Unbroken Arrow: Moving Hand of God

How Pastor Zachery Tims Ascended in Victory

There is an old proverb among great surgeons told to me by my mother while I was in high school.

"The blade never gets dull in the hand of a skillful surgeon."

The same proverb is true of Jesus Christ being the Great Healer. The hand of God is the hand of a skillful healer.

"The silver cord breaks, the golden bowl drops and shatters, and the human soul is set free."

When I woke up one morning after the funeral of Pastor Zachery Tims, this statement was echoing through my soul and I knew the Lord has given me a message to be delivered regarding the ascension of Pastor Zachery Tims. I have been very disappointed reading and hearing some of the disheartening statements being made by some people who claim they are Christians including preachers. Yet, they do not have a clue about what they were talking about because they were only responding to events in the physical. Each and everyone of us must struggle with some issues in life regardless to the anointing. Jesus said in the world we would encounter tribulations. He also said in him we find peace. "Be not afraid for I have overcome the world" (St. John 16:33). Jesus concluded. He did not say we will overcome death, but he guaranteed us that there is life beyond the cross and there is life beyond our tribulations. Jesus gave us victory over the enemy. Even death cannot claim our souls because Jesus already claimed our souls. If you have given your life to Christ, your soul is safely in his hands. This was why Jesus said, "Be not be afraid of the one who can kill the body and has no power over the soul. But be afraid of the one who can destroy both the body and soul in hell" (St. Matthew 10:28). Jesus was telling us that even if the devil kills the body, he has no power over our soul. The human body can be broken, but the mighty hand of God still saves. Nobody can break the hand of God in life or in death. Not even the ugliness of the devil can break the hand of God. When a new believer comes to Christ, the word of God captivates the person’s attention. The projectile force that carries the message into the heart imparting a spiritual surgical operation is the unbroken hand of God. The Holy Spirit represents that hand of God.

Pastor Zachery Tims was no different from any of God’s messengers who died on the battlefield. The devil might have caused the death, but Jesus has ready captured his soul. Without a single doubt in my heart, Pastor Zachery Tims is presently smiling in heaven and standing with Jesus. His struggles are over! He has gone to a place of rest.

Perhaps people may want to challenge my position about the issues surrounding his death that has been over-publicized in the media especially on the Internet. What are being publicized are those things people see in the physical realm. The events of the physical realm are the mirror manifestations of what had already happened in the spirit realm. For about a week when the pastor’s death was announced, I was very disturbed. I was asking my wife and myself a question. How could this have been prevented? The first thing the Lord helped me to understand was the battle that was going on within the person even before Bishop TD Jakes’ eulogy was released to the public. I wrote my first article about the death of Pastor Tims and published it online before the day of the funeral.

What Happened Inside the Hotel Behind Close Doors

For those who did not know, here is what happened in the hotel room behind close doors from the perspective of the spiritual realm.

First, there was a fierce battle that took place inside that hotel room for the soul of Pastor Zachery Tims.

Second, the battle started many years before the incident with a stripper. He had to battle the negative forces of his past visiting him from time to time as negative spirits.

Third, Bishop TD Jakes alluded to this during his address at the funeral. I believe based on his message at the funeral and his spiritual insight that Bishop Jakes knew about the in-fighting going on within Pastor Zachery Tims.

Fourth, his spiritual birth mother, Pastor Paula White admitted to receiving a call from Pastor Tims before he died saying, "If I die, even though, I do not want to die, let people know I am saved and went to heaven."

Fifth, on one of the TBN programs Pastor Tims said in so many words that he would be the next big news in the media after Casey Anthony’s case.

Sixth, all these pieces of information pointed to one fact, that Pastor Tims was in a battle for his soul. Based on what he already said, he knew he was going to lose the battle in the flesh, but victory belongs to him in the spirit. Prior to this time, the silver cord is being pulled to the maximum and keeps snapping back. The silver cord is an invisible cord that attaches human body to human spirit. Once the silver cord breaks, the body dies because the human spirit is released and set free out of the physical body. Because of the pulling of the silver cord prior to his death, he was giving out death vibrations manifesting in his statements to people. He was feeling the pulling away of the cord as his spirit was about to be separated from his physical body.

Seventh, on the day of the final battle inside the hotel room in New York, one of the enemies of the past reappeared to claim his soul. A violent struggle took place within his body between his spirit (soul) and that of the enemy. The enemy damaged the body. The body died. Consequently, his soul was freed coming out of that body. The enemy was incapable of claiming his soul because there was a divine mark of heaven on it. Jesus was there to claim his soul. That was why he told Pastor Paula White that he was saved and going to heaven. He was right because Jesus would not let the enemy claim his soul. Consequently, he came out of the body and ascended straight to heaven with a triumphant jubilation of victory.

