This is a story that happened quite some time ago, but God hadn’t released me to write it yet. I now know why after what was revealed to us in the Kimilili Women’s conference. This story is a little long, so bear with me as I tell it. I will be giving four examples of how a leader or pastor can destroy a church and potentially lead his sheep astray.
When I first arrived to Nakuru, I was asked to preach at a daughter church in a city called Salgaa. I was so excited about the flock I would be speaking to, but not so excited to give my first sermon. They told me of the reputation of Salgaa, it was a halfway point between Nairobi and Eldoret, the 5th largest town in Kenya. It is a town that people say with disgust, as it is a town where many prostitutes work. It is full of alcoholics and addicts. There are gangs of women that will attack men if they are walking alone, rape them, rob them and then proceed to kill them. There really isn’t much else to Salga except for a few restaurants, bars, and a flower farm (a big export commodity in Kenya is fresh flowers).
At the end of the service we had an alter call and asked if anyone needed prayer. The bishop told me to come up and pray for people. The anointing fell after Missionary Ann prayed for the church, which was after I spoke and she gave the alter call. As I was praying for one young teen, the spirit told me to pray for her mother to receive Christ to which she began sobbing and wailing. The next woman I went to pray for fell the moment my hand touched her head. God was in the house! Boy did HE showed up! GLORY Bwena Asifewe!
After the service, the girl that was wailing invited all the women in the ministry to come over to her house for something to drink. So quickly about six of us walked to this girl’s house, it was on a very large compound that used to be a travel resort or motel of sorts. The house we went to was the servant’s quarters, and were told it was her grandmother’s and she took care of the children. There were many other children around the compound taking baths or playing football. We had some orange drink that was a little watered down then we prayed blessings on the house. She proceeded to ask if we could go to another home and meet her mother as she lived on a different property. We walked into the home and I was amazed. The floors looked like they were marble and the furniture was very expensive and luxurious. Three of us discerned in the spirit right away that this home was a brothel and her mother was one of the prostitutes. We met her prayed and left. The girl was so grateful that we came to her home and was able to meet her mother.
After we returned to the church there was a meeting between the Bishop, his team, the Pastor at Salgaa, and the elders of the church. See there had been many problems at Salgaa. After a crusade there where one hundred souls came to know the Lord, the Pastor’s wife began to chase people away from the church by reminding them of their past. She would accuse people and bring up the former things of their past. If they were still walking without completely purity she would tell them how horrible they were. So the number of the church decreased by 75%. She did not LOVE the flock as we are called to do. Bishop was trying to train up the Pastor, so he was giving grace to that Pastor trying to help him to control his wife.
Bishop Madadi told the Pastor he would continue to bring in other people into the church to give the sermon until issues in the church were resolved. This had been going on for two months and the church continued to decrease in numbers. The church at Salgaa was also experiencing financial difficulties as they were behind in rent for at least eight months. The pastor there expected the main church to bail them out, versus try to raise their own money. An elder also left the church because the wife was aggressive and abusive to him and his family. So the meeting was interesting to say the least.
These same issues continued for a couple more months regardless the warnings of removal from the pulpit if another harsh report was shared about the pastor or his wife. Needless to say he and his wife chose to continue to walk in disobedience to the word of God and abuse the flock. Then Pastor Machio called the Pastor from Salgaa into the Nakuru office along with the elder from the church who was being attacked by the pastor and his wife. He explained how there must be forgiveness and reconciliation within the leadership of th church. The Pastor refused to forgive, which is forbidden in the bible.
If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” ~ John 20:23
Therefore they had to ask the Pastor to leave the church.
Another situation that destroys a church happened in Kimilili. God delivered a young woman after He revealed to His servants that she was suicidal. He also revealed to us that when she shared it with an elder counselor in the church, they told her that she may no longer serve by singing on the praise and worship team. She had only expressed that she had a “thought” of taking poison. I can see an elder telling a person who is actively sinning in a servant role to step down, but NOT for a thought.
It would have been a different scenario if a servant was walking in sin, for instance adultery. For instance I know if a deacon who was cheating on his wife. Many in the church knew, but the wife did not know anything. What the flock should have done in this situation is share with an elder, and that elder should have been wise enough to ask that deacon to immediately move from that position. Sadly this deacon was in charge of the marriage ministry in the church. But to tell a member of the flock they must step down for a “thought” is NOT biblical and it is a quick way to KILL a spirit. If that elder allowed that woman to continue to sing on the praise and worship team, it would play a huge part of her deliverance of that spirit. To praise our God would help break the bondage of that spirit of suicide. In addition for an elder to condemn a person for a thought, versus an action, when they trusted the church enough to come to it with counsel, is not the way to build up a church. Anyway she was healed, released and delivered. Bwena Asifewe!
A final and third situation involves a church where the Pastor and his wife continued to counsel a member that they believed the son of another member who committed suicide was in heaven. They knew that member seeking counsel was suicidal, but they continued to tell this member something that isn’t in the bible. That is why we as the flock are challenged to test the spirits.
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.~1 John 4:1
You can’t ask God for forgiveness for a sin you haven’t sinned yet. God does NOT grant you pre-forgiveness! You can’t ask him for forgiveness as you are in the process of committing ANY SIN. The process is you fall, you feel bad about it, THEN you repent which means you never do it again. If you continue to struggle in that sin, you ask God to help you not to sin. This is done through prayer and the washing/cleansing by the water of the word. It is a process called the gift of sanctification.
The same thing goes for churches that do not preach the entire truth, or a watered down truth. They tell you that its ok to continue to walk in sin, God loves you anyway! NO we must teach people that they MUST always strive for righteousness everyday. Remember, JESUS IS COMING FOR A SPOTLESS BRIDE!!!
So many people love the verse:.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.~Romans 8:1-2
They seem to ignore the fact there a comma separates an action which is followed by a condition that must be fulfilled in order to receive that action. See in that verse the action there is no condemnation with the condition that you walking in the Spirit. When you are walking in the Spirit you put into the practice of sanctification with a contrite heart, and in that process God will deliver you! He will change you from glory to glory!
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Cor 3:18
Church we must be careful how we are to walk in leadership or pastoral roles. Remember, THEIR blood is on YOUR hands if you are teaching doctrine that goes against the word of God.
For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things. ~Isaiah 59:3
Oh and let’s not get into how you are accountable, if you are a false teacher or preacher. See at times, those chapters scare me so deeply, that I don’t want anything to do with a leadership role. Please take the time to read Jer 23 and 2 Peter 2. If you are teaching a group or leading a church you better make sure that your doctrine, teachings, preachings, prophecy line up with the word of God because you are ACCOUNTABLE.
“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. ~ Jer 23:1
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell,[a] putting them in chains of darkness 2 Pet 2:4
These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity~~2 Pet 2:17-19
They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them... Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.... In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. 2 Pet 2:1-3
CHURCH QUIT TICKLING THE EARS OF YOUR FLOCK AND PREACH TRUTH !!!
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