But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to one you received, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1: 8 + 9
One of the reasons my chemistry teacher in high school was so knowledgeable about the subject was because he had a PhD in Chemistry. Read: he was trained, tried, and proven in the topic.
Beloved, if you would not be confidently taught any subject at tertiary level by an individual who has no training in the field, why do you think it is okay to be taught the Word of God from a pulpit by an individual who has no training and thus cannot dissect and correctly exegete the Scriptures?
Preaching from "Instagram Churches" slewn all across the interwebs today are untrained "teachers", "prophets/prophetesses", "apostles" who simply are not qualified to teach. These individuals keep publishing "books" and "devotionals" that claim to have some sort of revelation about the hidden things of God. Said "revelations" are instead actually self-help tips about how to be happier and richer; how to run a successful business; how to increase your influence so that you can conquer the world for Jesus. And, to state it clearly, everything that we need to know about God is already contained within the Scriptures. These "preachers" are individuals who should actually be sitting in pews under the authority of qualified elders. Beloved, why are we reading books filled with fallacies written by unqualified teachers? These are very dangerous territories we are treading.
I will mention no names as I outline the modus operandi of these "teachers".
They are more business-minded than biblically-minded
From my research, I found that 83% of the sample were businessmen/women (entrepreneurs) who ran/run their own businesses. They have business certifications/qualifications/experience. They are certified business professionals but have not found the time to become certified clergy. This is interesting to note. We should also point out that being certified and "award-winning" within the business sector (or any other sector) does not automatically qualify you to preach, teach, or to run a Bible College.
One of the individuals in the above sample runs a Bible College, and the required reading for the courses are all books written by him! Is this not bewildering, even a little?
They think they are Paul's contemporaries
One popular rebuttal to the fact that we do not need rhema or "new revelation" about God is the argument that Paul was not approved or commissioned for ministry by man but by God Himself.
For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught, but received it through a revelation of Jesus Chirst.
Galatians 1: 11 + 12
Paul was one man who lived between 5 AD and 64/67 AD and through whom the Holy Scriptures were written. We are not Paul, and the gospel was not delivered to us by revelation like it was to him. If we insist that we have been called to preach, by all means we should all attend seminary or structured theological training in order to become qualified.
How do you justify lifting "revelation" that is not found in Scripture above the authority of the Word of God that is Scripture? The answer is simple: We cannot justify it.
Love of self
One look at the Instragram pages of Instagram Preachers and we see them, their families, businesses, motivational quotes ascribed to them etc pasted all over it. You might say, "Well, it is their page," and therein lies the problem. We have normalized vanity. This normalization stems from the unscriptural doctrine that we are all very, very special, and God needs to "partner" with us in order to change the world, and therefore the more influential we are, the better it is for the Kingdom of God.
This leads to another point - the issue of purpose. "Purpose" has become so entrenched in the Christian faith, one would think that it was not for our sins that the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross, but to instead help us achieve our purpose and destinies. If you are a Christian business magnate earning seven figures annually, we can comfortably say you are living in purpose. And if you are a grocery store cashier barely earning enough to cover your rent (I speak from experience), then you need to expand and become elevated above your financial situation in order to achieve your purpose.
This is not biblical. Nowhere in Scriptures does it say that we are created for purpose. We are created for good works.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
Stuck in a dead-end job and think you are not "fulfilling purpose"? You are, when you work as unto Christ. Should you endeavour to get a better job that will make you more financial comfortable and make you feel fulfilled? Yes, but do not confuse "bigger" with "godly" or "Christian".
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3: 23 + 24
Too often these "preachers" make earning big and living large - "Your Best Life Now" - synonymous with purpose. It is not. They give testimonies of million dollar contracts and deals, as though it is contracts and deals we are called to live for.
I should also add here that, in the story of David and Goliath, we are not David. That story is actually a depiction of what Christ did when he conquered Satan and the world by his death on the cross. If anything, if we must insert ourselves into the story, beloved, we might well be Goliath.
Preying on Women
I love women's ministry, but they are not an excuse to get pretty in pastels and teach frivolous, specious doctrines to women, in the name of "empowerment".
For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, [and these women are] burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
2 Timothy 3: 6 + 7
Women's ministry has often become solely about how to be a good mum, how to manage your time, how to be a good business owner, how to steward the gifts God has given to you etc. Where is the meaty Word? Where is the difference between Law and Gospel? Where is Christ crucified for our sins?
Theologically skewed "songs"
During a "spontaneous worship" session by a popular Nigerian worship minister, his choir sang:
"Here comes heaven
I am heaven!"
Where is this written or even referred to in Scripture, that "I am heaven"?
In another video, the same individual said:
"God is looking for friends, not servants."
This is in direct opposition to what is clearly written in the Scriptures:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though, he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2: 5 - 8
If an idea or notion is not found in Scripture, we must stop saying/singing/preaching it. Again, we must not elevate our emotions and "revelations" over what has been clearly written and confirmed in Scripture.
Motivational speakers masquerading As Preachers
GRACE. Shopping from Heaven's Mall with Jesus' ATM Card.
The above is what a renowned Nigerian pastor posted on his Instagram page a few months ago. It appears that even those who are qualified are being carried away by "woke" analogies. The Bible's definition of grace should be enough for us.