Simon Utsu|13 November 2017
I've just watched the viral video that was being condemned by the usual crowd who claimed RCCG members going to touch the chair used by Enoch Adeboye were guilty of idolatry. I watched the video and saw no one bowing to or genuflecting to the chair, all I saw was people stooping to touch the chair. So what's wrong with that? People please tell me?
In 2010 when I was a worker in a redeemed parish in the UK, I had privileged access to our parish Pastor's office. The general overseer visited our parish around October 2010. The chair he used was returned to the Pastor's office. I often sat on that chair to say a short prayer whenever I was in there alone. Believe it or not, Adeboye as a vessel of God moves around with a lot of grace. That in fact is unarguable. It's that grace that made immediate past British PM, Dave Cameron to go to him for prayers when he made a stopover in the UK some years back. That grace also led current PM, Theresa May to visit one of his parishes in London when she learnt he was coming over. These are people who don't take God seriously, yet they understand the mysteries of God.
As for whether it's biblical, I think if those who are peddling such arguments search the Bible deeper, they would see similar instances in the Book of Acts of the Apostles. In Acts 19 vs 12, we see how apostle Paul who was bestowed with so much grace sent handkerchiefs and aprons that he touched to the sick and diseased and they received instant healing! Moving back towards Acts 5 vs 15, we're told about the sick being healed by Peter who had an even higher level of grace (than Paul), just by his shadow being cast on them. We're told how people brought their sick and bedridden and laid them on the street just so Peter's shadow could fall on them as he passed by. And they did receive instantaneous healing.
BEING WARY OF FALSE Prophets (Based on a personal experience)
One can only be brainwashed by a pastor, prophet, priest etc if his/her focus is on the Pastor and not on God. A clergy should ONLY be seen as a vessel being used by God to manifest himself. That way, one can always respect and sometimes revere such a vessel but that's were it should stop.
Some eight years ago, I was in the middle of a severe storm in my life. The torture was beyond the physical so I was seriously searching for divine/spiritual solace and guidance. I rang a Calabar based 'strong man of God' who pastored a fast growing church and who was familiar with my family. He could hear the despair in my voice when I poured out to him, what I was going through (which to an extent, he was aware of), I only wanted him to give me the assurance that all would be well…and then from the other end, he blurted out these words, words that stung me so deep "have you sent in your tithes" and when I replied with a "No", he snapped
"You have my bank account details, when you send it and I get the alert, you can ring me", he then dropped the call.
To say I was thrown off balance is an understatement. It's not that I wasn't paying my tithes then, I was tithing, I was alternating the payments between church denominations by the month. This month could be redeemed, next month catholic, the other month, the church of the Pastor (who had just dropped the phone on me) which I've decided not to mention because I don't even know if it still exists.
That was the day I decided to stop focusing on men of God and permanently direct my focus on the God of man.
Needless to say, I cut off ties totally with that particular man who was often referred to as "Evangelist" and "Prophet" by his followers.
That ugly experience didn't in anyway stop me from believing in God, in fact, it even brought me closer to him and made me understand Him better. It also made me understand and appreciate better, Matthew Chapter 7:15 (Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves).
It also didn't deter me from giving my tithes.
Simon Utsu
Is a Social Commentator
