Glenn's Space: Quiboloy's Church as a Cult

Quiboloy's Church as a Cult

Monday, October 24, 2011 Posted by Glenn

Article by: Daniel Rodger and Ryan Turner

Apollo Quiboloy is a typical example of many of errors that various cults demonstrate.

Note: All Quotes of Quiboloy are from His Website

Warning Sign # 1: Radical Exclusivism

Description: When you encounter a minister or ministry where only they have access to the “real” truth and it is something God has only given them, you should avoid them.

Quiboloy: “But as I said, I would not be distracted. What I am revealing to you, as it was revealed to me, was not revealed to others; that’s why nobody knows about it. And nobody can preach about it like I do.”

Analysis: This sort of exclusivism immediately sets off warning alarms, when a 'Christian' group starts asserting that you can only be blessed, successful and hear God's word preached like this with them we must be immediately on our guard. His TV shows, sermons and website are full of Scripture, but unfortunately he gives only his personal interpretation. Sadly his interpretation gives his audience no context, historical background or the view that Christians have held the text to mean for nearly two thousand years. This has meant he can make the most outrageous claims about himself whilst using scripture where Jesus is clearly talking about himself.

Quiboloy: “I am the way the truth the life no man cometh unto the Father except by ME [Quiboloy].”

Analysis: He has the audacity to use this piece of Scripture that comes straight out of Jesus' mouth in John 14:6to describe himself to his followers! Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24 especially applies to Quiboloy.

Warning Sign #2: Undermining of Jesus’ Work on the Cross

Description: As Christians we should all know that Jesus sacrifice on the cross was enough, nothing else is needed! On the cross Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). We are saved by grace alone (Eph. 2:8-9), through faith alone (Rom. 4:5; Eph. 2:8-10), in Christ alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). However, cults undermine the cross by saying that there is something extra that you need to do, which only they can provide.

“Pastor” Quiboloy in the following quote clearly undermines the cross.

Quiboloy: “When the Begotten Son in the Jewish setting, our Lord Jesus Christ, came and paid the price of our redemption through His death on the cross, salvation did not end there. He was waiting for a descendant [Pastor Quiboloy] of the First Adam to be born in His Spirit.”

Analysis: Jesus would disagree as John records in his gospel (Jn. 19:30). When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. You see that is the difference, these self proclaimed prophets are always proclaiming that there’s something new that we have missed just like the Gnostics; however, Jesus makes it quite clear to us that what he did on the cross was enough. "It is finished." Nothing else is needed. The door to salvation is open to all and we have no need for "Pastor" Quiboloy to come and offer us a new way when the old way has been working quite well.

Quiboloy: I was able to finish His work (John 17:4). I have completed the spiritual component of salvation which was not completed during the Jewish Age and the Church Age. I am the Father’s finish product of what He had done on the cross. (Rev. 21:7)

Another pretty outrageous claim since from our research so far all he has done is gotten kicked out of the United Pentecostal Church and replaced it with his own version of "Church." Except where Jesus was once in the center, he's now been replaced by "Pastor" Quiboloy in every example. "Pastor Quiboloy even defends this method on his website by stating that:

“Because I am the Appointed Son of God and that is my role. Even in the Jewish setting, our Lord Jesus Christ’s role was being the Begotten Son of God that’s why He always used Himself as an example....”

He makes himself more than clear: Jesus simply wasn't enough. In his view God actually needed someone else to finish the job and a new messenger to pass on a new message and new gospel which is something Christians are clearly warned about in the New Testament. If one thing is clear, it's that what Quiboloy is teaching is contrary to the Gospel Jesus brought to us and must be considered to be another gospel and a false one at that, just as Paul describes in Galations 1:8-9: "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. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."

