IT’S JUST A THOUGHT: WHOSE NAME IS ON THE HOUSE?

Wynegood G. Malunga

I was just thinking:

This will upset those who think I’m writing about them. That’s alright with me.

Some preachers of the gospel, both men and women have dangerously drifted onto the popularity stage and some have become masters of strange doctrines and showmanship by which, sadly, a gullible multitude seeking all sorts of miracles and excitement are being led astray. When preachers of the gospel resort to using “anointed” underwear, insecticides, detergents, cucumbers and being carried by deacons and elders as they preach, feed congregants with snakes and rats, turn water into gasoline and make cold water hot. This is not of God and it is time that true believers began to speak out against this perversion of the word of God.

A generation of preachers, humble in spirit but on fire for Jesus, men and women who were simply called “Pastor” or “Reverend” has gone into the hereafter and now we have this. Strange titles tag the names of preachers. “Pastor” isn’t good enough. There must be a “Major”, “Commander”, “Seer”, “Anointed Mega Prophet”, Miracle Number One Apostle”, and other grand adjectives.

The Church is now at a place where preachers seem to be more popular than He who supposedly called, chose and sent them. The messenger is more popular than the message and the servant looms way above the Master. Churches and various ministries are identified more with the name of the “man and woman of God” at the head than the One whose name should be on the House of God. We now have names like “Breast and Honey Ministries International” where the overseer calls himself a prophet and believes in sucking women’s breasts as a way of sucking out demons and deliverance. Which scripture supports such foolishness and how can people allow themselves to be deceived to such levels? “O! Foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you...?”         - Galatians 3:1

A Bishop, Apostle or Prophet’s wife is now known as “The First Lady” or “Prophetess” as if the anointing is by cross-pollination.

While thinking with deep concern about this in the last few months, I have been led over and over again to the passages of scripture pertaining to the building of the temple in Jerusalem and its dedication by King Solomon. I noticed that God uses the following terms about the building: “Temple for my Name”, “My Name might be there”, and “I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever”.

My question to you is: “Whose name is on the House?”

Whose name is on the ministries and churches of some of the preachers we are seeing today? I dare say that it is not the name of the Almighty God but of man.

King David had told his people:

   

2 "Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it. 3 But God said to me, 'You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.' ... 6 Now He said to me, 'It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts...”

-  1 Chronicles 28:2-8 - NKJV (My emphasis)

^“Furthermore, King David said to all the assembly: "My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the temple is not for man but for the Lord God.

-   1 Chronicles 29:1-2 – NKJV (My emphasis)

Addressing the assembly after the completion of the work, King Solomon reminds the people of God’s promise to his father King David. The Bible says:

   

“14 Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15 And he said:"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and with His hand has fulfilled it, saying,

16'Since the day that I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there; but I chose David to be over My people Israel.' 17 Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father David, 'Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.' 20 So the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised; and I have built a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel.”  

-   1 Kings 8:14-21 –NKJV (My emphasis)

There is so much confusion and deception in the church today and people are being led to follow unchristian beliefs which amount to nothing but magic and exalting the name of a “Prophet” and his “ministry”. Gone are the days when a church was known by the name on the billboard outside. It is now the name and air-brushed picture of a bishop, apostle or prophet and his wife which has taken over the Name of the Lord.

My wife and I recently watched a prophet on television talk to a woman who responded, “Prophesy, pastor”. The man of God said, “Ah! You’re calling me pastor?” He left the woman and proceeded to the next person. Realizing her “error”, the lady shouted, “Prophesy, Major One! Go deeper, papa!” I cringed.

When you read the Book of Acts and Paul’s letters, you will discover that even though he is regarded today as the greatest apostle, he never regarded himself as such. Paul had the spirit of humility and not boasting. Look at this:

14 ^“I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name...17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.”            - 1 Corinthians 1:14-18 NKJV

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom...3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human* wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” -1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NKJV

9 ^“For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle...” - 1 Corinthians 15:9-11 NKJV

   

15 ^“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.”      - 1 Tim 1:15-16 NIV

^{24 “}O wretched man that I am...” - Rom 7:24-25 NKJV

How many preachers have you seen displaying such humility today? The Apostle Paul never elevated himself in name or in deed but exalted Jesus. The Reverend Billy Graham is known throughout the world today  and is highly honored and respected because of the millions and millions of people from all over the world that he has humbly led to Christ. He has done that as a true and obedient servant of God without spraying anyone with a pesticide.

