Hi Saints,
I am sorry to post some gruesome content but, I was disturebed and can't trust this man's conversion.
He confessed of killing 20000 people, including children sacrificed to demons and even eating their hearts before battles!
I would say he needs to be prosecuted for the crimes he comitted. If he is really repented, God fearing sinner, who has been born from above, he will go to his savior. Nevertheless I think he has to face the consequences of his atrocities.
Any thoughts?

Here is the part of the story:
“It’s only Christianity that can help this nation, because Christianity, it is the only belief, the only faith that tell you to love your enemies, that tell you to accept and forgive the one who hurts you,” Blahyi stated in an excerpt from the movie, according to PBS.

“All of us you see sitting here were notorious rebels. The only thing that is able to disarm them is love, the love that disarmed me. Only God is able to turn lives around.”

Prior to his conversion, Blahyi, a member of the Sarpo tribe in Liberia, was a spiritual consultant to the late Liberian president, Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe.

At age 11, he was initiated as a tribal priest and participated in his first human sacrifice, which he practiced monthly until he was 25. Later appointed as high priest to the Krahn people and then spiritual adviser to Doe, Blahyi previously told the South African Star that he “met Satan regularly and talked to him.”

He was dubbed “General Butt Naked” for entering battle with nothing but shoes and a gun, believing that his nakedness made him invincible to bullets. The previous general also claimed that he killed children, offering their blood to his god, and sometimes even plucking out their hearts and eating it before battle as well.

It is no wonder that all throughout the country, people still fear him, despite his conversion.

In 1996, Blahyi had a dramatic encounter with Christ during one of the most brutal fights in the history of the Liberian war, an encounter many deemed similar to Apostle Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus.

Jesus appeared to him as a blinding light and told him that he would die unless he repented of his sins, the Daily Mail reported.

Accepting Christ and asking forgiveness for his sins, Blahyi promptly laid down his weapons, left behind his soldiers, and went to a refugee camp in Ghana where he began his conversion process.

Now preaching where he once murdered, Blahyi hopes to rebuild the people whom he once hurt, advocating peace and not violence.

“It’s the toughest moment in my life to see somebody who I hurt in the past,” Blahyi reflected in the film. “There are thousands of people that can stand up here and say, this is what he did to me, this is what he did to my brother. I’m guilty. I’m 100 percent guilty for all the things I did in the past.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he repeated. Though many believed in Blahyi’s repentance and transformation, a few believe he is lying.

Despite their doubts, however, the former warlord continues to prove his turnaround through his actions, tirelessly preaching the Gospel to everyone he comes across.

He is currently the president and founder of the End Time Train Evangelistic Ministries in Ghana, which he founded in 1999, existing to shine the light of Christ in remote parts of Africa, including Togo, Benin Republic, Nigeria, Chile Republic, Guinea, and Liberia, his home land.

He returned to Liberia after six years of living in exile in 2004 and assisted in the disarmament process for one year, according to his ministry’s website, before returning back to the refugee camp in Ghana.

Three years later, he traveled back to his home country with a desire to return to Liberia with his family, which consisted of his wife, Josie, and their four children.

During that period, Blahyi agreed to admit his crimes before Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, an act very few warlords agreed to do, though he did not know what the consequences of his confession would be.

“I went to the TRC because I wanted to reconcile with my country and be free of my conscience,” he shared in an excerpt. “And the fate turned out that they recommended amnesty for me.”

After he was recommended amnesty, however, Blahyi received several death threats from other warlords and fled to Ghana as a result. He has now returned to Liberia, preaching the truth of Jesus Christ to his people and teaching the broken about God’s infinite mercy and hope for mankind for sinners like himself.

I am sorry for lenghty post.


Here is the link to the news story:

http://www.christianpost.com/news/african-warlord-who-killed-20000-people-repents-now-christian-evangelist-65550/

Thank you all,
Levan G.

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levan giorgadze

Humble,

I have read this story as well and was pleased how God was able to break through this hard headed, cruel man and work a work of redemption.

Let us be practical for a minute. If the guy would be incarcerated and later hung for his crimes, how would people benefit? One may say justice would have been served, but it still would not have done a thing to the hearts of the people: anger, resentment, hatred would still rule their hearts. On the other hand, if the guy preaches peace through Jesus Christ now and is asking for forgiveness how many people benefit? Would his life not now be a greater proof of the validity of the gospel of the LORD Jesus and minister to a greater number of people? If he would have been executed for his crimes, how many people would that have impacted, helped?

Execution of crimes committed is not always the answer. I would much rather see a redeemed criminal freed then executed. A man who has been redeemed by the Lord Jesus, cleansed by the work of the Holy Spirit is a wonderful example of the redeeming power of the Lord Jesus AND we need to see these examples.

As I read this story I am reminded of the apostle Paul and how God was able to use him. Methinks God will be able to use Blahyi as well and I rejoice.

Is justice being served by allowing him to go free? Maybe one's sense of justice needs some revision?

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Sandra Miller

Humble

Amen ginnyrose you have said it well in your post. Christ is being glorified by Blahyi's conversion. I actually watched the documentary sometime mid last year. He was filmed going house to house looking for people that he had committed atrocities against asking for their forgiveness many tears were shed and it was so touching to see. Some of the warlords or fighters who he worked with were also converted to Christ after witnessing his conversion.During the time he was in exile he often would break down in anguish remembering what he done. I am not too sure if the actually documentary is readily available on the internet but it was shown on true stories More 4 here in the UK. You can try to look it up online on 4OD and the title of the documentary is The redemption of general butt naked. Hope this may be useful.

