Selman: A Most Dangerous Weapon In Satan's Arsenal
On February 6 of this year, I put up a three-part series of articles titled, "15 Errors Of A Self-Styled Apostle Called Joshua Selman." Although, I painstakingly refuted the lies of Joshua Selman by mostly appealing to the scriptures, not a few of his fans, many of whom were probably still wearing diapers when I was already an adult, reacted angrily and rudely. Most of them could not make even the feeblest attempts to disprove my points. And the polite ones among them tried to convince me that he was not all bad but had preached some sound sermons also. This is the kind of love that young people have for Joshua Selman, a dangerous human weapon unleashed on the church by Satan. The love they have for this man trumps the one they have for God and His sound doctrines. But why are his followers, who are mostly youths the supposed leaders of tomorrow, obsessed with this man who has many times demonstrated in a number of his teachings that he is carrying out an Antichrist agenda? Why can't they see what God has made some of us to see? Reason: he has a few strategies which are very appealing. 1. Charisma Give it to him, Selman is physically good-looking. He has a magnetic presence. He has a good command of English. He dresses well. He is not some illiterate village preacher with a staid appearance. He is that kind of person who stands out in a crowd. He is the man, no, the rave of the moment. But are these the qualities that make a genuine preacher? No, sir. The Bible says in Proverbs 31:30A; " Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain." 2. Sophistry Sophistry is an argument that seems valid but truly fallacious or misleading. I do not know any preacher that employs sophistry more than Selman. He would pick a Bible verse or story, ignore the context, create his own context, give an interpretation and make an application that fits his agenda of deception. Sometimes, he would say things that leave you with no choice but to conclude that he is an enemy of the cross. Permit me to share an example of this by quoting from one of my articles about him. Prosperity played a role in salvation. It took prosperity and Influence for salvation to come- Selman. "This is the blindest and most blasphemous of the utterances made by Selman. In making a case for his perverted prosperity gospel, Selman says angels couldn't bring Jesus down from the cross. It was Joseph of Arimathea, a man of influence and prosperity that could reach the governor to demand the body of Christ. "The implication of this most foolish statement is that Joseph played a role in our salvation. Joseph's influence and prosperity made our salvation complete. Jesus would have remained on the cross and may not have resurrected. Joseph helped Jesus to fulfill His plan of redemption. Joseph is now our Deputy Saviour. "In reality, Joseph was just a lover of Jesus who thought to give him a "befitting" burial. He was not more special or more relevant than the women who went with spices to his grave to anoint his body. If Joseph was not available, Jesus would still have resurrected. "Would it make sense to say virginity played a role in our salvation because Mary His earthly mother got pregnant with him when she was a virgin? "Selman is treading on a dangerous ground. Somebody should tell him." 3. Oratory There is nothing bad in God's natural gift of oratory. It only becomes corrupted when it is used to serve Satanic ends. Selman has a way with words. He knows how to artfully string simple words to make them sound pleasant to the ears. He speaks authoritatively on issues. But when his words are scripturally scrutinised, they are just hollow. They are absolute rubbish. 4. Self-concocted mysteries Selman has a fertile imagination. If he had deployed that gift into fiction writing, he would most probably have written a few bestseller novels. What he, however, does is that he wickedly manipulates the scriptures and then weaves them into his own invented doctrines. Selman says there are times the personal faith of a believer will not suffice, so they need to operate in the special covenant a "higher" believer has with God to get a breakthrough. FICTION! In the Bible there are only two covenants God has had with men; the abolished old testament and the new covenant God has with his saints which is sealed with the blood of Jesus. Some people might say, Selman's teaching is just an innocent error. No. Let me tell you the implication. The Devil is using Selman to convince New Testament saints that their personal salvation is not enough. He is teaching them not only to look unto Jesus the author and finisher of their faith but also the supposed fathers of faith. He is teaching believers to fall into idolatry. Selman, in a video, said, Lagos and Abeokuta were special in the spiritual realms, hence, anyone in Nigeria whose feet had not touched those two cities would not be recognised globally. FICTION! Aside from this being an unscriptural lie, how does this statement have anything to do with preaching Christ and His finished work? As believers, Is achieving global fame our aim on earth? Why are Selman and his fellow liars so obsessed with wealth and fame? 5. Fake deep spiritual understanding As Selman bedazzles his awestruck listeners and fans about talks of realms, mysteries and kingdom wealth transfer, he assumes the figure of one who has been given a rare capacity to understand and unravel hidden spiritual secrets. But in truth, he only employs verbosity, sophistry and circumlocution to give a sense of depth to his very shallow and mindbogglingly heretical teachings. 6. Blend of truth and falsehood In defence of Selman, there are people who admit that though he is sometimes wrong, he also teaches sound doctrines. This argument seems plausible but only on the surface. It is true that many of us ( including this writer) have made doctrinal mistakes. But when the doctrinal error is one that affects the core of the Christian faith and such is taught by a preacher repeatedly; when the ungodly mindset of a preacher seeps through his sermons; when the gospel and its consequential truths are regularly manipulated by a preacher; when a preacher's doctrines subtly or directly exalt man above God; when a preacher with his teachings pokes his hands in God's face, then he becomes a weapon in the hands of Satan. A preacher who blends a little truth with toxic falsehood, is more dangerous than the one who teaches only lies. Selman is inarguably the most dangerous religious weapon in Nigeria now because there is no other preacher ( genuine and false) who has a greater hold on the hearts of young people like him. Like I said, in one of my earlier posts, he is the one being used by Satan to produce a new generation of Antichrists. While I pray that God deliver as many as He would among these youths from the Selmanic stronghold ( stranglehold), I also exhort brethren whom God is using to draw our hearts to Him, not to keep quiet. We must keep on denouncing evil. And we must increase our efforts in teaching sound doctrines. I wish you all every blessing. © Paul Dada - Journalist, Gospel Singer.
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