Shyju Mathew: The Man in Love With Himself
How many titles and roles does one man need? Shyju Mathew is the leader of Hisnearness Church (Emmanuel Church) in Montreal. He presents himself as both an apostle and a prophet. He follows the very dangerous New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement.
This movement elevates so-called modern-day apostles and prophets to positions of spiritual authority not supported by Scripture.
THE NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION IS A SCAM
Ever since this false New Apostolic Reformation movement started, pastors everywhere are upgrading their titles to Apostle and Prophet. Why? Because with bigger titles comes bigger attention and bigger dollars, which is what these men want.
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) teaches that God is restoring apostles and prophets to govern the church. It gives these leaders excessive authority over believers and demands excessive honour from believers.
These leaders claim fresh revelations from God that go beyond the Bible. Where does the New Testament teach Christians to submit to a new modern class of modern apostles who claim such authority?
But where does the New Testament authorize men to claim this kind of authority over Christians today?
The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). The foundation has been laid. The biblical apostles and prophets provided us with the Scriptures we have today. The faith was delivered once for all to the saints (Jude 1:3).
A MINISTRY BUILT AROUND ONE MAN
Look at how much attention is directed toward Shyju himself: his public image, social media, website, singing, paintings, and personal brand. He even has a dedicated mobile app promoting his ministry and mentoring.
When did making disciples become building a personal brand? When did Christian ministry become a platform for promoting one man’s image, talents, titles, and influence?
The Christian ministry is not about making yourself a celebrity. Paul declared:
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord.
The question is simple: Is the attention directing people toward Christ and His Word, or toward the personality and authority of the man on the platform?
A SUPER APOSTLE
Modern-day apostles who exalt their own titles and demand spiritual authority are exactly like the “super apostles” that Paul warned us about (2 Corinthians 11:5).
Paul called them “false apostles, deceitful workers” (2 Corinthians 11:13) because they enslaved believers, exploited them, and exalted themselves (2 Corinthians 11:20). These were not genuine servants of Christ.
WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
Members of Shyju’s church call him “dad”, “daddy”, and “father” on a regular basis. Calling a church leader “daddy” or “spiritual father” is not a harmless title. It becomes a tool for establishing personal loyalty, control, and unquestioning obedience.
Jesus explicitly warned against elevating human leaders into spiritual fathers and masters who occupy a place that belongs to God (Matthew 23:8–12). Paul described himself as a father to believers in the context of preaching the gospel (1 Corinthians 4:15), but he never taught Christians to surrender their spiritual discernment to him. He pointed people to Christ, not to a personality cult.
When a leader is no longer simply a teacher but becomes “daddy”, things get dangerous. Because he is a “daddy”, followers must please him, obey him, defend him, and never question him.
The spiritual fathers movement is all about spiritual control. Loyalty to a human leader is treated as loyalty to God. Questioning that leader is considered rebellion against God. When a man demands the submission that belongs to God alone, discipleship becomes a tool of manipulation.
Christ did not die to make believers spiritual sons and daughters of a self-appointed religious celebrity. He calls us to follow HIM. The church belongs to Christ, not to a man who builds his own dynasty of so-called spiritual sons and daughters.
FOLLOW THE MONEY
Shyju Mathew teaches that tithing opens heaven and releases God's blessing, encourages giving an entire first salary as a first-fruit offering, and describes honour as a kingdom currency that opens doors to promotion and favour.
But where does the New Testament promise Christians financial blessings in exchange for tithes, first salaries, or honouring human authorities? It doesn't.
God's grace is not something we purchase through our religious performance (Ephesians 2:8–9). Peter warned that false teachers exploit people through greed (2 Peter 2:3).
God is not a vending machine. Giving is not a payment to unlock heaven. Honour is not a currency to purchase favour. No preacher has the right to turn God’s Word into a money-making scheme disguised as faith.
TEST EVERYTHING
Forget Shyju’s confidence, charisma, and follower count. The issue is that his teachings and ministry practices are not faithful to Scripture. Shyju attracts followers because they do not know their Bibles. As a result, they are vulnerable to deception.
The Bible explicitly warns us about false apostles and false prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13; Matthew 7:15). Not everyone who claims to speak for God represents Him faithfully. Even impressive signs, spiritual experiences, and apparent success cannot cover up for false teachings (Matthew 7:21–23).
Do not be impressed by titles. Do not be deceived by charisma. Do not surrender your discernment to a man. Examine his teachings. Test his claims against Scripture. No claimed apostolic title, prophetic revelation, or so-called spiritual authority exempts anyone from biblical scrutiny.
Test everything; hold fast what is good.
Your loyalty belongs to Jesus Christ, not to a self-proclaimed apostle, prophet, or spiritual father. Do not follow a man blindly. Follow Christ, know His Word, and reject teachings that contradict it. Avoid this man.