I think American pastors are interchanging the face of christianity in the world with hypocrisy and their culture keeps infilterating in most christian churches in Nigeria. How do we curb this.
Watch Harlem pastor Manning speak evil of fellow pastors, Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar below. Even Tunde Bakare has never gone this far.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgJnghVJ-DA

Perhaps it is good that these things happen so that we learn HOW NOT TO FOLLOW CHRIST.

Presently, divisive arguments, practices (that tend to exclude others) and attempts to command God (or some fallen spirit for that matter) to do our bidding dominates Christian sects. That is why there is a lot of religion, but little virtue to show for it.

Christians should develop a deep spirituality, based on a true relationship with the risen Christ. Our devotion to Christ and His Father should indeed be 'in spirit and in truth' (John 4:24).

I foresee Christians going back to the early Church to learn how to relate with Christ.

Speaking of spirituality, here what one author has to say about prayer (relate this to our Nigerian experience)::

"Prayer is the acceptable way of effecting willed communication with God, because it is an act of[b] self-giving and renunciation[/b].

It is the antithesis of grasping for spiritual things that is the method of the occultist who 'invokes' powers and qualities from the psychic world.

The difference between prayer and occult meditation is so subtle that even, or perhaps I should rather say especially, highly intellectual people may fail to see the great divide that separates the two.

In prayer a person gives of himself in humble adoration to God Who is beyond all names. By becoming nothing - as Jesus was on the Cross - he attains communion with that which too is nothing and is also the eternal Godhead. For God is assuredly No Thing, as the greatest mystics have taught the world"

It is unspeakable to hear a minister can go to such extent of "touching" a fellow anointed man of God with his mouth (Ps 105: 14 - 15)
Ministers that speak against other ministers are never successful in Ministry cos God does not support such acts.
Negative criticism will only reduce the critic.
The best life to live is the life of love, a life that knows people the same way God knows them.

@bobokanis,

bobokanis:

Ministers that speak against other ministers are never successful in Ministry because God does not support such acts.

Paul "criticized" Peter in Galatians 2:14.

Was Paul "successful" in his ministry afterwards?

bobokanis:

Negative criticism will only reduce the critic.

In criticism, there's always bound to be an element of the "negative". In that regad, many have criticized others - and yet, the criticism never reduced the critic.

bobokanis:

The best life to live is the life of love, a life that knows people the same way God knows them.

If you knew how God knows people, you would understand that His love for them does not include covering their open heresy and 419 in the name of Christianity.

Shalom.

Please note that Manning's accussation of Kenneth, creflo and others do not necessarirly mean that he himself is right. He may have personal grievings asides. Have heard Manning preach severally and I personally do not think he has the audacity to condemn like that. I feel he is almost enetering hate speech - my submission though.

Hi cgift,

Happy New Year.

cgift:

Please note that Manning's accussation of Kenneth, creflo and others do not necessarirly mean that he himself is right. He may have personal grievings asides. Have heard Manning preach severally and I personally do not think he has the audacity to condemn like that. I feel he is almost enetering hate speech - my submission though.

Apt.

In the same vein, what we have done is "criticize" Manning.

The point is that we should know when and where to draw the line and make good use of own God-given discernments.

Should we "criticize"? I believe we should - in the sense that we should know what's proper and what is not. Should we "judge"? Again, I believe we have a responsibility to "judge" - in the sense that we are careful to not condemn people (see John 7:24 -- "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment".

Either way, I agree with you that some have become overly pre-occupied with "critizing, judging and even condemning" others - and when that state of affairs is the thrust of one's ministry, disaster is not far away.

Spot on pilgrim.1,

We are now in an age where knowledge is increasing fast. We need to be very sure of who is and who is not of God. It is more disheartening considering the words of Christ himself that the very elect may even be deceivedby all these things.

Happy New Year sis.