The Bereans

Predators on the pulpit – Part 1: “Covering the nakedness”

2010-09-30T22:54:00.003+02:00

Early 2008, the news came as a shock for most of us when Senator John Edwards publicly owned up to fathering baby Frances Hunter. After many months of denial, Sen. Edwards finally admitted having an affair with Rielle Hunter, a staff member of his campaign team to the White House. The confession didn’t come after some deep introspection on his part but rather after the media uncovered and exposed the lies the world were previously told.

When Hunter became pregnant, Sen. Edwards persuaded a loyal close associate, Andrew Young, to claim he was the father. Shortly afterwards, Young put his own life on hold and went into hiding with his wife, their three children – and Hunter.

Let’s imagine for a moment Young was a spiritual son of Sen. Edwards, according to the lexicon used by the current church mainstream, that stupid stunt would have been lauded and justified as an act of “covering the nakedness” of his “dad”.

As a matter of fact, blind loyalty is what’s expected from spiritual sons and daughters. When a spiritual son happens to witness his dad in a sinful act, he needs to treat the incident as a divine test of his own loyalty and must promptly cover dad’s nakedness. As the teaching goes, the most Holy God is able to overlook outright lies of spiritual sons and the deception of their dads if they are committed in an attempt to cover a spiritual dad’s nakedness.

If you think this is some farfetched fiction or perhaps a figment of my imagination, keep on reading.

I’m writing this article in the wake of Bishop Eddie Long alleged sexual scandal. Bishop Long pastors a 25,000 membership church and is considered to be a spiritual father to many spiritual sons. So far, four of his close sons have sued him for coercing them into sexual acts. As the lawsuits hit the courts, CNN announced them on breaking news and media frenzy ensued.

Not only the lawsuits describe in graphic details the sexual claims, they also state that the leadership of the New Birth church knew about the Bishop’s alleged double life but covered his nakedness. On the onset of disease, a medical doctor can predict the stages of symptoms. Likewise, some of us who have been there, seen that and got the T-shirt knew exactly what would happen next.

I came across the spiritual jargon of covering one’s father nakedness in my last church. Renowned ministers endorsed it and proofed texted it with scriptures. When those of us who rebelled later found out that the pastor has been having affairs, we were astounded to hear that his immoral life was just an open secret to his spiritual sons. The matter was treated as a gossip or spiritual warfare to the rest of the church, as mere allegations to the outside world or just as propaganda blamed on us, the defectors.

Of course, the pastor denied our reports, turned to his church for sympathy and reacted by teaching to his devotees a crash course on loyalty. Those who covered his nakedness were promoted in ministry. Some faithful sons have now their own churches, teaching, I’m sure, the principle of “covering the nakedness”.

Bishop Long hired attorneys who released on his behalf a statement of denial. Last Sunday, the bishop convened his loyal parishioners and announced to his compassionate audience that he was at the center of a spiritual warfare. The bishop likened himself to David with only five stones against the giant Goliath. But who exactly is Goliath in this story?

The “Goliaths” are four males in their early twenties who are accusing bishop “David” of coercing them into sex when they were in their teens. They are still referring to the bishop as daddy, although one of them on a recent TV interview portrays him as a monster and a predator.

Conversely, David in this case is the owner of a multi-million dollars church empire, lives in a mansion and drives a convertible Bentley in his leisure time, wears bling-bling and tailored suits, flies private jet, has an entourage of bodyguards and assistants and entertains politicians and celebrities. Compared to David, the “Goliaths” really look like grasshoppers waiting to be crushed under the huge foot of a giant.

Christians have called for prayers for the bishop, 20 pastors in the Atlanta area will be gathering every Tuesdays to pray for the bishop. Bishop “David” is on the pole position while the “Goliaths” are running for cover. Only the media still mentions the Goliaths by name. For the bishop and the rest of the church, they represent a disgrace that shouldn’t be even called by name. They are rebels, Judases, ungrateful sons, disloyal and cursed.

Bishop Long is not just a father to spiritual sons; he also has spiritual fathers. It has been reported that he was a spiritual son to the late Bishop Earl Paulk, alongside with Bishops Ted Haggard and Carlton Pearson, to name just a few. Bishop Paulk had himself a sex scandal of his own when a court ordered DNA test proved that he was not as reported the uncle of his senior pastor, Donnie Earl Paulk, but rather his biological father. Bishop Paulk had in fact fathered Donnie with his sister-in-law. Curiously, most megachurches bishops have opted to keep a low media profile in the Long saga, at the exception of Ted Haggard. In 2009, Haggard also admitted of a relationship with a male prostitute and of using drugs.

One can only wonder how much nakedness of his father bishop Long and the other spiritual sons had to witness and cover.

Whatever the outcome of the pending court case, I applaud the courage of the “Goliaths” against the giant mighty “David”. Goliath’s head will be cut off. The church will sing about David’s prowess and his audacity to confront the giant. Sin will prevail. The loyal spiritual sons will perpetuate the legend and will become anointed predators on their own rights. And the Holy God will absolve them of any wrong doing for the sake of “covering the nakedness” of their dads. Halleluiah!

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. - Blaise Pascal

Truth and Lies

2010-08-01T13:59:00.001+02:00

Following my last posting on this blog, I lost my impetus for militancy against spiritual abuses. Once I glanced at the bigger picture, I realized that selfish men have tarnished the beauty of Christ. The ravages of their egoistical minds were overwhelming. It is a daunting task that will take a divine hand to repair. I pulled away in despair…

I ignored calls from friends who wanted to know why I stop writing. Who am I, I thought, to even attempt to challenge this mutant virus that eats away even the love of Christ amongst us? The wicked seem to prosper by extorting the poor and the ignorant, in the name of God. Fortunately, some voices of those victimized and abused in the name of Christ are beginning to be heard but not yet loud enough.

Last week a single event shook me to the core and I decided to come out of mutism and to resume my writings. The editor of a magazine in France initiated a petition to stop the abuse on children, mainly in Central Africa, who are accused of witchcraft. These kids, some even younger than 3 years old, are disowned by their parents and left to fend on their own on the street, after being accused of practicing sorcery.

When I inquired from the reporter what would make a mother to ostracize her own baby, he told me, to my horror, that they were simply heeding the voice of God relayed by pastors and prophets. When hard luck hit a family, parents run to men of God for answers only to be told that their own children are possessed with the devil. These poor kids are then put into violent rituals to exorcise the evil spirit. Those who fail to pass the test – comprising of fasting, sleep deprivation, beating and burning - are paraded on the street and are forced to confess that they are sorcerers. For fear of “contagion”, the communities will then force out from among them these evil beings.

Needless to say that I signed the petition… That reporter is putting together a documentary that will expose these practices of “men of God” and asked for my contribution.

A dear friend of mine recently also shared with me the findings of a TV documentary which exposed similar practices in South Africa. In an attempt to justify these horrors, many point out to the manifest works of the devil in their communities. Since people expect God to explain misfortunes by speaking through some prophets - whose words are then equated to the very same word of God - why doubt His voice? Believers are taught in church that faith – blind faith – is God’s prerequisite to find favor on His sight.

Should we now use reason to argue for faith, risking to be branded rebels or backsliders by fellow Christians? Or perhaps we should just choose irrationality over rationality, and justify the bizarre with articles of faith.

“A growing number of people are now leaving the institutionalized church for a new reason. They are not leaving because they have lost their faith. They are leaving to preserve their faith… The problem is that when people come to church, expecting to find God, they often encounter a religious club holding a meeting where God is conspicuously absent.” Reggie McNeal – The Present Future

Whatever happened to our faith in Christ? We have a system founded on a truth and lies. The truth of the gospel of Christ has been corrupted with lies of mere men. We have consented to a system which enrich only a very few at the expense of many. The charismatic and evangelical movements have become a melting pot of religious faith, superstition and magical thinking. All of these are foreign elements to the tenets of the Christian faith.

Perhaps, all of these are just a matter of self-deception? Homo vult decipi; decipiatur. Man wishes to be deceived; deceive him.

We are misleading ourselves to accept as true what is false or a plain lie, in a vain attempt to justify our beliefs. Our desire to see favorable results where none exists is mind-blogging. Our need to believe and gullibility make us to tolerate all kinds of half-truths, hyperbole, selective reporting and outright lies.

Man’s capacity for self-delusion is infinite. Dr. Elie A. Shneour

Judgment has come!

2010-01-03T11:18:00.005+02:00

Last year, I broke away from church as I knew it or as I thought it was. When I finally regrouped, I began a slow journey back to God. My first steps were like on a shallow ground until I discovered that the truth is really a very narrow path. If it was just a straight line, I would have moved much faster. But I quickly discovered that the road to God is a meander through my soul, my set of beliefs, my notion of faith and my image of God. I have not yet reached my destination nor do I even know what to expect when I get there.

Trust! I’m learning afresh to trust in God. Trusting and resting in Him seem to be all He’s requiring of me: one step at a time, morning after morning, night after night. He is not rushing me though. In the process, I’m loosing the set of routine I was told to observe if I had to be a successful Christian. It has been weeks since I paced the floor of my house “praying” in tongues, chanting in the spirit or confessing scriptures as I used to do. Based on the standard of the church I left behind, I’m no longer a prayerful person. Yet, I hear His voice now and then in the stillness of my soul and He graciously answers my silent prayers.

For the sake of the multitude of believers who are breaking away with church, I began to journal my findings on this blog. About four months ago, the Lord moved me to write a word of warning to the persecutors of His sheep (click here to read). This morning again, the same phenomenon occurred to me.

For 2010, prophets of God are prophesying bliss and prosperity for the faithful. However, I heard His voice this morning in the words of Jeremiah (Jer. 14:13-15):

“Then I said: "Ah, Lord GOD, behold, the prophets say to them, 'You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.'"
And the LORD said to me: "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.
Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, 'Sword and famine shall not come upon this land': By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed.”

Then again, He led me to the book of Malachi. The prophet Malachi wrote a message of judgment to a corrupt priesthood, filled with evil practices and a false sense of security in their anointing to serve. Though they have rebuilt the temple, the times of prosperity had not come. Famine and drought was the portion of the people. Yet, these priests kept on treating God with dishonour and great contempt.

"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, 'How have we despised your name?' - Mal 1:6 –

The priests elevated their offices above the name of God. They profaned the name of God and defiled His table. The judgment of God against them was pronounced as follow:
"I'm going to punish your descendants. I'm going to spread excrement on your faces, the excrement from your festival sacrifices. You will be discarded with it.” - Mal 2:3

The priesthood became synonymous with divorce, arrogance, adultery, perjury and oppression of the poor. And God said:
"I will come to judge you. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers, lying witnesses, and those who cheat workers out of their wages and oppress widows and orphans. I will also testify against those who deprive foreigners of their rights. None of them fear me," says the LORD of Armies.” - Mal 3:5

The priests invented new ways of getting people to give more and to bring regularly their tithes to the temple. The people of God were coerced to propitiate sacrificially with their disparaging resources to appease God. In spite of that, they were no evidence of God’s blessing upon the people. On the contrary, the people were plagued with scarcity and famine. The only display of “material prosperity” was found on the priests in their outrageous array of status symbols (Bling-Bling in contemporary terms). Since, these priests were keeping the best for themselves and offered the useless for God:
"You say, 'Oh what a nuisance it is,' and you sniff at it in disgust," says the LORD of Armies. "You bring stolen, lame, and sick animals. When you bring such offerings, should I accept them from you?" asks the LORD.” - Mal 1:13

“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and contributions.” - Mal 3:8

Does it sound familiar? The prophecy of Malachi is dated around 430 B.C., but I can’t help but notice the striking parallels with the church of the 21st Century.

In my research on abusive churches and leadership, I wrote previously: “Perhaps, the most alarming aspect is the chain of unexplained tragedies that seem to plague [the priests] lives and those of their members. Beneath the veneer of glamour lie untold stories of marital troubles, divorces, sexual perversions and other addictions, financial bankruptcies, business collapses, incurable diseases and accidents.”

Early this morning, the Lord impressed in my heart that He has lifted His protective hedge on the church to bring in His judgment. Here’s what the future holds for us:

Ø Judgment has started in the house of God.
Ø There is a rogue wave that will soon hit the pleasure boat of the corrupt priests. There will be great destruction and havoc.
Ø The church will be rocked with scandals of financial embezzlement and sexual misconducts. In the process, the sheep will be scattered.
Ø There will be an escalation of unexpected misfortunes and tragedies that will plague those who are found in the midst of those shady churches.
Ø Financial bankruptcies, diseases, accident and deaths will hit the sheep and the shepherds alike.

As Jeremiah wrote in Jer 28:9: “As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet."

However, if I truly heard His voice, then God’s judgment has come. But the Lord will preserve those who fear His name:
“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.
"They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.” - Mal 3:16 -17

“Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.” - Mal 3:18

It is a terrible thing to be found on God’s way when His judgment comes. All over the world, God has been raising many voices to call His people out of those corrosive churches. I echoed those voices by writing a series of articles calling people to defiance and providing the readers with some compelling reasons to act swiftly.

Time has now run out! We need to jump out now in His merciful hands or we’ll perish with the rest.
.
.
“Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can.” – Willis Whitney

Breaking Free From the Spirit of Control

2009-11-20T08:21:00.003+02:00

Wednesday, 11 November 2009 03:22 PM EST J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Here are six ways to identify an unhealthy leadership style in a church or ministry.

My world was shaken 20 years ago this week. On Nov. 10, 1989, one day after German protesters tore down the Berlin Wall, a Christian ministry I had been a part of for 11 years also fell apart.

Maranatha Campus Ministries was a vibrant outreach to college campuses. It was founded in Kentucky during the Jesus movement by a passionate charismatic couple, Bob and Rose Weiner, who eventually started churches on more than 50 American universities. In its heyday in the Reagan era, students from Maranatha took the gospel around the world.

"Authoritarian leaders know how to control people through manipulation ... In such a church no one is allowed to ask questions."

But with all our good intentions and youthful zeal for evangelism, the ministry did not survive. We had a flawed, authoritarian leadership model, which was made worse by a lack of mature advisers. When Maranatha's young pastors grew up and realized the ministry had an unhealthy and oppressive structure, they voted to disband. The churches either went independent, merged with other groups or closed.

Meanwhile, the many young people who had been discipled in Maranatha had to deal with their own unique form of post-traumatic stress disorder. They woke up and realized that Maranatha had been influenced by the Shepherding Movement, which taught that all Christians should be submitted to personal shepherds who dispense advice and approve all decisions.

The Shepherding movement, which had broad influence in many charismatic churches, collapsed around the same time. Because I lived through that era, I am hypersensitive to the way a spirit of control works in a church. And I can assure you that controlling attitudes will destroy a ministry.

Here are six obvious signs that a spirit of control is at work:

1. Little or no accountability. There is safety in the multitude of counselors (see Prov. 11:14). There is much less safety—perhaps even danger—when a leader does not bother to seek counsel from a diverse group of his peers, as well as from gray-haired men and women who have the wisdom that comes with age.

If a pastor or church leader isn't open to correction, he is headed for a train wreck.

2. Spiritual elitism. If there is a spirit of control in a church, people are usually told that their group is superior. Supposedly they have special spiritual privileges from God, along with "exclusive" revelation. If people choose to leave, they are shunned or branded as renegades. Sometimes, in extreme cases, people are even cursed if they leave. (Last week when I was in Hungary I learned of a charismatic church that publicly curses people when they quit the congregation.)

This cultic behavior inflicts unimaginable emotional suffering and also divides families.

3. An oppressive atmosphere. Authoritarian leaders know how to control people through manipulation. In some cases, this control may simply take the form of subtle suggestions and persuasion. In the most abusive situations, it may come in the form of threats, legalistic demands, unreasonable requirements or false doctrines.

In some cases, especially in charismatic circles, it can come through misguided personal prophecies or mystical visions. In such a church no one is allowed to ask questions.

Spiritual heaviness lies like a thick cloud over the congregation, and few believers manifest genuine joy because they are overburdened by feelings of guilt and fear.

4. Angry domination. Tyrants are surprisingly similar. Because they want to control their surroundings, they often blow up when people do not conform to their demands. Yet the Apostle Paul taught that church leaders should not be "violent" or "quarrelsome" but "self-controlled" and "gentle" (see 1 Timothy 3:2-3). Later he instructed Timothy that the Lord's servant "must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone" (2 Timothy 2:24).

You will always find lots of anger wherever there is a controlling spirit.

5. Individual guidance is discouraged. The Bible teaches that every Christian has direct access to God through one mediator, Jesus Christ. Every believer can hear God's voice personally and should expect to receive God's guidance.

In authoritarian church situations, however, members are not encouraged to seek God's guidance themselves. Rather, they are urged to conform to the preferences of the leader or the group. In some cases, leaders have actually taught their congregations to seek counsel and specific approval from a pastor before making major decisions. Thus church members develop an unhealthy dependence on a man in order to function spiritually, and their ability to trust God is diminished.

This kind of control is emotionally crippling. For many who submitted to the philosophy behind the Shepherding movement, it took years to recover from the loss of decision-making ability.

They relinquished their wills and lost their identities because they viewed absolute obedience to their spiritual leaders as a Christian virtue.

6. Women viewed as inferior. Some churches today permit the ordination of women, even as senior pastors or bishops, while others maintain that Scripture does not permit women to hold these positions. Apart from these differences of opinion on biblical interpretation, it should be noted that authoritarian churches usually discourage women from pursuing any genuine role in ministry. Women are viewed as useful only in their functions as wives and mothers, and they are not encouraged to step beyond these confines to pursue ministry opportunities.

Such a low view of women leads men to treat them as God-ordained sex objects or drones equipped to perform only menial tasks. Women who have leadership gifts are branded rebels or "Jezebels."

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, similar walls of communist control fell in rapid succession until the entire Soviet Union broke apart. Yet walls of spiritual bondage still exist today in so many parts of the church—and the ghosts of the Shepherding movement still haunt us. We are called to be emancipators, not enslavers.

As we seek to build healthy churches, let's remember these words from Galatians 5:1: "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery" (NASB).

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. You can find him on Twitter at leegrady.

Copyright 2009 Strang Communications; all rights reserved. Used with permission.
http://charismamag.com/index.php/fire-in-my-bones/23911-breaking-free-from-the-spirit-of-control#readmore
.
.

Defiance! – Pt 18 – Profiling the persecutor – Exhibit D: “The Cultist”

2009-11-09T21:03:00.002+02:00

In these times of uncertainty, it will take both the faculties of an absolute trust in the Word of God and the discernment of truth from error to be able to navigate. “But let God be true, and every man a liar.” -Rom 3:4- The faculty of discernment is simply exercising a critical knowledge of things that are under consideration. The one who possessed the gift of “discerning of spirits” is able to make distinction between the one who speaks by the Spirit of God and the one who is moved by a false spirit. – ISBE.

Being a Bible student has always been on top of my life priorities; hence I’ve invested years in formal education, in training, in seminars and in reading countless books in Christian literature and church history. I thought I was enough equipped to discern a cult, a heretic doctrine or a false prophet when I meet one. Yet, it had never occurred to me that I could be unaware actively involved with anything that was spiritually corrosive.

About five years ago, I found myself in a state of spiritual stupor. I thought perhaps the cure would be to find a new vibrant and progressive church. I found one and quickly joined it. Initially, my experiences were somewhat meaningful. Over time though, I began to pay more attention to the emphasis on some doctrines which I struggled to reconcile with the tenets of my Christian faith. It took me more than four years to decide whether I had to stay and modify my beliefs in order to conform or to leave. I opted for leaving for the reasons I elaborate below.

The statement of faith of my newly found church was identical to the other charismatic or evangelical churches. We also had the same format of services as other charismatic churches in town, though we believed ours were more potent than the rest. After some time, my wife and I began to spot recurring phrases from the pulpit; phrases that were coming down like slogans. First, they were subtle, covertly dropped in good sermons but after a while they become the center pieces of the main doctrines that were taught. It was another gospel filled with overemphasized words like: Covering, Set man, Obedience, Apostolic Mandate, Taking care of your man of God, Headship, Financial anointing, Sons and Daughters, Loyalty, Submission, Rebellion.

