THE CRISES OF BELIEF: THE UNIQUENESS OF THE SCOAN

By Ezekiel Fajenyo and Sunday Patrick

There is no doubt that the church which should be recognised as the body of Christ, is today suffering on a number of fronts, and for different reasons. While many churches spring up in every corner of the globe, and many pastors – called and uncalled – keep ‘spreading the Word’, it should be expected that the church should be strong, powerful, progressive, fruitful, spiritually fulfilling and humane in disposition.

The church should wear the neat garment of truth, on which misrepresentations should have no impact; it should be the canopy under which spiritual shield may be labourlessly enjoyed and appreciated. God, when He is mentioned, should be in truth; His Word should be quoted and referred to in truth; and His everlasting grace should be a ready-made companion.

The church should exist to give power to His Word; to ascertain the certainty and centrality of His everlasting existence, and give power to the doubtless faithful. It should be the umbrella of truth, giver of hope and source of prophetic veracity. It should be the source of deliverance and healing, where hidden realities of the seen and unseen worlds are discovered. It should be the cornerstone of belief.

But the truth is that the church, since the 20^th century (as our contemporary reference) has not been permitted to faithfully observe its functions. Self-antagonism, mischief, rumour-mongering, back-stabbing, name-calling, hatred and blackmail are ‘tools’ which the devil is unceasingly using to distort truth and justice, as symbolically entrenched in the church. Today, there are numerous cases of misrepresentation, self-imposed distorted image, media onslaughts, sponsored attacks and reckless opinions being hatched and celebrated by people and institutions as if these are virtues preached to the human race by the Word!

The church, as understood by some, has no reason to be associated with prophecy and healing; it should be a place where gentle prayers are said, and supported with perhaps, tithing. But the church should be all-embracing, because the devices of the unknown and unseen powers, the forces of darkness, include marginalization, self-hatred, mischief, bitterness, hatred and blasphemy among the followers of Christ. These forces have also been there, but today, the velocity has increased to a deadly shocking level. This is because the more the churches in circulation, the more darkness seems to be covering the fields of performance.

Churches are divided among themselves; some congregants of one denomination never have anything to do with the others from other churches. Men and women of God even spread dangerous rumours and publish horrible propaganda in the name of being the best ever to emerge in Christendom.

The Synagogue Church Of All Nations

The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) has not altogether been seen by some Christians (or so they pledge) as worthy of enjoying God’s grace which it has pleased the LORD it is enjoying today. But it is clear that this church does not have a tradition of antagonising other churches, not even proven antagonists of its processes and essence in society. It does not think much of critics but of how people should accept the faith in truth and complete obedience to the Word. It has a clear agenda as ‘an arena of liberty’ – it is focused, programmatic and progressive in its choice of spiritual curricula; it insists on true deliverance and healing, and of giving to the needy (the poor, hopeless, sick, deprived, hungry, rejected and the alienated). It is focused on empowering the true faithful, with the Word as it should be obeyed and preached.

One of the ways The SCOAN has achieved its focus is the aspect of the recognition of true pastors (evangelists, ministry co-ordinators, prophets etc.). The truth is that people naturally take to preaching the Word or founding ministries just because they happen to attend theological schools. But while such schools have their place in the manifestation of Christian commitment, it has been repeatedly proved that they are sheerly insufficient in producing true men and women of God.

Educative and informative as they may look, there are often missing links in their agenda and curricula. In fact, many products of such schools have been known to fail in doing the expected work of preaching and winning souls. Some have turned out to be betrayers of the faithful and abusers of the Gospel. Some know close to nothing about the ethics and aesthetics of true Christianity, and are simply agents of the devil who insist on monetization of prayers, giving anointing oil, fasting and deliverances. Some even go for the flesh in ‘achieving’ spiritual upliftment: the love of money, fame and position has dwindled the spiritual quality of many minds.

But The SCOAN makes it clear – and there are clear evidences in video, DVD and VCD cassettes, to illustrate the truth of this. Many ‘pastors’ have been discovered to lack spiritual fire; they preach in the midst of total ignorance of the kind of empowerment, which should accompany such works. Such pastors even openly manifest evil machinations, as evil spirits speak through them, when they undergo deliverance. Yet, some of such had preached, sermonised, baptised, delivered and healed people; some also spoke in tongues.

The SCOAN makes it obvious that even the devil has a way of counterfeiting God’s own unique manifestations. The devil can also heal and deliver, but has a way of re-investing greater pains, frustration, helplessness, poverty and unfaithfulness in people. He gives them back a heavier burden while pretending to have saved them. Curious minds will never stop asking why ministers with churches and many years of practice should manifest in The SCOAN, if actually they had been delivered! Deliverance is one word which has been so misunderstood in Christendom – yet it is the backbone of belief and faith. The SCOAN makes sure that the devil and his characteristics are truly pushed off people; they are permanently cast in the pit of hell! Ground-shaking revelations occur when people are being delivered – hidden ‘strengths’ of the devil and his agents and their tools are exposed, which means only true, strong and undiluted faith is needed to be truly delivered. That one wears the colourful cassock or bears names like prophet, prophetess, evangelist, pastor, reverend etc. does not confer true deliverance.

Deliverance at The SCOAN

The evangelical work, claimed Prophet Joshua recently, is the most dangerous work but not many people know this.  Spirits and demons have their wicked ways of hitting back at people professing Christianity or calling them evangelists of the faith; they become afflicted with diseases, failures, poverty, hopelessness, nightmares, fears and forms of spiritual attacks. Though holding on to the Bible, they are not immune to strong winds of disgrace and tornadoes of frustration. A man may be a pastor by profession or in words, but not so in heart – according to Joshua. And this is where danger lurks. Insanity, ill-health and even death are located in such realisation. The spirits of lust, poverty, despair, helplessness, sinfulness, hatred and mischief, for example, become part of such fellows; they often love money and fame far more than the work of the Gospel.

Many of such ‘men and women of God’ have come to know the truth about themselves by receiving deliverance at The SCOAN, and, of course, there are other living churches where such takes place.

In The SCOAN, Christians and non-Christians have always received true deliverance, because the Word of God must be pure and thus, sure – in the words of Prophet Joshua. The Holy Spirit has often worked wonders; ancestral spirits, curses, marital failures, economic disempowerment, frustration, shame, impurity, joblessness and afflictions simply give way. Recently, a man who had consumed his and others’ faeces and urine (and his own sperm) for some 16 years was delivered. ‘Pastors’ from all over the world in the grip of satan were delivered. Drug addicts, militants, armed robbers, kidnappers, rapists and ritualists were delivered. And we speak here of permanent deliverance!

God is truth; His Word is true, pure and sure, thus deliverance is power to enlist the service of true faith. It is power to minister to God and to enjoy the benefits of God’s grace. It is the core of spiritual revival. It is freedom from sin, because “It is sin that makes us to be afraid of our heavenly abode” to quote Joshua. He said further that “God answers us if He strengthens us with His strength in our souls, though not with bodily strength”. He believes that “it is God’s Word that establishes; it is His Word that builds”. In other words, to master the truth of deliverance, God’s Word must be an integral part of us!

The roles of the Anointing Water and sticker (which are significant tools in The SCOAN) have been universally acknowledged, as well as their power, assuredness, dependability, reliability and promotion of faithfulness in all who believe. What was thought to be impossible in the world are daily happening at The SCOAN, but not without a price – some Christians find it difficult to agree with its genuineness as a “tool” through which God manifests Himself. Recently, though, Prophet Joshua told his congregants that “In searching for the truth, we must look within and beyond our palace” and that “As truth was older than terror, so it will survive it; it got the start and it will get the race. The day will declare who is in the right and who is in the wrong”.

Finally, he has insisted that God confirms the word of His servants by accomplishing it, by establishing it. God gives being (life) to His Word. You can speak His Word but God speaks life/ being. If He has not given being to His Word, the Word is dead but when He gives that life, the Word becomes life”. The SCOAN, to say the least, is one place in the world where God has indeed made the Word to become life!

 

THE TRUE MEANING OF DELIVERANCE – PROPHET TB JOSHUA

The concepts of deliverance and healing may not be new to Christians who have quite a significant knowledge of the Word, the breath of God. The notion of becoming born-again (a spirit of newness and radical transformation) is derived from the experience of deliverance. And every Christian wants to be seen as being delivered; born of water and Holy Spirit and become anew in his/her relationship with God. Deliverance has to be perfect; it should be a new experience which comes when a man is separated from unholiness and impurities of life. It is generally understood as a process of separation between light and darkness; it brings about a distance between light and darkness. It has to do with renewed cordiality with Jesus, the symbol of light, who must quench the ignoble traffic of blindness, evil, darkness, and spiritual terrorism in people.

Delivered and free

During a recent Sunday service, Prophet T.B. Joshua had tried to explain in detail what deliverance means. He said the spirit of darkness has to engage the world that it is obvious that it has become an object of worship to some. It is in recognition of the power of darkness that deliverance must be practically potent. Darkness is responsible for bad leadership, family disunity, greed, insubordination, immorality and attachment to the idols, to name a few instances. Most kids involved in cultism, rape, stealing and drugs are propelled by forces of darkness, but so are the elders, the parents who have polluted the political, economic and social space in society. People are in bondage today as seen in marital unhappiness, lack of innate peace, and quest for satanic powers; many people are jobless, hopeless and helpless because they are trapped.

One point which Prophet Joshua made clear is that it is quite possible for a man to confess God and still be in bondage, unless a permanent deliverance occurs in the life of such a person. The knowledge of God is not sufficient for man, but the ability to have God’s Spirit. He has said repeatedly that “not only must we have God’s Word in order to be born again, or to become a pastor; we must have God’s Spirit”.

This seems to be a response to the fact that most people who claim to have been delivered, and have become born again, are in truth very far from the orientation. Their deliverance has been most suspect, hollow and spiritually inconsequential. Such deliverance happened by words of the mouth and lacks spiritual potency and celestial grace. Most pastors who engage in delivering and healing people these days are themselves in need of the same process – they are gripped and menaced by the devil. Satan is cunning and hypocritical, and has his own ways of instilling his presence in the lives of people. For the Kingdom of Light to have impact on people, their spiritual life has to be operated upon, to remove the filths and impurities planted in them by satan. This is the essence of deliverance.

This is why Prophet Joshua speaks often that there are two kinds of pastors: there are those who commit the words of God into memory, and teach and preach with same (most of the modern pastors belong here as they have the ability to quote extensively without the necessary authority to achieve their mission). The second group is for pastors “who can move mountains”; those who commit the Word into their hearts (by making same an integral part of themselves). They know of God’s ways; they act with God, and know His opinion about themselves and others. And “when something is part of you, it dictates to you; it is your director. When you memorize, you will confess but not from your belief”, the prophet has said.

He also established that before something becomes one’s belief, it must become an integral part of the person, as “our faith is in our heart”. He said in a contest between light and darkness, light must have victory, which is what deliverance is. He said that these days “people are not sure of themselves again”, for they may be in the arms of evil forces and yet proclaim the almightiness of God. This is true, as seen in the examples of many pastors (with ministries or churches) who had negative, influencing spirits coming to The SCOAN and other living churches to receive deliverance.

