THE ILLS OF PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHING; A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY BY A PROFESSOR OF MODERN THEOSOPHY

BEWARE OF PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHERS

THE ILLS OF PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHING; A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY BY A PROFESSOR OF MODERN THEOSOPHY

A Synoptic Version of

"SANCTION ALL PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHERS

By:

Rev. Prof. J. J. Kenez, D.Sc.

The Vessel of the Holy Spirit of God, the Creator of the Universe

INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT

Founded in 1990, is an interdisciplinary socio-cultural organisation for modern religionists and natural scientists that desire a self- fulfilled life spiced with spiritual devotion, wisdom and peace of mind.

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ISBN: 987 - 9785634 - 007 - 3

© 2005 … Rev. Prof. J. J. KENEZ

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NOTA BENE

Quotations in this Discourse are from "Good News Bible", or NIV, just like this one:

Isa 1:18

18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD.

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

A CALL FOR RE-DIRECTION IS DR KENEZ EXISTENTIAL PREFACE FOR WORLD PEACE

My dear people of God, great grandsons of Adam by obedience to natural laws, and grandsons of Abraham by faith and my ardent followers of Jesus Christ, the time is ripe for everyone to rethink and repudiate the aberrations in the theory and practice of Christianity of the 21st century! It is self evident that we have all derailed and are in dire need of an urgent internal auditing of our moral standards and social ethics in the light of reason and social justice respectively.

Can we honestly claim that all the preachers that today, parade as pastors and priests are actually servants of Almighty God and of the Lord Jesus? If one truly remembers the fervent warnings of the apostles Peter and Paul in their letters, one can easily, identify "the wolves in sheep's clothing" masquerading as ‘born-again' Christians among us today! Refresh your mind by reading 2nd Peter 2: vv. 1 - 3:

·         "False prophets appeared in the past among the people, and in the same way false teachers will appear among you. They will bring in destructive, untrue doctrines, and will deny the Master who redeemed them, and so they will bring upon themselves sudden destruction. Even so, many will follow their immoral way; and because of what they do, others will speak evil of the Way of Truth. In their greed, these false teachers will make a profit out of telling you made-up stories. For a long time now their Judge has been ready, and their Destroyer has been wide awake!"

Or read 1st Timothy 1: vv. 3 - 7:

·         "I want you to stay in Ephesus, just as I urged you when I was on my way to Macedonia. Some people there are teaching false doctrines, and you must order them to stop. Tell them to give up those legends and those long lists of ancestors, which only produce arguments; they do not serve God's plan, which is known by faith. The purpose of this order is to arouse the pure love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience and a genuine faith. Some people have turned away from these and have lost their way in foolish discussions. They want to be teachers of God's law, but they do not understand their own words or the matters about which they speak with so much confidence." 

Mundane materialism is on the increase as these false healers continue to pauperise those who seek signs and wonders to alleviate their health problems. Priests, pastors and bishops drive limousines today, whereas their Master Jesus walked the unpaved roads and pathways of Palestine ignoring horses and chariots! At the same time, bestial concupiscence ensures that sexual immorality is the order of the day. Whereas Mary of Magdala wept at the feet of the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair, current day prostitutes camouflaged as ‘born-again sisters' ensnare and demonise our equally promiscuous ‘men of god' with debauchery and sex scandals! Theatrical subterfuge has reached its highest point, as gluttony is eulogised. The current spate of prosperity preaching is a case in point! Who can redeem us from these demonic onslaughts on traditional ethos, norms and mores as well as Christian piety in the guise of modernism?

It is only this timely interdenominational forum formed by Rev. Prof. J. J. Kenez! I do not intend to pre-empt what the Rev. Professor has in stock for you in this masterpiece of evangelical satire, but it is relevant to remind you not to fall into the error of thinking that all glittering objects are gold! Far from it! One needs to have faith in the power of the Almighty Father to come to his rescue before any genuine healing is bestowed on such a faithful one! No human has the power to heal the sick or exorcise demons! It is only through his Holy Spirit that the Almighty God chooses the medium, which he uses. It could be a man or a woman using a simple prayer, a cup of drinking water, the rubbing of olive oil or simply the laying of hands! But the vessel to be used must be pure and holy. Moreover, no true healer ever charges fees or extorts money for his services! The good ones always tell the recipient to praise God! I wish you God's blessings as you read, digest and act on the contents of this book. It is an invitation to genuine repentance. It is a call for re-direction!

             Dr. Jideofo Kenechukwu Danmbaezue, D. Psych., O. S. S

1.1 AN OVERVIEW OF THE SCENARIO

Every Wednesday night of the past decade has been a nightmare for the residents of GRA within a kilometre of the Park Lane Hospital in Enugu Urban. Even those of us living three kilometres away, across the Ekulu River, hardly sleep due to the blaring of super sonic loud speakers reeling off a cacophony of religious songs all through the night. The din is not only nauseating but also fanatical and puerile.

As early as 5.00 p.m. every Wednesday evening, the pilgrims start trooping from the Four Corners of the wind. By 7.00 p.m. a riotous motley of fanatics, mystics, neurotics, schizophrenics, the barren, the widowed, the blind, the deaf, the crippled and the chronic spinsters or bachelors assemble for a "Holy Ghost Fire Night!" The craze for abundance in wealth and/or material things of life mistakenly identified as miracles, easily called "signs and wonders" is the latest fad among worshippers of all religions, as well as, Christians of all denominations. If there is any ecumenism that is non-sectarian today, it is to be found among the less privileged seeking for divine healing, the pauperised Christians seeking easy access to prosperity and increment of their meagre salaries through rapid promotions in the civil service or the private sector of the depressed economy. Birds of different plumage sink their dissimilarities and opposing doctrines if only it would guarantee them spiritual relief and the emotional ecstasy the weekly night vigil provides. All over the country, such religious spectacles have become a recurrent decimal in the theory and practice of Christianity since the advent of the American version of Pentecostalism. It soon found loyal associates and solidarity in the company of Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement (CCRM), the Evangelic Fellowship of the Anglican Communion (EFAC), the Christian or Scripture Union (CU or SU) and a host of such other syncretic organisations within the Christian Community nation-wide! Over three thousand exotic names of mushroom churches exist today!

The undue craze for signs and wonders: a.k.a. deliverance, healing, exorcism, miracles or divine cures and the proliferation of healers of all descriptions and their healing centres is the eight wonder of the world or even the universe! Miracle seekers troop from one crusade ground to another not minding the travel expenses to and from these centres that often are separated by more than five hundred kilometres! These journeys into the unknown, the unbudgeted-for pilgrimages and their feeding bills further dwindle the lean resources of these paupers! "Don't worry!" they exclaim, "God will always provide!" Some are ready to do "dry" fasting for fourteen days or even longer not minding their poor health status, all in the name of getting divine favours! Most of these fanatical miracle-seekers are not only ignorant and confused but are misguided by their greedy pastors who fleece them all in the name of signs and wonders. These brothers / sisters of ours desperately need counselling, re-education and redemption from their hypnotised mental status and the indoctrination of their fake prosperity preaching pastors.

Jesus, our Lord and Master, was not born into a wealthy family or an upper social class nor did he envy those who were! Do you remember the rich young man he asked to "Go sell all you have and come follow me"? The righteous youth left dejected! Moreover, Jesus went further by commenting on how more difficult it would be for the rich to enter the kingdom, stating that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle! Read the gospels of Matthew 19: vv. 16 - 30, Mark 10: vv. 17 - 30 and Luke 18: 18 - 30. Do not read this booklet any further without doing so! You will be glad you did!

There must be some demonic mass hysteria or occult hypnotism or juju powers involved in today's craze for prosperity among Christians who will do anything abominable to be rich and comfortable! This is the diabolical reason why most greedy pastors and healers would go to native doctors, worship any idol and perform any rituals in search of demonic powers to demonstrate signs and wonders! Some use magical handkerchiefs, others a wave of the hand and yet some blow some air in the direction of their victims who fall down mimicking prostration under the power of the Holy Spirit! This is what this book sets out to unravel. Then, an attempt will be made to straighten out the false indoctrination that has for long kept the congregation hypnotised by this new brand of healers who drive limousines whereas their flock trek the crusade grounds and the very streets of the cities they have converted into their financial empires!

All manners of publicity gimmick, subliminal advertising tricks, blatant trade and cut-throat commerce are now employed by our psychedelic nouveau-riche crusade preachers to ‘fleece the flock and pay the ladies'! Many now make wild claims to signs and wonders performed ‘in the name of Jesus' often tagged deliverance, healing, exorcism and miracles. Money change hands after such magical demonstrations!

Jesus forewarned us of such fake miracle workers! "Freely have you received, so give freely" he cautioned his disciples! We must be wary or else get deceived by these sons and daughters of Satan who parade as miracle workers. We need to remind ourselves of what Our Lord Jesus said about most of these fake workers of signs and wonders! "I do not know you" he said he would tell them at the judgement day when they would try to prove their loyalty by asserting that they cured, healed and cast out demons in his name!

This time around, we want to expose the tricks and falsehood in so many pretences at or spurious claims to exorcism, deliverance or healing! Read THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH, Chapters 23 & 24, and you will see that false claims to speaking on behalf of God had always been there. God hates any fake prophet, priest or pastor who deceives his people! Verse 11 of Chapter 23 sums up God's verdict:

v.11: The Lord says, "The prophets and the priests are godless;

I have caught them doing evil in the Temple itself.

v.12: The paths they follow will be slippery and dark;

I will make them stumble and fall. I am going to bring disaster on them; the time of their punishment is coming.

I, the Lord have spoken

Read all the way down, and take note of very interesting verses e.g.

v. 31: Listen to what I, the Lord, say! I am against the prophets who tell their dreams that are full of lies. They tell these dreams and lead my people astray and their boasting I did not send them or order them to go, and they are of no help at all to the people. I, the Lord have spoken."

I have nothing to add to those Old Testament prophecies, except that I will unmask these false preachers within the confines of this short conference paper. This resume is actually only an appetiser to the main course meal, "SANCTION ALL PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHERS" a 250-page book, that you can purchase outside this hall now! ‘Bon apetit!'

1.2 DIVINE HEALERS CHARGE NO FEES

It will be most rewarding for miracle seekers and their equally false and avaricious healers who see it as a money - spinning exercise to refresh their minds with the life and times of two Old Testament prophets; Elijah and Elisha. You should read in detail all the miracles they performed and list out for yourselves how many were paid for! Most prosperity preachers flaunt their ability to hypnotise their listeners with charms they got from juju-doctors and seek material rewards for their abracadabra. However, they need be reminded that genuine healers never ask for any rewards at all!

I will reproduce here only "THE HEALING OF A GENERAL OF THE SYRIAN ARMY" from my favourite Good News Bible edition (GNB) for its clarity of thought, for those who are not conversant with the Christian Bible and for our discussion to be not only meaningful but objective and persuasive! Read the whole contents of 2nd Kings 5:

"Naaman Is Cured

v.1: Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, was highly respected and esteemed by the king of Syria, because through Naaman the Lord had given victory to the Syrian forces. He was a great soldier, but he suffered from a dreaded-skin disease.

v.2: In one of their raids against Israel, the Syrians had carried off a little Israelite girl, who became a servant of Naaman's wife.

v.3: One day she said to her mistress, Ï wish that my master could go to the prophet who lives in Samaria! He could cure him of his disease."

v.4: When Naaman heard of this, he went to the King and told him what the girl had said.

v.5: The king said, "Go to the king of Israel and take this letter to him." So Naaman set out, taking thirty thousand pieces of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of fine clothes.

v.6: The letter that he took read: "This letter will introduce my officer Naaman. I want you to cure him of his disease."

v.7: When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and exclaimed, "How can the king of Syria expect me to cure this man? Does he think that I am God, with the power of life and death? It is a plain that he is trying to start a quarrel with me!"

v.8: When the prophet Elisha heard what had happened, he sent word to the king: "Why are you so upset? Send the man to me, and I'll show him that there is a prophet in Israel!"

v.9: So Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and stopped at the entrance to Elisha's house.

v. 10: Elisha sent a servant out to tell him to go and wash himself seven times in the River Jordan, and he would be completely cured of his disease.

v.11: But Naaman left in a rage, saying, "I thought that he would at least come out to me, pray to the LORD his God, wave his hand over the diseased spot, and cure me!

v.12: Besides, aren't the rivers Abana and Pharpar, back in Damascus, better than any river in Israel? I could have washed in them and been cured!"

v.13: His servants went up to him and said, "Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it, Now why can't you just wash yourself, as he said, and be cured"

v.14: So Naaman went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had instructed, and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy, like that of a child.

v.15: He returned to Elisha with all his men and said, "Now I know that there is no god but the God of Israel; so please, sir, accept a gift from me."

v.16: Elisha answered, "By the living Lord, whom I serve, I swear that I will not accept a gift." Naaman insisted that he accepts it, but he would not.

v.17: So Naaman said, "If you won't accept my gift, then let me have two mule-loads of earth to take home with me, because from now on I will not offer sacrifices or burnt-offerings to any god except the LORD.

v.18: So I hope that the Lord will forgive me when I accompany my king to the temple of Rimmon, the god of Syria, and worship him. Surely, the LORD will forgive me!

v.19: "Go in peace," Elisha said. And Naaman left.

v.20: He had gone only a short distance when Elisha's servant Gehazi said to himself, "My master has let Naaman get away without paying a thing! He should have accepted what that Syrian offered him. By the living LORD, I will run after him and get something from him."

v.21: So he set off after Naaman. When Naaman saw a man running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him, and asked, "Is something wrong?"

v.22: "No," Gehazi answered. "But my master sent me to tell you that just now two members of the group of prophets in the hill-country of Ephraim arrived, and he would like you to give them three thousand pieces of silver and two changes of fine clothes."

v.23: "Please take six thousand pieces of silver," Naaman replied. He insisted on it, tied up the silver in two bags, gave them and two changes of fine clothes to two of his servants, and sent them on ahead of Gehazi.

v.24: When they reached the hill where Elisha lived, Gehazi took the two bags and carried them into the house. Then he sent Naaman's servants back.

v.25: He went back into the house, and Elisha asked him, "Where have you been?" "Oh, nowhere, sir, " he answered.

v.26: But Elisha said, "Wasn't I there in the spirit when the man got out of his chariot to meet you? This is no time to accept money and clothes, olive-groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, or servants!

v.27: And now Naaman's disease will come upon you and your descendants will have it for ever!" When Gehazi left, he had the disease-his skin was as white as snow."

All quotations in this Discourse are from "Good News Bible", or NIV, just like this one:

Isa 1:18

18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD.

