BY: Richy Usanga
God has never left generations without notable prophets of inestimable value. Elijah and Elisha were Prophets of repute to reckon with in the history of Nations and Men. They advise Kings and wrought miracles on behalf of God.
The Queen of Scotland did nothing without first consulting John Knot about the mind of God.
The American government will do nothing without first consulting (PAPA) Billy Graham. The Korean government is now leaning on Paul Youngicho.
These countries know that godly prophesy and godly people oriented policies make a Nation.
Nigeria is not left out. God has greatly endowed this country with seasoned Men of God whose precise foretelling of the future and turning around destinies are reminiscent of the Nostradamus fame.
But many Men of God seem to have taken the responsibility of God in allotting to themselves the power to make or manufacture miracles by speaking from the pulpit, or to them, decreeing as a Prophet.
Forgive my curiosity as i proceed on this piece if it offends you, as I'm moved to pen this heresy.
Pulpits and altars are generally known and seen as the supernatural power base in Churches. Acknowledged greatly considering the pyrotechnic grace and the unbridled glory that rouses, this supernatural podium carriers a divine backing as most extraordinary declarations are made and unimaginable miracles happens when genuine prophets bestroke it.
It is sublimely steamy these days to float a Church. Starting a church this days means i will be reaching out to people in society not really imparting in reaching out.
Many have rushed into what is supposedly described as Ministry this days and in order to reign on such podium, they wrap in a whole lot of drama.
They believe that a call to Pastor mandatorily means to set up an amphibiously brick sacred walls that houses an ebony stature of Jesus, this to my mind suggest greed and self-centeredness.
Reading through scriptures, i discovered that it is rather very easy to recognize a Man that is spirit-filled or like Paul the Apostle said "filled with the holy spirit". A mango tree naturally produces fruits of it kind, so the holy spirit does.
Demonstrating a practical act of love and service, sharing with the needy, praying for the sick, remaining at peace with all Men at all times. These are the fruits that the holy spirit bares.
I am not a Pastor....atleast, not yet. But the idea is to be a Pastor and not to look like a Pastor.
I have an analog for this...
I got an invitation recently, and i drove into the precinct of a church named " The church in Uyo". Amazing as i pulled through the driveway, the resplendent billboard stood there chiefly as bellhops in a hotel.
As i made my way into the expanse auditorium, ushers wearing broad smiles that spread through their lips hurriedly, almost waylaid me to a seat.
As the Bishop exhorted, i tried to quiet the clamouring the spirit-filled-noisy-congregation and that of my own self just to create space for the quite God to enter, but the more i tried, the less spiritually covered and more politically surrounded i felt.
His ministration was at best the barest form of political gobbledygook i experienced as his messages were laces with political coverings, his exhortation were embroidered with so much political undertone and his admonishment were weaved with political inclinations.
He spoke with the impetus of a whirlwind. It was as if all my prayers that day had dropped back to earth unanswered. I felt God was invisible or absent.
Some Pastors talk as if we do not know the God they are talking about. As if we all do not know that the OLD TESTAMENT refers to God as father 11times and the NEW TESTAMENT 170 times.
God has the capacity to relate with all creatures, all at once and he loves each of us as if there was only one of us to love.
My intent is not to pour opprobrium on the clergy-class, neither is it to desecrate the church of God. The idea is suggestive of motive and purpose.
I recall with nostalgia in 2010, a year leading into the 2011 general elections. We saw a handful of this prophetic manufacturers (a club not known, not even by divine law) emerging everywhere.
Many Churches, Ministries(as the case may be) and Worship Centres were flexing so much of their spiritual muscles, making wild, perilous and egregious prophetic pronouncements that ended up as litany failures.
Those conscripted and well-rehearsed prophesies, most of which wore superficial mask of conspiratorial tendencies appeared supernaturally malnourished and fictitious, never showed their faces.
Vividly in 2014, a renowned Apostle(name withheld), with his full regalia came on air in a very distorted and confused manner to hurriedly read out a lengthy-hand written Prophecies, purportedly showed to him by God to some very highly placed and prominent Nigerians in a manner that suggest those old kindergarten rhymes during children's day and in a fragrant display of spiritual perversion which i suspected was to curry international relevance. He recited those self-designed predictions as if he single-handedly designed the affairs of Men.
In an infamous allegorical dilemma, none of them came out right.
PROPHESY NO. 4 was that President Goodluck Johnathan(now former President) will win the 2015 general election, but with a slim margin, and that a smoke of wild violence will ensue because of his victory especially from the northern part of the country.
I still have a copy of that prophetic predictions he composed, since God cannot be mocked.
Obviously, not every minister passes the test of a genuine prophetic gift with flying colors. Most people would argue this, but prophetic power is not like political power where the candidate who takes the credit for the rain ends up getting the blames for the drought.
Ahead of the 2019 polls, emerging prophetic releases have started popping up, springing up and rolling in.
Those prophets who will see a rat will expand it to a cow, those who have never seen or heard anything will begin to see and hear everything, those who's stock in trade is to panel-beat,construct and polish their predictions to test their prophetic popularity in the political space are already in the gym, those prophets who have never seen where the witches in their family usually gather at night will begin to see a contest that is yet to come with a slim-margin-win in a tight battle, those prophetic manufacturers who were empowered by politicians to reign will begin to want to pay them back by powering the politician's ego with pulpit-furnished prophesies that looks favourable to them.
I have said it before and i like to repeat it just again that "when a Prophet ceases to hear from God, he becomes a puppet". Everything he sees are conjured, everything he hears are in whispers and everything he touches are shadow-alike...
© Richy Usanga
Writes in from Uyo
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