“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1, NKJV)
Today’s teaching, as well as the next teaching following it, we will spend some time focusing on TB Joshua, the ‘faith healer’ from Lagos. Based on the strong support he has received from the Dutch Reformed Church’s Jannie Pelser and Kobus van Rensburg of Spirit Word Ministries, and the endorsement of Radio Pulpit and Finesse, Joshua has established a strong position of power in the Christian church in South Africa in a relatively short period of time. (It should be noted that Kobus van Rensburg did later categorically separate from the Nigerian prophet, albeit with much less of a public fanfare than when he originally supported him.)
Across a broad spectrum the church leaders of congregations became disciples and apologists of this miracle worker. Slowly but surely his way of operating was copied by churches – some build little pools filled with holy water Joshua has prayed over. They declare that the lame can walk once they’ve been in this bath of Bethesda. Others walk around with pieces of red cloth the prophet has prayed over twice. This is placed on the sick, or on unbelievers, demons manifest and depart as the red cloth is used as an amulet. A spiritual leader in a Free State town asked Joshua to photo copy his anointed hands. Thousands of copies have since been made in turn, are distributed and used in healing acts of all kinds.
Not to mention the very scary testimonies concerning healing and deliverance. There are of course the official videos of The Synagogue, Church of All Nations, Joshua’s church in Nigeria, but also the video material made by pilgrims about what they have seen whilst visiting. Cancer of every conceivable and inconceivable kind is healed. People who could not walk arise from their wheelchairs. Barren women are healed and return with their children.
With a sudden movement of his hand or foot Joshua has people fall to the ground, demons leaving their writhing bodies. Sangomas and witches are taken from the audience, bound up and forced to listen to messages of deliverance. Through all of this the “senior prophet” seems shy and humble, giving all glory to God and always noting that he is not the healer, but that he merely knows the Healer. He does not openly ask for money as is often the case with faith healers. In fact, he often offers pilgrims food and lodging while they are visiting the Synagogue, even paying their airfare.
Everything seems so acceptable. One could almost say the world has discovered a new Messiah. One who seems to have the power to have the kingdom of God come with signs and wonders. It is understandable that people from all across the globe stream to his place of healing. Often they only leave in the early hours of the morning. Throughout their time there they are offered frozen bags of water over which Joshua has prayed. On monitors they watch cinematic testimonies of extravagent past events, dramatic instances of healing.
There is however another side to the phenomenom of TB Joshua that should leave believers very unsettled. But since we are so desperate for an alternative to the dead-end of our spiritual lives, we don’t want to seem critical, or even guilty of reading the Bible in very narrow terms. In the process believers can be horribly deceived. In the next teaching we will consider all these issues from a purely Biblical perspective.
- Selah: Have you had any exposure to people who have visited TB Joshua?
- Read: 2 John; 3 John; Judas
- Examine the OT-typology: 2 John 1:11 (Tip: Ps. 50:18; Eph. 5:11; 1 Tim. 5:22; Rev. 18:4).
