- NORMAN GRINDLEY/Deputy Chief Photographer
Self-proclaimed prophets Bishop Doris Hutchinson (left) and Reverend Steve Lyston.Leonardo Blair, Staff Reporter
SOME RELIGIOUS leaders are putting the blame for the rising murder rate squarely at the feet of the Church, as they claim the island is facing 'spiritual' warfare and the answer is beyond the capabilities of the police and the government.
"Don't blame the government. Blame the Church. Christians must stand up and declare a spiritual warfare," says Reverend Steve Lyston of Miracle Prophetic Ministries International. The churchman was among many Gleaner readers who took time to call the editors last Wednesday evening during a special three-hour phone-in session at the newspaper's North Street headquarters.
"To deal with places like Spanish Town it must be done in the realm of the spirit. The Church has lost its identity of what spiritual warfare is and what is the purpose of the blood of Jesus."
PROPHETIC WARNING
Rev. Lyston, along with Bishop Doris Hutchinson of Restoration Outreach Ministries International, are self-proclaimed prophets. They are warning, among several other predictions that there are hard times ahead for Jamaica and it is going to take the prayers of steadfast Christians to keep the nation afloat.
Rev. Lyston explains that he has on several occasions contacted ministers of government including Peter Phillips, the minister of national security and advised him of the need for spiritual guidance in ordering the affairs of the country.
Quoting scriptures from the bible such as II Chronicles 7:14, the prophets say God wants the nation to start acting on his word or face the consequences. "Right now God is saying: 'If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land,'" said Bishop Hutchinson.
"Another wave of violence is going to erupt in this country and it will be worst than last year," he added.
The prophets say that Jamaica's current social and economic problem are symptoms of a spiritual crisis which must be tackled by the prayers of the Christian community across the island.
TITHES
Rev. Lyston pointed out that businessmen and women also need to be careful in the way they conduct business. If businesses want to prosper, he said, they need to start giving back a portion of their increase to the work of God.
Robert Levy, president and chief executive officer, of the Jamaica Broilers Group said he is a firm believer in giving back and is already a tither (giving one tenth of his earnings to the work of God). "Of course (I tithe). That is a promise to the Lord," said Mr. Levy.
"What I would do right now is really encourage Christians to pray for our leaders and ask the Lord to protect them. They are very vulnerable to corruption. We can pray that God affects them in such a way that God helps them to recover.
"Really if there is any tithing that we must do, it is the tithing of our time in prayer," he said.
