The Gospel: Is It Exclusive?
In the Early Church a movement known as Gnosticism took hold on the Church and brought a teaching that denigrated their churches and leaders and sought to separate them from the body of Christians at large.
The word ‘Gnostic’ comes from a Greek word meaning ‘knowledge’ and the followers of this doctrine believed that they had a special revelation from God. They saw themselves as an elite group, with a spiritual knowledge and a higher calling than other Christians. This took the eyes of believers off Christ and fixed them on a legalistic method to obtain this special revelation through submission to the teachings of their spiritual leaders.
With regards to CTMI, there is no evidence that they approve of any other church. We have pages of extracts from sermons, news letters, reports and Joy Magazine articles that contain sweeping criticisms of “the church today” and its leaders with broad generalisations - that it is complacent, compromising, preaches prosperity, does not preach the pure apostolic gospel, the leaders do not carry the anointing and revelation in their hearts and are not broken. In fact the stated motive for the large new church building in Mauritius is to provide a home for those who are escaping such churches. There is much evidence of young people in other church youth groups being targeted. This method of proselytising these young Christians is typified by questioning church leadership, attacking doctrine and casting aspersions on all that is not in the CTMI mould. This contradicts Christ’s commission to evangelise the lost (Matt 28:19) and Paul’s desire not to build on another’s work. (Romans 15:20). While in many cases, their concerns about other churches may be legitimate, it results in followers, especially young people who hear this message so often, indiscriminately and with spiritual pride applying this to all other churches they encounter.
In stark contrast to the emphasis on anointed leadership, the apostle Paul points to the messengers as “earthen vessels” (2 Cor 4:7) “so that the surpassing power belongs to God not us”. Paul says the gospel itself is the power of God for salvation. Not the man himself (Romans 1:16). For this reason Paul could even approve of the true gospel being preached from bad motives. (Philippians 1:15-18) The CTMI gospel tells us that the bible is a “dead letter” unless delivered by an anointed, broken person. In contrast Hebrews 4:12 makes it clear that it is the word of God itself that is the sword of the spirit – living and active. While the state of heart of the preacher is important, the true gospel places the real power in the word of God and the gospel itself – in objective truth. GGC/CTMI shift the emphasis to a mystical anointing in a man, all the while subtly insinuating that the Bible, the Word of God, is a “dead letter”, legalism, and unimportant when compared to the revelation that their “apostle” has received.
The Christian gospel is unique among all religions in that what saves happened objectively for us in history outside of us in the finished work of Christ. This finished work becomes ours by faith alone. What puts us in right standing with God was done by Christ in history and is finished. Not in us mystically or through any works or response of man. All communication we have from GGC/CTMI illustrates an emphasis on man’s inner, uncompromising given life response. The terms “from the heart, in the heart, feel the heart of God, follow your heart” are very common. They hereby add to the pure gospel like the Galatians were adding circumcision (adding a human response to finished work of Christ) resulting in Paul’s strongest letter!
Thus it is very evident that the followers of the CTMI “true gospel” believe that they have a unique, superior and exclusive gospel not yet revealed to the church at large now or at any time in the past. When asked why God had kept this “true gospel” hidden from the rest of the body of Christ, a CTMI member said, “I’m sure that there are other churches that have this revelation, but we just haven’t found them yet.”