The devil is seriously waging war on the body of Christ, that is why in 1 Peter 5:8 the bible warns us to- “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour”. I am considering this topic in the wake of Ekeza Sacco scandal in which Bishop. David Kariuki Ngari alias ‘Gakuyo’ is alleged to have siphoned Kshs.1.5 billion from the members.
Hardly a month before, award winning and popular gospel music artists DK Kwenye Beat and Hopekid were involved in a most scandalous sex escapade with a young girl; DK was particularly accused of spreading STIs instead of the gospel. In the recent past the gospel industry has been especially dogged with many scandals roping in the likes of Willy Paul, Bahati who succeeded to make the term ‘prayer-partner’ to be a synonym of sex partner. The phrase may no longer be used in church anymore because of the unholy connotation it now carries.
When a person becomes famous for a good and honourable thing in the Kingdom of God; when he builds an identifiable brand-name and when he makes a significantly large amount in fortune, then: he needs to become extra vigilant because there is a fierce lion at his door steps with non-other on earth to equal him in power. This spiritual lion is perpetually in motion. The day and night are both alike to him and he has no measure in his furry. When a famous gospel artist, great worship leader or a crowd pulling and charismatic pastor are unsuspectingly busking in the fleeting glory of their fame and money; the lion springs upon them with the object of devouring both the body and the soul (John 10:10).
The mechanism of their vulnerability is simple: Money and fame does things to people that make them to think that life is all about them. We are all vulnerable to this seduction so much so that I can confidently say that all the above mentioned people had very noble intentions in the beginning. Over time however, the lion pounded with the claws of seducing fame and because the pounding does not have real physical pain at the beginning; they fell victim to the weight of their own fame without knowing. So much has been the devils influence that in some cases we can say that the person who was there at the beginning has long since died.
The poignant question is how a poor sinner, who has been carried captive by Satan the roaring lion at his will is to escape out of the snare? After feeding the crowd, Jesus was also pressured by his followers to become King and he fled (John 6:15), he understood it to be Satan’s schemes. In James 4: 7-10 the bible says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” The imperative of the above message to those that have fallen is that they should confess their sins, repent before God of heaven and seek to be forgiven also by their victims. Then in humility go for counselling and accept to be discipled over a reasonable period of time. Then, as God in his sovereign will touches them with healing (with the testimony of transformation from believers in their congregation) they can go back to ministry in their platforms of calling. Failure to which, their further ministry activity will change the way the gospel is seen and will be subjected to ridicule on their account.
Pastor. Davies Kelmen