Lazarus Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi (left), with SDA Union President Tony Nyirenda (right).
On Saturday, February 25, 2023, President of the Republic of Malawi Lazarus Chakwera attended a worship service at the Nkhorongo Seventh-day Adventist Church. Chakwera was welcomed by the president of the Malawi Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Pastor Tony Nyirenda. During the Sabbath worship service, Union President Nyirenda conferred a special honorary citizenship on the President of the Republic of Malawi and urged the congregation to rally behind Chakwera’s administration.
The Nyasa Times reported the following:
“Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) in Malawi have urged their members to rally behind the leadership and administration of President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, stressing that the incumbent government has proven to be the most caring and listening one. SDA Church president in Malawi, Pastor Tony Nyirenda, made the advice on Sabbath Day, February 25, 2023, when Chakwera attended a service of prayers at Nkhoronga SDA Church in the outskirts of Mzuzu City.” [1]
“Nyirenda said the church is happy because President Chakwera recognizes the capabilities of SDA Christians to serve in different positions in government. He also advised the church’s flock to serve Malawians with dignity and love. The outspoken man of God said it was time for the church to partner with the Malawi leader on his journey of rebuilding Malawi.” [1]
The Malawi Exclusive revealed what President Chakwera said during the Sabbath service:
“President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has commended the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church for its holistic ministry through the provision of spiritual and physical needs to Malawians.” [2]
“He said the services offered by the church through health care, education, and economic activities, among other various projects, have helped transform the lives of people.” [2]
“Let me thank the SDA Church on behalf of the government. Malawi 2063 cannot be achieved without the involvement of the faith community. It is the faith community that can provide wisdom for people’s mindset change. We welcome your advice at any time,” Chakwera said. [2]
“”The President, therefore, called for faithfulness and unity amongst Malawians and the promotion of the conservation of God-given resources amidst global climate change challenges.” [2]
“Let us be faithful and honest in whatever we do. We cannot build the country on lies,” said Chakwera as he thanked the church for conferring on him an honorary citizen status of the church. [2]
On Sabbath, President Chakwera pushed the Malawi 2063 (MW2063) agenda to Seventh-day Adventists. The MW2063 document states on page 24 that it has the full support and endorsement of the United Nations because the MW2063 “sets a clear path to realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” [3]
On page 22, the MW2063 document also states that it has the full support of Malawi’s faith communities and quotes Rome’s representative, Roman Catholic Monsignor Dr. Patrick Thawale, as saying that the MW2063 commitment promotes “both physical and spiritual prosperity” and “peaceful coexistence and the mindset change agenda by promoting the national consciousness values such as love, unity, hard work, integrity, and patriotism among our followers.” [3]
So it is clear that President Chakwera is promoting both the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and Pope Francis’ message of universal fraternity. Additionally, the Malawi Union Conference is urging members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to back Chakwera and his administration. As if that weren’t enough, Chakwera was later named an honorary citizen of the Seventh-day Adventist Church by the Malawi Union Conference.
The Malawi Exclusive continued reporting:
“Nyirenda said the President’s worship at the church is proof that he acknowledges the role faith communities play in the socio-economic development of the country. ‘We thank you, Your Excellency, for coming to worship with us for the first time since you came into office. We are excited and, therefore, would like to make you a citizen of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Feel free to worship at any of our churches,’ Nyirenda said.” [4]
A government will typically award honorary citizenship to someone it finds particularly deserving of such a distinction. It serves as a means of recognizing and honoring those who are not citizens or members. And even though these actions are purely symbolic, bestowing honorary citizenship is still very important because it acknowledges the recipient as one of us. So now we are giving honorary citizenship (membership) to those not of our faith who are promoting both the UN’s and the Pope’s agenda?
However, the bigger problem that we see is the fact that before Chakwera became President of the Republic of Malawi, he served as the General Superintendent for the Malawi Assemblies of God denomination for 24 years. [5] Chakwera wasn’t just a Pentecostal pastor for over 20 years; he was the general superintendent for the tongue-speaking, Sunday-keeping Pentecostal movement. Before appointing him as an honorary citizen of our church, didn’t our leaders know this? Naturally, they did. Nevertheless, he is now formally recognized as a Seventh-day Adventist Church honorary citizen and a Sunday-keeping Babylonian. How is that even possible?
Whenever Seventh-day Adventist church leaders engage in political activity and support political shenanigans, it is shameful. When they do it on the Lord’s Sabbath day, it is sinful. Chakwera is an elected official and the leader of the Malawi Congress Party. What did our church leaders do when he entered one of our churches to advance a secular-political agenda? They started to support his political party and ideologies and instructed their members to do the same.
