I know many Would read this and still Ignore the warning because of their own greed but please Listen!

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits, So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit…Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-20).

I begin this blog by apologising to all my Nigerian brothers and sisters for its title. At first sight it is rather offensive, but I hope that as you read on you will see why I elected to still use it as a title. As nations or tribes or social groupings we take on a certain characteristic that is not true about each person in the group but which we come to be identified with. Hence, Paul could write, “One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith” (Titus 1:12-13). In the same way, we tend to (rightly or wrongly) identify Americans with arrogance, Kenyans with marathon running prowess, West Africans with fraudulent activities, Afrikaners with racism, etc.

I have just returned from a consultative meeting in South Africa where the first day was spent surveying the spiritual state of the countries in the southern African sub-region. Central to all this was the state of evangelicalism in all these countries. Nation after nation reported on the arrival of “Nigerian religious junk” that was changing the landscape of what there once was of evangelicalism. One or two of the countries were blessed exceptions. Evidently, this junk originated from mega-churches in the USA and then found ready soil in West Africa, and especially in Nigeria. Having given it an African flavour, it is now being exported across Africa at a phenomenal rate.

I feel very sad to write about this, but by “Nigerian religious junk” I mean the phenomenon of churches that are personal-to-holder. They exalt the personality of their founding father, who is still alive somewhere in Nigeria (or elsewhere) and is treated with the aura of a state president or paramount chief. It does not matter which country you go to, the bill boards of these churches do not have the faces of the local pastors of the congregations in those towns but of the founding father in Nigeria—or wherever he has since relocated. It is all about image and power. This “man of God” claims to hear the voice of God and proceeds to minister to you accordingly. If you do not obey him you are resisting the ministry of God into your life. So, the churches are often called “ministries” rather than churches. And to make them even more impressive, the term “international” is often added to their name.

The Africanisation of this religious junk is primarily in the way it has been made to appeal to African spirituality. The pastor is the modern witchdoctor calling all and sundry to come to him for “deliverance”. Just as the witchdoctor appealed to us by inviting us to see him for spiritual protection or when we were struggling with bad luck, childlessness, joblessness, illness, failure to attract a suitor for marriage or to rise in a job or get a contract, etc., these pastors do precisely the same thing. So-called prophetic utterances are made which explain why all this is happening, holy water or oil is prayed over and dispensed, and some money is extracted from the persons seeking help. Thus their churches attract thousands of people who are there for purely selfish reasons. The motivating factor is not reconciliation with God through Christ but rather “deliverance” from perceived evil and to be blessed through the supernatural powers that “the man of God” possesses. Let’s face it: this is our African traditional religions coming into the church through the back door.

The self-centredness of all this is seen in the worship. Churches are being turned into entertainment centres instead of edification centres. People come to church to be entertained, healed and blessed. The fact that professionals, who engage their brains when working with their hands five to six days a week, stop thinking and just dance and laugh in worship is extremely sad, in the light of the demand of God that we are to love him with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength. It has been the failure of Christians to think through the implications of their Christian faith on the whole of life that has left Africa filled with Christian churches and lack of development at the same time. Surely, if these professionals were thinking they would have added up one-plus-one by now and seen why their pastors have become stinking rich. It is not their faith but the money of their congregants, whom they cheat with promises, that makes them buy expensive cars and clothes and put up mansions. If one thousand individuals are “sowing the seed” every week to be blessed by the man of God, of course the man of God will get very rich while they will get poorer. That is simple common sense.


The result of this phenomenon of personal-to-holder churches has been the selective nature of church discipline. You do not discipline a Sangoma (i.e. witchdoctor)—or a chief! It is a known fact, even among the church members, that a number of these pastors have serious moral problems. However, “you do not touch the Lord’s anointed” and so they are not disciplined, even when they have impregnated girls in the church. One such anointed one in Zambia changed wives three times through divorce in less than six months and still remains the apostle of his church. To be fair, this man is a Zambian, but he has imbibed this personal-to-holder phenomenon from Nigeria. There must be accountability from everyone in the church—including the church pastor.

Yet another characteristic of this phenomenon which is particularly African is the craze for titles. We Africans love titles! Once upon a time, evangelical pastors were content to simply be called pastors. Terms like “bishop” were left to those who had an Episcopalian system of church government, which was a formal structure that rose to national and global level. Alas, that has now changed! With the advent of this Nigerian religious junk, it is titles galore! You now have bishops, arch-bishops, prophets, apostles, chief apostles, etc. Some are not even content with that and so have combinations like, “chief apostle prophet doctor so-and-so.” This is certainly very different from the teaching and personal lifestyle of the Lord Jesus Christ whom they claim to serve.