Though the pastor was a young minister, he claimed he accepted God’s calling in his teens and God has been using him ever since. We gave him the benefit of the doubt and trusted his ministerial experiences to guide us. But just after a few weeks in his church, I thought I should bring to his attention a couple of things which I believed could be disastrous to his ministry in the long run.

Among other things, I wrote to him about his extensive usage of sensitive information gathered in counseling sessions in his sermons. I argued that the church being in its infancy with people getting to know each other, it was easy to guess whom he was talking about. In my naivety, I attributed this unethical behavior to mere slips of tongue. Later, it occurred to me that it was a deliberate action to break the spirit, retaliate, humiliate or spiritually injure the concerned person.

“Everything that happens has happened before; nothing is new, nothing under the sun.” -Ecc 1:9-

When all my attempts to get some Biblical grounds to these new doctrines failed, I resorted to the recent church history to seek some answers. I came across the debacle and the controversies of the “Shepherding-Discipleship Movement” in the mid-seventies. The similarities of the doctrines that were preached in my church with those of the Shepherding movement were clear and undeniable. The main doctrines that define this movement were: Authority (Kingdom authority & Delegated authority),Kingdom taxes(tithes), Spiritual covering, Unity of believers, Submission, Covenant loyalty and a hierarchical church government with an “apostle” being the ruler of the Five fold ministries.

The impressive ascension of this movement was brutally interrupted when stories of cult like practices such as mind control, abuses, exploitation, manipulation and domination began to emerge. At the same time, their controversial doctrines and practices come under scrutiny from some prominent church leaders and theologians of that time. All of these happened in a highly publicized environment, serious allegations of abuses were exposed and the movement went into disarray.

Bob Mumford, one of the founders of the Shepherding, is quoted in Ministries Today, Jan-Feb 1990 as follow: “Discipleship was wrong, I repent. I ask for forgiveness… discipleship resulted in unhealthy submission resulting in perverse and unbiblical obedience to human leaders … for the injury and shame, I repent with sorrow and ask for your forgiveness.” In a Charisma & Christian Life article published in February, 1990, it was reported that Bob Mumford decided that he needed to publicly ‘repent’ of his responsibility in setting up a system where so many people were hurt by misuses of authority. “Some families were split up and lives turned upside down,” says Mumford. “Some of these families are still not back together.”

However, it soon appeared that these apologies were just a tactical move to diffuse the general public outcry. Still, the main leaders remained consistent with their beliefs and practices. Some of the founders refuse to apologize directly to the multitude of believers they have misled and wronged. On the contrary, they argued that there was nothing wrong with their doctrines (orthodoxy) but rather with their specific applications thereof (orthopraxis). Just like at the trial of the Nazis leaders at Nuremberg in 1948, their main line of defense remained the same: the holocaust resulted simply in the wrong interpretation of Nazism by others. Yet, millions of Jews lost their lives to say the least.

The most comprehensive books I read on the subject of Shepherding/Discipleship Movement are Charismatic Captivation, by Steven Lambert, Twisted Scriptures, by Mary Alice Chrnalogar and Damaged Disciples, by Ron & Vicki Burks. In his important book, Dr. Steven Lambert has this to say:
“So what are the consequences and effects we are talking about here, a scant few slightly disillusioned people with their feelings a little hurt? FAR FROM IT! We are talking about an immense number of broken and destroyed families, marriages, and friendships, multitudes of unpretentious, formerly trusting people who are now psychologically traumatized and marred, and spiritually shipwrecked, potentially for life. Added to that are substantial numbers of failed businesses, bankruptcies, lost fortunes, nervous breakdowns, contracted health maladies, suicides, and premature deaths by various related causes, and the like, just to name some of the consequences experienced by victims. Indeed, the details of the havoc and decimation wreaked upon victims' lives is far too extensive and, frankly, morose to possibly be able to relate here, but suffice it to say it is sweeping, mind-boggling, and, sadly, in some cases, barring the miraculous, irreversible.” – Stephen Lambert. Charismatic Captivation (Real Truth Publications, 2003) p.6 -

A victim of that cultish system, Tom Yoder, an eight-year former member of the Shepherding movement, uses the following points among others to describe the result of his involvement: “… militancy, control, elitism, hierarchicalism, black and white interpretations, pressure to perform, loss of identity, loss of freedom-spirit and soul, suppression of the “created” self, dependency, loss of personal initiative, extreme negative world view, extreme sex role differentiation, extreme loyalty.” – Mary Alice Chrnalogar. Twisted Scriptures (Zondervan Publishing House, 2000) p.268 –

After the demise and the public rejection of this cultish movement in the USA, a non-repentant group went underground and regrouped. Unfortunately, the waves of that debacle reached the African shores unnoticed by the many thousands of the Shepherding adherents. By that time, many African church leaders who were part of that movement chose to recuperate for themselves the movement by patching up the loopholes. They also began to offer to those of the same movement, whose ministries were at the brink of collapse, a platform for a resurrection.

West Africa became the main bastion of the African Shepherding movement, mainly in Nigeria and Ghana. But an endemic competition among the leaders plagued their unity but failed to slow their progress. Overnight, pastors turned into self-ordained “apostles” and “bishops” which titles and positions became the casus belli of many fratricide wars and church splits. There were also bitter fight among these bishops and apostles over territory or “anointing” recognition. Shepherding Mega churches and Bible schools were getting erected at different locations in Nigeria and Ghana. From these, a systematic recruitment in other part of our continent was launched. Up to date, a considerable number of pastors in Africa are still trained and launched from these Shepherding churches and schools.

Ingeniously, a lethal ingredient was added into the main doctrines of the African version of Shepherding: the “Son & Daughter” element. The issue of “Sons and Daughters” turned out to be the core of the ideology. All the leaders were recruiting “loyal” adherents with whom they insisted on “covenant” relationship. The more “sons and daughters” the visionaries were able to rise, the more powerful they were portrayed. Because of the culture of enslavement that is still prevalent in West Africa, these “sons and daughters” become the sole property of the “set men” with the resulting abuses.
In my opinion, the sincerity of the believers who submit themselves unto their leaders is not questionable. However, they ought to be “SONS of God, not SLAVES of men” (1 Cor. 7:23). (For more on the subject, please refer to my article on this blog: Defiance pt4: The persecutor’s umbrella or the myth of spiritual covering)

Sadly, this new “revelation” of “sons and daughters” by West African church leaders turned out to be an export commodity. Churches all over our continent and as far as America were buying into that pagan practice and making it an integral part of their ministries. Consequently, ministers are now more interested in recruiting “loyal” devotees unto themselves than evangelizing the world unto Christ. “Some of your own men will come forward and say things that distort the truth. They will do this to lure disciples into following them.” - Act 20:30

Recently, I came across a well researched and informed website, Cult Watch_Super Apostles, which gives a name to this new hybrid of the Shepherding movement. It calls it the “Super Apostles” and it offers the reader an accurate description of this movement and ample proof of its cultish and demonic links. I took the “Super Apostle detector” (test yourself by clicking here ) that it provides and my result was without surprise “off the scale”.

In our continent, South Africa seems to be the new destination of choice for these “Super Apostles”. In my opinion, the reason behind this could be the lure of money that the economic status of the new emergent Black middle class is presenting. With only a few exceptions, the target of the super apostles in SA seem to be the Black communities rather than the Caucasian or other racial groups.

A number of ministers in my town I spoke to were rather uninformed about this controversial matter. Though some even seem to be aware of the heretical teachings and ungodly practices that were en vogue, only a few could weigh seriously the dangers ahead of us. Amazingly, the pastors who have espoused the Shepherding doctrines could still not discern its demonic and cultic origins. That alone is evidence enough that the proponents of this movement have successfully achieve a makeover of their errors by camouflaging their motives behind a more “charismatic” language.

Some have argued that we should rather let God be the final judge and at the end He will separate those who were in the truth from those who were not. Some even suggested that I was on a vendetta to discredit some “men of God”. My answer to them was a two fold question: first, why is God requiring from us discernment if He could just fix the mess we are in with some magical wand? Secondly, what purpose will I achieve to disparage men made of flesh and blood when our real and common enemy is Satan and his minions?

As I said before, the aim of my articles is to expose the devil schemes in our midst and to shield ourselves under the saving Grace of our Lord. Unless those of us who profess to be ministers of the Gospel of Christ are informed of this satanic offensive against the church and decide to go on the offensive by exposing it, the sheep will be decimated if not already as we are silently standing by and observing.

The solution for those who desire to be free from the devil’s snare is to leave these churches and to leave them immediately. However, I know by experience that it is easier said than done. Here are some practical suggestions:

Ask God to give you a spirit of discernment

It’s a mind battle, especially for those who have been in church for a while, to accept the fact that they are in a cult and that they have been deceived. It’s like a satanic grip, a stronghold that erects itself against the knowledge of Christ in the mind of believers that are trapped in this setting. However, it can not stand against the power of the cross and the prayer of the believer.

Regain control of your time

In a church environment controlled by a “super apostle”, the high demand on the people’s time is almost ridiculous. Meetings after hours, on week ends, after church, on public holidays rob the devotees of the precious time that should have been allocated to family, friends, social networking and relaxation.
Take a break on purpose, should your request be vehemently opposed by your pastor or leader, take it as a clear evidence of control on your life. A time off will give you perspective and clarity of mind to assess your current situation with pragmatism.

Regain control of your money

In my next article, I will expose in details the money trail of these “super apostles”. The testimonies and the evidence I gathered is indicative enough that serious class actions are needed and I will not be surprised if the media or the courts of law begin to be inundated with claims of embezzlement in a near future.
But for now, suffice it to say that believers should stop sponsoring the works of iniquities with their God’s given resources. (Read also on this blog: Defiance pt6: The persecutor’s power: You & Your money )

Get informed

There is a censure on the flow of information that is allowed to reach the congregation. Apart from the internet and various publications that are readily available, another valid source of information remains those who have already left. Without exception, these churches leave behind a trail of wounded and dejected believers. “A gullible person believes anything, but a sensible person watches his step.” - Pro 14:15 -

Leave!

Some decide to stay and effect changes from within, but from experience it is an almost impossible task to challenge a corrupt system from inside. The sooner one leaves a cultish church, the better off his/her chances of recovery are. The only regret the people who have left voluntary have is the sad feeling of wasting precious years in that environment. “Come close to God, and he will come close to you.” - Jas 4:8-

When we take our focus away of the works of the cross of Christ we put in jeopardy our commission to reach the lost. Those who have chosen to compromise our mission have to be exposed. “Now I urge you, brothers, to mark or watch out for those who create divisions and sinful enticements in opposition to the teaching you have learned. Stay away from them! For such people are not serving Christ our Lord but their own desires. By their smooth talk and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.” - Rom 16:17-18

For those “men of God” who have strayed away, I pray “so that they might escape from the devil's snare, even though they've been held captive by him to do his will.” - 2Ti 2:26 –
.
.

Defiance! – Pt 17 – Profiling the persecutor – Exhibit C: “The Power Seeker”

2009-10-07T13:53:00.003+02:00

Nowadays, the marketing mix in some revival churches is anchored deeply in the sensationalism of the miraculous rather than in the teaching of the fundamentals of Christian faith. Some church leaders tend to be the absolute end, looked to as “prophets” of God, specially "anointed" apostles or evangelists and endowed with special “powers” from God.

On the other hand, our hunger for the supernatural coupled with a wondering amazement of this phenomenon called “anointing” have set us up to be exploited by a new breed of spiritual charlatans, which I’d like to categorize as “Power seeker”.

By reason of a general lack of self-knowledge, power seeker leaders cleverly exploit the human weaknesses and insecurities and learn to arouse some basic emotional soft spots. On top of that, power seeker pastors have exercised psychic abilities; they often seem to know people better than they know themselves. To hook believers, they dish out generic phrases such as “I see that you had a difficult childhood” or “I see that you were wounded by a relationship in the past”, and so on.

Then again, power seeker individuals are not a new phenomenon in the church. It is not strange to find the works of God colluding with magicians, diviners and other sorcerers, Is 3:3; Dan 2:10, 27; Acts 13:6, 8 are some examples, just to name a few. Equally, the early Christian community also encountered such persons who pretended to possess supernatural powers by which they endeavored to deceive men. Among them was a notorious magician named Simon - as related in Acts 8:9-25.

Conversely, when the influence of these magicians presented an obstacle to the progress of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit arrested the people’s attention with supernatural works in order to bring them out of the bewilderment and deception in which they were involved, and to impress their hearts with the true anointing of Christ.

In the aftermath of the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:59), Philip went down to Samaria to preach the gospel in the midst of an outpouring of the Spirit with many miraculous manifestations, sick persons were healed and demons were cast out. Many believed in the Lord and were baptized. Even Simon, a famous magician who had made a name for himself and had won adherents by posturing himself as the “great power of God”, also got converted.

But on a latter stage, it became evident that Simon’s conversion was not the result of inner conviction of faith in the Lord, but rather from selfish motives. He hoped to increase his influence by adding the power of the pure anointing of the Spirit on his magical crafts. When Peter and John, the Apostles, came to Samaria to lay hands on the new converts to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Simon offered them money to receive that power. But, Peter rebuked him very sharply: “You and your money will both end up in hell if you think you can buy God's gift! - Act 8:20”

It is crucial to note that the Bible does not deny the validity of the wonders performed by Simon or other enchanters but it rather clearly point to the source of their powers. It is clear in the Scriptures that God is NOT the originator of all signs and wonders. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits to see if they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” [1Jn 4:1]

Primarily, the inner motives of power seeker leaders are self-centered and greed. But much more obviously, the following characteristics are easily discernible:

“Anointing” and power seeking

Power seeker pastors indulge regularly in long and intensive prayer with prolonged fasting to seek an “increased anointing” and more power for their ministries. In seeking an extraordinary aura, they often indulge in practices such as all-night prayers on some mountains, prayers of anguish in a crooked position, abstaining from sex with their spouses for an extended period, putting their families on a silence “diet”, etc…

Occultism

Owing to the fact that God is not an entity subject to be influenced by spiritual stunts and cannot be ordered on demand, sooner or later, the power seeker leaders are met with the insanity of their expectations. Hence, they habitually resort to gimmicks and occult practices in order to keep their devotees in bewilderment. By so doing, they surrender to the control of the spirit of divination by which they usually prophecy. With the help of spirit guides and familiar spirits, they are then able to provide oblivious believers with hidden or secret information concerning the past, present or future.

Channeling

When someone purportedly subdues his body over to a spirit to speak through him, it is called “channeling”. Power seeker pastors claim to hear “clearly” God’s voice; as a result they even profess to be God’s mouthpiece. But in reality, once they cross in the “spirit” they come in contact with spirit beings, demons and departed souls and an occult communication line is linked with them. Frequently, they see visions and dreams, masquerading as divine communication, but that are actually Satan-induced hallucinations.

Mysticism

Power seeker pastors add elements of mysticism into the casual routine of any Christian practices. For instance, when the Bible suggests an anointing with oil in the praying for the sick (Jas 5:14), a power seeker will turn it into some rituals with the pretense of a special “anointing service”; A casting out of demons (Lk 9:1) turns out to be a special “deliverance service” with exorcism; Tithing and offering to the Lord (Mal. 3:10) develops into special “seeds” to break financial strongholds service; Praying for one another (Jas 5:16) is converted into “breaking generational curses” service; Operating in the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:8-10) are displayed in special “revelation or power” service, miracle online, divine impartation service; etc…

Fetishism

A fetish is an object, a word, a symbol, a charm or an amulet that is believed to contain special powers which is worn or carried as protection against misfortune. Power seeker pastors also confer some special “anointing” to objects such as prayer cloths, holy water, anointing oil, anointed handkerchief, super charged pictures, and so on. These objects are often held with religious reverence by their members.

Enemies of the cross

Power seeker pastors do not teach the finished works of Christ at the cross. The name of Jesus is simply used like a magic mantra in their rituals. They promote salvation by works and not by grace, to keep exploiting their adherents. Of them, the Bible speaks in Php 3:18-19: “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”

“Deep” insights

Instead of accurately dividing the Scriptures, power seeker pastors preach so-called “deep” revelations that recurrently are out of context and defy the basic rules of biblical interpretation. They claim it takes a special insight and time to decipher the “deep” things of God. By so doing, they keep their followers spiritual dependent on them, wanting and confused. This tactic makes their gullible followers much more vulnerable to an even great extent of control.

Controlling and manipulative personality

Power seeker pastors personify themselves with a “messianic” authority. They want to be looked on as God’s appointed agent, hence obeying them and heeding their teachings equal to obeying God Himself. They exercise rigid control over their follower’s time, finances, activities, possessions and relationships. They expect every one to attend all church events and activities often scheduled after hours, on weekends and on public holidays. Consequently, their members are frequently drained physically and emotionally and have no or little time for family, friends, social, privacy and reflection.

Covert intimidation

Power seeker pastors’ sermons are a mix of subtle manipulation and unconcealed ordering. Their teachings are filled with indirect or implied threats which keep their members anxious, apprehensive and submissive. Since they posture as God’s “set men”, they demand loyalty to them, rather than to Christ. To maintain the loyalty and devotion of their adherents, they frequently project on them guilt, fear, threat of curses and intimidation.

Lack of ministerial ethics

Power seeker pastors insist on being privy of intimate details of their adherents’ private lives. They gather sensitive information about their members during counseling sessions. With subtle sarcasm, they use this information as a blackmailing device to trip guilt or induce shame on the potential dissidents. This tactic keeps the rest of the congregation in self-doubt and in fear of leaving the group.

Labeling

Power seeker pastors discourage any critical or rational thought and questions that may challenge their authority. Any independent or rational thinking is treated as rebellion, pride, sinful or a manifestation of some satanic spirit and the initiator is labeled accordingly and shame publicly. This serves as a ploy to foster in the congregation a feeling of inadequacy, unworthiness and therefore allowing the power seeker to maintain a position of dominance over God’s flock.

Double life and string of misfortunes

Power seeker pastors live a secret life of sin and shame, they work very hard to conceal it but the light of God always finds ways to expose the works of darkness. Sadly, all their efforts towards a spiritual enlightenment often fail to generate corresponding fruits in their lives: “Therefore by their fruits you shall know them." - Mat 7:20”

Perhaps, the most alarming aspect of this is the chain of unexplained tragedies that seem to plague their lives and those of their members. Beneath the veneer of glamour lie untold stories of marital troubles, divorces, sexual perversions and other addictions, financial bankruptcies, business collapses, incurable diseases and accidents.

Power seeker pastors run worship services like a carnival sideshow. Their modus operandi is directly borrowed from hypnotists, magicians and other occultists. Power seeker pastors maintain the following steps to perpetuate a sense of bewilderment on the worshippers:

Altered States of consciousness (ASC)

Given that the pure anointing of the Spirit is a gift from God, it cannot be manufactured, manipulated or coerced. But it can be faked, counterfeited or forged. To fabricate an atmosphere that simulate the anointing, power seeker pastors rely on mind-altering and mind numbing techniques that generate an ASC. As outlined in my previous article, the most used methods in some charismatic churches are repetitive chanting, ecstatic dancing or movement, intensive collective prayers, prolonged fasting, etc…

When an ambience of ASC is established: trances or light hypnosis are brought about; the mind becomes highly suggestible to both outer and inner influences; critical judgment and thinking are suspended; and the symptoms of some psychosomatic and psychological conditions such as asthma, migraines, ulcers, chronic pain, anxieties, depression, and the like disappear which give the impression that “miracles” are happening.

But more often than not, the effects of these healings are short lived and relapses are the norms. Since the ASC generates a collective euphoria and hysteria, worshippers that are subjected to it often feel a high and are extremely vulnerable to "Peer pressure."

