The Rise and Fall of Samson

THE RISE AND FALL OF SAMSON: LESSONS FROM THE STORY OF SAMSON

By Ezekiel Kimosop

INTRODUCTION

The story of Samson is recorded in Judges 13-16. It is a fairy tale type of narrative condensed in only four chapters but which carries powerful moral lessons for covenant believers in all ages.

Samson was one of the judges who ruled Israel during the cyclic apostasy period after Joshua's generation (see Judges 2).

Little is however known about his life as a judge. One of the outstanding lessons from the story of Samson is that whereas the writer of the Book of Judges sought to depict Samson's moral excesses, he nevertheless underscores the fact that God ultimately used this "superman" to accomplish His purposes for Israel in an amazing way. The story meanders along low and high moments which are inextricably interwoven in the four chapters.

We shall focus on one of the incidents that perhaps most aptly reveals the moral escapades of Samson and around which his ungodly marriages and activities stand.

Samson never got to marry the woman he loved. Of course he got it wrong on his choices on instances. He trusted his eyes and instincts more than the wisdom of his godly parents and settled for Philistine women. American televangelist John Hagee once said that love at first sight is cured by a second look! How true.

The second Philistine woman to come into Samson's life is Delilah, the girl from the Valley of Sorek, who was equally up to no good. The Hebrew meaning of her name is "delicate", a name that has come to be associated with treacherous and voluptuous women. Delilah was perhaps the equivalent of a cold war double agent spy-queen, who was under the direction of the enemies of God's people (Judges 16:4-5).

THE BIRTH OF SAMSON

Let's begin with the story of Samson's birth...

The young Nazarite was miraculously born to a Danite man called Manoah, whose wife was until her conception of Samson, barren (Judges 13). Samson, like Isaac, was a miracle child.

Samson's mission was spelled out even before he was conceived. Judges 13:5 says that Samson was born to deliver Israel from the oppression of the Philistines. He was a special child, set apart a Nazarite who was forbidden from taking strong drink or shaving his hair (Judges 13:4-5). It is instructive that the mother was forbidden from taking strong drink during her pregnancy.

SAMSON'S EXCESSES

In Judges 14, Samson began his ministry journey with a wrong footing. His decision to marry a Philistine girl that went against the wisdom of his godly parents was perhaps the beginning of his downfall. However, God ultimately used his unpleasant circumstances to fulfill His divine purposes for Israel.

Before Samson could take the first Philistines girl, he got into a number of misdeeds, some of which, in the eyes of the young men, were perhaps heroic.

We shall pick our evaluation of Samson's moral flaws from the incidents described in Judges 14. It is important to appreciate that the people of Israel were morally fallen at this stage. They had departed from God's covenant in several ways. Intermarriage with heathen nations was nothing new. Moses was at one time accused of marrying an Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12).

Judges 2:11-23 carries a deep lament on the moral corruption identified with the generation that came after Joshua's generation had departed. God however had His faithful remnant. Samson's parents were perhaps among this small group.

THE FIREFOX INCIDENT

Judges 15:6-5 says "Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes; and he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails. 5 When he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves."

This incident came at the backdrop of a special event. Samson had gone to meet his Philistine wife (a girl betrothed to him in violation of Ezra 9:12; Nehemiah 13:25). As stated earlier, the Jews were forbidden from intermarrying with the heathen.

Earlier in Judges 14, we learn that Samson had hosted a celebration at his in-laws, possibly in fulfilment of the cultural requirements for marriage.

The feast went awry. His wife betrayed him by revealing the secret behind his riddle to the Philistines. Samson killed 30 of their men in a bout of anger when he learned that he had been tricked. He had however acted in utter foolishness.

His father in law decided to give Samson's wife to his bestman. This now confirms that she had only been betrothed to Samson and was not married to him at this stage! The customary practice of betrothal is perhaps most clearly demonstrated under Joseph's relationship with Mary in Matthew 1:18-25.

Elsewhere in the New Testament Scripture, the Church is symbolically portrayed as a bride that has been betrothed to Christ. The marriage feast of the Lamb is described in Revelation 19:6-10. Up till then the Church prepares herself for this feast.

