More Like Smuggling Machiavelli’s Maxim into Christianity -By Ugochukwu Ugwuanyi

Although the preacher may not have intended it, asserting that result ends the argument surrounding what should be Kingdom benevolence is a rehash of the “the end justifies the means” dictum. Willy-nilly, it smacks of smuggling Niccolò Machiavelli’s famous philosophy into the Christian faith.

Before going any further, let’s establish that the often cited aphorism from the Italian political philosopher’s 1513 treatise, ‘The Prince’, is implicitly anti-Christ. This is because it supposes other means, whereas Christianity recognises just one means, being the Lord Jesus. (John 14:6). It is befuddling for Rev. Isaac Omolehin, President and Founder of Word Assembly Ministries, to appear to be endorsing the belief that “there are many routes to the market” per the supernatural.

Another faux pas in the now-viral clip from his sermon is what may be deemed the dressing of a late televangelist in borrowed garb. While highlighting the response given by the blind man healed by Jesus to the Pharisees’ claim that the Healer was a sinner (John 9:25), Rev. Omolehin said, “Until TB Joshua died, there is no time you get there that the whole place is not full.” Noting that people had accused the late prophet of using satanic power to perform miracles, he pointed out that sick people in Joshua’s synagogue would be quick to challenge pastors with such a claim: “You who say you are using the power of God, what have you produced… I think the argument has been closed.” I beg to differ, sir! That anecdote is neither scriptural nor a discernment.

The problem with the above POV is that it downplays the impact of ministries where logos turns to rhema and not water to wine. Results can’t close the argument in this instance because necessity is laid on us to ascertain whether the said miraculous is from God, as 1 John 4:1 mandates. A further affirmation that results aren’t enough to acquit a pastor as the genuine article can be found in Matthew 7:22-23, where the Master declared, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

This essay isn’t about exposing a father’s nakedness as Ham did in Genesis 9:23. Yet, like Deeper Life’s Pastor W. F. Kumuyi remarked while preaching on the topic: ‘Christlike love in the Body without boundary, blindness or blemish’ last Sunday: “Everyone that misinterprets the scripture needs a rebuke. Every preacher, every pastor, every apostle, anyone, anywhere, in this church or in that church, anyone that takes away or adds to the scripture demands and merits a rebuke.”

Here is not even a rebuke of the reverend gentleman, but a move to disabuse the mind of those who validate a pastor or church based on their performance of signs and wonders, not Word impartation. This misguided notion partly contributes to church defection and pressures pastors to go the route of Babylon. Recall that earlier this month; the Anambra state government dragged eight pastors before a court of law for staging fake miracles. It is to avert such blight on the Body that we criticise Rev Omolehim’s logic and allegory. Whoever watched the three-part documentary by BBC Africa Eye, which uncovered alleged abuses and staged miracles in the Synagogue Church of All Nations, will wonder what Rev Omolehim saw differently in the late TB Joshua. That’s not to cite the reported cautionary tale of Nigerian celebrities who visited SCOAN for solutions during the man’s lifetime.

Back to the reasoning that results should end the argument, we insist that Christianity isn’t wired that way. Worshipping in a church that enriches you with sound doctrine is more beneficial than one where all manner of miracles occur. If this isn’t true, the Lord Jesus wouldn’t have extolled John the Baptist as the greatest of all the prophets (Luke 7:28). Haven’t you ever wondered how a John without any known miracle to his name would tower above Prophets Elijah, Samuel, Isaiah, etc.? It is because while other prophets worked signs and wonders that proved the power of God, only John the Baptist intuitively recognised and exposed the person of God, and in the same breath prophesied why God manifested as Jesus. John 1:29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

With Jesus being the Word, sound biblical teaching amounts to the revelation of God, as John the Baptist did. The pastor who is committed to shining the light of God’s Word in the hearts of men enjoys the pecking order of Heaven. Their ministry trumps the gymnastics and performances that happen in the name of deliverance and healing (part of the other prophets’ preoccupation, which still didn’t make them measure up to John). So, as far as God is concerned, Christians having a deeper understanding and relationship with Him is more important than signs and wonders.

God’s saving power (the miraculous), according to Romans 1:16, flows with the message of the Gospel. This postulation of Paul the Apostle, therefore, means that deliverance and other divine acts are the heritage of ministries given to doctrine and evangelism. This truth is reinforced in Acts 20:32, which “commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Pray, what other miracle can be more than being availed of what is enjoyed by the saints?

You must have heard the saying: “healing (and other miracles) is bread for the children of God”. It is not a Biblical verse stricto sensu but a paraphrase of Jesus’s response to a Syrophoenician woman who sought His assistance (Mark 7:24-30). She came for her demon-possessed daughter to be delivered, but Jesus tested her faith by saying that such a request is the exclusive privilege of the children of God. And how do people become God’s children? It’s through faith, which comes by hearing the word of God, not witnessing or experiencing the power of God.

As such, if in a church where you’re well fed with the Word of God, congratulations are in order! The teaching will make you a child of God, ultimately entitling you to receive from the Father. It’s like a grocery store where you buy one, and get one for free. Isaiah 55:1, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.”

The Christian who continues absorbing the Word with a measure of faith that calls things that be not as though they were will soon become the subject rather than the object of the miraculous. Therefore, let no one be bamboozled into believing that results settle the argument when it comes to the working of miracles. Unless the result in question is the raising of believers who know they are seated in Christ in Heavenly places far above principalities and powers. This outcome comes highly recommended for being holy and devoid of the borderline cutting of corners and cut-throat desperation that define the unscrupulous Machiavellian principle.

Emphasising the working of miracles remains a distraction, akin to majoring on the minor. From the Gospel accounts, Jesus prioritised His role as a teacher and rabbi over the working of miracles. The healing, signs, and wonders served as means of attracting crowds and confirming the message of the Kingdom of God. Reverend Omolehim will do well to propagate the message of salvation and Zoe as the end, not signs and wonders whose utility ends here. After all, the person miraculously healed will someday give up the ghost to immediately face the Judgment Throne. (Hebrews 9:27).

VIS Ugochukwu is a sage, storyteller and branding strategist who welcomes feedback via nmiringwu@gmail.com