A newspaper reporter called me
the other day to solicit my opinion on an elderly woman’s
so-called “divinely inspired concoctions.” Her little shop
of mystic wonderments peddles oils, herbs, sprays and
candles that claim to bring love into your life, and even
get others to obey your every command.
As
the reporter described the woman’s mixtures, supposedly
potent enough to solve any problem known to man, I couldn’t
help but see mental images of the Apostle Paul wrestling the
beast at Ephesus. But I digress…
The elderly woman has 10 grandchildren, 10
great-grandchildren and a divination sanctum littered with
statues and images of various saints. A necklace adorned
with charms of the tools each saint works with dangles from
her neck, according to the reporter’s observations.
On Tuesdays this oldster fills an aluminum pan with alcohol,
lights it ablaze and purports to chant away evil spirits. An
incense-filled pot meant to ward off the day’s evil guards
the back door of her soothsaying studio. Granny acts as
trusted advisor to her customers, who share with her
problems both large and small. Then she meditates about the
issues for a day before mixing a potion of herbs and oils
designed to fix what ails them. For this she charges $75 –
or more – but she offers a 100 percent guarantee and asserts
that she hasn’t had an unsatisfied customer yet.
If all that is not troubling enough, here is the clincher.
The grandmotherly spiritualist professes a strong sense of
faith and belief in the Bible and God. (The question is
which bible and what god?) She admitted that all her
knowledge about helping people is “in her head” but alleges
it is a gift from above.
So what did I say to the reporter who asked me for my view?
I told her what you would say: “No Bible-believing Christian
would claim a potion could help someone find and keep love.
This is a form of witchcraft, essentially,” I argued in the
newspaper article. “It’s not unlike the tarot card reader
who proudly displays an image of Jesus in her front office.
This woman is merely merchandising lonely people and using a
religious mask to make them more comfortable with her
deception.”
So here I see a merchandising spirit in operation. I see
Jezebel deceiving people, many of whom are probably seeking
help for hurts and wounds. I see religion attempting to make
divination acceptable in the name of the Lord. I see
idolatry. I see divination. I see witchcraft. And the world
is not the only place I see it…
As Christians, we are quick to recognize the evil behind the
tarot card reader, the aura cleansers, the potion makers -
and the diviners with Jamaican accents who pollute the
television airwaves with promises they can't keep (even at
$2.99 a minute). It seems utterly ridiculous that anyone
would be foolish enough to shell out $75 a pop for bogus
advice and pleasant-smelling concoctions, doesn't it? I
thought so, too, but apparently this level of deception has
spread into the Church.
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I recently heard a radio commercial on a Christian
broadcast. A "prophet" was proclaiming a double blessing and
the prosperity oil to bring it into manifestation for
anybody who would sow $29.95 into his traveling ministry.
How is this any different from the potion-making granny? OK,
the radio prophet charges less for his concoction, but it
still wreaks of merchandising.
"Here she goes, slamming false prophets again." I can hear
my critics now. But if Jehovah's prophets don't take a stand
against this mess - in the world and in the Church - then
who will? That brings me back to the Apostle Paul and his
wrestling match with the beast at Ephesus.
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You remember in Acts 19, a huge ruckus broke out because
Paul, as Demetrius the silversmith put it, barged in and
discredited those who were manufacturing shrines to the
goddess Diana. Demetrius stirred up the whole city against
Paul for taking a stand against Jezebel worship. The Bible
says there was great confusion after the people, who were
worried about losing profits from selling their idolatrous
wares, began to cry out in praise of Diana. "Some were
yelling one thing, some were yelling another. Most of them
had no idea what was going on or why they were there" (Acts
19:32).
We need to know what's going on and why we are here: to take
dominion; to invade the kingdoms of this world and make them
to become the Kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ; to set
the captives free; to take the Gospel to the uttermost parts
of the Earth.
With all this in mind, who could disagree with the need to
break the deception over God-fearing believers who are being
sucked in with ambiguous prophetic words that proclaim "the
first 100 people to sow $638 according to Luke 6:38" will
get their long-awaited breakthrough? Don't get mad at me
now. I'm not the only one who has witnessed these things. I
hope that you agree that we need to wrestle this beast in
the Church. We need to dispel this merchandising spirit from
our midst so people are not hoodwinked into buying idols
named "breakthrough." You can't buy a breakthrough, healing,
or anything else from the Lord any more than you can buy
love in a bottle sold by a great-grandmother in Florida.
Just as we can't ignore the devil, we can't ignore these
things either. So how do we overcome evil? With good. That's
why the apostolic-prophetic is so important in this hour. As
true apostles and prophets rise up to declare the
uncompromising truth - despite the persecution - we will see
the deception begin to crumble. We will witness a sea of
change in the Church that will have a ripple effect on the
world. We will be one step closer to a glorious Church
without spot or wrinkle. Amen.
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