The Truth in Print Vol. 22 Issue 8, Sept. 2016
A Publication of the Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364 (928-782-5058)
Website
Address ~ http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
The Best Demon Hitter
in New Zealand
A report by Olivia Carville in
the NZ Herald on a so called “demon cleansing” ceremony in Auckland, New
Zealand related the experiences some claimed to have had from so called Pastor Moyo, who was advertised as a prophet of God. I’ll deal
with the claim to be a prophet of God shortly but first some truly amazing junk.
The title just grabs at you: Exorcism
pastor assault claim: 'It was slap, punch, I'm going to get this demon out of
you'
(http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11625617 , 2016)
It was reported that Ketina Chivasa, a nurse, said she suffered a two-day headache
after being punched:
“Ketina Chivasa said
she suffered a two-day headache after being punched. A nurse has described a
bizarre community exorcism in Auckland where a travelling pastor allegedly
punched her in the face to cleanse her of demons.”
B.L.: I would think that if one is a phony it would be best to be a
“travelling” phony — else husbands might show up soon and they’ll do some
hitting of their own. But it did remind me of the “vagabond” Jewish exorcists
in Act 19:13 — “vagabond” meaning “strollers, to wander about.”
But going on with the related incident the author states: “Ketina Chivasa, who works at
Auckland City Hospital, said the close-fisted punch was so hard she became
dizzy, her face swelled up and she suffered a two-day headache. "It was slap, slap, slap, punch, punch, punch, as he
said: 'I'm going to hit this demon out of you'," Ms
Chivasa claimed.”
“The event, at the Te Atatu
South Community Centre on April 3, was targeted at Auckland's African
community. It was led by Pastor O Moyo, head of the
UK-based Divine Apostolic Ministries.”
Since the best demon hitter in town was advertised as a “Prophet of God”
it is important to state plainly that I Cor. 13:8-12 teaches that prophecy as a
spiritual gift ceased when the perfect law of liberty (Ja.
1:25), the New Testament, was completed in written form for all to follow until
the end of time. And the gift of “tongues” in that same context has also
ceased, should you desire to expose more phonies today who claim to have
spiritual gifts that they really lie a lot about — they don’t have them.
“Tongues” were not gibberish but spoken languages among the people (Acts
2:4-11).
But this so called prophet of God, it says, was advertised as a prophet
“who could deliver people from spiritual attacks, demons and dysfunctional
marriages.” It was said that his
specialty is not healing the sick, and we all know that it is really easy to
find one in a dysfunctional marriage just about anywhere a travelling
deliverance specialist might chose to hold his event.
This report gets better: “He told the crowd of about 40 that all but
three of them were possessed by demons, Ms Chivasa said.” Well
now, it is his ballgame isn’t it — so the Demon Hitter is telling them who is
possessed.
More: “The pastor went on to punch or slap at least 20 people and later
asked for donations, she claimed.”
B.L.: And I’m probably real sure that some would contribute something,
else they’d think he’d just have to hit a few more demons out of them.
She said: “It was pure witchcraft and just crazy." Mind you that the nurse on the “receiving”
end is the one who called the so called pastor’s work witchcraft.
More: “Ms Chivasa, a
34-year-old mother, complained to police. They spoke to several attendees but
did not find enough evidence "to warrant further investigation".”
The report states: According to Ms Chivasa, the pastor:
· Punched one young woman after telling her a demon was preventing
her from getting married.
B.L.: Assuming this was said would men consider contributing for such
persuasion?
· Kicked a man in the back while he was lying on the ground.
B.L.:
You've got to keep that demon down once you get him down!
· And hit some people so hard they fell to the ground.
B.L.: I think
wounding in the spirit might be the new definition of swooning in the
spirit.
More: “Ms Chivasa said others did not complain to police because they
believed they were being "healed" by the pastor.”
B.L.: Sort of a let me give you one more to heal you if you can believe
it. The woman appears in this report to be earnestly trying to get others to
see through something.
More: “The event was organized by Zimbabwean community member Peter Muponda and promoted through social media.
When asked about the alleged assaults, he said: "I don't have any
comment about that" and referred inquiries to Pastor Moyo.
Multiple emails and phone calls to Pastor Moyo
and all five numbers listed on the Divine Apostolic Ministries (DAM) website
were not returned.
Mr. Muponda did not respond to numerous
follow-up calls and text messages.
According to its website, DAM is a UK-based Christian movement with
branches in Australia and New Zealand.
The site says Pastor Moyo is now in Sydney
"delivering the enslaved from the bondage of the Evil One".”
B.L.: So brother big hitter
had moved on.
More: “Ms Chivasa
alleged Pastor Moyo asked people to line up at the
Auckland exorcism, told them to close their eyes and then "started
slapping and punching them in the face and chest to cast out their
demons".
When she threatened to call police, Ms Chivasa claims she was told by a fellow attendee that she
would be "hated by the whole community".
Later that night, she decided to call police anyway.
Police followed up but the case "did not meet the evidential
sufficiency threshold to warrant further investigation," Detective
Inspector Bruce Scott said.
Attendees told investigating officers they were invited to take part in
a "cleansing ritual" in which they were touched on the forehead or
upper body.
"Some described having fallen to the floor, but described this
being as a result of being overwhelmed from the ceremony, rather than as the
result of any assault," Mr. Scott said.
No offences had been identified but the case would be reassessed if
anyone else came forward with allegations of assault, Mr. Scott said.” - NZ
Herald
Compare Now Points from
the New Testament
Take your
Bible and look at the contexts where demons were “cast out.” When Jesus
“cast out” demons in Mk. 1:34 — the words mean “to drive out, eject.” The incident in Mk.
5:8 says “For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit.” This was
done by command — again in Mk. 9:25 He rebuked the unclean spirit and said
“Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more.”
Concerning the twelve in Matt. 10:1 He gave them power over unclean
spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of
disease. The “all” in this verse clearly displays the hypocrisy of the fake
faith healers today who claim to work miracles. It compares with the “perfect
health” of the man lame from birth in Acts 3:16. Phonies don’t do such works
today. And in Lk. 10:17 the seventy returned again
with joy saying to Him “even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.”
He said in Mk. 16:17 “In My name they will cast out demons” —- and we find an
example of that in Acts 16:18; Paul said “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ
to come out of her.” In Acts 19:11-12 God worked special miracles so that
handkerchiefs or aprons, that had contact it appears with Paul’s body, were
brought unto the sick, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil
spirits went out of them.
Just how did it work out for the Jewish exorcists at Ephesus (Acts 19)?
Notice in the below that the evil spirit had a conversation with the seven sons
of Sceva:
Act 19:13 But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who
went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits
the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul
preaches."
Act 19:14 Seven sons of one Sceva,
a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
Act 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said to
them, "I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?"
Act 19:16 And the man, in whom was the evil spirit,
leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled
out of that house naked and wounded.
Act 19:17 This became known to all, both Jews and
Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the
Lord Jesus was being magnified.
Paul and others in the first century, who were able to perform miracles
and cast out demons, did not ask for money from those they actually did heal.
The purpose of the signs was to confirm that the Word was from God (Mk.
16:15-16). The time did come after the death of the apostles, and the deaths of
those upon whom they laid their hands to bestow the spiritual gifts — study
what Simon saw in Acts 8:14-19 — that the “gifts” failed, ceased and vanished
away just as Paul explained to Corinth — the knowledge given “in part” ceased
(I Cor. 13:8-9) with the completed written Word, the New Testament) that was once
delivered to the saints (I Cor. 13:8; Ja. 1:25; Jude 3; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).
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