Miracle money and Bishop Chikosi’s misplaced wealth transfer doctrine

Opinion by Howard Tundu (Preacher of Jesus Christ’s Gospel)

This article is written in response to Bishop Dave Chikosi’s support of Miracle money wealth transfer in his post “Miracle money and monetary systems are not strange bedfellows”.

In my previous article, “Miracle money or Devil’s work” I tried to educate the readers that they should be careful not to simply accept things that mysteriously appear as in miracle money they find in their pockets, handbags and bank accounts.

I also pointed out that if this money was being taken from somewhere to mean wealth transfer then it could not be the work of God since the ways of God in the Bible were clearly open throughout the Bible. I would comment on certain scriptures that Bishop Chikosi used to support the Wealth transfer issue:

Bishop Chikosi wrote, “But what is happening with miracle money, dear friends, is what I have coined (no pun intended) “divine income redistribution.” This is based on a promise that God made to His people in the Old Testament (and by extension His people in the New Testament): I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name (Isaiah 45:3).”

Now let us understand this scripture that the bishop used to support the unbiblical money transfer issue. We should read the whole portion from Isaiah and see that God was specifically talking to a heathen king of Persia Cyrus who would later be used by God to defeat Babylonian Kings and in the process free the Jewish captives in Babylon. He would, in the process, plunder their kingdoms and wealth.

It was very much believed in those days that such kings had great wealth and riches and some of it buried under ground and in very secret places and Cyrus was going to possess these treasures of darkness and hoards in secret places.

It was going to happen openly. If one is to apply this in the New Covenant set up, we may see an example where God calls people to go and preach the gospel, bring the treasured souls to the Kingdom as a possession openly, or rather as we bring people to the Kingdom they also come with their riches and wealth to be used to advance the Gospel. This could be a sound application of the scripture other than the already literally fulfilled prophecy of Isaiah 45.

The bishop also quoted the following scripture, “To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God (Eccl 2:26).” To understand this, one should understand the Old Testament context that their set up required that God would actually help them win battles and get the loot.

Even sometimes when His loved ones the Israelites sinned God would cause even sinful kingdoms to defeat them and also take the possessions from His people. The New Testament set up is different in that it is a time when grace and salvation is being extended to the sinners. Jesus said He has come for the sinners to bring them to repentance.

It is not a time of ultimate judgment but grace where everyone can be saved. Our God in Matthew 5 says He provides rain to all even to sinners like witches because God’s bigger picture is repentance followed by salvation for now. It will be silly for Christians to think they will lazy around because God will give them what sinners are accumulating.

Having said this, I want to say here that in the New Covenant set up, if someone sins or is living a sinful life, God’s protection can momentarily be removed as in falling from grace hence the enemy can attack and steal the blessing that God gave. Remember the Bible in John 10:10 says Satan came to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came to give life in abundance.

People should understand the context of the Old Testament and see that the principles of the New Covenant are based on different principles according to Hebrews 8. Yes in this life God can promote or cause demotion where other people would not fit in His purpose but God being a God of order does things openly.

If He wanted to give an obedient child a job, I agree that a sinful and disobedient child can be chastised by maybe having challenges with employers leading to him/her being fired hence opening the door for someone else. I want to be quick to highlight here that even that disobedient or sinful person is still in the God’s bigger purpose of salvation and restoration can take place later.

The other examples where the children of Israel were given material possessions when they left Egypt could not be a valid argument to support mysterious money appearing today since these things in the Bible were done openly with Egyptians giving on their own. [Exo. 7-12, 14; c/p. Exo. 12:36].

In the case of Four lepers and the army of Syria: God caused the army of Syria to hear a noise of horses, chariots and a great host, which caused the army to flee and leave behind enough wealth to bring Israel out of famine and an economic depression in one day [2 Kings 7] and many other similar cases it was an issue of open support and conquest to possess.

Now the Old Testament set up was based on occupation of earthly Kingdoms and possessing the land that was promised together with all the riches of the Promised Land. The New Testament is for an internal inheritance that we are working for by His Grace.

For now as long as we wait for the coming of Jesus Christ we have to preach the gospel, tell sinners that Jesus loves them and He will receive them if they will repent to enjoy a better life to come. Like Paul and other ministers those days, we preach and encourage people to persevere in faith and work for a living whilst also enlightening them that God will bless the works of their hands and cause them to have enough to live this life fulfilling their God given assignments.

I would warn once more that failure to apply the context of the Old Testament set up will mostly lead to a religious spirit setting in and people being deceived. In those days people relied on Prophets, Kings and Priests to link with God. The New Testament now is Jesus is the only mediator everyone can now talk to God directly and have a personal relationship with Him.

Ministers, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers have been given to mature believers so that all can achieve mature faith and at most become equal in Him in maturity. These ministers are not given to be glorified by men. They are not given to be mediators but to be servants of God and of the believers:-

2Corinthians 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

4:11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

4:12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

To the ministers of God, I say this is the time to seek God. It is possible that even the elect could be deceived according to the promise of scriptures. Demonic spirits can inspire people to cause rain to fall down, to heal or subdue lower level demons but the Spirit of God will call people to Jesus Christ and if healings and miracles they are given in the love and compassion of God to back up the gospel in its totality.

Do not envy miracles but seek God and if miracles happen they will come from Him alone. I have seen much activity of the devil in the spirit realm but God wants His church to remain alert. The true revival has been building up and preachers who stand on the rock of Ages (Jesus Christ) have been prepared to tell the message of the Kingdom of God.

They might come with signs and wonders yes but you will see that their emphasis will be to make it to eternity and live lives given to God. They will impact much in the area of doctrine for the devil has taken advantage that people have failed to understand the true New Covenant of salvation.

As for Bishop Chikosi, this is not to attack him but to help each other in these times. He wrote quite well in another article about five fold ministries where he touched on Apostles and Prophets but let it be known that the devil counterfeits all these ministries to draw multitudes to himself or to men, not to God.