He said while 20% of the people are ignorant of such evil forces, 70% of them are aware. However, the problem has always been how to combat same. Most deliverances in many places are not thorough, sincere, effective and God-inspired. Indeed, not all those who call the name of the Lord, and do His will, will enter the Kingdom of God. Deliverance is therefore, an integral part of belief; it is the preamble to the exercise of that belief. Without it, belief is sheer dramatics. He said: “Our lives are not what we confess” as we often confess blessing but experience poverty; confess breakthroughs but experience stagnation and failure. Words said without adequate form of deliverance are a package in empty encounters. He said: “No one can say, Jesus is Lord genuinely unless he is genuinely delivered”, and that “our God is Spirit; those who confess Him must do so in Spirit and truth”.

Deliverance is associated with the use of power because as Prophet Joshua said, “Divine nature must be of holiness”. You have no control of your divine nature”. In other words, “If you yield to light, light takes control of your divine nature”; no man can use the power given by the Holy Spirit at his own will; it has to be by the will of the Father. And such power will have to be original, and not a photocopy. The use of original power must lead to true deliverance because “if you are praying and not delivered, it’s like you are calling your father at home,” said Prophet Joshua.

The problem, nowadays, is that rather than recognizing the different graces bestowed upon each other, denominational difference are rather projected in Christianity. As such occurs, love is killed, faith is brutalized and deliverances become hollow and impotent of effect. Some Christians have seen churches as running a race; they speak of the number of worshippers rather that those being truly saved. Yet, the apostles of Jesus worked as one; they acted in oneness to achieve great effects as recorded in the Holy Bible. Joshua preaches today that the gifts of God may be enjoyed if churches are interdependent and pastors believe in collective approach to God through true deliverance. Today, people are departing from the way of the Lord, and “people should avoid being wasted”, he emphasised.

 

 

Prophet T.B. Joshua On The Concept Of Christianity

Ezekiel Fajenyo and Sunday Patrick

Attempts to define the true meaning of the church and its relevance constitute an event which started centuries ago, as seen in the Holy Bible. Many remarkable writers, preachers, Bible expositors, thinkers and psychologists, prophets and religious leaders have not stopped working on it. The great works of AA Allen, Oral Roberts, Myles Munroe , Upthegrove, TD Jakes, Beth Moore, JC Ryle, Kenneth Hagin, Dallas Willard, D Campbell, FB Meyer, CS Lewis, GJ Morgans, Arthur Wallis, Bob Roberts, Juan A Monroy, Robert Schuller, Osward J Sanders, SM Leigh and Norman V Pearle have been geared towards explaining the deep concept of Christianity and its role in the world.

From different perspectives, they have perpetually established that Christianity has to do with Christ-likeness; it has to do with people’s unique relationship with God, their ability to relate with the attributes of Jesus Christ, and their mastery of the codes of morality which are acceptable to God and His only son, Jesus. A deep knowledge of God and absolute expression of love and intimacy with the works of his qualify one to be a Christian. But such a person is expected to practicalise such attributes as love, affection, understanding, fellow-feeling, and concern for the poor, the needy, the helpless. Also, obedience to His Word, prayerfulness, unquestionable belief, faithfulness and shared responsibility anchored on the need to assist people to grow and reach their destination in life; all are part of the Christian life. Jesus is the main platform around whom all appreciative attributes revolves: forgiveness, forthrightness, righteousness, expression of truth, discipline, sincerity, etc – all of which should not be alien to a true Christian. Salvation, deliverance and healing are ever assured such a Christian. Of course, this is one term  which will continue to be a special interest to all Christians in the world.

T.B. Joshua, founder of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) has spoken at different times on who is a Christian, and what Christianity is all about. To him, “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.” The religionising of Christianity, in modern times, is responsible for acts of misdemeanor, misrepresentation, mismanagement and corruption of it; quite a lot of people do much disservice to it than true service.

As a relationship, Christianity should emphasize love, affection and good neighbourliness, according to Joshua. Therefore,” every true Christian should resist the temptation to isolate himself/herself; you must attend living churches and mix with living Christians”, he preached. He sees the relationship as an avoidance of doubt and a dereliction of loneliness but as a kind of fruitful togetherness which is saliently projected in such a way that the true image of God is emphasised among humanity.

Christianity is therefore, physical and spiritual. Spirituality becomes emphasised through the strength of the physical property for instance, when doubt is removed from the mind of man, salvation is assured. Joshua insists,” Satan can never snatch you away from God if you are a Christian. He would try but not succeed”. He is of the opinion that hard times is meant to strengthen their desire for God and to prepare them for the challenges ahead.

A true Christian’s mind should not accommodate doubts, he/she should never be associated with “murmuring, crying  and lamenting’’

Referring to the experience of Stephen in the hands of his persecutors, a Christian should pray and fast, and especially ‘’pray for their enemies” because “Stephen prayed harder when he was being stoned”. He/she should believe and have faith in Christ, and see Jesus as Lord and Savior and the more the troubles faced, the more the commitment to the believe in the power of the Holy Ghost.  He has particularly used 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 6, to establish his argument.

A Christian is not expected to be lonely or be in isolation because he should praise God in association with others who do not know of doubts and temptation. Such association is best practicalized in the Church has been much bastardized, abused, misrepresented and soaked in poisonous idolatry. Most Churches are not “living” but dead _____________Holy Ghost does not exist in them; worldliness and spiritual hollowness and impotence have conquered  the Church.

A true Christian _______________contrary to the lousy spirit of born againism___________should be truly anointed, blessed, faithful, peaceful, hopeful and obedient; ; he/she should not identify with falsehood, sorcery, rebelliousness, disobedience, envy, pride, cheating, gambling, lust, covetousness, greed, and adultery. Christians must speed away from carnality and devilishness; we must truly love Jesus with mind and soul, and extend such love to our neighbours.  A Christian, according to Joshua, should see his “pain as a reason for believing”; his/her “poverty affliction and insults should be a reason for believing”

Joshua is of the opinion that  a Christian “should never doubt God’s desire or ability to help you” and “When you are struggling with doubt, think of what God has done in your life, because He gives you new hope and strengthens you”. He says that “One of satan’s strategies is to get you to doubt God’s goodness, make you forget all He has done and given you, and to focus on what you do not have”.

A good Christian, he added “should say thank you as a response of a joyful heart, even if there is nothing to be happy about. This should be the attitude of every Christian”.

Joshua says, “Our life, our focus is changing lives and society” because this world is a centre of competition and “whatever you do must be done excellently”. We are, he has added, “in the world without faith, without hope”.

A thorough understanding of Joshua’s stance is to the effect that every Christian should be conscious of God “who is constantly watching us” since he/she should have the ability to change for good. Significantly also, a Christian should not boast of his born againism, especially when he/she has not been delivered. Many of the “Christians” who recently attended service at The SCOAN were discovered to be very far from Christ, deliverance and salvation;’ the evil spirits in them exposed their life of dubeity, unfaithfulness, adherence to ancestral spirits, temptations, violence and other destructive tendencies. Even international evangelists had to confess to a life of lies, lust, witchcraft, idolatory and hypocrisy; yet “God is God of Justice” though the “devil can use you in many ways”_____he preached. To be born again is not to be mouthed, but acted in total commitment to the approved way of Christ.

“No matter how close you are to Jesus, you can still be tempted”, he said; making use of the temptation of Jesus by satan, for illustration. A Christian, he has added, should also refrain from the odious attitude of pompous self-righteousness associated most often with those who boast that they are born again. The gift of righteousness is a far cry from the spirit and expression of self-righteousness, he preached.

Christianity is still being explained by world-acknowledged practitioners of the faith. But the preaching and sermons of Joshua have done a lot to explain the wealth that is contained in the concept of Christianity.

 

T.B Joshua’s Engaging Emphasis On Love

Sunday Patrick and Ezekiel Fajenyo

Love is one word that is very much misunderstood or limited in daily use. To many people it is the experience of shared responsibilities or common interest between two or more people. To some other is serves the same purpose as infatuations, affection and feelings of familiarity. Of course types of love such as agape, phiko, eros, storge, etc. have been commented on through recorded time in the scriptures and literature, psychology, medicine etc.

Love is the fact, all embracing, and not limited to self but every sequent of humanity. Its creates distance from all obscenities and abnormalities; it has power of renewal and charges one’s spiritual battery. It is recommended by God and draws one closer to Him.

Love has to do with good neighbourliness built on understanding, fellow feeling, reliable relationship, and spirit of forgiveness; love is creative and innovative and rooted in the receptivity of the vast mind. It is the opposite of hatred, envy, troubles, mischief, pains, misunderstanding, discontentment, harshness, discord, selfishness and myopic orientations. It is pure, noble, assured, positive, progressive, humane, and attractive. It is about beauty and the practice of same. God recommends it; Jesus practicalised it; the church is expected to share in its fulfillments; the human race should imbibe its ethics and aesthetics.

Jesus Christ emphasised how important it is that his followers express and show deep love for one another. He said to them: “I am giving you a new commandant, that you love one another ……..By this you will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves” (John 13:34-35). What the two expressions – one another and among yourselves” connote is that Christians should come together in one group. For it is written in the Book of Romans 12:25 and Ephesians 4:25 “just as there are many parts of our bodies, so it is with Christ body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So, we belong to each other and each other needs all the citizens”.

The identification of this group would therefore, be based on the love its members have for one another.

Surely, if a man does not love his fellow man, everything else is useless (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

It would be recalled that the early Christians were persistently reminded to have affection for one another, welcome one another, slave for one another, be kind to one another, be tenderly compassionate, continue to put up with one another freely if anyone had a cause for complaint against another, forgiving one another, keep comforting one another, building one another up, be peaceable with one another, have intense love for one another (Roman 12:10;15:7; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:32; Peter 4:8 1 John 3:23; 4:7-11; Colossians 3:13-14:1, Thessalonians 5:11-13).

This does not imply that Christians are not required to shower unfettered love to non Christians. They are mandated to lover others as well. In fact, the Bible admonished all Christians to increase in love to one another and to all (Thessalonians 3:12;16:15) Apostle Paul had written in Galatians 6:10 “let love work what is good towards all but especially towards those related to us in faith” While Christians must therefore, love all including their enemies, they must especially love their fellow members of God association, their spiritual brothers and sisters (Matthew5:44) It is heartwarming, today, that despite the challenges of our existence or the vagaries of life, many Christians all over the world are well known for  the love that they have for one another. according to the second century writer. Tertullian, “people would say of them, look how many they love one another , and how they are ready to die for one another:

 Man’s Inclination To Do Wrong.

The imperfection of man is rooted from our original parents – Adam and Eve (Romans 5:12). And that explains why we are persistently inclined to doing wrong. The Holy Bible says in James 3:2; Romans 3:23 that “we all stumble many times”. Many Christians all over the world, despite their looking up to God’s promises and for mercy, they err persistently, consequently, eroding the virtue of love.

The problem between Apostle Paul and Barnabas clearly demonstrated such imperfection of man.  The Bible says in Acts 13:13, “When they were about to leave on their second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take along his cousin Mark. However, Paul did not want Mark along, since Mark had left them and gone home during their first missionary journey. The Bible says, “ At this there occurred a sharp burst of anger, so that they separated from each other”  (Acts 15:37-40). The anger expressed by the twosome would have questioned how true they loved each other.

