O’Neil Miller on a spiritual path - Part 11

GOLDEN HILL, St Andrew:

For Bishop Dr O'Neil Miller, pastor of the Apostolic Sabbath Church in Golden Hill, St Andrew, his ministry is not only concerned with preaching about salvation to his flock and telling them how to attain it, it includes attending to their emotional and spiritual needs, and those of others.

Bishop Miller told Family and Religion that he has been healing people spiritually since he was in his early teens, while he was living in Waterhouse, St Andrew, and attending the Church of God.

To be a complete Christian, he said, one had to be 'filled with the Holy Spirit' while in the physical space of the church, but he was 'filled' while he was at home. Shortly after, at age 13, he was able to tell people what was going to happen before it did. He was so accurate, he said a brother called him "an obeahman".

Bishop Miller recalled an incident that he told his mother was going to happen, while she was sewing. "And the incident did happen exactly how I said it was going to," he said. After that, he would go from house to house to physically and spiritually heal afflicted members of his community. This involved 'casting demons out' from the possessed.

Deliverance

Since then, Bishop Miller is claiming that many people have got deliverance through his work, but how does he regard people who look at what he is doing with some amount of scepticism? "Their time will come too, and they will come to seek a solution," he calmly said.

And about the issue of obeah, voodoo, witchcraft, which is what some people have called his practice? He said people do not understand the difference between obeah and spiritualism. "An obeahman is somebody who has to really deal with the dead, invoking and dispatching spirits," Bishop Miller asserted.

"So, I am not an obeahman, I am a spiritual individual, who does that which an obeahman cannot do," he said, exuding confidence. "But spirituality means hearing from God. He instructs you how to deal with situations," he explained

Bishop Miller said his work, which involves,consultancy, counselling, herbal treatment, and other healing rituals, is rooted in the healing powers of God, and nobody else, and is aware that evil forces do exist. Much of the work he does, he said is to remove negative energies, "spells", from people.

The stories of the things he said he has seen and heard from people who had gone to him for help are many, and his success rate is high. But what about those who did not find his work to be very effective, if any at all?

Though it rarely occurred, Bishop Miller said, when it did, it is "because, they did not follow my instructions", noting not those who seek his help are given options. "If you don't follow instructions how do you expect to be delivered?" Bishop Miller quipped.

In an interview last year, he spoke about the "spiritual fight" he was getting from even within the church, and on Sunday, July 2, he celebrated his 11th anniversary with a special appreciation and anniversary service, in which he was awarded "a spiritual doctorate".

A few days ago Bishop Miller told Family and Religion that he will never stop doing spiritual work because it is within him to help people physically and spiritually.

familyandreligion@gleanerjm.com