20/06/2026
A story from some one I know
In 2019, while doing humanitarian work in Yobe State, Nigeria, he attended one of the most popular Pentecostal churches in the country. He won't mention the name
That Sunday, the pastor kept announcing that a mantle had arrived from "Papa" and that we should prepare for a supernatural move of God. According to him, the mantle came directly from Papa's altar and had been specially prayed over, he was curious, so he waited patiently to see this mantle.
Then the moment came, the pastor instructed everyone to collect the mantle, rub it on their faces, pass it to the next person, and continue praying because divine favor was about to be released.
Just an ordinary white handkerchief, when it got to him, he simply collected it and passed it to the next person. He was never going to rub a handkerchief that had passed through countless hands on his face because someone claimed it carried supernatural favor.
The guy beside him was shocked. You could almost see the confusion written all over his face. In his mind he was probably wondering, "Why would someone reject an opportunity for divine favor?"
Now my question is how did grown adults become convinced that rubbing a handkerchief on their faces would attract God's favor? Do these people know where these handkerchiefs came from? Do they know who handled them? Do they know what was done over them?
And let's not even talk about the hygiene implications of hundreds of people rubbing the same piece of cloth on their faces.
The truth is that much of what passes for Christianity in some churches today has very little to do with Christ. It looks less like New Testament Christianity and more like a religious cult built around objects, personalities, and rituals.
Modern church culture keeps inventing new objects for people to trust in, oil, mantles, stickers, bracelets, photographs, and handkerchiefs.
And the saddest part is that many members never stop to ask questions. They simply accept whatever they are told because questioning has been equated with rebellion and critical thinking has been labeled a lack of faith, at what point did faith in Christ become faith in objects? Like our spiritual Father( Pastor Bright Enogoriu) made us understand about how the bible was being programmed for us to never be questioned but followed by the authors of translation, early teachers of the bible
At what point did church members become so conditioned that they would defend practices they cannot explain from Scripture? Call it spirituality if you like, I call it religious conditioning, religious madness, religious foolishness
Because if a group can convince people that rubbing a communal handkerchief on their faces will release divine favor, then they need to have an honest conversation about whether they are practicing Christianity or participating in religious initiation ceremonies. Not everything done in church is Christian practice and not every spiritual practice points people to Christ.
Every exercises done in the old testament were all pointing to Christ and they are now fulfilled in Christ.
The focus now is on the finished work of Christ