Samson was shocked to learn that the woman he deeply loved had been snatched from him (Judges 14:20). His anger burned and he mindlessly destroyed a large plantation of wheat by catching 300 foxes and tying them in pairs and placing fire torches on them before sending them into the ripen farms (15:3-5).

Another tragedy followed...His father in law and Samson's wife were killed by the Philistine farmers who were enraged by the economic loss that they attributed to the betrayal by Samson's father in law...

Scripture in Judges 15 doesn't reveal how Samson was able to accomplish this strange act. It is however not a prescriptive narrative. None of us can replicated what Samson did and neither is it needful or beneficial for Christian obedience!

THE FALL OF SAMSON

Samson was finally captured by the Philistines after he fell to Delilah's trickery (Judges 16). He revealed the secret behind his unique strength - his uncut hair. Samson died in the hands of the Philistines after great humiliation. The Philistines gouged out his eyes and used him for sport (Judges 16:25-29).

Meanwhile, Samson's hair sprouted and grew and with that God's strength returned to him (Judges 16:22). Samson finally summoned his strength through a dying wish which God granted him. Judges 16:30 says "Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life."

MORAL LESSONS FROM SAMSON'S LIFE

1) Unbridled (uncontrolled) anger is dangerous! Watch out... The Bible admonishes us saying "Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:26-27).

2) Samson acted in revenge because his wife was given to someone else. He caused more harm in the end. Romans 12:19 says "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord."

3) We should never misuse the gifts that God has bestowed upon us for selfish and ungodly purposes. Samson was highly gifted but the manner in which he exercised his gifts is not worth emulating.

4) Never marry from the heathen. God forbade his people from intermarrying with Canaanites. Samson defied the wisdom of his godly parents and disobeyed God. Believers should not marry unbelievers.

5) God will always accomplish His purposes even under the most unusual circumstances. No situation is beyond Him.

CONCLUSION

Few would perhaps deny that God used Samson to ultimately fulfill His purposes in destroying Israel's enemies. This is alluded to in Judges 14:4 and finally revealed (and affirmed) in Samson's death in Judges 16:30.

I cannot however find a compelling reason to celebrate Samson in the context of his deplorable acts described in the passages of context of Judges 14-15. He simply failed the moral test and for this, the Bible carries a warning to God's people never to emulate him.

On the flip side, Samson's case is a depiction of our moral fallibility, our sinfulness which only Christ's shed blood could cleanse. We should however be sympathetic to Samson's cause in the concluding passage of Judges 15.

God used Samson's death to destroy the Philistines. This is perhaps the reason to celebrate him in the end. Having walk the path of ruin, Samson became a tool at God's disposal by which the Philistine forty year siege over Israel was finally broken (ref. Judges 13:1).

This truth should therefore never escape the reader's attention.




© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020

Dealing with Tragedy - Lessons from David's Response

THE SEVEN STEPS IN HANDLING TRAGEDY: LESSONS FROM 1 SAMUEL 30-1-8

By Ezekiel Kimosop

INTRODUCTION

The passage of 1 Samuel 30 is a continuation of the events that are reported in 1 Samuel 29 that culminate in 1 Samuel 31. David's offer to fight alongside the Philistines in the battle of Jezreel had been turned down by the Philistine commanders who feared that David may betray them to Saul.

David and his band of 600 men returned to their Ziglag camp with heavy hearts. Little did they know that God had divinely superintended their withdrawal from battle for what awaited them at their camp!

After their three day journey back to Ziglag, the men were in for a rude shock! 1 Samuel 30:1-8 relays the story of tragedy, devastation and divine intervention rolled together. This is where we draw important lessons on how we should handle the tragedies or devastations of life.

It is instructive that no believer or Christian community is free from the afflictions of this passing evil world.

The passage of 1 Samuel 30 reveals seven critical phases in David's response to his circumstances of tragedy.

STAGE 1: THE TRAGEDY

The first stage is the stark pain of tragedy. David and his men found their camp reduced to ashes and there was not a single soul who could explain what exactly took place or where the enemy had fled. The Amalekites had taken away their wives and children together with all their possessions. This incident is captured in 1 Samuel 30:1-8.

This is how sudden tragedy can and may arise when one is least prepared.