Bishop Tudor Bismark

Dr Nevers Mumba (left)

Dr Mensah Otabil

There are some preachers of mega churches right here in Zambia and around the world who have avoided the kind of behavior being displayed by some. Before Pastor Nevers Mumba joined politics, his message was on salvation...”Zambia shall be saved”. He preached the Gospel without a chip on his shoulders. Preachers like Reinhard Bonnke, Mensah Otabil of Ghana, Tudor Bismark of Zimbabwe are spreading the Gospel without the celebrity status we see now. They do not go around boasting about their businesses, how anointed they are, what cars they drive, how many gallons of water they have turned to diesel, how powerful they preach or how incredible “their” miracles are. These we give credit for their meekness.

Today pastors are strutting around urging people to “submit to divine authority” when they themselves show nothing of submission to the Lord God. This blasphemous, publicity seeking, arrogant and Bible-twisting message is leading thousands of people away from the truth. The Mamas and Papas of today’s church are portraying a very disturbing picture which is leaving many wondering and now doubting the Christian faith.

Growing up, I remember attending “Crusades” with themes such as: “New Life for you in Jesus” or “Reconciliation through Jesus Christ”. I saw hundreds of people get saved. These days you have seven-day “Conferences” with themes like, “Miracles Galore by Fire, by thunder, by Force” or “Explosive Power Impact Miracles”. People come to these conferences, get an emotional high and once they get back home, they are more miserable than ever before and wonder if God does indeed care.

Every other message now is about “miracle money and material wealth coming to the first 1001 people to type ‘Amen’” What has happened to the message of the Cross? What has happened to “For God so loved the world that He gave”? What has happened to the message of the soon coming King? When are we going to hear testimonies from the once lost but now saved? The end-time message is not “money cometh to me now!” The end-time message is about bringing lost souls to Jesus. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all the other things will be added unto you.”

"Deliverance"

Many so-called prophetic and deliverance ministries have resorted to “power display” more than salvation to the extent that all kinds of gadgets such as the now trending Doom insecticide are being used claiming “God told me in a vision”. Stop receiving signals and pictures from the wrong satellite when it is not of God. Prophets are kicking pregnant women in the stomachs to hasten delivery. They are groping women to enhance fertility and causing others to do unmentionables on the prophet’s private parts in order for husbands to be found. They are posing in private jets, Gucci suits and expensive jewelry to show the “favor of the Lord” upon their lives. People are turning out in thousands, leaving Bible teaching churches in order to follow this traveling circus. There is nothing wrong with being a wealthy preacher. What is disturbing is how you project yourself.

The other day, my wife and I posted a video on Facebook as a spoof on what is happening in the church today. It now has nearly well four thousand likes and scores of people have shared it. You all laughed. If you as believers laughed, what do you think the unbeliever is saying about our faith? How are they going to be won for Christ when they see such in the house of God?

"Breast and Honey Ministries International

“Apostles”, “Bishops” and “Prophets” with outrageous adjectives prefixing their titles are amassing incomes of small countries, dress in the latest fashions, influence politicians and have thousands of Facebook and Twitter followers posting “Amen Papa” or “Amen Mama”. They have become little gods and goddesses showcasing ‘miracles’ than the message of Jesus Christ. They are in the spotlight and even showoff about it.

“...Many boast according to the flesh...(2 Corinthians 11:18); “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.” – James 3:14-15.

The sad thing is that it is also the congregants who have created pop stars and given these “Prophets” all the power and influence. They are partners in putting the names of mortal human beings on the Houses of God. People are building celebrity preachers instead of humble men and women leading lost souls to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. These prophets seem totally fine with soaking up the spotlight and getting the lion’s share of the glory, leaving Jesus as only a quiet, gracious runner-up. The truth is that we ourselves must bear a large portion of the blame by creating preachers who seem to be vying for a spot in the Trinity.

