In today’s Christianity, we could see creative miracles some of which I will share here. Someone whose hands are not equal was prayed for and the hands became equal. Someone without a womb was prayed for and she carried her baby. Many dead people come back to life. There is also miraculous healing of chronic diseases proved by medical report. Someone without eyes has been prayed for and he received his sight and many more.
This movement of God is undeniable. However, I could see the abuse in different ways, one of which I wish to share here. The church has now become a place where different issues are treated which is normal. But I see ministers presenting themselves as specialists of different matters. Members too have seen church as where any issue can be taken to, be it spiritual matter or not.
Sometimes, you need a specialist and not a pastor. Pastors are not medical personnel, God just decides to use them for healing but today, any slight sickness, the victim thinks of the pastor and not the Doctor. The late gospel singer, Minister Osinachi Nwachukwu, was said to have died of a chronic sickness. His pastor, Dr. Paul Enenche, after her death gave a detailed explanation of different tests conducted towards her healing after prayer proved abortive. I believe that his detailed explanation was one of the things that saved him of being accused of watching someone to her death.
This issue and other related matters have led to people’s death, loss of business etc. If someone is depressed, he/she does not need a deliverance minister or a pastor, he needs a therapist. Someone’s business is not doing well, it’s normal to pray but such a person needs a consultant. Someone’s marriage is no longer working out, it’s normal to pray but such a person needs a marriage counselor.
Someone has a sickness that surfaces as a result of mental stress but was made to believe by a pastor that the sickness is as a result of saliva in the chest. As far as I know in my Biology during my secondary school days, the gland that produces saliva is on the tongue. The pastor recommended a quack doctor who gave the concerned person an injection and was made to believe that the injection will go into the chest to dry up the saliva. After the story was narrated to me, I put a call through to a doctor who explained the person’s condition and made me to understand that the person needs a specialist in the medical field.
Let’s avoid ignorance of any kind. It’s normal to pray and fast but many at times, we need the help of specialists to come out of difficult situations. I’m not saying that pastors are not helpful; however, the help they render are more of spiritual. If your account is being hacked, for instance, you don’t need prayer, you need the help of the banker.
We have sold ourselves out to ignorance in this modern day of Christianity. We believe that pastors are everything, meanwhile in seminaries, there’s a course titled ‘pastoral counseling’. In this course, Pastors are trained to refer to the specialist any issue that proves abortive after addressing it spiritually or any issue that the pastor believes it is a matter for a specialist.
God makes Pastors available so that they can help us. He also makes the specialists available so that they can help us too. You’ll be surprised that Pastors also consult nutritionists for food that could help them stay healthy.
Let me remind you once again that at times, you need a specialist and not a pastor.