John Onelum Vs Nice Christians

Written by David from East Ham on Dec 2007

I regularly attended the Potters House Christian Fellowship Church in Manor Park, East London, UK. This church is Part of a network of Potter's Houses across London, the UK, and world wide. Its Headquarters is in Prescott, Arizona.

On the 17th of June 2007 Sunday morning service, the Pastor of that church (John Onelum) preached one of the most unscriptural and outrageous sermons I have ever heard. The sermon title was called “Nice Christians“ (The hijackers of growth)

In this sermon the pastor John Onelum only quoted 2 verses of scripture and one small passage. During this sermon, he preached for 40 minutes without quoting a verse. When he did quote scripture it was taken out of context.

The following is a list of quotations Pastor Onelum said in this sermon.

1. The nice Christian is someone who is not walking in spirit and truth.

2. True worshippers are not nice.

3. Nice Christians like to be nice.

4. Nice Christians don’t make disciples.

5. Nice Christians are 2-faced.

6. Nice Christians are false and don’t like being accountable because they have something to hide.

7. Nice Christians are passive.

8. Nice Christians don’t pursue righteousness.

9. Nice Christians don’t like straight talkers. They even go to the point of slandering straight talkers.

10. Nice Christians don’t like confrontation. They just want to come to church, sit down and go home.

11. Nice Christians are not courageous. They run and avoid the pastor.

12. Nice Christians don’t want to step out and believe God.

13. Don’t date a nice girl. Don’t date a nice guy. If you marry them, they will make you suffer.

14. Nice pastors will do you harm.

15. Jesus was not a nice man.

{End of quotations}

Having considered the above, remember that one of the hallmarks of a destructive mind-controlling cult is they redefine the meanings of words and create a vocabulary that is unknown to outsiders. A Christian from a different ministry may mention they go to a nice church. When the Potters House member hears this, the ‘buzz word’ will then ‘trigger’ the programmed response.

On the 6th of June 2007 during a Wednesday night service, within Pastor Onelum’s sermon on how to be a winner, he said; “Winners are ungrateful and arrogant.”

What does the Bible say about a man who says being nice is bad and that ingratitude and arrogance is good?

Isaiah 5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Now within the “Nice hijackers” sermon one of the few verses he quoted was Matthew 11:12 . . . ‘the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.’ During that sermon, Pastor Onelum took Matthew 11:12 and ripped it out of its context to teach his disciples to be a militant fellowship and take the kingdom by force. However, Jesus never commanded the violent to take it by force.

To understand Matthew 11:12 we must look at the context. Matthew 11 begins with John the Baptist in prison. (See verse 2). Now bare in mind, that during Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Jews were under the rule of an oppressive Roman government and they had long awaited their messiah to come and bring in the new reign with messiah as their king.

Many, including the disciples were slow of heart to believe the scriptures saying that messiah had to first suffer and die. (See Mark 9:31-32, Matthew 16:21, and 1 Corinthians 2:7). The common view of that day amongst the Jews was that messiah would set up his kingdom very soon when he came. (See Acts 1:6)

This is the understanding John the Baptist would have had. Both John and Jesus preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand [Matthew 3:2 & Matthew 4:17]. Howbeit John gets thrown into prison and this did not go according to what he expected. John sent messengers to Jesus asking “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?”(Matthew 11:3). So Jesus speaks to the people concerning John and the kingdom. Jesus then goes on to say that “from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (verse 12). We can see this very thing in John 6:15; ‘When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.’

On the way home one of the elders and I was discussing the sermon. The elder implied that Matthew 11:12 could be applied to physical violence. So I said to him that Jesus never hit any one. So he said; “God likes a violent Christian.” I said that does not mean Jesus advocated breaking teeth or kicking heads in. So the elder brought up the scripture that speaks of Jesus in the temple using a whip and overturning the tables of the money changers. Long story short, this argument continued for half an hour.

In normal evangelical churches, Christians may tend to ask if you are blessed’. But in the Potters House they will ask if you are violent. John Onelum will say the Potters House is not a nice church. I agree. It is full of lies and hypocrisy; it is evil, repulsive, malicious, devilish, and is a tool for spiritual wickedness in high places..

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)