Filed in by Olando Testimony Zeongar – 0776819983/0880-361116/life2short4some@yahoo.com
Monrovia – As things look, it’s not going to be anytime soon when Archbishop Isaac S. Winker would stop being a subject to criticism as a result of his resent utterances among other things soliciting divine retaliation in the behalf of President George Weah, against critics of the president’s administration, as social media continues to go abuzz with tons of reactions from Liberians.
Offering what Archbishop Winker terms prophetic prayer for the nation on Tuesday, at his Bishop Isaac S. Winker Global Ministry located in Sinkor few meters away from the capital Monrovia, during a church service in observance of the one year anniversary of the Weah-led government, the Pentecostal prelate pleaded with God to rise up against those who will rise up against President Weah and/or his administration.
Praying for President Weah, who was flanked by two women, his wife Clar on his right and Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor to the left, Archbishop Winker screamed, “We pray that anyone that will rise up against him, rise up against his leadership, rise up against them – You be the one to fight for him Lord.”
“Mr. President, I’m here to make prophetic declaration toward [the] nation Liberia,” Archbishop Winker told the Liberian leader earlier, adding, “I want [to] throw out one piece of challenge. I stand representing the church, to plead with you; in the midst of storm, opposition, bad mouthing, don’t fail the church.”
The longtime preacher man, who before forming his church broke away from the Sinkor AGM Church located just a stone’s throw away from his Bishop Isaac S. Winker Global Ministry added, “When man says it cannot happen – the God that we serve who has called you amongst others, keep your hands in His hands – you are bound to succeed.”
He told a congregation of dominant officials of government that “the enemy fights in different forms,” stating that “any leader with the heart for his people, needs the prayers of believers, Christians, and all well-meaning Liberians.”
He informed President Weah that he needed the prayers of all Liberians “because there are forces that have vowed that what the Liberian leader has promised will not be delivered.
“So I stand to decree over this nation Liberia that every demonic embargo placed on Liberia and on your leadership I command it lifted in the name of Jesus! Every demonic sanction placed over your government, by divine authority and by the sacred blood of Jesus, I decree and declare it cancelled! Every door that has been shut against you and against your leadership, in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I command every closed door opened! In the mighty name of Jesus! I decree and I declare that every evil counsel over the nation Liberia, be cancelled by the blood of Jesus, be cancelled by the blood of Jesus! I command grace and wisdom to abound to our leaders. I decree and I declare that all hearts of Liberians be turned to the Almighty God. I command that the hearts of Liberians be turned to their leaders,” the Archbishop prayed.
As he continued with his ‘prophetic’ edicts to the delight of his listeners, many of whom were supporters and officials of the Weah-led government, Archbishop Winker took time out to rebuke Liberians who are critics of President Weah’s administration, especially opposition politicians.
He reminded Liberians, “it is our job to follow. Because, whatever God will do, he will do it through a leader… All of these politicians in this nation, hear me, if you don’t support the person in power today, there will be no support for you tomorrow – no matter what dream you may have – that’s God’s blue print. That’s how God does things!”
“I decree and declare that Liberians be committed to their country, Liberia, with true patriotism and nationalistic spirit,” Archbishop Winker continued, further scolding critics of the Weah-led government that “if you love Liberia, you will not be doing what you are doing – most of you on social media who are painting your nation ugly, who are you harming? You’re harming yourself!”
“If no food comes to this country, President Weah and his family will be the last people to run out of food. You need to know it!” Archbishop Winker stressed.
But the Archbishop’s rebuke, especially against Liberians on social media, has not been left to lie down as one would be warned to do a sleeping dog, as scores of Liberians, including his fellow prelates, politicians and ordinary citizens continue to respond to the clergyman, with many doing so in some very unpleasant manners undeserving of a spiritual leader.
Minutes after the Archbishop’s decrees, a vocal Liberian politician, Abraham Darius Dillon took to Facebook and with sarcasm wrote : “ArchbBishop Isaac Winker has spoken; we must listen! Today, during the church service marking one year into George Weah’s Presidency, the Man of God said; “Anyone who rises against your (Weah) leadership, [GOD] rise against them.”
“Yes, the Man of God has spoken! According to the great Bishop, God will “rise against” you, even if you are against and exposing the bad policies and dictatorial tendencies under the Weah leadership.”
Yes! We all must now support everything that is happening; I mean everything about Weah’s leadership for God not to “rise against” us.”
As if not being satisfied with his previous comments, Dillon again on Tuesday, in a live video screamed on Facebook, challenged Archbishop Winker for not speaking against ills in the society under the rule of President Weah, and for rather praying for God’s wrath against those who will rise up against the president and his leadership.
“I didn’t hear Bishop Winker advice the government and government officials to do what is right and to reconcile our people,” I did not hear the man of God, the Bishop say anything that will reconcile the country and call people into salvation onto Jesus Christ. I did not hear the man of God preach so that people can change – so that public officials can change from doing what is wrong and live by what the word of God is, and perform their duties in keeping with the teachings of Jesus Christ,” Dillon said.
Dillon said he was repeatedly mentioning the name of Jesus Christ, because it was in His name the Archbishop chose to bash at politicians and critics of Weah’s government, without the cleric mentioning any trace of bad governance during the one year rule of the administration, and without using the holy scripture to have preached from a moral stand point for Liberians to want to repent from their wicked ways, and to shame public officials who are stealing, dividing the country and ill-performing.