Peer pressure

Another potent tool in the hands of power seeker pastor use is the cunning manipulation of testimonies. Power seeker pastors are adept at charming, praising, flattering or overtly supporting their loyal disciples in order to get them to lower their defenses and surrender their trust and loyalty. These disciples are often put on the spot to share with the congregation the “marvelous” blessings that God has bestowed upon them ever since they join that particular ministry.

Since the person chosen to give the testimony has been caught off guard, but feels at the same time valued and needed, he or she will endeavor to embellish the story and will not even hesitate to lie under oath. Not only, this scheme is used as an instrument to recruit new converts but also it serves to raise the level of expectations of the assembly.

Expectations

When the “faith” of the congregation is at its peak, the attendants are set up to believe that great things will happen in their midst. Since the collective mind is by now altered, many people can even see, ear or feel things that do not actually exist.

Suggestions

As the Spirit’s “show-down” is expected momentarily, any suggestion is perceived as divine. At this stage, virtually anything goes; the devotees cannot differentiate between truth and error or make sound judgments. To test the collective mind suggestibility, power seeker pastors instruct their congregation to scream, to jump, to clap with their hands, to stomp with their feet, to shout “Jesus” seven times, to repeat silly phrases to each other, and so on.

Commonly, the power seeker pastors will at the end demand the congregation to connect with God in that atmosphere of “anointing” with a special offering or a specified seed. ASC induced believers will rush in to give or pledge important lump sum of finances, matured investment policies, bonuses payout, bonds, vacation funds or even valuable possessions such as cars, houses, jewelries, shoes, appliances, etc… In their sober and rational mind, these “generous” believers would have thought twice before acting, only if they knew!

Life is not fair, it can change suddenly its course when we expect it the least. A tragedy, a failure, an incurable condition or even death of loved ones can strike all of us at any given time. Wars, crime, rape, theft or any form abuse can befall us without warning. Out of the blue, the flow of our happiness can be disrupted. Because of that, we end up blaming ourselves and/or God and we seek for ways to soothe our pain. Power seeker pastors specialize in offering solutions and promises to life’s complex predicaments but they cannot deliver.

“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” [Joh 8:32]

Life becomes much more bearable when it is lived in humble dependence upon the faithfulness of God.

"Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us."— Stephen Covey
.
.

Defiance! – Pt 16 – the dangers of altered states of consciousness (ASC)

2009-09-25T13:37:00.003+02:00

The apostle Paul prophesied of a time that will come when people will not put up with healthy doctrine but with itching ears will surround themselves with teachers who cater to their own needs. They will refuse to listen to the truth and will turn to myths. [2Ti 4:3-4].

Pagan rituals, Humanism, Secularism, Occultism and other new age teachings are now intertwined with the tenets of our Christian faith. And unless, we confront them with the light of the Word of God, it is possible to perpetuate errors that some are now teaching as doctrines. The devil has infiltrated our faith with some astute counterfeits that looks like sound biblical truths. “Be clear-minded and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1Pe 5:8).”

First and foremost, we need to reestablish our boundaries in the Word of God. Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live (2Ti 3:16).

In the previous post, I’ve introduced the altered states of consciousness (ASC) and its applications in some churches. The altered state of consciousness (ASC) is defined as any state of awareness that differs from the normal awareness of a conscious person, or deviating from one’s normal mental state.

In the occult, the altered states of consciousness (ASC) are an integral part of magical rituals. They can be defined as any mental state recognized by the individual as different from his or her normal waking consciousness. In this state, the mind is highly suggestible to both outer and inner influences; critical judgment and thinking are suspended; and the person often feels a “high”. In deep experiences of this state, the person may hallucinate or hear voices.

I argued that God does not induce on His children a state of mind that is below conscience or reason in order to perform His Will. Further, the Bible stipulates in 1Pe 1:13: “Therefore, your minds must be clear and ready for action.” It goes further to in Eph 5:14: “Be awake, you who are sleeping” and in Eph 5:18: “Don't destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life.”

When one enters in an ASC (Altered States of Consciousness), the mind leaves behind its ability to distinguish between truth and error, facts and fantasies. It crosses into a perilous zone where invasion of evil spirits become possible. We cannot afford the devil to have even a portion of control over our mind or to mould our thinking. “Someone may say, "I'm allowed to do anything," but not everything is helpful. I'm allowed to do anything, but I won't allow anything to gain control over my life (1Co 6:12).”

“Anointing” has become the craze of preachers and believers alike. Those preachers whose motive is self-aggrandizement have developed a wide variety of techniques to simulate the “anointing” or a so-called divine glory. They do so that by inducing their followers in an ASC. ASC methods among many used comprise: prolonged fasting, deliverance services, singing one song over and over again until the people disconnect with reality, fear charged sermons, long periods of intense prayer (especially in tongues) and loud music with a repetitive beat, ecstatic dance and trances.

God is not obligated to perform beyond His Word beyond of what it is written. Our safety is found in His Word, and in Christ through the Holy Spirit. One may argue that the validity of these techniques is biblical. However, the Bible admonishes us to stay within the confines of His Word: “You should learn from us not to go beyond what is written in Scripture.” [1Co 4:6b]

Let us examine, in the light of the Scriptures some of these ASC techniques:

Fasting

In the Bible, fasting has been observed by various group of people on occasions such as public calamities (2Sa 1:12), afflictions (Ps 35:13), approaching danger (Est 4:16), ordination of ministers (Act 13:3), in times of grief (2Sa 1:12), in time of invasion (2 Ch 20:3), and in other related circumstances. Invariably, fasting is accompanied by prayer (Dan 9:3), confession of sin (1Sa 7:6) and/or humiliation (Deu 9:18)

Some people were practicing fasting habitually like the disciples of John (Mt 9:14), Anna (Luk 2:37), the Pharisees (Mar 2:18), Cornelius (Act 10:30) and Paul (2 Cor 11:27).

In the lapse of time the practice of fasting was grossly abused (Isa 58:4). The Lord rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocritical pretenses in fasting (Mat 6:16). He himself appointed no fast. The early Christians, however, observed the ordinary fasts according to the law of their fathers (Act 13:3; Act 14:23; 2Co 6:5).

As for the duration of fasting, the common trend in the Bible seems to indicate a day, from sunrise to sunset. However, five exceptional instances of a longer period were recorded. The first was a seven days period (1 Sa 31:13), the second exception took place while Daniel abstained from “pleasant bread,” flesh, wine and anointing for three weeks (Dan 10:3).

Then there was an exceptional and miraculous 40 days period of Moses (Exo 34:28) who was with God, Elijah (1Ki 19:8) whom God gave a special food and drink that sustained Him for 40 days and Jesus Himself (Lk 4:2) who was led by the Spirit. Scholars agree that 40 days were significant of punishment for sin, confession, or affliction. Christ, the true Israel, denied Himself for 40 days, as Israel indulged the flesh 40 years. They tempted God that time; He overcame the tempter all the 40 days.

It’s crucial to note here that these exceptional 40 days fasting happened just once in the lifetime of these great men and that all that Christ accomplished was entirely for our benefit, and need not to be remake.

Fasting has benefits that are universally recognized. It affects all our being, spirit, soul and body.

Conversely, it is advisable to observe fasting within a short period of time. Some couples even abstain from sex during a long fasting period, but this is not wise, Peter writes in 1Co 7:5: “So don't refuse sex to each other, unless you agree not to have sex for a little while, in order to spend time in prayer. Then Satan won't be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

Some pastors engage continuously in a prolonged fasting in the pursuit of a greater “anointing”, but it is for their detriment. Not only, they are going beyond what is written but also they are violating God’s natural laws concerning their physical bodies.

Likewise, it is also highly irresponsible to take an entire congregation into a prolonged fasting period because people react differently. Medical experts agree that a prolonged fast/diet can lead to anemia, impairment of liver function, kidney stones, mineral imbalances, and other undesirable side effects. These side effects include a drop in blood pressure, a persistent cold, and acute emotional distress. Still, depriving the body of the vitamins and minerals may weaken the body’s ability to fight infections and inflammation.

We must not tempt God thinking that our faith is stronger than our health. People that have diabetes, high blood pressure, mental conditions, AIDS, and other similar conditions should abstain from fasting altogether.

Exorcism vs Deliverance

Exorcism is very different from the deliverance that our Lord taught and practiced. Exorcism derives its roots in ancient pagan cultures; it consists of a satanic, magical ritual and has been adopted mainly by the Catholic Church. Exorcism can actually cause a person to be more demonized.

The methods of these so-called deliverance services in certain churches have shocking similarities with the exorcism and have nothing to do with the gospel. They have become a show where demons manifest in people, and believers are told to sing or pray in “tongues” while some “anointed” ministers perform the cleansing. Not only these practices are aberrant but they also subject innocent and oblivious people to a possible demonic infestation.

Anointing vs laughing in the spirit, slain in the spirit and trances

Jesus Christ, the anointed one, performed His earthly ministry without having people laughing in the spirit, slain in the spirit or put in trances. The Bible declares in Act 10:38: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and he went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.”

Though there is an anointing for service or to function in a particular office, the Bible clearly indicates in 1Jn 2:27: “And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains within you, and there is no need for any one to teach you. But since His anointing gives you instruction in all things--and is true and is no falsehood--you are continuing in union with Him even as it has taught you to do.”

Prophets & Prophecies

The Bible warns us in 1Jn 4:1: “Dear friends, stop believing every spirit. Instead, test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

For so long, we have been fooled into believing in anyone who could spell the name of Jesus. However, the Bible gives us an acid test to prove prophets in Deu 18:22: “ If a prophet speaks in the LORD'S name and what he says doesn't happen or come true, then it didn't come from the LORD. That prophet has spoken on his own authority. Never be afraid of him.” Also they need to produce fruit that is consistent with repentance (Mat 3:8).

Music & Dances

Music is indisputably a tremendous tool in worshipping and praising our God. And dances are naturally the expression of our bodies to the same effects. However, we must never loose track that Lucifer, the devil, was also a musician in heaven before his fall. The Bible speaks of him in Isa 14:11: “Your pride has gone down into the underworld, and the noise of your instruments of music; the worms are under you, and your body is covered with them.”

When a tune of music is played over and over again in a service, people are detached from reality, resulting in an atmosphere of ASC (altered states of consciousness) induced on people. An expansion of consciousness naturally takes place. The physical and psychic bodies become more and more sensitive and susceptible to wrong spirits.

When music is used in a loud and repetitive beat, not only the body gets into a trance consciousness, but also it opens up to hypersuggestibility and concentrated attention on one stimulus to the exclusion of all others. Ecstatic dances may ensue in the manner of primitive dances that are generated in the chanting and drumming of pagan rituals.

These dances have nothing to do with dancing in the Spirit or for the Lord; on the contrary, they stimulate the flesh and its passions. That could be the reason why some believers struggle with fornication, pornography and other sexual perversions.

More often than not, an ASC can trigger what is known as an abreaction in someone. An abreaction arises when the line between the conscious mind and a traumatic experience is crossed. As a result the person suddenly goes through the experience again, bursting into tears, yelling with anger, shivering with fear, and so on. Those who are suffering of epilepsy are likely to get seizures; and the mentally disabled may lapse into severe psychosis.

It is not uncommon for preachers, experts in generating an ASC mode on their followers under the false pretense of “anointing”, to take advantage of the ASC so induced to collect an offering. Their motives are solely greed, and they will not care less about the welfare of the people. It is simply a spiritual extortion.

ASC is dangerous for a number of reasons not the least being that it opens the mind to believe almost anything. In fact, cases of temporary and permanent insanity, spirit contact, occult transformation and spirit possession have been reported.

A part from opening up people’s mind to spirit from hell, ASC also disturbs the body’s natural balance and rhythm putting the heart at high risk, damaging the nervous system with a general deterioration of the brain’s frontal lobe. In the long run, the system eventually collapses.

In our walk with God, we need to remain pragmatic and use our conscience. The conscience being our mind faculty that tells right from wrong, by which we should also judge the moral character of those who claim to lead us in the name of the Lord.

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” - Galileo

Bibliography

The following materials and web sites were consulted in researching this article and the precedent:

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Zondervan
Nave’s Topical Bible, Zondervan
John Darby’s Synopsis, Zondervan
Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs, Harvest House, 1996
Stripes, Nails, Thorns and the Blood, D. Bree Keyton, ISBN 1-58275-076-9 (Segen books and Black Forest Press 2002)
Counterfeit Revival, Hank Hanegraaff, ISBN 0-8499-3892-9 (Word Publishing, Nashville, TN 1997)
Testing the Spirits, Elizabeth L. Hillstrom (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995)

http://www.unexplainedstuff.com/Mysteries-of-the-Mind/Altered-States-of-Consciousness.html
http://www.bu.edu/anthrop/faculty/lindholm/ASCCharisma.html
http://www.paganlibrary.com/reference/altered_states.php
http://www.logosresourcepages.org/Occult/hypnosis.htm
http://www.allaboutspirituality.org/dangers-of-meditation-faq.htm
http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/path/oc-sbddg.htm
http://kundalini.se/eng/fallgrop.html
http://www.rense.com/general81/dangers.htm

Defiance! – Pt 15 – Is God really behind all signs & wonders?

2009-09-22T13:38:00.005+02:00

Before I present the next persecutor’s profile, I’d first like to explore the validity of certain manifestations that are occurring in the unhealthy (abusive or dysfunctional) churches. When victims of spiritual abuse are finally released from their bondage, they leave with an intriguing question in their minds. That question results in confusion between the so-called “moves of the Spirit” in the midst of all the other sins and manifestations of the flesh they have witnessed. And if no conclusive answer is offered, their views about God will forever be distorted.

I once attended a deliverance service held by a famous evangelist. Days before the meeting, some churches in town were running intercession prayers and fasting in anticipation of the coming move of God. You could feel the wind of revival in town and believers were buzzing with anticipation. The service began with a vibrant praise and worship, followed by testimonials of people who were healed or delivered in previous crusades. The atmosphere was charged with expectation as the crowd was shouting, “Praise the Lord!”, “Halleluiah!” and praying in tongues.

The man of the hour was introduced in a deafening round of applause and cheers. Since he was a powerful communicator, he commanded the audience with style and ease. His sermon was filled with more amazing stories of miracles from his previous meetings. He said Jesus had already given him a preview of the night; the Lord will glorify Himself like never before, he claimed. We felt so privileged to be the recipients and witnesses of such a fresh move of God. The corporate faith of the believers was at its peak. Towards the end of the service, people were screaming all over, some jerking spasmodically, others laughing eerily; ushers were catching those who were “slain in the spirit” and moving in a back room those who needed further ministry. The musicians played the same tune continuously until the preacher instructed them otherwise. The scene was surreal.

Years later, I met the host of that meeting, a humble servant of the Lord, who revealed to me that the evangelist was in fact an immoral person and a swindler. I was shocked in disbelief! Why then, I asked, was God still blessing his ministry with miraculous signs and wonders? The pastor turned his Bible to Rom 11:29: “For the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance.”

Has God then lowered His standards? If He commands His children to be holy in all their conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy"(1Pe 1:15-16), how come He seems to condone the unholy behaviours of some of His “servants”?

First and foremost, it is important to note that God has given us a sovereign will and the authority to fully exercise it as we please. God and the hosts of heaven cannot violate the boundary of man’s volitional authority; neither can the devil and all his army of demons.

Because of that, God does not impose His Will upon us nor does He work His plans on us when we are unconscious or unwilling. At all times, God requires full cooperation from us: in other words, He will not induce us in a state below our reason or conscience to perform His plans.

However, there are seven exceptions that occurred in the Bible that seem to give an alibi to those who believe otherwise. The first happened during the creation of Eve where God caused Adam to sleep (Gen. 2:21); the second example is when Abraham fell on his face while God talked to him (Gen. 17:3), but here most scholars agree that it was just a voluntary act of worship; the third is when Peter fell into a Holy Spirit-induced trance to open up his mind to the fact that gentiles were also eligible to the gospel of grace (Acts 10:9-10); the fourth incidence occurred when Paul fell to the ground on his way to Damascus, but here again the Lord Himself was in charge (Acts 9:3-4); the fifth happening came about when the soldiers sent to arrest the Lord fell to the ground when they met with Him (Jn 18:6); the sixth happening is in the Island of Patmos where John fell at His feet as dead man (Rev. 1:17); and the last one occurred after the resurrection of the Lord when the guards shook from fear and fell down, as though they were dead (Mat 28:4).

All the above incidences occurred under God’s sovereign supervision and these occurrences had to be recorded in the Scriptures to dismiss any possible distortions.

While it is still possible to oppose the will of God, His counsel or purpose cannot be frustrated. Who is able to go against His purpose? (Rom 9:19). Likewise, God’s will may be resisted for a time, but He will rather use conviction than coercion by allowing our consciousness and volition to operate instead of overriding them. And when The Spirit comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment (Jn 16:8).

The altered state of consciousness (ASC) is defined as any state of awareness that differs from the normal awareness of a conscious person, or deviating from one’s normal mental state.

Altered states of consciousness can be observed during some rituals in certain African tribes or other Eastern cultures by many individuals using various techniques, such as prolonged fasting, deep breathing, whirling, and chanting. Frequently, people in these states appear to be in a sleeplike condition commonly referred to as a trance.

Some religious groups and their leaders induce such altered states in their followers in order to generate some form of mystical experiences, which, they believe, is the way of being united with God and/or nature. This experience produces feelings of overwhelming joy or ecstasy that are displayed in collective hysteria and some other bizarre phenomenon.

The majority of researchers now recognize that such practices can affect the body chemistry and can be used to improve health and help fight disease. The altered state of consciousness is believed to open up some subconscious capabilities in most individuals that facilitate experiments such as hypnotism, telepathy, clairvoyance or other mystical experiences.

Voodoo priests, shamans (sorcerers), magicians, gurus, Sangomas (traditional healers), hypnotists and the like have to first induce their audience in ASC before they operate. They lead them into a “rapturous consciousness” characterized by intense feelings and overpowering emotions and induced by sexual stimulation, the fervor of religious conversion, or the ingestion of certain drugs.

Dr. Elizabeth L. Hillstrom, in her book, Testing the Spirits, observes the following in people subjected in ASC: “ Having largely set aside their ability to think rationally and critically or to exercise their will, they have become hypersuggestible, which means that they are likely to accept any “spiritual truth” that enters their minds. Even more remarkably, they seemed to be primed for mystical experiences and may attach great significance to virtually any event or thought, no matter how mundane or outlandish. Seeking mystical experiences through altered states, as defined here, looks like an open invitation for deception.” Testing the Spirits, p79

Sadly, what used to be confined to cults and other esoteric groups are now practiced in some churches. Our hunger for God and enchantment with the supernatural have set us up to all kinds of charlatans and impostors in our midst. Although the Bible has warned us repeatedly about them, we just seem not to be vigilant enough. The devil is a master of disguise; he doesn’t show up in the ugliness of evil but rather dressed in a costume of an angel of light. Knowing his schemes will make us more alert to his tricks.

There is a wide variety of techniques that the wolves on our pulpit use to get their followers in an ASC. For instance, prolonged fasting, singing one song over and over again until the people disconnect with reality, fear-charged sermons, long periods of intense prayer (especially in tongues) and loud music with a repetitive beat, ecstatic dance and trances. The objective, they argue, is to dull the critical thinking of their followers because they portray the mind as an obstacle to the moving of the Holy Ghost. But the danger, as Dr. Elizabeth Hillstrom notes, is that the mental state that is induced in this manner creates a perfect ground for a demonic infestation.

In addition to the satanic influence, the following physical and emotional manifestations have also been noticed:
• Alterations in thinking: attention/concentration/memory/judgment, trouble distinguishing between cause and effect
• Disturbed time sense: time ceases to exist or goes by very quickly/very slowly. (Dreams)
• Loss of control: feeling helpless.
• Change in emotional expression: emotional extremes or becoming detached/expressionless.
• Body image change: Boundaries between oneself and one’s environment is blurred. Parts of the body may seem strange/heavy/awkward.
• Perceptual distortions: “Seeing” sound, “Hearing” color, also hallucinations.
• Attaching increased meaning to experiences: Things become so profound!
• Sense of the ineffable: Amnesia/vivid memories/inability to describe experiences to someone who has not undergone something similar
• Feelings of rejuvenation: hope/feeling light, free euphoric.

