Opinions of Saturday, 16 May 2020

Columnist: Richard Tawiah

The war against false prophets and its consequences on the church

Richard Tawiah Richard Tawiah

For the past weeks, we have seen growing attacks on some Prophets and Church Leaders. I recently saw an honorable member of parliament Kennedy Agyapong on television exposing the alleged dirty deals of one Bishop Obinim and others.

His crusade against "False Prophets" in the country has won the hearts of many and has got growing support from the public.

Anytime I go back to read people's comments on social media, I get concerned and I wonder if Hon Kennedy Agyapong and those who support his campaign know the long term effect it will have on the Church.

In as much as we want decency in the Church, care must also be taken so we don't slaughter innocent sheep among those condemned. As a Christian and a Church leader, Prophecy is a core part of our faith and any attempt by anyone to downplay or demonize it will not augur well for the Church.

The unfortunate thing is that the growing attacks on Prophets has dainted the reputation of those who are genuine due to careless generalisation.

This means that genuine Prophets who are focused on doing the will of God will have to battle for their credibility and many will be skeptical dealing with servants of God due to the bad image portrayed in the minds of the public.

One thing that we should not forget is that the Prophetic office is instituted by God and no man can bring it down.

If there is anyone to correct Pastors in the Church, it shouldn't becoming from a member of Parliament who may not even have knowledge of Prophecy or the operations of the Holy Spirit.

This is the work of the Christian Council and if they fail to do their job the Church will become a laughing stock because everyone will rise up to speak or criticize the Church on things they may have limited knowledge on.

So we shouldn't be over excited when we see someone fighting Pastors or Prophets all in the name of seeking justice for the vulnerable, we may hurt innocent people and also hurt the Church.

False Prophets have been with us for centuries and they will continue to come because even the Bible has prophesied. We should, therefore, be circumspect when addressing issues of that nature so we don't bring the Prophetic Office into disrepute.

Always remember that some may not be sent by God but not all of them are fake. I think the campaign against the so called " false Prophet" is doing more harm than good.

We need Prophets more than ever and sabotaging the Prophetic will silence God's authentic voice for our nation. If we are bold enough to point out those who are not from God, we should exhibit same for those we deem who "are from God". If we can't do this then I think silence is golden.

Before I stop worrying you with my long piece let me live you this scripture right here to better inform you about the relevance of Prophets in our society.

2 Chronicles 20:20 And they rose early in the morning and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.