STAGE 2: THE OUTPOURING OF EMOTIONS

The immediate reaction by David's team to the devastation was an outpouring of heart rending grief and emotion. The men wept until they had no strength (1 Samuel 30:4).

Weeping is a healthy response to devastation and pain. I know that in most African communities, men are taught never to weep! However, God gave us tears for this natural purpose and weep we should for ourselves and for those we love.

Jesus Himself wept when He saw the pain at Lazarus' home (John 11:35). The Bible teaches that we should rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).

STAGE 3: THE BLAME GAME

Following their pain and anguish, David's men broke the team spirit and began to lay blame on their leader David and some even sought to stone him to death! (1 Samuel 30:6). The team spirit should be gaurded in the face of tragedy lest the weak link is broken!

It is perfectly human to seek to lay our problems where we believe they lie. However, this should be handled with wisdom. If David was to blame as a leader, where does that leave his loyal men who willingly accepted to travel to the Philistine territory with him? The entire team was collectively negligent in not making adequate security arrangements at the camp during their absence.

Did they perhaps presume that their desert camp was secure for the period they would be away? Were there sentries who were overpowered by the Amalekites? Scripture is silent on the details!

These may have been just but a few of the many hard questions that rang through their minds as their painful picture infolded. Someone said that leaders should have a thick skin because they will ultimately be the centre of focus when things go awry! Their wisdom and fortitude must count.

STAGE 4: THE RISE OF A LEADER -  DAVID'S REACTION

Unlike his men who completely lost hope, David exemplified mature spiritual leadership. 1 Samuel 30:6 reveals that David, though heavily distressed by the loss of his wives and children, was deeply grieved by what his men were seeking to do. Nevertheless, David rose above the rest and through him, the needed leadership was found. Great leaders rise from the ashes of ruin and hopelessness. God ultimately uses them to shape the direction of things and offer practical solutions.

To his credit and to the glory of God, David acted differently from his men! He sought refuge and comfort in the LORD! The Bible here states that David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

A great leader discovers God's leading in tragedy and leads his people towards God. Weak leaders lead people through blame games and witch hunts and self preservation. They lead people further and further away from God.

David here gives us important lessons on crisis management. Solutions to our many problems only begin to unfold when we turn to God for answers. It is only God who has the answers to our life issues. No witchdoctor or diviner has access to the mind of God in our difficult times. God alone is the source of our eternal security.

Psalm 18:2 says "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

STAGE 5: SEEKING DIVINE LEADING

David sought the wisdom and direction from God regarding the way forward for his immediate problem. Despite his vast military experience and prowess, and the many victories for which he was decorated and celebrated, David knew that without the hand of God guiding him in his lowest moments, his effort would be an exercise in futility.

David turned to God in prayer and sought His divine leading. He asked God whether he should pursue the enemies and whether he would overtake them.

Notice that a three day gap between David's return from Jezreel and the fleeing enemy forces may have been strategically impossible to bridge. David and his men may have feared for the worst. They may have thought that the enemy had probably decimated their captors. This was the worst case scenario.

STAGE 6: GOD'S RESPONSE

God graciously gave David the answer to his tragedy, having seen the sincerity of David’s heart before His presence. He directed David to pursue the enemy saying that he will overtake them and recover all!

We need a discerning spirit to appreciate what God is saying to us concerning our difficult circumstances.

Our actions should be informed by divine wisdom in the word of God and patience in the presence of God so that we may walk with confidence in confronting the many troubles of this life. God never called into comfort and bliss. He however assures us of His presence.

As for David's case above, God miraculously provided vital intelligence details and direction using an abandoned Egyptian slave who was part of the raiding party (1 Samuel 30:11-15). The man had been left to die in the desert after he fell sick. This was miraculous in all proportions because usually such people were killed by the enemy to eliminate any possibility that they may be captured and betray the enemy's cause. God permitted the Amalekites to abandon this sickly man for a divine purpose.

STAGE 7: DIVINE VICTORY/GOD'S PURPOSES SERVED

1 Samuel 30:16-20 records the glorious victory over the Amalekites and David's bountiful recovery of great booty. None of their families were killed. They had simply been taken as war prisoners, perhaps with the intention of enslaving them or killing them later.