This was why Job said, "For I know that my redeemer lives. And he shall stand at last on the earth. And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God whom I shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (Job 19:25-27).

The most interesting message of Job was his prophecy and assurance about Jesus coming as a redeemer to rescue his soul once the earthly body decayed and he would receive another spiritual body as he ascended to heaven. That was exactly what Pastor Tims told Pastor Paula White prior to his death. He was more or less warning us that he was coming out of the body and the battle intensified.

Divine Message to Wives

I had to deliver a message to my congregation during the memory verse a Sunday after the funeral of Pastor Tims. The glaring message the Holy Spirit placed in my heart was, "Wives, do not stop nurturing your husbands." I started with the memory verse, "The thief comes but to steal, kill and destroy, but I come so they may have life more abundantly" (St. John 10:10). When wives get angry, they shutdown. It leaves the door open and inadvertently let the enemy inside the home. During my presentation, I read the life history of Pastor Tims. I asked the wives how many of them would give the key of their valuables to a thief that knocked on the door? If they were not willing to surrender their valuables that easy, how come they would allow a prostitute to destroy their marriage relationship with their husbands? There was silence. With this, I’m not blaming the deceased pastor’s wife because nobody knew what transpired between married couples. I greatly admire the wife and how she worked with her husband in the ministry. I said, "Wives, do not stop nurturing your husband." That was the message the Lord gave me because I was looking for ways to prevent this type of problems in the future. I told the wives to not let go easy. If a prostitute wanted their husband, they should put up a fight. I gave them examples of women who fought hard to regain their husbands’ romantic passion. A momentary pleasure cannot be allowed to destroy many years of marriage. A Christian marriage is not supposed to be based only on physical pleasure, but more also on spiritual bonds between the two that unites the family. I asked the women to stand up and fight. They should fight for the soul of their husbands! Fight for the souls of their children! And fight for the soul of their marriage!

The intruder has the same body parts as the wife. The wife needs to show her husband that she can strip and wiggle for him just as good as the stripper and jump on poles dancing better than a prostitute. And that is legal! If the wife ever catches that stripper in her house, the wife has the right to cut her bra into pieces and set the stripper’s panties on fire, right in front of the house. Just be careful not to set the stripper on fire because she does not want to go to jail. How do you chase a gold-digger sleazy woman from your husband? Wives in history have done many creative things to win their husbands from a mistress using similar methods that captivated him being used by the mistress. The wife has one advantage. She has his heart in her hand. I ended the memory verse with the song, "Woman take me in your arms, and rock your baby" – a song from the 70s by George McCrae. I gave all the wives an assignment that after they leave church, they should go and hold their husbands in their arms, and rock their baby! The entire congregation roared in applause when I finished.

Prosperity Gospel Deters Spiritual Growth

Years ago, people came to Christ because they are seeking salvation, not because they wanted to buy a new house or a new car. Many people were dedicated and faithful worshippers despite they were living simple and contented life. They did not come to Jesus seeking to get rich, they were more eager to save their souls. Some of the songs those days were like,

"I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back."

"I will walk this journey with Jesus even if it cost me everything I have, I’m glad to make it to heaven penniless."

"Money can’t buy me love, neither can it buy my Jesus."

"All to Jesus, I surrender and all to him I freely give."

Although we still sing some of these songs today, but they have lost their significance when our objective is to use Jesus to enrich our pockets. The main reason why Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic Church is the same issue the Protestant Churches are fighting today. Martin Luther was telling the Catholic Church that the sale of indulgences could not guarantee people salvation. If this were true, only the rich people would be able to buy their way to heaven. This was very contrary to what Jesus said about the deceitfulness of riches. Sadly in the 2011, the Protestant Churches are struggling with the same issue. We are telling people to send $1000 so God can bless them. Some people are looking at this as a form of financial exploitation of the people. Jesus did not charge anybody for healing. He even told his disciples that, "Freely I give to you, and freely you should give to others." Why do we need to charge money for healing? I earnestly support donation of money for mission work, but not to buy a private jet for a preacher.

Today people decided not to go to church because the church has been over-commercialized to raise revenue that benefits the preacher more than the congregation. I do not agree with those Christians, but they nonetheless have a point. On the flip side of that are Christians coming to church with the intention of receiving money from Jesus. They become quickly disenchanted when they do not become as prosperous as the preacher with a private jet. The critical point being, if the goal of a ministry is to generate large revenues, or to create the largest ministry in the world, in the process we sidestep the most important issue about a spiritual walk with Jesus and the gospel message.

