The ManicaPost
Morris Mtisi
THIS for me is not the first time to blame, deplore and criticize Churchism. May be today someone, especially those who claim to be Christians, will learn something that will change their game.
First it is important to make clear the fact that this writer is not a pastor or a minister of religion (forget about minister in the country’s cabinet.) I wish I was really, may be a preacher, an evangelist, a bishop even, an archbishop maybe, perhaps just a church elder, deacon or some office holder in the church. Well, that is not my calling. That was not and has not been.
My calling has been teaching and writing. And through these I will bravely and steadfastly proclaim the grace of God and His mighty name. Before He shows me or announces another calling, only these two will I use to speak His love, His truth and greatness.
And what is today’s truth?
The truth is that churchism has destroyed churches, and reversed Jesus’s purpose and God’s will in churches. And by whose authority do I say this? The answer is, ‘by God’s own authority invested by Him in me through courage and honesty, frankness and truthfulness of observation by His power.’ Someone serious must say ‘Amen’ here!
Churchism is church-going and busying oneself by appearing and acting devout. A Pharisee way of playing God; looking and sounding holy, call it holier-than-though, in speech, in song, in prayer and in talk. Churchism refers to the habit of going into church, and not into Jesus; walking to church and not to Jesus, to walk in Jesus and with Jesus.
Churchists, allow me to call them, have destroyed churches in both direct and indirect ways in the name of building them.
Churchists have destroyed Christ’s church by making churches havens of deceit, gossip and sheer on-stage religious drama. Vana Mukadota, Paraffin, vanaMai Azuka, Mai Sorobhi veku church chaivo; sheer church clowns and dramatists who every day drive God-seekers away from church and not into churches! Farther from God, not nearer to Him!
They are in churches to judge members, especially new ones and drive them into a spiritual corner, where they endure their vile tongues and words and crooked mouths; their simplicity of mind and miserable naivety.
They break people’s hearts and make church a place of internal suffering and pain, not a place of peace, love and oneness in God.
They wear uniforms to represent this or that level of duty and special responsibility but in their hearts are snakes in the grass and wolves in sheep’s clothing. They remind everyone of King David’s cry against his enemies to God (Psalms 55 -13 and 14:)
“But it is you my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together…within God’s house we walked in the throng.” In Psalms 66-5 tormented David says:”
All day long they injure my cause. All their thoughts are against me for evil.”
Churchists’ speeches are as smooth as butter…yet war is in their heart. Their words are softer than oil yet they are drawn swords: (See King David-Psalms 55-21).
They are a thorn in the flesh of genuine God seekers. This is I now saying this, not David. Churchists are a ‘sweet’ noisy nuisance filling podiums and singing beautiful but empty song, beautiful wordy and poetic prayers, Pharisee-like, foolishly and emptily rehearsed.
Churchism means busy with church business and activities but not with Christ. Busy with checking and judging church members and not self. Busy minding other people’s business and not their own.
Busy seeing specks in other people’s eyes but failing to see logs in their ugly eyes. Some of these ‘perfect’ Christians, holier-than the rest, and judges of others, were once upon a time famous prostitutes known in the most corrupt and spiritually rotten townships around their cities.
God saw them and loved them. He picked them from the dustbins of rot and sin and brought them to His church.
What do they do today? Busy judging and condemning others, instead of thanking the Lord for lifting them from the pit-latrines of their own hearts and lives!
They have forgotten.
Some of these ‘perfect’ Christians were thieves, hopeless drunkards and alcoholics, useless vagabonds and vagrants with no place to call home. God saw them, felt for them and brought them to His church, to see and receive hope, to receive His love and abundant mercy. What do they do today? They have forgotten.
They think they own God and want to assist Him to counsel His people and to judge His people! They are now self-employed in Jesus’s office. They are now self appointed ushers into the Kingdom of heaven where their enemies have no space or chance. Shame on them!
Some of us made errors in our choices of spouses and chose witches and wizards for our husbands and wives. We chose murderers and criminals of sorts and lived miserable lives for this. God saw us, felt for us and brought us to church to find life again and live again according to His law and desire. Some of us lived in gehenas of marriages and relationships for long periods of time.
Because we chose spouses we wanted, we loved, and not those He gave us.
And for that we burnt our fingers and lived the rest of our lives in hell on earth.
We realised we erred. We asked God to forgive us for wronging those we wronged and those who wronged us. God heard us and gave us second chances, to others even third and fourth chances.
He brought us to His Church and permitted us to wait for His answers in these churches.
What do we see? Human angels throwing bricks on our ways, plans and prayers! Throwing bricks on our faces! This happens in all churches, literally every one of them. People with nothing to do but actively inspired, busy creating pain, suffering and unhappiness for others! They have nothing wise or important to share on chat-groups, except idle and iniquitous gossip, kungonyadzisira nokusenda mashoko enhando, eushwiti neugevha pa WhatsApp every day. Regai tizvitaure vakapiwa zvipo zvekureva chokwadi chichatisunungura…the truth that will set us all free! If we can’t speak, we will write. If we can’t use our mouths we will use our pens.
