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Televangelists struggle to reach out to Zimbabweans

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By Farayi Mungoshi

BISHOP T.D. Jakes’ visit to Zimbabwe is one spectacle Zimbabwean Christians had been longing for for a while.
That longing was fulfilled when the popular televangelist Bishop Jakes took to the podium last week in Harare to preach to the masses.
But the turnout was not as expected, it was embarrassing — people did not fill up the venue as anticipated.
There were empty chairs everywhere; having listened to and followed Jakes’ teachings over the years, I am still in shock that something like that could happen.
I expected a stampede, but that didn’t happen.
However, Bishop Jakes is not the only popular televangelist to grace the country and fail to pull crowds.
A couple of years ago, Bishop Noel Jones, also from the US preached in Harare at the City Sports Centre and failed to fill up the venue as well.
Bishop Jones, brother to the famous musician and actress Grace Jones, is also a televangelist known for his controversial reality television show, Preachers of LA.
The other televangelist who graced Zimbabwe recently (May 2017) is Pastor Chris of Christ Embassy Church.
Well-known for the healing miracles that accompany his sermons, Pastor Chris came into Zimbabwe for a communion service which was broadcast worldwide from the National Sports Stadium.
Even though thousands flocked to watch and listen to him, observers still say there were gaps and spaces in the stadium that could have been filled while the overflow stands were also unoccupied.
While such events like Prophet Makandiwa’s ‘Judgment Nights’ are well-known for filling up the stadium, on Prophet Magaya’s ‘Night of Turn Around’ one is left wondering whether Zimbabwe is now finally appreciating their own.
How is it possible that such big preachers, known worldwide, would struggle to fill a Zimbabwean auditorium?
Is it a spiritual thing?
Is God not with them?
We may ask ourselves over and over but ultimately one would conclude that most Christians have lost their way in search of money.
One thing the three televangelists I introduced earlier have in common is their knowledge of the Bible.
Very few can be compared to them when it comes to their ability to preach, citing Bible verses and interpreting them such that one would have expected ground-breaking numbers to attend their sermons.
However, that was not the case and one is left questioning: “How then did they fail to attract large numbers of Christians?”
“How is this possible in a country that has millions going to church every Sunday?”
While one might argue Bishops Jakes or Jones are not very popular in Zimbabwe hence their failure to pull in thousands to their services, I would prefer to say it is because of the mindset that has been built into the people of Zimbabwe lately by certain prophets and pastors.
It is a belief system that encourages people to expect to receive blessings (in the form of money, a car or even a house) without breaking a sweat or working for it; expecting to reap where they did not sow.
This is wrong, in every way and a trick to dupe people of their monies.
This kind of mentality must stop and people should be prepared to get their hands dirty in order to put food on the table instead of expecting manna to fall down from heaven.
Jobs are hard to find yes, but that is no excuse for being idle, especially when so much work still needs to be done to develop the nation.
These are the times we should remember: “Kugarika tange nhamo.”
Nothing comes easy — no wonder some of the prophets we read about in newspapers have vanished into thin air.
Thus I am convinced that the dying reading culture we so nurtured in years past is the very same reason for lack of understanding and lack of reasoning within the Christian community today.
It is the same reason that causes a man to lose his house to fake prophets since he won’t pick up the good book that informs.
While seeking God can be described in many different forms, the conclusion is always the same; according to Christians, God can be found in his Word (the Bible) but as is the case with the literary struggle in Zimbabwe, very few people now give themselves time to set aside everything else to read.
Let me give a personal experience as an example concerning this ridiculous state of affairs in our country when it comes to reading.
I was aboard a bus recently on my way from South Africa and since it was a long ride to Harare, I decided to take out a novel and read but no sooner had the bus taken off than the driver switched off all the lights.
It was around 7:30 pm.
I could not read anymore, neither was the small passenger light above my seat working.
Upon looking around the bus, all I could see were phone lights from people on whatsapp which went out 30 minutes later, leaving people snoring.
Neither did I see anybody touch a book during daylight the following day.
I was disheartened as I could not help but compare that trip to an earlier trip I had a few months ago to Cape Town and I found myself pondering over the (reading) future of our people.
In that short space of time, I was on board South African Airways to Cape Town from Johannesburg I saw a number of people reading either novels or newspapers.
It all came naturally to them.
It does not take a rocket scientist to compare and see the differences between these two sets of people.
What we read builds us and gives us insight into how we can become successful in life. Going to church and jumping around shouting: “I receive! I receive!” leads to a life of penury.
Do not be fooled!
If one desires change, then books are the way to go — Muslim, Christian and atheist alike.
The Jakes, Jones and Chrises read their way up.
How does one expect change in his/her life without reading?
Even Jesus read, therefore let us stop a while and go back to the basics in order for us to move forward.

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