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Our findings indicate that in the Biblical record, people feasted before the Lord, whereby they ate and drank together, in token of their joy and gratitude to God for His goodness.⁶⁵ Solomon indicates that “a...feast is made for laughter” (Ecc.

10:19). According to Matthew, we must not let religion become a thing of melancholy, when its solemn services are solemn feasts.⁶⁶ In this sense, eating and drinking do not invalidate the sacredness of Christian Harvest Thanksgiving, provided this disposition does not jettison the approved Biblical standard for Christian living. It is like Agape feast, which the early Christians partook preceding the Lord‟s Supper (1. Cor. 11:20).

We confirmed that the above was the case in almost all Assemblies of God‟s parishes in Ogun State, especially those ones investigated, in which entertainment of people that participated in the Harvest Thanksgiving with food and drinks occurred.

This, as affirmed by some of our respondents, made the occasion to be one that most members usually look forward to have, for it made the church fulfill the role of not only being interested in meeting the spiritual needs of the members but also their physical need, especially during such occasion.

While it is true that the idea of feast commonly connotes a banquet with plenty of food, nonetheless, Elwel indicates that this element is not indispensable.⁶⁷

64 E. A. Walter. 1995. Baker encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapid: Baker House. 1: 783.

65 H. Matthew. 1998. Matthew Henry commentary. U.S.A: Hendricks Publishers. 5: 129.

66 H. Matthew. 1998. Matthew Henry commentary.

67 Walter. Baker encyclopedia of the Bible. 1: 783.

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And so, where the participants could not afford feasting, their inability does not in any way invalidate the effectiveness or acceptance of their Harvest Thanksgiving before God. This situation we observed was common with smaller parishes of Assemblies of God in Ogun State, unlike the bigger ones. The reason for this is obvious; the financial inability of such parishes deprived them of getting actively involved to such extent. However, like Elwel indicated above, our respondents affirmed that the inability of any parish to plan to such extent does not invalidate the divine acceptance of their Thanksgiving, for to them it is not this feeding aspect that is most essential but the spirit of gratitude to God demonstrated by the people concerned.

Equally, our respondents confirmed that, at times, the parish may not get involved to the point of feeding the members, regardless of the fact that its problem is not lack of fund to execute it to such extent. They indicated that where the pastor and his members decided to be frugal in spending or want to use their money for something lucrative and more essential; this may result in their taking to the policy of not feeding people during Harvest Thanksgiving. Furthermore, some of the respondents who participated in the FGD indicated that such policy occurred in their parishes, because their pastors and deacon boards decided not to place too much financial burden on them. Considering the fact that it is the members that ultimately foot the bills, through voluntary donations and levies whenever the Harvest Thanksgiving programme will take such a dimension.

3. Giving of gifts to God

Those who participate in Harvest Thanksgiving are to come to God with gift(s) in appreciation to Him for their success in life endeavour, protection, and preservation, and so on in the outgoing year. Our findings revealed that in the Old Testament, God explicitly indicates that none among the Israelites must appear before Him empty. According to Matthew:

They must not appear before God empty. Some freewill offering or other, they must bring, in token of their respect and gratitude to their great benefactor and as they were not allowed to come empty-handed, so we must not come to worship God empty-hearted. Our souls

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must be filled with grace, with pious and devout affections, holy desires towards Him, and dedication of ourselves to Him, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.⁶⁸

Our investigation confirmed the above in all AG‟s parishes investigated, where the „„giving to God‟‟ constituted an integral aspect of the Harvest Thanksgiving festival. It is equally important to indicate that while God‟s people are to bring their gifts during Harvest Thanksgiving, both the Bible and the works of several authors consulted teach that the quality of what should be brought is very fundamental. People are not to think that whatever they bring to God, in appreciation for what He has done for them, He is obliged to take it without questioning⁶⁹. According to Oboh, the exegetical appraisal of Mal. 1:6-8 indicates that the controversy in which God rebuked the priests of Israel is that they were bringing whatever they liked to Him as offering or sacrifice, and God interpreted their action as dishonour to Him. Hence, God deserves the best and not what dishonours Him.⁷⁰ Equally, it is not the size of what is brought that matters, the heart (motive) with which one does the presentation is crucial and most important. This is because God judges the motive with which one does whatever is done. Deut. 17:1.

We also gathered through our investigation that as much as one knows that God delights in what is given during Harvest thanksgiving, the principles that govern right giving must equally be observed in order to be passed for appropriate moral consideration. Respondents and previous research consulted gave five of such principles: One, what is offered must be pure. That is, God does not expect one to bring his/her gifts from wrong source, such as stealing, embezzlement, and so on.

Two, it should be the best one can afford. In other words, it should proceed from the deepest mood of appreciation that is not withholding the capacity with which one has been blessed. Third, it should be as God has prospered one. As a result of that, God does not expect unhealthy competition during the giving. People are not equally blessed, especially in terms of material possession. As such, what one gives must be determined by the capacity within which one has been blessed by God. This agrees

68 Matthew. Matthew Henry commentary. 5: 129.

69 Oboh. Discover the secret of divine prosperity. 103.

70 Oboh. Discover the secret of divine prosperity.

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with Jesus‟ evaluation of the widow who gave her mite, but was adjudged as giving the best beyond the rich that gave more than her mite. She gave her all, but the rich gave their some; hence, the widow was regarded as giving the best among all (Lk.

21:1-4).

Furthermore, the motive with which one gives should be right. It should be borne of the willingness to appreciate God or show gratitude to him for the blessing he gave. This rule out the issue of stunt, or unhealthy competition in one‟s disposition. The issue is to impress God, who judges the motive with which an action is performed. It should not be to please men, so that one does not become a men pleaser.

Lastly, it should be given cheerfully, not grudgingly. The joy that one is giving to God, who in His providence has benefitted one, should be demonstrated in the process. This makes the person concerned not to have a feeling of loss or regret through giving the best to God. We were involved in empirical study, to ascertain the extent at which AG‟s pastors in the parishes investigated allowed the above enumerated principles to guide their activities and those of their members during Harvest Thanksgiving, and our findings are documented under the discussions of the data analysis.