Fresh off a month-long sabbatical which he spent battling an
undisclosed “health challenge,” controversial megachurch pastor Bishop Eddie
Long declared himself healed on his first day back at the pulpit as a preaching
colleague rebuked his congregation and told them he had been suffering for
their sake.
“I’ve been on a journey and just recalibrating myself and
like I said I had some health issues and God has healed me. The manifestation
is coming through and we stand in that,” Long, the leader of New Birth
Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, declared to his jubilant
followers in a video recording of his pastoral anniversary service held Oct. 9
and posted to YouTube a week later on Sunday.
Drawing on his own healing narrative, Long then proceeded to
conduct a healing service with his congregants for those afflicted with chronic
pain.
“When I woke up this morning, God expressed to me that there
are some of you who suffer in this congregation of chronic pain. You have to be
controlled by painkillers. If I’m speaking to you jump in the aisle. There’s a
healing balm in here,” the still gaunt preacher continued in the video.
Long was forced to admit in a statement to CP last month
that he was battling a “health challenge” when reports alleged that he was
gravely ill weeks after he claimed he had lost a significant amount of weight
due to a new raw vegan diet.
“I am recovering from a health challenge that I trust God to
deliver me from. It is unrelated to the eating for life diet consisting of
mostly raw vegetables that I am continuing, as part of a holistic approach to
good health,” he said in the statement without explaining what the health
challenge is.
“At this time my family and I are requesting that you
respect our privacy. I truly appreciate your prayers and support for me, my
loved ones and my beloved New Birth Church Family,” he added.
The Christian Post reached out to Long’s office on Tuesday
to get further details on his healing but a staff member who identified herself
as Diana said only the bishop’s assistant Elder April McLaughlin is authorized
to handle any questions regarding Long.
When told that CP had sent earlier requests to McLaughlin
which remain unanswered, she said they had been busy with a recent conference
noted as the Kingdom Power Glory Summit which ended last Wednesday.
It was at this summit that Bishop Neil C. Ellis of the Mount
Tabor Union Baptist Church in Nassau, Bahamas, is captured in another video
beginning at the 7:28-mark rebuking Long’s followers for not being faithful and
declaring that Long was suffering because of his church.
“Let me talk to my New Birth family for a minute. New Birth,
I don’t care what your issue is, you’ve got one thing to settle. Do you believe
that Bishop Eddie Long is a man sent from God into your life?” Ellis said to
screams as the bespectacled Long sat with a laptop listening.
“You either believe it or you don’t and those of you who
call him father at least you survived the cut because there are a whole lot of
used to be sons and daughters, so I want to assume that because you are still
here and you call him your father in ministry, you have accepted the fact that
he is a man sent from God into your life,” he said to more screams.
“One of the challenges with the modern day body of Christ is
we really don’t understand kingdom agenda. So because we don’t understand
kingdom agenda, we don’t understand kingdom process. Because we don’t
understand kingdom process, we have very little appreciation for the fact that
God’s ways are not like ours. And consequently because we understand very
little of that we have little appreciation, and little ability in being able to
recognize what is of God and what came from hell,” he said.
“Now if you believe that Eddie Long is a man sent from God
to this congregation…then understand that his latest bout of health challenges
was not about him. He is paying a price for you,” he said as Long nodded his
head in apparent agreement.
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