So
many people complain or being scared of running into the hands of fake pastors and
prophets especially in Nigeria. In Nigeria today, religion has become something
that is being held in high esteem and as such, some people has resulted in
taking it to be something that they can make money from. This is most common
among Christians because their services and pastoral training are not
regulated. Today we would be talking about fake pastors and ways by which you
can easily identify fake pastors in Nigeria.
It’s
no surprise that in Nigeria there are many churches and acclaimed pastors who
claim to be men of God. Most of these pastors and prophets of these religious
groups are not what you think they are. From the pulpit, they use the words
from the Bible to threaten and extort money from the members of their
congregation. Many fake pastors and prophets even go as far as performing fake
miracles all in the name of religion just to grow their base. Some have been
busted in their bid to cover up such heinous act.
The
Holy Bible made it clear in one of its books “Not everyone that calls me Lord
will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” and in another “In the last days, there
shall appear false prophets who shall perform signs and wonders, using false
doctrines and these signs to deceive the children of God. Be on the watch out
against such people and hold firmly unto the faith and teaching that was handed
down to you”. It was because of these fake pastors and prophets that Christ
warned this generation to not fall for their cunning tricks. It should not be
surprising that many congregations that are controlled by these church leaders
shall be led to hell and not Heaven because of these pastors who call themselves
men of God.
If
you are interested in knowing how to identify fake pastors in Nigeria then this
article is definitely for you. I have put together effective ways by which you
can easily identify a fake pastor in Nigeria. First, we have to look at the
reasons why one needs to run away from fake pastors. Let’s go right into it!
Why should I run away from
fake pastors and Prophets?
There
are many reasons why one should run away or avoid fake pastors.
Some
of these reasons are:
1.
They can brain wash your knowledge on the word of God
2.
They can mislead you
3.
Doom awaits fake pastors and you shouldn’t be found in that number etc.
What are the effective ways
by
which I can identify fake pastor and
prophet in Nigeria?
1.
They only like to preach about things people love to hear especially prosperity
2.
They have a way of twisting the words of the Lord in the bible thereby
misleading others
3.
They usually live flamboyantly
4.
They are always talking about tithes in their sermons and often go ahead to
even beg the congregation for money
5.
They are always head bent on showing people miracles instead of how to repent
and seek the true ways of God
6.
They charge cash for prayers and consultation
7.
They are friends of the rich and mingle with politicians
Ways to Identify Fake Pastors and Prophets in Nigeria.
1. They only like to preach about things people love to hear especially prosperity
One
way by which one can easily identify a fake pastor in Nigeria is the fact that
they only like to preach about the things that people love to hear especially
prosperity. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that only the people or all the
people that preach about prosperity are fake pastors. Of course, prosperity is
a good thing which everyone prays to have plenty of but why you see that that
is the only thing a man of God seems to preach about then you might just have
to watch it as he might be a fake pastor. True man of God should not only
preach about prosperity and all the sweet sides of Christianity. They should
also preach about the bitter sides and all the things that God has commanded us
not to do. A true man of God knows that coming to true salvation is even more
important that all the prosperity talks. However, since many people have turned
Christianity to a way of making money, they talk about prosperity to attract
and get a lot of people come round and they get money from it as well.
3. They usually live
flamboyantly
Another
way by which you can easily identify a fake man of God is by the way they live.
It is most likely for a fake pastor to live flamboyantly. A good Christian is
supposed to live a Christ like life. We all know Christ to be a person of
humility and he also teaches us to be very humble. Today, many pastors are very
much into material things and would rather get the last kobo from their
congregation just to look good. Many of them do not even seek to help the poor
among them. They are only concerned about themselves and their families looking
good at the expense of others in the congregation. A true man of God should be
moderate with things and also be humble. Next time you attend a church which
you see the pastor living a flamboyantly life, be careful and you might have
just come in contact with a fake pastor.
4. They are always talking about tithes in their sermons and often go ahead to even beg the congregation for money
Another
way by which you can easily identify a fake pastor or man of God is the fact
that they are always talking about tithes in their sermons and often go ahead
to even beg their congregation for money. To be very honest, we know many
churches are so guilty of this but I am not saying all churches which the
pastors preach about tithes are harboring fake pastors. Paying of tithe is
important and it is a good thing that was instituted by God but the way these
pastors take this is quite different. You would notice that a fake pastor would
always be so particular about the members paying their tithes instead of them
getting true salvation. Be careful of this.
5. They are always head
bent on showing people miracles instead of how to repent and seek the true ways
of God
Another
way by which we can identify a fake pastor in Nigeria is the fact that they are
always head bent on showing people miracles instead of how to repent and seek
the true word of God. People are naturally moved by miracles because human
problems are not things that can be stopped; it means that problems are always
constant. One thing you should know is that many times, these miracles are
staged and people don’t even know that.
6. They charge cash for prayers and consultation
If
a pastor or prophet tells you to bring money to see visions or to consult the
Lord, that pastor is a fake and they are found in Nigeria in great numbers.
They disobey the Bible rule which Christ himself stated “Freely you received,
freely you give.”
7. They are friends of the
rich and mingle with politicians
You
always see fake pastors rolling with the rich and neglecting the poor and less
privileged. They make friends with the rich and politicians, going to their
houses s for prayers, knowing fully well they will leave with fat envelopes or
Ghana must go.
8. Always in competition to
get more members to their church
There
is no Nigerian pastor who wouldn’t like more members to his or her denomination
but fake pastors now take it as competition as to whose church has more members
in Nigeria. The worst part is when a member of their denomination dares join
another church, they say he or she has left the light into darkness and isn’t a
believer. This itself is a business strategy if not losing customers and not to
grow the church of Christ.
We all know that being humble, kind, gentle and decent are the true characteristics of real men of God. But in today’s Nigeria, these things are hard to find. We advise Christians and children of God to be careful of these so acclaimed men of God to avoid falling prey to their various antics and motives.
Those
are the real ways to identify and know those who are fake pastors in Nigeria