Also worthy of note was the refusal by Apostle Peter to continue associating with the Gentiles because of the “fear of being viewed with disfavor by some of the Jewish Christians who were wrongly looking down on their Gentile brothers” (Galatians 2:11-14). Apostle Paul was furious when he saw what Peter was doing, He therefore, rebuked him in strong terms for such perceived misconduct, in the presence of the people that were present. Peter was calm as his looks showed (Hebrews12:11).

THE STRENGTH OF LOVE.

We are however, of the view that anger, like other negative attitudes of man, such as jealousy, hatred, mordant criticisms, falsehood, sadism, etc  are innate, but could be curtailed when love is made to fully permeate all aspects of our lives.  “Human love is but a shadow of God’s love” to quote Prophet T. B. Joshua.

Love can be used as a strong reason to solve most of human troubles. The Bible is fully replete with instances of this.

Peter was not bemused or flabbergasted when Paul condemned him in the presence of the people. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:8,9, that Peter was humble; he accepted the correction and did not allow it to cause his love for Paul to wane. Peter later referred to Paul in a letter of encouragement to fellow Christians, captured in 2Peter3:16 in the following words: “Consider the patience of our Lord as Salvation, just as our beloved Paul, according to the wisdom given him, also wrote you”.

Indeed Peter “allowed love to cover over the difficulty, which in this case had resulted from his own wrong conduct (Proverbs 10:12).

It was also love that settled the misunderstanding between Paul and Barnabus . When Paul wrote to the Corinthian congregation, he graciously referred to Barnabus as a close fellow worker which clearly signified that he still loved him (1 Corinthians 9:5-6).

Albeit, Paul’s grudge over Mark’s involvement in the journey seemed justified , Paul later wrote to Timothy when he observed that Mark had become matured: “Take Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministering” (2 Timothy 4:11).

These are just two instances. Basically, we have to take cognizance of the fact that God did not give us His conditions which must be fulfilled before He loves us. Therefore, our expression of love for our fellow man should not be anchored on some conditions which may be elusive. Anger and hatred, for instance, only serve to distance us from developing true Christian qualities, the greatest of which is love. Yet, they (anger and hatred) should be overshadowed by love.

The Bible says, “God recommends His own love to us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans5:8) we should therefore, be ready to follow that example of God and show love to those who do bad and foolish things.( Ephesians 5:1,2, Psalm 10:3-10).

Again, based on our imperfection, our lord Jesus Christ thought us not to be critical of our fellow men, saying that as others have faults, we also have. He therefore asked: “why do you look at the straw in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the rafter in your own eyes. (Matthew 7:1-5). The need for us to always express mercy and forgiveness which are also rooted in love is very impressive.

Although, there are genuine complaints, the Bible counsels: “continue to put up with one another freely if anyone has a cause for complaint against another” This is also necessary because Christ freely forgave us. And we have to forgive others if we have to receive his forgiveness, Jesus said: In Matthew 18:21, it is also written “God has forgiven us thousands of times so cannot we forgive our brothers a few times?

It is in fact ironical if we treat our fellow man in an unloving manner at the same time claim to be practicing the truth.

T.B Joshua’s Teaching on Love

We are very much impressed with the teachings of one of the greatest prophets of our time – with the gift of the garb and righteousness – Prophet T. B Joshua , particularly on the need for humanity to always express love,  The teachings have redefined the perspective of our relationship with fellow humans and genuinely refocused our attention on the values of such relationship built on love. The prophet had said: There is nothing to compare to love, it is richer than any mineral and warmer that ant sun.

His broad metaphoric view of love are stated below:

“Love can make a king abdicate his throne, that is resign.”

“Love can make a poor boy, poor man, beggar become a prince”

“If spoken from the heart, nothing is as strong as love”

“Human love is but a shadow of God’s love”

“If God loves us, He will hide pride from us and keep us from being exalted above measures’

“God’s love will enable us to press on”

“God’s love centres in His will.”

“If man loves God truly, he is under obligation to love his fellow man”

“God’s love centres on His will. It is His will to give. It is our will to give back and also to receive the gift freely given. Knowing God’s love will enable us to press on till tomorrow. Nothing is stronger than love”.

“There are only three things on earth that will last- faith, hope and love. The greatest is love.

Since the greatest is love, we need to make the greatest sacrifice”.

“If you help your fellow brother, then you help Jesus”

“If you dupe your fellow brother, then you dupe Jesus”

“If you care for your fellow brother, then you care for Jesus”

“If you ignore your fellow brother, then you ignore Jesus”

“Whether you are educated or not, whether you are a farmer or not, whether you are a professor or not, there is hope in loving Jesus i.e loving others”

“If you can give your love, and somebody wants to stand against you, he stands against God”

“I learn to love everyone because love is the greatest Christian virtue and it Is the real nature of spirituality. If you want to know God, you must love yourself and others…..”

“Love cares more for others than for self”

“Love does not belittle anyone”

“Love does not force itself on others”

“Love puts up with anything, meaning that love is tolerant”

“Love looks around to see who is in need”

These statements clearly reflect the extent at which the Prophet considers love as the strought condition of humanity. And judged by his deep sense of commitment to human growth and development, practically reflected in his humanitarian services, the prophet holds that the greatest expression of love is giving. His words: “We should spend more on others and less on ourselves. This is the only way we can commit more faith and love in the society of which we are a part…..we begin to succeed with our lives when the hurt and problems of others begin to matter to us”

He had also elaborately affirmed that “Whatever our purpose may be, we should let love take precedence over all things. If we have all gifts without love, we are nothing. Love is patient___it does not express itself in anger. Love is goodness____it does not express itself in evil. Love is humble___it does not express itself in arrogance. Love is hope_____it does not express itself in despair and self-pity. Jesus wants to express Himself and carry out His mission of love to others through you. Thus giving becomes the very basis of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no love that does not express itself in giving. God so loved the world that He planted His best seed on the earth so that His peace might abide with men forever. The seed gave Himself up as a living sacrifice for our sake, to heal the broken hearted, give the captives freedom, comfort those who mourn, release the prisoners and defeat their enemies. What a great love! It is in our interest to show appreciation to the Seed on all occasions”

He had further stated that “ I am a solution to one’s problems. I am because you are”.

“No one is created without a gift. And such gift is meant to meet a need. How many lives have you capable of changing”, he asked.

While saying that “There are many people on the sick bed, visit them, pray for them and show compassion on them. That may be the solution to their problems; the prophet believes that love is a way of energising our spirituality and at the same time oiling our philanthropist. He has persistently, in the spirit of love, transformed many lives and permanently enriched them. For example, his ministry SCOAN, has always assisted the widows, widowers, the orphans the physically- challenged, the jobless youths, the indigents, students of secondary and high institution, etc. He has assisted many communities in the country, particularly those that have been neglected for decades and those that faced several disasters.

He gives scholarships to many students irrespective of where they come from A greater consideration is however, always accorded to the depraved, the blind ,the orphans, the deaf, the scholarly- imbued students who had performed excellently well in their studies; the prostitutes, armed robbers, militants who had indicated their interest in going to school or furthering their education etc.

His robust display of love is also glaring in the joyous way he assists the poverty -stricken men and women who troop to the church for financial assistance.

He also extends his giving spirit beyond the chores of the nation. The quick response of the ministry to the Haitian disaster the charity to the poor in Indonesia, the elderly in Pakistan and the elderly in Russia, are mere tips of the iceberg.

Aside all these, the permanent healings and deliverances carried out by the church are quite reflective of the love the SCOAN and the prophet have for humanity.

Today, the responses to such divine gestures have been very impressive, particularly when they are viewed against the backdrop of what the scripture demands of a true man of God.

It is our view that when the virtues of love are concretely understood (as marshalled by SCOAN and the prophet), and genuinely “operationalised the blessings of God will begin to enfold humanity.

 

A LETTER TO SOME ZIMBABWEAN “PASTORS”

Ezekiel Fajenyo and Sunday Patrick

Dear Sirs,

Christianity, to all those truly concerned with its fate in contemporary context, is not altogether in a perfect form through Christ is perfect. It is a relationship and though should exhibit love, transparency, friendliness and shared responsibility in the pursuit of credible direction and significance as symbolized by Christ, the perfect Master. Except the relationship is perfect and orderly as Christ wants it, it grows only in a debased, questionable and sterile relevance.

Christianity is about truth, the pursuit of excellent mastery of the Word and sincere adoption of Christ-like qualities as life’s guide. It is a privilege to be in relationship with Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith; but it is dangerous to see such relationship as a privilege to castigate His anointed hands, kick against His commandment on love and yet wish Him to continually treat us as sincere partners in holiness.

Christianity in troubled waters for reasons which are best known to Christians and not threats as posed by other worshippers the world over. It is a relationship which has gone sour; it has been soiled by the very attitude of the travails of fellow Christians in troubled spots (as we see in parts of northern Nigeria today or had happened in places like Iraq, Egypt, etc). The relationship is thoroughly poisoned, abused and murderously defined by hatred, mischief, envy, jealousy and witchcraft. Christians – or so we wish to address ourselves – take delight in throwing arrows of disintegration, even in the name of Christ! We cast aspersions and wildly throw around words which betray the faith and wound the true essence of our unique relationship with Christ.

Why did we have to write this letter to all “pastors” concerned? We are only joining voices with many of such voices which had cried out before, asking why Christians should be the destroyers and betrayers of their own faith, an ignoble attitude which is hardly ever found in people of other faiths. Many others, at seminars, workshops, sermons, crusades and media-talk-shows have spoken (and are still doing so) on why Christians are the greatest mischief-makers to fellow Christians all over the world, like several women married to the same husband.

The reactions to an internet material titled, “Churches Rap T.B. Joshua” on May 9, 2012, will go on for some time. And the reasons are obvious. Christians all over the world must feel disgusted at the way and manner Christianity was reduced to sheer meaninglessness and infamy by “pastors” who were reported to have participated in a workshop organized by Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, in preparation for that country’s “National Day of Prayer set for May 25, Africa Day”.

Every African who knew what Zimbabwe went through before attaining her present status should be happy at the development. Zimbabwe is a major historical place in the continent and its development over the years should be a source of pride to every African, regardless of the country. The announcement of its National Day of Prayer in Zimbabwe should also attract Africans because every nation needs prayers to survive with its people, to conquer forces of retrogression and starvation and launch into an experience of socio-political awareness. What is wrong in praying for a land which one loves so much? A land whose independence everyone struggled for with much passion and enthusiasm?

What rather shocked people in the announcement was the issue of T.B. Joshua which completely overwhelmed you – or a few among you – that you completely neglected to talk of the National Prayer Day but how not to allow Joshua into Zimbabwe, though you do not have the immigration powers to ban him.

The tone of your disapproval of the person of Joshua was so acrimonious and sharply condemnatory to the extent that many people were shocked that the whole of Zimbabwean “pastors” would fail to honour African activists and freedom fighters by praying (or organizing to pray) for their country but held meeting only on T.B. Joshua, a man who Zimbabweans had thought prophesied the death of Mugabe (which turned out to be false!)