Warning Sign #3: Financial Motivation

Description: Many times there is financial motivation, this is to say the self proclaimed 'Prophet' usually becomes very, very wealthy and encourages their followers that they can be wealthy like them if they closely obey what they are taught. This is usually done by implementing a rigorous guilt-ridden tithing system that they support by proof-texting from certian parts of the Old Testament. "Pastor" Quiboloy is just like the rest who use certain biblical texts such as Malachi 3:10 and Deuteronomy 28 to scare his followers into giving him lots of their well earned cash and possessions. But at least he leads by example:

Quiboloy: “The Son [Pastor Quiboloy] has been blessed thus far because he is the number 1 giver! Did you know that the Son [Pastor Quiboloy] would give 90% as his tithe and offering and leave the 10% for himself? That is why we should not be surprised why the Almighty Father has blessed the Son [Pastor Quiboloy] with everything.”

Quiboloy: “The Father has seen that the more He has blessed the Son [Pastor Quiboloy], the more committed, trustworthy, honest, loyal and generous he has become. The more has the Father been able to use him for His purposes.”

Analysis: You see it must be that God is blessing him and certainly not the fact that he has millions of people financially supporting his ministry. It must be God, how else would he end up with all the mansions, land and private jets?

Tithing is not what we are discussing here, but this simply gives us an example of how people can twist scripture and use it in a way that will get what they want. There are several things that 'Pastor' Quiboloy fails to tell his followers about tithing, such as:

Only those under the 613 Mosaic Law are obligated to tithe while New Testament Christians are not.
Nowhere in the New Testament is tithing taught or encouraged; only mentioned by Jesus in reference to the Pharisees who were under the Mosaic law (Mt. 23:23; Lk. 11:42).
New Testament teaching is that we can give and should do but of our own free will, not grudgingly or under pressure (2 Cor. 8:5-12, 9:5-13). Giving is under grace not under law.
Old Testament tithing was never giving 10% of your cash every week: Old Testament tithing involved crops, animals, etc., and these proceeds were used to support the poor, widows and orphans not to take from them.

Quiboloy’s claims that his followers should be tithing to support him are not biblical, and like many prosperity preachers today he is reinforcing and teaching things that are clearly false. We should always be wary of any ministry that focuses far too much time on tithing or being successful and rich. It was never Jesus' way and it shouldn't be our way either. 'Pastor' Quiboloy makes the mistake many do today, if your rich and successful God must be blessing you. Well a short study of early Christianity proves such a premise to be false. Just look at some of Jesus' closest disciples and we'll see how successful they were by Quilboloy's standards:

James - Beheaded
Thomas - Murdered in India
Simon, brother of Jude and James the younger - Crucified in Egypt
Simon Peter the Apostle - Crucified supposedly upside down
Mark - Burned alive
Bartholomew - Beaten, crucified and beheaded in Armenia
Andrew, Peter’s brother - Crucified in Archaia
Matthew - Speared to death
Philip - Stoned and crucified

It would appear quite clearly that judging how honest, committed, loyal and trustworthy someone is by their material possessions is to be honest is not just untrue but a disgrace to those around the world who give their lives on a daily basis in the face of vicious persecution.

Sources

http://www.kingdomofjesuschrist.org/2/faq/101questions.html; http://www.kingdomofjesuschrist.org/2/kd/the_financial_revolution.html; http://www.kingdomofjesuschrist.org/2/kd/the_spiritual_revolution.html; http://www.kingdomofjesuschrist.org/2/PACQ/life_and_calling.html; http://www.kingdomofjesuschrist.org/2/PACQ/message_of_the_son.html; http://www.kingdomofjesuschrist.org/2/kn/kingdomnation_timeline.html; http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100216-253439/Who-is-Pastor-Apollo-Quiboloy; http://www.letusreason.org/Cults20.htm; sources all accessed May 11th, 2010.
J. Foxe, Foxe's Christian Martyrs, Ohio, Barbour Publishing, 2005.

Author: Glenn Posadas

20 year old 5th year Computer Engineering Student, a blogger, photographer, programmer, and an electronics hobbyist; a Christian who loves God very much..

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