RESURRECTION SEQUEL

THE Ndola family may have misjudged and sent the city agog after pretentious prophets convinced them that their daughter had indeed resurrected. But they need to be protected from stigmatisation and mockery now that it has been proved that, in fact, the girl they religiously claimed was theirs is a member of another family. Many a time, people have acted on impulse after prophesy because they do not regularly make reference to the Bible to fully discern and interpret the contents. In the meantime, some men of God have continued to mislead their followers sometimes knowingly and in some cases unknowingly. Mrs Charity Lufunja on that fateful Sunday believed she had seen a face of her daughter who died in November 2016 – Winnie. In justifying that her daughter had resurrected, she placed her trust in the prophet who had been praying for the family and assuring that the daughter would come back to life. This of course was both relieving and confusing for the family, because the loss of the young girl was so painful that they could not bear it. In recent times we have seen preachers who have emerged with prophesies mostly targeting women and the gullible ones have fallen prey to falsities neatly swathed in ‘prophesy.’ Some preachers have simply been putting God to test. It is against the Bible to put the Lord God to test as clearly stated in Deuteronomy 6:16, “Do not put the Lord your God to test as you did at Massa.” Thus when Jesus Christ resurrected, he verily confirmed that he was the son of God which to this very day still stands. His coming was to reconcile humankind to the almighty God. No one else! Therefore, it was misleading and confusing that a girl who had died in November 2016 could have come back to life in 2018. It is not possible both from a Christian standpoint and from a medical perspective. The rightful parents are Irene Gondwe and Richard Mwape. This family must have been traumatised in the two months of this drama; they were not at peace and their everyday life was in disarray. This was compounded by the fact that their daughter was taken away from them and placed in State custody. Additionally, they did not have access to the girl, who needed special attention. It is important as Christians to read, understand and interpret the Bible correctly even as people have every right to consult preachers. Yes, the Bible is voluminous but one should not feel intimidated but be encouraged to read and understand it. Holy Scripture is not complicated; it is easy to understand just as it is inspiring, encouraging, comforting, enlightening, refreshing and can guide appropriately. The emerging trend of placing hope and trust in pastors, who are fellow human beings, is not helping matters. We should not entirely ignore their guidance, but we should be wary of misleading advice. It is important to put the trust and love in the almighty God even as we interact with fellow Christians and men of God. Trust only in God for God cannot disappoint you! In fact, the greatest commandment tells us so in Matthew 22:37: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” The strange conduct being witnessed in some Churches is largely because of departure from this particular commandment. However, all is water under the bridge regarding the drama of the resurrection. Both families in Ndola require regular spiritual guidance by clergy, who are wellgrounded in the Word of God. Those with confusing doctrines must stay clear!