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Erlo Stegen, God’s mouth-piece?

Since the creation of man, the devil has been tempting man to exalt himself. In Genesis 3:5 he said to Eve: ” … you shall be as gods …”

To substitute someone or something in place of the true God is idolatry. In Exodus 20:3 God says: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

It’s an abomination to God when man bows down before, or worships and serves anything or anybody else but Himself. ” … thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them …” (Exodus 20:4-6).

At the end of this video about Kwasizabantu Mission on YouTube, Erlo Stegen related what the local people were saying about him three months after he had started his vegetable garden project in the local area of Magqogo: “They talk amongst themselves saying: ‘Jesus is among us. It’s not a white man. It is not a human. It is Jesus.’” [Literal translation from the Afrikaans]

After saying this, Erlo added that he was thankful for this testimony. Thankful when people say he is Jesus, the Son of God?

One of Erlo’s brothers, Heino Stegen, recently stated during a co-worker meeting at Kwasizabantu Mission that Erlo is the “mouth-piece of God”. Erlo Stegen was also present at this meeting. Erlo heard his brother make this statement, yet he kept quiet, thereby implying that he agrees with his brother and views himself as the “mouth-piece of God”.

It is a well-known fact that Erlo Stegen’s Zulu-speaking followers address him as “Baba”, which means “Father”. Yet, in Matthew 23:9 Jesus sternly warns his disciples: And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.

Christ warns us to beware of those shepherds who love to be greeted with respect and to be called “Rabbi”, “master” and “father” (Matthew 23:5-13)

If Erlo Stegen really is a true shepherd of the Lord’s flock, and if he had the humility which is characteristic of a true servant of Christ, would he allow his followers to call him the “mouth-piece of God”, and “father”? And would he allow people to refer to him as Jesus?