IT IS UNSCRIPTURAL FOR GOD TO BLESS YOU AND YOU SHUT YOUR BOWELS OF COMPASSION FROM YOUR FAMILY.
ANY CULTURE WHERE MONEY IS VALUED ABOVE SATISFYING PEOPLE YOU ARE SERVICING WILL CRUMBLE YOU.
MANY PEOPLE DON’T WAIT TO ATTAIN A LEVEL OF STRENGTH BEFORE JUMPING INTO RESPONSIBILITIES.
IT TAKES FINANCIAL MATURITY TO REMAIN A GIVER.
YOU ARE GOING TO BE VERY POOR IF YOUR FINANCE IS BUILT ON EMOTIONS.
IT IS MORE REWARDING WHEN WE GIVE THAN WHEN WE RECEIVE.
– Apostle Femi Lazarus on ‘BLACK TAX’ at Black Tax Sunday Service SLC Global 19th November, 2023 || PART A
We have a very ‘very’ interesting subject to discuss this morning. I’ve prayed and I’ve asked God to help me (Amen!)…and I feel this subject matter needs to be discussed. So I am going to be….let me share the big picture. This series is not just the series about family, relationship for the fond of it. It’s about culture overhauling. God has a bigger agenda and we are going to be wasting our time if we don’t begin from the family. Once we have this mindset established then we export it from that system to our Nation – things will shift.
There is fire on the mountain! Infact, we are new in Abuja but I’ve discovered that Abuja is not better than anywhere else – it’s the same culture. Go to Ghana, the same thing. Travel anywhere in Africa, it is the same thinking.
So we were going to buy a shoe from a store – you (pointing to the person) went to get it and it was not my size. We say “change the shoe or if you don’t have this specific one that is my size, return the money so we can buy somewhere else” and they said “we have a company policy, we don’t refund money in this company.” I wanted to see the owner because that will be me looking at a rich guy who is about to become poor.
Any culture where money is valued above satisfying people you are servicing, you will crumble. It’s just a matter of when. So God is addressing cultural beliefs. He is addressing things. Sometimes people are excited when the pendulum is not swinging their direction but you have to understand that God is also interested in dealing with you.
So there is a very serious issue and we need to discuss it in Church because that’s where balance exists.
The issue is that ‘anything that is a matter that we fail to discuss, those who are not balanced will take it up and they will give their own false narrative and that narrative becomes our narrative and everybody will run with it as if that it’s all that exists.’
So we are going to be dealing with the subject of “BLACK TAX”. I’m not teaching taxation. This is not economics class nor accounting.
In a moment, I’ll tell you what this is but I want us to…or let me first tell you what it is then we check a few scriptures. Is that okay?
Black tax refers to financial burdens or responsibilities (please you will want to write that down). Now, this matter that I am dealing with is a very deep one so don’t look at it on the surface, write because we are going to step into different areas (that you know!)…and by the way, I want to welcome all our people from Kano that are connected with us this morning.
It’s so good to have you on board. Thank you, (it’s) good to have you connected with the family.
We have Sphere of Light Church, Lagos connected with us this morning. We have Abeokuta Church connected with us this morning and we have Sphere of Light Church, Ile-Ife connected with us this morning. “Abuja guys are not clapping for you guys because they are seeing me here.”
They say “we are not watching him on screen today, thank God.” Alright! Ibadan is not connected. They are big boys so they are having their own Service.
So, black tax refers to financial burdens or responsibilities borne by those who have attained a level of success in the family. So it is called black tax because it is an African thing whether African, American or whatever and I am going to show you why. It’s an African thing.
Black tax refers to financial burdens or responsibilities borne by those who have attained a level of success in the family who provides support to less financially matured or secured family members. But unfortunately, black tax can be a crab culture – I’m going to explain what that means.
So, there is a concept. It’s a culture exhibited by crabs. If you want to cage crabs, you don’t have to cover anything you are putting them in – just put more than one. The other one will never allow the one who is trying to climb, climb out.
So what’s happening is that somebody is trying to break free financially and become at least the first of a kind in the family who we can say broke free but the taxes, the responsibilities, the people and at the end of the day if there is no wisdom, everybody will remain at the same level.
Generosity is a very ‘very’ important subject. It is very important and it is scriptural and that’s where I am going to start from. “He that gives to the poor,” the Bible says “lends to God whether poor on the street or poor in the family” and when you do that, the Bible says “you are lending to God.” Proverbs 19:17.
‘Proverbs is in the Old Testament. If you are in the New, you have not been reading your Bible for long and I will need to get you baptized this morning.’ I want to show you another translation that brings this home more. “Being kind to the poor is lending to the Lord, He will reward you for what you have done (New Century Version)”. Message translation says “mercy to the needy is a loan to God and God pays back those loans in full” – very powerful. God wants us to give.
Say with me “God wants us to give, He wants us to be givers, He wants us to take care of the poor.” (Very important) God wants us to give.
Infact, it is more rewarding when we give than when we receive. So that’s the balance. Giving is scriptural. It is unscriptural for God to bless you and you shut your bowels of compassion from your family – it is unscriptural. The Bible says that “a man that cannot provide for his household is worse than an infidel.” So, (listen) I’m trying to give you a balance before I start.
As God lifts you, changes your level, you must be interested in flowing out. You must be interested in being a succour – you must understand that. That through your life because of your existence, the level of struggle and hardship in the family will be at least minimized (very important). So what is lacking in most cases is the wisdom and the balance to go about this. If not we are going to have the crab system.
Let me give you an illustration. One day some set of people went to the swimming pool to swim and the biggest guy there has been boasting inside the car. “When I get to the swimming pool (I mean ‘I dey swim’) I’m like fish, I can swim.” He said “I’ve swam one kilometer so when I get there (how many feet deep is swimming pool?)” They said “ah, go Johnny, go Johnny, go”. He got there, removed his shirt (and) jumped inside the water. They just started seeing bubbles, they were not seeing him. “Where is this guy?” So another guy jumped in to save him. Unfortunately for the guy that jumped in to save him, he was not as big as the person he was trying to save.
So the moment he tried to lift that person, out of panic that one held him down. It took more than 4 lifeguards to come and then bring the both of them (out) if not both the saviour and the person they are trying to save would have drowned. What is happening is that people don’t wait to attain a level of strength before they jump into responsibilities and they die there. That’s what happens.
They fail to understand that it takes maturity financially to remain a giver. If your finance is built on emotions, you are going to be very poor because in this life ‘problem nor dey finish’ – it can’t finish.
#ApostleFemiLazarus
#BlackTaxSundayService
#SLCGlobal