Joshua, at a moment like this, (National Day of Prayer) should not be an issue among you “pastors” of the Evangelistic Fellowship. First, Christ deserves to be thanked for making Zimbabwe a close-knit country over the years. Second, the prayers should have been directed towards strengthening the political and socio-economic base of the country so that inflation and reductionist trends would leave the land alone (some African countries are in a similar situation. Third, prayers suggest absolute belief in the Almighty God and not opportunities to desecrate the international image of a man of God. National survival, growth of the citizenry and a robust future should be of attraction to you than the personality of Joshua.

In the quoted report, not even a line was written to show the real purpose of the National Day of Prayer but other people in a similar situation would have boldly told the world the glory of the moment, the rare achievements in the land, the way forward by government – all of which God Almighty should address urgently. If the workshop was organized by politicians and political party leaders, people would understand (because Joshua is seen by some Zimbabweans as pro-Morgan Tsvangari while he hates Mugabe) but at least those in “God’s service” should have shown some spiritual maturity, discipline, wisdom, sense of decorum and sincerity of purpose, which members of your cabinet are so distant from. While the former may see Joshua as a foe for political reasons (not fundamental truth), you should have been bold enough (except if motivated with coins) to stay on a neutral ground; you should have left issues in the hands of God in respect of the National Day of Prayer instead of turning your own Synagogue to a centre of political argument. That is why we are bothered. Politicians may wish to condemn Joshua to honour Mugabe but how do we qualify your attack on Joshua, as if he brought terrible inflation and political misgovernance to Zimbabwe?

Rather than speak of the event planned for May 25 (Africa Day), you demeaned yourselves as a body of “over 100 denominations, churches, Para-church movements and individual Christians of the Evangelical persuasion”. In sheer numbers, you should be more than 2,000 people altogether. If Joshua were a white preacher from the West or other places, certainly you would not mind welcoming him at the airport but not Joshua – a popular Nigerian with world-wide followership, just because he is a friend to your Prime Minister. Could this be an act of spiritual immaturity, senility, blindness, impurity? Do we now know why one arrogant leader said he was “luckier than Jesus” not long ago (and to which you said nothing?) Joshua never said he had edge over Jesus, yet he should be maliciously crucified? Are you not asking why a Nigerian should come and pray for Zimbabwe?

The EF2 President and spokesperson of your fellowship (we wonder if this word means anything to your clique) Dr Goodwill Shana pointedly said Joshua was not wanted in Zimbabwe because his teachings were judgemental, partisan and unorthodox and that he may not bring good tidings “to help the country to move forward” and because “he is notorious for issuing death prophecies”.

We are at a loss as to what Dr Shana (we do not understand what goodwill is here) meant by these statements because he was rather terrified by fire of yet unheard prophecies, or he was very afraid of Joshua whose prophecies have kept shaking the entire world. Millions of people have often welcomed his prophecies and prayed to enjoy such when positive or ward them off, if negative. That of Israel was once surrounded by your kind of “pastors” and “prophets” (some 400) who did not want the voice of truth to speak to the man in power. Macaiah, the great, fearless and courageous prophet told the man the truth, regardless of the possibility of jail. Ahab never returned from the war in Ramoth Gilead, as prophesied by Macaiah. The 400 others were brought to shame in his palace. Why should Christian leaders be so robotically inter-twined with power that they will not be identified with truth? Is loyalty to Christ not sufficient? Is the grace of God not sufficient, if we must follow the example of Paul? Is the Zimbabwean Constitution the Bible? Is the Christ in Zimbabwe different from the one the world is used to? Why should you – at your age and experience of many years – dislocate the essence of Christianity by condemning the prophecies of Joshua? Have you equally not been judgemental, ornamental, doggish and paralytically unorthodox? What would any Christian learn from your spirit of intolerance, hatred, envy and blackmail? And how are we able to be sure that the over 2,000 Christians of “Evangelical persuasion” were persuaded along the line of attacking Joshua instead of praying for national deliverance and healing from years of agony, political recklessness and social impatience? Did Joshua constitute a problem for that country? If Africans know not what love is, why are we deceiving ourselves celebrating National Day in any country – after all, different nationals fought (directly or indirectly) for the independence of Mozambique, Ghana, South Africa, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, etc. Africans are proud of their own and will not mind what happens, as long as true freedom is obtained. We are proud of Mandela, Toure, Nkrumah, etc. for this reason. They understood the sacrifice of fellow Africans; they respected fellow Africans and would not have organized a workshop whose subject matter is to deny Joshua entering Zimbabwe!

It should be a moment of sober reflection and gratitude to God; people should be welcomed from all over the world since they are not bombers, kidnappers, ritualists, killers and questionable militants. Zimbabwe should mean much more to Africa than the coldness in the hearts of some “pastors” who want to satisfy the palace at the expense of the salvation of their souls.

We do not understand Dr Shana’s self-inflicted definition of “judgemental teachings”, though it is true that “God is redemptive”. He forgot that even King Hezekiah was told by an angel of the Lord that he was going to die; he had to turn to the wall, wept bitterly and showed mind of total surrender after complaining and his years on earth were increased! Elijah confronted Ahab’s Baal prophets (850 in all) and eliminated them and asked Ahab to go for a good meal – he was fearless, regardless of the fact that he stood before the king. If “pastors” must eat some leader’s shit, what business have they climbing the pulpit? The Disciples of Christ stood their ground and simply moved away from where their evangelical mission was not welcomed. Your “Evangelical persuasion” is something which may take a century to properly analyse and digest!

One Bishop Trevor Manhanga of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Zimbabwe (also a member of this fellowship) could not hide his political persuasion, even when he wears the cassock. To him, Joshua’s closeness to the Prime Minister would not affect the political fortunes in Zimbabwe, despite Joshua’s reliance on “artefacts”. Yet, he also joined in this fellowship against “judgemental preaching” and partisanship! He referred to a burning Nigeria on which Joshua could do nothing and that those who visit Nigeria “should know that the water they are given has no significance here and will not serve as a lucky charm to bring them power, political or otherwise”. Yet this man is a Bishop, who hates the Prime Minister!

Are hatred and envy qualities of a seasoned Bishop in a much politically troubled land? Should he dismiss Nigerians as if he is not an African? Could Nigeria be burning more than Zimbabwe at this hour? If God is “not interested in the outcome of football games”, is He not interested in people’s spiritual edification, deliverance and healing? Is there anything in life God does not know of? Does this Bishop (despite his presence in Zimbabwe) know the number of Zimbabweans who daily visit Nigeria for the salvation of their souls and purification? Does he know people from all the continents of the world make The SCOAN a home? Hasn’t he been watching what happens in Emmanuel TV? If several thousands of people are being delivered of evil spirits and terrible worldly encounters, what has been the contribution of the likes of this Bishop in Zimbabwe or do people have no reason to know? If he spoke so bad-mouthed about Joshua, what would he say of non-Christians in his own country? Yet, we all say Christianity must grow in the spirit of love and as the Lord Himself approves. Has this Bishop ever seen Moslem, Buddhist, Taoist, etc. leaders speak against one another in that manner, especially when talking of a “National Day of Prayer”?

This Bishop spares odious companionship with the likes of Shana even though he does not wish to hear “of the death of Michael Jackson” which does not “assist and mould people to be better citizens”. But the prophecies in the Bible – from Genesis to Revelation – how pleasant are they to him? What impact was made on this rare “man of God” by prophecies made in Books of Ezekiel, Isaiah, Kings? Do some people qualify to belong to where they claim they are? If prophecies are not important to this Bishop and his “fellowship”, what is he doing in the Church of the Lord? We thought what should anger a Bishop was to discover that a prophet has lied? Or that he never said anything good of others? If Ahab had listened to Macaiah, he would have lived some more years. Hezekiah was wiser. So these stories meant nothing to this “man of God” and his “fellowship”?

This Bishop allegedly said Joshua’s presence “will have no bearing on our politics. Our authorities have nothing to fear”. Is this man the Chief Press Secretary to the President? And he was living when the leader said he was “Lucifer than Jesus”? Did he protest that kind of message which may likely be his prayer point on the National Day of Prayer? Is Christianity not in trouble? Are we helping it to grow? Could Islamist militants speak of Joshua the way this Bishop did? Or is there a different Jesus in Zimbabwe?

We are concerned with the faith of the church in contemporary times. A Cameroonian, Erebe Ayissi, allegedly called Joshua “a son of the devil masquerading as a man of God” – is this not judgemental and partisan? Would he have said so if Joshua were a Cameroonian, benefitting the administration he serves? But his uncouth mannerism and lousy disposition may be understood because he is an anxious politician, wishing to make some noise against an internationally reputed Nigerian. One Godwin Chitsinde, a “pastor” in this group who heads the Spoken Word Ministries, said Joshua’s planned visit to Zimbabwe was bad because of his “interest in politics”. Did this not suggest that all of you “pastors” are afraid of Joshua and that his presence will dwindle the quality and substance of your own presence in Zimbabwe (though he is a Nigerian)? Pastor Vukani Dhladhla of Abiding Hope Ministries allegedly said Joshua’s prophecies were wrong because of his flare for “telling someone his phone number or the colour of his underwear” instead of being “about the Word of God”. He also said Zimbabweans “have our own reputable apostles and what rides us is that he is coming on a partisan ticket without consulting the churches”. If not fear, what do we call this, in Jesus’ name? How many pastors from other countries have your “fellowship” invited to share in the glory of the moment? How was the issue of partisanship handled by you? How did you resolve the issue of prophets not dictating “phone numbers” and “colours of the underwear” but yet prophesying “deaths” and doing “diabolical miracles”? How did some of your “fellows” arrive at such names as Spoken Word or Abiding Hope Ministries whose spiritual symbolisms and testimonies are so hollow, myopic, sectional, arrogant and reckless? How do you convert people to the faith in Zimbabwe? What exactly do these ministries and ministers do in the name of Christianity except show pretence and ill-discipline when discussing the faith? How much were some people paid by some Ahab to heap attacks on Joshua when national interest in a universal context should be addressed?

Evangelism is essentially about winning people (souls) for Christ. Do we take it that the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe has no mission than to attack Joshua because of his prophecies on the death of leaders or his partisanship. Must personal and official hatred for the Prime Minister translate to hating and attacking his personal friends, even if they are prophets? Are we not being reminded of the vampish Baal prophets here? Could Joshua be causing more sleepless nights than the diabolical mannerisms of political leaders in that country whose motives in governance are dictated by “agents of satan”? Does Joshua have the power to cast his vote in Zimbabwe?

Could he mount the soap box and proclaim prophecies before Zimbabweans? Does the constitution regard him as a citizen? Why are you “pastors” (and of evangelical persuasion) trying to pick crickets from the hole with teeth? Why call a spade another name? Of what specific political interest could Joshua be pursuing in Zimbabwe which makes some “pastors” want to dig their own graves in fear, before his arrival? How could he be more feared than a million Napoleons if political rascality, greed, disrespect for people’s wishes and pride have not been allowed in politics? Is Joshua the one to make “judgemental preaching” before God does what He wishes for a people?