God graciously preserved David's people not just because David was faithful to God and served him with dedication but because God is gracious and merciful. He often covers our backs!

We need to appreciate that even when we walk faithfully before God, He may permit some afflictions to come our way to to test our faith. Some tragedies result in unpleasant outcomes even for God's people. However, we must remain steadfast in allowing God to have His way in those painful circumstances.

All the great men and women of the Bible were tested under severe afflictions. Some even perished but God later approved them (Hebrews 11). We should therefore hold a healthy view of trials and afflictions and reject the health and wealth heresy.

CONCLUSION

This passage has taught us vital lessons in dealing with tragedy or crisis in our Christian lives. David knew where the secret of his success lay. He always turned to God.

Do you and I turn to God in our lowest moments or do we blame others for our misfortunes? What afflictions are you now undergoing and what prescriptions are you contemplating?

Let us always turn to the Lord for answers to the many afflictions affecting us, our families, our Christian communities; our society and nation at large.

God alone has the answer.


Shalom




© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020

[This article first appeared on L & D WhatsApp Forum on 02/03/2017. It was sparingly revised on 24/06/2020]

Biblical Principles for a Christian Marriage

BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES FOR A CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

By Ezekiel Kimosop

Before answering the question on the place of children in a Christian marriage, allow me to address the context of marriage within the Biblical worldview which is governed by the authority of Scripture. I will conclude with a statement describing my Biblical view on children in a marriage relationship.

1) A Christian marriage must be heterosexual. It is between one believing Christian man and one believing Christian woman, both of mature age and both wilfully consenting to the marriage in the fear of God (Genesis 2:23-24).

2) A Christian marriage is monogamous. It is exclusive to the two. No other parties are contemplated in the marriage. Hebrews 13:4 says "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge."

3) A Christian marriage can only terminate on the death of either party. At this point, the surviving spouse is at liberty to remarry if they so choose.
There's therefore no room for divorce in a Christian marriage. Jesus never permitted it and it was never God's intention from the beginning. Matthew 19:4-6 says "And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

4) Where the Christian couple is compelled by some circumstances to separate, neither shall remarry so long as both shall be alive. Their only option is to reconcile and be restored to each other (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).

5) Where a person comes to Christ but was otherwise married to an unbeliever, they should remain in the marriage (1 Corinthians 7:12-14).

If however the unbelieving spouse decides to leave the marriage, not wishing to remain married to the believer, the believer is at liberty to remarry. (1 Corinthians 7:15).

6) A Christian marriage does not depend on children being born to it. It is founded on a solemn covenant between the two. Children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3-5).

CONCLUSION

A Christian marriage subsists independently of any unfolding realities brought about by earthly afflictions such as childlessness (or barrenness) illness, lack, or suffering. God is the author of this marriage and He alone sustains, nourishes and blesses the marriage. It should glorify Him.

A Christian marriage is a shadow of the relationship between Christ and His Church. It is founded on covenant faithfulness, love, fellowship and support.

Ephesians 5:22-33 says "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."


Shalom




© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020

My Biblical Perspective on Racism

MY THEOLOGICAL OPINION ON THE RACISM DEBATE

By Ezekiel Kimosop

The heinous murder of African American George Floyd by a Caucasian police officer on a Minneapolis street on 25th May 2020, has ignited global outrage that saw violent protests and continued global media coverage that has temporarily overshadowed reports on the COVID 19 pandemic.

The incident also sparked hot debates on online platforms, especially on Facebook regarding "black on white"  racism in America and Europe. For the Christian community, this incident has ushered in a time for sober reflection on this problem. How should Christian respond to racism? Should we condemn it openly? What does Scripture reveal on racism?

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON RACISM IN AMERICA

In order to make a sound evaluation of this vice, it is important to appreciate the history of Black racism in America.

Racial segregation and discrimination is not a new phenomenal in American society. It perhaps predates the American independence in 1776. Before European settlers set foot in America, Red Indians and other natives lived in the expansive "new world". Within decades, these communities declined and faded away.

The native communities faced all manner of systematic injustices, including repression, land confiscation and limited access to state amenities. They were finally driven into native reserves that still exist today.