For Archbishop Winker to have not named and shamed officials of government engaging into stealing, and for the Pentecostal cleric to have elected instead to have only sought God’s wrath to be brought upon those who criticize the government for wrongdoings, according to Dillon, the clergy man should be ashamed of himself.
“Shame on you Bishop Winker…” Dillon said.
Aside from Dillon, the senior pastor of the New Georgia Baptist church, Rev. Victor Koon, in reference to Archbishop Winker prayer for President Weah against the president’s critics, wrote on Facebook: “I sincerely think its dishonest to declare that God is a God of political convenience. That God’s message comes to suit the political fancy of a leader.”
He continued: “I have always held strongly to the conviction that no leader is appointed for the leader’s own sake, but for the sake of the people. Therefore when leaders are dishonest or work to promote their own well-being at the expense of the people, trust me, God will not pacify that leader or pat them on the back. Pharaoh is a classic example.”
Rev. Koon is of the belief that in times such times that any given leader deals in dishonesty or work to promote himself or herself, God will raise up prophets who will instead speak God’s heart in truth, and who will champion God’s agenda for righteousness and justice.
“Interestingly, in such times there may be few true prophets to tell let the leader know where God stands when his people are being stepped on,” Rev. Koon noted, adding, “some of the people might even think it’s in God’s will for people not to rock the boat and make pharaoh mad so he does not increase their oppression and target them.”
However, the Baptist preacher interceded for Liberia, saying, “God, raised up true servants of yours whose hearts will break for the things that break your heart!
Howbeit, Rev, Koon. Who clarified that he did not listen to Bishop Winker assertions, further wrote: “Again, I didn’t listen to Archbishop Winker, but if what’s being circulated here is true, that he said, “Anyone who rises against the government, God will rise again them,” wow! I will only say here that the WORD of God is a DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD. If that word contains a call to the citizens to respect the government, then that same must also challenge the government about their responsibility not to oppress God’s people.”
He maintained that without the Archbishop qualifying his statement, “I think any preacher would he in error, no matter your position! Dr. D. A. Carson was right in saying, “A TEXT WITHOUT A CONTEXT IS A PRETEXT FOR A PROOF TEXT.” Essentially this means without context you can make the text say anything you want it to say other than what God intends for it to say. God is not a respecter of person”!”
Another prelate, Rev. Dr. Katurah York Cooper of the Empowerment Temple AME Church also writes: “Ministers of the gospel must do what Jesus did. Jesus stood on the side of the poor, the weak, the oppressed, the rejected, the sick.”
“Jesus always challenged the powerful, the elite, the rich, those in authority to stand with him to empower the weak. Minister of the gospel, where are you standing?” Rev. Dr. Cooper asked.
“Peculiar, is how scripture describes a follower of Jesus Christ, uncommon, unique, different and never following a popular movement just to be in a crowd,” she wrote, warning that the spirit of every one that says thus says the Lord must be tested to know as to whether their spirit indeed makes witness with the Spirit of God.
“Test every spirit whether it is from God or from the desires of the human heart,” said Rev. Dr. Cooper, who added, “God will judge us.”
Additionally, the tread under the post of politician Abraham Darius Dillon on the same subject generated several reactions.
Ma Ethel Son writes: “Sometime i can ready wonder what kind of man of God is this,God have mercy.”
Josufu M. Konneh: “Lol…he force to say that.”
Eva Sarh: “You are threatening people with God’s name. Jesus frowned upon mixing politics and the church. Reminds me of the Pharisees in the Bible.”
Alvin Konjay Anderson: “Every preacher is in search of an itching ear. Bishop Winker knows that exactly what the President and his folks want to hear.”
George W. Wallace III: “Testing times. Many fake prophets will claim that God has spoken to them. Wow…”
Evans Nyanweah Tokpa: “The Bishop is on his own…”
Jesse Fahngon: “YEAH RIGHT! “Don’t be deceived God is not mocked.” Hope the “Man of god” told the PRESIDENT about the $16B STOLEN and $25m USD unaccounted. Did Weah’s Bishop mention that if anyone who is in GOVERNMENT rises Against the people by stealing PUBLIC resources and deprive millions of dollars of better health care, GOD WILL RISE AGAINST that looter?”
Duke Adartse Jayjy: “False prophet!!”
Emmanuel Bryant Smith: “Hmmmmm!!!! Which scripture supporting that Prophecy??”
Gabriel Nimely: “God never told dat man anything like that! So so lies!”
Quincy Kilby : “Shame on the man of God and God is not in him because with all the wicked thing that is going on in Monrovia and he come out to lie like this! Let God judge him.”
Andrew Borbor Werlay Jaye, Jr.: “If he said that, he is very fake!”
Nazareth Faithful Gray: “The bishop is chasing cash.”
Andrew Flomo: “So Every body should turn to praise singers in our country in order to get their share of the national cake? This is so sad.”
Spencer Salime: “The Bible spoke about false prophets in the last days. The Bishop is just one of the false prophets……”
Wanda Love Devine: “They be lying on God just for lil dollars! MAY GOD PUNISH THEM ALLLLL… SMT”
Josephine Akinrele: “They will be exposed. They are guilty of misleading the sheep. They have become corrupt. Yes! The day of the Lord is at hand. He will pay each one his due!”
Lawrence Tamdihnovich Nyumah: “Is he God to determine our destiny or what’s good for us? From where come his proclamations? A cheque from Weah or what? Is that why he doesn’t allow dead bodies in his church? To proclaim evil upon God’s Children? But he is also very corrupt, mean and selfish. He drives expensive cars and live in luxury why members of his church go to bed hungry. God has patience for true.”