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

(That is the end of the story)

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSES OF WHAT TRANSPIRED:

1.       Like all earthly kings, the Syrian king thought it was the king of Israel who should have all the powers! To date, megalomania is and will remain the foolhardiness of those in positions of authority, be they traditional rulers, governors, presidents, pastors, priests or bishops.

2.       The king of Israel gave a worldly meaning to the letter. Since he was afraid of the all-conquering king, he translated the letter correspondingly. If only he had been spiritual and humble, he should have known that a great prophet of the God of his nation lived nearby. However, no, that was not government business. Elisha was not an important dignitary worthy of note in his kingdom. It is the same today. Most temporal authorities never recognise their spiritual counterparts because they know that they can always buy their services! Our religious men must be above board to earn the respect of our civil leaders, just as Elisha refused the material gifts that Naaman tried to give him in appreciation. How many of our present religious men and women would be resolute as Elisha was?

3.       Read verses 12 & 13 now and the truth is clear! These temporal rulers expect royal receptions by religious ones, while the reverse is always the case when it is their turn to receive you at their army headquarters or government houses. Well, the ball is in our court to sweep our house clean by dismissing bootlickers among the vainglory-seeking pastors of our generation.

4.       Now re-read verse 10 and appreciate the simple manner great prophets deal with people of all classes. They do not discriminate nor do they give preferential treatments; v. 10: Elisha sent a servant out to tell him to go and wash himself seven times in the River Jordan, and he would be completely cured of his disease. You have to earn respect by recognising that you are serving the King of Kings, and therefore pay little or no attention to earthly ranks and social statuses!

5.       Note again, how pride and social status consciousness often make us lose our reasoning capabilities! Read verses 11 - 14. Can you see that ordinary servants and may be, in this case soldiers of lower ranks were more intelligent than a G.O.C. Remember that Field Marshall Naaman was commanding the entire armed forces of Syria. Our archbishops, bishops, superintendents or overseers of the various denominations in today's Christendom can gain some wisdom therefrom. You must, occasionally, humble yourself and accept good counsel from your juniors. Your rank or position does not equate to intelligence! Wisdom is a divine gift!

6.       How many religious leaders of this avaricious generation could refuse the material gifts as Prophet Elisha did? The genuine answer is NO ONE! No, not even the author of this very book! "WHY?" you may ask. We are products of a society that places undue premium on material possessions; flashy cars, colourful robes and public adulation! Re-read verses 15 & 16 and appreciate the very words of "the man of God", but today we have those who like to be addressed as men of God without the attributes associated with the appellation!

7.       Note the complete conversion of the heathen Naaman, and his pleading in advance that the Lord forgives him whenever he had to accompany his king to the temple and bow along to his nation's idol! That is the mark of a good soldier; a demonstration of strict discipline and unflinching loyalty to civil authority despite religious differences with others! Were it in our generation, there would have been a "coup de état" and a spurious litany of reasons to justify the change of guards! This would normally be followed by lengthy congratulatory messages in the electronic media and paid advertorials in all the national dailies! All these fanfares were strictly prohibited by genuine prophets and Jesus Christ himself!

8.       Verses 20 & 21 depict the thinking of our generation of current prosperity preachers! Then take note of the premeditated lies that our nouveau-riche religious assistants can equally forge! Verses 22 & 25 represent what goes on in many churches today. There seems to be a rat race for money and whatever money can buy! Accountants and financials secretaries on many religious committees collude to siphon mission funds atimes with pastors or priests as accomplices! These disciples of Satan have invaded our congregations and traditional honesty in Igboland, as well as, family integrity has become old-fashioned! Ha-ba, Christianity!

9.       Then comes the grand finale of this theosophical homily as is embedded in this auspicious story: "TRANSFERENCE OF THE LEPROSY" which I think is the lesson of the whole eventful narrative. Our priest and pastors should learn from what happened to the greedy and lie-spinning servant of the man of God - Gehazi. I, however, do not share the punishment extended to his innocent children and subsequently their entire posterity! The lesson should however not be lost by us, namely, that our actions as parents may inflict generational curses on our offspring even today! Permit me to sign off on this note!

·         If you have access to the "Gift & Award Edition of NEW LIVING TRANSLATION" you will notice that it gives verses 20 - 27 a separate sub-heading that says it all: "THE GREED OF GEHAZI". This truly brings out the lesson of the story. Some greedy healers should realise that often they take on the infirmities they pretend to have chased away from those who paid them for the healing.

·          BEWARE;GOD'S GIFTS ARE NOT SALE!

·       

	IF  YOU WANT THE FULL BOOK AT $100 CONTACT  THE AUTHOR: saintkenez@yahoo.co.uk

THE SAME TRANSFER OF ALL MANNER OF INFIRMITY SHALL COME ON ALL THOSE WHO DEMAND GRATIFICATION FOR THE FREE GIFT OF GOD'S MIRACLES THESE DAYS!

1.3 PROSPERITY PREACHERS-SATAN'S DISCIPLES

Again reading about the narrative of the rich young man from the gospel of Mark 10, vv. 17 - 30 nails the coffin on the current craze for riches, easy life and luxury embarked on by greedy evangelists who are out to build their financial empires by deceiving so many! They will refer to the material possessions of Abraham to substantiate their spurious claims that prosperity is a birthright of God's children.

Clever magicians that they are, they only quote portions of the Bible that suit their purposes as their lord and master, Satan, the deceiver did when he tempted Jesus Christ in the desert after the latter's forty days and forty nights dry fasting! Why do they hide those parts of the Bible that demonstrate that even the birds of the air had nests but the Lord Jesus had no place to lay his head? In addition, a burial place had to be hired also for he had no grave at death?

For his Passover meals he always hired the homes of others, for his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he loaned a donkey and for his burial Joseph of Arimethea had no option than to donate to the relatives of his Master his own precious sepulchre carved out of stone. Though Jesus, the Christ, was not born into a rich family, was not a rich carpenter before he started his ministry, was not wealthy despite healing so many, he died the most humiliating of death but was buried as a rich man! The message is lost to these prosperity gospel-preachers who are truly the disciples of Satan, who tempts us with gluttony, wealth and power.

Jesus lived his whole life doing good for both the rich and the poor, he never received gifts from those he healed nor from the relatives of those he raised from death and finally he died for our salvation by suffering the most painful scourges that any human can endure. Yet these newly demented, psychopathic and psychedelic preachers proclaim that Christianity should be all pleasure and no suffering, all sweet and no bitter, all enjoyment and no pain! This is utter nonsense and a theology right from the darkest pit of hell! Surely, they are Satan's disciples!

Again, for the ease of analysis and gainful discourse I reproduce here verbatim what is recorded in the portion of the New Testament quoted above. You may have a different version, but this is from GNB edition:

"The Rich Man

v.17: As Jesus was starting on his way again, a man ran up, knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?"

v.18: "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. "No one is good except God alone.

v.19: You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely; do not cheat; respect your father and your mother.'"

v.20: "Teacher," the man said, "ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commandments."

v.21: Jesus looked straight at him with love and said, "You need only one thing, Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me."

v.22: When the man heard this, gloom spread over his face, and he went away sad, because he was very rich.

v.23: Jesus looked round at his disciples and said to them, "How hard it will be for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God!"

v.24: The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus went on to say, "My children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!

v.25: It is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle."

v.26: At this the disciples were completely amazed and asked one another, "Who, then, can be saved?"

v.27: Jesus looked straight at them and answered, "This is impossible for man, but not for God; everything is possible for God."

v.28: Then Peter spoke up, "Look, we have left everything and followed you."

v.29: "Yes," Jesus said to them, "and I tell you that anyone who leaves home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the gospel will receive much more in this present age.

v.30: He will receive a hundred times more houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-*and persecutions as well; and in the age to come he will receive eternal life.

v.31: But many who now are first will be last, and many who now are last will be first."

(*The asterisk above, is mine and is there for emphasis, since most of our priests/pastors/ preachers often omit this phrase deliberately. This outright misrepresentation is actually what leads to prosperity gospel preaching!)

TRANSCENDENTAL ANALYSES

Since many evangelists miss the spiritual lessons of the Lord Jesus in this narrative, it would be necessary to handle the analyses in their order of priority rather than sequentially. I hope you will understand me!

1.      Have you ever noted the full import of the statement in verse 24:

·         "The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus went on to say, My children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God"!We all know that most of the apostles were married men who were older than Jesus Christ was in chronological age. At least Peter, was definitely older than him, yet he included him in the reference;"My Children!" To get the transcendental inference of that statement, you must go back to verse 14 of that chapter. That is your homework! No spoon-feeding this time around! Only wise children of God will be able to decipher the truth in it!

2.      Oh! How I wish that today's preachers could reflect more seriously on what Jesus Christ said in verse 18. There is no need giving his statement of a fact any hyper-theological interpretation! Take it literally; "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. "No one is good except God alone." Did you notice the exceptional humility of Jesus there? ‘I am not good! Talk less of being a good teacher! I am only human for now and therefore can never be that good! Only God the Father, the Almighty Creator, is good at all times!' This is exactly the import of his declaration here!

3.      It is time we appreciated the fact that Jesus never claimed divinity while he was on earth! Read the entire contents of John 17, notingverse 3, where he states clearly that he was only an ambassador; "And eternal life means knowing you, the only true God, and knowing Jesus Christ, whom you sent." A representative or a deputy is never the same as the substantive personality. He was never, was not and will never be equal to God the Father!

4.      See his confirmation of this analysis in Matthew 24, vv. 32 -44, specifically verse 36. It is translated in the same manner in Mark 13, vv. 32 - 37. The verse clearly states that Christ as a Son did not know the day or hour of the last judgement. Only God, the Father, knew!

·         "v. 36: No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come-neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows."

As an emphasis, only Mark adds what Jesus said as a recapitulation, "v. 33: Be on the watch, be alert, for you do not know when the time will come…." Read on and on to verse 37, which concludes thus; "What I say to you, then, I say to all: WATCH!"

·         This additional information on what Jesus said is corroborated again in Matthew 24, vv. 36 - 44. Read and meditate on the whole of Chapter 24. This was the basis on which Paul stated in one of his epistles that Jesus, the Christ, did not cling to his divine nature but rather he emptied himself and took on the nature of man. He humbled himself further even to the most cruel and ignominious death of hanging on a cross!

·         Again, compare these with what is stated in Luke 17, vv. 26 - 30 and 34 - 36. In none of the narratives did Jesus refer to himself as the Son of God. Rather he repeatedly called himself the "Son of Man" more than ten times in all these passages!

·         Therefore, the lesson I am driving at is that Jesus, the earthly carpenter attained divinity by conscientious spiritual exercises and extreme sacrifices on his part to earn the title "Son of God". His personal name that the angel announced was "Emmanuel" i.e. "God with us" translated to "Jesus" its Greek equivalent.

·         "Christ" is a title he earned! It was not bestowed on him. You too can earn it. You are fully equipped to do so right from birth, but due to misinterpretations by half-baked pastors and priests dishing out non-Jewish manufactured and patented theologies, we have all derailed from the truth! Thus being fed with the wrong indoctrination from our childhood, we have all lost the zeal to emulate him and even the motivation to try!

5.      Now let us come back to the fundamentals. How many of the self-righteous followers of Christ today would have done what this rich man did! Run? Kneel down? A rich man of today running after an itinerant, scantily clothed, poor and non-formally educated pastor requesting a homily? Impossible! Not in our own lifetime! Nevertheless, there it was! The narrative records the behaviour of the man thus:

·         As Jesus was starting on his way again, a man ran up, knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?" If it were today, the question would have been "What must I do to become a millionaire?" or "What will I do to win more government contracts?" or better still "What must I do to be promoted in my office?"

·         All the prosperity gospel-preachers would daily kneel in secret and pray that such rich men ran to them instead of Jesus by joining their churches. Should their prayers go unanswered, they would then send the beautiful and sensuous ladies who gyrate in their gospel bands as choristers after the wealthy members of the community to seduce and drag them along to their churches! There is no need bordering to find out to what use all those single ‘sisters' in these mushroom churches are put or what they actually do. I have told you! Quote me without any fear of error or contradiction from any quarters!

6.      Do you see the difference between the statements of Jesus in verses 23 & 24? Do not say you do unless you have looked at it again and seen the logical implications. Do so now! Write me when you are successful in finding out the right answer! Consult or confront your money-spinning evangelists and pastors with this wise query! My e-mail address is clearly on this book, as well as my telephone numbers!

7.      It would be most interesting to do a research on these ‘noveau- riche' pastors and staunch crusade organisers with the contents of verses 25 & 26! Let us hear their defence! If you are a conscientious Christian, help us at your end by collecting only ten responses from some of these prosperity preachers around you!Avarice, your other name is ‘prosperity gospel'!

8.      How many of our current day priests, pastors and bishops can truly imitate Peter in his altruistic statement of the fact that they really abandoned their professions for the sake of the kingdom of God?

·         v. 28: Then Peter spoke up, "Look, we have left everything and followed you". None is the only truthful answer for now! Rather, the opposite is the practice today.

·         If you are not making millions from the profession you trained in, abandon it and open a Pentecostal Church! Use your parlour, a kiosk, an uncompleted building, a warehouse, a school hall or hire a hotel lobby for a start. Deploy willing loyalists to scout for rich members nearby and make them elders of your new church. Use all the advertising gimmicks at your disposal and before you know it, you have become a millionaire and ‘the-talk-of-the-town' for all the subsequent years!The irony of it all is that unfortunately so many hypnotised miracle- seekers are so blindfolded with hypnotic spells that they fail to realise that they are the ones making these prosperity preachers wealthy!

·         They are the true losers in the hide and seek game while their pastors are the beneficiaries of the prosperity theology! My people have a satire for the buffoonery. It goes this way: "Monkey de work, but na baboon de chop am oh!"

9.      Jesus Christ is the only founder or proprietor of the most successful business concern on earth who refused to register it as either a Copyrighted Industry or a Limited Liability Company. Therefore, every fake preacher uses his name, logo and ‘manifesto' to earn a living. It is an all-comers haven for easy money, free food, free wine and free women! This he inadvertently did by adding the promises in verses 29-31. However, they conveniently miss out the conditionality of "-*and persecutions as well"; and that explains why they are really Satan's gospel preachers and not of Jesus, the Saviour!

10. If I were a Jew from Bethlehem in present day Israel, I would quickly register Christianity as "THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF BETHLEHEM Plc". Alternatively, I would label it "JESUS OF NAZARETH MISSION Inc". After all, I have the right to claim that it is my great grand brother's industry and demand VAT or ANNUAL INCOME TAX on all the churches that operate and quote the Christian Bible. I would sue those who do not comply at the International Court at Hague and demand a substantial percent of their weekly earnings as compensation!