According to Wikipedia, Racism in the United States has existed since the colonial era, when white Americans were given legally or socially sanctioned privileges and rights while these same rights were denied to other races and minorities.

European Americans—particularly affluent white Anglo-Saxon Protestants—enjoyed exclusive privileges in matters of education, immigration, voting rights, citizenship, land acquisition, and criminal procedure throughout American history. Non-Protestant immigrants from Europe, particularly the Irish, Poles, and Italians, often suffered xenophobic exclusion and other forms of ethnicity-based discrimination in American society until the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In addition, groups like Jews and Arabs have faced continuous discrimination in the United States, and as a result, some people who belong to these groups are not identified as white. African Americans faced restrictions on their political, social, and economic freedom throughout much of US history. Native Americans have experienced genocide, forced removals, massacres, and discrimination.

Historically, Hispanics have also experienced continuous racism in the US. Additionally, South, Southeast, and East Asians have also been discriminated against. Pacific Islander Americans also experience discrimination and marginalization.

This historical and existential reality cannot be overlooked. It should be acknowledged as a basis for addressing the wrongs.

I have come across Christians on Facebook who seek to belittle the Black racism debate. Yes it is a sin, an abomination before God and for which the perpetrators will be held accountable by God.

Meanwhile, justice for victims requires a systematic, coherent and comprehensive, legal and policy reform framework which is currently unavailable. Black racism is real, identifiable, and worthy of condemnation. However it needs practical resolution.

So what should inform our reaction to the current racism debate, and indeed any other forms of racial discrimination?

BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATIONS

In the Bible, there are several descriptions of racial or near racial acts or events. In Genesis 43:32, Joseph was segregated from his Egyptian hosts during meals. The Bible is explicit on the racial attitudes held by the Egyptians. : "...Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians."

Joseph perhaps didn't have issues about eating with Egyptians. After all he was a senior official in Pharaoh's courts. The source of this racial segregation can be rightly attributed to the dominant Egyptian society. There's something about a dominant community developing racial or ethnic overtones against minorities even in a Christian society.

The Egyptians disliked the Jews. No reasons are given at this point for this racial animosity. It was possibly by reason of skin color and culture distinctions. It may also have had to do with historical conflicts between the two communities.

In Genesis 34, we learn that when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite defiled Dinah, Jacob's only daughter by Leah, her brothers Simeon and Levi plotted a revenge plan against the Hivites. The violence against the Hivites was partly motivated by their racial hatred for this Canaanite community. The Hivites, like many Canaanites, never circumcised their males. The consequences of this cultural animosity resulted in a catastrophe.

In the New Testament Scripture, a number of incidents depict racial discrimination and disparities in varying degrees.

During Jesus' earthly ministry, Jews would travel a longer route to Galilee in the North in order avoid the Samaritans, a community considered by Jews as an impure race. Historical sources reveal that Jews never greeted Samaritans because they considered them an abomination of sorts. They completely isolated themselves from them. They never intermarried.

Jesus' discourse with the Samaritan woman in John 4 reveals the deep seated racial hatred between Jews and Samaritans. Jesus confronted this animosity and won converts among the Samaritans.

In Acts 6:1-4, we learn that the Grecian widows were discriminated against during food distribution in the Jerusalem church. This incident was possibly motivated by racial and ethnic distinctions.

In Galatians 2:11-21, Paul rebuked Peter when he refused to eat with Gentile believers in the presence of the Jewish delegation from James, yet he had been eating with them before these men arrived. Even Barnabas, a close companion of Paul, temporarily took sides with Peter!

Racial discrimination and injustices are therefore captured in the pages of Scripture. These incidents are meant to convey to us moral lessons on the ungodliness and evils associated with racial discrimination.

The Bible is explicit that believers are one in Christ irrespective of their racial distinctions. Jesus broke the barrier between Gentiles and Jews through His shed blood. Ephesians 2:14-18 says "For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father."

Once the world of separation was broken by Christ, all the Gentile races and tongues of the earth received the invitation to come to Christ. This introduced a new paradigm, a platform under which racial segregation or distinction was abolished by God in Christ.

Scripture resolutely affirms in Galatians 3:28 which says: "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."

