WARNING: ROBBERS AT WORK IN THE CHURCHES

“It used to be robbers who mugged pedestrians. Now it’s a gang of priests assaulting worshipers” (Hosea 6:9). 

 

A colleague of mine insists he is still looking for a Pastor with a Centre in London. He said: “Anybody who knows where I can find him should let me know.” “Why are you looking for him?” I wondered. “He owes me money,” he maintained. 

 

Money Doublers 

 

He had attended one of the services conducted by the pastor as guest-preacher in his church. The Pastor preached a sermon entitled: “24-Hour Miracle.” At the climax, he asked the congregation to write cheques for as much money as they possibly could, with the iron-clad guarantee that it would more than double within 24 hours. In that time, he assured them, someone would send them a ridiculously large sum by divine ordinance. You might get a call or a visit from someone about the miracle money, or notification that it had been deposited in your bank account. 

 

This gentleman was so hoodwinked by this hocus-pocus that he first wrote a cheque for half of his entire savings. Then, on second-thoughts, he gave the other half as well. The next day, he did not go to work, waiting for the miracle call; but nothing happened. He thought perhaps he had made a mistake. Perhaps the 24 hours would start counting later than he had expected; so he waited for another day. Still nothing happened. After two weeks, it dawned on him that he had been scammed. By that time, the cheques had long been cashed. He went looking for the “man of God,” but he had left the country. 

 

Let me let you in on a secret. Pastors don’t usually do a scam of this scale in their own churches. They do it at the invitation of another pastor. But they have an agreement beforehand that for every naira raised, the host pastor would give them a certain percentage as commission. This is then done on a tit-for-tat basis. When they do the scam in your church, you reciprocate by doing it in theirs. 

 

Sometimes it gets really wild and this scam is done over several days. People are told to go and bring their televisions, stereos, fridge-freezers, cars, jewellery, money; anything and everything. Some even bring the Certificate of Occupancy of their homes. Some give the very suits they are wearing and go back home in their underwear, confident that God is going to astonish them. It usually takes a while before they realise they have been conned. But some never wake up from the hypnosis. 

 

Daylight robbery 

 

Jide Ayanfalu inherited a generator from his late “guardian.” He used it for business purposes by renting it out to people who needed it on special occasions. It so happened that the generator in his church, Zoe Ministries Worldwide, was stolen. The pastor insisted that church-members should not be told about the theft; otherwise they might conclude that God was not in the church. He asked Jide if they could use his generator in the meantime. 

Jide was agreeable to this: some of his best customers were churches. But one week, two weeks, three weeks, one month, after the church took his generator; Jide was not paid a dime. Two months, three months, four months afterwards; still no payment for the use of the generator. Finally, Jide summoned up courage to confront the pastor. If they would not pay him for the use of his generator, at least they should give it back to him. The pastor was very offended. 

 

He preached a fiery sermon in which he told the people in no uncertain terms that their destinies were tied to his church. “Don’t you know,” he asked menacingly, “we have the power to withhold your blessings?” The royal “we” referred to the pastor himself. Then he button-holed Jide after the service and went for the jugular: “Don’t you think you should give the church your generator?” he demanded. 

 

Jide was troubled and could not answer. He came to me to seek counsel as to what he should do. I immediately pointed out to him that a robbery was in progress. I said to him: “Jide, forget about having any discussion with your pastor. Hire a van and go and remove your generator from the church.” 

 

Gangs of priests 

 

In biblical days, Shechem was a “city of refuge” as well as a city of Levites and priests. The cities of refuge were established to provide hiding-places for the guiltless refugee on the run for his life from a stubborn-pursuer. But the priests banded together as a gang of robbers, and they waylaid the hapless on the way to Shechem. 

