The ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood is one of the most important virtues in human life. The Zimbabwean problems start with dubious Spiritism in Christianity. Apparently, the majority of our people believe in Spiritism, more than intellectual philosophy. The white-garment Madzibaba sects may comprise the largest followers of Spiritism in the country.
As to how even the apparently educated people get obsessed with such confusions is beyond understanding. It seems mystic miracles are more attractive than reason and logic. The easiest way of diagnosing the causes of this problem can be lacking education. Yet even Ph.D. holders are known to be among the Spiritism followers.
Humans are generally held in captivity of ignorance. To start with, an ignorant person does not even know him/herself. Born in a world of confusion, a person takes comfort in what is adopted by the majority in his environment. Ordinary humans assume that God is different from their own identity.
The first chapter of Genesis, clearly states that humans were created in God’s image. (Genesis 1:27). There cannot be any simpler rendition, for those desiring to know God. Such people intimately relate to God, because God is described in their own beingness. New Testament Scriptures clearly affirm this reality.
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) (NIV).
While the original identity of humans is God, this was lost at the Garden of Eden, according to the Scriptures. Jesus came to redeem those willing to return to their original identity. This cannot be an easy endeavor, as requiring a willingness to surrender everything that the person considers as valuable.
How can one convince a totally confused person? His identity is in him; is connected directly, and is part and parcel of his existence. The moment one assumes that God is different from him/herself; that would describe his total departure from his identity. When assuming God to be something other than his own identity, the person would be completely out of tangent and, therefore, lost.
Genesis 1:27 shows the real “I AM” of any individual, as representing God. This is the starting point before one gets retrieved from the condition of degradation. Of course, it cannot be possible for liars to appreciate being identified with God.
A paternal society assumes that God is impressed by submissions to human authority. But, careful Bible students know that Jesus was never submissive to any human authority. He took instructions directly from His Father in Heaven. With that mindset, it is impossible to be duped by these marauding Christian criminals.
In the world of deception, goodness is described according to how one submits to these Christian criminals, regarded as “authorities.” Human beings have an appetite for idolatry. Even the Israelites, regarded as God’s people, had to beg for human leadership, rather than submitting to God.
They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have” But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you” (1 Samuel 8:5-8) (NIV.
The scourge of human suffering continues, unabated, as long as idolatry prevails. Modern idolatry can be found in mystic Spiritism. As far as most people are concerned, Godliness is associated with mysticism. This is not new as also practiced by the Baal worshipping Israelites. The Prophet Elijah experienced a tough time, dealing with such unbelievers.
“At noon Elijah began to taunt them. ‘Shout louder!’ he said. ‘Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.’ So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention” (1 Kings 18:27-30) (NIV).
With all honesty, how were those Baal worshippers different from our Zimbabwean Christians? Which God would those prayerful people be praying to, when engaged in all-night prayers, for instance? Jesus prescribed a method of prayer for true Christians. However, that prayer is considered insufficient by those caught up in Spiritism.
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:6-8) (NIV).
Zimbabwean Christians are known to be boastful, in considering Zimbabwe as a prayerful country. They have been praying for Mugabe and now president Mnangagwa, since 1980, considering such leaders as God’s gift. There is nothing wrong with prayer. It is a question of knowing which god those people would be praying to. None of those Christians know the god they would be praying to.
Like the Baal worshippers, they consider themselves approved of God when respecting blood-suckers and womanizers in leadership. The Baal worshippers were obsessed with vilifying Elijah for preaching the truth. The same can be true today, when noticing how leaders are idolized, assuming that as pleasing God. Such Christians do not even know the god they worship.
The uncommon and possibly most dangerous thing is to tell them to accept being God-like. Jesus was almost pre-maturely killed for stating that reality. Jesus was unpopular, yet premised on this simplicity. Such messages cannot be acceptable to those having not discovered their true identity.
“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?” (John 10:33-36) (NIV).
For those sincere, in desiring to obey God, the first thing is appreciating that knowledge and redemption come first. Jesus laid down the framework of prayer, for Christians, commonly known as the ‘Lord’s Prayer.’ The only reason why Christians dignify that prayer as the ‘Lord’s Prayer,’ is piety.
Whoever coined it as the ‘Lord’s Prayer,’ sought to impress God. Yet refusing the idea of being identified with God. Jesus taught His disciples, comprising true Christians, how to pray. But that prayer cannot identify with false Christians, taking their cue from Christian Theologians. They insist that Jesus should be regarded as a member of the Trinity, rather than being considered as one of us.
“The one who does what is sinful is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God” (1 John 3:8-9) (NIV).
As far as Theologians are concerned, the part stating: “because they have been born of God” should be expunged. Born of what? Viewed as blasphemous, this can cause one to be expelled from a denomination. Their concern is understandable. How can a despicable person like Masuku declare being born of God? All this is designed to make Jesus Holy and those attempting to follow him, unholy.
This emanates from the ignorance of one’s own identity as a Christian. The source of Christianity comes from the identity of Jesus. There is no other Scripture clarifying the identity of God’s Church in the entire Bible, composed as follows:
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah” (Matthew 16:13-20) (NIV).
A patriarchal society assumes that God is impressed by obeying other fellow humans, ahead of God. Yet the same God declared that His people should have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3).
Jesus, as leading by example, never obeyed anyone, ahead of God, His Father. The apostle John similarly affirmed this:
“This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment: In this world, we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister” (John 4:17-21) (NIV).
Falsehood has left our country in a shameful condition. Leaders were never meant to be worshipped. Even parents are not meant to be worshipped. This is why Paul advises children to obey their parents, IN THE LORD (Ephesians 6:1). Parents should never be obeyed when going against God’s laws.
The Zimbabwean stupidity lies in submitting to an uncivilized governing authority. It seems people are more comfortable with lies than with truth. I blamed the MDC for the 2013 election fiasco. Yet when looking at it deeply, one sees the problem of a people more comfortable with lies, rather than with the truth.
If Morgan Tsvangirai had avoided participating in what clearly appeared as shame elections, in 2013, that would have determined his political demise. People would have rejected him for standing for the truth. This is why in 2018, in their large numbers people marched, assuming that things would turn out for the better, by unconstitutionally removing Robert Mugabe.
It’s amazing how a nation with highly educated people, all calling themselves “Christians” gets so easily duped? Ordinary people are unwilling to take up responsibility on matters of governance. Hence, taking comfort in blaming ZANU PF. What did Christ mean, when instructing His disciples?
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ‘Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house” (Matthew 5:13-15) (NIV).
Unless Christian communities become willing to change, the country will continue in the trajectory of human suffering. Fools continue to take comfort in assuming that peace comes from falsehood, rather than truth. Those who assume being different from God should repent before it is too late. One cannot be Christian and represent falsehood.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99
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