Fishing out fake prophets using the bible

By Brilliant Pongo

“You have exposed these prosperity gospel preachers as charlatans and now many that had thought them to be true are left asking so how do we know who is telling the truth, where do we find truth?”

This was the question asked by a friend following the article on ‘prosperity gospel preachers’ I am not one with the answers but it is my sincere hope that I will point you to a book that will open your understanding in a way that no man can.

The Holy Bible in James 1 v5-6 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.

For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

As a little child growing up in Zimbabwe I was a keen reader, I tried reading as many books as I could find, I preferred reading small books, books that I could read in a few days. I was never a fan of heavy texts, big books. I read a lot of fictional books and some factual educational book as a young boy.

However, there was one book that we had in our house, this book was massive, it was the type of book that I feared mainly because of its size, and I never wanted to read a book that I thought I could never finish.

Little did I know that this large book would help unlock great wisdom and help me understand the nature of God. It was the Holy Bible, indeed, His true word.

I remember the old myth in my youthful days that no one had ever read the bible from cover to cover, for many years this was a common untruth among even my peers at that time. Disturbingly that old myth still grips a large number of those who claim to be Christians today.

Many of those who profess to be Christians just follow what they are told by those who lead them and believe without question that the men who lead the churches they belong to will lead them to God.

They have put a lot of trust in the people who lead them here on earth, and have believed and now glorify the names of man that lead them and have forgotten that there is but one intermediary between man and God.

As the bible says “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (1 Timothy 2:5 KJV) Sadly many people who proclaim to be Christians still want the bible read to them.

Many still view the bible as a ‘massive’ book that is a reserve of the preachers and members of the clergy trained and educated in theological colleges to understand and to demystify the mysteries of the holy bible, hence many of these smooth talking, bible school trained preachers are teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.

As the bible says in (Mark 7:6-7) and He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me. But in vain do they worship me teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.”

As a young boy I also remember that I was not concerned in the least with whether or not I was in the right church. Despite this lack of understanding, when quite young, I was made to believe that the bible was the word of God and all churches are churches of God. I never thought or questioned why if we have one bible, and one God, why the need for so many different denominations.

In one of the most powerful, dramatic, and profoundly important statements in the Bible, Jesus Christ declared, “I will build My Church” (Matt.16:18). He did not say “churches,” “fellowships,” “sects,” “denominations” or “communities of believers.” No matter how men try to place an interpretation on it, this passage speaks of a single Church—of one, undivided organisation!

However, the churches on earth today are by no means one undivided organisation. It is indeed plain for all to see that we now have a multiplicity of divided organisations; all competing as it were for more customers/congregates, which is yet another indicator of the confusion wrought upon the people by these false churches.

The Bible declares, “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints [the context shows this means all congregations of the true Church, not all of the many organizations of men]” (1 Cor. 14:33).

God’s Church was to reflect peace—not confusion. You need not be confused about its identity—about the location of the true Church.

God commands, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thes. 5:21). While this refers to scriptural matters (not the car you drive or the house you buy), it does say “ALL things,” not “some things,” should be proven!

Surely God would not exclude something of such magnitude— of such supremely vital importance—as the matter of where His true Church is found. And He would never emphatically tell people to prove things that cannot be proven!

Today some people in the Pentecostal and even the apostolic churches fear proving all things, some assume that because one has declared that they are anointed they need not be put to the test, many are calling themselves as prophets, many declaring the title “Man of God” the question is, have you proven that this calling is from God?

Have you proven that the anointing they claim to have is of God?

Coming back to the two most talked about Zimbabwean prophets in recent months Emmanuel Makandiwa and his friend Uebert Angel. These two should have proved to us that the church of God is one united organisation if they are indeed “men of God” by uniting under one name and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ as prescribed in the holy bible, but that would not work financially for these two enterprising gospel entrepreneurs who both want to be CEO’s in their individual million dollar projects.

We are missing a more important point if we limit the teaching of the gospel of salvation to the specific point of “miracle money” as is the current practice in the prosperity gospel organisations such as that of Makandiwa and his friend Angel.

The more important general point is that people can worship God in vain if they teach or hold to false doctrines. Despite society’s constant loud message that it does not matter what one believes, it does matter what one believes.

“Spirituality” is not enough. Zeal is not enough. Paul noted that the nation of Israel had a zeal for God, “but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.” Romans 9:31-32.

The world’s Christianity now teaches the traditions of men as it were the gospel of Jesus Christ, indeed the bible testifies to this in Mark 7vs9 “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition”.

One of the traditions taught and kept by most Ministers, Theologians and Religionists today is that “All those who sincerely believe in Jesus Christ, and accept Him as their Savior, comprise the true Church,” I might add, without regard to their denomination or beliefs.

This is often followed with the familiar statement, “There are many routes to heaven” or “There are many spokes on the wheel of salvation.”

However, this is contrary to God’s word, (John 14:6) ‘Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me’. Thus, the teaching that there are many ways to salvation is as false as the churches that teach it.

Paul makes it clear that it is not only those worshippers who adhere to another religion that are in trouble. Paul calls those who “merely” distort the gospel of Christ as “accursed”.

He states: “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” Galatians 1:6-9.

While it has been said, “They can’t all be wrong,” it is more correct to say, “They cannot all be right.” If Christ built His Church as He said, then it can be found somewhere on Earth today—and it is the only right Church.

But we must ask: How do we find it—what do we look for—how do we identify it—and how do we know it if we see it?

1.       Christ organised the Church Eph. 4:11-14

2.       The true church must have a foundation of apostles and prophets.

Eph. 2:19-20

3.       The true church must have the same organisation as Christ’s

Church Eph. 4:11-14

4.       The true church must claim divine authority Heb.5:4-10

5.       The true church must have no paid ministry. Isa.45:13 and 1Peter

5:2

6.       The true church must baptise by immersion. Matt.3:13-16

7.       The true church must bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost by the

laying on of hands. Acts 8:14-17.

8.       The true church must practice divine healing. Mark 3:14-15

9.       The true church must teach that God and Jesus Christ are separate

and distinct individuals. John 17:11 and John 20:17.

10.     The officers must be called by God. Heb. 5:4, Exodus 28:1, Exodus

40:13-16

11.     The true church must claim revelation from God. Amos 3:7

12.     The true church must be a missionary church. Matt. 28:19-20

By their fruits ye shall know them. Matt. 7:20 Why are these things important? Because as (Hebrew 13:8) says “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today and forever.

It is my hope and prayer that this article will help you in your journey to find the true Church of God. Pray and ask for the spirit of God to lead and direct you in the way of truth, God will show you his true church in Jesus name, Amen.

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