These were the reasons why we started off by lamenting the troubles of Christianity. People find it difficult (especially some “pastors”) to separate politics from religion; prophecy from earthly endeavours. Joshua is undisputedly respected worldwide because of his total loyalty to God and he has delivered many “pastors” who were yet to be born-again in the true sense of the word. His coming to Zimbabwe or your coming to Nigeria will assist to transform the spiritual life of many of you “pastors” by becoming true men and women of God. What kills people is gloomy ignorance and even God says His people get killed because of lack of wisdom. Joshua, as an African, should be a “material” of whom all of us should be proud. His coming to Zimbabwe if he chose to, would have been a special blessing to that country rather than to himself. Even leaders from more advanced countries are his friends because the glory of God is not about nationality or sex; it is about whom God Himself chooses. When will some notorious African “pastors” learn the rule of the game?

Why fear Joshua if all hands are clean? Why fear his prophecies if occultism has not taken over people’s hearts? Why judge him as an “agent of satan” when there is no solid proof of your being “agents of light”? Why preach spirituality when you speak of authorities having “nothing to fear”? Why should a politician speak authoritatively on a man as not being “a man of God” as if we are talking of endless corruption, graft and ideological impotence of his own country?

We pray for Zimbabwe and all other countries of the world, in the spirit of The SCOAN! We know there is nothing God cannot do for people; He is an agent of awareness, baptism, uprightness, honesty, humility, understanding and of love. Rather than pick on Joshua for attack in a country of millions of people, you should study the Bible aright to know what the disciples of Jesus did when He was removed from them – they preached, suffered bruises, were imprisoned, flogged, molested, yet Christ remains proud of them. A word is enough for the wise.

Happy Celebration to all Zimbabweans!

 

ZIMBABWE PASTORS ATTACK ON T.B JOSHUA PROVOKED BY FEAR AND JEALOUSY

An internet material which appeared under the title “Churches rap T.B. Joshua” on Wednesday, May 2012, would not have generated any response but for the fact that some misrepresentations and infamous attributions happened in the text.

The story is anchored on the outcome of the pastors’ in Harare, Zimbabwe. Such pastors (if they truly qualify to be so-called) were said to be members of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe whose President is Dr. Goodwill Shana (Center) and Secretary-General Reverend Lindani Dube (right). According to the report in the “Herald”, written by Felix Share, the Zimbabwean Church leaders said they were not prepared to welcome T.B. Joshua, the General Overseer of the Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in their country to participate in the National Day of Prayer “set for May 25, Africa Day”. The day, which is supposed to be accompanied with prayers, should naturally be an avenue for prayer warriors from all over the world to help reach out to God on their national problems.

The idea of the National Day of Prayer is not limited to Zimbabwe, it is a universal phenomenon, especially when a country and her people face serious socio-political and economic problems which are beyond human comprehension and handling. Africa is particularly noted as one unfortunate continent where most countries are breathing under, pressure of harsh and uncertain socio-political and economic realities. Even in Nigeria, General Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State and Chair of “Nigeria Prays” has been known to have extensively used the platform to preach unity and solidarity while praying for an end to the dilemma facing the land.

The world will be shocked to see how the ‘anointed’ pastors in Zimbabwe suddenly met, and instead of discussing and praying for the political and economic survival of their country Zimbabwe, rather chose to discuss the Nigerian Church Leader, T.B. Joshua, accusing the respected man of God of “teachings which were of no help to the country as they were judgmental, partisan and unorthodox”.

The points raised in the write-up, being the arguments allegedly raised by these “men of God” (God has unlimited patience, indeed!) reminded people of the argument pushed some days ago by Professor Moyo, a cabinet member also in Zimbabwe, to the effect that there was some nebulous theoretical fallacy on T.B. Joshua’s prophecy concerning the former Malawian President, Professor Bingu wa Mutharika; he even suggested, so backward-thoughtfully, that Joshua either had a hand in the man’s death or he had security report on the coming death. But Moyo’s obvious day-dreamt philosophy has been punctured by many people, including Zimbabweans, to have emanated from a dirty mind of a man desperate to win political space in the heart of the reigning leader in that country, who himself boasted that he was “better than Jesus Christ” – a statement which none of these Zimbabwean “pastors” responded to!

Dr Goodwill Shana

In this latest internet story, the EFZ President and Spokesperson Dr Goodwill Shana was quoted as saying that the anticipated visit of Joshua to Zimbabwe (where exactly did he ever speak of being “headed for a troubled African Country”?) should not be used for partisan purposes: “Of course, we do not have the immigration powers to ban him (TB Joshua), but we have never invited him as churches. We think it is important to get (into the country) people who can help the country to move forward not people that are judgmental. People have a right to believe what they want, but it is difficult to believe a Word of God that comes on a partisan basis. We don’t want judgmental teachings, that is why we don’t subscribe to his teachings”.

But the “man of God” who spoke on behalf of “over 100 denominations, churches, para-church movements and individual Christians of the Evangelical persuasion” should have explained further what he meant by the word “judgmental”. This word should mean something being condemnatory, hated and abused, but except for fighting forces of evil manipulations and atavistic greed (we have some leaders in this class!) operating in human circles and degrading their countries and people before the world, which are always been condemned by all true men of God including Joshua, how else could his preaching and sermons be considered to be judgmental?

And why must priests of God, if they are true to themselves, have thought of “immigration powers to ban” Joshua (as if he was some terrifying oracle from outside the world) and why have “we never invited him as churches”? There is an obvious truth here: some pastors and theological leaders are much afraid of the name, class, acceptance and universal respect which Joshua has won through the instrumentality of God’s power. In a world where religion is free, and where “people have a right to believe what they want”, it should have been known to this “Evangelical fellowship” that “fellowship” means extending hands of friendship and solidarity to every person in the world to rejoice with Zimbabwe, if truly there was something to rejoice about.  Dr Shana should not have employed the mantle of his office to attack a fellow pastor, even when he is not a Zimbabwean.

Secondly, the work of God is not a political office. As illustrated in the Bible, through the machinations of King Ahab (2 Chronicles, 18), we have always some pastors and prophets who are so politically motivated that they could even choose to follow some leaders who professed to be Lucifer than Jesus, even if their countries are boiling in the oil of joblessness, inflation and political negativity. King Ahab had some 400 prophets who prophesised to him that he was going to succeed in the war at Ramoth Gilead, but Micaiah, the prophet thoroughly hated by Ahab (whom he would never have invited but for the motivation from Jehosaphat, King of Judea) was the only man who told Ahab the truth, and Ahab asked his soldiers to detain him until he would arrive from the war, a success. But was Micaiah not proved right? Consider only one prophet to 400 others?

The so-called pastors and their evangelical messianism are too far from the truth. They have chosen to blackmail a man of God, just because they are terrified by Joshua’s well-known accurate prophecies over the years. Political power has no potential to cripple the Word of God and those who are opposed to listening to it should be pitied. If an Evangelical fellowship was against Joshua (a prophet of the most high), what would they do if some Boko Haram had existed in their midst? The world understands that when Joshua spoke of an African Leader who was to die soon, some Zimbabweans chose to attack him because they had thought they knew exactly what he was saying and unsaying. But was that a correct attitude to prophecy by these “pastors”?

If Joshua was accused of being “partisan” and “unorthodox”, how do we interpret the attitude of Dr Shana and his “over 100 denominations” on the Joshua issue? Did Jesus denounce people on the grounds of partisanship? Did he not embrace the Jews and Gentiles, the poor and the rich, the leaders and the led?

What exactly is the meaning of “unorthodox”? Is ritualism and true worship happening in The SCOAN, even when there is the advantage of the Emmanuel TV being viewed all over the world? There are many Zimbabweans who had received their deliverance and healing in The SCOAN, and Joshua has always been mightily used by God. If a people “do not want judgement teachings”, why not allow those who are not opposed to Joshua, in Zimbabwe, to enjoy the privilege of his presence (that is even if he wishes to visit Zimbabwe, in the first place). If South Africa is no longer practising apartheid, why should some evangelical maniacs start thinking of “immigration powers” to ban Joshua?

Dr Shana allegedly said that Christianity “should be platform for people to repent, not to die” (which is true), but why should Joshua’s prophecies be said to be “notorious for issuing death” examples? Just less than a week ago, he predicted that another leader would emerge in France, with only three points margin. Did it not happen? Was that about death? The politicians, statesmen, leaders and respected bureaucrats who had been prophesied for, are all over the world, and they are enjoying the blessings of God. What was Dr Shana’s kind of dream and interpretation of the Bible and the pastoral ministry?

The world will be shocked to see that Dr Shana was leading a crusade of persecution against a fellow pastor simply because of politics. Should the truth be murdered simply because some notorious old man is disturbing some political space? What has Africa ever gained from such foolishness over the centuries? Joshua had prophesied many good-fortuned developments for people, and there are evidences in books, journals, ex-publications, magazines, VCDs and DVDs, etc. to illustrate these. The millions of people who come to The SCOAN from all over the world know that “Our God is redemptive”, and His Word cannot be changed on any issue! If Shana and his myopic team are not biased, unorthodox, partisan and judgemental, why condemn a single prophet (out of several thousands all over the world) as if he is ordained to prophetically wrestle the political powers in Zimbabwe? God is truly redemptive, but He wants us to turn away from sins and self-inflicted tribulations, too. How would ritualists in Zimbabwe take Shana’s statement against Joshua? Should true men of God turn their own poisoned arrows and evil swords against another prophet just because he enjoys more universal attention and spiritual applause? What exactly is this crime of Joshua that he must be persecuted by “fellow evangelists”? The truth is that, from the example of Paul, fake and filthy-preaching “pastors” also exist in the world who hate the voice of truth. Elijah, Paul, Peter, Barnabas among several others, were almost battered by fellow gospellers during their time. And even Jesus was called Beezlebub! Great minds do not always enjoy the applause of all people; the facts of envy, hatred, mischief, marginalisation, ethnicity and nationality always create bottlenecks for angelic people. It is historically known that the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai visited The Synagogue, Church Of Nations (The SCOAN), and this, by itself, is creating a lot of discomfort and unease amongst some people, including the political class, who want to nail the man just because of his political differences with Mugabe. But must the work of God be so debased to the extent that political considerations must swallow its essence? If Tsvangirai had invited Joshua, it must be out of patriotism; it must have been engineered by a passion to move his country to a new level. Why should pastors be influenced by the cabinet in Zimbabwe to see Joshua as a politician rather than a prophet? If Joshua has predicted that Mugabe would spend the next 200 years in power, some “pastors” would have decided to invite him to that country for being “a voice of truth” rather than being “the voice of satan”. This is one of the troubles with Christianity – it is a house divided against itself!

Bishop Trevor Manhanga

The “pastors” could not even hide their political inclination on the matter. Bishop Trevor Manhanga, a Zimbabwean leader of the Pentecostal Assemblies argued that “Joshua has no power to change the political landscape in Zimbabwe”, because Tsvangirai’s “political fortunes would not be shaped by T.B. Joshua or any artefacts received from him” Should Joshua stop associating with Tsvangirai just because the Prime Minister has political differences with Mugabe? And why did the Christian leaders choose to foolishly politicise their position as if Jesus asked them to do so? By choosing to hate the Prime Minister and Joshua, have they not compromised their spirituality (if indeed they ever respected Jesus)? And who told these people that Joshua has refrained from praying for Nigeria? Bishop Mahanga spoke of a “burning” Nigeria where Joshua “was doing nothing”. And according to him, Joshua cannot influence “the Zimbabwean political landscape” because “the leadership of the nation of Zimbabwe will be determined by God Almighty, not T.B. Joshua”. This was a Bishop speaking! What does this man teach his congregation? What does he ever preach? Does he truly believe in prayers and prophecies – this is because we have Bishops in the world whose speciality is to do to Jesus what Judas Iscariot also did. Events in Malawi – except if he says so – may never be replicated in Zimbabwe. Why should the fear of Joshua make some people pee in their elaborate cassocks, even if they are bishops?

