The Bizarre ZAOGA Birmingham incident and the danger of spiritual deception

I grew up in ZAOGA. Its prayer culture shaped my faith, its emphasis on discipline formed my spiritual instincts, and its insistence on Scripture as the final authority framed how I understand Christianity.

That personal history is precisely why I was deeply disturbed when a friend drew my attention to an incident that reportedly happened late last year in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

This is not a harmless excess of zeal. It is a theological fault line that, if left unchallenged, risks dragging ZAOGA from Christian orthodoxy into outright heresy.

Reports indicate that during a Saturday night prayer meeting in Birmingham as 2024 drew to a close, some members of the ZAOGA Forward in Faith Church claimed to witness what they interpreted as the spirit of the late Apostle Ezekiel Guti appearing among them.

Witnesses described a figure resembling the founding preacher running across the stage, allegedly accompanied by two angels.

Others spoke of rain inside the building, burning sensations in their hands, an overwhelming spiritual presence, and declarations that those present would henceforth carry special spiritual abilities because they had been “with Ezekiel”.

This is not symbolic language. It is not poetic metaphor. It is a literal claim of posthumous spiritual visitation. And that claim collides head-on with Scripture!

Christianity is not governed by atmosphere, emotion, charisma or crowd testimony. It is governed by revelation.

When experience contradicts Scripture, Scripture judges the experience, not the other way around. Isaiah 8:20 sets the standard clearly: “To the law and to the testimony. If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

The Bible is explicit about the state of the dead. Ecclesiastes 9:5–6 states, “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing… their love, their hatred and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun.”

This alone dismantles the notion that a deceased church leader could appear, interact, or impart spiritual power to the living.

This teaching is consistent across Scripture. Job 7:9–10 says, “He who goes down to the grave does not return.” Psalm 146:4 declares, “When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” Psalm 115:17 adds, “The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence.” The biblical worldview is coherent and uncompromising. Death marks a boundary that human experience does not cross at will.

Scripture does not merely describe what does not happen. It explicitly forbids entertaining such spiritual claims. Deuteronomy 18:10–12 warns that anyone who consults the dead is detestable to the Lord. Leviticus 19:31 commands, “Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them.”

Leviticus 20:6 intensifies the warning by stating that God Himself sets His face against those who pursue such practices. Isaiah 8:19 asks pointedly, “Should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?”

The defence that “no one summoned the spirit” is beside the point. Scripture condemns both the practice and the validation of such phenomena. Once a church celebrates, affirms or spiritualises the appearance of a dead person, it has crossed from Christian worship into forbidden spiritual territory.

The New Testament sharpens this warning rather than softening it. 1 John 4:1 commands believers, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” This command exists because supernatural phenomena can be deceptive. 2 Corinthians 11:14 reminds us that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

Power, spectacle and sensation are not proof of divine origin. The decisive test is Christological.

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According to 1 John 4:2–3, the Spirit of God confesses Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit does not centre dead leaders, exalt founders, or create spiritual hierarchies based on proximity to a departed apostle. Jesus Himself stated in John 16:14, “He will glorify Me.”

Any manifestation that redirects attention from Christ to Ezekiel Guti fails the biblical test immediately.

Jesus warned explicitly that false prophets would perform signs and wonders capable of deceiving even sincere believers. Matthew 24:24 records His warning. Paul echoes this concern in 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10, where he speaks of counterfeit power and signs that deceive those who refuse to love the truth. Scripture prepares us for impressive deception, not just crude falsehood.

Some will argue that the Bible records visions, angelic encounters and supernatural experiences. That is true. 2 Kings 6:17 records Elisha’s servant seeing heavenly armies. Daniel saw visions. Zechariah encountered angels. But these experiences share defining features absent in Birmingham. They were initiated by God, anchored in clear revelation, and centred on God’s purposes, not on deceased human figures.

Angels in Scripture refuse veneration and redirect attention to God alone, as seen in Revelation 19:10.

Even when Jesus’ own disciples thought they were seeing a spirit, He immediately corrected them. Luke 24:39 records Him saying, “A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” Christ did not validate confusion. He clarified truth. That is a crucial model for church leadership today.

Charismatic Christianity often describes experiences such as trembling, falling, heat, or overwhelming emotion. These phenomena, whatever their emotional or psychological dimensions, do not carry doctrinal authority.

Hebrews 13:9 warns, “Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.” Ephesians 4:14 urges believers not to be tossed about by every wind of doctrine. Experience must submit to Scripture, not reinterpret it.

The most alarming aspect of the Birmingham reports is the claim that those present would now manifest special spiritual capacity because they had been “with Ezekiel”. This language is theologically catastrophic.

Scripture teaches that spiritual authority flows from union with Christ, not proximity to saints, living or dead. John 15:5 states plainly, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” Acts 4:12 declares that salvation and authority are found in no other name.

The New Testament repeatedly dismantles personality cults. 1 Corinthians 3:4–7 rebukes believers for dividing themselves around leaders, reminding them that Paul and Apollos were merely servants.

Colossians 2:18 warns against those who delight in visions and lose connection with Christ the Head. Hebrews 3:3 reminds us that Christ is worthy of greater honour than any servant in God’s house.

Scripture is equally clear about mediation. 1 Timothy 2:5 states, “There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Any theology that implies spiritual transmission through a dead apostle undermines the sufficiency of Christ and edges dangerously close to idolatry.

The fruit test is unavoidable. Galatians 5:22–23 lists the fruit of the Spirit. Confusion, spectacle, elitism and doctrinal drift are not among them. 1 Corinthians 14:33 reminds us that God is not the author of confusion but of peace. Where confusion reigns, something has gone wrong.
ZAOGA leadership cannot afford silence or ambiguity. Silence will be read as endorsement. Ambiguity will deepen confusion.

First, leadership must publicly and unequivocally repudiate the interpretation that a dead apostle appeared in spirit. Titus 1:9 instructs leaders to hold firmly to sound doctrine and rebuke error.

Second, the church must re-teach discernment. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 commands believers to test everything and hold fast to what is good. Emotional sincerity is not a substitute for truth.

Third, pastoral care is essential. Some may be grappling with grief, longing and spiritual nostalgia. Revelation 21:4 promises comfort rooted in resurrection hope, not necromantic imagination.

Fourth, any theology that elevates Ezekiel Guti beyond his earthly calling must be dismantled. Acts 10:25–26 records Peter refusing veneration, insisting that he was only a man. That humility must be recovered.

Finally, ZAOGA must clearly distinguish biblical Christianity from practices Scripture condemns, even when those practices are cloaked in church language. Deuteronomy 12:30 warns against adopting forbidden practices simply because they appear spiritual.

I write this not as an outsider throwing stones but as someone formed within ZAOGA who cares deeply about its theological health. Love demands warning. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” The Birmingham incident is not merely embarrassing. It is dangerous.

ZAOGA now stands at a crossroads. It must decide whether it will be governed by Scripture or by untested spiritual spectacle. The church of my upbringing deserves better than confusion masquerading as anointing.