DIVINE APPOINTMENTS: Government must consult the church

07 Dec, 2014 - 00:12 0 Views
DIVINE APPOINTMENTS: Government must consult the church RFMI Senior Pastor Reverend Maxwell Cedric stresses a point while his wife Reverend Desire looks on

The Sunday Mail

RFMI Senior Pastor Reverend Maxwell Cedric stresses a point while his wife Reverend Desire looks on

RFMI Senior Pastor Reverend Maxwell Cedric stresses a point while his wife Reverend Desire looks on

Redemption Faith Ministries International hosted its 11th Power Summit at the Girls’ High School in Harare from November 26 to 30 under the theme “Flourishing under the Prophetic Word (Ezra 6:14)” with Prophet Joseph S Kazhila of Zambia as guest speaker. Tendai Manzvanzvike (TM) spoke with RFMI Senior Pastor Reverend Maxwell Cedric (MC).

TM: What is “Power Summit” all about?

MC: This is an annual convention that we hold and the name comes from the fact that we want to emphasise that there is the power of God at work. When the Word is preached, there should be a demonstration of power: healing, miracles, deliverance, etc. I’m happy to say that God demonstrated His power as Paul says in Romans 15:19, “I came to you by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit.”

About eight or nine deaf and dumb people were delivered, children included. We actually had blind man whose sight was restored.

TM: But when we look at our situation in Zimbabwe, miracles and healing are a small step to bigger things people desire. People are asking why this power is not being used to transform the economy. Why isn’t that power coming across in the economy and other sectors?

MC: I actually preached on that and what I said was that for believers, the power of God is not just miracles because that’s the primary level. Miracles just make you a normal human being. If you were blind and you receive a miracle to see, you are now not a special person, but you enter the mainstream that enables you to move on to live an ordinary life like other people. After that, you must begin to move forward.

I also said the church must demonstrate power to affect society and that’s when the power of God comes in. It gives you strength to be able to lead because you cannot lead when you are weak. So, as the Holy Spirit empowers you, your mind must also be empowered.

In church, we don’t just want to clap, shout, fall and rise. We emphasised that the power we read about in the bible was not just power for healing, but real power that transformed people’s lives. People like Joseph, Daniel and Esther exercised real power. But as the church, we have divorced ourselves from areas where we can begin to see the power of God transforming lives.

Even Government must start to engage us. It’s not like them looking for us only or us looking for them, but there will be mutual respect where they will say, let’s give the church a voice and ask them about what we should do. I have always said that the church is the best base where we can talk about development.

We should have a say in these things eg, why can’t we have clean water, why are roads not being refurbished while council is collecting money? What is happening to that money? We have universities training water engineers, civil engineers. In fact, we have more universities than we had at Independence. Now we have so many and the engineers coming out but still there no clean water in sight.

As the church, we also want to develop Zimbabwe because we are Zimbabweans. We are not whites and we can never be. So, let’s make the best of what God gave us. The church owes it to the people to develop the nation.

TM: But how can a splintered church body achieve this? The church is not united in order for it to come up with a common voice for the benefit of the country regarding issues of national interest.

MC: I think that the approach is a wide one. For once, we have people who are the fathers of the nation in terms of respect, people like Professor Ezekiel Guti of Zaoga FIF. Arguably, he is one person whom we can say is the father of Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe. He has a platform and a voice, and when he speaks, people will not question it, whereas if it’s a young man in ministry, people will associate him with ambition, seeking limelight and political favour.

If he speaks and charges the upcoming pastors, showing us the way, we will follow.

However, we are planning to start an organisation that we will call the Association of Charismatic Churches. These are people who have got independent churches but have a common vision about tabling issues in our society. For example, in our local councils, we want to have a voice.

For example, I don’t understand why our council clinics don’t have doctors in attendance. We are saying that our councils can actually employ doctors. When clinics are empowered, it will lessen the burden on referral hospitals.

So, as churches, we must begin to engage our municipalities and ask them to employ doctors so that clinics relieve the burden from hospitals that are already congested.

But, we need a platform to address the council. As pastor from Redemption, I cannot engage them individually, but as a group we will be effective. The church is willing to work in partnership with local councils, whereby we can provide doctors from our churches. We need to be in this win-win partnership.

TM: The way I am hearing you is that you are saying the church should be more involved in what is going on around them. This is the church that you’re talking about right?

MC: It’s not spooky power that we are talking about. Power must be real. We are the salt of the Earth not of the church. We have to impact our communities and we are saying that, Jesus can save you, but here also is a hospital, a school, clean water, etc. Then Jesus is not limited to some imaginary place. We have to develop where we are.

The other issue that touches my heart is Zimbabwe’s education system. We have to design the curriculum that suits us. Our education has not empowered us because we have continued with the colonial curriculum which saved its own purposes. Our education system is not addressing unemployment because education was created for people seeking employment and not employment creators. As the church, we are the once grappling with unemployment.

I look at the youths in the church. While I can pray for them every day, but if there are no jobs, the prayer is not a good prayer. So I empower them by telling them to begin creation of employment for themselves.

Our colleges must not produce graduates that prepare CVs after college, but graduates preparing project proposals. There are lots of opportunities for employment creation. Water provision is one of them.

TM: But they don’t have capital … it’s too expensive to borrow money from the bank.

MC: This is where God comes in because He must empower us to do these things. We believe in supernatural supply. Good pastors also make ways for their flock especially when they travel and meet contacts that can come and be in partnership with our people.

TM: What were the highlights from your guest speaker, Prophet Joseph Kazhila?

MC: Prophet Kazhila is involved in the current political process after the death of President Sata. He encouraged the church to pray for our countries and those in leadership. He said you might not agree with their policies, but the Bible does not say we should agree, but pray for them.

So, it’s not about agreement, but about prayer. Here in Zimbabwe, we have to pray for our President because he is the one who is in charge. That one is not negotiable.

TM: Your final remarks to the nation?

MN: The Bible says a nation that exalts God shall prosper. Let us turn to God. He is our solution. We have to be proud of who we are as Zimbabweans. Let us not fight each other. Let us have a brand as a nation. It’s not what other people are saying about us, it’s about what we think about ourselves. In this end time even the world will look up to us. Look at our moral fabric. We don’t believe in homosexuality and divorce but all these other people have lost it.

My prayer for the nation is:

Father I pray in the name of Jesus for our beloved country Zimbabwe, which you have given us. Thank you Lord for the blessings of being born in this nation and the heritage that we have as a people. I pray for our leadership and for President Robert Mugabe. I want to pray for the Government he leads. I want to pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for your word says we must pray for our leaders.

Father, I lift him in the name of Jesus Christ. I pray for his life and health. I pray for wisdom Father as he leads our nation. I pray for those in Government with him.

Father, I pray that the fear of the Lord comes upon them. I pray for those that are in local councils. Father, give them wisdom. I pray for the major sectors of our society. I pray for our health practitioners. Father, give them wisdom. I pray for our education system and for our sons and daughters in colleges. Father, give them more wisdom and understanding. As they research, may it affect our society!

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ against every attack even of Ebola and other things that can threaten us. I pray for the stability of our nation. I pray for the prosperity of our nation and command our industries to come back to life.

Lord, turn your eyes on Zimbabwe. Give a turnaround in our lives. Father, I pray for the media. Give them wisdom. I pray for our sports personalities – grace to excel; our arts – grace to excel. I pray for your servants, the pastors labouring in your vineyard. Father, there servants of yours who are truthful, who have sacrificed, we pray that they be encouraged. Give them long life. Reward them. I bless you oh Lord for our nation. In Jesus mighty name I pray. Amen!

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