 

In effect, those appointed to teach the people the truth of God that they might live were the very ones who endangered their lives. Thus, Hosea observes that: “It used to be robbers who mugged pedestrians. Now it’s a gang of priests assaulting worshippers.” (Hosea 6:9). Today, pastors are no longer preoccupied with the rehabilitation of thieves. They are now single-minded in swindling members of their congregation. Offerings by extortion My wife and I had gone one Sunday to worship at our local parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos. But what ensued that morning caught us off-guard. The pastor was in a nasty mood. The new church building was not progressing at a desirable pace. Apparently, the funds for it had dried up. So the entire service was devoted to reprimanding church-members for not contributing enough money to the Building Fund. 

Suddenly, he ordered the entire congregation to stand up. Then he asked those prepared to contribute a very high amount of money to raise their hands. When they did, he instructed the ushers to write down their names. He then told them to sit down. Then he mentioned another sum a little lower than the previous one, and went through the same process again and again. By so doing, he was determined to extract a commitment from everyone present by hook or crook. 

We were not opposed to contributing to the Building Fund, but were determined not to be arm-twisted. We were also opposed to the making of public pledges. Jesus says: “When you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will himself reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:3-4). 

 

So we resolved not to oblige to the pastor’s demands. He kept going one sum lower than the next and soon, he was down to one hundred naira in the attempt to shame those of us still on our feet. But we kept on standing and refused to make any public commitment. Then he did something strange. He asked an usher to give me a cordless microphone and then he asked: “Dr. Aribisala, maybe you can tell us how we are supposed to pay for the new building.” 

The eyes of the entire church were upon me. I noticed that many were even embarrassed for my sake. But I refused to be intimidated. So I answered him: “Pastor, I am not qualified to answer that question. I think we should fast and pray and ask the Lord.”  

 

 

By Femi Aribisala

 

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/warning-robbers-at-work-in-the-churches/

