It is said that exposure contributes to experience and experience is the best teacher of all. Some days after Easter, my mind has been bustling with bouncing ideas of wanting to explorer perspectives of lives and beliefs. Hardly have I come to terms to accept the reality that there are other religions that started from the veranda not long ago and have made up the rides and storms to rise above doubts and become a force to reckon with while others are busy with issues of gossip, backbiting and corruptions.
The factors contributing to the rise of these churches are on how they laid their foundations and taught their followers who they really are. Here in Malawi, churches that have risen and attracted a large scope of congregants are churches that have their foundations attributed to local founders. Some of the notable churches are those of apostle Stanley Ndovie of living water, Madalitso Mbewe of Calvary family church, Felix Zalimba and many other names. There is also a church that has came with pomp on the local scene in the name of Winners chapel, I understand others say this is their A.K.A. their real name is Living faith Church.
Last Sunday, to the surprise of many, I made unexpected and a surprise visit to winner’s chapel in the heart of Lilongwe City on the outskirts of area 33 along the Kamuzu central Hospital Road, close to the popular biwi furniture place. You see an imposing building that stands out questioning whether it is upstairs or the design outside is deceiving, the windows are far high with others bottom all round the building which is wall fenced and well painted. If you go inside the building, you realise that it is a one sided upstairs hall.
It is a church that owes its origin to Bishop David Oyedepo of Nigeria who became a born again in the year 1981. On a trip to visit Christian friends, Oyedepo, upon arriving at one of his friends, got a note on the door step that his friend had travelled. This meant that he lost out on accommodation; he says the Holy Spirit instructed him to look for a quite place that he may talk to him. In obedience, he looked for a modest hotel at the outskirts of the town for privacy sake. The planned quite place led to an encounter that will affect the world for generations to come.
He said the Lord showed him a line of people battered, tattered, beaten and oppressed and wailing in agony. The sight was so vivid and the anguish so real that he began to cry with them. And as he asked the Lord the reason for the lamentable state of the people, the Lord told him ‘and from the beginning it was not so’ Indeed from the beginning, life was not so till our first parents went against the will of God with the consequences of their sinning falling on all human kind, he took it as a mission and a mandate given from above to foster.
The composition of the church is what caught my attention; mixed with rich, poor, intellects, uneducated, businessmen, working class and many other people. All were seated together listening to the message which was being preached by a Kenyan national pastor Amos as I inquired.
I went in through the door labelled grace and sat right at the back close to an usher who I managed to provoke by asking him a number of questions about the church. I hope I was not diverting his attention form the message that was being preached at that particular moment, however I knew that if I don’t ask, I will not have any other chance to do so as I never knew the setup of the church and what happens after service. At the same time, I face difficulties in understanding a sermon clearly when I don’t know the name of the person preaching or talking to me.
He was preaching on he title ‘favour from God’ quoting a number of scriptures which I was not able to grasp as I did not go with a pen and a paper. He emphasised much on the part to be played by individuals and Christians not to miss favour from God. Some of the mentioned were; tithing, giving to the less privileged in a practical faith, reading the word of God and obedience to our masters.
Soon the sermon was over and people were flocking forward to the mercy seat for repentance prayers and to be prayed for. My mind was still wondering and looking around the whole with interest of how magnificently they built the church.
As a person born in a military family, the whole service moved so fast that not so long all the first comers were called upfront to be welcomed, a handshake from the pastor was enough for me to feel welcomed, I felt like home as people clapped in unison that they had visitors amongst them.
For some moments, this rubbed all the rumours I have been hearing about the church, my heart went there to worship and I believe I did just that and went back home, I met old time friends also who recognised me and my faith and congratulated me for realising that we serve the same God that worship with them was like a blessing to them too.
The church indeed has a structured and well organised style of worship and powerfully constructed sermons wit a good technique of whooping new sheep. I hope I never compromised my faith in going to visit this church and did it to experience new style of worship, but ‘once a military man, always a military man’
The factors contributing to the rise of these churches are on how they laid their foundations and taught their followers who they really are. Here in Malawi, churches that have risen and attracted a large scope of congregants are churches that have their foundations attributed to local founders. Some of the notable churches are those of apostle Stanley Ndovie of living water, Madalitso Mbewe of Calvary family church, Felix Zalimba and many other names. There is also a church that has came with pomp on the local scene in the name of Winners chapel, I understand others say this is their A.K.A. their real name is Living faith Church.