CONCLUSION

Racism is therefore an abomination before God. We should openly condemn racial or ethnic discrimination of a people, wether or not they are Christians. We should also take the gospel to all people irrespective of race or color. The Christian community should lead by example in embracing people of all races, colors or ethnic distinctions.

Beware of the Gospel of Mammon!

KEEP OFF THE GOSPEL OF MAMMON

By Ezekiel Kimosop

Please bear with me for I will be bold and candid in what I have to say below. I mince no words. I will shoot from the hip as I stand in defence of the household of faith, as I earnestly contend for the gospel that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3).

In this difficult season of restrictions under COVID 19, we all yearn for the traditional congregational gatherings in our churches. We pray that things will soon normalize.

Those believers who are privileged to catch their own pastors live on TV, YouTube or Facebook should count themselves lucky. The rest of the believers have to resort to whatever is on offer on our television screens and other online media platforms for spiritual nourishment.

Here's the million dollar question...

Have you ever taken time to evaluate the preaching that is offered on our local TV channels each Sunday morning?

It pays to be vigilant about the type and quality of preachers who rule the airwaves. Not all that comes to our living rooms on Sunday morning is edifying. Here's why... and I will once more sound the warning...

We must keep off the gospel of Mammon.

I must confess that just observing some leading prosperity preachers teach their concoction of heresies on screen makes me sick.

Let me now take the bull by its horns... and please listen to my caution carefully. I don't relish dropping names but as a Bible teacher, I must tread the unbeaten path, and throw away the social etiquette in defense of the truths of God's word.

There are two classic examples of prosperity clowns that we can refer to as Apostle X and Prophet Y (not their real names) who regularly appear on a leading local TV channel every Sunday morning.

I have just singled them out in order to warn believers about them and to use their preaching for my illustrations. I am not saying that they are the worst of their type for there are many of their feather. I don't know the two peachers in person but I have watched and attempted to listen to their "shows" with a Berean focus, a diligence that is required of God's discerning children but which is scarcely embraced by many easy going modern Christians.

By the way, have you read 1 John 4:1-3? Do you believe that John was perhaps addressing the New Testament Church alone? Some think so and would readily contend with you, labelling you a Pharisee if you dare find fault with their MOG!

Never mind the labels for I too have received many on social media forums whenever I raise the Berea flag on teachers of error and apostasy.

Here's the beauty of this...Every faithful Christian will carry a label. Jesus carried a number of them. At one time they called Him an agent of Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24-27). On another occasion He was labelled a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! (Luke 7:34). None of these tags deflected His focus on the cross!

Now back to our story.

My sincere conclusion is that the two guys (you may call them preachers) have nothing to do with the gospel of the cross at all! They have another gospel at their disposal: the accursed gospel of Mammon that Jesus condemned. This is part of the false gospels of which Paul warned us in 2 Corinthians 11:4 and Galatians 1:6 and in other passages of Scripture. It is a gospel in which Christ is blasphemed and the cross is glaringly missing.

Jesus condemned this specific gospel that stands at the centre of our focus, the gospel of Mammon. Luke 16:9 says "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous Mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

Now let me clarify this...

Jesus was not commending the unjust steward but was rather mocking him for his hapless acts of ingenuity whose eternal consequences were sealed. The man cleverly stole from his master but forgot that there was a greater Master in heaven who took note of his mischief!

Jesus was therefore not praising his treacherous act of deceiving his master. Reading through Luke 16:1-13 and paying close attention to verse 8 and the concluding statement reveals the shocking. truth. Luke 16:13 that says "“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Why did Jesus employ this parable?

He was drawing a distinction between the true religion of the Bible and the counterfeit religion controlled by Satan.
The religion of Mammon is a counterfeit Christianity that hides under the name of God but is truly an abomination before God. It is totally polluted beyond redemption. This religion targets unsuspecting men and their wallets! The vendors are stinking rich, suave and extremely cunning!

Now concerning the two prosperity preachers I spoke of, I have never heard a single faithful exhortation of Scripture from the two, neither an altar call for sinners in their preaching or an admonition for disobedience based on the faithful teaching of Scripture. All they teach is about how God would make the life of the follower easy; how He will open doors to their prosperity and how Christians can stop suffering! They teach heaven on earth; a soothing message of Belial, deep heresy.