The Scripture is clear: 

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." - Ephesians 4:14 NKJV

"For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers... Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake." - Titus 1:10,11 NKJV

Pastor Joseph Mutanuka

Pastor Adam Mulilo

There are several upcoming young preachers whom God is using mightily and some, like Pastor Adam Mulilo of Glad Tidings Ministry and Pastor Joseph Mutanuka have become friends of mine and do minister to me and my family.



However, there are many who have sadly elevated themselves to a pedestal in the stratosphere.  

Bishop T.D. Jakes once said, “You have young preachers starting churches today, walking around with six bodyguards and two police dogs.” There is nothing wrong with young preachers but it has to do with their demeanor. There are things you as a preacher can and cannot say. Even if you can say them, you have to know how to say them lest you are misunderstood and lead someone astray.

Pastors have become mega-brands like Coca Cola, Mercedes Benz and Samsung. The title “Prophet” is a crowd puller. It puts them in the limelight. It is exciting. It sets the prophet above one who is simply called “Pastor”. It carries fame and weight.

By all means, we need to respect and love our pastors but we must not elevate them above Jesus Christ. Don’t just let your pastor get bigger than Jesus. God will not share His glory with another.

We read in Genesis 28:16-17 that when Jacob awoke from his deep sleep, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place and I did not know it...How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God...”

The Church is not a corporation, nor is it an entertainment, a fashion catwalk, or an advertising agency. Godliness is not a way to get wealthy or famous. When people are so taken by the gifting of the minister that they lose sight of the One who gave the minister the gift to begin with, they’ve been charmed. The ruler, pastor, bishop, or church leader who does not operate in submission to God and His Word is an illegitimate leader. It doesn’t matter how smooth or gifted an orator the preacher is, or how great he or she is in ministry, all must be held to the standard of God’s Word. Preachers can and should be honored, but they must never be worshipped.

Jesus said, “Is it not written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS'? But you have made it a ROBBERS' DEN." May I add again, the House of God is not an auditorium for magic shows.  

Anytime we exalt the men of God above the God of men, the church has been charmed. I thoroughly and wholeheartedly believe in honoring deserving men and women of God. Paul instructs us in the Book of Romans to give honor where honor is due.

Let me just say that I have a lot of friends who are pastors in their own growing ministries whom I love and respect and have had the honor and privilege to speak at their churches, but I will not give them the glory that belongs to Jesus. God’s business is very serious business. Preaching the Gospel is very serious business.

Jim Raley who is the senior pastor of Calvary Christian Center in Florida once said, “Having been a pastor for 17 years and getting to be with, around, and close to hundreds of professional Christians, I can tell you that no matter how wise, talented, God-loving, and visionary they might be, they’re all as equally flawed and messy as anyone in their congregations. Each of them is ministering amidst the constant, incredible tension, between serving a Savior and being seen as one.

And none of them, not one, deserves the heart space that was intended for God.”

A mentor and former Senior Pastor told Jim Raley, early in his ministry, “I have two pieces of advice. The first is that there is a Savior. The second is that you’re not Him.” Let Wynegood Malunga add: “There is a Miracle Worker and you are NOT Him!”

Look at your church and your pastor today and ask yourself, “Whose name is on the house?”

It’s just a thought.

IT’S JUST A THOUGHT: THE “POLITICAL DOPPLER EFFECT”

I was just thinking:

The reason why some of our African politicians, especially those in power fall from grace and lose favor with the voter is lack of understanding of what I call, “The Political Doppler Effect.”

The Americas Heritage Dictionary defines the Doppler Effect or Doppler Shift as:

“A change in the observed frequency of a wave, as of sound or light, occurring when the source and observer are in motion relative to each other, with the frequency increasing when the source and observer approach each other and decreasing when they move apart. The motion of the source causes a real shift in frequency of the wave, while the motion of the observer produces only an apparent shift in frequency.”

To explain it simply; imagine you are standing by your local market and you hear the siren of an ambulance from far down the road. You look and see the ambulance speeding your way and the siren’s pitch gets higher and higher as it approaches but as the ambulance zooms past you, the pitch gets lower and lower until you don’t hear it.

