Why Judge Silas Malafaia?
By Julio Severo
The name of Silas Malafaia, a famous minister who is the founder and president of Victory in Christ Assemblies of God in Brazil, has been involved days ago in an alleged scandal of “money laundering,” as if he had business with corrupt individuals with the intent of get deliberately dirty money.
The scandal has even been “reported” in Charisma, the biggest Pentecostal magazine in the world. Sadly, the famous American magazine sided with the view of the secular media, which is persuaded that Malafaia is involved in corruption.
Malafaia, who is so prominent in Brazil that he has already been interviewed in 2011 by the New York Times, one of the biggest U.S. newspapers, explained that there was no money laundering. Famous Brazilian journalist Reinaldo Azevedo, whom I disagree strongly on homosexual issues, wrote that what the Brazilian federal police did to Malafaia was illegal by including his name just because he received a donation from an individual involved in the federal investigation.
Even son, many Protestants do not want give Malafaia the benefit of the doubt. Others have just labeled him guilty and convicted, because he received a voluntary donation from a source involved in corruption.
Now, does it mean that if I receive a major donation from a sorcerer or a member of the Mafia, that I have culpability in all of its crimes? Of course, not. A sorcerer and a member of the Mafia are free to come to me, hear the Gospel and give a donation, and I am free to accept or not such donation.
Jesus’s parents, Joseph and Mary, were poor and accepted a major donation from a group of sorcerers and astrologers who came because they were trying to understand God’s signs. Joseph and Mary were free to accept or not such donation. But they accepted, and the major donation was exactly what they needed to cover high expenses for an international trip to flee for Egypt and stay there for some time.
God could have sent gold directly from the sky to Joseph and Mary. But He chose to use sorcerers. Instead of letting Joseph and Mary have the sacrifice of fleeing for Egypt with a baby to escape King Herod, God could have eliminated the bloody king, who was determined to kill baby Jesus. But God did not eliminate the child-killing king.
Or, instead of sending sorcerers, He could have sent Jewish prophets and priests. But there were not anymore prophets in Israel and the priests were corrupt. They were corrupt knowing God’s Word. The sorcerers who made the donation to Jesus showed an open heart that God used. They were not Jewish. They were corrupt, but they did not know God’s Word the Jewish priests knew.
Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary, of J. D. Douglas, says: “The MAGI from the east mentioned in Matt. 2:1 (magos G3407) were high-ranking Persian priests expert in ASTROLOGY and other occult arts.”
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, of Chad Brand, says in the entry “magi,” in reference to Matthew 2:1: “Eastern wise men, priests, and astrologers expert in interpreting dreams and other ‘magic arts.’”
To earn money at the expense of astrology and occultism is, in the Bible, sheer corruption. In the case of the magi in the Bible, they earned much money. They had gold.
It not common to see wealthy sorcerers giving donation of gold and jewels to a poor family who worship God. But God works wonders!
Jewish theologians did not know how to recognize God sending baby Jesus. Therefore, they could not help his needful parents. God needed to bring sorcerers and astrologers from far away to supply the necessary resources. It is not by chance that He is called God of impossible. In fact, He works impossible things. What eyes have not seen and what human minds have never imagined, this is what God does.
God used those sorcerers in that determined time, and after this they were never heard of again.
Some theologians today, who follow a heresy called cessationism, would doubt dreams and revelations from Joseph and Mary, with angel visitations. And if Joseph and Mary said, “God confirmed the dreams and revelations by bringing Satanists to give us a donation of gold!” cessationist theologians would say: “It is confirmed! All of this is from the devil! Everything: your dreams, revelations and angel visitations.”
God has no partnership with the devil, but when God commands, even the devil obeys. When God instructs, even devil’s servants obey.
Only God knows how the wealthy sorcerers got their gold, but one thing is sure: sorcery and honesty do not walk hand in hand! In contrast, sorcery and corruption are always partners.
One thing is for you, as a man or woman of God, to get involved in the business of sorcerers and take a part in their morally illicit riches. Other thing is for them to give voluntarily their gold as a donation to you.
Can you then accuse Joseph and Mary of involvement with sorcery, occultism, astrology and satanism just because they received gold from sorcerers?
If no one, for 2,000 years, has ever judged Joseph and Mary for receiving a major donation of gold from astrologers and sorcerers, why judge Silas Malafaia for receiving a major donation from a man involved in corruption?
Joseph and Mary were poor and they were not corrupt. You cannot say the same thing about the sorcerers and astrologers who gave them the major donation.
Malafaia has committed big mistakes in the past: he supported the election and reelection of Lula (the Brazilian Obama), in spite of all the clear evidence that Lula was pro-abortion and pro-sodomy. But today Malafaia has been a highly important voice against the homosexualist, left-wing and pro-abortion agenda in Brazil.
No one among Brazilian Christians has been so vocal and clear, in TV and radio shows and even in the hearings at the Brazilian Congress, on the defense of life and family as him. He became a symbol of pro-family counter-attack. All the Brazilian Left hates him. Therefore, it is not correct to judge him and convict him hastily, moved out of envy or religious hatred.
It is not prudent also to judge a Christian couple that, as Joseph and Mary, needs to receive a donation of gold from sorcerers and astrologers to escape persecution from a pro-abortion Herod and flee for an Egypt.
No one had ever given gold to the poor couple Joseph and Mary. Satanist were the only ones God used for such assistance.
God knows if it is right or wrong to accept a donation from sorcerers, astrologers, satanists and corrupts.
Only He is the Judge.
Joseph and Mary accepted a donation from corrupts, and God did not judge them for this. Jesus and his apostles never said that Jesus’s parents were involved in satanism and astrology just for accepting gold from corrupts.
The difference between Jesus’s parents and Malafaia is that Joseph and Mary were poor, and Malafaia is wealthy.
Yet, who are we to judge him because of a donation?
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