Why And How Deeper Life Lost It (1 & 2)

 I concluded the first article with various questions which I hope this piece answers. Permit me to quote my closing paragraphs in the first article:

“But what went wrong? How did a denonination that first began as a vibrant Bible Study group in the 70s, touched lives beautifully in the 80s and early 90s become a compromising religious behemoth? How come most of the youths of Deeper Life today, are wordly and carnal? How come many Deeper Lifers lack spiritual progress  though they excel  in other areas of life? How did the once self-effacing  Deeper Life founder, Bro. William Kumuyi become Pastor William Kumuyi and now Pastor (Dr) Kumuyi?. How did Pa Kumuyi one of the most visibly humble preachers in Nigeria become a pulpit superstar  whose ministerial credentials must be highlighted and personality hyped for long minutes on crusade grounds?

“How did he unwittingly become a god who must be worshipped by his followers( they won’t admit they worship him ) glory defended?  How did Deeper Life become a a religious empire that must be defended by all means and at all costs?  Why do Deeper Lifers see those who are divinely mandated to publicly  point out her errors( so they can repent)  as those who have lost their heads and malicious attackers?”

I can only think of two reasons for these sad developments. The first is that Deeper Life from its beginning was founded on a man and not Christ. I concede that this position I have taken would annoy Deeper Lifers/Deeper Life lovers, and may even displease some well meaning truth-searching and loving brethren. But without a pang of conscience and with utmost sincerity, I firmly and unshakeably stand by this conviction.

There is no denying the fact that God has caused not a few persons to be genuinely saved through Deeper Life. I can’t also deny that Pa Kumuyi started out as a very well intentioned young man. But a man would remain a man.

There is no church or so-called minisry that will  not have deep spiritual cracks if it is built around a man and his understanding of Christianity rather than the New Testament model.

This is one of the problems with Kumuyi’s Deeper Life.  PK is the central figure of the organisation he has built. The “church” runs on his idiosyncracies, personal principles and the policies he approves.

You can’t publicly scrutinise or disagree with his messages or decisions like Paul told the Corinthian Church to do in I Corinthians 14:29. He is the star preacher at the central level. His appointees and the appointees of his appointees,  and the appointees of the  appointees of his appointees, and so on,  are the star preachers at the lower levels. There is no room for mutual exhortation in line with the instruction in  Hebrews 10:25.

Pa Kumuyi is the numero uno of his “church” as his title “General Superintendent” shows. This is unlike the New Testament model where we see the 12 apostles and other elders jointly administering the Jerusalem church( Acts 15:4, 6). The same pattern of plurality of elders/ leaders, was replicated in Christian assemblies in other regions( Acts 20:17, Titus 1:5).

There is no way the founder of a sect no matter who he is, would not become a god and the organisation his personal kingdom, if he builds it around himself. By the way, God hasn’t called anyone to start a denomination. There is a difference between church planting and church founding.

The second reason is that it was built on rules, some of which have been replaced with other rules. While many of these rules have been intended to foster holy living and decorum, they have ended up  partly producing shallow sanctimoniousness  pseudo holiness and even hypocrisy.

Even when souls are genuinely converted, they are simply made familiar with rules rather than Christ who helps to produce real holiness.

Let me give a few examples. We were taught many years back it was a sin to shake hands with the opposite gender. If you broke that rule you could be disciplined if you were caught or you could feel guilty if you weren’t. But it turned out that it was no longer a sin when we watched the video of PK’s wife shaking hands with a man.

At a time, it was a sin to wear jeans. It was also an abomination for a sister to wear a slit skirt or a shirt with  buttons down the front. It was an abomination to own and watch TV but it  stopped being Satan’s box when people could watch videos on smart phones.

It was sinful for sisters to wear hair attachments. But it later became cool to use wool or certain kinds of thread.

People who kept/keep these rules and more,  are/were seen as living holy when in reality their hearts could be cesspits of corruption.

Many young people began to reject the rules as they saw them as senseless. While doing that, they became totally wordly.

If these young people had been properly discipled, they would have been true followers of Christ.

Let me reiterate, however, that the Christian faith is not a lawless faith. But liberated believers follow the laws of grace and not rules of men.

Let me explain this further. It is right to exhort saints to flee sexual immorality but it is unnecessary to teach that they should not shake hands with people of  the opposite sex or visit them at home. A particular believer based on their peculiar circumstances would be directly guided by the Holy Spirit or through counselling by a mature and Spirit-filled elder.

It is right to teach believers modesty in dressing and the need to avoid dressing provocatively. But it is legalistic to choose   what to wear and what not to wear for them from the pulpit.

It is okay to encourage believers to seek God’s guidance in choosing a marriage partner. But it is bad to sit on a committee to determine  whether they have made a right choice.

Rules can never ensure a right heart and life. Only Jesus can do that through the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians 3:11 says no one ought to lay any other foundation for the church other than what is laid. And this foundation is Jesus. But the foundation of Deeper Life is Pa Kumuyi and changing rules.

Well, glory to God. He saves some Deeper Lifers and establishes them not by the rules of that denomination  but in spite of them.  Some of these people have left. Others are there but disgruntled and burdened. I trust God to guide them.

Thanks for reading!