·         At least for now, it remains a free-for-all market for school drop-outs and never-do-wells. This should not be. Some people have to pay royalties to the nation of Israel! It is definitely the greatest money-spinning industry in this God-forsaken country called Nigeria. The government patronises them whenever it suits their purpose; otherwise, I do not think there is any other revenue yielding industry that can compete with it. Whoever categorised religious worship, as non-taxable business needs his or her head examined by a combined team of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, economists and accountants!

·         Unless something drastic is done and urgently for that matter, the story we will be hearing in the next decade is female pastors and bishops who preach that polyandry, lesbianism and paedophilia are welcome, not only as new converts but also as spirit-filled, tongues-speaking ‘born-again Christians!' Next, we shall have homosexual couples and polygynous men declared - ‘ normal Christians', while heterosexuals and monogamous ones are labelled selfish, egocentric and uncharitable Christians! That is where we are heading to now!

1.4 NO CROSS, NO CROWN

Let us consult Saul of Tarsus or "Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles," on this obnoxious issue of prosperity gospel preaching that is definitely an aberration in present-day Christendom! Are they blind to the various pious letters of this great missionary whom they should be imitating?This is the proof that these prosperity gospel-preachers are servants of Satan!

Peruse his epistle to the Philippians before reading further. Then as a summary, let us look briefly at chapter 3, vv. 12 - 21:

"Running Towards the Goal

v. 12: I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself.

v. 13: Of course, my brothers, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead.

v. 14: So I run straight towards the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above.

v.15: All of us who are spiritually mature should have this same attitude. But if some of you have a different attitude, God will make this clear to you.

v.16: However that may be, let us go forward according to the rules we have followed until now.

v. 17: Keep on imitating me, my brothers. Pay attention to those who follow the right example that we have set for you.

v. 18: I have told this many times before, and now I repeat it with tears: there are many whose lives make them enemies of Christ's death on the cross.

v. 19: They are going to end up in hell, because their god is their bodily desires. They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of things that belong to this world.

v.20: We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven.

v.21: He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule."

        There is no need for any commentary on this passage for true followers of Jesus, the Christ, who commissioned Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus! If a former persecutor of Christians could so counsel us, then only sons and daughters of Satan can insist on prosperity as their birthrights! They may be ‘born-agains' into the kingdom of darkness, but never into the kingdom of light.

Peter was crucified upside down at his request to give respect to his Master. All the apostles were persecuted, most being tortured before being executed. Yet, some psychedelic pastors claim that their brand of Christianity is PROSPERITY ALL THE WAY; no persecutions or suffering for the sake of the gospel! Only a neophyte can be carried away with such puerile logic! Even Paul was imprisoned many times, shipwrecked severally and flogged on other occasions!

Where do these present-day demonic prosperity gospel-preachers get their theologies? "From the pit of hell!" is the only accurate answer. There never was, in the entire World History, a single case of where any kingdom did not face either external or internal crises before achieving a nationhood of peace, tranquillity and progress. Yet, these deceptive preachers are not ashamed to categorically state a contrary and unscientific view in front of their demented and hypnotised congregations! It is amazing how lawyers and politicians patronise these mushroom churches and complacently listen to half-educated pastors blatantly tell these lies. Wonders, they say, will never end! Remind yourself of what Christ promised those who are his true followers as we saw in the previous chapter. Here it is verbatim:

v. 29: "Yes," Jesus said to them, "and I tell you that anyone who leaves home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the gospel will receive much more in this present age.

v.30: He will receive a hundred times more houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-*and persecutions as well; and in the age to come he will receive eternal life.

v.31: But many who now are first will be last, and many who now are last will be first." How then can anyone convince you that Christianity is a crossless religion? Did Adam not suffer? Did Abraham not suffer? Did Jacob not suffer? Did Joseph not suffer but he got the crown of second only to the Pharaoh of Egypt? Ask these pseudo-evangelists to buttress their mundane theology with facts and data from the Bible! They are not more intelligent than you are rather they are craftier! They are dishonest! They are after your money! That is all! I want serious minded Christians to meditate on what Our Lord and Master foretold in the Gospel of John 15, vv. 18 - 27 and John 16, vv. 1 - 24. Read from any version you have access to. However, if you want to get my exact words, you would have to find the GNB edition. See specifically verses 18, 19 & 20 of Chapter 15:

"The World's Hatred

v. 18: If the world hates you, just remember that it has hated me first.

v. 19: If you belonged to the world, then the world would love you as its own. But I chose you from this world, and you do not belong to it; that is why the world hates you.

v. 20: Remember what I told you: ‘No slave is greater than his master. ‘If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours too."

Let me stop here! Read the rest of the chapter, and ask yourself, WHY DO THESE PROSPERITY GOSPEL-PREACHERS AVOID QUOTING THESE PORTIONS OF THE BIBLE? Put on your thinking cap and find the genuine answers! Write to the Secretary General of I. S. M. You can also telephone me or better still e-mail me with saintkenez@yahoo.co.ukor visit:www.kenez@kihol.org.

Now, at a convenient time look up Matthew 16, vv. 21 - 28, Mark 8, vv. 31 - 9, v. 1 or again Luke 9, vv. 22 - 27 and drink in the formula for Christian witnessing! I will only reprint verse 24 here:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to come with me, he must forget self, carry his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save, his own life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Will a person gain anything if he wins the whole world but loses his life! Of course not! There is nothing he can give to regain his life.

So, why has no one ever challenged these half-baked preachers of a crossless Christianity? You are too timid not to have done so all these years! Do so now! They are not ‘Men of God'. They are only ‘men of Satan.' The adulation and reverence you accord them is misplaced. Their ‘pulpits' are the same as the ‘soap boxes' of politicians or the ‘sorcery tables' of black magicians! Overthrow them before they delude your naïve sons and daughters with their satanic doctrines!

Now that you have enjoyed my appetisers, let us go into the practical details of identifying false preachers of the gospel, counterfeit teachers of devilish theologies and current day wolves that devour the homes of widows. Jesus, the Christ, did not spare the brand of evil religious leaders of his epoch so should we! See Matthew Chapter 23, if we want to enthrone good morals and social ethics for posterity to remember us for! Compare the contents with those Mark 12 and Luke 11 & 20!

One cannot write enough on the desecration going on all in the name of Christianity. There are too many signboards in every corner of the streets in townships and the roads in our rural areas announcing the existence of or the birth of new churches on a monthly basis. There are many conflicting names of mushroom churches that sound demonic, proclaiming various services; such as counselling sessions, healing ministries and organising deliverance crusades! We are now motley groups of confused miracle seekers and the laughing stock of other religions! May God redeem us all!

1.5 THE WARNINGS OF JESUS CHRIST

If you have done the comparative readings I recommended above, you will then see that the following reprints conclusively demonstrate that Matthew, the former tax collector, on joining the discipleship, became its best journalist, news reporter or simply put: a very good scribe! Only his gospel brings together episodes, teachings, miracles and/or events that are related under one chapter. The perfect example is THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, followed by what I term "The manifesto of Jesus Christ". Other writers did not see the need to

paraphrase similar events, talks or sermons into a pool with the same theme or sub-themes for the ease of their readers. However, he did! Study his compilations in Chapters 5, 6 & 7, then see Chapter 13 for parables or study the current ones: 23 & 24!

v. 1: Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples.

v. 2: "The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorised interpreters of Moses' Law.

v. 3: So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don't practise what they preach.

The same can be said verbatim of today's priests, pastors, bishops, superintendents, overseers, evangelists and crusade organisers! Just replace ‘Law and the Pharisees' with ‘Bible and the Pastors' in the quotation and you will see that Jesus was a prophet whose words come true even after three millennia! He foresaw today's false pastors and prosperity gospel preachers!

v. 4: They tie on to people's backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren't willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads.

v. 5: They do everything so that people will see them.

The same applies to all the church leaders in our present age. Do they not levy so many collections, annual dues, harvests and bazaars? How many of them ever donate a dime, penny or kobo to any of these financial burdens they place on every member of their congregations; parents, adolescents, teenagers, and school children. Even orphans and widows are not exempted from their levies! Ha- bah! Is religion a new version of slavery? At the rate we are following them sheepishly, it is unfortunate but the answer for now is ‘Yes!' Whoever heard that a religious leader donated a school bus, or gave scholarships to indigent pupils in his very parsonage or parish? None! They milk them dry!

v. 6: They love the best places at feasts and the reserved seats in the synagogues;

v. 7: they love to be greeted with respect in the market-places and to be called ‘Teacher.'

If only Jesus was here, I would gladly allow him to walk across my prostrated body for being so accurate! I guess he was really a great psychologist, besides being the greatest doctor/healer the world has ever known! Did you know that he was also a professor of psychiatry? If you do not think so, go to any teaching hospital and ask today's doctors. How many demons in mad people did he cast out? Do your homework!

v. 8:   You must not be called ‘Teacher', because you are all brothers of one another and have only one Teacher,

v. 9:   And you must not call anyone here on earth ‘Father', because you have only the one Father in heaven.

v. 10: Nor should you be called ‘Leader", because your one and only leader is the Messiah.

v. 11: The greatest among you must be your servant.

v. 12: Whoever makes himself great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be made great.       

One really wonders whether these pastors and priests get blind when they come across these passages in the bible! Has Satan taken over the intellect of these proud and self-effacing Reverends and Lordships? Do these verses need any translations or amplifications? I am at a loss on why we, the teeming followers of these disciples of Lucifer have been so myopic that we never revolted all this while! May be we are equally disciples of the prince of darkness! Why still call them; ‘Teachers', ‘Fathers' and ‘Leaders' despite the explicit warnings of Jesus, the Christ! The only possible explanation for now is that Satan is being worshipped and adored by all who disobey Christ's injunctions in these passages! Unfortunately, that includes you and me! Let us repent now!

Then talk of humility! Did you not see the prescription of Our Lord and Master? The simple formula for becoming great is given free of charge: The greatest among you must be your servant. However, not for our pseudo-theologians who pride themselves with every type of unbecoming titles: Rev. Fr. Dr. Prof. Prince ABC---- XYZ! The rest of the chapter and the next are very interesting and I urge you to, not only read them, but show them to your so-called Rev. Frs. and Pastors! I will jump certain verses for brevity so we can go on with our theosophical analyses and for the clarity of thought needed to complete our subsequent psycho-sociological discourse!

v. 13: "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock the door to the kingdom of heaven in people's faces, and you yourselves don't go in, nor do you allow in those who are trying to enter!

v. 15: "How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You sail the seas and cross whole countries to win one convert; and when you succeed, you make him twice as deserving of going to hell as you yourselves are!

The demonic sermons we get at the hands of some prosperity gospel-preachers are funny. For example: "You are the sons of Abraham by faith, he owned thousands of cattle….bla   bla" they scream into their microphones gesticulating as if they were under the effects of some psychoactive drugs, ‘and therefore you were born to be rich like your father Abraham!" best illustrates what Christ was prophesying here.   

This is a faulty logic. There were other demands or requirements made on Abraham that present-day Christians could never and cannot obey! How many can leave their homes and relatives and set out on a journey that had neither a destination nor a map to follow? How many would be faithful in a childless marriage for as long as Patriarch Abraham did? How many are ready to work without expecting huge rewards?

These untutored preachers without the benefit of either rudimentary syllogism or the basic rules involved in the square of opposition; only repeat verbatim what they had seen some foreign preachers deliver on television; CBN, TSB, etc. Moreover, the gullible seekers of signs and wonders swallow everything they vomit, hook line and sinker, with the expectation of a luxurious life without the commensurate perspiration demanded from aspiring millionaires! Who does not want an easy life?

It is time we woke up from our daydreaming! Go out into the nascent and competitive world and pay your dues and you will get the rewards of hard work! This prosperity gospel does not work for members of the congregation. It is the preacher that harvests where he did not so, while you and your family suffer debilitating diseases like beriberi, kwashiorkor and marasmus! Ask medical personnel what those three diseases mean!

v. 25: "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of your cup and plate, while the inside is full of what you have obtained by violence and selfishness.

v. 26: Blind Pharisee! Clean what is inside the cup first, and then the outside will be clean too!

v. 27: "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside.

v. 28: In the same way, on the outside you appear good to everybody, but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and sins."

Does anyone need an interpretation for those simple statements of facts? What does a tomb covered with tiles look like theses days? White! Suppose you dig up the contents after three months, what will you find inside? Dry bones, nails, hairs, the teeth, the skull and may be some decaying flesh. Some of these prosperity gospel preachers are exactly that! To put the final nail on the coffin of these false miracle workers and seekers of signs and wonders, see what our Lord Jesus Christ forewarned us in Matthew, Chapter 24, vv. 15 -28, subtitled:

"The Awful Horror

v.15:   You will see ‘The Awful Horror' of which the prophet Daniel spoke. It will be standing in the holy place." (Note to the reader; understand what this means!)

v.16: Then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills.

v.17: A man who is on the roof of his house must not take the time to go down and get his belongings from the house.

v.18: A man who is in the field must not go back to get his cloak.

v.19: How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies!

v.10: Pray to God that you will not have to run away during the winter or on a Sabbath!

v.21: For the trouble at that time will be far more terrible than any there has ever been, from the beginning of the world to this very day.

v.22: But God has already reduced the number of days; had he not done so, nobody would survive. For the sake of his chosen people, however, God will reduce the days.

The awful horrors standing in holy places are these greedy/half-baked preachers commercialising Jesus Christ! He emphatically condemned them by saying his greatest prophetic verses on the issue:

v.23: "Then, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!' or ‘There he is!' - do not believe him.

v.24: For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear; they will perform great miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God's chosen people, if possible.

v.25: Listen! I have told you this before the time comes.

v.26:   "Or, if people should tell you, ‘Look, he is out in the desert!'-don't go there; or if they say, ‘Look, he is hiding here!'-don't believe it.

v.27: For the Son of Man will come like the lightning which flashes across the whole sky from the east to the west.

We can all go home now, for Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Master, has said all that needs be said about these dirty crooks and semi-literate disciples of Satan masquerading as his own gospel preachers. They are as stinking as the inside of a grave with a decaying corpse, but the sweet perfume they wear is so enticing to their equally depraved seekers of easy Christianity! Or else, tell me what is the secret fragrance of their pulpit demonstrations that glues you to your seat for the three hours that they act those well-scripted scenes they had rehearsed perfectly after many hours of imitating foreign American Pentecostal preachers! Many have been deceived before the arrival of Pentecostalism and many will still fall victims of fraudsters in sheep's clothing, as Our Lord and Master had predicted. Do not hope to complain to any one if on dying you find yourself in hellfire. Surely, you will all form a political party in Satan's kingdom, probably with this hilarious nomenclature:

"PROSPERITY SEEKERS UNLIMITED!"