The fact is that the pitch doesn’t change at all but what does are the sound waves as they become more spread out and arrive at your ears at a frequency lower than that of the actual siren relative to where the ambulance is at the time.

Imagine then, that the man sitting by the market is the politician you elected into office and the ambulance is the voter. For the politicians you voted into office to hear your cry, your needs and know how you feel at any given point, they must be where you are at any particular moment, meaning they must keep pace with you. When they stand still, the voter’s opinions begin to fade from their ears until they can’t hear you anymore and then they start governing the way they feel and forget the people that voted them into office. Promises made are ignored.

Our political leaders need to understand the Political Doppler Effect and keep pace with our thinking because remaining seated by their air-conditioned offices, driving their taxpayer-fueled latest Land Cruisers, they will never know or have informed opinions of the voters. They will do what they want or think we want. They will jostle for power forgetting the reason why we gave them power.

As a marketing person, each time I developed a new product, I would step out of my shoes, my thinking, and let the consumers step into my shoes for me to determine whether they perceived that product they same way as I do. Is it what they want? Will it make their lives better? We both have to view it from the exact same position and once that is done, I will know how to communicate through advertising and even fine tune the product to their needs.

Similarly, the Political Doppler Effect needs to be understood otherwise you will remain sitting in your comfort, oblivious to the fact that you are wounded and the ambulance, the voter, has moved on.

Even as I write this, following Mr Donald Trump’s Presidential Election victory in America, it is evident that the Democrats, did not understand the consequences of ignoring The Political Doppler Shift. On this our African Continent, there are political leaders who either do not understand, or simply ignore the Doppler Shift. Politics is a science.

 Keep pace with us and the pitch of the sound you hear will be the same as one "catching our drift".

It’s just a thought.

IT’S JUST A THOUGHT: PLOWING INTO AGRICULTURE

Wynegood G. Malunga

I was just thinking; we have talked about it enough. Zambia must aggressively pursue major investment in agriculture.

I know that some people do not believe that the State should be engaged in agriculture but I hold a different view. I think that in the absence of private investors or even parallel to private investment, the State must kick-start the agricultural revolution as a matter of urgency.

With Brian  Moyo and his wife - 2014

In the past, the Zambia National Service and ZCCM proved that we could venture into full scale agricultural projects by running vast projects as in the case of ZCCM, ranching and wheat schemes such as the Munkumpu Wheat Scheme.

Developed under the UNIP Government led by President Kenneth Kaunda, the Munkumpu Wheat Scheme was an absolutely fantastic project. It was the brainchild of a man I knew and became a big brother to me, a brilliant manager called Brian Moyo. The idea for this wheat scheme was birthed prior to the time that Nchanga Farms became a subsidiary of Mulungushi Investments. Sadly, Brian Moyo passed away a year or two ago and I am sure that many will want to take credit for his great work. His right hand man was a gentleman named Richard McGrath based in Kitwe. I am not sure if he is still lives in Kitwe.

When Mulungushi Investments was formed all ZCCM Subsidiaries, with exception of those under ZAL Holdings and Joe Banda, were placed under Mulungushi Investments. Shortly thereafter certain companies and responsibilities were separated and placed under Mr Malcom Freed, with a separate board of Directors. This included all tourism ventures and forward planning for Tourism. There were excellent well constructed plans in place to take tourism to another level, “special projects” were placed under Malcom Freed because of the sensitive nature of some of them and included another Munkumpu type project in each of Zambia’s Provinces.

Malcom Freed who has now settled in South Africa told me a short while ago that Munkumpu was one of the best Agricultural Projects he had ever seen. A dam was constructed to secure water for the overhead irrigation and each and every field had overhead irrigation. The project was primarily winter wheat and summer maize, and was capable, on commissioning, of producing 10% of Zambia’s wheat requirement, there were also many hectares for cattle grazing as well but this was a by-product of the main intention.

At the launch of the project, President Kaunda announced a similar project in each of Zambia’s provinces. The following week, Malcom Freed was summoned to Lusaka by the President and told to start planning similar schemes in the other provinces.

