How To Identify Fake Pastors in Nigeria Easily

Fake pastors in Nigeria are on the increase, so are their churches,  yet people still fall pray to their gimmicks of these so called “men of God”. In this post, I will expose some ways on how to identify and know a fake pastor in the country.

Fake-pastor

It’s no surprise that in Nigeria there are many churches and acclaimed pastors who claim to be men of God. Most of these pastors and prophets of these religious groups are not what you think they are. From the pulpit, they use the words from the Bible to threaten and extort money from  the members of their congregation. Many fake pastors and prophets even go as far as performing fake miracles all in the name of religion just to grow their base. Some have been busted in their bid to cover up such heinous act.

The Holy Bible made it clear in one of its books “Not everyone that calls me Lord will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” and in another “In the last days, there shall appear false prophets who shall perform signs and wonders, using false doctrines and these signs to deceive the children of God. Be on the watch out against such people and hold firmly unto the faith and teaching that was handed down to you”.

It was because of these fake pastors that Christ warned this generation to not fall for their cunning tricks. It should not be surprising that many congregations that are controlled by these church leaders shall be led to hell and not Heaven because of these pastors who call themselves men of God.

This article is designed to expose to the gimmicks and tricks of these so called men of God so as to ensure that you do not get caught by the trap of these wolves in sheep clothing. Be aware that these characteristics of fake Nigerian pastors or prophets are always constant as they have no other method to extort from their congregation aside these.

HOW TO EASILY IDENTIFY FAKE PASTORS AND PROPHETS IN NIGERIA

Below are various ways to know those pastors who are fake in Nigeria.

THEY PREACH PROSPERITY, THINGS YOU LOVE TO HEAR

A real pastor or man of God should not just preach on the sweet things and promises of God, he should also tell you how strict God can be when sin is involved. Most men of God in Nigeria preach more on prosperity rather than salvation.

Although, preaching prosperity isn’t bad, doing it in excess is what is bad. If you find any pastor in Nigeria that focuses more on riches and prosperity rather than the salvation of your souls, that pastor is fake as he is looking for ways to fill his own pocket rather than the salvation of souls.

THEY MISLEAD OTHERS BY TWISTING THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE

I know most people would be shocked at this particular way of identifying a fake pastor in Nigeria, but it is the truth. Most fake pastors mislead their congregation by twisting the words of the Holy Bible to the way it suits them.

They do this because they are sure to gain from such preaching. Whatever is being preached on the altar by your priest or pastor, you should try as much as possible to cross check in your Bible and ascertain whether it is wrong or not.

LIVING A LUXURIOUS LIFESTYLE

What is Christianity? Christianity simply means Christ-like. Most pastors or men of God are guilty of this. Jesus Christ gave a model to his apostles and told them to do away with material things lest the devil uses such things to tempt them away from the truth.

In today’s modern world, you see pastors, General overseers, priest and so on living luxurious lifestyles while their members go hungry and wallow in abject poverty waiting for God to make them rich. Some of these so called men of God own different properties running in billions of dollars, yet Nigeria is suffering from economic downturn.

This should not be so, a real and true pastor should learn to live a moderate life, not gathering wealth to himself so that his congregation will be able to emulate him.

ALWAYS ASKING FOR MONEY (OFFERING AND TITHE)

Honestly, all churches in Nigeria and even abroad are guilty of this particular point. The demon for the love of money has crept into the hearts of these pastors that they place more emphasis on offerings and tithes.

These pastors are fake as they will continue quoting the bible until you vomit your last penny in the offering or tithe box. They just want to enrich themselves, always asking for money for this project or for something not important for the salvation of people. Beware of such fake pastors in Nigeria.

MIRACLE! MIRACLE! MIRACLE!

Do a miracle or perform signs and wonders in Nigeria and you are on your way not just to stardom but to wealth. I continue saying “After politics, the second fastest way to get rich in Nigeria is religion”.

Funny enough, most of these miracles are even staged managed, some pastors even go the extra-length of involving themselves in evil practices that will help draw people to their churches by the miracle they perform and since Nigerians love miracles, it is not surprising to a large crowd in such churches that emphasizes more on miracles.

THEY DON’T PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH

You hardly see a fake Nigerian pastor doing what he or she preaches at the altar. They tell you that Christ preached humility and was tolerant but looking at their life style, they are always proud, promiscuous and greedy.

You can see it in the material wealth the possess and how they go in logher head for power. They also preach alms giving but won’t let go of their riches or pay hospital bills when their church members are ill

ALWAYS IN COMPETITION TO GET MORE MEMBERS TO THEIR CHURCH

There is no Nigerian pastor who wouldn’t like more members to his or her denomination but fake pastors now take it as competition as to whose church has more members in Nigeria.

The worst part is when a member of their denomination dares join another church, they say he or she has left the light into darkness and isn’t a believer. This itself is a business strategy if not loosing customers and not to grow the church of Christ.

THEY CHARGE CASH FOR PRAYERS AND CONSULTATION

if a pastor or prophet tells you to bring money to see visions or to consult the Lord, that pastor is a fake and they are found in Nigeria in great numbers.

They disobey the Bible rule which Christ himself stated “Freely you received, freely you give.”

THEY ARE FRIENDS OF THE RICH AND  MINGLE WITH POLITICIANS

You always see fake pastors rolling with the rich and neglecting the poor and less previledged. They make friends with the rich and politicians, going to their houses for prayers, knowing fully well they will leave with fat envelopes or ghana-must-go.

CONCLUSION

We all know that being humble, kind, gentle and decent are the true characteristics of real men of God. But in today’s Nigeria, these things are hard to find. We advice christians and children of God to be careful of these so acclaimed men of God to avoid falling prey to their various antics and motives.

Those are the real ways to identify and know those who are fake pastors in Nigeria. Do you agree or is there more to this point, use the comment section below

Oluchi Chukwu

Oluchi is a seasoned Information blogger, content developer and the editor of Nigerian Queries. She is a tech enthusiast who loves reading, writing and research

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