When the Holy Spirit fell on the Disciples of Christ at Pentecost, the crowd in Jerusalem wanted to dismiss the event as a mere collective drunkenness but Peter stood up and refute that allegation: “These men are not drunk as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning" (Act 2:15)

We also need to stand up and reject any mental state other than the waking conscious state which God designed for us. More than ever, we need to stay pragmatic meaning in control, alert, logical, rational, goal-directed and capable of thinking with cause and effect.

May the light of the truth of His Word dispel any shadows of the lies of Satan.

Defiance! – Pt 14 – Interlude: “A Word from the Lord”

2009-09-19T11:56:00.002+02:00

Usually I refrain from posting articles on Saturdays, however today something unusual happened to me. Early this morning, a word of God came to me with a spirit of prophecy. I spent many hours in meditation and searching His word because: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” [2Co 13:1]

This is what the Lord is saying against the persecutors, the wolves, the false teachers and prophets, the abusers of His children and those who have brought a reproach to His name:

"Because you have stopped my children from coming to me and diverted them from the kingdom of God. [Mar 10:14]

Because you are locking the door to the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces, but you yourselves don't go in, nor do you allow in those who are trying to enter! [Mat 23:13]

Because many have followed you and your pernicious ways, and because of them the way of truth is evil spoken of. [2Pe 2:2]

Because by your talking high-sounding nonsense and using sinful cravings of the flesh, you have enticed people who have just escaped from those who live in error. [2Pe 2:18]

Because you did not remember to do mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, and sought to kill the broken-hearted. [Psa 109:16]

Because of you, my house of prayer has become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. [Rev 18:2]

Because of your lusts and greed, you dare even to be merchants of slaves, and souls of men. [Rev 18:13]

Because you have trusted in your wickedness and said, No one sees me. Your wisdom and your knowledge, it has perverted you; and you have said in your heart, I am, and there is no one else. [Isa 47:3]

Because, says the LORD, you took counsel, but not from me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, so that you may add sin to sin. [Isa 30:1]

Because you have trusted Egypt for protection and refuse my advice, but sends messengers to Egypt to beg their king for help. [Isa 30:2]

Because of that, your sins have been heaped on one another up to the heaven, and God has taken note of your evil-doing. [Rev 18:5]

Because of this evil will come on you, which may not be turned away for any price: and trouble will overtake you, from which no money will give salvation: destruction will come on you suddenly, without your knowledge. [Isa 47:11]

Your nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, your shame shall be seen; I will take vengeance and I will not meet you as a man. [Isa 47:3]

Keep all your magic spells and charms, says the Lord; you have used them since you were young. Perhaps they will be of some help to you; perhaps you can frighten your enemies. You are powerless in spite of the advice you get. [Isa 47:12, 13]

Because after escaping the world's corruptions through a full knowledge of my Son, Jesus Christ, you got again entangled and conquered by them, then your last condition will be worse than their former one. [2Pe 2:20]

It would have been more profitable for you if a millstone were hanged about your neck and be cast into the sea, than that to allow yourself to be a snare to one of these little ones I died for, says the Lord. [Luk 17:2]

But the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust for a day of judgment, to be punished. [2Pe 2:9]"

Defiance! – Pt 13 – Profiling the persecutor – Exhibit B: "The Con Artist"

2009-09-17T15:33:00.008+02:00

According to Ken Blue, author of Healing Spiritual Abuse, narcissistic leaders are con artists. However, all con artists are not necessarily narcissistic with NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder), though they share most of the personality traits of those with NPD. That’s why, in the interest of effectively profiling the persecutor, I’d like to present the con artist in a separate category.

The dictionary defines the con artist as “someone who tricks or deceives people in order to get money from them, or a swindler who exploits the confidence of his victim." Con artists tend to be excellent conversationalists; they exploit our human weaknesses like greed, dishonesty, vanity, compassion or just a naïve expectation of good faith. “Through covetousness they will use you for gain with well-turned words.” [2Pe 2:3]

Paul warns us against this type of persecutor in Col 2:8: “Don't let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come from the powers of this world and not from Christ.”

Though con artists behind the pulpit share the same characteristics as NPD Pastors (refer to previous article), most experts agree that the mind of a con artist is tuned in the manner of a serial criminal. In other words, there is a fixed, recognizable pattern that the swindler on the pulpit uses over and over again.

Con artists are psychopaths with antisocial personality disorder, or ASP, that begins in early childhood or adolescence. Antisocial behaviors range from relatively minor acts, such as lying or cheating, to heinous acts, including torture, rape and murder. As psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley once noted, the antisocial person is “the forgotten man of psychiatry who probably causes more unhappiness and more perplexity to the public than all mentally disordered patients combined.”

Such psychopaths are often witty and articulate. When they get to the pulpits, they can be very effective in presenting themselves well and are often very likable and charming, but in relationships they are very controlling, self-serving, and irresponsible.

When persecutors are con artists, disguised as pastors, they display the following traits:

Image. They look good on the outside, but an ulterior motive lurks on the inside.
Victim mentality. They see themselves as victims rather than those they hurt.
Claim a special anointing. They believe they are special and entitled to special behavior; rules that apply to others do not apply to them.
False excuses. They display their own brand of logic and an excuse for everything.
False generosity. They appear to be very giving, but there is always a price to pay for their attention.
False repentance. They can apologize easily, but there is no sign of true repentance.
Lack of empathy. They don't feel love or guilt; tend to minimize the pain of those they have hurt.
Non-confrontational. They discredit their accusers when they are confronted.
Coping mechanism. They cope by making themselves the hero in the worst situations.
Cunning. They are very clever, and often able to keep from being caught.
Mood shifts. They have extreme shifts in personality, may be kind and sarcastic in the same instant.
Manipulative. They are very needy, and blame others for not being able to meet their needs.

The purpose of this article is to learn the modus operandi of the con artists in our churches, then to resort to stay very far away from them and avoid them at all costs. Here are some disturbing patterns that believers should watch for:

Con artists, in the clergy, play with our inner beliefs or ignorance.

Con artist pastors focus on mind control. They want to create “dumb sheep”, they specialize in teaching people what to think. They condemn, ridicule, or get rid of those who have an “independent spirit.” They label or use character assassination on those who refuse to go along.

Con artist pastors don’t operate alone--they hide behind “shills” or “co-conspirators.” They usually find someone that the members know and respect for his/her integrity to give their message a high level of credibility. By so doing, the credibility of the speaker will dispel any hidden agenda.

Con artist pastors ask for trust just because “I am the pastor.” They simply adore their titles of “pastors.” Jesus said about them: “They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have people call them Rabbi" (Mat 23:7). Most churchgoers will not question the credibility of a “mfundisi” or pastor. In our continent, spiritual and religious leaders are given great credibility, so those who wear such titles, we believe they have an obligation to speak the truth.

Con artist pastors like to divert attention. By so doing, they distract the attention from the real issue.

Con artist pastors tend to ignore the evidence by simply discarding the truth as “a devil scheme.”

Con artist pastors create a problem, and then to offer a solution. By so doing, chaos, confusion, grief, misery and all the related negative emotions, conditions and circumstances are at play to manipulate people to make choices that under other circumstances they would never consider.

Con artist pastors use guilt projection and condemnation to induce “spiritual conversion.”

Con artist pastors set up a secret language. They use “hinting” to manipulate people into giving tem their resources; they give ambiguous orders so that if anything backfires they could safely deny it, then reject the responsibility and place the blame on someone else.

Con artists pastors are easily offended. When they are caught in an unethical action, they often feign offence, or become dramatic. This tactic will often put the accuser on the defensive and derail the confrontation.

Con artist pastors are capable of the unthinkable to muzzle the truth.

“But evil people and phony preachers will go from bad to worse as they mislead people and are themselves misled.” [2Ti 3:13]

The victim

What these persecutors behind the pulpit don’t seem to realize is that their tricks to deceive God’s children for financial gain lead them and their victims to a terrain where the devil reigns supreme.

Because of the spiritual ramifications, victims of a con artist pastor suffer all kind demonic oppression in addition of the physical symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

When a believer finally discovers that he/she has been victim of a con artist pastor, guilt and shame ensue. But anyone can be a victim, even a person who is considered too intelligent or too spiritual can be conned.

There is a simple way to prevent self from being a victim: “Ask questions, ask the “pastor” to show you his claims in the scripture, then get another opinion and/or search for yourself.” Any good pastor will welcome reasonable questions or bona fide fact-finding, and will not urge anyone to take a quick decision. Con artist pastors just hate confrontation; they will get rid of you as soon as you become too inquisitive.

If you have fallen prey to a con artist pastor, don’t let the guilt and the shame overpower you. Rather run to the cross, plead the blood of Christ, repent and receive His grace, forgive the persecutor to kill any root of bitterness, revoke and cancel any allegiance you pledge with the persecutor and then cast out the devil and his hosts in the name of Jesus Christ.

It might also be useful to seek counseling and deliverance from a reputable ministry or therapist.

Because God will not suffer for long to see the con artists tamper with His grace, these persecutors are usually short lived. The con artists in the clergy are usually "too smart by half." Eventually, their lies catch up with them. They are forced to cover lies with more lies. When it gets to be too much to believe, others begin to feel betrayed, or used.

“Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you'll harvest.” [Gal 6:7]

Defiance! – Pt 12 – Profiling the persecutor - Exhibit A: “The Narcissist”

2009-09-15T10:01:00.003+02:00

From time to time, stories of spiritual abuses in churches make headlines in the press globally. Last year, the City Press (South Africa) ran an article where allegedly some members of a church took private loans, sold houses and gave the proceeds to their “man of God.” For the full story as reported in the press, click here.

In the name of God, believers are losing the providence of God in their lives in the hands of “men of God”. One comment on this blog stated: “Some people stopped working in the name of a calling. Some gave their life savings, cars, houses and matured policy payouts to please the persecutor.”

But these persecutors don’t seem to care. They do not show any sign of empathy towards the people affected. They are totally blind to the repercussion of their deeds and decisions.

In his last letter to Timothy, Paul the apostle sent a prophetic warning to the coming generations. He introduced a kind of people whom, he said, will later come in the name of God: “Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” [2Ti 3:5]

Before that, Paul embarked on a detailed description of these individuals: “They will love only themselves and money. They will be proud, stuck-up, rude, and disobedient to their parents. They will also be ungrateful, godless, heartless, and hateful. Their words will be cruel, and they will have no self-control or pity. These people will hate everything that is good. They will be sneaky, reckless, and puffed up with pride. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure.” [2Ti 3:2-4]

By and large, one can spot these people in almost every sphere of the society. A common term is used to describe them: “Narcissism or narcissistic personality.”

The online UK dictionary of psychology defines the narcissistic personality as:
“Extremely selfish and self-centered, people with a narcissistic personality have a grandiose view of their uniqueness, achievements, and talents and an insatiable craving for admiration and approval from others. They are arrogant, exploitative to achieve their own goals and expect much more from others than they themselves are willing to give.”

Ken Blue, in his book, Healing Spiritual Abuse (p112) has this to say: “Narcissistic leaders are not just con artists. They really believe they are entitled to public greatness and that the needs of others around them are of no importance.
They are potentially dangerous because they need followers to applaud their vision and virtues and to justify their actions. Their greatest fear in life is being unimportant, nameless and faceless.
The most accessible platform for such a leader, sadly, is the PULPIT.” (Bold and uppercase mine)

In 1980, the DSM (Diagnostics and Statistics Manual) classified in the mental health section this pattern of behaviours as NPD or “Narcissistic Personality Disorder”.

The author of "Narcissism in the Pulpit" writes the following: “Depending on the size of the congregation and the perceptiveness of the leadership it may take 6 months to a couple of years before the problem is clearly perceived - that the pastor is devoid of spiritual depth, personal character, and really could care less about the welfare of the sheep. If the destructive characteristics are not identified and the narcissist is allowed to minister long range serious problems will manifest. The NPD pastors can be very abusive and destructive to the church, and wreak havoc in the personal lives of those closest to them - particularly staff and leadership.”

The same author proceeds with a thorough checklist compiled to identify pastors with NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder): “If your pastor or someone else you know can be characterized by a majority of these realize you have a major challenge on your hands. This check list should be given to those who have had the closest continual contact with the narcissist. Take into consideration that some people whom the narcissist has surrounded himself with will be blind to all these, as they have either become co-dependent with the narcissist, or have blind loyalty to the position of Pastor:

Ø Self-centered. His needs are paramount and take precedence over the church.
Ø No remorse for mistakes or misdeeds. Will not offer heartfelt apologies of ask for forgiveness.
Ø Unreliable, undependable. Will change his mind and reverse decisions at will.
Ø Does not care about the consequences of his actions—may not even understand the connection.
Ø Projects his faults on to others. High blaming behavior; never his fault
Ø Little if any conscience. Will do most anything he thinks will not be discovered. May ask staff to fudge the books.
Ø Insensitive to needs and feelings of others. Has a good front (persona) to impress and exploit others.
Ø Low stress tolerance. Easy to provoke into anger.
Ø People are to be manipulated for his needs, accomplishing his desires.
Ø Rationalizes easily. Twists conversation to his gain at other‘s expense. If trapped, keeps talking, changes the subject or gets angry.
Ø Pathological lying. Will lie if he thinks it will further his image and if he doesn‘t think it will be discovered. When lies are followed up on will imply that the other person is mistaken, and that he never said the lie in the first place.
Ø Tremendous need to control situations, conversations, and group meetings.
Ø No real values. Mostly situational. Often perceived as caring and understanding and uses this to manipulate.
Ø Angry, rapidly changing moods. Does not share ideas, feelings, and emotions.
Ø Conversation controller. Must have the first and last word.
Ø Is very slow to forgive others. Hangs onto resentment.
Ø Secret life. Hides money, friends, and activities.
Ø Likes annoying and provoking others. Likes to create chaos and disrupt for no reason.
Ø Moody - switches from nice guy to anger without much provocation
Ø Seldom expresses appreciation unless he is buttering the person up for further use.
Ø Grandiose. Convinced he knows more than others and is correct in all he does.
Ø Lacks ability to see how he comes across to others. Defensive when confronted with his behavior. Never his fault.
Ø Can get emotional, tearful. This is about show or frustration rather than sorrow.
Ø He breaks woman's spirits to keep them dependent.
Ø Needs threats, intimidations to keep others close to him.
Ø Highly contradictory.
Ø Convincing. Must convince people to side with him.
Ø Hides his real self. Always ―on, playing the part when in public
Ø Kind only if he's getting from you what he wants.
Ø He has to be right. He has to win. He has to look good.
Ø He announces, not discusses. He tells, not asks. Does not discuss openly, has a hidden agenda.
Ø Controls money of others but spends freely on himself.
Ø Unilateral condition of, "I'm OK and justified so I don't need to hear your position or ideas."
Ø Always feels misunderstood.
Ø You feel miserable with this person. He drains you.
Ø Does not listen because he does not care.
Ø Is not interested in problem-solving.
Ø Very good at reading people, so he can manipulate them.
Ø Will exaggerate and brag about past accomplishments.
Ø Concerned with getting what he wants NOW—immediately.
Ø Will not want to share his pulpit/platform with others.
Ø Will be envious of any other staff person who is loved or highly respected by the congregation.
Ø Will be overly concerned with the image of the church building/bulletins etc.
Ø Feels that he has been taken advantage of over and over again—“knife in the back syndrome.”
Ø Dress may change based on whomever is his latest idol.
Ø Spend long hours doing church, but little will be accomplished.
Ø Nit-picky about minute details, but miss the entire big picture
Additional characteristics known only to the narcissist’s spouse:
Ø Sabotages partner. Wants her to be happy only through him and to have few or no outside interests and acquaintances.
Ø His feelings are discussed, not the partners.
Ø Uses sex to control.

The victim of a narcissist

“The victim of a narcissist is traumatized. There are biochemical changes in the body and structural changes in the brain. Thought patterns change, memories are lost, immune system strongly affected, brain cells die, there is chest pain, muscle pain, feelings are intense and emotions chaotic. Victimization is never deserved.”- Bradley

This type of persecutor, the narcissistic leader, is mainly used by Satan to annihilate the sense of purpose and calling in the children of God, by sabotaging their honest living for today in the hope of a “divine” breakthrough in the future.

In their pursuit of glory and fame, these persecutors, the narcissist leaders, use God’s precious children as their things; they see humans as mere instruments. For them, humans are dispensable, rechargeable, reusable at will. To regard God’s creatures as such is to devalue them, to reduce them, to restrict them, to prevent them from realizing their potential. Inevitably, these persecutors lose interest in their objects or subjects once they cease to serve them.

The courts do not recognise NPD as a mitigating circumstance, neither does God. The scriptures declare: “…These people are enemies of the truth. Their minds are sick, and their faith isn't real. But they won't get very far with their foolishness. Soon everyone will know the truth about them…” [2Ti 3:8-9]

Defiance is heeding Paul’s firm admonition: “Avoid such people!” [2Ti 3:5]

“This is the real danger that the victims of the narcissist face: that they become like him, bitter, self-centered, lacking in empathy.” – Sam Vaknin

Defiance! – Pt 11 – Beware of wolves:“You shall know them by their fruits!”

2009-09-11T12:58:00.003+02:00

Shortly after we signed up to join our former church, my wife got a word from God concerning the pastor. The Lord distinctly impressed on her spirit these words: “Strange fire on the altar!”- Biblical references are found in Lev. 10:1, Num 3:4 and Num 26:61. Because of my pragmatism and perhaps my ignorance, I struggled to put a sense to it or to take the corresponding action. I thought perhaps God wanted us to get fully involved in our newly found church and help God build His altar.

The truth is I didn’t know what to do or what to look for. For more than four years, I wrestled with God and with my wife who kept on discerning more troubling patterns in the ministry. I knew the word of Jesus in Mat 7:16: “You shall know them by their fruits.”, in spite of this, I spent a long time looking at the external fruits of our ministry and I missed completely the point of the Lord’s advice.

What Jesus was actually saying is clearly stated in Mat 7:20 (CEV): “You can tell who the false prophets are by their deeds.” Like many believers, I was misled by the hype, the glamour and the charisma of our ministry and I ignored the lifestyle and misdeeds of our pastor.

We were brainwashed into believing that the pastor was beyond criticism since he postured himself as a prophet, hence thou shall not touch the Lord’s anointed. Above that, the pastor brought in our many events many renowned ministers who used their credentials to assert his claims on some special anointing.

A bishop, a guest speaker whom the pastor went to threaten in his hotel room for not showing up at the opening night of our conference, declared publicly the following night that God was establishing our pastor as a “watchman” over the nation. This bishop went on to say that God will not do anything in South Africa without our pastor’s prior knowledge. Further on, the bishop called together all the leaders of our church after the service and warned us that God will destroy whoever who will dare to come up against His newly appointed “watchman”.

These erroneous and misleading so-called “thy saith the lord” prophecies brought down our spiritual guards and infected our discernment corporately. Now, the pastor had carte banche to live and behave anyhow he wished. Our leaders, who were asked by another bishop to pledge full allegiance to the pastor, mobilized against the “jezebels”, the “rebels” and the “witches” in the pews at the first sign of dissension, and failed to bring the pastor to accountability on the reported sins in his life and/or about the management of the church funds and assets.

As leaders of the church, we were expected to “cover the nakedness” of our “man of God”. We believed the devil was out there to destroy our God mandated “grand” vision. Nevertheless, some of our leaders began to voice concerns and easiness. At which, the pastor counterattacked by inviting more guest speakers to bring them back to order.

One particular local speaker undertook to display, in a leadership seminar, the tenets of their erroneous beliefs which raised more than a concern among our pastoral team. One of our pastors submitted his resignation shortly afterwards. The “man of God” was in a bind and threw up a church paid banquet for all the leaders where he publicly distanced himself with that particular speaker’s teachings and touched our hearts by asking for forgiveness.

