A visiting top American evangelist, Pastor Randy Skeete has launched a vicious attack on the charismatic youthful prophets in Zimbabwe whom he described as cheats who are out to rip off desperate Christians.

Pastor Skeete is holding a month-long Seventh Day-Adventist Church “Don’t Give Up” evangelistic campaign in Harare. He said most of the modern day prophets were not sent by God but were self-made to make money.

He urged Christians to depend on God’s word rather than prophets. “It is very critical for Christians, not only those in Zimbabwe but around the world, to earnestly seek and search for the Biblical truth. In this day and age we don’t need prophets, we only need to do what God told us to do through the Bible. “If we exhaust all that is in the Bible, then we need prophets. You can find these prophets in every country — Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, America, Yemen and even in some Asian countries.

“I think they have realised that calling themselves prophets puts them in an influential position that enables them to control people’s minds. Prophets are anointed by God for a specific purpose and that purpose is not to discuss anything but to say thus says the Lord and in our time the Bible is enough,” he explained.

He said the Bible gives a clear description of a true prophet, one who should be consistent with the word of God. “A prophet cannot be rich while all of his members are poor, Christ was poor but he made all his followers rich. If a prophet is living a lavish lifestyle while the majority of his congregates live in shacks that person is a hypocrite,” said Pastor Skeete. “Christ was poor by definition but that was not a sin because if poverty was a sin Christ was going to be a sinner. 1 Peter 2 verse 22 says, ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

The evangelist said preachers should focus on winning souls for God’s Kingdom. “I won’t preach prosperity gospel, I am not convicted to preach it, and I am not saying I preach poverty but my message is very clear — trust in God, live by His principles and promises and He will do the rest. “Matthew 6 v 33 says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” he said.

Pastor Skeete said the economic challenges facing Zimbabweans indicate that the church is not abiding by the word of God. “Jesus never castigated the Roman government which was ruling over people during His ministry time, but He constantly pounded the church, Sadducees, Pharisees and the scribes (Church leaders). This shows that it was the church which was supposed to be in line with the word of God. “God blessed Potiphar’s house because of Joseph so if Christians do what God wants them to do, He blesses the entire country,” said Pastor Skeete.

The preacher said the “Don’t Give up” campaign is meant to encourage Christians to remain hopeful in the Lord. “Giving up means a person has no way out; there is no hope for change, so the person gives up. Jesus is the final option for anyone in a desperate situation and people need to understand that when they reach the end of their roads the Bible says ‘things which are impossible with man are possible with God,” he said.

The SDA evangelistic meetings started on May 5 and are ending on May 27, 2017 at a local hotel.  Pastor Skeete has preached the gospel in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and much of North America.