Opinion / Religion
When scriptural fraud and spiritual illiteracy dominate at high levels
27 Apr 2017 at 07:52hrs | Views
Evangelist Reginald Thabani Gola
The current hurried wave of religion sweeping over Africa, driven by "Man of God" of all sorts, has, in some cases, brought more both scriputural and spiritual confusion than emancipation.
A few years ago an American colleague gestured to me at an international human rights conference in Brazil, that out there, in America, the going-slogan was that "if one wants quick hassle-free money, pick a Bible and go to Africa!" We had that sort of light moment over tea-break. Later, at another international engagement in Nigeria another colleague brought-up the same lighter moment but that time it had a slight change, "take a Bible and go to South Africa!" Quite shortly, it was "take a Bible and go to Zimbabwe!" This most probably would serve to explain as to why Zimbabwe and South Africa' spiritual gains or frauds remain driven by Prophets, Apostles and Pastors of "heavy" English along a few locals doing bezire things in the name of the Holy Scriptures and Spirituality. So heavily accented "Man of God" that at times one would be left as more of a spectator than an attentive congregant due to the high levels of incomprehension. The pull-factor being "The Instant Miracle Money and Opportunities" over-drive than spiritual nourishment at the respective citizenry's most desperate hour of need. Totally poverty-striken with no other sensible hope. The heavy accent "Man of God" take no special time to prophesy on economic prosperity in the high-speed nose-diving economy as a means of serenading government. These "Man of God" have so prophesied on a national economic recovery miracle election-after-election to the worst.
Miracle money and opportunities that incite all and yet are never open to all. In desperation people equally desperately would subscribe to anything in desperate will! Desperate hope! And desperate faith.
When the "Man of God" takes to the pulpit he splashes prosperity jiggles upon the mostly desperate and hungry congregants most of whom would have braved long distances in, sometimes, hostile weather, on foot, going by Zimbabwe's reigning immesurable state of poverty, fevered by the desperate desire for the hoped-for miracle money and opportunities. At offering time, full manifestation of true anger of the "Man of God" puts the factory shell into deafening silence. A barrage of insults upon the congregants for not giving to the satisfaction of the "Man of God!" Congregants get harangued immeasurably and called "lazy and uncreative when others buy new cars, fly-out and give to the Church!" And unproductive. Despite the fact that the Church venue would be a factory shell that used to employ thousands. Now a factory shell due to the national irrepairably collapsed economy. Immense cheap and illogical praise for the government! And heaps of blame upon the congregants who can not access money in the banks to give to the Church due to paralysed government policy. Grossly misinformed defence of the government due to the lack of expertise in the respective specialist knowledges and histories of the respective economy. Congregants get warned to keep-out of politics when they are in great and agressive campaign for The Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever was in the service of a Kingdom was, inevitably, in politics. Christians are in competition against another Kingdom to win favour from its followers. Whoever preaches prosperity would be, inevitably, full-time peddling in raw politics due to the fact that all forms of prosperity were premised on good political environment. All forms of investment depend on political protection or texture of governance. Property rights get debated, implemented or abused by politicians. Dancing on wet-wounds of Zimbabwean "retired fake trillionaires" of stationary money of the immeadiate-past yester-years! Where politics impoverished multitudes of Christian institutions and individual Christians into the state of poverty that they reel-under to this very moment. Freedom of worship comes from politics so would be its respective ban or variation. Every other lawful governing Act upon the Christian community and beyond, would come from parliament. And Christians wield of a right to rise beyond mere prosperity and Church-going to rule the respective countries. It was not any possible to live out of politics for as long as you would continue to exist, prosper or fail in its atmosphere with it (politics) being the most critical determinent factor. Failure to rise beyond the token Bible of The "Man of God". Reading favourable narrowed chosen customised chapters! And the lack of the industrial or employment creation exposure for the various "Man of God". Congregants go onto dead silence as the "Man of God" roars one-way across the factory shell dishing-out political and scriptural nonsense. Obviously, the ill defence of the failed government would serve to ensure for the continued renewal of both the respective "Man of God" Work and Residence Permits when they expired. The "Man of God" never pays adequate attention to the fact that amongst his congregation there could be both desperate employed and unemployed journalists and gurus of various expertise, penniless and otherwise, in the respective disciplines that he could be toying-around with. Out to get solace at Church.