But all of that was just a show, he persisted in the application of these heresies and invited another continental “giant in the body of Christ” to enforce them. Though, he said publicly that he regretted he ever invited the “local guy”, he kept a close relationship with him and they are still speaking for each other at their mutual conventions. In his need of embellishing the truth and making things appear grander than what they were, the pastor also extended an olive branch to some of his other foes in the ministry locally.

When I resigned from the church, the pastor spent 5 consecutive Sundays teaching on “loyalty and disloyalty” from a book before he casually broke the news to the church. At that time, his members were beaten down to submission and were trapped in the hellish fear of “curses”, “ deadly diseases” and some other dire consequences should they associate with us, the outcasts (the “anacondas”).

Since my wife and I left, we invested ourselves in the study of the Word of God and in researching many books and references. It became clear to us that the Bible is true when it declares that “destruction has overtaken my people because they have no knowledge.” [Hos 4:6].

As the Lord, with the cleansing of His word, is setting us free, I felt prompted to journal our recovery progress in this blog – which is an open forum - and share our findings with the readers. My wife and I have find out that the more we share our stories with people all over the world, the more the similarities of the patterns of abuse emerge.

From next week, I’d like to embark with you, in a string of articles, in a journey that I’d like to call “Profiling the persecutor”. I’d like to extend to you an invitation to be the jury and the judge in a court case where I’ll present to you the victims of spiritual abuse and the evidence against their persecutors.

I call persecutors the “pastors” of abusive churches whom the Lord calls “wolves in sheep clothing”, and the apostles describes as “false prophets and false teachers”. I am not bashing against bona fide pastors but I feel a call to unmask those wolves who have sneaked in our midst and are destroying the good work of those who have faithfully labored for God.

Pastors go through a lot spiritually, emotionally and physically between Sundays; still they need to remain alert and diligent to keep these wolves out the sheepfold. When a false doctrine is dissipating through a congregation, a pastor always is the entry point.

But for today, let me allow Peter, the apostle, to show us in the scriptures the face of the false teacher, the wolf or the persecutor. The following is a summary of 2 Peter 2:

False teacher/Wolves/Persecutors secretly bring in their own destructive teachings. This happens most likely under the false pretense of new revelation or taking people to another level and dimension in their walk with Christ.

False teachers disown even the Lord who has redeemed them. They do this by demanding a worship and reverence that is only due to our Lord, and they treat our Lord with contempt by posturing an authority that He has not conferred to them in the first place.

False teachers entice other to follow them in their immoral ways and by so doing, the way and name of our Lord are blasphemed.

False teachers are experts in greed. They exploit by their smooth talk unsuspected believers. I’m an advocate that pastors should get a fair living wage, to allow them more freedom in their pastoral duties, more time for prayer and the word. This was a common understanding in my former church, but I was so surprised later to find out that the pastor will keep on calling some well off members to take care of his personal needs in spite of his comfortable package. If that is not plain greed, then I need another definition.

False teachers are presumptuous, self-willed and arrogant, not afraid of speaking evil of those in high places.

These false teachers are stains and blemishes. They take pleasure in holding wild parties in broad daylight. They especially enjoy deceiving you while they eat with you.

These wolves are always looking for an adulterous woman. They can't stop looking for sin as they seduce people who aren't sure of what they believe. Their minds are focused on their greed. My heart was terribly saddened when I later find out that how many people in my former church knew about the alleged pastor’s extra marital affairs, and the same applies in some other churches in town too, and everyone would still behave as if it is business as usual.

These false teachers have left the straight path and wandered off to follow the path of Balaam. Balaam was commissioned to curse the blessed people of Israel. These wolves dispense “curses” at everyone who would attempt to confront their evil ways. The truth is they can NEVER curse those for whom the Lord has died. They are just cursing themselves further into damnation.

These false teachers are dried-up springs. There is no fresh water of the revelation of the Word of God coming out of them. All their preaching is just rehearsed performance, communication techniques, masses manipulations and plagiarisms.

Persecutors promise their people freedom, but they themselves are slaves to corruption.

The whole chapter of 2 Pet.2 is full of the wrath of God against them. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, loves His sheep dearly, He gave His life for them, He came to give them life, and life in abundance and will protect them against these wolves at any cost.

It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and turn their backs on the holy commandment that was committed to them. [2Pe 2:21]

“Truth is so obscure in these times and falsehood so established, that unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.” – Blaise Pascal

Defiance! -Pt 10 - Interlude

2009-09-07T12:18:00.003+02:00

My spiritual world was shaken when I met last year a distressed lady, who once visited my former church. She took over an hour to relate to me some horrific stories of her life as a first lady of a church in town. Perhaps I was oblivious of the sad realities in some churches but I was never before confronted to a similar situation.

Nevertheless, if someone had told me that a pastor would beat his wife on the way to church, then throw her out of the moving car and proceed to his church to preach under the "anointing" to his followers, I wouldn’t never believed. But that was just a fraction of this sister’s story. She was also suffering from all kind of traumas related to the intensity of abuse she suffered under her “man of God”. She ran out her house, left her kids behind and was living in hiding because of fear of the pastor’s sons and daughters.

When I asked her why she didn’t report the abuse to the authorities, she replied by saying whom did I think the police would believe: her or the “mfundisi” (the pastor). At the end of her story, I prayed with her in agreement for her healing and that the Lord will open up ways for her to get the divorce she was seeking in court.

When the news of my resignation become known (5 weeks after I officially notify the pastor!), I began to meet with some of the victims of our unhealthy system. It made me realize how blind, insensitive and cold I was to their pleas when I was still inside. One particular brother kept on calling me after the pastor “released” him and I categorically denied him a hearing.

I sidelined everyone who had a sensitive or negative concern and I refused to believe their reports, labeling them as rebels. I didn’t believe one moment that we could have been wrong in our assessments or erroneous in our doctrines. Looking back, I now understand that I was shrouded in a cloud of lies when their stories were reported. I judged and I applied the sentence without trial. I was wrong. I was a co-conspirator. With all humility, I seek forgiveness for any involvement in these practices.

Some friends have thought that the content of this blog was a way to avenge myself or to “hit back” at my former pastor, his family or his church. Others said I was arrogantly seating on a Judge throne and blinded in my pride from all the positive things that are still happening in the ministry.

In spite of these, I have seen the faces of what I know now to be victims of spiritual abuse. Their experiences and stories need to be told, the word of God need to heal and revalidate them. The spiritual abuse in an unhealthy church environment and the trauma suffered by the victims are real and evident. It used to be much more obvious in some cults, but the painful reality of its prevalence amongst some bona fide charismatic churches cannot be denied.

Today, I’d like to take a break to bring some clarity on certain terms I have been using so far. The following excerpts are taken by permission from Barnabas Ministry:

Spiritual abuse occurs when a person in a position of spiritual authority misuses his or her position. Instead of serving those being led and directing them towards God, they are used for some other end. This can include a wide variety of behaviors, from outright mistreatment and harshness to subtly directing everything to the advancement of the agenda of the leader or the leader's personal prestige without regard for the well-being of the individual.

People in a church environment have a reasonable expectation that leadership will point them to God and what is right in his eyes, not to take their honest desire to serve God and exploit it to bolster the power or control of the leader or the church system and leave them empty.

Other authors have defined spiritual abuse in these ways:

Spiritual abuse can occur when a leader uses his or her spiritual position to control or dominate another person. It often involves overriding the feelings and opinions of another, without regard to what will result in the other person's state of living, emotions or spiritual well-being. ... Power is used to bolster the position or needs of a leader, over and above one who comes to them in need. (The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen, 20-21)

Spiritual abuse happens when a leader with spiritual authority uses that authority to coerce, control or exploit a follower, thus causing spiritual wounds. (Healing Spiritual Abuse, Ken Blue, p. 12)

So what is a healthy church, what is an unhealthy church, what is an abusive church, and who gets to decide?

Church environments fall along a continuum. On the one extreme would be the absolutely perfect environment. Since people make mistakes and people would be part of any church environment, such a perfect environment could only exist in theory. On the other extreme would be an abusive, exploitative, dishonest, utterly destructive group with no redeeming values whatsoever. Hopefully, the only place a group like this would exist is also in theory. Between these two extremes, there is every other church environment.

Let me make define some terms here:

By identifying a church as "unhealthy" I do not mean that it merely has problems. All churches have problems, no churches are perfect. Further, churches go through phases that are difficult, analogous to any normally healthy person being sick for a few days. An unhealthy church has certain problems that are not only debilitating, but are also persistent or chronic like a person who has a chronic illness or condition.

By abusive, I mean a church mistreats and/or exploits its people.

By cultic, I mean a church uses deception, manipulation and other unethical means to gain and
maintain members.

Continuum of Environments

Perfect ... Healthy ... Unhealthy ... Abusive ... Cultic ... Worst

Engler's Criteria

In my own experience and studies, I have come up with my own criteria for determining whether a group is unhealthy or abusive. These ideas are expressed in terms of contrasts. Interestingly, the environment for the Israelites in Egypt changed from being healthy to unhealthy and abusive, and this can often happen in unhealthy or abusive churches as well.

Healthy church

A place of blessing and refuge for those in need. A place people want to go. Lives are blessed.
Benevolent leadership genuinely concerned about the welfare of those it leads.
Leadership concerned about loyalty to the people.
Devotes the system to meet the needs of the people.
Leadership builds up the people.
Healthy structure established for order and taking care of the people. Whole structure works for the good of all.
Leadership is secure, welcomes outsiders.
Contributions made willingly
The good of all is what matters.
The system serves the people.
Leaders serve the people.
Hardships related to the task at hand.
Negative aspects of system discussed and corrected for the good of the people. People who identify problems are put in a position to address these needs for the good of all.
Welcomes helpful changes.
Prayers of thanksgiving and praise.
God leads people to go there.

Unhealthy or Abusive church

A place of slavery. A place people want to leave. Lives are embittered.
Malevolent leadership concerned about control over those it leads.
Leadership concerned about the loyalty of the people.
Exploits the legitimate needs of people for its own ends.
Leadership tears down the people.
Unhealthy structure established to control the people. "In" groups, rivalries, favoritism, rewards and punishments to ensure loyalty to the leadership and system.
Leadership is paranoid, afraid of outsiders and disloyal members.
Contributions made under compulsion.
The system and one's position in it are what matters.
The people serve the system.
Leaders control the people.
Hardships arbitrary, inflicted by the leadership
Negative aspects of system silenced. People who identify problems are viewed as a threat. They are marginalized, stigmatized and cast out of the system.
Resists changes.
Prayers of anguish and pain.
God leads people to leave there.

For a more detailed discussion of these criteria, see the Barnabas Ministry article Characteristics of Unhealthy, Abusive and Cultic Church Environments.

Further, it is important to note that spiritual abuse can happen with or without the intent to cause harm. It is the end result that matters.

I also strongly recommend the Provender ‘s blog for those who are interested in learning more about the subject of “Spiritual Abuse”.

“That's why I'm writing this letter while I'm not with you. When I am with you I don't want to be harsh by using the authority that the Lord gave me. The Lord gave us this authority to help you, not to hurt you.” [2 Cor.13:10]

Defiance! – Pt 9 – The enablers or the persecutor’s last line of defense

2009-09-02T13:29:00.004+02:00

The world of the persecutors in an abusive environment is a fantasy world and utopia. In their delusion, they create a system that is so detached from reality that they end up believing in their own lies. Every one plays a role in that system as long as the persecutors get their daily fixes of approval. They ignored the warning of the Lord: “You are in for trouble when everyone says good things about you (Luke 6:26)”.

Between the co-conspirators and the victims of a persecutor stands another character: the enabler. The enabler’s role is to protect the persecutor from the consequences of his/her own actions. Enablers use flattery as their tool of choice. Their tongues are smooth in their talk, and their hearts are full of deceit; they speak with flattering lips, saying one thing but meaning another (Psa 12:2).

The enablers hope they will delay the day of reckoning by shielding the persecutors from the truth. They create a buffer zone for the abuser, almost like a virtual life free from the feeling of any emotional pain. They play the persecutors’ spin doctors by defusing the rumours, presenting alibis or even lying under oath if necessary. They deny, conceal or minimize the problems of the persecutors; even if it implied taking responsibilities for the abuser’s failures.

The Webster’s dictionary defines the “enabler” as one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior by providing excuses or by making it possible to avoid the consequences of such behavior.

In my opinion and observation, I found out that there are at least three types of enablers in an abusive church:

The sons and daughters

In their effort to cover up their “dad’s” nakedness, the “sons and daughters” feel compelled to keep on protecting the lost cause by saying to themselves: “I'm going to give him another chance”, “I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, just this one time only”, and so on, and so forth. They have lost the ability to say no for fear of losing their dad’s love or appreciation.

In the abusive church, the “sons and daughters” believe their actions are God ordained; they take it upon themselves to promote their desired change upon their “dads”. They believe their efforts will result in reforming their protégé.

The neutral

On the other hand, some active workers in an unhealthy church opt for a position of neutrality. Yet, in our Christian walk, there is no room for neutrality. The spiritual armor of the believer doesn’t provide cover for his back; we need to be constantly on the offensive. Still, some of us chose to stay away from the so called “church politics” and prefer to close their eyes to any form of abuse.
They believe God didn’t send them to be the judges and if the visionary or the “set-man” does something, even if it goes against their most inner values, there surely must be a “spiritual” motive behind the action.

The mercenary

More often than not, pastors of unhealthy churches will “hit a brick wall” when their sinful ways get public. In their effort to counteract, they usually invest their church much needed resources to hire renowned “men of God” to deflect the hand of fate and soften the blow.

These, I will chose to call “mercenary”. A mercenary is a soldier for hire; he or she is motivated essentially by the desire for private gain. A mercenary is compensated substantially in excess of that promised or paid to other servants in the church. A mercenary loves pompous titles and brags about his/her ministerial prowess.

The better mercenaries are pampered by their hosts, the more favorable to them they will be in their “thy saith the Lord” prophecies. Since mercenaries fight on another church battle front, they are generally merciless and looters. Without mercy or discernment, they also enjoy “milking out’ their audiences of their resources.

They perpetuate the status quo of abusive leaders because they frequently manage to defuse the ticking time bomb. The sins of their hosts are never addressed and their characters are never questioned, just the "honorarium" suffice.

When, in spite of their efforts, the enablers realize the futility of their actions, they turn out in becoming in private sarcastic naggers, slanderers and blamers. Since they can’t confront openly the troubled person, they become martyrs who seek others' sympathy over their plight in life. As a rule, the enablers end up depressed, anxious and tense, and spend their lives seeking out revenge against the troubled person. Their powerlessness to change the situation causes them to shift the blame to themselves resulting in anger, hurt and pure hate towards the persecutors.

On a personal note, I used to be very gullible in accepting on face value the explanations of the “men of God” in trouble. But looking back, I realise that the so-called bad rumours were emanating from well informed enablers. The casual church attendee doesn’t generally sniff in for gossips. Where there's smoke, there's fire!

In a twist of events, when the persecutors find out that the enablers have sheltered them from the truth, they always end up by turning their anger, resentment and hostility towards them. At this time, the enablers will be so worn out that they are suffering stress-related illnesses, like heart disease, ulcers, gastrointestinal problems and high blood pressure.

The Lord Christ had a strong rebuke against these behaviors: “I know everything you have done, and you are not cold or hot. I wish you were either one or the other. But since you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth.” [Rev 3:15 -16]

Sometime, a small adjustment is all that is required to correct an error. The difference between hot water and boiling water is just one degree of heat. Here are some suggestions:

Tough love

The enablers need to take themselves out of the picture and place the responsibility of the situation at matter back in the hands of the persecutor. The enablers need to realise that they are not the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ is. The persecutors need to be treated with “tough love” and need to face the consequences of their actions.

All believers should know that: “the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."[ Heb 12:6]. No one is exempt, even the senior pastors and ministers are concerned in this scripture.

Sad but true, sometime God’s chastisement can mean a closing down of a church or a collapse of a ministry. In any case, church members don’t belong to the founders of churches; they are simply God’s flock. Sometime, the enablers, by their actions, simply stand on God’s way. However, many ministries which were closed by God, in this manner, were reborn later in power after undergoing God’s rehabilitation.

The enablers need to recognise that the use of flatteries in their languages gave the persecutor the excuse for indulging in the problem in the first place. Consequently, they need to learn the use of honesty, assertiveness and confrontation in addressing the troubled behavior of the persecutor before the problems become uncontrollable. Enablers need also to learn to love and respect themselves better which will promote their own healing, especially in the area of self-esteem.

Persecutors live in denial, they need to hit their own “brick wall” before they recognise their own need to seek help.

Fact finding

Although we will all agree that the devil is always at work to derail God’s church, but when leaders “miss the mark”, committing the sin under His grace can be better than blame shifting and witch hunting. When leaders find themselves in trouble, they typically put in the line of fire next to the devil, the “Jezebels”, the “rebels” and the “witches” of their churches.

Mercenaries should go first on a fact finding mission before they jump in and put out the fire. Most of the time, the truth is not hidden very far, it is restrained by the enablers and diffused in the hype of the moment.

The most conspicuous fact is usually a most recent turnover of key leaders and staff. If they were consulted as well, their version of the facts could bring much light to the matter.

If a correct assessment was applied to churches in trouble, it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that, most of the time, the common denominator in the equation is the very same “man of God” who has been blaming everyone else but himself.

Defiance!

Defiance is also to learn to: “say true words in love, so that we may all come to full growth in him, who is the head, even Christ. [Eph 4:15]

If in the church at large, we don’t engage in a thorough introspection, the glory of God, that we all have been longing for, will keep on evading our experience. Ichabod! (I Samuel 4:21)

"As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."— Marianne Williamson

Defiance! – Pt 8 – The co-conspirator’s internal conflict: loyalty vs disloyalty

2009-08-31T15:33:00.002+02:00

With every leadership position comes huge responsibilities with ensuing stress and pressure. Regardless of that, most of us are still perplexed when we read in the Bible that all authority comes from above. If that is true, why then God does not foresee the flaws of character in those in authority before He appoints them?

The story of Saul gives us an answer to that question. When Samuel was about to anoint Saul as King over Israel, he was nowhere to be found: 1Sa 10:22 The people prayed, "Our LORD, is Saul here?" "Yes," the LORD answered, "he is hiding behind the baggage."

That’s where leaders are usually found; hiding behind the baggage of their insecurities, fears, past wounds and hurts. God still chooses and appoints them as they are and in spite of their weaknesses. He then waits for these leaders to surrender to Him all their destructive self-image and submit their hidden sins under His Saving Grace. Pro 28:13 He who keeps his sins secret will not do well; but one who is open about them, and gives them up, will get mercy.

Moses, like David, is an example of those who lived by grace in the Old Testament. He knew the necessity of relying upon the sufficiency of God, instead of upon the inadequate resources of man. Saul, on the contrary, relied upon his own strength to rule and despised God’s counsels.

Saul’s reign started with no major glitches, he led his people in victorious battles and rendered the glory to God. When confronted to his critics, he responded with mercy instead of small-minded vengeance. It was not until Saul was firmly established as king over all Israel that the flaws of his character and resulting mistakes really began to emerge.

At times, God allows overwhelming situations to fall on the leaders chests because He wants them to lean on His strength and provision rather than letting themselves succumb to the demands of their egos. In I Samuel 13, we see Saul confronted with a fearful and trembling people in the face of opposition. Like many abusive leaders, he opted to walk the way of populism, giving in the pressures of the crowd rather than waiting on God’s way. And the Lord rejected him, even saying that He regretted His choice.

Though rejected, Saul chose to live in denial, continuing to rule simply for the appearance. He begged Samuel, the prophet: "… at least show me respect in front of the leaders of my people and all of Israel (1Sa 15:30). Saul pursued to compensate his shortcomings with abusive power, manifesting greed and jealousy. 1Sa 16:14 Now, the LORD'S Spirit had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.

