How Self-Centred Gospel Fuels Apostasy

How Self-Centred Gospel Fuels Apostasy: Paul the apostle discerned in his days, that some people who claimed to be followers of the Messiah were preaching “another Gospel.” He was so piqued by the development that he placed a curse on them as we read in Galatians chapter 1, verse 8, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”

Sadly, many Christians who should be eagles, have made themselves chickens, and are therefore feeding from chicken troughs. They have embraced the hell crafted “prosperity gospel,” which promotes self-actualisation. Come to Jesus and be successful in business; have children; build mansions; get well-paying jobs, and other silly promises that have no basis in Scripture.

Ministers of this fake gospel trumpet the “sound of their voices” as the contact point between them and their deluded followers. One of them who is very prominent on Tiktok starts her ministration with, “Anyone under the sound of my voice blah blah blah!” Lady, what has the sound of your voice got to do with operations of the Holy Spirit? Then, she goes on to promise them successes in their endeavours, bodies free of sicknesses and other so-called “breakthroughs.”

How do people listen to this kind of rubbish day in and day out? Where in the Holy Bible did the Lord Jesus Christ promise His followers a bed of roses? In John 16:33, the Lord said emphatically, “In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

It is strange that a Gospel that is centred on sacrifice (God sending His Son to die for us), is now being presented as the pathway to self-actualisation. Are we insinuating that the Lord did not mean what He said about us needing to die to self-life? In Matthew 16:24 He said, “Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”

So, why are people enamoured with the gospel of self-actualisation if it is contrary to Scripture? The answer to this question is found in 2 Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come, when they will not bear sound doctrine; but having itching ears, will heap up to themselves teachers after their own hearts.” A self-centred gospel merely validates the desires of a self-centred generation. The portrait of the end times given by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1 identified self-love as one of the key indicators of a world that is anti-God.

The devil and his agents know that the easiest way to get a person’s  attention is to make him believe that whatever he is doing is in his own interest. Therefore, they present themselves to such deluded folks as angels of light. They come with exotic revelations that can make them successful in business; marry their dream spouses, have children, live in mansions etc. One of such deceptions is the seed faith doctrine.

Sow a seed to reap your desired harvest, which could be any of the areas of interest mentioned above. This is why many so-called “men of God” are building mansions and driving exotic cars, while their congregation wallow in abject poverty. Unfortunately, many Christians do not want to be delivered from their bondage. They are hooked to the lies of satan and his demons because these resonate with the inordinate ambitions they harbour. They are not lovers of God. They only see Him as a means to actualise such ambitions.

We feel compelled to bring these things to light to help those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. Jesus Christ came down from the Father’s throne to the earth for one singular purpose as stated in Matthew 1:21– “to save His people from their sins.” John 1:29 also clearly says that He is “the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” If self-actualisation was God’s end game for humanity, why did His Son pose the question in Mark 8:36, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul?” It is essential that we do not forget that the second death, which is eternal separation from God in the lake of fire results from damnation of unsaved soul.

           My candid plea is that we should stop playing pranks with our lives and learn to pursue God in earnest. The best way to develop and deepen our relationship with Him is to feed on the Holy Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit. We must stop exalting humans and their opinions/ideas above the Word of God. We must flee from any assembly where God’s word and its application are not given utmost priority. Remember that you and you alone will stand before God on judgment day.