Delving into the art of explaining political developments of the respective country in favour of a failed-state! A stinkingly corrupt administration! And flogging an already very-very sick and hungry cow to produce normal milk! And the hungry ox to draw The Command Agriculture plough in an energised way would surely need the Holy Spirit's intervention. The heavy accented "Man of God" take pleasure in their congregant-donated Cherokes by a selected few favoured, in most cases, known blood-money barrons who would have bought their tickets into the Church, upon whom constant luminary reference is made as a motivator to the sub-standard givers who carry zero blood-money to spare. (Psalms 50:18-19, Job 36:18, Isaiah 33:15-16) This could be another easiest way of mortgaging Christian institutions to the Kingdom of Darkness. When The Devil is permited to invest, he naturally becomes a principal shareholder with all legality within the Temple of Christ. And unceasing showers of praise are released upon the respective blessers! In humiliation of the majority poor miracle chasers. The heavy accented "Man of God" are hurried people who easily threaten non-compliant or poor congreagants with expulsion from the respective Churches in their (citizens) own countries with threats of curse. Most desperate for a miracle, and fearful of the respective curse, they (the respective citizens) live upon the ungodly and inhuman scornful existence in the, supposedly, House of Prayer in their respective countries.
The most critical matters of spiritual qualification, and the respective pre-requisites of such qualification to accessing the great and deep things of Heaven! Or carrying The Cross, remain flimsily dealt with. Or the return-on-investment (ROI) upon such offerings, seeding/sacrifice as it was all done at a moment of anger by an agitated hurried "Man of God!" When actually, there should be proper amicable or peaceful educative sermons to walk the respective congregants through such critical Christian roles in the Church or Ministry. That would be a great means of either generating compliance or setting-free the misguided who would have flocked for the free hoped-for miracle money and opportunities out of poverty. These new Churches mushroomed and swelled with the tide of continued unemployment! Sub-standard citizenry living due to heightened poverty levels and the collapse of governance. It would be, not only improper, but most unfair not to acknowledge some stirling examples to poverty alleviation as witnessed at renowned Prophet Shepherd Bushiri's Enlightened Christian Gatheting Church (ECG) International that has surely cast the prophetic healing and deliverence light upon the darkest corners of the earth, and Prophet Walter Magaya's Prophetic Healing and Deliverence Ministries, among others that have invested heavily on poverty alleviation programmes in an illustrious way. These institutions have gone both big and wide in food distribution, prophetic, healing and deliverence world-wide among mickey-mouse South African prophets of "doom insectcide eating", snakes eating, grass eaters, petrol drinking and walking-upon congregants. And off-course Gweru-Zimbabwe's Goblin prophetic maestro, Prophet Chivasa, who has hit the headlines with Goblins collected from a convert who later demanded them back after several weeks claiming that they (Goblins) had not been destroyed but were in use by Prophet Chivasa. The complainant demanded the sudden return of the Goblins. After concerted death threats upon the prophet, surely the Goblins were returned to the rightful owner. All these characters have wualified thrmselves to go by the name "Man of God!" God forbid.
Evangelist Reginald Thabani Gola. Guest Pastors International. Inter-Denominational Bible-Believing Revivalists and Consultants.
A few years ago an American colleague gestured to me at an international human rights conference in Brazil, that out there, in America, the going-slogan was that "if one wants quick hassle-free money, pick a Bible and go to Africa!" We had that sort of light moment over tea-break. Later, at another international engagement in Nigeria another colleague brought-up the same lighter moment but that time it had a slight change, "take a Bible and go to South Africa!" Quite shortly, it was "take a Bible and go to Zimbabwe!" This most probably would serve to explain as to why Zimbabwe and South Africa' spiritual gains or frauds remain driven by Prophets, Apostles and Pastors of "heavy" English along a few locals doing bezire things in the name of the Holy Scriptures and Spirituality. So heavily accented "Man of God" that at times one would be left as more of a spectator than an attentive congregant due to the high levels of incomprehension. The pull-factor being "The Instant Miracle Money and Opportunities" over-drive than spiritual nourishment at the respective citizenry's most desperate hour of need. Totally poverty-striken with no other sensible hope. The heavy accent "Man of God" take no special time to prophesy on economic prosperity in the high-speed nose-diving economy as a means of serenading government. These "Man of God" have so prophesied on a national economic recovery miracle election-after-election to the worst.
Miracle money and opportunities that incite all and yet are never open to all. In desperation people equally desperately would subscribe to anything in desperate will! Desperate hope! And desperate faith.