MEDITATIONAL PAGE

On this page summarise what you have learnt so far and articulate your agreement or disagreement:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

International Religio-Cultural Practices

Here suggest some liturgical praise and worship songs that can internationalise devotional practices:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Photocopy this page and/or send your reactions and questions to:

The Secretary General,

I.S.M. Headquarters,

P.O. Box 1995, Enugu.

1.6 THE WARNINGS OF APOSTLES PETER & PAUL

At least, no one is in doubt about the contribution of the two great founding members of the brand of Christianity that reached us. It was Barnabas and Paul with John Mark and Silas as their assistants that made the very first recorded missionary journey! That of Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch is often ignored, but I can assure you that it had as much impact in Africa as those in Eastern Europe and Rome!

Therefore, if we want to get the original theology, doctrines and views on prosperity or signs and wonders, Peter performed the greatest miracles after Jesus, the Christ. Next is Paul, though, not one of the twelve, he was arrested by Christ on the way to Damascus to take over the ministerial burden of Stephen whose murder he supervised. He, too, performed a few miracles and those qualify him as a true preacher of the Good News of Salvation according to the brand Jesus left behind! Starting with Peter, the undisputed leader of the twelve apostles, we are admonished on how to be true followers of Jesus, the Christ, who also suffered to redeem us. Let us see the contents of 1st Peter 2, vv. 18 -24:

"The Example of Christ's Suffering

v. 18: You servants must submit to your masters and show them complete respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

v. 19: God will bless you for this, if you endure the pain of undeserved suffering because you are conscious of his will.

v. 20: For what credit is there if you endure the beatings you deserve for having done wrong? But if you endure suffering even when you have right, God will bless you for it

v. 21: It was to this that God called you, for Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps.

v. 22: He committed no sin, and no one ever heard a lie come from his lips."

"v. 23: When he was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge.

v. 24: Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed.

v. 25: You were like sheep that had lost their way, but now you have been brought back to follow the Shepherd and Keeper of your souls."

What other indictment do we need to heap on the false preachers who bamboozle us with a theology of no suffering at all for the sake of the gospel! You can now decipher where prosperity preachers are coming from. They are graduates of Satan's university since they cannot bear witness to a Suffering Christ who bought us for a price! Re-read verses 19 and 20, and the true theology of suffering is clear! If after reading the whole of this book, you are still found in churches that deny that one has to pay a price for a crown, then you are either a fool or you are just one of the disciples of Satan! Now go over to Chapter 4, and let us again see verses 12 - 19, although one should not forget to digest the contents of the next chapter, entitled: THE FLOCK OF GOD, and then Peter's FINAL GREETINGS.

"Suffering as a Christian

v. 12: My dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you.

v.13: Rather be glad that you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may be full l joy when his glory is revealed.

v. 14: Happy are you if you are insulted because you are Christ's followers; this means that the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God is resting on you.

v. 15: If any of you suffers, it must not be because he is a murderer or a thief or a criminal or a meddler in other people's affairs.

v. 16: However, if you suffer because you are a Christian, don't be ashamed of it, but thank God that you bear Christ's name.

v. 17: The time has come for judgement to begin, and God's own people are the first to be judged. If it starts with us, how will it end with those who do not believe the Good News from God?

v. 18: As the scripture says, "It is difficult for good people to be saved; what, then, will become of godless sinners?"

v. 19: So then, those who suffer because it is God's will for them, should by their good actions trust themselves completely to their Creator, who always keeps his promise.

What else is there to add? My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, ‘you can not eat your cake and still have it right there in your hands' and Christ said "no one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is worthy of the Kingdom of God!" You can now see the folly of all who run away from unjustified crosses that they have to bear for the good news. Let me ask a simple question, to buttress my case. Were all these prosperity gospel preachers born into enjoyment all their lives? Did none of them ever study hard to pass his/her pseudo-‘theology' lessons? When they began their ministries by hiring warehouses, hotel lobbies, musical and other electronic equipment, did they never suffer from want or deprivation? Confront them with such simple questions and help me unmask these demons of prosperity theology! The rule of life has always been that nothing good comes easy, meaning; NO CROSS-NO CROWN!

For your information, least you are carried away by the popular fad of ill-equipped evangelists, the writer of HEBREWS as it appears in the Christian Bible is not Apostle Paul! However, go and study Chapters 4, 5 & 6 of that theosophical treatise if you desire to know the qualities of good witnesses and true evangelists of Jesus Christ. How many of your greedy pastors meet the requirements set down there. There you have a blue litmus test to use in assessing those Revs. A - Z of all shades!

What did Saul of Tarsus suffer before he was admitted into the fold? After reading of his blindness and apparent rejection by the genuine apostles in chapter 9 of the Acts of the Apostles, jump over to his litany of woes in Chapter 11 of his 2nd Letter to the Corinthians. There is no space to recapitulate them here. Ask your prosperity evangelists what they have suffered on behalf of Jesus Christ and his gospel! You should not be complacent with just going through the motions of emotional dramas that is the Sunday services they conduct for you to dance away your sorrows. At the resumption of daily duties on Monday mornings, you are back to the very same problems you seemed to have forgotten under the mass hypnotherapy you went through on Sunday!

I can confidently inform you that wisdom and holiness are learnt at the School of Suffering. Only at gluttonous parties, beer parlours or hotel suites are prosperity and lasciviousness taught by demonic instructors and learnt by avaricious layabouts! You can quote me on this anywhere without opposition from any sane adult! I call them a triplet of holiness, suffering and wisdom in Kenezianism! This is a copyrighted aphorism, so acknowledge me anytime you refer to it in thoughts, words or deeds!

Now, let us see the warnings Paul gave to his ‘true son in the faith' and faithful assistant: ‘Bishop Timothy!' Read, study and evaluate all you find in 1st and 2nd Timothy. There is nothing left out in the two letters. Find out why your pastors are blind to these wise counsels by the greatest apostle of the gentiles and avoid quoting them. For the convenience of neophytes in reading the Bible and similarity of translations, we shall reprint only those we deem indispensable for a clear understanding of this triplet of holiness, suffering and wisdom!

·         1st Tim 1: vv. 3 -11………..Warnings against False Teaching,

·         1st Tim 4: vv. 1 - 5, …False Teachers, 6 - 10, …Good Servants,

·         1st Tim 6: vv. 3 - 10………… False Teaching and True Riches.

1st Tim 1: vv. 3 -11 WARNINGS AGAINST FALSE TEACHING

v. 3: I want you to stay in Ephesus, just as I urged you when I was on my way to Macedonia. Some people there are teaching false doctrines, and you must order them to stop.

v. 4: Tell them to give up those legends and those long lists of their ancestors, which only produce arguments; they do not serve God's plan, which is known by faith.

v. 5: The purpose of this order is to arouse the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a genuine faith.

v. 6: Some people have turned away from these and have lost their way in foolish discussions.

v. 7: They want to be teachers of God's law, but they do not understand their own words or the matters about which they speak with so much confidence.

v. 8: We know that the Law is good if it is used as it should be used.

v. 9: It must be remembered, of course, that laws are made, not for good people, but for lawbreakers and criminals, for the godless and sinful, for those who are not religious or spiritual, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,

v. 10: For the immoral, for sexual perverts, for kidnappers, for those who lie and give false testimony or who do anything contrary to sound doctrine.

v. 11: That teaching is found in the gospel that was entrusted to me to announce, the Good News from the glorious and blessed God.           

1st Tim 4: vv.1-5, FALSE TEACHERS, 6-10 GOOD SERVANTS

v. 1: The Spirit says clearly that some people will abandon the faith in later times; they will obey lying spirits and follow the teachings of demons.

v. 2: Such teachings are spread by deceitful liars, whose consciences are dead, as if burnt with a hot iron.

v. 3: Such people teach that it is wrong to marry and to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten, after a prayer of thanks, by those who are believers and have come to know the truth.

v. 4:   Everything that God has created is good; nothing is to be rejected, but everything is to be received with a prayer of thanks,

v. 5: Because the word of God and the prayer make it acceptable to God.

A Good Servant of Christ Jesus

v. 6: If you give these instructions to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, as you feed yourself spiritually on the words of faith and the true teaching which you have followed.

v. 7: But keep away from those godless legends, which are not worth telling. Keep yourself in training for a godly life.

v. 8: Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is valuable in every way, because it promises life both for the present and for the future.

v. 9: This is a true saying, to be completely accepted and believed.

v.10: We struggle and work hard, because we have placed our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all and especially those who believe.

I do hope that you are consciously awake and sequentially following the arguments being raised here by none other than the Great Apostle of the Gentiles! Show these passages to your greedy and affluent pastors who mesmerise you with their own favourite passages from the Old Testament, especially those that serve their avaricious purposes!

1st Tim 6: vv. 3 - 10, FALSE TEACHING AND TRUE RICHES.

v. 3: You must teach and preach these things. Whoever teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the true words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching of our religion,

v. 4: is swollen with pride and knows nothing. He has an unhealthy desire to argue and quarrel about words, and this brings on jealousy, disputes, insults, evil suspicions,

v. 5: and constant arguments from people whose minds do not function and who no longer have the truth.

v. 6: Well, religion does make a person very rich, if he is satisfied with what he has.

v. 7: What did we bring into the world? Nothing! What can we take out of the world? Nothing!

v. 8: So then, if we have food and clothes that should be enough for us.

v. 9: But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and are caught in the trap of many foolish and harmful desires which pull them down to ruin and destruction.

v.10: For the love of money is a source of all kinds of evil. Some have been so eager to have it that they have wandered away from the faith and have broken their hearts with many sorrows."

"I do not intend to add or subtract from the wisdom so succinctly expressed by the Great Apostle in those passages I have just reprinted verbatim! It will, however, interest you to read the concluding part of that chapter and listen to the final instructions he gave his Son in the Lord, Bishop Timothy, especially verses 17 - 19! "All that glitters are not gold" is an English proverb I learnt way back in my primary school days in the 1950s. Now in the 1990s, most churchgoers and naïve followers of Satan's disciples seeking for easy life, signs and wonders think that it should reversed to suit their whims and caprices! Can that ever be? Unfortunately, this can never be done! "A word, is enough for a wise man or woman, is another that ends this chapter! Those that have useful ears let them understand! Have you enjoyed reading through it? Tell me about it!"

1.7 PASTORS NOW OWN LIMOUSINES

I will like to open this chapter with the directive of Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, gave to the early converts he made in Thessalonica. Some of our present day pastors are lazy but live in costly hotel suites, eat the choicest meals, and build mansions as residences. They own cathedrals as their personal properties, wear the best apparel money can buy and ride the costliest jeeps or limousines. Annually, they send their wives, girlfriends and children on summer holidays abroad on the illegal funds they extort from their naïve and docile congregations! Apostle Paul has a veritable admonition for them: See 2nd Thessalonians 3: vv. 6 - 16:

"The Obligation to Work

v. 6: Our brothers, we command you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to keep away from all brothers who are living a lazy life and who do not follow the instructions that we gave them.

v. 7: You yourselves know very well that you should do just what we did. We were not lazy when we were with you.

v. 8: We did not accept anyone's support without paying for it. Instead, we worked and toiled; we kept working day and night so as not to be an expense to any of you.

v. 9: We did this, not because we have no right to demand our support; we did it to be an example for you to follow.

v. 10: While we were with you, we used to say to you, "Whoever refuses to work is not allowed to eat."

v. 11: We say this because we hear that there are some people among you who live lazy lives and who do nothing except meddle in other people's business.

v. 12: In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we command these people and warn them to lead orderly lives and work to earn their own living.

v. 13: But you, brothers, must not get tired of doing good.

v. 14: It may be that someone there will not obey the message we send you in this letter. If so, take note of him and have nothing to do with him, so that he will be ashamed.

v. 15:   But do not treat him as an enemy; instead, warn him as a brother.

v. 16: May the Lord himself, who is our source of peace, give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you."

Verse 10 has a better translation in both KJV and RSV. While the former says: ‘that if he would not work, neither should he eat.' the latter says ‘If anyone will not work, let him not eat.' Those were not recommendations but orders. To expose the impudence and laxity of present-day prosperity gospel preachers, let us read the whole of verses 10,11 and 12 as it is rendered in RSV:

 v. 10: "For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not eat.

v.11: For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.

v. 12: Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn a living."

Our hypnotised congregations should note that they are responsible for spoiling these lazy preachers who do not have any other means of livelihood except recapitulating over-quoted passages and shouting their voices coarse regurgitating what they have heard from other articulate evangelist and rehearsed repeatedly till they can dramatise them. Imitation is not learning and the Holy Spirit does not deceive nor does such deceive him. Moreover, he does not reside with such preachers nor grant them any power to perform signs and wonders. I will tell you how they fake their own miracles that are really magic and witchcraft in the next chapter. For now, note the message in verse 13 to 16. See the golden advice: "But you, brothers, must not get tired of doing good, and the closing prayer: May the Lord himself, who is our source of peace, give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you."It should be that way with our generation!

However, NO! This can never be allowed to sink into the heads of desperate and faithless Christians who chase signs and wonders around from one crusade ground to another! These crazy and demonised prosperity preachers can never see those verses in the Bible they quote copiously from, everyday, everywhere and everytime! Be warned therefore and implement what our great apostle instructs: If so, take note of him and have nothing to do with him, so that he will be ashamed. Apostle Paul did not end his counsel there; rather he followed up with a practical demonstration of how an evangelist or preacher ought to earn a living with his own hands. See Acts 20: vv. 17 - 38:

Paul's Farewell Speech to the Elders of Ephesus

v. 17: From Miletus Paul sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him.

v. 18: When they arrived, he said to them, "You know how I spent the whole time I was with you, from the first day I arrived in the province of Asia.

v. 19: With all humility and many tears I did my work as the Lord's servant during the hard times that came to me because of the plots of the Jews.

v. 20: You know that I did not hold back anything that would be of help to you as I preached and taught in public and in your homes.

v. 21: To the Jews and Gentiles alike I gave solemn warning that they should turn from their sins to God and believe in our Lord Jesus.

v. 22: And now, in obedience to the Holy Spirit I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.

v. 23: I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit has warned me that prison and troubles wait for me.

v. 24: But I reckon my own life to be worth nothing to me; I only want to complete my mission and finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do, which is to declare the Good News about the grace of God."

