Ministering To Macumbeiros And Spiritists

Last week, in Part 1, I shared a story of ministering to a group of New-Agers who wondered if I was doing Reiki. They advised me to transfer the sicknesses into a tree. I noted that even though this group was so open to alternative healing methods, they had an unusually high rate of chronic pain and disease. By their own admission, such healing practices could be dangerous to the practitioner!

I moved to Brazil in 2012, and I took three trips to Brazil before I moved here. I’ve often ministered healing in Jesus’ name to spiritists and practitioners of Macumba in Brazil. Macumba is a Brazilian kind of magic, and practitioners are called “macumbeiros.” Like practitioners of Reiki, “Macumbeiros” have their own healing rituals and practices.

I’ve seen people who practiced both Candomble (black magic) and Umbanda (white magic) healed. Many of the times, I didn’t even know about their practices until after I had already seen Jesus heal them.

A few months ago I met a women who was limping and walking with pain. I told her I wanted to help and said “In Jesus’ name, pain go!” All the pain disappeared immediately. I didn’t even have to pray a second time. When I came home, my wife said “She practices Candomble! She puts curses on people.”

My wife’s godfather and his family were also involved in Macumba rituals. He was almost completely deaf without his hearing aids. The first day I met him, I prayed for everyone in his family. He felt heat in his ears, his hearing returned, and he removed the hearing aids. The whole family felt the presence of God like a weight in their house.

Another time, my wife asked me to pray for someone I had never met. I simply prayed to bless her and release God’s peace. She felt something leaving her hands as I prayed! I later found out that she practiced “white magic.” I believe the spirit and power she had received through her practices was being driven out as I released God’s presence on her. That was what she felt leaving her body through her hands.

She thought that her “white magic” could be mixed with Christianity. But the presence of God drove out the power which she had received.

Reiki, Spiritism, And Chronic Pain

Like the New-Agers who asked if I was doing Reiki, Macumbeiros and Spiritists have consistently high rates of chronic pain and physical affliction. They also tend to suffer from anxiety and mental torment. Some of them try to mix their practices with Christianity, saying they are compatible. However, they manifest an anti-Christ spirit which avoids talking about Jesus. They talk about “good energy” or “the power of faith” but I never hear them mention Jesus.

Are people ever healed by their practices? Yes. But they are healed by the principle of transference. The disease isn’t dealt with. It’s transferred from one place to another, but not destroyed. This makes it a dangerous practice, and it’s one reason that those who do it tend to have unusually high rates of chronic pain and disease. Even people who are “healed” often get something worse soon after. When they get something worse, they feel that they need to go back for another treatment.

I’ve heard so many stories of people who were healed of one issue by going to some kind of “spiritual healer” for help, only to become afflicted with something even worse soon after. One woman was cured of pain when she went to a Santeria priest. However, she could not close her eyes for years after that without seeing an image of an eye staring at her. She was terrified by it and lived under the torment of fear. It was only when she received Christian ministry with authority in Jesus’ name that she stopped seeing this terrifying apparition.

Here are two quotes from an article about Reiki I read at truthinreality.com. The article confirms what I’ve personally noticed about people who practice Reiki and several other alternative/spiritual healing practices like Macumba.

“There is a grandmaster, the spiritual heir of the discoverer of Reiki (Dr Usui), Mrs Phyllis Furumoto, a Japanese American, who travels worldwide. She is not worshipped, nor does she have any power but she is respected, and she gives guidelines of how to practice Reiki. Despite having practised Reiki since she was a child, Mrs Furumoto blogs about her serious health problems and those of her cousin who also practices Reiki.”

“People have experienced that Reiki works, heals and reveals many things, but after some time, it brings trouble to their lives. Sometimes after only two or three years, active Reikians and Reiki masters become mentally ill with psychoses and so on. Many are divorced shortly after they start with Reiki, or they become financially broke, or severely sick, sometimes immediately, and sometimes after 10-15 years of Reiki. Reiki can heal in the short term, but lead to destruction in the long term.”

I encourage you to read the rest of this article at truthinreality.com. It also has testimonies of several Reiki practitioners meeting Jesus. One person continued to be confused about whether Reiki and Christianity were compatible until losing all Reiki powers at baptism. (Just as our friend who practiced Macumba felt her power leave her when I released God’s goodness on her.)

Dependence On Reiki Or Spiritism

Reiki, Santeria, and Macumba are different versions of the same thing, in that they work by the same principles. They also generally charge money for treatments and lead people into long-term dependence on their practices.

Many reports of people receiving Reiki therapy state that pain was relieved during the therapy session, but it returned later. They had to go back repeatedly for more treatments. This is a contrast to Christian healing ministry, where it is common for surgeries to be cancelled and tumors to disappear after a few minutes of prayer. Sometimes we do pray for people repeatedly, but even then the aim is to lead people away from dependence on us, into long-term freedom and a personal relationship with God. Also in contrast to Reiki therapy, Christian healing ministry is free—at least it always should be.

I remember encountering a man in Ocean City, Maryland, who was hysterical. He had a problem and he kept saying “I need to find the Reiki master.” I tried to explain to him that I could help him and he would be all right—permanently. It seemed that he didn’t even hear what I was saying. He wanted the Reiki master and couldn’t talk or think of anything else.

I was praying for people all the time. So many of them were 100% percent better after the first few minutes of prayer, and never needed to come back again. It was so sad to see that this guy wouldn’t come to Jesus, who could really help him, because he had put his confidence in something that could never bring permanent resolution to his troubles.

He had become so dependent on Reiki, yet Reiki had not actually resolved any of his problems. It never could. It had only given him a temporary feeling of relief. Only Jesus could provide a permanent solution.

Acts 4:12 (NRSV) There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.”

We finish this series with “The Difference Between Reiki, Spiritism, And Christian Healing Ministry Part 3.” Then we’ll go on to talk about how some “Christian” teachings and practices aren’t much better than sacrificing a chicken. (As practitioners of Macumba do.)

If you liked this post, you may want to check out the Heaven Now book trilogy. It contains many insights into understanding simple gospel truths and exercising heaven’s dominion on earth. It’s also filled with testimonies of what happened when I put these truths into practice. I’m sure these books will encourage you and help you learn to walk as a heavenly person. Not only that, but your purchase supports our missionary work in Brazil and in every other place we go!