“It used to be robbers who mugged pedestrians. Now it’s a gang of priests assaulting worshippers” (Hosea 6:9). A colleague of mine insists he is still looking for a Pastor with a Centre in London. He said: “Anybody who knows where I can find him should let me know.” “Why are you looking for him?” I wondered. “He owes me money,” he maintained. Money Doublers He had attended one of the services conducted by the pastor as guest-preacher in his church. The Pastor preached a sermon entitled: “24-Hour Miracle.” At the climax, he asked the congregation to write cheques for as much money as they possibly could, with the iron-clad guarantee that it would more than double within 24 hours. In that time, he assured them, someone would send them a ridiculously large sum by divine ordinance. You might get a call or a visit from someone about the miracle money, or notification that it had been deposited in your bank account. This gentleman was so hoodwinked by this hocus-pocus that he first wrote a cheque for half of his entire savings. Then, on second-thoughts, he gave the other half as well. The next day, he did not go to work, waiting for the miracle call; but nothing happened. He thought perhaps he had made a mistake. Perhaps the 24 hours would start counting later than he had expected; so he waited for another day. Still nothing happened. After two weeks, it dawned on him that he had been scammed. By that time, the cheques had long been cashed. He went looking for the “man of God,” but he had left the country. Let me let you in on a secret. Pastors don’t usually do a scam of this scale in their own churches. They do it at the invitation of another pastor. But they have an agreement beforehand that for every naira raised, the host pastor would give them a certain percentage as commission. This is then done on a tit-for-tat basis. When they do the scam in your church, you reciprocate by doing it in theirs. Sometimes it gets really wild and this scam is done over several days. People are told to go and bring their televisions, stereos, fridge-freezers, cars, jewellery, money; anything and everything. Some even bring the Certificate of Occupancy of their homes. Some give the very suits they are wearing and go back home in their underwear, confident that God is going to astonish them. It usually takes a while before they realise they have been conned. But some never wake up from the hypnosis. Daylight robbery Jide Ayanfalu inherited a generator from his late “guardian.” He used it for business purposes by renting it out to people who needed it on special occasions. It so happened that the generator in his church, Zoe Ministries Worldwide, was stolen. The pastor insisted that church-members should not be told about the theft; otherwise they might conclude that God was not in the church. He asked Jide if they could use his generator in the meantime. Jide was agreeable to this: some of his best customers were churches. But one week, two weeks, three weeks, one month, after the church took his generator; Jide was not paid a dime. Two months, three months, four months afterwards; still no payment for the use of the generator. Finally, Jide summoned up courage to confront the pastor. If they would not pay him for the use of his generator, at least they should give it back to him. The pastor was very offended. He preached a fiery sermon in which he told the people in no uncertain terms that their destinies were tied to his church. “Don’t you know,” he asked menacingly, “we have the power to withhold your blessings?” The royal “we” referred to the pastor himself. Then he button-holed Jide after the service and went for the jugular: “Don’t you think you should give the church your generator?” he demanded. Jide was troubled and could not answer. He came to me to seek counsel as to what he should do. I immediately pointed out to him that a robbery was in progress. I said to him: “Jide, forget about having any discussion with your pastor. Hire a van and go and remove your generator from the church.” Gangs of priests In biblical days, Shechem was a “city of refuge” as well as a city of Levites and priests. The cities of refuge were established to provide hiding-places for the guiltless refugee on the run for his life from a stubborn-pursuer. But the priests banded together as a gang of robbers, and they waylaid the hapless on the way to Shechem. In effect, those appointed to teach the people the truth of God that they might live were the very ones who endangered their lives. Thus, Hosea observes that: “It used to be robbers who mugged pedestrians. Now it’s a gang of priests assaulting worshippers.” (Hosea 6:9). Today, pastors are no longer preoccupied with the rehabilitation of thieves. They are now single-minded in swindling members of their congregation. Offerings by extortion My wife and I had gone one Sunday to worship at our local parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos. But what ensued that morning caught us off-guard. The pastor was in a nasty mood. The new church building was not progressing at a desirable pace. Apparently, the funds for it had dried up. So the entire service was devoted to reprimanding church-members for not contributing enough money to the Building Fund. Suddenly, he ordered the entire congregation to stand up. Then he asked those prepared to contribute a very high amount of money to raise their hands. When they did, he instructed the ushers to write down their names. He then told them to sit down. Then he mentioned another sum a little lower than the previous one, and went through the same process again and again. By so doing, he was determined to extract a commitment from everyone present by hook or crook. We were not opposed to contributing to the Building Fund, but were determined not to be arm-twisted. We were also opposed to the making of public pledges. Jesus says: “When you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will himself reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:3-4). So we resolved not to oblige to the pastor’s demands. He kept going one sum lower than the next and soon, he was down to one hundred naira in the attempt to shame those of us still on our feet. But we kept on standing and refused to make any public commitment. Then he did something strange. He asked an usher to give me a cordless microphone and then he asked: “Dr. Aribisala, maybe you can tell us how we are supposed to pay for the new building.” The eyes of the entire church were upon me. I noticed that many were even embarrassed for my sake. But I refused to be intimidated. So I answered him: “Pastor, I am not qualified to answer that question. I think we should fast and pray and ask the Lord.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/warning-robbers-at-work-in-the-churches/

