I will begin by stating categorically that exposing those in the church that we hold in high esteem isn't what gives me some form of mental orgasm.  I have nothing against the church.  It might surprise you all to know that I consider myself as being a Christ follower and someone who tries her best to follow the teachings of the Bible.  For those who used to read my blog - you know that I come from a family that is very rooted in the church.  Exposing or writing critiques of the church hurts me more than it actually hurts a lot of people that want to use each flaw as an example to point fingers at God.   That said:

With deep disgust  I read the article in Ghana nation and I quote, "

A self-styled Nigerian prophet, Efe Ese, who claims he specialises in exorcising evil spirits with his penis, has found himself in the grips of the police after stealing from one of his victims.

Efe, by his trade, hypnotised women he prophesied to and lured them into believing that they were tormented by evil spirits.

He told them he had to have sex with them so he could exorcise all the demons which, he claimed, were responsible for all their misfortunes."

Join me in saying  WHAT WHAT WHAT!!!!

If you didn't get the gist of that whole tori - simple, to get exorcised of a demon, you must to do the 'do'  with this prophet.  Na wa o!!  Come see me see trouble.  Now, if that one isn't enough - as I was getting myself ready for my show on Saturday, I was tagged on a video, this one featuring a known man of God, one of our billionaire pastors not a 'nonetity 'like the other.   The conversation in that video went like this:

Pastor Oyedepo:  you've been there for how long?

Teenager:  I am not a winch i am a winch for Jesus.  My own winch is for Jesus.

 Pastor Oyedepo: You are a foul devil.  Do you know who you are talking to?  Foul devil

(Slap)

Pastor Oyedepo : Where are  you from?

Teenager: Imo state.  I am a winch for Jesus.

Pastor Oyedapo:  Jesus has no witches - you are a devil.  You are not set for deliverance and you are free to go to h ell. 

Ehn Ehn...na wetin be dis o!!  In all my years of watching - deliverance ministries, I have never seen a slap delivered.  I have seen the laying of hands, I have seen the speaking of tongues, the direct communications and all the scary stuff that often goes with it.  But Slap!!!   Is that the new 2011 thing? Chinekem!!!

I decided to look more closely at this video -

a) we have a rich and powerful pastor who many consider almost as a God.  Even if they don't say it out - if this pastor asks for something, 80 percent of his congregation will do it without questioning.

b) we have a young poor teenager, possibly a maid.  Look at how the girl is dressed and compare it with the pastor.  The pastor's dressing from his shoes to his suit oozes wealth, the girl with her tattered clothes which are bigger than she is oozes poverty.  The way, she carries herself, shows that she is from the lower strata of society  and her accent and mode of talking  (*winch*) shows that her educational level if she has any is substandard at best.

There in lies some of the questions  running through my mind -

a)" did the girl understand the question that she was being asked?"

b) "was she made to go there by her oga?".  We all grew up in Nigeria and we know that maids in many homes, were treated almost like slaves.  Keeping it real here.  If a maid was too stubborn or seemed different in any way, she was considered as either having something wrong with her  OR possessed?  I wondered at this girl's backstory? Anyone thinking of the implications particularly when we think of the children witch trials in certain parts of the country.  My mind immediately ran there.

Now, taking it away from the interaction which clearly shows how power can be abused.  Let's look at the crowd. We have the same non questioning adoration that we saw in the article about the prophet.  He was being egged on and applauded for slapping the 'witch'.  No one asked - what, how and where is the proof of this witch craft.  Now, I am not saying that witchcraft doesn't exist but I do believe that there is a demarcation between the physical and the spiritual and if one is working in the spiritual, they can deal with certain things in the spiritual without outwardly performing a violent act.  That slap was a violent act.  Here in the states, we consider it as an abuse of power.  But  no one questioned it.  His word was like God.  Who dares question this new 'god'?

I will say this, in the last days, many will throw the words of God on the side and just follow signs and wonders.  They will not sit down and try to know who this God is.  Who this maker of heaven and earth is?  They will suffer from mental laziness and before they know it, they will be like sheep to a bad shepherd who will lead them to destruction.

Now, I am not saying Pastor Oyedepo is a bad shepherd or is from the devil but rather I ask that those that follow the Christian faith dig into the bible and try to know God on the personal, not the whole dramatics that many Christians do in public.  Do you have a one on one relationship with God? How does he speak to you?  Does he speak to you?  Do you check up on what you learn at church to make sure it is biblical?  In the last days, many dogmas will be slowly introduced into the church like slow poison and many will keep on accepting it until they find themselves walking on a path that has taken them surely away from God.

These are my thoughts.  I know many are busy lambasting the church community, the pastors and everyone.   But, I think this whole thing is a warning to the church community to be careful.  Very careful.

For some humor: