The Quenched Desire – Episode 10
The Quenched Desire – Episode 10
© Lewis Dampson
There were a lot of excitements in the crowd. Many went and spread the good news to their friends and families. Soon, news had spread that Charles had rescheduled his meetings.
Noah said nothing as he watched Charles in amazement. He still stayed to keep an eye on his friend.
With that, Charles resumes preaching. He rescheduled the crusade that was to take place the next day. Charles didn’t speak a word to Noah when he came back into the house. He went straight into his closet and spent more time in prayer for the crusade.
On the day of the crusade, expectations were high as people swarmed into the service. All of them had come to see the great revivalist. The service began normally as more people flooded in. In no time, the crusade grounds were full and people had to stand on the streets to catch a glimpse of the service.
Charles took the platform as expected and ministered ignoring the stress he was feeling inside his body. He gulped down a can of energy drink before mounting the stage. Part of the fatigue he was feeling was also from the long hours he spent in prayer the previous night. He prayed till morning calling on the presence of God to be in the meeting.
As he preached, the Spirit of God moved and the people’s hearts were broken. Most fell on their knees crying out to God in repentance. But, in the middle of the service, Charles was hazy in mind and rebuke the crowd sharply.
The people become confused as they tried to decipher what was happening. A minute ago Charles was exhorting them, but had gone off course in rebuking them. Many grumbled in the crowd, especially those who came as critics.
When Charles heard the grumbling, he became more irritated and rebuked them the more for their hardness of heart. The situation grew worse to an extent he pointed out “obstacles arriving” and “obstacles departing.”
The people became more concerned with the conflict he was pointing out rather than their hunger for God. “What is happening to him? Why is he pointing at images we can’t see ourselves?” these were some of the many questions people asked within the congregation.
Noah was greatly disturbed when he saw what was happening on the stage and moved in to help the situation. He took Charles by the hand and disappeared with him to the backstage. Noah had already arranged a car to take them home before he approached the stage.
He carefully controlled Charles into the car and they sped off to the house. Charles was still hallucinating in the house and Noah was greatly disturbed. He called the doctor and told him about the situation at hand. The doctor immediately came to the house and administered drugs and injection to Charles.
In thirty minutes, Charles was calm and slept off. Noah carried him to the bedroom and laid him in his bed. Charles woke up five hours later feeling better.
Criticisms abounded against Charles from every corner of the nation. They labeled him a “hypnotist,” “exhibitionist,” and “occultist.” Charles heard these things on radio when he woke up from bed. People called into the program and lambasted him with those words. Indeed, Charles didn’t take it lightly at all as he became grossly offended. He became angry at the people.
In retaliation, Charles began to condemn entire congregations for the cold hearts of one or two who would show up at his meetings.
Amidst all the criticisms, Charles was invited to preach in a certain church. He gladly accepted the invitation even though Noah strongly objected to the idea. Charles got to the meeting charged up. He took the pulpit with zeal and started preaching. In the middle of the sermon, a man stood up in the congregation. The ushers tried to persuade him to sit, but he refused.
“Why are you here!!? Why have you come to pollute this holy atmosphere with you hypnotism and occultism!!? You think I didn’t see what happened to you during your recent crusade? Behaving like a mad man. We don’t need you here!!! Leave that pulpit now!!!” The man said these words harshly while pointing his forefinger at Charles.
Charles was completely surprised at the man’s behavior. No one had ever been so insolent towards him while he mounted a pulpit to preach. He was greatly angered and responded in a harsh way.
“You called me an occultist!? A polluter of a holy atmosphere!? I stand in the authority God has given me and in the mantle on my life, if I am a man of God, and your accusations are false, I condemn you to hell!” Charles retorted.
He angrily left the pulpit as he gave a strict instruction forbidding anyone to pray for the man. They all knew the power God had mantled him with and dared not disobey his instruction.
After the incident in the church, accusations and criticisms spread like wildfire. The media lambasted Charles in all their programs. He occupied the headlines in all the media sections. They even added what he didn’t say at the meeting to the slandering. This greatly troubled Charles as he sat in his bedroom scanning through the various television and radio stations listening to them.
Some of the people that called into the program called him a bearer of false fire or profaner. Noah was interviewed by one of the radio stations. When they asked him for his opinion on his friend’s issue, he tried to justify Charles’ actions, saying he was a young, inexperienced minister and subject to making “a young man’s mistake.”
Due to the pressure and criticism that had mounted on Charles, he suffered another physical and emotional breakdown. Much to his critics’ delight, Charles canceled all his meetings.
The people on hearing this, branded him as unbalanced, and converts began to wonder if they had been deceived by Satan. With this, Charles went into silence for a season.
(As ministers of the gospel, we should not give in to the firing darts from the enemy which presents themselves as accusations and slandering. If we pay heed to accusations and slanderous comments of people, the devil will have his way with us by quenching our faiths and desires to do the work of God. These arrows of accusations and slandering surprisingly come from fellow believers and church workers. We should be wise as serpents and gentle as doves. Let not the arrows of accusations pierce your soul. Commit everything to God in prayers and he will fight the battle for you. Don’t fight these things with your strength and words. Rely on God.)
To be continued
nice one