1. God has spoken clearly: what is consecrated belongs to Him… and has a precise destination
In the Bible, God has never left the use of what is offered to Him unclear.
Tithes and offerings are neither private funds, nor a disguised salary, nor a tool for social advancement for religious leaders.
The Torah is explicit:
“The Levite, who has no other portion or possession with you, and the sojourner as well as the orphan and the widow who are within your gates, shall approach and eat and be satisfied, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the works of your hands which you shall do.” (Deuteronomy 14:29)
Here, God clearly identifies four beneficiaries, including the foreigner — the ger — the resident alien, vulnerable and without protection, the equivalent of today’s refugee.
To divert the tithe from these beneficiaries is to divert what God Himself has explicitly assigned; it is open disobedience to God.
2. The problem is not money, but its diversion
The Bible does not condemn the existence of resources.
It condemns their unjust use.
God issues a severe warning:
“If a man will afflict God, then you greatly afflict me. And you have said, « In what way, do we afflict you? » In tithes and in first-fruits.” (Malachi 3:8)
This passage is often used to pressure believers into giving more.
But the context reveals something else:
God’s rebuke is not aimed at those who give little, but at those who mismanage what has been given.
Yet robbing God does not consist only in failing to give, but also in misusing what has been given.
When money intended
for the foreigner,
for the poor,
for the refugee
is diverted to religious luxury,
God is robbed twice:
in intention and in execution.
For a few verses later, God clarifies His expectation:
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, and let there be food in my house…” (Malachi 3:10)
Scripture goes even further:
it affirms that God rejects offerings that are not accompanied by justice.
“I hate and have rejected your feasts; and I will not accept the odor from your gatherings.
For if you offer me holocausts and your gifts, I will not receive them; and I will not look upon the vows of your fatness.
Take away from me the tumult of your songs, and I will not listen to the canticles of your lyre.
And judgment will be revealed like water, and justice like a mighty torrent.” (Amos 5:21–24)
This text is a direct condemnation
of active worship,
of abundant sacrifices,
emptied of compassion.
3. The modern scandal: when “servants of God” serve themselves
Today, in many churches,
the tithe is demanded, sometimes under spiritual pressure,
presented as a key to blessing,
associated with fear, curses, or promises of prosperity.
But where does this money really go?
In far too many cases:
it is used to enrich self-proclaimed pastors, apostles, or prophets;
it finances villas, luxury cars, and lifestyles inaccessible to ordinary believers;
it feeds a religious hierarchy disconnected from real human suffering.
Meanwhile:
refugees sleep in insecurity, widows are abandoned, foreigners are ignored.
Biblically speaking, this is a sacrilegious diversion.
“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you consume the houses of widows, praying long prayers. Because of this, you shall receive the greater judgment.” (Matthew 23:14)
Jesus is not addressing pagans here,
but religious leaders.
4. Jesus explicitly identifies Himself with the foreigner
Jesus removes all possible ambiguity.
“I was a stranger, and you took me in… I say to you, whenever you did this for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did it for me.” (Matthew 25:35–40)
The implication is serious:
To divert money intended for the foreigner is to divert what was meant for Christ Himself.
To refuse the refugee
is to refuse the Lord.
5. Jesus confirms and radicalizes this denunciation
Jesus never attacked the poor.
He attacked religious leaders who exploited faith.
“Beware of scribes… who devour the houses of widows under the pretense of long prayers. These shall receive the more extensive judgment.” (Mark 12:38 — 40)
This verse is crucial.
It shows that religious diversion already existed,
and that God considers it a moral crime.
And Jesus goes even further:
“Whenever you did this for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did it for me.” (Matthew 25:40)
To divert money meant for refugees is to strip Christ Himself.
6. The historical paradox: States are the ones financing refugees
Here is an uncomfortable fact.
Today, large-scale assistance to refugees is not financed by churches, but by States.
By way of indication (recent figures, orders of magnitude):
The United States contributes more than one billion dollars per year to refugee programs.
Germany, Sweden, France, Norway, Japan, and the European Union contribute hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
These funds finance:
food,
shelter,
medical care,
clean water,
education,
legal protection.
Thus, secular governments — not religious institutions — are concretely carrying out what God commanded millennia ago.
7. And the churches?
Overall:
their global financial contribution to major refugee crises is low or marginal;
their funds are largely absorbed by:
internal operations,
buildings,
and leadership.
A notable exception:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands out for:
real humanitarian assistance,
structured involvement,
and identifiable contributions to refugees.
Yet even this contribution remains minimal on a global scale compared to the billions injected by States.
8. The biblical verdict is unequivocal
God is not impressed by religious titles.
“Since this people have drawn near to me only with their mouth, and their lips glorify me while their heart is far from me, and their fear of me is based on the commandments and doctrines of men…” (Isaiah 29:13–14)
A faith that accumulates but does not help the foreigner
is a faith out of tune with God.
Conclusion: a scandal against God, not merely against humanity
The scandal is not that churches lack money.
The scandal is that money given to God does not go where God has commanded.
When States do what the Church should be doing,
when governments protect the foreigner while those who claim to be “servants of God” enrich themselves,
the problem is no longer political;
it is spiritual and prophetic.
“I will reveal to you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires from you, and how to act with judgment, and to love mercy, and to walk carefully with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
Everything else is empty religion.
Apostle Dr. Jean-Claude SINDAYIGAYA