This Bishop said that the water people receive from The SCOAN “has no significance here and will not serve as a lucky charm to bring them power – politically or otherwise”. This is a Bishop! Shadows, sticks, dead men’s bones, water and mantles had been used by great prophets to achieve good results in the Bible, and these were not necessarily political. Changes had occurred in people’s personal lives (the poor, downcast, blind, lame, hopeless, etc) in the Bible through “materials” anointed by God in the hands of the prophets. It is unbelievers who see such as sheer fiction, and nobody can crucify them for their unbelief. But what of a Bishop leading a congregation? What of Dr Shana and his evangelical heroes who hated to be identified with “artefacts”? Since when have these “pastors” and “leaders of the saints” read their Bibles, for example? What do they preach in Zimbabwe?

Is there anything under Heaven that God cannot do or does not know, including “the outcome of football games”?  So those who used the “artefacts” in the Bible (Elijah, Paul, Peter, etc) were not men of God? Did those (miracles and signs and wonders) not help their ministries and mould “people to be better citizens”? Is the Book of Ezekiel or that of Isaiah a lie? Could the Acts of the Apostles and the Synoptic Gospels be wrong? Joshua said, “What the world does not understand, they call names; what they understand, they destroy”. What do we call the attitude of these modern Bishops and their followers?

TB Joshua, persecuted and progressing!

Could it be true that the “Zimbabwean churches were not even afraid of T.B. Joshua’s coming”? Even the dead know that this is exactly the situation. On hearing Joshua, even on screen or radio, some “bishops” would surely defecate in their robes because what they stand to protect always is mischief, colourless hatred, jealousy and wickedness; they remind us of Ahab’s 400 prophets and their long robes. We may never know the exact number of those who attended the Evangelical Fellowship workshop in Zimbabwe, but we were told that the fellowship contains over “100 denominations, churches, para-church movements and individual Christians of the Evangelical persuasion”. Altogether, they must be over 400! Ahab is an African! And his palace is enjoying the presence of the selfish Bible-killing and Gospel-rubbishing pastors who wish to attack Tsvangirai by using Joshua as a tool, an artefact! If Africa remains a backward continent till today,  it is because “our men and women in Christ” do not think it virile, progressive and meaningfully developmental to tell the truth to our leaders, as we have seen in Zimbabwe, even when the world knows what is happening in that country! Could that be the kind of attitude preached by Jesus?

It was also said – at a gathering meant to discuss National Day Prayer for Zimbabwe – that people were not afraid of Joshua (one man in a multimillion peopled continent!) and that his presence would “have no bearing on our politics. Our authorities have nothing to fear”. Are these “bishops” and “pastors” fighting for the “authorities” or for Christ?

In the piece, it was even mentioned that the Foreign Affairs Ministers of Cameroon, Eyebe Ayissi condemned Joshua as “a son of the devil masquerading as a man of God”. Salvation is personal, because thousands of Cameroonians besiege The SCOAN every other day for prayers, deliverance and healing. Ayissi was simply speaking for himself and not for Cameroonians, if he had been used to the media, over the years. Joshua’s so-called “diabolical miracles” have been what the world love and they come to share a part of – Americans, Britons, Germans, Russians, fellow Africans, Asians, etc. Ayissi could not have been more knowledgeable than the Presidents, Prime Ministers, National Assembly Members, etc who throng the church, everyday. He is no better than any of them. And it is true, as we all know, that most African position-occupiers depend on their traditional medicines, local charms, para-psychologists, palm readers and ritualists to maintain their positions.

Africans will never find it strange when some politicians – as also did Moyo of Zimbabwe – took up the mandate to attack those ‘anointed’ by Jesus to do His work.

This also relates to one pastor Godwin Chitsinde of the Spoken Word Ministries who said Joshua’s political interest was rather “too excessive”. How do we judge the veracity of this?) Is Joshua a politician? Has he ever contested for an election? Is he planning to? The man said Joshua does not qualify as a prophet? Who then is a prophet to Chitsinde? How will envy and jealousy – which even Satanists cannot talk of – assist the work of God to grow?

He said Joshua’s visit to Zimbabwe (if it even does take place) “is not good for the nation considering his interest in politics. We have no problem if he comes on another day but we say no when it is an important day like this one”. And listen also to Pastor Vukani Dhladha of the Abiding Hope Ministries. “Prophecy is not about telling someone his phone number or the colour of his underwear but it is about the Word of God. We do not need him here because we have our own reputable apostles and what riles us is that he is coming on a partisan ticket without consulting the churches.”

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangarai

In God’s own name, of what use are these “pastors” in the work of God? They could not even hide their minds of mischief, hatred and envy, yet they have ministries over which they preside. How did the issue of “phone number or the colour of underwear” influence the idea of a National Day of Prayer in Zimbabwe? Also, how could a true pastor speak of having their own “reputable apostles” as if Jesus is limited to Zimbabwe? Is Jesus not of the entire human race? There are terrible problems with Christendom – to the extent that even the omnipotent image of Christ is reduced to the size of Zimbabwe. And all these spiritual clowns and never-do-wells call themselves “pastors”? And just because Joshua must be stopped from travelling to Zimbabwe? He is said to be partisan because he is a friend to the Prime Minister, but has he ever acted and prophesied negativity because of his ‘love’ or ‘hatred’ for anybody? Is Christianity about politics? Is Christianity only about Zimbabwean National Day? Or the regime that is in place over there?

Sarkozy beaten by Hollande by approximately 3 points

These “pastors” have no business to be preaching the word, but should be transporting yams for sale in other countries because they stand against what Jesus preaches through the Holy Book; they are antagonistic, unfriendly, myopic, sectional and lack deep knowledge of the Word. This is where The SCOAN has kept trying to bring a change to Christendom. Most of these “pastors” have refused to be born again because envy and hatred will not allow them to understand the way of Christ; they are still besieged by satanic sensibilities and they revolt against the Gospel. These “pastors” have revealed to the world that they are disloyal and unfaithful to Christ, and swim in odious misconceptions about the Word. How limited can they be in religious matters, especially prophecies? That Joshua recently prophesied that Sarkozy would be replaced by another person, did not mean he is a friend to Hollande; or how could Christ be said to be limited in his form of friendship? Who, then, are the ‘diabolical’ and ‘agents of satan’? Why should Joshua’s hatred become a national affair in Zimbabwe? Why should some debased ‘pastors’ insist on misleading Zimbabweans and their chosen path to true Chrsitianity? Are Christians not supposed to be united instead of being separated, hateful, jealous? These “palace pastors” are doing much damage to Christ and His body because He preached tolerance, unity, love, forbearance, understanding and humility. What do these hypocritical evangelical touts teach people in Zimbabwe? Deceit? Hypocrisy? Indiscipline? Pride? Mischief?

What Joshua has done in the lives of people, through God’s anointing, has not been done for Zimbabweans by all these “pastors” and their funny spirituality. And we are talking of millions of widows, widowers, the poor, jobless, helpless, sick, and spiritually trapped. These “pastors” have a role to watch more of Emmanuel TV to know what their exact work should be in Zimbabwe and other places, if their world is not polluted by the devil and the acrobats of ritual bigots. Enough is enough!

 

Africa’s Economic Downturn: A SCOAN’s Perspective

Ezekiel Fajenyo and Sunday Patrick

The African economy is particularly noted as a developing economy; it is grossly under-developed. The two words are often inter-changeably used by analysts, public policy commentators and social critics, but all of what they say is that the economy is a dependent one – it is anchored on the antics of the West, which must be obeyed, even if unfavourable.

The essential character of this economy is such that it has not been free from the market dictatorship of the advanced countries of the world – countries like the USA, UK, Germany and China. These countries may be having their own headaches in the contemporary context but the level of their pampered self-satisfaction and essential growth can still not be equated with what we have in Africa, where the economy is assailed by an avalance of troubles created from within and outside the continent.

From within the continent are governments which lack sufficient knowedge of modern world economy; governments filled with selfish, dark-souled, ideologically impotent implementers and planners. The governments lack people with deep sense of thorough planning and pragmatic commitment to industrialism; people capable of shaping and implementing feasible and qualitative strategies capable of inspiring collective enthusiasm in the people who may wish to contribute to the growth and development of the economy.

Africa governments are filled with terribly corrupt people; those without an iota of patriotism and sense of self-worth. And they are committed to corruption in all ramifications, turning bribery to a way of life, and simply stealing from the coffers as if they never swore an oath when coming into governance. Nepotism, tribalism, ethnic particularity and religious manipulation are often strengthened by acts of public stealing. Recent revelations involving the handling of pensions funds in Nigeria – in civil service and police force – clearly showed how public funds are mismanaged. Most of the victims who worked for many years were not paid their pensions and gratuity; most died waiting to be paid. The effects of corruptions are seen in almost every sector of the economy. Most of the manufacturing industries, for instance, have since died and unemployment is the reality of the day. Millions of qualified professionals, in every field, walk the streets, unengaged. Starvation, hunger, deprivation, exploitation, greed, and gross sensitivity are empowered by the sheer carelessness of government functionaries; hard work has given way to mediocrity. Truth and sincerity in government are no longer viable. Official falsehoods, manipulation of figures, frauds and diversion of funds are most noticeable in most African countries. The culture of waste is so pronounced that public officers are grossly nonchalant and unresponsive to public taste and interest.

Corruption is so satanically widespread, and mismanagement of resources is well recognised in places. Blessed as most African countries are in mineral and human resources, what had worked out to bless other countries, has been a source of stagnation, mischievous selfishness, and backwardness to them. Oil is a good instance. Oil should eliminate poverty and starvation, while opening up opportunities for people to be gainfully employed and be creatively self-sufficient. With oil, infrastructural provisions, educational advancement, social development and even unity should not be a rarity as they are, today. Oil has succeeded in tearing us apart as a people. Massive structural deformations and deaths have since occupied the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria, for instance. Young men and women who should be enjoying the glorious outcomes of oil are into militancy ad deadly combat with government; most of them experience a sense of loss and de-humanization. Because of lack of plans, manipulation and greed, oil has become a malediction, a negative product. African economy is largely consumer-oriented because productivity is not encouraged in most countries. Competitions among people on religious, social and economic grounds have rendered them ignobly violence-prone. We are no producers, but consumers (of what others have produced).

