia first fruits, odas dey give a portion of dia income while some dey give di first increment wey dem get if dem get promotion wey come with increase in dia income or salary.

First fruits offering don stand di test of time. From di first harvests of di Israelites to di financial giving of today, first fruits offering get deep biblical roots.

Yet pipo get many kwesions about dis concept with questions like how much pesin suppose give as first fruit ans how di practice dey shape our financial practices today.

Rev Nkem Osuigwe, lead pastor for Faith Baptist Church Port Harcourt explain say first fruits come from di agricultural economy wey bin dey for old testament of di bible wey be say di Israelites go bring di first produce from dia farm or dia animals offer am to God to appreciate and honour am and to dedicate di rest of dia produce or animals to God.

E explain say di items wey fall inside tins dem dey offer as first fruit include corn, wine, oil and fleece.

Di significance of dis offering according to Rev Osuigwe na say:

Di context of first fruit dey based on agricultural economy as e dey for Exodus 23:19 wey say "...bring di best of di land."

So di mainly farmers and herders dat time go bring di very first produce of dia farm or animals to God.

How to pay di first fruits?

While some Churches dey hold special services for di first fruit offerings, for odas na di members go indicate am for dia giving.

Dr Osuigwe wey also be di National Chairman of di Pastors Fellowship of di Nigerian Baptist Convention say, "di contemporary believer fit give im first fruit by way of im first salary [wen e start work] and annually by giving di first fruit of im salary increment as a mark of gratitude to God and to dedicate di rest of im earnings for di year to God."

Dis e say na becos for di Old testament times, dem dey give dia first fruits annually - as you plant evri year you give di first fruit, di following year wey you plant you also give di first fruit as Proverbs 3:9 wey say "honour di Lord with all your substance and with di first fruit of your increase."

To apply dat principle, e say for a worker wey receive increment for im salary for January, na mark of honour to give God dat first increment on top di salary as first fruit. Dat na di fruit of your increase and you pay your tithe from your regular salary."

E observe say many pipo wey dey oppose first fruit offering dey do so becos dem think say di Pastors or churches wey dey emphasize am dey look for money as dem dey greedy.