When the "Man of God" takes to the pulpit he splashes prosperity jiggles upon the mostly desperate and hungry congregants most of whom would have braved long distances in, sometimes, hostile weather, on foot, going by Zimbabwe's reigning immesurable state of poverty, fevered by the desperate desire for the hoped-for miracle money and opportunities. At offering time, full manifestation of true anger of the "Man of God" puts the factory shell into deafening silence. A barrage of insults upon the congregants for not giving to the satisfaction of the "Man of God!" Congregants get harangued immeasurably and called "lazy and uncreative when others buy new cars, fly-out and give to the Church!" And unproductive. Despite the fact that the Church venue would be a factory shell that used to employ thousands. Now a factory shell due to the national irrepairably collapsed economy. Immense cheap and illogical praise for the government! And heaps of blame upon the congregants who can not access money in the banks to give to the Church due to paralysed government policy. Grossly misinformed defence of the government due to the lack of expertise in the respective specialist knowledges and histories of the respective economy. Congregants get warned to keep-out of politics when they are in great and agressive campaign for The Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever was in the service of a Kingdom was, inevitably, in politics. Christians are in competition against another Kingdom to win favour from its followers. Whoever preaches prosperity would be, inevitably, full-time peddling in raw politics due to the fact that all forms of prosperity were premised on good political environment. All forms of investment depend on political protection or texture of governance. Property rights get debated, implemented or abused by politicians. Dancing on wet-wounds of Zimbabwean "retired fake trillionaires" of stationary money of the immeadiate-past yester-years! Where politics impoverished multitudes of Christian institutions and individual Christians into the state of poverty that they reel-under to this very moment. Freedom of worship comes from politics so would be its respective ban or variation. Every other lawful governing Act upon the Christian community and beyond, would come from parliament. And Christians wield of a right to rise beyond mere prosperity and Church-going to rule the respective countries. It was not any possible to live out of politics for as long as you would continue to exist, prosper or fail in its atmosphere with it (politics) being the most critical determinent factor. Failure to rise beyond the token Bible of The "Man of God". Reading favourable narrowed chosen customised chapters! And the lack of the industrial or employment creation exposure for the various "Man of God". Congregants go onto dead silence as the "Man of God" roars one-way across the factory shell dishing-out political and scriptural nonsense. Obviously, the ill defence of the failed government would serve to ensure for the continued renewal of both the respective "Man of God" Work and Residence Permits when they expired. The "Man of God" never pays adequate attention to the fact that amongst his congregation there could be both desperate employed and unemployed journalists and gurus of various expertise, penniless and otherwise, in the respective disciplines that he could be toying-around with. Out to get solace at Church.
The most critical matters of spiritual qualification, and the respective pre-requisites of such qualification to accessing the great and deep things of Heaven! Or carrying The Cross, remain flimsily dealt with. Or the return-on-investment (ROI) upon such offerings, seeding/sacrifice as it was all done at a moment of anger by an agitated hurried "Man of God!" When actually, there should be proper amicable or peaceful educative sermons to walk the respective congregants through such critical Christian roles in the Church or Ministry. That would be a great means of either generating compliance or setting-free the misguided who would have flocked for the free hoped-for miracle money and opportunities out of poverty. These new Churches mushroomed and swelled with the tide of continued unemployment! Sub-standard citizenry living due to heightened poverty levels and the collapse of governance. It would be, not only improper, but most unfair not to acknowledge some stirling examples to poverty alleviation as witnessed at renowned Prophet Shepherd Bushiri's Enlightened Christian Gatheting Church (ECG) International that has surely cast the prophetic healing and deliverence light upon the darkest corners of the earth, and Prophet Walter Magaya's Prophetic Healing and Deliverence Ministries, among others that have invested heavily on poverty alleviation programmes in an illustrious way. These institutions have gone both big and wide in food distribution, prophetic, healing and deliverence world-wide among mickey-mouse South African prophets of "doom insectcide eating", snakes eating, grass eaters, petrol drinking and walking-upon congregants. And off-course Gweru-Zimbabwe's Goblin prophetic maestro, Prophet Chivasa, who has hit the headlines with Goblins collected from a convert who later demanded them back after several weeks claiming that they (Goblins) had not been destroyed but were in use by Prophet Chivasa. The complainant demanded the sudden return of the Goblins. After concerted death threats upon the prophet, surely the Goblins were returned to the rightful owner. All these characters have wualified thrmselves to go by the name "Man of God!" God forbid.
Evangelist Reginald Thabani Gola. Guest Pastors International. Inter-Denominational Bible-Believing Revivalists and Consultants.
Source - Evangelist Reginald Thabani Gola
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