Mmmm... their preaching sounds good until the discerning believer discovers that the cross is conspicuously missing from this religion! There's no message of redemption from sin! No tale of man's fall and the way to his freedom from sin in Christ.

The two Sunday shows are often punctuated by high drama and high sounding cliches and philosophical statements that endear them to people who are seeking for quick answers to their problems of life. Many stand on their feet for most of the preaching time, shouting and praising the prophet, the MOG, papa, apostle for the "revelatory messages". Some prostrate themselves at the altar, rolling as the "prophet" speaks into their lives.

They declare and decree this and that and proclaim about God saying this and that through them. These men truly live in heaven between Sundays!

This is followed by a great appluase from the cheering crowd! These teachers claim all manner of revelations and purport to prophesy in the name of God.

Then comes seed time... and the frenzy hits fever pitch. The hypnotized followers give mindlessly, not even caring about their monthly rent or critical family commitments! They count on receiving a hundred fold because the prophet had decreed it.

I must caution here that I haven't watched the giving sessions associated with the two preachers I mentioned. I have however witnessed miracle seed giving in meetings or services of prosperity preachers of their kind. One Facebook friend recounted to me the pain that her family suffered under the manipulation of Prophet M. They lost a fortune seeking miracle prayers for a relative who finally succumbed to illness despite the assurance of the "prophet" that he would recover.

Here's the shocker: these preachers are a counterfeit... they neither know God nor His word, neither are they sent by Him. They are self styled latter day prophets of Mammon!

Those who truly love the Lord and cherish the word of God should never partake of such abominations. We should mark our boundaries carefully.

Keep off the gospel of Mammon! Turn to another TV channel which hosts faithful preaching of the word of God.

The Bible says in Revelation 18:4-5 says "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities."

Let's all be careful and also warn others to keep off these ravenous wolves and workers of inequity.

Here's my closing exhortation:
Seek the true gospel where the cross of Calvary is at its centre; where the truths of Scripture reign and Christ is exalted. This is the undiluted gospel of the Bible.

Keep away from the gospel of Mammon!




© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020

Is it Biblical to Make an Altar Call?

IS IT BIBLICAL TO MAKE AN ALTAR CALL?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

An altar call is an invitation extended by a preacher to his congregation or audience requesting them to come forward and publicly confess sin or disobedience. This invitation is often made at the conclusion of a sermon or public preaching of the gospel.

An altar call is therefore an offer or opportunity for a person who has been convicted by the preaching of the word of God to publicly receive Christ or renounce sin.

This practice is identified with Evangelical Baptists and Pentecostals. It is however not embraced by sections of the Reformed tradition. Critics of the altar call attribute it to controversial 18th century American preacher called Charles Finney who they say abused the practice to draw men to himself rather than to God.

Are altar calls consistent with Biblical truth?

In order to address this question objectively, it is only fair that we first consider the popular objections against the practice.

COMMON OBJECTIONS TO ALTAR CALLS

1) Altar calls are manipulative. They employ psychological techniques that are intended to cause people to blindly respond to the preacher without true conviction.

2) Salvation is purely the work of God and He alone exclusively calls men to Himself without the involvement of any act or will of man. Altar calls are therefore unnecessary.

3) Altar calls shift the focus of the audience from God to man. Man (the preacher) is ultimately glorified for work that God alone has accomplished.

4) There's no passage in Scripture where an altar call is taught or practiced by the New Testament Church.

5) Since God knows the elect (those chosen to eternal life) and had predestined them to eternal life from the foundation of the world, an altar call is unnecessary. His calling is effectual.

MY RESPONSES

1) My view is that altar calls that are made in good faith and purely for the advancement of the gospel cannot be considered manipulative. A true preacher does not call men to himself but to Christ. The preacher is merely a steward of Gods grace (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).

A person who responds to an altar call is under God's conviction for sin. They voluntarily come forward and publicly proclaim their faith as a celebration of God's working in their lives. Dr R Larry Moyer, a veteran evangelist, says that public confession is important not for justification but for living a victorious victorious Christian life.

