Does religious prostitution bring deeper spirituality?
Orthodox churches are losing their people to other churches in search of miracles and God, as they put it. But what sort of impact does this have on your spirituality? Does flirting from one prophet to the next, one church to another benefit your soul? Mwereti Kanjo speaks to religious leaders on this.
At 25, Esnati Majeza has been to more than six churches looking for answers. She was born a Presbyterian but as she grew up, she says she felt something was missing. That was when she started off, moving from one church to the next looking for God.
“In the youth group at church, we started to dance, sing and some were praying in tongues. Back then, this was unacceptable in our church. One by one, we started moving out to churches which would let us worship freely. But with each church, there was still some sort of gap.
“I eventually went back to my original church. Right now, I am a proud member of a Bethlehem fellowship in Namiyango. I realised that it is about where you stand with God not who you pray with. We meet in the afternoon after we come from church and share the word of God,†Majeza narrates.
Majeza is just one of the many women in the country that are currently looking for a church they can call home. With the boom of new churches and men of God in Malawi, it is becoming more difficult to stay in one place. The reasons for moving are many; looking for God, expecting a miracle in one’s life, worshipping freely and internal rivalry are just some of the causes.
However, Bishop Godfrey Matoga has said this is a practice that cannot be recommended. He said a pastor of a church is a spiritual father of the members. God created a father for this people, Abraham, and with each generation, there was a father, King David and all the other kings that followed. If someone is moving about, it means they have no spiritual father.
“A father is a person that gives you provisions and guidance in life. As a spiritual father, your pastor helps you move from one level of spirituality to the next. If you are not satisfied, you might consider looking for another father but leaving the church is not recommended. You can have a place where you fellowship and do that which you feel is needed in your life. If you believe in healing and are being denied that where you are, try elsewhere but remain in the church until you know you have found a father,†advises Matoga.
Commenting on the same, Apostle Madalitso Mbewe says moving aimlessly from church to church will lead you into confusion. You must have the wisdom to know why you are leaving and what it is that you are looking for. Ask God to guide you to the church you will call home. Answers may not be found in that church but God will answer you through the men of God present there.
“God will talk to you through His men. You will know you are home when there is peace in your life, there is a conviction in your heart, your relationship with God is in the right place and you are in a position to help others. The most important thing is your relationship with God.
“These are end times when false prophets are coming out of nowhere. People are being told to sell their property in order to pay for miracles and marriages are being broken up using the church. This is not the work of God. You have a church today and in a year or two they no longer exist,†Mbewe points out.
At the end of the day, it is not about whom you pray with or how you pray. Know who you are in Christ Jesus and it will be easy to do the work of God. Pray, read the word on a regular basis, because that is where all the answers lie.