Prophet T.B. Joshua of The SCOAN has made reference to the ills of this kind of economy, in one of his recent sermons. Of course, he had spoken to diverse media establishments, before now, on the vision of blood flowing on the streets; blood which should not be flowing for any reason whatever. He had told the world that hatred, jealousy, political mischief and political miscalculations would most often, lead to bloodshed. Blood is being shed, till now, by the militants in the Niger Delta, and the Boko Haram sect in the north. Such situations have also occurred in Ivory Coast, Libya, Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia. There are threats of Boko Haram’s likely invasion of Mali, too. Blood is flowing because of “struggles for power”, even when those who eventually secure power are not likely to invest progressively in human and mineral resources.

Joshua specifically addressed these issues, recently, when he challenged Africans to be producers rather than consumers, he asked why governments waste the vast resources in these countries “instead of using the minerals well”. He established, truthfully, that African governments and their functionaries engage in “collecting dollars and pounds” instead of “collecting technology” which should serve the scientific interests of the people. Such money (hard currencies) are continually wasted. To him, “nobody will embezzle money if mineral resources are exchanged for technology”. Should oil be exchanged for technology, corruption would have been eliminated, he said.

He had charged that Africans should have understood the secret of development by sending mineral resources (some of which are iron ore, gold, diamond, feldspar, talc, bitumen, bauxite, silver, bronze, etc) to Europe, USA and Asia in exchange for technology which could have been relevant to the mass of people, rather than money which go into the pockets of only a few people (a phenomenon which has rudely created class schism, exploitation, corruption, and insubordination in places). The people are marginalized, dispossessed, cheated, humiliated, and dehumanized by only a few, a viable source of existing violence in places, anchored on the “struggles for power”. While people complain to no end, the leaders keep on stealing, cheating, and exploiting the people. Joshua even prophesied that such “powerful” people would always be targeted by the unemployed and poor youth and the under-paid workers, and where would they run to, eventually?

According to the man of God, “dollars and pounds are not companies”. This is true of the African situation. Money received from exported mineral resources (including oil) were never (and are not) pushed back into serious technological and scientific essentials, which should benefit the young and old, men and women, especially in such areas of education, agriculture, health, social infrastructure, tourism, roads and bridges, electricity, water supply, rural development, and mass transportation. Joshua said, “it is not oil for money; it should be oil for technology”. Technology, in an age of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), should attract the commitment of any serious government in Africa.

Many authors, economists, social commentators, and public analysts have written extensively on the phenomenon of retarded economy in Africa. There are many ways in which the economy has reduced to rubbles tomes of economic managements and planning publications, because government functionaries have refused to practicalize progressive ways suggested by experienced people and institutions. Though the effects of the bad economy could be seen everywhere, we wish to illustrate with the health situation in Africa. Jimaze Ego-Alower in “A new Nigerian tribe is born?” (Daily Sun, May 5, 2011) had written in part that the decay in the medical industry “is supplied by and reinforced by the larger body decay. Our first duty is the reconstruction and reconstitution of the axial or platform structures, the state upon which all others may be planted, take root and be nursed to greatness”.

The health situation in Nigeria (and Africa) has always called for special act of interrogation because it has been a record of failures over the years. While the poor keep dying for lack of necessary medical attention, the rich often swiftly take to flying abroad for such attention, regardless of the monetary charges involved. It is common to see the financially accomplished moving out, by the next available flight, into such countries as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, Dubai, Lebanon, Germany, Russia and the USA, among others, for such infections as typhoid, cancer, HIV/AIDS, high blood pressure, liver problems, eye troubles, sickle cell anaemia and other diseases. But while this is so rampant in Africa, and In Nigeria in particular, most of the people involved do often die in the process, and their bodies packaged and flown back home, quite expensively.

The health situation in Africa is pathetically chaotic for many reasons. Health institutions (hospitals and clinics) are deeply cancerous as they are without drugs, personnel and infrastructural facilities to aid the acquisition of good health. The healthcare delivery system is defective because there are no basic healthcare materials, while there are problems with primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities. Medical cities only exist in name, and most university teaching hospitals are cocoons of infrastructural emptiness. There is lack of recognition for expertise in the medical field amongst the citizenry, and this has prompted quite a significant number of these to search for greener pastures in foreign countries. This situation applies to medical and para-medical staff, most of whom are gainfully employed in developed countries of the world. There is a absence of reliable dispensaries and effective mobile clinical services in parts of the federation. The rural communities are most affected. There is often absence of communication and transport facilities, which promotes the dearth of drugs and medical equipment in these places. Various statistics have existed on the massive, untimely deaths in different parts of the continent. A renowned medical expert in Kaduna, Nigeria who spoke to us recently said that “There is high material mortality among children. Pregnant women die every day in great numbers, and communicable diseases are breeding higher than before. Most government hospitals are indeed mortuaries, and you need to visit some of them already overgrown with weeds and inhabited by rodents and reptiles.  What do you call that? The system is unhealthy. And an unhealthy system cannot give birth to a healthy one”.

The Nigerian federal and states governments seem insensitive to the plight of the citizens as far as health is concerned. It is often alleged that some governments functionaries have expensive private hospitals established in foreign lands where they go, with their families, when in desperate health situations. Those without these do often corner government funds, meant for the provision of other services, to travel out to obtain good health. When such happens, government programmes and projects are abandoned, while higher levels of poverty and want are promoted. Musa Alhassan, a medical practitioner in Abuja told us: “Those with hefty foreign accounts do not fear ill-health because they have somewhere to run to. Their confidence is often rooted in this. There is lack of good leadership in medical establishments, and home-based medical practitioners are not being monitored for proficiency. The very good ones have since moved over to Egypt, Canada, USA, Cuba and other places where they get good pay for their services. My family members do not want me to move; I could have been in Germany since two years ago. Let’s face it. How could any man agree to be drenched with poverty if he has better alternatives? That is why Nigeria is empty now. I even pity those now in the medical schools. Their certificates will mean nothing after graduation. Do you know that some of them will turn out to be contractors visiting officers for contract? It is not a curse but the reality in the land”.

Equally, it has been observed that only very few Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) committed to health in Nigeria, exist to assist the government to realize its health policy objectives, and painfully governments at every tier have failed over the years to seriously invite home Nigerians who are making waves in foreign scenes, in the field of medicine. Some of such have even nationalized in those countries, and no effort is made to lure them home even when good resources, which the country possesses, could easily have made this possible. Equally, no serious efforts have been made to import sufficiently reliable medical gadgets and equipment, freely donated to existing medical centres around the country. Medical institutions are few in Nigeria, even when land, manpower and capital exist to make this possible in all states of the federation. The result is that the few available ones are over-crowded, ill-maintained and unattractive. Beddings and drugs are ever insufficient; and there is low morale among workers. Pilfering of drugs and poor maintenance of patients have often led to preventable deaths in most African countries.

One of the major challenges afflicting the health situation in Nigeria is the cheap availability of fake drugs, which has led NAFDAC to be engaged in wars with known and imaginary sponsors and monitors of same. Fake drugs are criminally promoted by desperate businessmen who import the out-dated and cheap drugs from foreign lands, in conspiracy with fake doctors. Thousands of young and old, men and women have been killed by such drugs, which are found in most pharmaceutical shops and medical centres in Nigeria. The drugs are being carefully packaged and imported through our porous borders, and with active connivance of some patriotic security agents. Dr Jumoke Adeboye, a government medical practitioner in Ibadan, explained her understanding of the situation: “The world of medicine in Nigeria, and Africa in general today, is dominated by false practitioners and fake drugs. It is very shocking that at the expense of people’s lives, some people manufacture fake drugs which are prominently in circulation, and killing thousands of our people. NAFDAC has been trying, but the war is multi-diversional and expanding. The rich onces are those responsible for it, and they have connections in places. Strong laws do not exist to do the battle for NAFDAC yet. Also, corruption is giving strength to the gory situation. Patients pay for virtually everything in the hospitals. Money meant for keeping the hospitals alive is often consumed by false functionaries of government. Nobody even remembers the rural hospitals. Indeed, in most clinics and hospitals, there is no electricity, water, maintenance culture and drugs. Some beds are so blood stained; and the environments are filthy. The toilets are out of the world. Some patients who could have survived actually died in the hospitals. Some trained midwives are not even employable. Students only do exams but are not able to utilize the experience to do medical work thereafter. How much are the state and federal governments committing to health in Nigeria? The situation is pathetic”.

To change the unfortunate situation in the country, it is obvious that a lot has to be done by governments, states and local, the Non-Governmental Organizations and individuals. First, budgets meant for health must be truly expended on same. Such budgetary spending must be monitored by special committees set up to pursue same, while accountability and prudence must be maintained. Professionals should be appointed to oversee ministries of health and health institutions so as to achieve excellence in service delivery, while undue interference by governments has to be checked.

Governments must renovate, equip and construct new structures where old ones are derelict and unattractive, and all necessary facilities must be installed. Such structures in the local government areas must be carefully attended to. Equally, all nursing and midwifery institutions, and medical colleges have to be upgraded to meet the required standards. Moreover, all health centres and general hospitals must be supplied with required personnel, equipment and drugs, while all existing ministries of health in Nigeria should be strengthened with necessary funds. The Private Public Participation (PPP) arrangements may be introduced by governments to achieve excellence in places. Indeed, medical Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) have to be strengthened to align with government policy objectives on health. The role played by such organizations like the Global Partnership for Maternal, New-born and Child Health (PMNCH), African Cancer Prevention Group (USA) and the Care People Foundation must be acknowledged. Such organizations must be dutifully promoted in Nigeria. Foreign-based Nigerian organizations and individuals who wish to contribute to solving medical problems in Nigeria should be awarded honours every year to serve as encouragement to others. Moreover, in the worlds of 34-years old Saleh Jibril Mohammed, a Lokoja-based medical practitioner, (Nigeria), “Public institutions have to be supported on issues of health promotion and enhancement. I learnt of the Skye Bank PLC’s donation of drugs worth 6 million naira to the government of Niger State in February, 2008. Banks, insurance companies, philanthropic organizations and religious bodies must be encouraged to support government programmes on health. The situation is almost getting out of control. Look at snake bites situation in Kaltunga and other places. People are dying every day. Vaccines are needed to combat polio and malaria, and fake drugs regime must be terminated now or never. There should also be free anti-natal and post-natal treatment, free cataract surgeries and free distribution of doses of Coartem to children to control malaria. There should also b attention paid to community midwifery. Equally, I suggest there should be a major Nigerian Health Summit organized by the federal Government to be attended by all stakeholders. This is the time for Goodluck Jonathan to put this into effect since he has won the presidential elections. We cannot afford to waste more time”, he said.

To improve the health situation in the country, it is established that there should be improvement in the training of healthcare providers; and there should be increased allocation for health to 15% of the total budget in line with WHO recommendations, while 10% is to be devoted to maternal and childcare. The media should also be used to advance the cause of maternal health programmes in Nigeria because ignorance is responsible for spreading diseases, and such enlightenment campaigns should not be limited to the issue of HIV/AIDS and cancer afflictions. It is also true that State Primary Health Development Agencies must be established in all local government areas of Nigeria; while functional health facilities with trained staff should be provided, as well as an integrated supervision system for healthcare centres. There should be improved referral system, to enhance good record keeping of statistics, and there should be improvement of girl-child education while there should be free Medicare for children, pregnant women and the aged. In the words of Saleh Mohammed again, “There should be attention paid to International Donor Partners (IDP) programmes and signing of MOU with foreign medical experts to provide HITECH Medical Services in the states of the federation”, he concluded.

