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THE unprecedented growth in number of churches that seem to specialise in prophecy and whose leaders draw large crowds of mostly women that they lure with promises of fixing their marriages or praying for them so that they get life partners is a cause for concern.
Not only have the young church leaders been quite manipulative of their flock, that mostly believes more in them than in the Holy Book, they have gone further to wreck family relations all under the guise of prayer.
Elsewhere in this edition we have a story in which a prophet was severely assaulted by a man whom he had prophesied to be a womaniser. This makes us wonder what the purpose of prophecy in the church of God is supposed to be.
Our understanding is that prophecy is supposed to edify those to whom it is given. This means prophecy is supposed to encourage, build up their faith in God and it is our view that this can never be achieved by labelling spouses and driving a wedge between them.
Surely can this bring them closer together and promote love which Christianity is about? The Bible from which the so-called prophets claim to draw their teachings says that a�?And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets (1 Corinthians 14:32).a�?
This means that the prophets can choose what to tell the person over whom they are prophesying, leaving out details that would not build up their spirit but emphasising on the positive since the aim of prophecy is to build up faith and ensure ultimate victory and hence glory to God.
As if this is not enough, we also carry an article in which a woman who has refused to accept that her man has moved on has consulted a prophet to turn the mana��s heart towards her. What is worrying is that the woman admitted to have taken pieces of clothing from the man for use in some rituals meant to get him back.
The way some so-called prophets are slowly blurring the line between prayer and witchcraft is astounding. It is important that those that claim to be servants of God are seen to be so in practice.
There are many fly-by-night prophets whose doctrines are causing a lot of confusion and disturbing the peace of many families and communities.
In South Africa, law enforcement agencies have in the past sought to bring to book some wayward preachers that, incidentally appear to have their influence right across the borders.
We hear that a pastor in Iminyela in Bulawayo has the controversial Lesego Daniels, of the grass eating and petrol drinking congregants, as his spiritual father. Doctrinally, we also have a problem with pastors that claim certain powers such as his claim that whatever he declares will happen.
This tends to transfer the focus of an entire religion, the hope of an entire congregation, from their God to a new idol that claims to have all powers to declare things in peoplea��s lives. The community in which the church is based has already advocated that it be closed, something that even the pastor has admitted.
It is important that when people see the house of God, they associate it with light instead of landing God in disrepute. While we are mere mortals that cannot judge, we believe that extreme doctrines that turn followers into zombies and lean dangerously towards cultism are as undesirable just as they are unscriptural. Let us not abuse our followersa�� desperation to line our pockets through growing church numbers. We shall be judged.
derick.khumalo