Church officials shouldn’t try to win over politicians. They should instead maintain their independence and impartiality and focus on spreading the Three Angels’ Message throughout the world. We alienate the Holy Spirit when we put politics before God’s work. We also risk alienating both current and prospective members as well. God wants us to take the everlasting gospel to every nation, kindred tongue, and people, but if we start supporting political candidates, we turn away those who may not share the same political views as these candidates.
Endorsing political candidates is not an appropriate role for religious institutions. Instead, churches should focus on fulfilling the mission that Jesus gave them:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:19, 20.
This is Christ’s charge to the church. This is our mission statement. Notice the three specific commands: 1) Preach the message to all the world. 2) Those who accept are to be baptized. 3) The new converts are to be taught to live a Christ-like life. These instructions are designed to spiritually transform people’s lives. This is the only way that hearts and minds can be changed.
Where is the mandate from Christ to get involved in political matters? Where did Jesus tell us to engage in political activism? In fact, we have been commanded to avoid political entanglements.
“The government under which Jesus lived was corrupt and oppressive; on every hand were crying abuses,—extortion, intolerance, and grinding cruelty. Yet the Savior attempted no civil reforms. He attacked no national abuses, nor condemned the national enemies. He did not interfere with the authority or administration of those in power. He who was our example kept aloof from earthly governments. Not because He was indifferent to the woes of men, but because the remedy did not lie in merely human and external measures. To be efficient, the cure must reach men individually, and must regenerate the heart” (Desire of Ages, p. 509).
So why do church leaders cozy up to politicians? Is it because politicians hold significant political clout, and cozying up to them may provide church leaders with some of that power and influence? Have our leaders become so drunk on political power that they have lost sight of what their mission and purpose are? Or are they doing this because they want to enhance their legitimacy and status in the world? Whatever the reason may be, they are creating a major conflict of interest that will ultimately undermine their ability to preach the gospel. It will lead to the loss of our identity, credibility, and integrity.
“Those teachers in the church or in the school who distinguish themselves by their zeal in politics, should be relieved of their work and responsibilities without delay; for the Lord will not co-operate with them. The tithe should not be used to pay any one for speechifying on political questions. Every teacher, minister, or leader in our ranks who is stirred with a desire to ventilate his opinions on political questions, should be converted by a belief in the truth, or give up his work. His influence must tell as a laborer together with God in winning souls to Christ, or his credentials must be taken from him. If he does not change, he will do harm, and only harm” (Gospel Workers, p. 393).
“What are we to do, then?—Let political questions alone. ‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?’ [2 Corinthians 6:14, 15.] What can there be in common between these parties? There can be no fellowship, no communion. The word ‘fellowship’ means participation, partnership. God employs the strongest figures to show that there should be no union between worldly parties and those who are seeking the righteousness of Christ” (Gospel Workers, p. 292).
Sources
[2] https://themalawiexclusive.com/chakwera-applauds-sdas-church-contribution-towards-development/
[3] https://malawi.un.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/MW2063-%20Malawi%20Vision%202063%20Document.pdf
[4] https://themalawiexclusive.com/chakwera-applauds-sdas-church-contribution-towards-development/
[5] https://news.ag.org/News/Former-Malawi-AG-Superintendent-Elected-President
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There are no such things as honorary citizens in Adventism. We have only members. So I don’t know what they are talking about. It certainly isn’t anything that has been done before, but it appears to be political pandering.
One of the biggest problems in the SDA Church today is that no one reads the SOP!!! When she says that whomever you vote for, you take on their sins as if you had committed them yourselves. I hate to think of all those who voted for Joe Biden will be held accountable for all the people who have been killed by drugs and illegals that have crossed our Southern border. It is a sad state of affairs. No one will listen to us who tried to warn them.
We are also to NEVER get involved in politics! What good do we do by warming up to those that are one day going to be our worst enemies? We have been so blessed by the SOP. We are also going to be held accountable for what we did not learn from it! I wonder sometimes if these people have lost their minds? What are they thinking? Only they know….
Who will be the next honorary citizen, Pope Francis?
This is a very clever strategy by the adversary to mix church and government together. A continuing movement towards a one world government and a one world religion. We need to be alert to this sort of effort and stay away from it.
And the General Conference Corporation is suing the Free Adventists for misusing the name?
This is a political stunt that eliminates the need of calling people to get baptized.