So that we do not miss out the vital points for the elucidation of our discourse, I want to break up his speech into three parts. The foregone part emphasises the suffering that Paul had to undergo in the special service the Lord arrested him for. Rather verses 22 - 24 summarise his mental attitude and preparedness to obey the Holy Sprit of God in all the assignments that Jesus had mapped out and given him on the road to Damascus! See Acts 9: vv. 1 - 31 with emphasis on v. 5 and v.15. He never spent time in eating delicious dishes nor drinking costly wines and lastly he completely avoided women. He avoided hanging around or being dependent on others for his livelihood. How many of our present day priests, pastors or bishops can authentically emulate Apostle Paul?

v. 25: "I have gone about among all of you, preaching the Kingdom of God. And now, I know that none of you will ever see me again.

v. 26:   So I solemnly declare to you this very day: if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible.

v. 27: For I have not held back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God.

v. 28: So keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock which the Holy Spirit has placed in your care. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he made his own through the sacrificial death of his Son.

v. 29: I know that after I leave, fierce wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock.

v. 30: The time will come when some men from your own group will tell lies to lead the believers away after them.

 v. 31: Watch, then, and remember that with many tears, day and night, I taught every one of you for three years.

I would shed tears if I were there as Paul made those statements. Look at the gravity of the last part of verse 25: And now I know that none of you will ever see e again. If you were certain that death awaits you where you were heading to, how would you feel? Be sincere! Rather than being concerned with the depression associated with such terminal prophecy, he was rather more concerned that none of his converts would be lost. In imitation of Jesus Christ, although he neither was a disciple then nor was he around at the farewell address of Christ, he almost repeated the last message, prayer and admonition of the Lord! You may now go and read over the longest prayer of Jesus, the Christ beautifully chronicled only by John, the Beloved Apostle, in chapter 17 of his angelic gospel.

Again, see the concern over their eternal salvation! So, keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, which the Holy Spirit has placed in your care. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he made his own through the sacrificial death of his Son. In other words, he explicitly informed them to remember that their personal salvation was tied along with their roles and duties as shepherds. Today, our gospel preachers would quickly inform you "that making heaven is an individual affair." Furthermore, he predicted apostasy and warned them of wolves and false preachers that would arise from within their own ranks. Read John 15: vv. 18 - 27. Now, conclude with John 16: vv. 1 - 4. This is the right way for a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus to end his ministry, not in lechery, lasciviousness and debauchery that is the trademark of today's gospel preachers, evangelists and crusade organisers!

v. 32: "And now I commend you to the care of God and to the message of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you the blessings God has for all his people.

v. 33: I have not wanted anyone's silver or gold or clothing.

v. 34: You yourselves know that I have worked with these hands of mine to provide everything that my companions and I have needed.

v. 35: I have shown you in all things that by working hard in this way we must help the weak, remembering the words that the Lord Jesus himself said, ‘There is more happiness in giving than in receiving."

Can you beat the lesson of verses 33, 34 and 35! How many of our present-day priests, pastors, bishops, overseers and crusade organisers can say such things. Are they blind whenever they come across such passages in the very Bible they quote every day? Are they suffering from myopic eyesight? May be they are having self-motivated vision or idiosyncratic perception! They only see and read the verses that they deliberately want to read, so that they can clandestinely fleece the poor and so enrich themselves at the expense of their flock. This is the game plan of these demonic preachers. Wait until harvest and bazaar seasons in the Catholic communities or diligently observe what happens at the end of each month when tithes are not only mandatory for every worshipper, child, widow and orphan, but also compulsory at all new generation churches and Pentecostal communes! I have exposed their tricks and trademarks. You have yourself to blame if your family goes hungry while your lazy pastors smile to banks! A word, they say, is enough for the wise. Be foolish if you must, but do not jeopardise the health and future of your lovely children who are the greatest gifts from the Almighty Creator and Father of us all! Let us all reflect once more on Paul's last words to all true Christian witnesses! "I have not wanted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that I have worked with these hands of mine to provide everything that my companions and I have needed."

I am done! Yours sincerely perturbed by these false pretences, Prof. J. J. Kenez, the twentieth century ‘John, the Baptist!" In my culture we say: "Seeing evil and not warning is the fault of elders, whereas, hearing but not heeding the advice of elders is the fault of the youth!"

The thanksgiving prayer of prosperity preachers runs like this:

"THANK GOD, I CAN NOW SMILE TO THE BANKS. THANKS TO JESUS CHRIST OUR PROPRIETOR UNLIMITED. GOD ISGOOD ALL THE TIME; AND ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!

I CAN NOW SEND MY WIFE AND CHILDREN FOR SUMMERHOLIDAYS! PRAISE THE LORD!"

AN ADDENDUM IN MAY 2005 BEFORE GOING TO PRESS

A fan who launched and read only the synoptic version, entitled "BEWARE OF PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHERS", which I pushed into the market in March 2005 to source funds to print this major book gladly gave me this unabridged reprint from the Nigerian daily ‘The Guardian'. Note the date! His action confirms the growing concern of many rational Nigerians of today.

"This Pentecostal Shame

By Tope Ayodele-Oni

Evangelist Benny Hinn and the widely publicised six million-man crusade has come and gone. This was to be a spiritual convocation that was meant to shake the nation and bring about the much-awaited and greatly-desired revival. While we give God the glory for the lives that were touched, souls that were saved, and the oppressed that were liberated, the whole spiritual project left its grief and sore in the heart of the Nigerian Pentecostal church.

It was a notable church leader that first hinted at the fact that the Man of God from America looked quite unhappy on the first night of the crusade. People kept wondering what the source of his grief could be. The world-acclaimed Evangelist finally opened up on the last night of the programme, wondering how the $4 million he sank into the crusade must nave gone. Having been assured that attendance would be in the neighbourhood of six million people, the man of God released the whopping sum to our Pentecostal leaders to give the crusade the international effect it deserved.

The man would have thought that the money would be spent on publicity of an unprecedented scale, mass transportation of people from Lagos and it's environ, unparalled quality of public address system, free and will publicised ministers conference, and possibly a philanthropic book distribution project. Even with all this, one would not suppose that over half a billion naira should have been exhausted. But hardly did any of these things occur. There was nothing out-of-this-world in the publicity, ministers paid for the ministers conference on Saturday morning, in which Benny Hinn was conspicuously absent, there was no free transportation, no free distribution of books, nothing classy about the final touches to the programme that would justify the amount invested. Attendance must have been barely up to 200,000 people.

One only heard of how over 100 ministers locked themselves up in Eko Hotel for one week, busy with rigorous planning, and unconfirmed story of how the tough scramble for Benny Hinn's dollars almost tore the leadership of the Pentecostal movement apart. Though Hinn made frantic efforts to console himself on the last day of the crusade, as the Holy Ghost had comforted him, the tone of his speech was sufficiently grave to make us Pentecostal minister and our leaders bury our heads in shame.

As a Pentecostal minister myself, who by the grace of God has been in the ministry for over 20 years, I write this piece with great ache and unutterable agony of spirit, at the risk of being accused of washing our dirty linen in the public. E are all aware of the great decay in the Pentecostal church, leaving only a remnant for the Lord as His true followers. When we look up to our leaders, bishops and General Overseers to be stirred by jealousy for the name of the Lord to cry against the rot, they are either at the top of that rot, or the more respected and mature ones among them are strangely silent in the name of love, or so they would not appear judgemental.

Thank God, that He deliberately allowed the NUPENG strike to coincide with the crusade, this greatly limiting the attendance. Otherwise, millions of miracle-seekers and hangers-on would nave swarmed the camp on their own, many of whom might not nave been opportuned to reach the ground at all. People would have found their way into the camp, the whopping sum released for the crusade would still have fizzled out in inexplicable ways, and the American Evangelist would have considered such huge attendance as the product of the money released.

The last thing that should be done is for Pentecostals to berate ourselves publicly. It is however, for this fear of playing into the hands of the enemies of the church, of washing our dirty linen in the public and of appearing judgemental that so many excesses have gone on unchecked in the church in the last 10 to 15 years. For the same reasons, or because the kettle dose not have the audacity to cal the pot black, there appears to have been a conspiracy of silence among most of our key church leaders concerning the evils and excesses prevalent in the church, a church that is ordained to be the pillar and ground of truth.

God is using Obasanjo in some modest but significant measures to drive home the fact that corruption is no more business as usual in the Nigerian body-politic. Though the battle against corruption is only just starting, though we have just started to tickle the tail of the leviathan, given the cancerous dimension it has assumed in the has assumed in the land, at least Nigerians are happy that we are starting somewhere, that something cheering is emerging.

The big question is: who will deliver the Nigerian Pentecostal church from the prevailing rot? When Phinehas thrust a dirt through the bodies of a man and a woman that were defiling the sanctuary, the Lord said to Moses, "Phinehas son of Eleazer and grandson of Aaron the priest has turned me anger away from the Israelites by displaying zeal among them on my behalf". When shall we turn away from our vain and shallow prosperity and motivational preaching, and start emphasising the issues of righteousness, zeal for God and things that are of eternal values? When shall we start changing the themes of our conferences and seminars, to emphasise the things that matter to God? When shall we stop emphasising numerical size of our congregations and start building disciples that have zeal for God and His Kingdom? What can melt the hardened hearts of some of our bishops and supposed leaders, who seem to have lost ay feeling or concern for God, for judgment, for the weighty word of God, for holiness, for eternity?

We are waiting for a few of our respected leaders who have not soiled their garments to seek the face of God and lead us back to righteousness. This must happen now, and quickly too! Fir if we would judge ourselves, we would hold back the wrath of God, which is always dreadful.

·         Dr. Ayodele-Oni lives in Lagos.

APPRECIATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I thank Mr F.N.Umeh, a sociologist in the employ of NITEL as the deputy General Manager of Eastern Zone for being a concerned citizen of God's Kingdom here on earth! To have remembered what he read in my diminutive pamphlet, linked it to the article he saw in a newspaper, then decided to photocopy same and donate to me, demonstrates maturity and responsiveness to the moral decadence in our society, particularly among the so-called religious leaders, a.k.a. pastors, bishops, overseers or "mighty men of God!"

As for a commentary, I have only to encourage Pastor Ayodele-Oni to go a step further and sue the erring Pentecostal Ministers to court. If not the civil courts, he should, at least, take a bolder step by suing for moral re-armament within the ranks of the Pentecostal hierarchy by threatening to resign from their fold and subsequently terminating his appointment!

He rightly pointed out to us what Phinehas; the grandson of Eleazar did to avert the wrath of God! What is he waiting for? Newspaper article in not enough! Something more practical to show others that it was a heinous crime is what he must do now! The likes of Pastor Ayodele-Oni must lead the crusade to sanitize all Christian Churches now! He is welcome to join our ranks, if he has thefortitude to shoulder the throes that rebels and revolutionaries contend with! God save our souls!

Every true child of the Almighty Creator, who has not succumbed to the lures of Satan; money, power, pride, wine and lust; is expected to gird himself/herself with truth, wisdom, prudence, charity and humility so that we can salvage what is left of the few who still "worship God in truth and in spirit," as the Lord Jesus, the Christ affirmed in the gospel of John: 4; vv. 21 - 26. Only the contents of those verses qualify you for this end-time war of liberation under the leadership of the Holy Spirit!

Contact us by 0804- 2719800 or e-mail: saintkenez@yahoo.co.uk.

EPILOGUE

HOW MANY OF THESE SELF-APPOINTED PASRORS & PREACHERS CAN DO WHAT PETER, JAMES AND JOHN DID? HOW MANY TRULY ABANDONED ANY LUCRATIVE PROFESSION TO SERVE GO?

Luke 5:1-11

5:1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding round him and listening to the word of God,

2 he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets.

3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."

5 Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.

7 So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"

9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,

10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men."

11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

(from The Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984, by International Bible Society)

AN EXAMPLE OF SUFFERING FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL IN ACTS 17:1 - 20.

v.1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

v. 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days, he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

v.3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said.

v.4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.

v.5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.

v.6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,

v.7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus."

v.8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.

v.9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

v.10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

v.11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

v.12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

v.13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.

v.14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.

v.15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

v.16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

v.17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

v.18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods". They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

v.19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?

v.20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean."

Source: New International Version of the Christian Bible (NIV)

How many of our prosperity gospel-preachers are ready to go through such tribulations for the sake of the good news that they use to earn their livelihood? The honest answer is, - NO ONE! Yet, you see so many of them on television screens shouting their voices coarse; marketing the Lord, quoting the Bible upside down, dramatising ‘speaking in tongues' and fleecing the flock to pay the ladies! Let us repent!

It is time to sign off.

I remain,

 Yours sincerely………

Rev. Prof. J. J. Kenez!

BONUS! BONUS!! BONUS!!!

I. S. M

IS A FELLOWSHIP BUILT ON SIMPLE TRUTHS OF NATURE OBSERVABLE AROUND HUMANKIND!

The difference between this spiritual fellowship for all mankind irrespective of one's nationality, philosophy of life, social status, educational achievement or political persuasion and other religious fellowships is that there is nothing here that is built on mythologies, fables, legends, dogmas, doctrines, belief systems or revealed truths!

Rather, what the founder of this interdisciplinary, inter-ethnic and integrational spiritual fellowship has done is to provide simple facts of nature that unites rather than divides the human race. Every being is a product of nature! It argues that since there is only:

·         One created universe, of which we all share its amenities,

·         One earth, on which we all stand, walk about, build our physical structures, plant on, harvest from and depend on for our food,

·         One atmospheric air that living things breathe from to live,

·         One rainfall that provides the water for all plants and animals,

·         One sun and a moon that illuminate the world day and night,

·         One anatomy and physiology that ensures our survival or death,

·         Therefore, there must One Almighty Creator, who is the ultimate designer and engineer responsible all that we can think, say, hear, feel and see! He/she is our Father/Mother and we are all sons and daughters of this Infinite Truth that grants us life! Are we not brothers and sisters, irrespective of our skin colour, facial structures, languages and peculiar child rearing practices? We are surely, equal heirs to this commonwealth of mutually beneficent, compensatory and life-sustaining gifts from the Almighty God, the All-knowing, All-sustaining and All-powerful Creator of us all!

This truth is inter-religious, interdenominational, intercultural, interdisciplinary and finally international! Simple statements of facts like these are incontrovertible, aren't they? We inter-marry and reproduce healthy babies! So, why must we follow demonic leaders, spiritual or temporal, who delude us with their myopic ideas and ethnocentric theories into practising social prejudices that eventually result in fighting and killing of our own brothers and sisters? It is not only puerile and futile but also irrational and psychopathological! Let us seek for a solution! I. S. M. seeks that!

