The ‘Man of God’ Syndrome is birthed mainly from a wrong reading of the Bible; a wrong understanding of the Bible. So we see in the Old Testament people were called ‘Man of God’; were used by God. I think, today we see in the church, whether in the Congo or most African countries, that the same teaching is carried on into the church today. The Man of God is seen as closer to God than other believers.
Are They Really Closer to God?
And so, some people are elevated to higher position, because they are believed to have a specific anointing and to have a much closer relationship with God and access to God than the rest of the family of Jesus. And I think that is a wrong reading of the Bible, because the New Testament reminds us again, that yes, there was an old dispensation in the Old Testament. God spoke to specific people, not to everybody.
But in the New Testament, we read Peter speaking to the crowd at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-42), and he says, “hey! God promised in the Old Testament to spread his Spirit and to put his Spirit on all people. Now all believers share in the Spirit of God in the same amount, with the same privileges and access to God.”
Now all believers share in the Spirit of God in the same amount, with the same privileges and access to God
Access to God is for All Believers
And so in the New Testament, all believers are priests. All believers have access to God. So, this factor of ‘Man of God’ is not in the New Testament. And therefore, it is a wrong approach in the church today. And of course, we have seen the abuse it has done. We have seen the excess that has come out of it.
It is a wrong teaching; a current wrong teaching. all believers today share in an access to the Spirit of God. And therefore, the gifting is different, but it doesn’t mean the importance or the access to God is different. How do we deal with that today? Well, we talk about it, like we are doing now. We explain to people what are the advantages and the privileges of those who are part of the family of God in the New Testament.
What About Church Leaders?
And then, of course, for those of us who lead, we are humble enough to recognise that we have a difference of role, but no difference of value nor access to God in the New Testament. We cannot claim to be closer to God.