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Lindi

If one finds it difficult to believe that God can and will redeem a person guilty of killing 20,000 people, how about abortionists who kill many more? Reckon the LORD has redeemed any of those? He sure has...

Carol Everett owned and operated 4 abortion clinics, oversaw the abortion of 35,000 babies and she came to the LORD. Dr. Bernard Nathanson,M.D. led the fight to legalize abortion, presided over 60,000 abortions (including two of his own children) also repented. (Dr. Nathanson's autobiography - "The Hand of God" makes for some troublesome reading - am so glad God is in charge..)

You may also want to consider the repentance of King Manasseh in the OT - he earned the distinction of being the most wicked king. The reality is that there is no person, except for the one that blasphemes the Holy Spirit, that is beyond the hand, mercy and grace of God.

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Sandra Miller

Thank you gynnyrose and lindi1208 for your replies. I appreciate your time and efforts.

I do agree with both of you in what you say. Namely, that if a sinner has repented and worships God in sincerity of heart, regardless of the amount of sins, God has amazing grace and woundrous mercy, Himself being the fount of these inexaustible attributes, provided that peson has genuinely repented. We do worship infinite God and his atributes are limitless as well. Jesus did bear the sins of all the world, which is far more than this man's sins.
Apostol Paul was rightly mentioned too. Although Paul personally did not kill thousands or sacrificed innocent children like this man did. But Paul did persecute the the true church and the Lord himself.
But note this too. Both Paul and David, had to suffer a lot as a consequencies of the evil they did, after being forgiven by the Lord. No other example from scriptures comes to my mind. Could be no more. Now I am feeling I should have thought more over this story and poste after, if at all.
I do hope Blahyi is genuine and is preaching Jesus, moved by Holy Spirit. But for someone like him, with his past, in some circumstances it could be convenient to be "converted". I realize I'am piling up lots of doubt here. May God forbid and keep me from doubting His hand. Who am I to judge another man's heart.
To put aside this particular case for a moment, I was thinking over this and found myself speculating in this terms: if a criminal, and mighty one at that, repents and in despair falls at the cross of Christ, receives the forgivness by mercyful Lord by His spiritual law; should he still bear punishment by secular law? I have never thought about this deeply, until now. And i dont have a clear answer. I think in case of an unbelieving criminal we will agree that if a man takes another mans life, his life should be taken by governing outhority (a paraphrase from Genesis 9, 6). But this will be altogather different topic i guess...
And to come back to this case, where do the civil, secular authorities and Juctice system come in this story. How come he is still going free? But then again, Liberian outhorities? I dont know. They are differnet from the ones we know, to say the least.
I think it will be wise for us, or better to syam for me, to possibly follow up this man's story in news articles and be more optimistic, and carefull at the same time, remembering my latest disapointment, although less harmful by far, a president wannabe Mr. Herman Cain. How he disapointed lots of people, including this boy :).

thanks for directions for the movie lindi1208. I hope it is not to dramatized, or worse, staged.

again, thank you my dear fellow believers.
My the lamb that was slayn, receive the reward of his suffering!
and may we never forget that.
Levan g.

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levan giorgadze

QUOTE:
"where do the civil, secular authorities and Juctice system come in this story. How come he is still going free? But then again, Liberian outhorities? I dont know. They are differnet from the ones we know, to say the least.

"if a criminal, and mighty one at that, repents and in despair falls at the cross of Christ, receives the forgivness by mercyful Lord by His spiritual law; should he still bear punishment by secular law?"
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Humble, you are asking perplexing questions, to say the least. Scripture does not give any guidelines beyond what you have mentioned, but I do have an opinion...

A few years ago Karla Faye Tucker was executed in Texas for crimes committed. While incarcerated she came to the LORD and was soundly converted. Many worked to get a stay on the execution order but the governor allowed it to proceed. What is my opinion on this situation?

God has ordain civil authorities to bear the sword in order to maintain law and order in the land. (Romans 13:4.) This is why many Christians believe the functions of the state and of the church are incompatible with each other although both are ordained by God. The church's function is to operate as a haven for Believers, a support system that encourages and strengthens Christians. The church is the visible body of Christ and as such we are called to be peacemakers in our society, our culture. The occupants in this body are blood-washed sinners that have been transformed into His image by the work of the Holy Spirit and are now saints! Christians are not sinners but saints! Vast difference. Since this is the case, it does little good for a government to exercise the same rules of grace, mercy as is expected of the body of Believers because you will have a system being manipulated by sinners who will be enabled to destroy an orderly society. The attributes of mercy and grace work best in the hands of Believers extending to others, not sinners to Christians.

However, there are times when government people will step outside of the law and notice that indeed here is a criminal that has truly been rehabilitated and deserves to be released into common society. They will recognize that confinement has 'worked' and that it is of no use to the state to keep this person incarcerated, so a pardon will be granted. This kind of mercy is not the rule but the exception.

So, my answer to this question is 'yes' but if the state pardons this person we should rejoice. If and when it does happen we know it must be of God. No other answer would suffice.

My opinion and understanding...hope this helps.

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Sandra Miller

Quote:
So, my answer to this question is 'yes' but if the state pardons this person we should rejoice. If and when it does happen we know it must be of God. No other answer would suffice.

Thanks a lot ginnirose.
Could not have stated better! Seriously, truly well said.

May Christ Jesus be glofified through this man's life, and may He grant us to glofify Him through our lives and our departure from this world!

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levan giorgadze