END OF YEAR PROPHECIES

Every night on New Year's Eve day, Nigerian Christians throng to churches in their millions to pray and listen to prophecies that they believe will guide their lives in the new year. This has become a culture and a way of life. Needless to add that offerings and donation are almost always collected during these church services.
Almost every other Pentecostal church leader produces an end-of-year prophecy. Sometimes, the prophecies contradict one another, causing one to wonder how the same God can say contradictory things to different pastors and prophets.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) represents the largest body of Pentecostal Christians in Nigeria; so, it is apt to use Pastor Adeboye’s prophecy for 2015. This is accessible from his Facebook page but can also be found here.
At this juncture, it is pertinent to ask – have any of these pastors and prophets ever said anything of consequence for this nation in the last 10-15 years that end-of-year prophecies have been trending? Let's consider Pastor Adeboye's phopecies for 2015 as expressed on his website.
PROPHECY FOR THE YEAR 2015 BY PASTOR ADEBOYE OF RCCG
Individual: For those who fasted for 100 days last year
1. The Lord says the harvest for the 100 days fast will be given this year.
2. Daddy says this year will be full of testimonies; those who have none before will have this year.
3. Daddy says some of you will swim in the river of abundance this year.
4. Daddy says there will be miraculous completion of projects.
5. Daddy says there will be fulfillment of dreams.
6. Daddy says there will be miraculous restoration.
7. Daddy says the song of many will be - The Lord has been good to me.
International
1. Scientific and medical breakthrough will be many, particularly in the areas of lack of sleep, dreams and brain disorder.
2. Daddy says Ebola will die out.
3. Daddy says all over the world insurgencies will be considerately weakened.
4. He asked us to pray against massive calamities.
5. He asked us to pray against massive earthquakes, strong hurricanes and typhoons.
For RCCG
1. This year all you need is to charge off your batteries by fasting for 40 days only. Those of you who want to fast continuously 20 days and 20 nights will cover the 40 days. If you miss one day, you have to cover it with two days.
Nigeria
By the end of the year - you will say all is well that ends well.
The fasting begins January 2nd 2015.
Notice how the prophecy:
a). Is non-specific with respect to who, what, when, where and how
b). Says nothing about what really matters to Nigerians i.e. national security, Boko Haram, corruption and the elections which come up in February
c). Says nothing about the whereabouts of the abducted Chibok girls
d). Implies that earthquake, typhoons and hurricane can be averted by prayers and fasting Incredible, coming from a former university Mathematics lecturer!
Nigerians pray and supplicate more than any other people I know. Either God does not care about what is important to them or these pastors just make these prophecies up. I am sure that most of you would agree that anyone, including a smart child, could come up with the prophecy above. Yet, these are the words that millions of Nigerians stay up all night to listen to and live their lives by.
To me, a prediction (or prophecy) should not only be time and place-specific but it must be consequential. For instance, it is not enough to say there would be an earthquake; we should know its estimated magnitude, where and when it is going to occur. These will determine whether or not we evacuate people to safety, an action that saves lives. I have reviewed Pastor Adeboye’s prophecies from 2012 till date; he has not said anything consequential in that period.
Before I end, let me remind Nigerians that it was Pastor Adeboye who claimed he drove from Ore to Lagos on an empty fuel tank. And I have encountered many a Nigerian intellectual who believes this story. They are not even willing to consider other possibilities such as:
1. The fuel level could have been on reserve, and the car could have had a large fuel reserve
2. The fuel gauge could have been faulty
3. The pastor could have been hallucinating or having a déjà vu experience
4. He could have been out-rightly telling lies
5. He could have been driving a top fuel-efficiency car. After all, he can afford the best out there, can't he?
And what sort of God grants such frivolous requests but watches on as millions of children die from malaria every year?!
Whilst most Nigerians may not even see anything wrong with this claim, the real problem is that these pastors have succeeded in corrupting our way of thinking and help to develop a culture where our people cannot distinguish fantasies or magical thinking from reality. Heck, even our universities have become both breeding and dumping grounds for such ideologies. Unfortunately, the world clock does not stop for us; for whilst we are engaged in magical thinking, our competitors are landing robots on comets. How are we ever going to be able to compete for the same resources as them? We should know that manna does not drop from heaven. But I am sure most Nigerians will disagree!
Like I said in my last article for Sahara reporters (bit.ly/1sZJ20V), this brand of religiosity is holding back the progress of Africans. You can be spiritual without believing and acting on these kinds of stories and prophecies. If these pastors are not going to divulge the celestial secret codes for scientific and technological innovations, or tell us something else of consequence that can move our nation forward, then why are we reliant on their proclamations and making them wealthy with our scarce resources?
It is time to begin introspection and self-examination. We are a society of very gullible and superstitious people brought up to obey, and to never question elders or those in authority. We are not critical thinkers. We scorn scepticism. Perhaps, that is why we are where we are.
I am persuaded that, now, more than ever before, is the time to start thinking and asking questions! That is how the nations which now explore outer space got to where they are. Not by wishful thinking and/or superstitions!

Ijabla Raymond is a medical doctor of Nigerian heritage, who writes in from the UK. Email: Ijabla.Raymond@facebook.com