Bringing the gospel into disrepute

Apostle Samuel Manyika Tackling the ControVerse
While passing through a security check point at Harare International Airport, the official manning it after scanning my passport and realising I was a minister of religion, asked sarcastically how it felt to be called “pastor” these days, with all the negativity going on in the church. I deliberately ignored his question and proceeded to the immigration desk.

2014 was my 30th year in active ministry. I can say with a clear conscience despite having made some mistakes and experiencing challenges and failure here and there, I have never deliberately or knowingly engaged in anything that would bring the gospel into disrepute. I have consistently thought about how my actions might destroy my reputation, affect the body of Christ somehow or bring the gospel or the name of the Lord into disrepute.

We all make mistakes and anyone who disputes that would obviously be lying. The problem comes when we have to deal with individuals who act as if they made a covenant with foolishness. Those who persistently and consistently pursue a path and behaviour that dishonours Christ and misleads those who may be seeking the truth.

Over the years I worked with and know scores of my peers who have carried out their duties as ministers of the gospel with the fear of God in their hearts and with commendable displays of personal integrity.

It is both disconcerting and irritating, when I find myself in this uncomfortable and awkward position where I am judged by some junior airport official who does not know me at all, on the basis of the questionable or idiotic behaviour of some other so-called minister of the gospel.

I am sorry to have to use a seemingly insulting word like “idiotic,” but we have to appreciate that certain words are descriptive of certain behaviour or conduct. This means a respectable person like a parent, a church minister, a politician, a government minister can do something which falls in that descriptive category, idiotic that is. This does not mean they are idiots but there may be no other way of describing their actions or behaviour. If they keep on repeating the act then they may end up acquiring the title of idiot no matter who they are. So an isolated or single act may be referred to as stupid or foolish but one who engages repeatedly in that kind of behaviour gives people no choice but to title them a stupid fool.

The Bible aptly calls a person who says there is no God a “fool.” That attitude can find no other suitable description.

Psalms 14:1

14:1 Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”

The tragedy in the church world today is that thousands of respectable, honest, dedicated, faithful and humble ministers of the gospel are being bundled together, in terms of their reputations, with a crop of pathetic, dubious, stupid spiritual pride behemoths calling themselves prophets, apostles, bishops or whatever other fancied titles which they assume or give themselves.

The church lately has had to deal with the unnecessary negativity stirred by such.

In my opinion it is easier, better, more understandable and expected when we find ourselves dealing with Satan’s attacks than with problems created by an irresponsible, pig headed, deluded and arrogant so called Christian leader.

I have a lot of respect for the international Evangelist Morris Cerrullo and believe he is a genuine servant of God. But some incidents associated with his ministry which occurred in England demonstrate how easily the church or gospel can be brought into disrepute because of one minister’s hasty, ill advised or reckless action.

In 1992 during a Morris Cerrullo Crusade in England a 25-year-old woman suffering from epileptic seizures died two weeks after claiming she had been healed at the crusade. She had actually testified and declared that she was healed in front of Dr Cerrullo on the stage. I have to point out however that it is not Dr Cerrullo who said she was healed; he just gave her the platform where she declared this. She then stopped taking her medication; this according to the coroner, was the cause of her death. Another four-year-old who suffered from a cancer called neuroblastoma died two months after being declared healed at the crusade. The British tabloids went to town on these incidents.

It is when such things happen that responsible authorities begin to draft laws and regulations which affect the effective spreading of the gospel.

We are at the moment recovering from the shock of the deaths of 115 people in Nigeria where a building housing so called pilgrims visiting TB Joshua’s church collapsed. The man at the helm of the ministry where this happened then came up with an exotic explanation as to the cause of the collapse. What he claimed to have happened sounded more like something out of a James Bond or Star Wars movie. Although investigations still need to be completed there is hardly any doubt in most people’s minds that the collapse is linked to the flouting of sound engineering regulations in the building process. To add insult to injury he refers to the dead as “martyrs.” Martyrs of what or for whom? You have here a case of people who went somewhere seeking life not martyrdom and they died there. There is life where Jesus is, he came to give abundant life, the Spirit of God is referred to as the spirit of life. Jesus always had massive crowds around him, there is no mention of anyone ever being crushed to death in his presence. I have witnessed many times thousands of people or individuals beings slain in the spirit, falling off chairs or onto chairs. Not even once have I ever known of an injury which was inflicted on anyone because of this.