Fajenyo and Patrick are Fellows of the Social Engineering research Institute (SERI) and authors.

 

Joshua, Malawi’s Banda and the Nigerian Connection: Matters Arising

Ezekiel Fajenyo and Sunday Patrick

The manner in which some readers of political situations in Africa, and elsewhere, respond to critically potential political events has often left much to be desired. Of a fact, some interpreters and analysts display more confusion and perplexity than the political players who have often pushed their territories to the valley of death.

Newly elected President Joyce Banda

Responses to the recent emergence of the woman activist and liberationist, Joyce Banda as President of Malawi, shortly after the demise of Bingu Mutharika (78), who died of cardiac arrest is an example of such. Banda had been his Vice President, but their relationship was sour, the type we had experienced in Nigeria between Atiku Abubakar and Olusegun Obasanjo (1999 – 2007). Such conflicts do happen at every level of government – local, state and federal, and in every society where people demonstrate interest in occupying positions of interest; such incidents are never ever without foundation. Personal interests, political ideologies, ethnic experience and religious differences have been known over the years to contribute to such actions. Contemporary politics is rich in diversity and like everything scientific, participants’ responses to situations have often been diverse, and understandably so.
The situation in Malawi should not have been unnecessarily read out of context.

It is significant to note that some funny characters have begun to read spiritual meanings, anchored on conspiracy theory, into the death of President Mutharika and the success of Banda, both of whom happened to be strong members of the T.B. Joshua led Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (The SCOAN). Common sense should make it obvious that Prophet Joshua could not have been dangerously instrumental to the political separation of the former president and his Vice, as good members of his church. Political differences are obviously not spiritual matters but issues which embrace sheer political affairs as seen in many countries all over the world. Even in Nigeria, state governors and their deputies have been known to tear at one another’s necks, just as in other African countries, even when they belong to the same political parties, ethnic groups and religious affiliations.

Prophet T.B. Joshua

If Joshua prophesied the death of the Malawian president, he has been known to correctly do this, over the years, not only of presidents, but also artists, professional lawyers, business gurus, statesmen, politicians, social activists, soldiers, media workers as could be seen in volumes 1 and 2 of the books – What the Future Holds (a journal of prophecies for the outgoing years given by T.B. Joshua). The books which are quite available, are according to the publishers, on “events which were to come, concerning individuals, nations and the world at large and reveal to all that Jesus Christ holds our future”; they are true revelations to a prophet who is known to let people “know God’s opinion about themselves” and of events which were to come, “concerning individuals, nations and the world at large and reveal to all that Jesus Christ holds our future”. The books can be very helpful to Joshua’s critics to know what true prophecies are, and what their significance equate to.

When Joshua spoke of the late Malawian president, some notoriously obsessed political juggernauts refused to understand his antecedents, and know that this man had made such revelations more than a hundred times over, before now. A reference to these books by any of such critics would reveal that T.B. Joshua is a genuine prophet, at work in Africa, straightforward, blunt, truthful, believable and unpretentious; there are evidences in his past prophecies that are akin his approach when speaking about the Malawian president.

But the issue goes beyond all these. Some people are beginning to read conspiratorially into the meeting between Joshua and Banda which eventually pushed off Mutharika from the political scene. What that is supposed to mean is difficult to establish. Professor Moyo, a Zanu PF minister, started it all when he said that Joshua’s involvement in the tragedy, “smacks more of a plot than a prophecy. One thing for sure is that there is no prophecy here but just a prediction if one is to give him a benefit of doubt”.

Such claims leave much to be desired. Joshua could not have had any specific interest in Malawi which could not be satisfied by the previous president and the present leadership. He could not have destroyed anybody’s life for any reason, whatsoever; what he said of the late president has been his prophetic trademark over the years. It is dangerous, therefore, for anybody to have created a selfish agenda from the so-called Banda/ Joshua controversy; it should indeed remain “a kind of wild goose chase” and has no potential to create tension anywhere in Africa; it cannot engineer violence and ethnic distrust in a country firmly gripped by widespread poverty. Poverty is one feature of most African countries, and political affirmations have not necessarily been built on platforms of truth, patriotism, discipline and passionate interest in moving the countries forward.

Mrs Banda’s immense popularity as a woman rights activist and critic of the past regime has been established. She founded her People’s Party (PP) which has protested “the feminization of poverty and her desire to tackle the menace”. Her emergence as president has been orchestrated by her deft political understanding and years of activism; Malawians trust her so much they brought her into governance as President. Banda is mature, focused, intelligent, courageous and understands the socio-political and economic realities of her home country. Being in government, she has urgently effected changes in the banking, media, police force, and ministries to attract people who are capable of introducing good fortunes into government. She has also pledged to re-unite with Zambia, as shown by her familiar talks with President Michael Sata. She had said, recently: “I spoke to President Sata of Zambia. We both committed ourselves to restore the cordial diplomatic relations between our two governments. It is important for us to improve and strengthen relations between our countries knowing how critical Zambia is to Malawi as a neighbor”. This president means business; she is focused and sincere, and Malawians do not centre attention on her religious life but what she is capable of achieving, based on what she had done in social, gender and political activism, over the years.

While Mrs Banda will make a good impression of herself as a rare politican and woman president in Africa, Joshua’s image as a believable end-time prophet cannot but only improve better with time!

 

TB Joshua: The Lessons Of C.S. Upthegrove’s Proclamations

Ezekiel Fajenyo & Sunday Patrick

A few days ago at The SCOAN, headquarters,Lagos, a world-acknowledged man of God from theUSA, Evangelist C.S. Upthegrove came to reveal God’s message to the congregation who were delighted to see him for the very first time inAfrica. Author, preacher, Bible expositor and well-travelled evangelist, Upthegrove, now 83, had come armed with God’s message to the world – a message of assurance, faith, devotion, sincerity of worship and trust in His power.

Evangelist C.S. Upthegrove With TB Joshua

Upthegrove stepped out before the expectant SCOAN congregation in grace, looking radiant and fulfilled. He burst into his biography which revealed a background of total dedication to the service of God for upward of some 65 years, teaching the Word of God and pointing people towards Jesus Christ.

A counterpart of the great names in the contemporary biblical world such as AA Allen, Oral Roberts and William Branham, Upthegrove displayed vibrancy and celestial energy which some had thought his age would not allow. His statements flew around like robust birds freshly bathed and he was full of power, enthusiasm and interest as he revealed his unique vision. He narrated what he was told by A.A. Allen in the 1960’s of a prophet who was to come and whose impact would be felt all over the world, far more than those of contemporary relevance.

"Miracle Man" - AA Allen

Upthegrove told the congregation that AA Allen had actually described The SCOAN to him, so graphically, prophesying that God would sustain his life to see the fulfilment of his message and enabling him to meet the person concerned. He had always prayed to the Lord to give him grace to visit the prophesied church and it’s General Overseer. Allen’s vision had come in a period in which technologies such as the internet, through which many have discovered Joshua’s ministry, had not even been conceived.

Allen was believable because he was thorough, self-disciplined, committed, passionate about God and saw visions which were shockingly true. He was used by God to heal and deliver people as seen in his church at Miracle Valley, Arizona, USA and the multiple worldwide crusades he conducted. His relevance was acknowledged as a committed teacher, devoted preacher and faith-inspirer. His visions were not ruled by gender, colourations or racial separatism; he knew that God belongs to the entire human race, wherever found.

One of the numerous books authored by God's general, Upthegrove

Upthegrove, a father of four children and married for 61 years to his wife, spoke gently and understandably, how he had further encountered several miraculous happening in The SCOAN, which he called “a holy ground” especially through his viewing of Emmanuel TV.

Having been encouraged by the power of God he witnessed on Emmanuel TV, a type matching that which Allen had told him about, this USA based evangelist became further convinced of the enormous potentials of the church and the moving prophetic gifts of Prophet T.B. Joshua. He was moved by the true prophecies which had transformed the lives of millions of people the world over; prophecies which had given people freedom, hope, faith and refreshing confidence in God.

God’s General, C.S. Upthegrove, who had successfully pastored AA Allen’s church as a minister, was also encouraged by the ministration of the wise men in the church. He recounted how seeing such power demonstrated reminded him of all he had witnessed through ministers of God such as Oral Roberts, AA Allen, William Branham and RW Shambach who he had the privilege to work with and know personally.

God had told the church – through Upthegrove – that T.B. Joshua is one of His prophets, one through whom God would use to give people from all over the world their deliverance, blessings, healings and salvation. He said God uses anything to touch the lives of people – sticks, stones, shadows and even dead men’s bones. That T.B. Joshua has been using water to do likewise is in consonance with God’s ability to be present in every matter of nature. The Anointing Water has been successfully used over the years to tear thekingdomofsatanapart, set people free from bondages and fasten people’s expectations on God.

After all, Elisha’s body gave life to the dead. Paul used his apron to do a lot of wonders in human communities. Moses used his stick to perform miracles. David used a stone to end the tyrannical arrogance of Goliath. Sticks ended the lives of some 600 Philistines. He has used all these ‘weapons’ to prove His power – power which cannot be explained by people.

Another unique aspect of his message has to do with his God given revelation that Joshua is one of the twelve end-time prophets in the world. This is a rare confirmation. Apostles, the world over, are in several millions, but God knows exactly the gifts He gives to each individual, if actually they are called! The end-time prophets are bound to face opposition, sometimes vicious, dangerous, poison-edged and evil-laced challenges and criticisms, the kind which T.B. Joshua has been exposed to over the years.

The critics, forgetting that the Creator needs no approval from the created to call His servants, have never stopped asking for T.B. Joshua’s tenure of mentorship, church membership and pastoral training and confirmation. To them, the mentorship of God is insufficient. It is as if they demand that God should come physically to anoint Joshua, even when the fruits from his ministry demonstrate HE is clearly the centre of his ministerial commitments. Critics question the use of water and stickers; they query the stretching of hands and even the use of the word ‘Emmanuel’. They are not satisfied that the true work of God is being done in the midst of people from all corners of the globe – America, Asia, Europe and Africa.

Upthegrove told the congregation to thank God, with him, for using T.B. Joshua in “delivering millions of people,” especially when ‘now faith’ is acknowledged. Miracles at The SCOAN are thorough, provable, and should therefore, not be condemned, desecrated and abused. The elderly man thanked God for allowing him to walk on holy ground, and to give to Joshua an edition of A.A. Allen’s Magazine (Miracle Magazine published in 1964), and personal stamp which was extensively used by Allen between 1965 and 1968.

The lesson’s of Upthegrove’s disclosures at The SCOAN are quite poignant. It is our firm conviction that Joshua is a true, anointed man of God, a disciple of God who has been so empowered to minister to the diverse needs of the human race. He is a symbol of God’s deep interest in the positive transformation of human souls in these last days. Upthegrove’s statements will assist to further galvanise people’s faith in God and improve the quality of their belief that with Him, nothing is impossible!

 

Links:

http://web.mac.com/ccig1/csupthegrove/Welcome.html (CS Upthegrove’s official website)

http://miraclevalley.org/index2.html

http://www.scoan.org/ (The SCOAN’s official website)