Many of these churches have since been discovered to be nothing more than fund-raising outfits, with sole proprietorship maintained by the pastor and his wife. The pattern seems to be: start a church and then milk the congregation. The pastors basically prey on the vulnerable and gullible. They are crooks and conmen. In a number of the southern African countries represented at the consultation, governments have sent these pastors packing upon finding undeniable proof that large stashes of money were being milked out of their citizens and being shipped to West Africa. This has made these governments very suspicious of anyone coming from any other African country as a missionary into their country. They now think that all African missionaries are just mercenaries.

Yet, the saddest part of all this has been the loss of the gospel. Once upon a time, you could go to any church that purported to be evangelical and once you survived what was called worship, you would hear a sermon that finally pointed you to Christ and him crucified for pardon from sin. That is now largely an exception, and is as rare as my great grandfather’s teeth. What you hear now are calls for “deliverance”, and you experience this by coming forward to be prayed for. Inevitably, once you lose the gospel, you lose true spirituality and morality. Christianity becomes a thin veneer of respectability but inside there is total corruption and decay. The church becomes a wardrobe full of skeletons. Or, to borrow a more biblical expression, the church is filled with white-washed tombs.

This explains why, although Nigeria is packed with such mega-churches (and is now exporting them across the continent), it is still the most corrupt nation on the continent. If church leaders are milking the people like this, what hope is there to correct things among the politicians and the civil servants? It is impossible! You cannot grow true spirituality where the cross of Christ and the Christ of the cross is absent. We must insist that the Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit. Where holiness is conspicuous by its absence, we should never attribute what is happening there to God’s Spirit because he is a spirit of holiness. Crowds and people falling backwards upon being touched prove nothing if holiness of life is missing. Jesus said, “You will recognise them by their fruits.”

In this blog I have avoided naming names. This is because the consultation I have just come from did not name names. However, all I can say is, “If the hat fits you, put it on!” Anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear knows what I am talking about. Let me end by once again apologising to any genuine and sincere Nigerian pastors who distance themselves from all this junk. Just as I know a number of sweet American folks who are very humble, Kenyans who cannot run halfway around a football ground, and Afrikaners who are colour blind, I am sure there must be many West African pastors—and Nigerians for that matter—who will have nothing to do with this spiritual corruption. I only wish they were more vocal in condemning this religious junk being exported from their country!

Out of 1000 view only 1 or 2 people will read this rambles.

I have just returned from a consultative meeting in South Africa where the first day was spent surveying the spiritual state of the countries in the southern African sub-region.

can you give more information about who sponsored this meeting.

as per the anti-nigerian crusade, nothing new about that in south africa.

@fredesere

surveying the spiritual state of the countries in the southern African sub-region. Central to all this was the state of evangelicalism in all these countries. Nation after nation reported on the arrival of “Nigerian religious junk” that was changing the landscape of what there once was of evangelicalism

It is easy to criticise others. Leave judgrment to christ. But at least they are doing something .Jesus would rather have you go out there and preach the gospel to sinners than sit in front of a computer doing busy body. I would rather give thanks to God for blessing Nigeria with such great grace to have the gospel so rooted here and also for raising international ministers from Nigeria to other nations of the world. It is rather answers to the cry of many. Europeans brought religion to africa. But Nigerians are taking the gospel to them. With the supernatural. I once heard juinita bynum talked about the fast food anointing in America, she said "if you want to see the raw power of God , Go to africa! .

All these "old time religion" stuff is the junk. The gospel must be preached with power. The only way you can prove that the Jesus that died Is still alive is to show his power. Deliverance ,healings and the miraculous are integral part of the gospel . Without supernatural, Christianity will not be different from any dead religion.

Migration of Nigerian folks to Ukraine , Europe ,Asia etc is answer to the cry of many. It is not about money. Do you know how much it cost to hold a crusade. It's 20 times more than the offering people will give there.This is even an understatement. Apart from money spent on publicity which is mega.  To hire a chair alone cost about 40 naira. And many may not even give offering offerings  yet they sit on 40 naira chair. This is outside other rentals of  Equipment and logistics,generator ,venue payment, power cable etc which cost several millions. But a carnal minded man sees crowd in a crusade and he feels wao! The man of God will make a lot of money here. how carnal? Crusades take a lot of sacrifice financially and otherwise. Men are sacrificing a lot to reach the world for christ. Jesus said "Go ye into all the world and preach"  are you going Ye? Jesus is coming soon.

I have just returned from a consultative meeting in South Africa where the first day was spent surveying the spiritual state of the countries in the southern African sub-region.

Leave consultations , Go ye! . All these  spiritual dictective works is sign of idleness for a christian as far as I'm concerned. If any one preaches the gospel with wrong motive. Leave him alone, you rather go and preach with a right motive.

Philippians 1:15-18
15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. 18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; [/b]and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

You can see.Leave such alone , you rather do your own work for the lord. A man that is busy for christ does not engage in busybody work.

[b]1 Peter 4:15
15 But let none of you suffer . . .  as a busybody in other men's matters.