We need to appreciate that as all these questionable spiritual and religious shenanigans are happening people will be getting hurt. While some people may be harping about so-called miracles there will be thousands of others who continue to be abused.

Over the years I have spoken to and counselled countless people who survived such situations with deep spiritual, emotional and financial scars.

There are simple questions which require answers here. If a miracle has occurred and it is a genuine miracle, why can those involved not wait for its validation and authentication? For instance if it is a healing, why not get previous records of the recipient of the miracle to prove they were indeed sick. Why not check with the doctor who was dealing with the patient during their time of illness and then get other medical professionals to confirm that the healing indeed occurred! Maybe also talk to the person’s relatives and neighbours. This is simple, straight forward and can eliminate unnecessary controversies which bring the gospel into disrepute.

Also a miracle which has gone through that kind of rigorous scrutiny will go a long way in demonstrating that miracles are indeed still happening, because indeed they are occurring.

Jesus after healing some lepers, he instructed them to go and show themselves to a priest. Some people do not understand the significance of this. From the Old Testament, whenever anyone recovered from leprosy it was only the high priest who could give them a clean bill of health. So Jesus was actually challenging these former lepers to go through the only and best known method of that time to authenticate their healing.

I have always believed that lightning speed is the hiding place of all deception. That kind of speed and a quick bundling up of issues does not allow or give time for scrutiny and analysis of events and claims.

God does not have to be protected from scrutiny neither is he intimidated by it. Shady characters involved in underhand dealings despise and are wary of scrutiny.

There is also a lot of nonsensical intimidation and threats of death to those who would scrutinize and question dubious spiritual claims and activities. This is blatant witchcraft.

The Bible commands us to try ALL spirits not just some, to see whether they are of God.

1 John 4:1

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Can you imagine a situation where someone driving down the highway is stopped at a police roadblock and immediately they start berating the police for insinuating that they are a criminal? When the police stop anyone at a roadblock they will not be suggesting anything, what they find on you is what will determine what you are.

It is amazing how defensive some ministers become when they are asked to simply explain how they do what they do. This just cements the notion that they have something sinister to hide.

The church in Zimbabwe has been around for over a hundred years now. There are thousands of men and women who have laboured for it to be established.

It is important for anyone in ministry to always be aware of that fact. There are probably over five million Christians of a protestant persuasion in Zimbabwe. For anyone to deceive themselves or be deceived by Satan into believing that they are the embodiment or sum total of what God is doing in Zimbabwe is the height of delusionary thinking and foolishness.

Miracles are not a new phenomenon in the Zimbabwe or church universal except for those who have just arrived on the scene or who were in the church but not plugged in to what God was doing around them.

I got saved in 1975 after accurate and powerful prophecies were given over my life. Over the years I have experienced and seen many miracles in my life, in the lives of others and also as I ministered to different people in different places.

It is important for all those that are called by God to minister this great and wonderful saving gospel to a suffering world, to remain humble and appreciate that though they are important they are such an insignificant little something in a sea of activity where God’s purposes are being established.

We have misguided followers of some ministers who act as if the Holy Spirit is kept in their leader’s back pockets, cupboard or office drawer. They are so pathetically ignorant and blinkered that they actually think nothing of spiritual importance is happening anywhere else except in their movement or church.

Even as I write I am aware that there are some who will feel they have to respond to this article because they think it is a personal attack on their prophet, papa, apostle, bishop or whatever title their leader goes by as if he, that leader, is the only one in existence preaching the gospel.

This is not about judging anybody, it is about challenging ministers of the gospel to act responsibly and being accountable because no single minister is an island, their actions are bound to affect others.

So my point of contention here is simple, no one has the right to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ into disrepute, by behaving in ways which draw flak onto other ministers, creating negative perceptions of the church and its activities and generally behaving like some lawless cowboy in the wild, wild west.

Failing, falling into sin and making mistakes is human and can be found in any one even servants of God. Sin is not and will never be a problem. The problem arises out of what a person does when they have sinned. God knows that even his choice servants can fall or fail. Humility however, is what causes us to recognise our fallibility and seek grace to be what God has called us to be. Humility also teaches us to submit to others, it takes away the blinkers of pride and arrogance and opens our eyes to what God is doing around us through others. This way everything is put into perspective and all our motivation is purified.

No truly humble and submitted servant of God will ever bring the gospel into disrepute because even when they do err they will have the humility to own up and repent, that in itself is honourable.