As you know Zambia is blessed with many perennial rivers and an abundance of water. Malcolm and his team decided that in order to save the expense of Dam construction, they would target good perennial rivers where they could get away with a weir and a pump house direct from the river into the feeder canal. It had been decided that a further three farms would be constructed in Phase 1.

After a lot of planning, it was eventually decided settle on three sites for Phase 1:

1. On the Chambeshi River in Northern Province.

Nakambala Sugar Estate

2. On Lunga River in the North Western.

3. On the Zambezi north of Kazungula.

.

I would seriously consider Government kick-starting new commercial farms in areas of the country where there is potential but currently neglected. It is a fact that some major agricultural projects in existence today were started by government and later sold, some for a song, to private investors. Nakambala Sugar Estate, Airport Farms, Mongu Cashew Nut Plantation, tea and coffee schemes and others were implemented by the UNIP Government. Without those initial ventures, we would have had to start from the beginning after 1991 which would have

been a mammoth task with all the corruption that emerged. At Independence, Zambia was importing sugar, beef and even vegetables. Shortly after, we were exporting sugar to Europe, beef and fresh roses were loaded on Zambia Airways subsidiary, National Air Charter cargo flights for the lucrative Dutch and other markets.

The North Western Province of Zambia receives large amounts of rainfall and has very fertile soil but there are no serious agricultural projects taking place in that area. We should be producing maize and cassava, fruit and vegetables and value-add them into innovative products in the Mufumbwe, Manyinga and Kabompo areas where milling and food processing factories would be located. Such projects more than justify the proposed railway project in the province.

The famous road and bridge that has been the subject of much boasting in the Western Province must lead to economically active agricultural ventures. That road should lead to commercial rice fields, fish farms complimented by fish processing factories and rice refineries. Currently, all the mangoes, guavas, banana, pine apple and other fruit grown in this country are just eaten, straight from the tree. There is no value addition at all. There is need to think of value addition to all our produce.  Such a move not only creates new jobs but develops the country with new towns and cities, housing, the spread of educational and banking institutions and other economical activities, thus decongesting our current cities and towns along the line of rail. This will also result in a more equitable distribution of wealth in the country apart from easing some of the tensions that have arisen due to lack of development in some provinces lagging behind.

There has to be a deliberate policy of selective creation of new farming blocks that will compete with privately owned farms in the Mkushi block and Southern Province, for example.

Mongu Cashew Nut Plantation

There is no reason why the Natural Resources Development College cannot be turned into a university, own and run commercial farms which will make the institution self-sustaining, creating jobs for its students and other Zambians. Land can be identified and funds sought to make this a reality. An NRDC University - Mongu Campus can own and run the Mongu Cashew Nut Plantation. I believe the new Kapasa Makasa University in Chinsali will be under the management of the Copperbelt University and this provides another opportunity for the School of Natural Sciences to get involved in major agricultural projects in the province in the future. Companies under these institutions would not only provide jobs but scholarships for deserving students.

We must also strive to bring new technology to the farming sector and ensure that our produce does not go to waste by building granaries throughout the country.  

One of Zambia’s major weakest links in agriculture has been poor storage and also lack of adequate storage facilities throughout the country. The Food Reserve Agency has proven to be incapable of providing quality service to farmers. In fact, the FRA does not store anything else apart from maize. There is no wheat, no groundnuts, no beans...nothing!

The Holy Bible tells us that over 3, 500 years ago in the land of Egypt; a Hebrew young man named Joseph became Prime Minister and was able to store, without any waste, seven years harvest of grain. He was also able to supply the entire world during a further seven years of famine. This means he stored enough grain to cover a total of fourteen years!

With modern technology available, Zambia has failed to store a few weeks of maize harvest. That’s the only thing we store. That is a shame. Joseph did not have combine harvesters, tractors, tarred roads, kilometer-long Chinese-built bridges and twenty two-wheeler forty-ton trucks and trailers. How then can we fail with modern technology all around us? Perhaps our Food Reserve Agency must go back and study the Bible and other history books to learn why Joseph was a success.

It’s just a thought.