Reinhard bonke and Benny hinn could have been termed as extorters of money , for holding crusades in Africa as well. It is the work of the holy spirit.

@fredesere

Well done, excellent description of the 'prosperity gospel'.

@Joagbaje

You keep popping up defending the prosperity gospel - which is understandable as you are a fraud yourself. You are a liar who will resort to lying and deceit to defend prosperity charlatans (like when you created multiple accounts on this forum). You also claimed to have raised a man from the dead - but you are yet to show us any proof. You say you need to show power to bring people to christianity - well give us confirmation of the dead man you raised - so we can all see your power.

You are nothing but a fradulent apologist for your 419 charlatans.

You are the fraud.

@Jo

I have not claimed to have supernatural powers as you have - if you cannot prove you raised someone from the dead like - then you are a fraud

Nice and instructive write up by the OP.

Trust uncle joe to turn up here to defend his business.

@Joagbaje  Good Morning.

Firstly what you have said is largely unscriptural and based very much on your own opinions and not what the bible teaches!

"Leave judgrment to christ." - Did you not read the verse above? beware of false prophets, how can you beware if you do not make any judgements ? Jesus said we are to Judge a righteous Judgement, and also By their fruit we shall know them.

Sir what you call the gospel is rather a perversion of the Gospel substitution the glorious work that Christ has done on the cross for things such as money despite allt he warnings in the bible.

The gospel must be preached with power. The only way you can prove that the Jesus that died Is still alive is to show his power. Deliverance ,healings and the miraculous are integral part of the gospel . Without supernatural, Christianity will not be different from any dead religion. - This is  LIE FROM HELL! What you have said is also condemned in the bible, seeking signs and it is a stumbling block and leads people to be deceived.

1 Corinthians 1:22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
I Corinthians 1:23: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
I Corinthians 1:24: But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

The Gospel is the Power of God, you have substituted Gods truth for a Lie (Romans 1:25)

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Romans 1:16 - Gods power is seen in taking a spiritually dead man and making him alive to God and holy, conforming his life and making him like Jesus christ, this is what makes christianity different, not signs and wonders.

I would also warn you to take heed, you sound very much like the people in Matthew 7:21-23 [Matthew 7:21: ¶Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.]

The guys above where doing a lot of miracles, but Jesus NEVER KNEW THEM.

Galatians 1:6-8 : I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

I am not convinced that you know what it truly is to be a Christian and the implication of that, Humble yourself as a little child and be willing to Learn, repent and turn to God, You CAN NOT serve God and money, or health or prosperity.

The men you have spoken about, Large as they may seem I do not class to be sound preachers of the Gospel but rather as those described in Philippians 3:19 :Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

IMPORTANTLY If you have paid attention before, which I hope you do this time, you would see that the article was not written by me, but by Conrad Mbewe from Kabwata Baptist Church!

@kunleoshob
I wish for once you can look at things objectively .without using sentiments.

@Joagbaje

"Reinhard bonke and Benny hinn could have been termed as extorters of money , for holding crusades in Africa as well. It is the work of the holy spirit."-

And they have private Jets, take poor peoples money, leaving the poor worse and themselves richer, they tell the people to say a prayer they dont mean and deceive them that they are going to heaven when they aren't, this is evidenced by the fact that there is no change in their life, which means there has been no real work of God in their lives, 50,000 people come forward and take decision cards, and after a week, where are they ? all Gone!, HAVE YOU NEVER READ? "Philippians 1:6 - Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" - If he doesn't continue, he hasn't started it. The Holy Spirit never glorifies himself, The spirit always glorifies Christ, so when you have a situation and you see the spirit being glorified more than christ, you know the spirit IS NOT THERE! Read your bible sir and be obedient to its teaching.

John 16:13-14 - Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Let God be true, and every man a liar, Including you. - Repent, turn to christ, preach the true Gospel!

very interesting article. Only wish alot of people would reflect on it and learn a thing or two.


@JOAGBAJE.


I am really amazed at some of your comments and ideals. You are a really funny character. And i dont mean funny in a fun way.


You need to look at things objectively too, and without sentiments

Poster - deep insight

lately i have been looking at this prosperity preachers or teaching - So far i strongly believe the church has got wrong - all you get nowadays are people who only want to blessed and not give two hoots about the rest of christ's life

It is a shame that a lot of so called Christians have lost the sense of what the Lord regards as good.

Most of these so called men of God plant churches and harvest no souls. They have become wealthy by means of extortion and deceit.
Lairs! Hungry lions who will remain hungry. Harvesting where they did not sow. Theives.

Listening to them makes one feel like a fruit picker after a harvest who can find nothing to eat. They hands are skilled at doing evil. They use their influence with corrupt politicans to get land on the cheap. Building temples that the Lord will destroy utterly when the time comes. The best of them are like a brier. The most honest of them are as dangerous as a hedge of thorns. But their judgement day is coming swiftly (not doubt)

They shall surely receive their JUST REWARD