Pastor Adeboye apologizes over previous statement on tithe

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has publicly apologized for a past remark claiming that believers who fail to pay tithes would not make it to heaven.

While addressing the congregation during the ongoing annual national youth convention at the RCCG Redemption City, Pastor Adeboye expressed regret over the statement.

He said, “I am going to be talking to everybody as soon as God permits me, and I am going to apologize for making a mistake by saying that if you don’t pay tithe, you will not be making it to heaven. That is wrong.”

Clarifying his position, he added, “That is not in the Bible. What the Bible says is to make peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see God. What the Bible says is, to follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man will make heaven.”

Pastor Adeboye explained that it is possible to be both right and wrong at the same time, citing an example: “For years, we taught that light travels in a straight line. Later, we said it travels in waves.”

During his message, he also shared a personal experience from one of Kenneth E. Hagin’s ministry conventions in Tulsa, USA. He recalled how a participant made a significant promise during a fundraising effort for the Rhema Bible College, where attendees had contributed around 3.5 million dollars. The man pledged to out-give everyone, having started his business with just 500 dollars and later seeing it grow to a 50 million dollar turnover. The story, Adeboye noted, had inspired him to give generously to God’s work.

“If you want to dominate, you must know how to praise God violently,” Pastor Adeboye continued. “David wasn’t the first in his family and was not even recognized, but he knew how to praise God with all his might, not gently but violently.”

He lamented that as Christians grow in faith, their praise tends to become more reserved. “When we are much younger in the Lord, we praise God freely. As we begin to grow, our praise becomes gentle, more civilized, and more polite. David, even after becoming king, danced so vigorously that even his wife mocked him.”

Pastor Adeboye also emphasized the power of giving, pointing to King Solomon’s generous offerings to God. “King Solomon gave thousands of burnt offerings to God, and in return, God granted him peace on all fronts, declaring that no king before or after him would match his reign.”