Last Sunday, to the surprise of many, I made unexpected and a surprise visit to winner’s chapel in the heart of Lilongwe City on the outskirts of area 33 along the Kamuzu central Hospital Road, close to the popular biwi furniture place. You see an imposing building that stands out questioning whether it is upstairs or the design outside is deceiving, the windows are far high with others bottom all round the building which is wall fenced and well painted. If you go inside the building, you realise that it is a one sided upstairs hall.
It is a church that owes its origin to Bishop David Oyedepo of Nigeria who became a born again in the year 1981. On a trip to visit Christian friends, Oyedepo, upon arriving at one of his friends, got a note on the door step that his friend had travelled. This meant that he lost out on accommodation; he says the Holy Spirit instructed him to look for a quite place that he may talk to him. In obedience, he looked for a modest hotel at the outskirts of the town for privacy sake. The planned quite place led to an encounter that will affect the world for generations to come.
He said the Lord showed him a line of people battered, tattered, beaten and oppressed and wailing in agony. The sight was so vivid and the anguish so real that he began to cry with them. And as he asked the Lord the reason for the lamentable state of the people, the Lord told him ‘and from the beginning it was not so’ Indeed from the beginning, life was not so till our first parents went against the will of God with the consequences of their sinning falling on all human kind, he took it as a mission and a mandate given from above to foster.
The composition of the church is what caught my attention; mixed with rich, poor, intellects, uneducated, businessmen, working class and many other people. All were seated together listening to the message which was being preached by a Kenyan national pastor Amos as I inquired.
I went in through the door labelled grace and sat right at the back close to an usher who I managed to provoke by asking him a number of questions about the church. I hope I was not diverting his attention form the message that was being preached at that particular moment, however I knew that if I don’t ask, I will not have any other chance to do so as I never knew the setup of the church and what happens after service. At the same time, I face difficulties in understanding a sermon clearly when I don’t know the name of the person preaching or talking to me.
He was preaching on he title ‘favour from God’ quoting a number of scriptures which I was not able to grasp as I did not go with a pen and a paper. He emphasised much on the part to be played by individuals and Christians not to miss favour from God. Some of the mentioned were; tithing, giving to the less privileged in a practical faith, reading the word of God and obedience to our masters.
Soon the sermon was over and people were flocking forward to the mercy seat for repentance prayers and to be prayed for. My mind was still wondering and looking around the whole with interest of how magnificently they built the church.
As a person born in a military family, the whole service moved so fast that not so long all the first comers were called upfront to be welcomed, a handshake from the pastor was enough for me to feel welcomed, I felt like home as people clapped in unison that they had visitors amongst them.
For some moments, this rubbed all the rumours I have been hearing about the church, my heart went there to worship and I believe I did just that and went back home, I met old time friends also who recognised me and my faith and congratulated me for realising that we serve the same God that worship with them was like a blessing to them too.
The church indeed has a structured and well organised style of worship and powerfully constructed sermons wit a good technique of whooping new sheep. I hope I never compromised my faith in going to visit this church and did it to experience new style of worship, but ‘once a military man, always a military man’
1 comment:
Dear Brother, as I read between the lines your "wave shock visit to winners chapel" it recon at the back of my mind of many questions I have been asking about this new pentecostal movement. Their message is highly debatable in mainstream churches but the level of power and bibilical knowledge is without doubt superb. Like you did, I made an exploration here in Tanzania because of "romours" I was hearing but three weeks afterwards, I was a new convert of the faith I questioned most. The main reason of my quick conversion is because of the simple practical truths these people preach. I had three questions which I posed to postors of winners chapel; why they insist on prosperity; why they dont mention much of afterdeath and how on earth you can earn without hardwork and toil: on the first question, the answer was simple, is it fair to be rich or poor, to give or to receive, to toil or to enjoy, to rob or to sustain? straight away
Post a Comment