God, being a wise God, doesn’t appoint solo leaders; He surrounds them with other strong leaders to guide them and to keep them accountable. Because, sooner or later, there will come a time when the leader will step out of the line, the other leaders need then to assume their responsibilities. The following verse in the leadership of Moses illustrates this truth: Eventually, Moses' hands felt heavy. So Aaron and Hur took a rock, put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron held up one hand, and Hur held up the other. His hands remained steady until sunset (Exo 17:12 ).

In a healthy church, the sub leaders provide the main leader with checks and balances. In an abusive church environment, they promote a cult of the personality of their leaders and become the co-conspirators of the unhealthy church system.

To be fair, one has to concede the fact that leadership is usually not written in a black and white script; there are many gray areas as well. Abusive church leaders don’t just come on the scene, mean, greedy and vengeful. For some of them, God’s calling and anointing are evident to all, they show very strong points on the onset. To the outsiders, the appeal of their leadership qualities is undeniable. But, some where along the line they deviate, they become callous while displaying their “anointing” for the ignorant public to admire.

Often, part of the confusion experienced by those close to the leader is that although they have noticed that something has changed, the leader keeps on displaying some “anointing” and still drawing some crowds to the ministry. The abusive leaders are master of disguise; they live a double and secret life. Some justifies that by pointing to the mere human dark sides, the truth is they are indulging in a state of habitual sinful life. Usually, the first circle of these leaders is aware of these sins and rather chooses to cover them up in the name of loyalty.

Like in all regime of tyranny, the abusive church leaders, at the beginning of their vocation, surround themselves with legitimate people to help boost their ministries. They lure their entourage by doing all the right things until that time they deem it opportune to advance their idealization. As soon as they know they are able to exert their authority on their followers, it won’t be long before they manifest their true colors.

To advance their causes, these abusive leaders pursue, subtly, to reshuffle the core leadership under the presumed auspices of the “leading of the Spirit” and appoint the “yes dad, yes mom” followers in key positions. Whoever tries to point to a problem, that is in direct contradiction to the abusive church leaders agenda but clearly affecting the church spiritual growth, becomes de facto the problem, and consequently labeled as a rebel or disloyal and must be put aside or “released”.

These abusive church leaders, sad to relate, further engage in frustrating those members who have a true calling in the Body of Christ, they then silence the voices of the prophets and feed on the flattering praises of their followers.

As soon as the church coffers start ringing and their influence increase, they invariably submit their churches under ministries beyond their geographic locations with the false pretense of “covering” and use them to validate and enforce their perverse decisions.

When the above occurs in a ministry, God rejects the leader and put a lying spirit in the mouth of all their prophets (1Ki 22:23), so that they will turn from the truth and eagerly listen to senseless stories (2Ti 4:4).

These leaders need to be called to accountability at the first sign of sins in their lives. If they do not comply, then they must be SILENCED, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach (Tit 1:11).

When leaders are rejected by God, both their minds and their consciences are defiled. Although, they profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, UNFIT for any good work (Tit 1:16). The real danger that the leaders around the “rejected leader” face is risking to attract upon them the same judgment.

Those who advocate the notion of loyalty and disloyalty fail to put an emphasis between the secular and the biblical definition of rebellion. Webster’s dictionary defines “rebellion” as “opposition to one in authority or dominance”. The Word of God simply defines rebellion as disobedience to God.

At the first sign of dissension, the “rejected leader” beats up the drum to rally their loyal “sons and daughters”. However, in real life, loyalty can turn out to be a tricky concept. The very people abusive leaders label as enemies can turnabout in difficult times, in becoming their most loyal partners. Saul invested a lot of resources to hunt and kill David, but David’s loyalty toward him never faltered. When he learned that Saul and his son, Jonathan, were killed, he mourned and wrote: 2Sa 1:27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

On a regular sequence, we are observing and mourning the public fall of our mighty men in the Body of Christ. They are falling because they are giving room to seducing spirit, greedy spirit and religious spirit. Instead of resisting the devil schemes they bitterly fight their critics. They even marginalize their own spouses, closing their ears to their warnings and prefer rather the sound of flatteries of their loyal followers.

The co-conspirators live in an ongoing internal conflict because they are told to choose between being loyal and receive the “blessings” of the visionary or being disloyal and suffer their god’s “curses” or other dire consequences.

Paul said: “I am not trying to please people. I want to please God. If I were doing that, I would not be a servant of Christ (Gal 1:10)”.

When we are tossed between loyalty and disloyalty, we need to remember that Jesus was not universally hailed; He was opposed, mocked, conspired against, and betrayed.

Defiance is choosing to be disloyal to dishonest men while staying loyal to Christ!

Loyalty to a petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul. — Mark Twain

Defiance! – Pt 7 - The courage to break the cycle of abuse

2009-08-26T10:17:00.003+02:00

Author: Mireille Efinda

Last Sunday, my family went back to church after weeks of staying home. Given the fact that we’ve been regular church goers, staying at home on Sundays was utterly strange. However, that “time off church” gave me the full appreciation of the way other believers might have felt in a similar situation.

A friend of mine who decided to stay away from church is now running her own Sunday school at home for her daughter. She also runs well attended meditation groups at her place. My sister went back to the Catholic Church after a fight broke out in her former church, involving the entire leadership, the pastor and the members. She suggested quite frankly that we should try the Anglican Church.

All of the above and more triggered in my mind some questions. Why is it that more and more people are venturing out of the church? Has the church lost the sense of its mission? Is it possible to still find God outside the church?

Most people don’t realize that they are using religion as a way of escape from their own feelings of inadequacy, their fears and insecurities. Churches are filled with broken people who are just looking for a way out. They are trying to suppress and bury alive some painful emotions. They run from church to church, from one meeting to another.

Repressed feelings have the potential to show up again at the surface. When they emerge, we run again to another meeting in order to avoid dealing with the painful realities of our lives. We welcome anything that can alleviate our pain or numb our feelings. Consequently, some church leaders have capitalized on these needs, and are offering us quick fixes in exchange of some control over our lives.

We have turned out to become religious addicts, church junkies. Those addicted previously with some other substances easily find their way around our churches and just switch addictions. Church addicts have learned church mannerisms; they know how to conform and to speak “Christianise”. They are phony, spurious and lonely. Regrettably, we are still pretending as if it is working and have adopted that as a way of life.

We are told to pray a little harder, fast more often, give sacrificially and pray in tongues until the jaws hurt. We are told that if we do these things well, God will see our hunger and desperation, and will grant us in the end our craved “breakthrough”.

God is portrayed to us as a tyrant waiting for us to make a mistake in order to punish us. They preach to us that God cares more about His “anointed men” than about us, the ordinary members. They admonish us to handle them with great care; otherwise their God will strike us with some “deadly diseases”.

For those who have a history of past abuse, those warnings can sound quite familiar. Most people who have been raised in dysfunctional homes tend to have a distorted view about God. They don’t know much about a loving God. Their own toxic beliefs about God have led them into toxic churches. Their quest to fill up the void in their souls and desires for acceptance make them an easy prey to all kinds of spiritual abuse.

Until we learn to accept the imperfection of our beings, the brokenness of our souls and the overwhelming feeling of our inadequacies within us, we’ll keep running to other people to "fix us". When we accept ourselves as we are, in our broken vessels, with no façade and false pretenses, Christ shows up in His perfection. True healing begins when we’re not ashamed anymore.

“Men of God”, in an abusive system, are also not sure whether their followers will accept them in their human frailties and brokenness. Hence, they play out a false character which keeps on demanding perfection from themselves and others. Not only that, they become driven and insatiable, demanding perfection in the name of excellence. Since they can’t accept their own human limitations, they can’t accept others as well. They forever keep on pushing and overworking their followers until they are completely burnt out.

By doing that, the “man of God” kills slowly the very same people they have committed their lives to heal and to give life to. Because they themselves are unable to reach to their own pain, they also live to ignore the pain of others.

Of all form of abuses, spiritual abuse is the worst because it is done in the name of God. The abuse begins when we ignore and become insensitive to the pain of others.

Defiance, as far as I’m concerned, is the courage to break free from the cycle of abuse.

Yes, you can break the cycle of abuse. You need to be willing to face yourself and found out what is really there. God’s love is unconditional; it does not depend on your performance. He loves you just the way you are with all your junk, just come!

Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted. Have you been abused, misused, beaten down, trampled upon, abandoned or rejected? Do you feel worthless, overwhelmed by your own pain, insignificant?

Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest not being able to sympathize with our weaknesses but One having been tried in all respects according to our likeness, apart from sin.

You don’t need religion you need a relationship with your Creator. Come! He is waiting!

Defiance! - Pt 6 -The persecutor’s power: YOU & YOUR money

2009-08-25T14:20:00.004+02:00

Last year, a friend of mine wanted to get my opinion on a car he was about to buy. It is a real bargain, low mileage and a gift from God for the asking price, he claimed. At a first glance, the car looked fine, the interior was neat and the tires were shiny but I pointed out to him that the fresh paint on the car was a bit suspicious. The seller jumped in our conversation and said he was going to add some free extras, a better sound system and tinted windows. My friend was hooked and ignoring my hunch, he rushed to sign the deal.

It didn’t take long before the car started to give him trouble. My friend ended up spending monthly half of his salary on his car, just to get it going. The tinted windows prevent him to notice the thick dark exhaust fumes that trailed his moving car, and the loud sound system blocks his ears from the agonizing sound of the engine. One night, he slept in his car because the doors and the windows were jammed; his mechanic unlocked them the following morning…from the engine. He “spiritualised” the event by alleging it was the hand of God who shielded him from some evil.

No one wants to be a “sucker”. It feels horrible to come to the realization that you have been duped. The ego fights back to protect our pride when it’s confronted with the reality of our mistake. The greatest problem with deception is that the deceived is deceived about being deceived. – Stephen Lambert –

After some time in an abusive environment, especially in a subtle abusive church, a victim begins to loose a sense of self worth. Most “dads and moms” are good communicators, good preachers, they know that, they can preach at anyone about anything, they can even make a fiery sermon out of the classified section of a newspaper. Their victims are bewitched every time they hear their “dads & moms”; their inner convictions vanish when their preachers get activated.

The abusive religious leaders are overly concerned about their image. From the words of Jesus, they are like whitened graves which outwardly indeed appear beautiful, but within are full of bones of the dead, and of all uncleanness. Mat 23:27. In my former church, our budget for décor for events exceeded the staff salary package. In an environment like that, a victim learns to loose a sense of identity for the benefit of the group. The outward appearance becomes the main focus of every one involved.

It’s not unusual, for those who decide to leave a toxic environment, to feel a deep sense of betrayal and anger, anger towards self, God and His “man”. For those who have left and those who are still inside the nest, it’s important to first attest the power of the persecutor.

The power of the persecutor resides in you, your strength, your abilities, your assets and your money. It’s all about YOU!

I’ve heard pastors treating their people with contempt, and threatening them by showing the door. They claim that God will send them more people and a better kind for that matter. That kind of manipulation from the pulpit undermines the worthiness and the merits of God’s flocks.

The persecutors undervalue the people of God to elevate themselves above them. The more they discount their people, the more control they gain. God abases the exalted by shaking the building from time to time, and by getting His children out of the grips of these “Egyptians”. The full appreciation of what we once had is magnified only when we loose it.

Victims need to rekindle their first Love with Christ. Christ has to regain His place in their lives, at His feet they need to be found again and only at the cross only they need to look.

A word about money in church

I believe in giving to God as an act of worship, an expression of my love to Him because it is God who gives us the power to get wealth; that He may establish His covenant. Deut. 8:18.

However, I Sam. 2:12-15 presents us a distortion of the notion of the offering to God by mischievous priests. The sons of Eli the priest, though Levites, are called sons of Belial, sons of worthlessness, men of lawlessness, vain fellows, not knowing God. They did not honour, love, or serve God in the dealing with God’s offering. Their most execrable conduct caused the people to abhor the Lord’s offering.

They went beyond what is written in Scripture and arrogantly place themselves above the others. Under pretense of taking only their own part, they took the best of all they chose, and as much as they chose. They would serve themselves before God was served! This was iniquity and arrogance of the first magnitude. As the people saw that the priests had no piety, and that they acted as if there was no God; they despised God’s service, and became infidels.

An eminent bishop from the USA advised my former pastor that the church offerings belong to the “set man of God” who then become de facto the biggest giver of the church by allowing “his” money to be used in the church budget. The same bishop also warned him not to treat all his people equally, arguing that some of them were just “whores”, hirelings who needed only their dues and no more.

These “dads and moms” live in lavish luxury well beyond the average of their followers and spend their “money” frivolously and with insulting prodigality. Because of their folly and sin, the unbelievers come to think worse of God's institution, His church. 1Sa 2:17 The sin of Eli's sons was a serious matter to the LORD, because these men were treating the offerings made to the LORD with contempt.

Usually, this sin doesn’t stand alone. They were also sleeping with the women who served at the gate of the tent of meeting. 1Sa 2:22.

Believers need to demand a greater accountability from their leaders in the handling of their money. There is a great blessing when we offer to God our resources but when we give to “men” it is NOT received by God and we are robbed.

When in doubt, it is better to transfer one’s tithes and offerings in an escrow or a holding account until such a time the Holy Spirit will point to a direction. Emotional giving is a curse, meaning it can not bring about the intended blessing.

Defiance!

(In the next post on this blog, my wife, a qualified psychologist, will present the victim’s side.)

Defiance! - Pt 5 - The victim’s dilemma: run or stay? The need of breaking the “Soul Tie”

2009-08-24T14:09:00.004+02:00

According to experts, our natural response in the face of danger is whether flight or fight. In an abusive situation, the dilemma of the victim is exactly the same: leave or stay? However, the difference lies in the response time. In the case of an imminent danger, there is no time to think or debate, the reaction happens almost simultaneously. But in an abusive setting (whether it is domestic, professional or even at church), the response time takes a very painful mind processing that can take days, weeks, months or even years.

In an abusive environment, the victim battles in his or her mind at all times with extremes. At one extreme, there is the harm inflicted; on the opposite end lie all the positive accounted. In the victim’s mind, memories of good and bad times often run at the same time. In a domestic situation, for instance, the persecutor can equally be a good provider or good in bed and a monster at the same time. At work, a psycho boss can give a better package than the competition and give hell to the staff. At church, the abusive “man of God” can be concurrently a charismatic leader and a driven slave master.

That is the reason why most victims of abuse seem to be confused, fidgeted on the crime scene and ensnared in the cycle of pain. The pressure of making any decision is simply unbearable.

In a case of domestic abuse, friends and family are usually divided in two groups. The rational group wants the victim to pack up immediately, report the case to the police and leave. The moderate group plays the devil’s advocate; it presents the good deeds of the persecutor and begs the victim for a second chance. At work, a victim’s mind balances on a scale the economic situation with the uncertainty of unemployment. In an abusive church, a victim has built bonds of friendships and is caught up in the charisma of the “man of God” who subtly throws twisted scriptures to keep the victim in the fear of “curses”.

At the end victims of abuse choose rather to live with the devil they know than to meet the angel they don’t. The persecutor promises change, the co-conspirator guarantees the outcome and the enabler makes the applause. The status quo has prevailed. The victim gives up. For a while, the promise is kept. The victims’ hopes runs high, they are trusting again. Until next time when the same abuse surface again, it’s another cycle of pain, a déjà vu.

Victims don’t realize that the core problem lies below the surface. In the case of church or domestic abuse, the victim is often bound emotionally with a soul tie to the persecutor. A soul tie is simply the joining or knitting together of two souls. There are two types of soul ties: a Godly soul tie which brings tremendous blessings and an ungodly soul tie which leads to destruction.

A Godly soul tie is a God ordained bonding that is created between a husband and a wife or between parent and child. It joins tightly two beings in a trustworthy environment and allows the building of a marriage and the rearing of a child. One part has a stronger link than the other, a husband to his wife or a parent to the child. The stronger link becomes then the protector and the caretaker in the formed soul tie; trust, esteem and love being the foundation. When these ingredients are missing, abuse sets in, resulting in shame, trauma of all kinds and lifelong insecurities.

A Godly soul tie can also be established between siblings, friends or pastors and members. However, this particular soul tie doesn’t have a stronger link nor a weaker one. It is established with time by mutual trust and consent. Abuse will only become possible when one party bullies or exercises by force a stronger link than the other.

In a healthy church setting, a pastor, who has earned with time the trust and the esteem of his/her members, happens to establish with them a soul trust, or a soul tie that is rooted in a shared passion for the Kingdom of God and a common sense of vision to achieve its expansion. Such bond then becomes essential in the free flow of anointing between the minister and those submitted to him or her in the Lord.

In my previous post, I have mentioned the case of the soul ties that are created between the “Dads and Moms” and their “Sons and Daughters”. These “men of God”, without allowing the Holy Spirit and also the time to establish trust and esteem with their members, pursue their mischievous objective to form soul ties with those who have sadly yielded to their control rather to the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives. By so doing, they fall into the trap of trying to control and manipulate people and their resources in order to build their small kingdoms rather to establish the Kingdom of heaven on earth.

These “dads” create filial relationship between them and their sons and daughters. In a country like South Africa, where people are still bearing the scars of the past with abounding single parenting, an offer to have a “dad” can be quite appealing to many. Subtly, the “dads” reverse the natural role of a parent and child. In a normal setting, the parent bears the responsibility of caring, tendering and nurturing of a child. But these “men of God” demand that their sons and daughters take care of them, tend on their needs and nurture them. Whenever God’s ordained roles are reversed, Satan is at play, the devil is a master at perverting the works of God.

A soul tie is a “channel”, an “umbilical cord” in which flows spiritual, mental and emotional materials. It also opens up the human spirit to traffic of psychic and demonic activities. When it is God’s ordained, it becomes a channel of blessings; on the contrary the flow can become poisonous and lethal.

When it is not motivated by the Holy Spirit, the soul tie that is created between the “dads and moms” and their sons and daughters can be a channel that the devil can use to oppress both parties.

These “men of God” often bypass their simple duties of ministry (Eph. 4:11-12) and extend their control to the natural realms as well. Legitimate and natural decisions that any adult should be able to take on his/her own have to be promoted, vouched and approved by “dad”. As a result, responsible adults turn up to be child-like, indecisive, and unable of taking risks, fearful and constantly in need of “dad’s” approval.

As a result, many sons and daughters suffer psychological, emotional and health imbalances. Above all, the “dads” closely monitor the financial situation of their sons and daughters. They claim it is their “anointing” that has induced the financial blessing, and hence a portion thereof is due to them. They demand a cut for the “kingdom”, irrespective of the needs, budgets or financial commitments of their sons or daughters. These sons and daughters usually are unaware of the manipulation until when, sooner or later, a disaster strikes.

The Bible warns us that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. (1Ti_4:1-2) The devil and his army of evil spirits are intent on confusing and distorting the teaching of the word of God. Typically, such errors feed man's fleshly desires to glorify self.

These “men of God” are apostates, "speaking lies in hypocrisy." Not only their teaching is erroneous, their lives are also marked by falsehoods related to pretense, and their consciences are no longer convicted them of sin. The reports of their ministerial prowess are often grossly exaggerated.

Instead of rejecting error and embracing truth, the church focuses on what sounds positive and rejects what sounds negative.

Peter gave a similar warning. "There were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them" (2Pe_2:1). As sure as Israel had false prophets, the church would have false teachers.

By and large, the victims of church abuse suffer silently, leaving their fates in God’s hand. But God, in His Word, has forewarned us. The victims don’t know if they should stay or run. They oscillate, like a pendulum, between the poles of these alternatives.

Unless the Lord by His Grace intervenes, it can be an almost impossible decision to reach. To be free, the victim needs to first break the ungodly soul tie. It is an easy process that involves renouncing the unholy covenant with the apostate, repent and plead the blood of Christ, forgive the persecutor, break up all ungodly soul ties and cast out the devil in Jesus Christ’s name.

The Grace of Christ is received by first defying the devil followed by an acknowledgment of the works of the cross. Defiance! We need to sharpen our discernment concerning error and anchor ourselves in the truth of the Word of God.