In addition, to prove the supremacy of this truth, let me equally introduce you to a hilarious debate by three naïve bodyguards of an ancient emperor who was suffering from insomnia! He practised racial segregation and social prejudice. You will marvel at the gift of oratory of these simple but wise young men. Please get a complete copy of the Good News Bible, 1979 edition by Collins ISBN 0 564 00621 1, by British & Foreign Bible Society (Publishing Division) as "English TEV DC053P BFBS/1984/50M" and then turn with me to 1st Esdras 3 & 4:

"Chapter 3:

The Debate of the Bodyguards before the Emperor

v.1:   Darius the emperor gave a great banquet for all those under him, all the members of his family and staff, all the leading officials of Persia and Media,

v.2:   All his officers, administrators, and the governors of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Sudan.

v.3:   When everyone had had enough to eat and drink, they left, and Darius went to bed. He fell asleep but soon awoke.

A Contest Is Proposed

v.4:   Then the three young men who served Emperor Darius as his personal bodyguard said to one another,

v.5:    "Let each of us name the one thing that he considers the strongest thing in the world. The emperor will decide who has given the wisest answer to this question and will give magnificent gifts and prizes to the winner.

v.6:   He will wear royal robes, drink from a gold cup, and sleep in a gold bed. He will have a chariot with gold-studded bridles, wear a fine linen turban, and have a gold necklace.

v.7:   Because of his wisdom he will be an adviser to the emperor and will be given the title ‘Relative of the Emperor.' "

v.8:   Then each of them wrote down the best answer he could think of, sealed it, and put it under the emperor's pillow. They said to one another.

v.9:   "When the emperor wakes up, the statements will be given to him. He and the three leading officials of Persia will decide who gave the wisest answer. The winner will be given the prize on the basis of what he has written."

v.10: The first wrote, "There is nothing stronger than wine."

v.11: The second wrote, "There is nothing stronger than the emperor."

v.12: And the third wrote, "There is nothing stronger than a woman, but truth can conquer anything."

v.13: When the emperor woke up, the written statements were given to him, and he read them

v.14: Then he sent messengers and called together all the leading officials of Persia and Media, including the chief officers, administrators, governors, and commissioners.

v.15: He took his seat in the council chamber and had the three statements read aloud.

v.16: "Bring in the three young men," he said, "and let them explain their answers." So when they were brought in,

v.17: They were asked to explain what they had written.

The Speech about Wine

The bodyguard who had written about the strength of wine spoke first:

v.18: "Gentlemen,' he began, "wine is clearly the strongest thing in the world. It confuses the mind of everyone who drinks it.

v.19: It has exactly the same effect on everyone: king or orphan, slave or free, rich or poor.

v.20: It makes every thought happy and carefree, and makes everyone forget sorrow and responsibility.

v.21: It makes everyone feel rich, ignore the power of kings and officials, and talk as if he owned the whole world.

v.22: When men drink wine, they forget who their friends and neighbours are, and then they are soon drawing their swords to fight them.

v.23: then, when they sober up, they don't remember what they have done.

v.24: Gentlemen" he finished by saying, "if wine makes men act in this way, it certainly must be the strongest thing in the world."

Chapter 4:

The Speech about the Emperor

v.1:   The bodyguard who had written about the strength of the emperor spoke next.

v. 2:   "Gentlemen," he began, ‘nothing in the world is stronger than men, since they rule over land and sea and in fact, over everything in the world.

v. 3:   But the emperor is the strongest of them all; he is their lord and master, and men obey him, no matter what he commands.

v.4:   If he tells them to make war on one another, they do it. If he sends them out against his enemies, they go, even if they have to breakdown mountains, walls, or towers.

v.5:   They may kill or be killed, but they never disobey the emperor's orders. If they are victorious, they bring him all their loot and everything else they have taken in battle.

v.6:   Farmers do not go out to war, but even they bring to the emperor a part of everything they harvest.

v.7: Although the emperor is only one man, if he orders people to kill, they kill, if he orders them to set prisoners free, they do it;

v.8:   if he orders them to attack, they do; if he orders destruction, they destroy; if he orders them to build, they build;

v.9: if he orders crops to be destroyed or fields to be planted, it is done.

v.10: Everybody, soldier or civilian, obeys the emperor. And when he sits down to eat or drink and then falls asleep,

v.11: his servants stand guard round him, without being able to go and take care of their own affairs, for they never disobey him.

 v.12: Gentlemen" he ended by saying, "since people obey the emperor like this, certainly nothing in the world is stronger than he is."

The Speech about Women

v.13: The bodyguard who had written about women and the truth - it was Zerubbabel - spoke last.

v.14: "Gentlemen," he began, "the emperor is certainly powerful but, men are numerous, and wine is strong, but who rules and controls them all? It is women!

v.15: Women gave birth to the emperor and all the men who rule over land and sea.

v.16: Women brought them into the world. Women brought up the men who planted the vineyards from which wine comes.

v.17: Women make the clothes that men wear; women bring honour to men; in fact, without women, men couldn't live.

v.18: "Men may accumulate silver or gold or other beautiful things, but if they see a woman with a pretty face or a good figure,

v.19: they will leave it all to gape and stare, and they will desire her more than their wealth.

v.20: A man will leave his own father, who brought him up, and leave his own country to get married.

v.21; He will forget his father, his mother, and his wife.

v.22: So you must recognise that women are your masters. Don't you work and sweat and then take all that you have earned and give it to your wives?

v.23: A man will take his sword and go out to attack, rob and steal, and sail the seas and rivers.

v.24: He may have to face lions or travel in the dark, but when he has robbed, stolen, and plundered, he will bring the loot home to the woman he loves.

v.25: Ä man loves his wife more than his parents.

v.26: Some men are driven out of their minds on account of a woman, and others become slaves for the sake of a woman.

v.27: Others have been put to death, have ruined their lives, or have committed crimes because of a woman.

v.28: So now do you believe me? "The emperor's power is certainly great- no nation has the courage to attack him.

v.29: But once I saw him with Apame, his concubine, the daughter of the famous Bartacus. While she was sitting at the emperor's right,

v.30: she took his crown off his head, put it on her own, and then slapped his face with her left hand.

v.31: All the emperor did was look at her with his mouth open. Whenever she smiles at him, he smiles back; and when she gets angry with him, he flatters her and teases her until she is in a good mood again.

v.32: Gentlemen, if a woman can do all that, surely there can be nothing stronger in the world."

v.33: The emperor and his officials just looked at each other.

The Speech about Truth

Then Zerubbabel began to speak about truth.

v.34: "Yes, gentlemen," he said, "women are very strong. But think how big the earth is, how high the sky is; think how fast the sun moves, as it rapidly circles the whole sky in a single day.

v.35: If the sun can do this, it is certainly great. But truth is greater and stronger than all of these things.

v.36: Everyone on earth honours truth; heaven praises itl all creation trembles in awe before it. "There is not the slightest injustice in truth.

v.37: You will find injustice in wine, the emperor, women, all human beings, in all they do, and in everything else. There is no truth in them; they are unjust and they will perish.

v.38: But truth endures and is always strong; it will continue to live and reign for ever.

v.39: Truth shows no partiality or favouritism; it does what is right, rather than what is unjust or evil. Everyone approves what truth does;

v.40: its decisions are always fair. Truth is strong, royal, powerful, and majestic for ever. Let all things praise the God of Truth!"

The Response

v.41: When Zerubbabel had finished speaking, all the people shouted, "Truth is great- there is nothing stronger!"

v.42: Then the emperor said to him, "You may ask anything you want, even more than what was agreed, and I will give it to you. You will be my adviser, and you will be granted the title ‘Relative of the emperor."'

The philosophical drama and narrative ends here!

COMMENTARY

Of course, Zerubbabel went ahead to request a greater favour for the whole of his nation that was in bondage! Read the rest of the story. What should interest you is that TRUTH IS SUPREME.

Give truth a special place of honour in your heart and speech. This is our position at I. S. M. Truth is bitter, but so is any medicine taken to recover from any debilitating disease. The world today needs an overdose of truth to recover from religious fanaticism, social prejudice and the various forms of idolatry existing today in human relationships! God is the Infinite truth and is definitely stronger than the sun, wine, emperor and women! So should all that worship him!

I. S. M is the medicine that our generationdesperately needs to sanitise the landscape ofpersonality cults that today parade as religions! Takeout time, days, weeks or even years to evaluate everysentence you have read.

 JOIN US IN THIS ONEROUS DUTY!

We are seeking for original thinkers who can identify the truth whenever they see one. The world is tired of mystics and fanatics. It is time to put an end to so many ethnocentric theories, mythologies or legends dressed up as dogmas and doctrines.

CONTRIBUTE YOUR QUOTA BY IDENTIFYING THE NATURAL LAWS IN CREATION. TEACH OTHERS!

THEN OBEY THEM! THAT IS ALL!

SEND YOUR REACTIONS BY POST OFFICE BOX 1995, ENUGU,

 Or contact us by phones: 0804-2719800, 042- 550344

 E-mail: saintkenez@yahoo.co.uk

I.S.M. MORNING PRAYERS FOR ALL KENEZIANS

   (Here are the details of the moral ethics that lubricate the founder's lifestyle)

PSALM 15

WHAT GOD REQUIRES

Lord, who may enter your Temple? Who may worship on Zion, your sacred hill?

·         A person who obeys God in everything and always does what is right,

·         Whose words are true and sincere, and who does not slander others,

·         He does no wrong to his friends nor spreads rumours about his neighbours.

·         He despises those whom God rejects, but honours those who obey the Lord.

·         He always does what he promises, no matter how much it may cost him.

·         He makes loans without charging interest and cannot be bribed to testify

         against the innocent.

·         WHOEVER DOES THESE THINGS WILL ALWAYS BE SECURED.

       Glory be to the Father…to the Son…and to the Holy Spirit…Amen.

PSALM 1

TRUE HAPPINESS

         Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people who do not follow the example of sinners

         Or join those who have no use for God. Instead, they find their joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night.

        They are like healthy trees that grow beside a stream, that bear good fruits at the right time, Whose green leaves will never fade nor dry up. They succeed in every positive thing they do.

       However, evil people are not like this at all; they are like dry straws that the wind blows away. Sinners will be condemned by God and kept apart from his own people.

     The righteous are guided and protected by the Lord, but the evil ones are on their way to their doom.

·                     Glory be to the Father…to the Son…and to the Holy Spirit…Amen.

PSALM 3

MORNING PRAYER FOR HELP

         I have so many enemies Lord, so many who turn against me! They talk about me and say; "God will not help him."

        Nevertheless, you, O Lord, are always my shield from danger; and you give me victory and restore my courage.

        I call to the Lord for help, and from his sacred hill, he answers me. I lie down and sleep and all night long, the Lord protects me.

       I am not afraid of the thousands of enemies that surround me on every side. Come Lord!

     Save me, my God! You punish all my enemies and leave them powerless to harm me.

     Victory comes from the Lord, may He bless my home and his people forever and ever.

·                      Glory be to the Father…to the Son…and to the Holy Spirit…Amen.

PSALM 39

THE CONFESSION OF A SUFFERING PERSON

I said, "I will be careful what I do and will not let my tongue make me sin;

I will not say anything while evil people are near."

I kept quiet, not saying a word, not even about anything good!

However, my suffering only grew worse, and I was overcome with anxiety.

The more I thought, the more troubled I became;

I could not keep from asking: "Lord, how long will I live?

When will I die? Tell me how soon my life will end."

How short you have made my life! In your sight, my lifetime seems nothing.

Indeed every living person is no more than a puff of wind, no more than a shadow.

All he does is for nothing; he gathers wealth, but does not know who will get it.

What, then, can I hope for, Lord? I put my hope in you.

Save me from all my sins, and do not let fools laugh at me.

I will keep quiet; I will not say a word, for you are the one who made me suffer like this.

Do not punish me any more! I am about to die from your blows.

You punish a person's sins by your rebukes, and like a moth, you destroy what he loves.

Indeed an individual is no more than a puff of wind!

Hear my prayer, Lord, and listen to my cry; come to my aid when I weep.

Like all my ancestors, I am only your guest for a while.

Leave me alone so that I may have some happiness,

Before I go away and am no more.

·         Glory be to the Father…to the Son…. Etc….Amen.

(This is surely a prayer for forgiveness that a repentant person should use whenever he /she falls short of the principles established for a Kenezian lifestyle. We are mortals who occasionally fall short of our principles.)

PSALM 101

A KING'S PROMISE

My song is about loyalty and justice, and I sing it to you, O Lord.

My conduct will be faultless. When will you come to me?

I will live a pure life in my house, and will never tolerate evil.

I hate the actions of those who turn away from God,

I will have nothing to do with them.

I will not be dishonest, and will have no dealings with evil.

I will get rid of anyone who whispers evil things about someone else;

I will not tolerate a person who is proud and arrogant.

I will approve of those who are faithful to God and will let them live in my palace.

Those who are completely honest will be allowed to serve me.

No liar will live in my palace; no hypocrite will remain in my presence.

Day after day, I will destroy the wicked in our land;

I will expel all evil people from the city of the Lord!

·         Glory be to the Father…etc…Amen.

PSALM 131

A PRAYER OF HUMBLE TRUST

Lord, I have given up my pride and turned away from my arrogance.

I am not concerned with great matters or with subjects too difficult for me.

Instead, I am content and at peace. As a child lies quietly in its mother's arms,

So, my heart is quiet within me. (Here state your name, e.g. Kenez) trust in the Lord,

Now and forever!

·         Glory be to the Father…to the Son…and to the Holy Spirit…Amen.

THE KENEZIAN CREED

The full version of Saint Kenez nuggets of wisdom for the unification of all belief systems.

1.… I am of age; for as at now, I know that I exist. I am "ME", you are "THOU" and we are "US". I affirm that I am a created being living in the present, hoping to come to an end as other finite creatures I have observed, do come to a definitive end!

2.… I therefore accept that all finite creatures obey some natural laws that govern existence. I concede that these laws are also eternal and like every other law, must have a lawgiver. I deduce, therefore, that there are adequate sanctions for any deliberate violation of these laws!

3.…When I observe the heavens and landscapes, hills and valleys, deserts and oceans, sunrise and sunset, sunlight and moonlight, rainfall and thunderstorm, I am certain that this Eternal Law-giver is Great and Powerful in all respects. He/She/It can not be named nor classified but really possesses a Superhuman Intelligence, Unlimited Power and Supreme Control over all of us and these forces of nature!

4.… When I inspect living and non-living beings, their beauty and variety, their numbers and sizes, the innate ability of the living ones to move about unaided, their modes of adaptation in varying environments and especially their ability to reproduce themselves. I confess that this Eternal Lawgiver must be All-Creative, Most Beautiful and Abundantly Loving!

5.… I respect "IT" in all "ITS" creations while admiring in particular those that feed, grow and mate. For I do realise that I share the survival traits, they possess! We all have the same basic structures, we have identical feelings, we survive by performing similar functions and we produce comparable results. I cannot but bow in reverence and worship the Almighty Being, The Eternal Lawgiver and All-Creative Power that sustains everything on this planet!