Lack of spiritual growth is where many churches are failing today. We can generate millions of dollars from the faithful faster than we can place them on a spiritual walk with Jesus. Something is wrong with that picture! Unfortunately, many preachers are not walking in the Spirit of God. They are walking more in the spirit of business entrepreneur than in the Holy Spirit. Consequently, their prosperity gospel message is to justify their riches at the expense of the church. We are focusing on the wrong issues of generating a large audience and revenues while the preacher himself may not be growing in the Spirit of God. It reduces the gospel message to just a mere slogan like a bumper sticker. How can a preacher be working for Jesus and do not have time for an intimate relationship with Jesus? The key to a successful ministry is not a large audience, or a large revenue, but to lead believers in a spiritual walk with the Lord, making disciples of men. Jesus only had twelve closest disciples. Selling ancient Bible pages, teaching pop psychology, telling people to send money otherwise they would be punished by God, and bringing Wall Street into the church have desecrated the very essence of the gospel message of Christ. There is a rise in celebrity preachers bringing more attention to themselves than the gospel message of Christ. How can people be receptive to the Word of God in the atmosphere of our theatrical drama before the camera to shine before people?

Do not think that all the bad weathers we are seeing today are by accident. God is shaking the world. This shaking started outside the church and it is now coming inside the church. People will be shocked to see the events that are destined to take place in the church in the next twenty years if this present church is ever going to make it that long.

Christianity is not about popularity contest regarding who is the richest preacher. When a television preacher goes on the national television bragging about how rich he is, it does a lot of damage to his gospel message. I’m sure there are some spirit filled and spirit directed preachers on both the radio and television programs. I have benefited immensely from them. The goal should not be to use Jesus to generate revenue. People are now asking the question about how many preachers are true messengers of God, and how many are just actors to build a pot of gold for themselves? Speaking the word is not enough, but we have to also learn to live the word in our walk with Jesus. The key is to kill the flesh to accentuate the power of the Holy Spirit within. Very importantly, learn to surrender to be led by the Spirit of God instead of the poisonous spirit of greed. I’m not blaming anybody, or preacher. I’m writing this article based on what the Holy Spirit placed in my heart this morning. I hope this will transform the hearts of some people in the ministry, otherwise keep looking for Jesus in the faces of celebrities. I pray that somebody can benefit from this in God’s name. If we are not willing to learn from each other to prevent future tragedies, then what is the purpose of the ministry? If we are unable to apply our own medicine for self-healing, what is the value of the medicine?

Casting the First Stone

To those who are willing to cast the first stone at a fallen messenger, I have a question. How many people who love to accuse others are willing to openly admit their struggles with insecurity, sex, anger, pornography, hate, fear, lack of forgiveness, drugs, money, violence, alcohol, lust, and other illicit human desires? Yet, we feel comfortable to bash those who are struggling with the same issues as long as no one has yet to drag our skeletons out of the closet. When men suffer, they suffer in silence like Bishop TD Jakes said many times in his sermon. And when they die, they do so with their mouth closed, because the macho man does not cry out for help. Big boys don’t cry, right! What will you do when the demons of your past comes back to haunt you? What will you do when that demon comes back in the image of a stripper, illicit drug, an attractive woman, illicit money, gambling, alcohol, or other illicit pleasures? What will you do when dealing with any of these is like stepping on a time bomb? Can you see the danger and run for refuge under the protection of the Lord Jesus?

A woman told me about few months ago that men going to the porn stores were looking for Jesus. The statement sounded so ridiculous. Perhaps the statement is true and better said that, men going to the porn stores needed Jesus. When people are in pain, they look for something in the flesh to mask the pain. Only the person who is suffering knows the intensity of the pain. A very broken man is a man that suffers in silence. When we persecute people who are struggling with issues in life, we make it even harder for them to seek help. There are many pastors out there today preaching the Lord’s message with bleeding hearts. Where can they find help and solace when we are sending them messages that they are suffering because they are not strong enough?

I was told of a pastor whose wife is currently having an affair, and the pastor is unable to discuss it with anybody because of the shame and embarrassment. There are people in high places whose spouses are struggling with alcohol and drugs, yet they wear smiling faces in the public while crying within. Before we start to persecute a messenger of God, let us look inside and see the tapestry of our own sins. Our righteousness is like filthy rags before God.

Our God is a forgiving God. Our God is a merciful God. Disease and death can break a man’s body, but nobody can break the hand of God. Regardless to the situation we find ourselves in life, God’s hands of deliverance stretch out still.

Consequently, Pastor Zachery Tims ascended victoriously into heaven, and out of the body because of the persistent outstretched hands of God’s mercy and deliverance. Disease may ravage your body, but the Lord captures your soul. In life and in death, the Lord still abides with us. Amen.

Yinka Vidal, author, Closer Walk With Jesus

Related Article