2) My view is that salvation is a synergistic process involving God's gracious providence in Christ and man's responsibility for accepting this grace. To exclude man's responsibility in salvation is to deny the authority of Scripture.

The public proclamation of the word of God is integral to the salvation process. Romans 10:14 says "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"

3) A preacher with a true calling from God cannot and will not take any glory for God's grace and His glorious power in saving sinners. The preacher is merely an usher who directs men to the cross.

This is what we can confirm from the ministry of John the Baptist. In John 1:29-30, John says "...Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me."

John pointed men to Christ. We learn from the same passage of Scripture that two of John's own disciples, on hearing his words, immediately left him and followed Jesus (John 1:35-36). John was not offended by their departure. John also declared that Jesus should increase even as he (John) should decrease (John 3:30).

The first altar call [if I may so describe it] was perhaps made in Genesis 3. Adam had transgressed against God and chose to hide from Him. When God came calling, He sought Adam, saying, "Where are you?"

Man, since Adam, has consistently rebelled against God but God in His immeasurable grace and mercy, finally sought him in Christ. God is not seeking man in order to condemn him but to cure his sin and restore his relationship with God.

Those who preach the gospel in truth are God's faithful agents and stewards. When they make an altar call, they are effectively drawing men to God, beseeching them on God's behalf to come to Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20 says "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God."

Finally, it is instructive that an altar call does not preclude the working of God in calling sinners to repentance. God's calling deserves the sinner's response. The altar call is a golden opportunity by which God's grace is met by the sinner's response.

I must caution here that any sinner who comes to Christ in response to the preaching of the gospel should be presumed to be acting in truth. To cast aspersions on the sinner's response is to entertain a judgmental spirit.

God alone knows the sincerity of a person's heart. We have no spiritual barometer by which to determine if the sinner is sincere in his response.

4) There's evidence from some passages of New Testament Scripture that the preaching of the gospel concludes with an exhortation or invitation to the hearers to turn to God. The procedure or methodology may not necessarily be similar in every aspect to the altar call practice we know today but the objective in both cases should be the same: getting men to repent from sin and to come to Christ.

The first sermon delivered by Peter during the day of Pentecost was concluded with a call to repentance. The Bible describes the powerful impact of his public proclamation of the gospel under the power of the Holy Spirit.

Luke conveys both the question from the convicted sinners and the answer from God by Apostle Peter. Acts 2:37-38 says:

"Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

I believe that those who repented possibly came forward to meet Peter and the apostles or that some methodology was employed in identifying them. This is how we get to learn about the large number that responded to Peter's sermon. Acts 2:41 reveals that about 3,000 souls were converted during the preaching of the gospel on that very day - the day of Pentecost!

An altar call offer's the converted sinner an opportunity for spiritual accountability and instruction in the way of Christ by a Christian community.

Notice that when Apollos [a Christian evangelist from Alexandria who is described as "mighty in the Scriptures"] came to Ephesus, he was deficient in Christian instruction (Acts 18:24-28). Notice that he had been instructed in the way of the Lord but not sufficiently enough to ground him in the truths of the gospel.

When a faithful Christian couple, Priscilla and Aquilla, heard Apollos preach in the synagogue in Ephesus, they discerned his incapacity and took him to their home where they guided him in the way of Christ. Apollos went on to serve God as a faithful minister of the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:12, 3:4-6, 16:12).

5) An altar does not interfere with or countermand God's foreknowledge of those who will come to Christ. If anything, it sufficiently compliments it. It is a means to an end, not an end in itself, for the end is Christ. It is necessary for the preacher (and the Christian community) to identify those who have responded to the call of the gospel so that they may disciple them effectively.

If God cares about details and numbers, how much more should we? (cf. Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7).

CONCLUSION

My view is that altar calls made in furtherance of the gospel are godly, needful and should be encouraged whenever the gospel message is proclaimed. There''s absolutely nothing ungodly about the invitation to Christ provided that the motives are noble and are consistent with the objects of the gospel in Christ.

When an altar call is made in truth, men are effectively directed to Christ and God receives glory.  The church is edified by God's working in Christ in bringing souls to His fold.

Jesus says in Revelation 3:20 says "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."

When we make an altar, we are beseeching men to open their hearts to Christ and receive Him in truth.




© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020