6.… This Almighty Being set all things in motion and directs their courses and life spans as well as keeps them in space and time, now and always. Moreover, because there are no accidents in nature when all "ITS" natural laws are strictly adhered to and diligently obeyed, I attest to the fact that "IT" is the Greatest JUDGE, an All-knowing, All-Caring and ever-present Being!

7..…My parents, brothers and sisters owe "IT" our very lives and existence, so to "IT" be all my respect, obedience and loyalty, as I extend my hands of love and brotherhood to all other living things especially human beings. For I concede that we are all co-heirs of this Almighty Creator and Father of us all. Concisely, therefore, my code is:

*THE UNIVERSE IS MY INHERITANCE,

**ALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE MY BLOOD RELATIVES,

***SPEAKING THE TRUTH, LIVING THE TRUTH AND DOING GOOD AT ALL TIMES - MY CREED!

PSALM 117

IN PRAISE OF THE LORD

Praise the Lord, all nations! Praise him all peoples!

His love for us is strong and his faithfulness is eternal!

Praise the Lord! All Kenezians who obey all His natural laws!

·         Glory be to the Father…to the Son…and to the Holy Spirit…Amen.

                         (Now, conclude with our mission statement in a prayer format!)

I. S. M. UNIVERSAL PRAYER

The Mission Statement of Kenezianism

Lord of the universe, the Almighty Creator God, I am your humble child,

(Here state your names), born into the family of (state your parent's names)

In your Infinite Wisdom and Love you have created me for a purpose,

Permit me to understand and fulfil the mission you have assigned me,

May your Holy Spirit guide me to accomplish it in my short span of life.

My Eternal Creator and Lord of the universe, I know that you exist,

I observe also that all beings are interdependent, we need each other,

Therefore, increase my loyalty and dependence on your benevolence.

I love you as the Father of all that exists, I want to love other beings,

As much as I love myself, permit me to truly achieve this daily!

I worship you as my first beginning, I wish to do this as long as I live,

I acknowledge your constant care and sustenance for me and all that is,

Guide me by your divine wisdom, correct me with your eternal justice,

Comfort me with your mercy and protect me with your limitless power,

So that I may obey all the laws, you put in creation for our own good!

I have a princely heritage in that I function at three levels of operation,

In that tripartite functionality of thought, word and action I am like you.

Grant me a large heart and mind to appreciate the universal knowledge

That all humankind are blood relatives and co-heirs of this your ability,

Therefore, we all are brothers and sisters, children of the same Father!

Permit me to fix all my thoughts on you; my words to edify mankind,

My actions to reflect my love for all humanity because I respect you,

And all my trials and sufferings to be endured for your greater glory.

I want to do whatever you ask of me, in the very way that pleases you,

Thereby obey your natural laws for as long as you permit to live here.

Lord, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will, purify my heart

And make me holy so as to resist temptations and repent of all my sins,

Help me to rise above human weakness and to grow stronger in truth,

So that with simplicity of heart and humane love I may care for others,

And in caring for others may my worship and adoration be self-evident.

Help me to conquer every anger with gentleness, greed by generosity,

Apathy by true charity, selfishness by works of mercy and compassion,

Help me to forget myself and thereby freely reach out towards others.

Let my conscience be clear most of the time, my conduct without fault,

My speech blameless, my thoughts edifying and my life well ordered.

Make me very prudent in planning ahead for all, courageous in taking risks,

Patient in adversity, honest at work and unassuming in times of prosperity.

Keep me attentive at my prayers, temperate at table and sober in drinking,

Firm in my holy resolutions, diligent in my good intentions and labours of love.

May my lifestyle be exemplary and reflect your infinite goodness for all to see.

Put me on guard against mundane desires, protect me from every vanity

And licentiousness, which can draw me away from obeying your dictates.

Let me cherish your benevolence for all humanity and imitate your ways.

Teach me to realise that the world is passing by and that nothing here lasts,

That my true happiness is becoming a loyal citizen of your peaceful kingdom!

At the dusk of my earthly life, help me to prepare for death with a proper focus

On your impartial judgement, for even guilty I rely fully on your Infinite Mercy.

Lead me safely through the pangs of physical death to that endless state of peace,

Where all those who have done your will on earth will be adequately rewarded,

With the bliss of singing your praises in communion with all your saints forever!

Lord, search and find that I have kept the golden rules of the psalmist:

LORD, WHO MAY ENTER YOUR TEMPLE OR WORSHIP AT YOUR SACRED HILL?

·         A person who obeys God in everything, especially the natural laws and as far as possible, always done what is right at all times and places.

·         Whose words are true and sincere, and therefore he does not slander others.

·         He does no wrong to his friends nor spreads rumours about his neighbours,

·         Rather he has compassion for the needy and always forgives his offenders.

·         He despises those whom God rejects, denouncing their hypocritical lifestyles.

·         Nevertheless, he honours those who respect and obey the eternal laws of the Lord.

·         He always does what he promises, no matter how much it may cost him, in terms of material or human resources, so long as it is beneficial to humanity.

·         He makes loans without charging interest, helps recently bereaved families, cares for indigent orphans and cannot be bribed to testify against the innocent.

Whoever does these things will always be happy and feel secure in your love.

This is the Litmus Test for All Genuine Kenezians

ANYONE WHO CANNOT INTERNALISE THE NOBLE THOUGHTS, WORDS AND ACTIONS ENUNCIATED IN THIS UNIVERSAL PRAYER HAS NO BUSINESS JOINING KENEZIANISM, a.k.a. INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT. EVERY SANE MAN OR WOMAN WHO LIVES BY THE DICTATES OF THIS INTER-ETHNIC, INTER-CULTURAL, INTER-RELIGIOUS, INTER-DISCIPLINARY AND INTER-NATIONAL PRAYER POINTS IS A TRUE KENEZIAN AND A CANDIDATE OF GOD'S KINGDOM ON EARTH. WE MUST BE SAINTS HERE NOT AFTER OUR DEATHS. KENEZIANISM IS ONLY A NATURAL PATH TO HOLINESS, NOT A RELIGION.

* Signed at 0500 hours GMT on 11th March 2001 by Dr J.K. Danmbaezue

& Approved by the Holy Spirit of the Almighty Creator of the universe. *

THE MISSION STATEMENT OF I.S.M.

Is aptly summarised in1st John 3: vv 1-10:

Children of God

v.1: "See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God's children-and so, in fact, we are. This is why the word does not know us: it has not known God.

v.2: My dear friends, we are now God's children, but it is not yet clear what we shall become. Nevertheless, we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is.

v.3: Everyone who has this hope in Christ keeps himself pure, just as Christ is pure.

v.4: Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God's law, because sin is a breaking of the law.

v.5: You know that Christ appeared in order to take away our sins, and that there is no sin in him.

v.6:  So everyone who lives in union with Christ does not continue to sin; but whoever continues to sin has never seen him or known him.

v.7: Let no one deceive you, my children! Whoever does what is right is righteous

v.8: Whoever continues to sin belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the very beginning. The Son of God appeared for this very reason, to destroy what the Devil had done.

v.9: Whoever is a child of God does not continue to sin, for God's very nature is in him; and because God is his Father, he cannot continue to sin.

v.10: This is the clear difference between God's children and the Devil's children: anyone who does not do what is right or does not love his brother is not God's child.

A THEOSOPHICAL INTERPRETATION BY THE ANIMATOR OF INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT

The law referred to here in verse 4 is and could only be THE NATURAL LAWS, the pristine commands of the Creator even before Adam and Eve were created! The Lord reserved only one for divine beings when He gave Adam dominion over all his created beings. The architect of Adam's fall or disobedience created both ‘the Serpent' and ‘the Eve' that ensnared him into ‘the original sin' that earned him expulsion from paradise. However, it was only the sixth grandson of Adam, Enoch, who was the first to obey all the natural laws and earned ascension.

Verse 5 confirms my assertion, as Christ is generally accepted as the second Adam promised in Genesis 3: 15. However, here again I stand to correct that insinuation by asserting that Enoch, Elijah and Christ were reincarnations of Abel, not Adam. Enoch was sinless and pleased God so well that he was physically taken up into heaven. Let us put on our thinking caps and defend our claim to the appellation ‘Homo Sapiens, Sapiens'! Only Elijah and Christ physically ascended into heaven as Enoch! Unfortunately, we are told of their love lives, which could have confirmed their saintliness despite the hassles of married life as Enoch was.

Look critically at verse 8 and you will understand my thesis! Three figures depicted the salvific work of Christ: Abel (unblemished sacrifice), Enoch (who pleased God) and Elijah (prophet of miracles). In the reverse order Jesus, the Christ, was the only ambassador sent by God who replicated those three qualifications to merit his ascension. Therefore, a rediscovery of what Patriarch Enoch did that merited him the first ever reported ascension into heaven is all we need! Then, a return to that pristine obedience to the Creator by observing all His natural laws in creation forms the theory and practice of I. S. M.

That, succinctly, is our mission! Are you ready to join in that search for the original code of natural ethics? Contact Rev. Prof. J. J. Kenez now

via 0804-2719800, 042-550344, or E-mail: saintkenez@yahoo.co.uk.

A LESSON FROM SAINT JOB

1:1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2: He had seven sons and three daughters, 3: and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

4: His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5: When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular custom.

6: One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. 7: The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"

Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

9: "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied.

10: "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.

11: But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

12 :The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger."

Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

13: One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house,

14: a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were ploughing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15: and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

16: While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

17: While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

18: While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 19: when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

20: At this, Job got up, tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21: and said:

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

22: In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

This is Chapter 1 of the Book of Job in the Old Testament culled verbatim from NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION of the Christian Bible. This is the right attitude to riches, wealth or material possessions. They deter you from genuine spirituality!

Do not listen to those demonic crusade organisers who preach prosperity rather than salvation. It is your purse they are after, not your salvation. Can any of them surmount the temptations that Job passed through? Prosperity Gospel Preachers are Satan's Disciples, and what they teach are not Biblical. They are straight from Hell!

I. S. M. REGISTRATION FORM

I have read the contents of this booklet with much enthusiasm and will like to contribute in making this world an egalitarian, classless and one human family. The truth of most of the points you have raised in this conference paper represents my feeling about the excesses that our psychedelic prosperity preachers indulge in. I want to join in the crusade to sanitise Christendom.

NAME:…………………………………………………………

ADDRESS:……………………………………………………...

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RESIDENCE:…………………………………………………...

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CONTACT…

I will like to be a founding member of this organisation that will midwife a FELLOWSHIP OF RATIONAL BEINGS and NATURAL SCIENTISTS, who subscribe to obeying all the natural laws our Almighty Creator put in the universe for our own common good irrespective of place of birth, parentage, educational or social status, skin colour, language, creed and political persuasion!

I enclose ……………………………………………………….as my own moral and financial support towards the realisation of this beneficial dream for all humanity.

Signed………………………………………….Date…………

Photocopy this page and mail to us by speed post with your love gift

Prosperity Gospel Preachers are fake, i.e. wolves in sheep's clothing!

Fake Pastors are Business Executives with Machiavellian Principles!

"Fleece the Flock and Pay the Ladies" is their Work Ethics! They smile to the banks while the members of their congregation are poor!

"The time is ripe for everyone to rethink and repudiate the aberrations in the theory and practice of Christianity of the 21st century! It is self evident that we have all derailed and are in dire need of an urgent auditing of our moral standards and social ethics in the light of reason and social justice."

CAN WE HONESTLY CLAIM THAT ALL THE PREACHERS THAT TODAY, PARADE AS PASTORS AND PRIESTS ARE ACTUALLY SERVANTS OF GOD AND THE LORD JESUS?

If one truly remembers the fervent warnings of the apostles Peter and Paul in their letters, one can easily, identify "the wolves in sheep's clothing" masquerading as ‘born-again' Christians among us today! ……… Rev. Prof. J. J. KENEZ

This booklet will assist you in finding veritable answers!

A KENEZIAN EPILOGUE

THE BLUE LITMUS TEST FOR ALL PREACHERS

The self- acclaimed ‘ signs & wonders' crusade evangelists, pastors and preachers should emulate what the Lord Jesus, the Christ, did in several passages in the Bible and his directions on how to be a true evangelist or at least show the courage of John, the Baptist, in chastising those in power.

Mark 6

6:1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.

2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles!

3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offence at him.

4 Jesus said to them, "Only in his home town, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honour."

5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went round teaching from village to village.

7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.

8 These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff-- no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.

9 Wear sandals but not an extra tunic.

10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.

11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."

12 They went out and preached that people should repent.

13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him."

15 Others said, "He is Elijah." And still others claimed, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago."

16 But when Herod heard this, he said, "John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!"

17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had married.

18 For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to,

20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.

21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

22 When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask me for anything you want, and I'll give it to you."

23 And he promised her with an oath, "Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom."

24 She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" "The head of John the Baptist," she answered.

25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: "I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her.

27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison,

28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother.

29 On hearing of this, John's disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

30 The apostles gathered round Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.

31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

33 But many who saw them leaving recognised them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late.

36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."

37 But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"

38 "How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five-- and two fish."

39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.

40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.

42 They all ate and were satisfied,

43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.

44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.

46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land.

48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them,

49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out,

50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed,

52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.

54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognised Jesus.

55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

56 And wherever he went-- into villages, towns or countryside-- they placed the sick in the market-places. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

(From the Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, and 1984, by International Bible Society)

This must the criterion for evaluating these hungry preachers who go about exploiting the ignorance of the masses. They are Satan's disciples and not followers of Jesus, the Christ! This is my litmus test for all of them. Only those who pass this test should be listened to.

Rev. Prof. J. J. Kenez, 0805-1764999.

EPILOGUE FROM APOSTLE JUDE

ONE OF THE FORGOTTEN BROTHERS OF JESUS WROTE ONLY ONE LETTER, WHICH IS FULLY LOADED WITH COUNSELS FOR PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHERS TO RUMINATE ON

 AND CHANGE THEIR AVARICIOUS ATTITUDE:

1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:

2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a licence for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.

6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home-- these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

8 In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings.

9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

10 Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals-- these are the very things that destroy them.

11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.

12 These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm-- shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted-- twice dead.

13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved for ever.

14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones

15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

16 These men are grumblers and fault-finders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.

18 They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires."

19 These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.

21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

22 Be merciful to those who doubt;

23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear-- hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--

25 to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen.

