After the widely publicized story of Nigerian Pastor TB Joshua returning an elderly woman’s tithe, another video has surfaced showing the cleric’s unique action was not an isolated one.
"On 5th June, my wife died,” Ezekiel Ayodeji from Ondo State, Nigeria, lamented, three young children standing beside him. He was shoddily dressed, clearly malnourished and physically challenged – one of his legs being almost half the size of the other.
"One week later to that time, the shop where I was selling electrical parts burnt down completely in a fire,” he painfully continued, the congregation at The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) listening solemnly.
“When this problem arose, my landlord gave me a quit notice. They then sent my children out of the school. I am suffering; I don’t have food.”
Pastor T.B. Joshua paused sombrely before addressing the church. “These are the people that make your money useless… Money becomes a curse when we are not spending it on the needy.” He then announced he would give Ezekiel N300,000 coupled with six bags of rice and the promise of scholarships for his three children.
The clip posted by Emmanuel TV’s YouTube channel fast-forwards one week to show the same man sharing his ‘testimony’.
“After the man of God gave me the money, the first thing I did was to go to my church in Akure and paid tithe to my pastor – N30,000,” he recounted.
“I then paid off my debts. With the remaining money, I bought a plot of land worth N150,000. I am here to thank God!”
Joshua then released a bombshell. “Well, I disagree with the pastor that collected N30,000,” he said, much to the surprise of the crowd.
“I am going to return that money back to you because there are many areas you can render your service to the ministry but financially, you are not strong.”
The cleric went on to explain, “He will still pay tithes but not now – he should invest the money and start something. When he starts something, he can begin to pay tithe.”
Joshua instructed that N30,000 be returned to Ezekiel, further advising him to backtrack on his decision to purchase land, stating the time had not come for such measures.
The clip ended with Joshua presenting a brand new car to Ayodeji, purchased by an Emmanuel TV partner and specifically adjusted to enable him to drive despite his physical disability.
“I never expected this at all,” Ezekiel shouted. “I thank God – I am now the owner of a car!”
Ihechukwu Njoku, a freelance journalist, wrote from Lagos, Nigeria
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