Defiance! - Pt 4 -The persecutor’s umbrella or the myth of “spiritual covering”

2009-08-21T14:22:00.007+02:00

“Vidonmegon”, a term used in Benin (West Africa), speaks about the young people, usually from rural areas that work as slaves in somewhat wealthy families in urban cities. The vidonmegon comes from poor families; they are picked from the same villages as their benefactors. Vidonmegons are lured into a life of their dreams with the promises of a better education and future and their parents usually welcome their relocations as a way to lighten their burdens.

To their dismay, the rosy kind of life that their benefactors have painted and promised to them will never materialize. Sad to say, the "Vidonmegon" will end up being mistreated, working relentlessly round the clock, abused physically, verbally and at times even sexually. These are our African 21st century slaves.

Vidonmegons are found almost everywhere in our Black African communities. This is happening daily in front of our very eyes. Our silence has condoned it and our inaction has promoted it. Together as a society, we are the co-conspirators of this shameful practice. The benefactors enjoy free labors in their homes, their children are taught to expect anything from the Vidonmegons, and a simple act of disobedience from them is usually severely punished.

The same phenomenon is also spreading rapidly and unnoticed in our churches. The proliferation, in South Africa, of West African “men of God”, or those who were trained in that part of our continent, is the main cause. Of course, it’s subtly and eloquently sugar-coated with some twisted scriptures to make us easily swallow and digest the bitter pill. The blanket word used is “spiritual covering”. The benefactors are called “Dads and Moms” and the Vidonmegons are “Sons and Daugthers”.

Sons and Daughters are convinced they are “special” because they get to enjoy the first circle of their “Dads and Moms”. That proximity, they are told, will allow them to tap in the “special anointing” and hence will supposedly offer to them the “spiritual covering” of their benefactors. They desire that “special anointing” on their “men of God”, they want to be like him/her. And the way to it is “impartation” meaning the better you serve ME and obey/submit to ME, the quicker God will see your commitment and will grant YOU your own ministry with a portion of MY "special anointing".

Moses and Joshua, Saul and David, Elijah and Elisha, Paul and Timothy are used as examples to explain that type of relationship. For the well educated, the much-desired principle of “mentorship” is promoted as a hook. The better your covering is (in regard to the "man of God" fiery preachings, long prayers and a dangerous anointing!), the better your chances of success in life are.

“Covering” then becomes a jargon referring to the spiritual lid that one is under to shelter himself/herself against the trials and temptations that one would face alone otherwise.

It’s vital and crucial that the reader understands that the subject at matter is about abusive and dysfunctional churches. The principle of mentorship has perfectly worked in many organizations, including in the Body of Christ, for centuries. It has and still producing healthy, responsible, capable and productive individuals.

Also, one needs to differentiate among at least three types of “sons and daughters” in that abusive system:

First and foremost, there is the well off who wish for that “special anointing” to better his/her enterprise. It is simply required of them to sow frequently in the life and family of the “man of God” and to support financially the “BIG” vision that God trusted his/her “covering” with.

Then, there are those who desire the “impartation” and have the “calling of God” but are just looking for an outlet for their own ministries. For them, total obedience and submission are required; they are generally used as free labors in the church.

Lastly, there are those who are unfortunately penniless but have some potential for “ministry” that the “man of God” needs to extricate and expose. For them, menial tasks in the church and in the house of the “man of God”, even at odd hours, are required daily.

These “men of God” expect total submission from their sons and daughters; they also expect the latter to cover their “nakedness” at all times. “Nakedness covering” refers scripturally to the son of Noah who had to throw a blanket on his father after he was found drunk and naked; but practically it means closing your eyes to any sin and misconducts of your "spiritual covering", that one will frequently witness. In the mafia code, it’s called “Ormetta”, the law of silence, “If you need to speak, I’ll have to kill you first! (Read with a suave Italian accent!)”

To be accepted as a son/daughter, one needs to submit and pledge allegiance to the man of God who will simply lay hands on the chosen one and transfer sonship rights. In the occult, a sword is placed on the shoulder of the initiated while the oath is pronounced. Unfortunately, that innocent act in the natural carries tremendous implications and grave consequences in the spiritual realm.
That unholy act of allegiance is an innocent, but still voluntary because one does it with his/her complete volition, submission not to a man with the Holy Ghost but to a demonic, controlling and manipulating spirit. A spell is cast upon the person that will control and usurp henceforth his/her own thinking and actions. It is pure witchcraft and sorcery, a spiritual enslavement.

The result is a “soul-tie” that gives some measure of control of one’s life over to serious demonic influence. Rom 6:16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey-either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? The Bible carries on by saying: 1Co 7:23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.

In a subsequent post, I’ll develop in detail the spiritual aspects of the soul-ties that are formed in the process. But, for now, let me just remark that those unfortunate sons and daughters end up having more problems in their lives than they had before their adherences. Had they just learn to trust in God and receive His total Grace, they would have avoided an unnecessary suffering for themselves. Of course, like professional actors, they have learned to portray something different to the outside world.

In reality, these sons and daughters hate in private what they have turned out to become and mostly loathe their “man of God”. But they don’t understand why they keep on “serving” him/her, they speak ill of their benefactors behind their backs but they will just never confront him/her for fear of “curses”.

Their health deteriorate by the day, but they fake divine health. Psychological and psychiatric conditions abound, cardio-vascular, digestive and all sort of illnesses are prevalent, stress and anxieties are the norms.

Their personal problems are never addressed, most suffer serious marital crisis in silence because their “covering” will not lift a finger to help, at best a quick prayer or a speedy 15 minutes counseling, slot in the “busy” schedule of their coverings, are expected to do the trick. If it fails, which is the rule not the exception, the blame, of course, goes to the devil and his hosts and more spiritual warfare and meetings in church are prescribed, or they will simply shame the lack of faith of the same troubled souls.

Their balance sheet ceased to balance long ago but they will wait “patiently in faith” for the “around-the corner” breakthrough that never come. They are told and sang to that “Tomorrow about this time things are gonna change!” They can’t help but to notice that the only person around them that looks blessed is the “man of God”, but they were led to believe that the anointing flows from the head and the higher you let your “man of God” raise up the heavier the “mantle” will be when it falls on you. And they are waiting and waiting, for a tomorrow that will never come!

My heart breaks and bleeds in the sight of this phenomenon, most of the “sons and daughters” I know are in the system I defied, and are my dear friends. They are amazing people, dedicated family men and women, generous and selfless Christians, believers that will do anything to see the Kingdom of God established on the earth. Some, I already know, have ceased to be my friends after my act of defiance but it’s ok, defiance does come with a cost. Some are forever plotting their escape; to those my cry is “Defiance” and defiance now!

Get out from that umbrella, that “covering”, it’s not raining outside anyway and if it does: Psa 91:1 Whoever goes to the LORD for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty, can say to him, "You are my defender and protector. You are my God; in you I trust."

Because of our traditions, the Body of Christ has become the laughing stock of the world.

Today’s Bible reading: Psalms 91

Defiance! - Pt3 - The weapons of the persecutors

2009-08-20T13:13:00.005+02:00

Two nights ago, I received a call from a well-meaning brother who took long to explain to me that he had a dream in which I was portrayed in bad shape. Apart from his call to very “strong” prayers, he advised insistently that I should make an effort to contact my former pastor to beg for his blessings.

Dreams! To date, I have over 43 years of dreaming on my clock. If my dreams were real: Queen Elizabeth of England would be my mother, Mandela my uncle, Obama my drinking buddy, Bill Gates my benefactor, I’ll live with my family in the royal suite of the Chateau de Bagnols, in France, I’ll be dead a thousand times from all the nasty creatures that populated my dreams after some large pizzas binge, and so on and so forth,…

My caller was referring to my defiance to my former church. Since I had a leadership role in the church, I took time to consider carefully my facts and sent a formal resignation letter to my pastor (which I reserve the right to post on this blog!). Not even a courtesy acknowledgement of my note was sent to me, but it didn’t matter to me, my decision was anyway with immediate effect. I responded unambiguously to my caller that I had no need of no one’s blessings but Christ's!

Last night, a dear brother of mine also called me and we spent about an hour talking about some common ministerial interests. He mentioned to me a story of a certain pastor who was struggling to resign from his church. His so-called “covering” was denying him the “release” and were promising him hellish “curses” if he dares to defy his order to stay.

“Blessings” and “curses” are the weapons of the persecutor!

Have you ever wondered what will happen to us if all the religious leaders were really given the power by God to bless and to curse? Let’s briefly examine that scenario.

In the course of the earthly ministry of Jesus, He gathered His disciples and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. The delegated power we received from the Lord is the power over all demons, NEVER over other people, especially fellow believers; the power to pray for the sick and the authority to proclaim the Kingdom of God.

All went well until an argument broke out among the disciples as to which one of them was the greatest. Jesus settled the matter with a call to humility and meekness in the likeness of a child. If you think that should have settled the matter, keep on reading.

Jesus and His disciples, on their way to Jerusalem, encountered an opposition from the Samaritans, James and John’s solution was: "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them, as Elijah did? Let’s just smoke’em Lord, let zap’em all! Just like that!

However Jesus severely “rebuked them and said, You do not know of what spirit you are.” And Jesus went on to say “For the Son of Man has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save!” Jesus came to save us, NOT to kill us. It’s evident that those who want the power to kill and destroy men for their opinions are possessed with a spirit from hell.

Then again, it’s interesting to see where that idea came from. The disciples evoked Elijah, the “power” prophet who, by simple verbal commands, caused drought in the land and called fire upon the soldiers of Ahaziah. And it’s still the same argumentation that the modern church abusers are bringing forth in their defence.

When Jesus wanted to know from His disciples how the people perceived Him, they told Him that some were saying He was the reincarnation of John or Elijah, only Peter said He was the Son of God. So from that, God knew that He had to settle this crucial matter once for all.

So, Jesus took Peter (representing God’s revelation of the Lord!) and John and James (The terminators, Elijah’s guys!) on a mountain to pray. There He was transfigured in their very eyes, and Moses and Elijah appeared with Him. Moses represented the Law, and Elijah, the prophets. Peter excited, wanted to build the three of them tabernacles right there. Luke 9:35 And there was a voice from the cloud saying, This is my Son, the man of my selection; give ear to him.

God clearly established Jesus as His Chosen One and commands us to listen to Him alone in this new dispensation of Grace. And immediately Moses (The Law) and Elijah (The prophet) were taken out of the scene.

The prophets had no sense of humor at all, remember Elisha? 2Ki 2:23…while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and joked at him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead! ", he turned around and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. He cursed to death 42 kids for making fun of his baldhead (niyangihleka iChiskop yami? DOOM! killed fast, for my SA readers!)!

I heard a pastor publicly declaring “prophetically” that a certain sister will die within 7 days, just because she was spreading rumors about him. Death for gossips! (Which I found out later that they were mostly true anyway!) Thank God for his mercy and grace, this dear lady, mother of two little girls, is still alive, sound, healthy and prospering.

The persecutors have no power at all! If only the children of God knew the Word of God for themselves, they’ll spare themselves unnecessary worries. The way of the world is self-exaltation. The persecutors are convinced that pride and self-assertion will gain whatever they desire, but whoever exalts himself will be abased!

Again, I trumpet the call for DEFIANCE against the persecutors! Those abusive church leaders that are robbing you of God’s promises, I beg you by God’s mercy to come out from among them in Jesus’ name!

The spirit of Christianity is not a spirit of wrath and vengeance, but of peace, and gentleness, and love. Receive His Grace today!

“Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people" - John Adams -

Today’s Bible reading: Luke 9

Defiance! - Pt2 – JESUS, The outcast and the rebel!

2009-08-19T13:49:00.003+02:00

It was just an ordinary day in Jerusalem when Jesus, seated on a colt, made a rather low key entry in the city until the whole city was thrown into an uproar. The multitude hailed Him and shouted: "Hosanna to the Son of David!”

Welcomed as the Messiah, the royal son of David who would bring victory and prosperity to the Jewish nation and set up His throne in Jerusalem, a week later, He was hanged on a cross.

What in the world happened between these two events?

Jerusalem was known as the “city of God”, the “holy city”, the holy temple stood on one of the hills in the city. It was the religious capital of the Jews. Upon His triumphant entry, Jesus went naturally to the temple. He found, to His horror, that it has become a commercial centre for the greedy priests and their cliques. Revolted, He overthrew tables and chairs of the vendors, creating havoc, and proclaimed: “My Temple will be called a house of prayer. But you are making it a hideout for thieves!"

Days later, with the crowd still following Him en masse, He made a speech attacking the religious abusive, hypocritical leaders of the days. Matthew 23 narrates the full story. Here are summarized the main points:

They sat themselves on Moses’ seat, posing as experts in the Law of Moses. They were bashing the people with the Bible but they were not practicing what they were preaching.

They craved big titles, taking their authority and power only on their position and office. Jesus condemned the vain titles among them. Some were even called “Father, Daddy” by their followers, Jesus said we’re all have but one Father, who is in heaven.

They piled heavy burdens on people's shoulders and wouldn't lift a finger to help. They kept and manipulated their people under the bondage of vain rules and regulations, for the sole purpose of controlling them.

They did just about everything for show. Image became the essence of their religion. They flaunted external signs of spirituality, but a closer look told a different story. No substance, just show-offs!

They majored on religious performances but had neglected justice and mercy. The real needs of the people became less important than their rituals and traditions. They were uncompassionate, unforgiving and unmerciful people, parading the sins of others in the public with the intention of shaming them.

They locked the door to the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces, not letting themselves or those who were willing to enter. The way in the Kingdom of heaven is only by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ. Through the death of Christ, the door has been made wide open free and accessible to all.

Jesus rebelled against the abusive church leaders of His time. He became an outcast, a rebel with a cause. Celebrated one moment as a King, humiliated and murdered the next as a criminal, He stood up for the truth. He paid a heavy price for His defiance!

Isn’t it amazing that the same remarks still apply nowadays in our churches? Many are still kept in bondage with the same chains. Let’s spread a defiance revolution by preaching the message of Grace of Jesus Christ around us.

I dare you to defy the abusive system of the persecutors, the greedy and the hypocrites. Just one more crack on the wall of abuse and the edifice will crumble down.

Life can be seen through your eyes but it is not fully appreciated until it is seen through your heart. (Mary Xavier)

Today’s Bible reading: Matthew 23

DEFIANCE!

2009-08-18T14:43:00.005+02:00

For any oppressing system or abusive regime to operate effectively, whether it is found in a home, a church, an organisation or a nation, it requires at least four types of people: the persecutor, the co-conspirator, the enabler and the victim.

The persecutor is usually a very charismatic but egocentric, power-hungry, control freak, greed-motivated, compulsive, and driven individual. He or she has an attitude of superiority, with grand ideas to change the word and feels owed the life of his or her followers.

The co-conspirator is a perfect team player, wholly dedicated to the persecutor’s vision or image, will do everything to protect the oppressor who in turn will reward him or her with power, recognition and money. He or she feels weak and is forever a debtor to the persecutor for the power he or she exercises.

The enabler is a silent, neutral but powerless individual. He or she allows the wrongs and the abuse rather than promote them. He or she will go at great length to cover up the harm done by the persecutor in the name of “peace” or harmony within the family or organisation.

The victim is a sincere individual who used to believe the motives of the persecutor, he or she felt valuable and blessed to be part of something “important”. He or she invested sacrificially time, talent and treasure in the vision and the image of the persecutor. After he or she finally discovers the exploitation, he or she adopts a martyr complex, reluctant to confront the wrongs for fear of reprisal or looking foolish.

Whenever the above cast is staged, horror stories of abuse and evil are played out. If it was not for the existence of a fifth type, there will be no end to the play. Fortunately, there comes a time when someone within the abusive system, an insider, says NO and revolts. He or she will refuse to stain his or her conscience and tramp on some inner values. He or she will decide to come out and speak out for the truth.

The latter character in the cast is not a hero; he or she doesn’t seek glory or the limelight. The cost for his or her bravado is usually very high, however he or she will not hesitate to risk job, status, friends, income or fame to put an end to the fraud and the evil in action.

Generally, the abusive system reacts by portraying him or her as a villain, a whistle blower, an outcast and will treat him or her as a leper. The oppressing system will first attempt to beg or bribe the outcast, then, should this fail, will resort to labeling. Labeling is used to discount the validity of the critics. In an attempt to dehumanize the rebel, the system will resort to name calling. The outcast is usually labeled: traitor, detractor or rebel. In my case, the term used was: Anaconda, with spitting venom (sic!).

The movie Defiance tells the true story of the Bielskis, three Jewish brothers who, during WWII, escaped in the forest, organized the rescue of other exiles Jews in danger and fought the Germans in a heroic resistance. Against all odds, they survived against the elements, hunger, pandemics and maintain civility in their makeshift civilization in the Poland's Lipicanzia Forest.

Abuses, evil and wrongs would have lasted forever in the world if no one objected and rebeled. The course of history has been changed by the vocation of the rebel, a man or a woman determined to fight for a good cause, willing to swim upstream against the tide of the persecutors.

Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God. (Benjamin Franklin)

2Ki 7:3 And four men, lepers, were at the gate entrance. And they said to one another, Why should we sit here until we die? When ,at the end, they decided to take action: 2Ki 7:6 …the Lord caused the Syrian army to hear a sound of chariots, and a sound of horses, and a sound of a great army.

Let the outcasts, the rebels, the anacondas rejoice in the Lord! He is a present help in our time of need.

Let go and Let God!

2009-08-17T13:26:00.003+02:00

The greatest of all illusions is the illusion of control.

The circumstances of life are simply beyond our control. The more control we seek to have around the details of our lives, the more blurred our vision of the larger issues becomes. The paths of our lives are not to be found in the heavenly stars, neither on the palms of our hands but rather in the mind of our Maker.

God is in control of our destinies. He is Master of the time and circumstances of our lives, He has absolute control. Yet, we still think we can snatch the steering wheel out of His Hands and ride our lots. Although at times, it seems as if we were in charge until a single event comes about that reminds us of our delusion.

False prophets and other spiritual charlatans have made a fortune by selling lies to those whose minds have been veiled by Satan. They promise power and control over other people as a means to success. They twist the truth of the Word of God to fulfill their selfish desires. They subdue the minds of their followers with the vanity of their imaginations. As it written: Rom 3:4 Let it not be! But let God be true, and every man a liar!

Since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, we lost our sense of security in God and we began to lean on our own understanding to explain life. The devil thought he could win by unsettling Adam’s position of trust in God, thus giving man an illusory sense of control. But Thanks be to God for His eternal redemption plan in Christ Jesus, our Lord!

When we agree to let go, there is a safety net under His wings. We need to loose our quest for control by trusting again in Him. Faith in God is the only thing that gives us back the much needed tangibility of our existence.

By relinquishing our sense of control and putting our full trust in God, we can learn to live again free of anxieties and fear.

Here’s a prayer for us:

The Serenity Prayer
by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it,

Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

8 Warning Signs of Toxic Faith

2009-07-31T12:34:00.002+02:00

Tuesday, 28 July 2009 12:17 PM EDT J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Legalistic religion is dangerous. Here's how you can detect and avoid the poison of a religious spirit.

After Elisha watched Elijah ascend into heaven, the prophet went to the city of Jericho and performed his first miracle. The men of that city faced an environmental crisis: Their water was toxic, most likely because of the sulphur and other chemicals that had rained down upon nearby Sodom and Gomorrah years earlier. This poison had made the land barren (see 2 Kings 2:19-22) and it was probably affecting people and animals as well as plant life.

So Elisha performed a bold, prophetic act. He threw salt in the water and proclaimed: "Thus says the Lord, ‘I have purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer'" (v. 21, NASB). His proclamation brought immediate cleansing.

This obscure story in the Old Testament offers us a picture of the gospel's power. The message of Jesus Christ heals us. The Holy Spirit brings life where death has reigned. He neutralizes the poisons that cause spiritual barrenness. He balances the pH level so that spiritual growth and vitality is possible.