(From the Holy Bible: New International Version Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, and 1984, by International Bible Society)

ANOTHER EVIDENCE THAT CAIN WAS NOT A BIOLOGICAL SON OF ADAM AS I HAD EARLIER DISCUSSED EXTENSIVELY IN BOTH THE ‘ANGELIC VERSES'(a- three- volume thesis)

AND

IN ‘THE GREATEST REVELATION OF JESUS'( a -12- slide presentation) IS CONFIRMED BY JUDE WHO WAS AN ADEPT IN BOTH THE TORAH & JUDAISM BEFORE HIS BROTHER, JESUS, BEGAN HIS MINISTRY. See Verse 14:

"14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones".

Now go and do your homework. Read the Genesis account of the genealogy of Adam in chapter five and see that Cain is equally omitted by Jude, the apostle, just as the book of Chronicles did.

WHEN WILL ALL THESE DEMONIC PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHERS READ AND IMPLEMENT THE LIFESTYLE AND ETHICS OF THE FIRST CONVERTS TO CHRISTIANITY AS IS FOUND IN THE ACTS?

                                              

Acts 2:37-3:1

37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call."

40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."

41 Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.

44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.

45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

(From the Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, and 1984, by International Bible Society)

ARE THEY MYOPIC WHEN THEY COME ACROSS PAUL'S LETTERS TO TIMOTHY? IF THEY ARE, THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO BE LIKE THAT SO THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO SOUND DOCTRINE! THEY ARE SONS OF CAIN AND THEIR GREATGRANDFATHER, THE DEVIL!; A LIAR AND MURDERER RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING OF GENESIS TO DATE.

Sample this simple istruction given to preachers

2 Tim 1:8-14

8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,

9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life-- not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.

12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you-- guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

(From the Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, and 1984, by International Bible Society)

HERE I REST MY CASE THAT HAS BEEN PROVEN BEYOND ALL REASONALBLE DOUBT: THAT ALL PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHERS ARE DISCIPLES OF SATAN!

Rev. Prof. J. J. Kenez

The Vessel of the Holy Spirit of the Creator

Accompanying music is "A NEW DAY HAS COME" by Celine Dion.

HERE LET US LISTEN TO MATTHEW HENRY, ONE OF THE GREATEST BIBLE SCHOLARS EXPLAIN WHAT IS IN Acts 18:1-6

Paul at Corinth

We do not find that Paul was much persecuted at Athens, nor that he was driven thence by any ill usage, as he was from those places where the Jews had or could make any interest; but this reception at Athens being cold, and little prospect of doing good there, he departed from Athens, leaving the care of those there who believed with Dionysius; and thence he came to Corinth, where he was now instrumental in planting a church that became on many accounts considerable. Corinth was the chief city of Achaia, now a province of the empire, a rich and splendid city. Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum-It is not permitted every man to see Corinth. The country thereabouts at this day is called the Morea. Now here we have,

I. Paul working for his living, v. 2, 3.

1. Though he was bred a scholar, yet he was master of a handicraft trade. He was a tent-maker, an upholsterer; he made tents for the use of soldiers and shepherds, of cloth or stuff, or (as some say tents were then generally made) of leather or skins, as the outer covering of the tabernacle. Hence to live in tents was to live sub pellibus-under skins. Dr. Lightfoot shows that it was the custom of the Jews to bring up their children to some trade, yea, though they gave them learning or estates. Rabbi Judah says, "He that teaches not his son a trade is as if he taught him to be a thief." And another says, "He that has a trade in his hand is as a vineyard that is fenced." An honest trade, by which a man may get his bread, is not to be looked upon by any with contempt. Paul, though a Pharisee, and bred up at the feet of Gamaliel, yet, having in his youth learned to make tents, did not by disuse lose the art.

2. Though he was entitled to a maintenance from the churches he had planted, and from the people to whom he preached, yet he worked at his calling to get bread, which is more to his praise who did not ask for supplies than to theirs who did not supply him unasked, knowing what straits he was reduced to. See how humble Paul was, and wonder that so great a man could stoop so low; but he had learned condescension of his Master, who came not to be ministered to, but to minister. See how industrious he was, and how willing to take pains. He that had so much excellent work to do with his mind, yet, when there was occasion, did not think it below him to work with his hands. Even those that are redeemed from the curse of the law are not exempt from that sentence, In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread. See how careful Paul was to recommend his ministry, and to prevent prejudices against it, even the most unjust and unreasonable; he therefore maintained himself with his own labour that he might not make the gospel of Christ burdensome, 2 Cor 11:7, etc.; 2 Thess 3:8-9.

3. Though we may suppose he was master of his trade, yet he did not disdain to work at journey-work: He wrought with Aquila and Priscilla, who were of that calling, so that he got no more than day-wages, a bare subsistence. Poor tradesmen must be thankful if their callings bring them in a maintenance for themselves and their families, though they cannot do as the rich merchants that raise estates by their callings.

4. Though he was himself a great apostle, yet he chose to work with Aquila and Priscilla, because he found them to be very intelligent in the things of God, as appears afterwards (v. 26), and he owns that they had been his helpers in Christ Jesus, Rom 16:3. This is an example to those who are going to service to seek for those services in which they may have the best help for their souls. Choose to work with those that are likely to be helpers in Christ Jesus. It is good to be in company and to have conversation with those that will further us in the knowledge of Christ, and to put ourselves under the influence of such as are resolved that they will serve the Lord. Concerning this Aquila we are here told,

(1.) That he was a Jew, but born in Pontus, v. 2. Many of the Jews of the dispersion were seated in that country, as appears 1 Peter 1:1.

(2.) That he was lately come from Italy to Corinth. It seems he often changed his habitation; this is not the world we can propose ourselves a settlement in.

(3.) That the reason of his leaving Italy was because by a late edict of the emperor Claudius Caesar all Jews were banished from Rome; for the Jews were generally hated, and every occasion was taken to put hardship and disgrace upon them. God's heritage was as a speckled bird, the birds round about were against her, Jer 12:9. Aquila, though a Christian, was banished because he had been a Jew; and the Gentiles had such confused notions of the thing that they could not distinguish between a Jew and a Christian. Suetonius, in the life of Claudius, speaks of this decree in the ninth year of his reign, and says, The reason was because the Jews were a turbulent people-assiduo tumultuantes; and that it was impulsore Christo-upon the account of Christ; some zealous for him, others bitter against him, which occasioned great heats, such as gave umbrage to the government, and provoked the emperor, who was a timorous jealous man, to order them all to be gone. If Jews persecute Christians, it is not strange if heathens persecute them both.

II. We have here Paul preaching to the Jews, and dealing with them to bring them to the faith of Christ, both the native Jews and the Greeks, that is, those that were more or less proselyted to the Jewish religion, and frequented their meetings.

1. He reasoned with them in the synagogue publicly every sabbath. See in what way the apostles propagated the gospel, not by force and violence, by fire and sword, not by demanding an implicit consent, but by fair arguing; they drew with the cords of a man, gave a reason for what they said, and gave a liberty to object against it, having satisfactory answers ready. God invites us to come and reason with him (Isa 1:18), and challenges sinners to produce their cause, and bring forth their strong reasons, Isa 41:21. Paul was a rational as well as a scriptural preacher.

2. He persuaded them-epeithe. It denotes,

(1.) The urgency of his preaching. He did not only dispute argumentatively with them, but he followed his arguments with affectionate persuasions, begging of them for God's sake, for their own soul's sake, for their children's sake, not to refuse the offer of salvation made to them. Or,

(2.) The good effect of his preaching. He persuaded them, that is, he prevailed with them; so some understand it. In sententiam suam adducebat-He brought them over to his own opinion. Some of them were convinced by his reasonings, and yielded to Christ.

3. He was yet more earnest in this matter when his fellow-labourers, his seconds, came up with him (v. 5): When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, and had brought him good tidings from the churches there, and were ready to assist him here, and strengthened his hands, then Paul was more than before pressed in spirit, which made him more than ever pressing in his preaching. He was grieved for the obstinacy and infidelity of his countrymen the Jews, was more intent than ever upon their conversion, and the love of Christ constrained him to it (2 Cor 5:14): it is the word that is used here, it pressed him in spirit to it. And, being thus pressed, he testified to the Jews with all possible solemnity and seriousness, as that which he was perfectly well assured of himself, and attested to them as a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah promised to the fathers and expected by them.

III. We have him here abandoning the unbelieving Jews, and turning from them to the Gentiles, as he had done in other places, v. 6.

1. Many of the Jews, and indeed the most of them, persisted in their contradiction to the gospel of Christ, and would not yield to the strongest reasonings nor the most winning persuasions; they opposed themselves and blasphemed; they set themselves in battle array (so the word signifies) against the gospel; they joined hand in hand to stop the progress of it. They resolved they would not believe it themselves, and would do all they could to keep others from believing it. They could not argue against it, but what was wanting in reason they made up in ill language: they blasphemed, spoke reproachfully of Christ, and in him of God himself, as Rev 13:5-6. To justify their infidelity, they broke out into downright blasphemy.

2. Paul hereupon declared himself discharged from them, and left them to perish in their unbelief. He that was pressed in spirit to testify to them (v. 5), when they opposed that testimony, and persisted in their opposition, was pressed in spirit to testify against them (v. 6), and his zeal herein also he showed by a sign: he shook his raiment, shaking off the dust from it (as before they shook off the dust from their feet, Acts 13:51), for a testimony against them. thus he cleared himself from them, but threatened the judgments of God against them. As Pilate by washing his hands signified the devolving of the guilt of Christ's blood from himself upon the Jews, so Paul by shaking his raiment signified what he said, if possible to affect them with it.

(1.) He had done his part, and was clean from the blood of their souls; he had, like a faithful watchman, given them warning, and thereby had delivered his soul, though he could not prevail to deliver theirs. He had tried all methods to work upon them, but all in vain, so that if they perish in their unbelief their blood is not to be required at his hands; here, and 20:26, he plainly refers to Ezek 33:8-9. It is very comfortable to a minister to have the testimony of his conscience for him, that he has faithfully discharged his trust by warning sinners.

(2.) They would certainly perish if they persisted in their unbelief, and the blame would lie wholly upon themselves: "Your blood be upon your own heads, you will be your own destroyers, your nation will be ruined in this world, and particular persons will be ruined in the other world, and you alone shall bear it." If any thing would frighten them at last into a compliance with the gospel, surely this would.

3. Having given them over, yet he does not give over his work. Though Israel be not gathered, Christ and his gospel shall be glorious: Henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles; and the Jews cannot complain, for they had the first offer, and a fair one, made to them. The guests that were first invited will not come, and the provision must not be lost; guests must be had therefore from the highways and the hedges. "We would have gathered the Jews (Matt 23:37), would have healed them (Jer 51:9), and they would not; but Christ must not be a head without a body, nor a foundation without a building, and therefore, if they will not, we must try whether others will." Thus the fall and diminishing of the Jews became the riches of the Gentiles; and Paul said this to their faces, not only because it was what he could justify, but to provoke them to jealousy, Rom 11:12,14.

(From Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

SO, ONE REALLY WONDERS WHETHER THESE PROPERITY GOSPEL PREACHERS EVER REMEMBER THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. WHY CAN'T THEY PREACH WHAT JESUS CHRIST DICTATED AS HIS MANIFESTO? THE MISSION STATEMENT OF CHRISTIANITY CLEARLY SPELT OUT FOR EVERY DEDICATED PREACHER OR TRUE EVANGELIST

LET THEM RE-READ MATTHEW 5, 6 & 7!

Matthew 7

7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

2 For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

16 By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them.

21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'

23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,

29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

(from The Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984, by International Bible Society)

The relevant verses for these hungry and greedy pastors are very clear. If they were not the sons and disciples of the evil one, they could have understood those words long ago while they were still in their so-called Bible Schools. The tools and trademarks of all good pastors or the real requirements for discipleship were spelt out by the founder of Christianity! If these prosperity gospel preachers were not Satan's disciples they would have listened to Jesus, the Christ.

Matt 10:7-42

7 As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.'

8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

9 Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts;

10 take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.

11 "Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave.

12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting.

13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.

14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.

15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

17 "Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.

18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.

19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say,

20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.

22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.

25 It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!

26 "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.

27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.

28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.

33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--

36 a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'

37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

40 "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.

41 Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.

42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

(From the Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, and 1984, by International Bible Society)

WERE THEY NEVER TAUGHT THE FULL IMPLICATIONS OF WHAT PAUL WROTE IN HIS SECOND LETTER TO BISHOP TIMOTHY; ‘HIS DEAR SON IN FAITH'? CAN'T THEY READ THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL OR COMPREHEND WHAT ‘KEEPING THEIR HEAD HIGH IN ALL SITUATIONS' MEANS;

2 Tim 4:2-5

2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-- with great patience and careful instruction.

3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

(From the Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, and 1984, by International Bible Society)

·         THE TRUTH IS THAT MOST OF THEM ARE SCHOOL DROPOUTS WHO ARE UNEMPLOYABLE AND THE ONLY MEANS OF ESCAPING HUNGER, POVERTY, PUBLIC SHAME & RIDICULE IS CAMOUFLAGING AS ITINERANT PASTORS.

·         THEY BEGIN BY ESTABLISHING CHURCHES IN WAREHOUSES AND LATER GRAVITATE TO HOTELS, FLEECING THEIR CONGREGATION INTO BUILDING PERSONAL MANSIONS FOR THEM UNDER THE GUISE OF WORKING FOR GOD! ON THE FINAL DAY THEY WILL HEAR WHAT JESUS, OUR LORD SAID IN MATTHEW 7.

21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'

23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

THE RELEVANT VERSES FOR THESE HUNGRY AND GREEDY PASTORS ARE VERY CLEAR. IF THEY WERE NOT THE SONS AND DISCIPLES OF THE EVIL ONE, THEY COULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD THOSE WORDS LONG AGO WHILE THEY WERE STILL IN THEIR SO-CALLED BIBLE SCHOOLS. THEIR END IS JUST LIKE THE OT PROPHET REVEALED AS GOD'S DESIGN:

Jeremiah 14:10-16

10 This is what the LORD says about this people: "They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the LORD does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins."

11 Then the LORD said to me, "Do not pray for the well-being of this people.

12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague."

13 But I said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, the prophets keep telling them, 'You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.'"

14 Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.

15 Therefore, this is what the LORD says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, 'No sword or famine will touch this land.' Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine.

16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no-one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.

(From the Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, and 1984, by International Bible Society)

  

OBSERVE HOW MANY YEARS AGO THIS HOMILETICS WAS PENNED, IF YOU  STILL WANT THE FULL BOOK WITH UPDATED FULL COLOUR PICTURES AT $10.00 ONLY 

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REV. PROF. J. J. KENEZ, D.Sc.    a.k.a.

DR JIDEOFO KENECHUWU DANMBAEZUE

PROFESSOR OF MODERN THEOSOPHY

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