The body of Christ in RSA and the World

Open Letter to the Body of Christ By: @CreoNthali (A friend of God)
This letter is written for every believer and follower of Christ. It is pivotal for the body of Christ to be constantly aware of its challenges, to reflect on its weaknesses and seek to unite. I would therefore like to invite your attention to the matter of concern raised in this letter, simply because it affects the entire body. This note is not about denominational differences nor is it to promote certain spiritual practices while demoting other forms of service, because even the bible itself says “there are different kinds of service, but the same Lord” {1 Cor 12:6}. I pray that this letter stirs up the spirit of unity amongst those who will come in contact with it.
The South African Council of Churches (SACC) has launched a complaint against 40 churches across its country of operation. These churches have been summoned to appear before the Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Rights Commission (CRL commission). The leaders and founders of these churches have been summoned not only to appear, but also to submit documents of their ministries and their academic background including their banking documents. On the 20th of August 2015, the CRL Commission launched an investigative study into the commercialisation of religion and the abuse of people's belief systems in terms of when these institutions are being run, how are they being run, where is their funding going into, who collects how much and what do they do with the money, where does the money eventually go to, what are the governing principles that are there.
The investigation was launched after SACC questioned the legibility of some of this pastors, and their practices in ministry. Some of these leaders are said to be hypnotizing congregants and causing them to eat grass, drink petrol etc. Most of the churches that have been summoned have formed an alliance and would be marching to the offices of the CRL commission in Johannesburg on Tuesday. The march is said to be held in seeking clarity on the summoning without charge. Before I continue I must put out; Christ didn’t die for this. Isn’t this a snake biting its own tail?
What has hit home hard is that, this is a case of a body of churches fighting churches it is supposed to be protecting. Could the SACC be the Scribes and the Pharisees of our generation? That would be some food for thought while I take you through the dangers that lurk over this whole situation. Divided leaders are now drawing the entire South African church into division. People follow those who lead, and leaders are expected to lead by example. This makes it clear to the world that many ministers speak of peace, love and unity, yet they are not living what they preach. On the same pulpits they also minister hate, factionalism, division, jealousy, envy and competition. All this is done in the name of Jesus whom they all claim to serve.
I am a member of the holy Catholic Church also known as the pre-Pentecostal Church, and I know very well the differences between our churches and the “Pentecostal Churches” often referred to as ministries. By grace I understand the things of the spirit and I sometimes hear and see in the Spirit. I am confident to say, this brethren is a spiritual war fare. Amongst you there are those who are allowing the spirit of the enemy to control their actions, and they claim to act out of love and concern when it’s wickedness they are advancing.
Some of our ministers are focusing and investing too much of their energy and sermons towards the wrong things. The great commission is to “minister the Gospel of good news”, not the gospel of whose legitimate and false prophets. Despite the great commission, they minister who’s better than who, whose false and whose not, they minister their education over the word. They are minding other ministries and other ministers, they now dictate whose genuine and whose not, and by so doing spread their poison of hate and jealousy to their congregants, resulting in a lot of gossiping, lying and point of fingers in the church.
Is the SACC fighting to shut down ministries? Because if that is the case then they are in for fight they cannot win. Ministries have grown in the country and they have reached the lives of many people, giving them hope, delivering many and healing others. And this people would fight for their faith and their churches. The SACC says most of the churches it has lodged this complaint against are exploiting the poor. If that is the case, are they any worse than the leading government of our country, buying and lying for votes? If that is the case, what are the poor doing in these churches, don’t they feel exploited? People have a right to a fellowship of their choice and to exercise their faith. They should speak of being exploited, they should complain of being sucked deeper into poverty, like we always see bitter citizens doing towards the government of this country.
Church history reveals to us the none-existence of churches in South Africa before the invasion of the missionaries. It reals to us how the Western missionaries and the introduction of Word of God changed our country and stirred up our faith. We always knew there is a God, yet after this we knew better of the God we had known, we could set aside time to dedicate special worship and fellowship as His Spirit urges us to. From what we can call “the mission age” that led the establishment of the holy Catholic Church in South Africa, followed what can be referred to as “the ministry age”. The ministry age brought in more understanding of the Holy Spirit, inspired by the outbreak and out-pouring of revivals in Western and European countries. From this out-break we were fed with deep understanding of the works and gifts of the Holy spirit. By venture we became stronger in our faith, and started experiences the power, the presence, and the life of Jesus Christ. It is then evident that our faith is getting better with time, and I wonder how much more are we to witness from the coming generations and the faith they would carry and minister.
Brethren what we see today is the work of the first bible that made it across to our land, and it gets bigger and greater, that is the God we serve: “Behold I do a new thing” he says. In another reading He promises His people that they would witness what no eye has ever seen and no ear ever head. God works in mysteries and we would not know everything He is doing and how He does it, let alone understand. Unfortunately some gods of our country claim to know more than they should, at least enough to cause cracks and separation in the body of Christ, as though the body is not suffering enough from the world already.
Fellow believers, let us understand that we are one body with many parts. 1 Corinthians 12:21 – “the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” and the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 25- “So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” 27- “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it”. For this reason I find the SACC to be going about this the wrong way. Every member of the body should stand in the side of peace and unity. The SACC should know that if these men and women they have lodged the complaint against are indeed God sent, then they within their individual ranks will bare punishment from God for attacking His servants. As highly educated ministers, they should know very well that God would not let out of sight anyone who persecutes His people/church.
I warn you brethren, refrain from taking sides and stand for unity and peace. Let us trust God enough to wait on Him to reveal to us who’s true and who’s false. Let us trust Him enough to know that He is in control of this world and our country, because all things work for the good of they that love the Lord. Why then are we troubled by how others are offering service to God? Today I choose love, peace and unity, today I choose this hash tags #SAChurchUnity #HandsOfTheChurch.
Please share this letter, with the hope that it would reach the leadership of SACC and cause them to review their course and go back to minister the Gospel of good news, leaving the church