All of us would like to enjoy a healthy spiritual life. But the sad truth is that many of us are barren because of hazardous additives.
We have believed a different gospel—one laced with legalism, performance-based religion and salvation by works—when Christ alone is our only source of life.

Jesus Himself referred to these toxins as "the leaven of the Pharisees" (Luke 12:1, NASB). He told us that the Pharisees' brand of religion, which looked good on the outside, was deadly—and contagious.

Have you been infected? You can take your own pH test by examining these eight characteristics of a religious spirit.

1. A religious spirit views God as a cold, harsh, distant taskmaster rather than an approachable, loving Father. When we base our relationship with God on our ability to perform spiritual duties, we deny the power of grace. God does not love us because we pray, read our Bibles, attend church or witness, yet millions of Christians think God is mad if they don't perform these and other duties perfectly. As a result they struggle to find true intimacy with Jesus.

2. A religious spirit places emphasis on doing outward things to show others that God accepts him. We deceive ourselves into believing that we can win God's approval through a religious dress code, certain spiritual disciplines, particular music styles or even doctrinal positions.

3. A religious spirit develops traditions and formulas to accomplish spiritual goals. We trust in our liturgies, denominational policies or man-made programs to obtain results that only God alone can give.

4. A religious spirit becomes joyless, cynical and hypercritical. This can turn a home or a church completely sour. Then, whenever genuine joy and love are expressed, this becomes a threat to those who have lost the simplicity of true faith.

5. A religious spirit becomes prideful and isolated, thinking that his righteousness is special and that he cannot associate with other believers who have different standards. Churches that allow these attitudes become elitist and dangerously vulnerable to deception or cult-like practices.

6. A religious spirit develops a harsh, judgmental attitude toward sinners, yet those who ingest this poison typically struggle with sinful habits that they cannot admit to anyone else. Religious people rarely interact with nonbelievers because they don't want their own superior morals to be tainted by them.

7. A religious spirit rejects progressive revelation and refuses to embrace change. This is why many churches become irrelevant to society. They become so focused on what God did 50 years ago that they become stuck in a time warp and cannot move forward when the Holy Spirit begins to open new understanding. When religious groups refuse to shift with God's new directives, they become "old wineskins" and God must find more flexible vessels that are willing to implement change.

8. A religious spirit persecutes those who disagree with his self-righteous views and becomes angry whenever the message of grace threatens to undermine his religiosity. An angry religious person will use gossip and slander to assassinate other peoples' character and may even use violence to prove his point. Jesus, in fact, warned His disciples: "There will even come a time when anyone who kills you will think he's doing God a favor" (John 16:2, The Message).

If the poison of religion has contaminated your walk with God, ask Him to pour a fresh understanding of His grace into your barren spirit—and then expect His new life to flow through you.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady.

Reprinted with permission from Charisma Magazine, Strang Communications, Copyright
http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/fire-in-my-bones/22725-8-warning-signs-of-toxic-faith

The easy yoke of Grace

2009-07-30T14:55:00.004+02:00

As I’m jotting these lines, a Sudanese woman, a journalist and UN worker, Lubna Hussein, is standing trial for wearing trousers in public. According to the Sudanese Sharia Law, she faces public flagellation, and a fine. Other women, arrested with her for the same offence, have already received 40 lashes as a sentence. Because of her high profile, Hussein is drawing international sympathy and is preparing to fight to have that lampoon law changed.

During the earthly ministry of Jesus, the Pharisees brought to him an unnamed woman saying: “Teacher, this woman has been taken in the very act, committing adultery!” (Jn 8:4). According to the Law of Moses, such offence carries a death sentence by stoning. The woman’s accusers wanted to know Christ’s opinion on the matter. Will he agree with Moses or not?

Another woman, not otherwise specified, suffering from an incurable issue of blood and considered unclean by the Law of Moses (Lev 15:25), did the unthinkable by sneaking behind the crowd and touching the hem of the garment of Jesus. "Who was it that touched me?” exclaimed Jesus. The woman, fearing and trembling that the Master would be offended due to the impure nature of her disease, come forward and nevertheless told Him the truth. She did touch Him, she broke the Law, and she deserved punishment. What happened next?

The latter woman received healing! By stepping out of the nonsensical boundary of religion, she was able to exchange her impurity with the Lord’s Grace for healing. The other woman received forgiveness and obtained Grace. By confronting her accusers with their own sins, Jesus mirrored back to them the insensitivity and coldness of the law.

Lubna Hussein is surely facing a parody of justice. Her courage might cause the justice system of her country to change the letter of the law. However, she will not obtain the change of hearts of the religious legislators.

Unfortunately, many in churches are still kept and judged by the burlesque and obsolete Law of Moses.

Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Mat 11:28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest.

Come to Him today!

Today’s Bible reading: Matthew 11:28

ACQUITTED!

2009-07-28T14:27:00.002+02:00

One of the apostle Paul’s most popular quote in the evangelical churches is: Rom 3:23 for all alike have sinned, and all consciously come short of the glory of God. This verse reinforced the truth that there is not one righteous man, all of us have sinned and needed to come to the one and only righteous son of God, Jesus-Christ, to receive pardon and acceptance.

The problem with the Law of Moses is that it came short of justifying the people who adhered to it. One was guilty of breaking the all law should one be found to have breached a single letter of it. Who could ever live up to that standard? No one, of course!

The Law stirs up man’s sinful nature. However believers are still taught that adherence to the Law is essential to their spiritual growth. Nothing can be further from the truth. Sin, or missing the mark with God, is not about our actions or behaviors but rather matters and attitudes of the heart consistent with the fallen human nature.

In other words, there’s nothing that we did, are doing or will ever do that will earn us acceptance in the sight of God. A strict compliance to list of do’s and don’ts cannot helping in achieving justification or holiness. It will just be like in the words of Jesus: washing the outside of a cup and leaving the inner part filthy, or painting a tombstone.

The popular saying: “God helps those who helped themselves”, attributed to B. Franklin, has mistakenly led many people to believe it was a gospel truth. But it is not just true! God helps the helpless! We’ve been found guilty, all of us corporately, no good behavior or performance is able to justify us.

God, in His redemptive plan, sat as a Judge, pronounced a death sentence to all offenders, and chose One man, not other than His son, to carry the penalty.

2,000 years ago, the execution was carried out by death on a cross, on the mount Golgotha. Jesus-Christ, the son of God, was made sin, though He has never sinned, and died our death.

Justice was made, the rest of us were ACQUITTED by faith in Christ!

Rom 3:24 gaining acquittal from guilt by His free unpurchased grace through the deliverance which is found in Christ Jesus.

God paid the ultimate price, met the requirements of His own justice, paid the ransom, and offered us salvation and redemption as a free gift. It is a free, undeserved gift, not merited by our obedience to the Law, and not that to which we have any claim.

If one willingly refuses to accept God’s free gift, he’s still condemned!

Today’s Bible reading: Romans 3:23-24

The Fragrance of Christ

2009-07-27T10:57:00.002+02:00

One of the attributes assigned to our Lord Jesus-Christ comes from a poetic and romantic Song of Solomon: Son 2:1 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. The lily is a very beautiful white flower, with a sweet fragrance; the rose, for beauty and fragrance, is the queen of flowers. Yet in the valley, it lies open to all, humble, exposed to danger and enemies.

Only by the covenant of Grace can we get to know Him fully, not by the heavy loads of the Law that others are adding to your lives. Wrong teachings choke the life out of you, by allowing the desires of self-motivated people to kill in you the fragrance of His Knowledge: Tit 1:16 Such people claim to know God, but their actions prove that they really don't. Christ is offering you life, and life more abundantly, it’s by Grace that our salvation has been made possible.

The more we grow in the grace and the knowledge of Christ, as suggested by the apostle Peter: 2Pe 3:18 But be always growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the more of His fragrance we will release around us. And our lives will be a triumphant procession led by His Majesty, our God: 2Co 2:14 But thanks be to God! He always leads us triumphantly in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of knowing him.

A dear brother of mine, a true Berean, put it this way:

“There is a sweet smell that emanates from our lives. And this is not our own doing but from Christ in us, the hope of glory! This sweet aroma brings life. Through us, God brings the knowledge of Christ to others which lead to salvation. One translation says it is a “terrific responsibility”. Why? Because life and death to someone else may depend on whether or not I allow that fragrance to spread.

Does my life produce the sweet smelling fragrance of God? Are others finding life through me? Of course there will always be those who refuse to leave the way of destruction, to whom we will seem to have a “bad smell”. I have no control over their opinions but I have control over whether or not my lifestyle, my words and my actions spread the perfume of the life of Christ.

Let His grace enable our lives to speak of him and for him each day.”

My prayer for you today is to allow the sweet smell of Christ, our Lord, to permeate your life through His Grace.

Today’s Bible reading: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

A prayer for You!

2009-07-26T15:52:00.002+02:00

It is quite interesting to study the prayer of Paul to the believers at Ephesus. Especially by taking in account Paul’s religious background: In Phil. 3:5, Paul says of himself: I was circumcised when I was eight days old, and I am from the nation of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Hebrew. As a Pharisee, I strictly obeyed the Law of Moses.
Not only Paul was a stickler of the Law of Moses, he was a Pharisee, a sect that boasted a rigid adherence to the letter of the law. From his childhood, he knew nothing but the Law of Moses as a means of worship to God.

Touched by the Grace of our Lord Jesus-Christ, Paul was transformed, regenerated and gave up all his religious credentials for Christ, counting them worthless, unbeneficial. Now this apostle is about to send a recorded prayer to the Ephesians: Eph 1:16 …, as I mention you in my prayers. Was He going to engage in the Judaic prayer ritual or else? On the contrary, he’s presenting to us a new relationship with God.

I’m offering you below that prayer, slightly paraphrased for the sole purpose of making it personal. As you read it prayerfully, may you experience the Grace of our Lord Jesus-Christ:

Father of glory, God and Father of my Lord Jesus-Christ,
Make me wise and let me understand by your Spirit what it means to know you.

May the eyes of my heart be full of light,
May I have the knowledge and the purpose of your calling,

Together with all your saints,
I want to discover the glorious blessings that are mine.

How immeasurable and great is your power toward us who believe,
It is the same wonderful power you used when you raised Christ
From the dead and let Him sit at your right hand in heaven.

There Christ rules over all forces, authorities, powers, and rulers.
He rules over all beings in this world and will rule in the future world as well.

All things are under His feet,
You made Him to be Head over all things to the Church, which is His body;
The full measure of Him in whom all things are made complete.

Now to Him who, in exercise of His power that is at work within us, is able to do infinitely beyond all our highest prayers or thoughts,

Unto him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
Unto all generations for ever and ever.

Amen.

Today’s Bible reading: Ephesians 1:16-23, 3:20-21

People matters

2009-07-24T13:23:00.002+02:00

One of the steps in the denigrating and humiliating process of dehumanization applied to the Jews by the Nazis, during the holocaust, was to affix on their stripped uniforms a number which became their new identifications. After being expropriated, displaced, now even their names were taken away. A people purged from any sense of humanity, a number replaced a name. Without a name, a human face is simply abstract.
The consciences of their jailers were absolved, exonerated from sin, simply by numbering an innocent person sentenced to death. Just numbers, not men, women and children made in the likeness of our common creator. In the eyes of their oppressors, they cease to be a people. The abuse could begin; the rest is history.

A loss sense of identity is the plague of our time. Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? All the religions groups are offering answers to these questions, each group contradicting the other. Even people of the same group are divided. Those claiming to hold the absolute truth are isolating their own from the outside contamination.
The world is fragmented by ideologies and ruled by gamblers. The people are the casualties. People are statistics, just numbers. Who still cares for an individual, a soul, a need in a person?
Even churches are competing for people, more and more dumb sheep. The more the better, but not when the individual demarcates from the group and starts asking for his need to be met. Just numbers, people are kept in a pack, categorized on status, ready to be tossed by every wind of doctrine.

But God cares! God still calls His own by name, He knows the specific need of each and one of His children. Isa 49:1 … when I was still in my mother's body, he had my name in mind. Jesus-Christ, the Chief Shepherd knows His sheep by name. Should He lose one out of a hundred, He will leave the 99 and go after the lost one until He finds it and bring it under His loving care.

However, a closer study of the interaction between God and man depicts a different story. After the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world and it was clear that redemption was necessary.
God chose and made a covenant with a people, the people of Israel. By name, He called and assigned specific tasks to certain men. Moses was called and given the mammoth job of leading the exodus of a group of people. God gave to Moses the Law which became the constitution, the judiciary, the religious credo and the making of a nation: the nation of Israel, the rest of the world constituted the gentiles.

The apostle Peter says of the gentiles that they were nobody, not a people. 1Pe 2:10 In the past you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; then there was no mercy for you, but now mercy has been given to you. The gentiles were all other nations except the Jews, with time it became a term of contempt to designate all other people who were not ruled by the Law of Moses. Paul, the apostle, writes: Eph 2:12 … aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.

The good news, the true gospel, is found in the next verse. It is contained in a simple word that has the power of change, a word that abolishes the old to establish the new: BUT. Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus … In Christ-Jesus the gentiles became a people, people of God, called by His name.

How did Christ accomplish that feat? How did He reconcile the gentiles back to God? The answer is found in: Eph 2:15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances… He abolished the Law through the cross, so making GRACE.

God is not dealing with His people with an abolished Law, but with GRACE. Now, all the believers in Christ are a people again, having obtained the mercy of God.

Trying to judge, condemn or place guilt again on the redeemed of God by using again the Law is a fraud, an imposture.

People do matter in the eyes of God, a gateway in Christ-Jesus has been made through His death by the cross. Anyone calling upon His name shall be saved!

Today’s Bible reading: Ephesians 2

Relax! God has always LOVED YOU!

2009-07-23T10:34:00.002+02:00

Imagine you wake up abruptly in the night because you felt a presence in your room, a divine presence full of Love. There is like a fragrance you can’t smell, almost like a puff of air filled of joy and peace beyond words. How can you put in words what your mind can not define, but your heart knows beyond any shadow of doubt?

You then dare to open your eyes, slowly first, you are not sure if it’s real or just a dream because if it is a dream why should you spoil it? Your heart is pounding with an erratic tempo, time as you know it has vanished. Someone is there, you know it for sure! You quickly open your eyes, He’s there, you’ve never seen Him before but you know it’s Him. It’s the Lord, looking at you…

Your body is paralyzed with fear, just fear, but you can’t scream. Fear has filled your mind, may be you’re dying, you’re thinking. Then He smiles at you and says: I love you. You’re breathing again, His perfect love casts away fear. 1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love: true love has no room for fear, because where fear is, there is pain; and he who is not free from fear is not complete in love.

Still you can’t explain the fear, is there any pain in you that has bound you? Could it be the way someone told you about Him? Perhaps, you were told God kept a log book with your name where He kept all your good behaviors and shortcomings. So, you needed to repent every time so that He could wipe off a few sins, and last time you went to bed you forgot to confess. Could it may be the way you thought He was? Someone wrote that the relationship one had with a biological father plays a great deal with the way one relates with God. Were all these concepts wrong?

Fear goes hand in hand with punishment. Do you perhaps have fear of judgment? 1Jn 4:17 In this way love is made complete in us, so that we may be without fear on the day of judging… The Love of God takes no account of evil. He loved us so much that He put on His son all that we deserved (judgment of sin) and lavishly poured on us what we didn’t deserve (Grace). 1Jn 4:10 And this is love, not that we had love for God, but that he had love for us, and sent his Son to be an offering for our sins.

You’re fully awake now. He’s gone, but the ambiance of His presence has stayed. You know you don’t need any more to perform, He loves you and cares for you. Now you know that everything is yours because of His grace and His love for you.

Next time you sleep, your heart will stay awake. You want Him to come back, you want Him to know that you love Him back. God has given you His greatest possession, His only son, why shouldn’t He give you every thing else you need? If in return you had to give Him back all you have, plus all your time and talents, it would be still judged a price not great enough. Just accept His Love!

Today’s Bible reading: I John 4

The beginning…

2009-07-22T10:36:00.000+02:00

At the beginning, THE WORD! Not any word, but the creative word of God. Not the Bing-Bang, but the nuclear power of the spoken word of Elohim. Not mind over matter, but Spirit over chaos. Not evolution, but creation. Moses, the writer of Genesis, received this truth from the One who said to him: “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the earth.”

Whatever Adam lost in Eden triggered God’s wonderful and merciful, eternal plan of redemption. However, a separation from God occurred when sin entered. Judgment was pronounced, the ground was cursed, and death came. Rom 5:12 Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die.

The relationship with the creator was lost, and religion was born. It was born from man inbuilt cognition of eternity and his quest for the divine. But religion brought man to himself, self became his god; then he looked at the stars in the firmament and made them a god; again he bowed his knees to the mere creatures on earth, upon which he was supposed to have dominion, and worshipped.

Self-righteousness, legalism, rules and rituals became the essence of his religion. God, still in pursuit of man, finds Moses to lead his chosen people out of captivity into the land of promises. Elohim gave Moses the Law to show man he can’t get out by his own righteousness. The Law was not designed to be a panacea to the sin problem, though it served its role by bringing forth in the open an awareness of sin. Rom 5:13 Sin was in the world before the Law came. But no record of sin was kept, because there was no Law.

Rom 5:8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful. The law was given so that man can understand that all has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. God foreknew we couldn't make it by our own effort. In His love, He sent His son to die for us.

The Law couldn't save us, no one ever kept it anyway. Rom 5:20 The Law came, so that the full power of sin could be seen. Yet where sin was powerful, God's kindness was even more powerful. But when Christ died, He accepted us and gave us the gift of life by faith through Jesus-Christ.

The Law was given to Moses, but Grace came through Jesus-Christ! When Christ became one’s Lord and Savior, one is a new creature, renewed, refreshed and reconciled to God.

Some still argue that Grace is a license to sin, but nothing can be further from the truth. Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace. Sin can be overcome! But this can only be achieved through the Grace of God, not by the Law.

If that is the truth, but how come some religious leaders still imposes to the believers the rigidity of the Law?
Are you perhaps under man imposed rules and agendas that have nothing to do with your salvation?

That could be the reason why you’re feeling so burdened and have probably lost the joy of your salvation.

God longs for a relationship with you! However, you can never reach Him by doing all the religious requirements imposed on you until you finally realized you already have acceptance through Jesus-Christ. Eph 2:8 For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is God's gift, and is not on the ground of merit--

Today’s Bible reading: Romans 5

A word of introduction

2009-07-21T11:28:00.001+02:00

The age of information has opened up an array of all sorts of spiritual views, doctrines and fundamentals, even concerning the Christian faith. It's true; there is a spiritual awakening all over the world.
From the young to the old, a thirst for spiritual matters, one will say a craving for the supernatural, is almost palpable. Instead of finding truth and enlightenment, many find themselves more confused than ever.

Even among the Christians, it is now common occurrence to meet hurts and wounded believers in lieu of more than overcomers, blood washed, redeemed, heaven-bounds, Children of The Most High God.

This blog will aim to bring a platform of sound biblical debates where, I hope, the light of the Gospel of Grace of Jesus-Christ will shine in the darkness of the world, and bring hope to many, and healing to the wounded, peace to the confused, answers to the seekers, comfort to the grieved and freedom to the captives.

We'll offer regularly a devotional journal and contributions from some passionate bereans. The Bereans did not just embrace the new faith the apostle Paul was presenting to them, they endeavored to search the truth from the Scriptures:

Act 17:11 The people in Berea were much nicer than those in Thessalonica, and they gladly accepted the message. Day after day they studied the Scriptures to see if these things were true.

Ignorance is not definitely an excuse, nor is it bliss as the common saying goes. As Pastor Joseph Prince (New Creation Church, Singapore) says: "Right believing produces right living, Wrong believing produces wrong living."

Let's open the talk, and Let there be light! Asikhulume manje! (Let's talk now, in Zulu!)

As we grow together in the Grace of our Lord Jesus-Christ, I pray for His Love to abound in our hearts.

A servant of the New Covenant in Christ,

Chris Efinda