Christ’s Ambassador

Paul warned his protege, Timothy ahead of time that “a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear ” (2Tim4:3) One of the ways this scripture is being fulfilled today is in the discourses of the of new generation Pastors popularly tagged ‘Prosperity teachers‘. They are very cunning and they know exactly what the uninformed people want to hear in these days of grab-and-grab economy.

As a background to this piece, may I state clearly here that I believe God wants us to prosper in everything we do. He delights in our prosperity. I believe also that money is a good thing but the love of it is harmful. I believe that excessive liquid cash or possession of vast amounts of property is not the correct index to measure prosperity. Prosperity, by my understanding of the Biblical stand includes but not limited to purity, fruitfulness in the service of Christ, good physical health, good relationship with people, happiness in marriage, career growth beneficial to the society and having our needs met. Accumulating money in excess of the need to put something away for the raining day then can safely be taken as a measure of man’s passivity to the gaping holes of need in the society. The root cause of this is the sin of covetousness. God warned that “There will always be some people in the land who are poor…“  (Deut 15:11), and knowing God’s leaning towards the poor, it automatically indicates that there is always a need in the lives of others and in the society to be met with the excessive cash we may have – well, that is if we let ourselves see these needs in the lives of our neighbours, colleagues at work, brethren in the church, relations, friends and even strangers. Here is the act that provokes Paul’s prayer for the Phillipians when he said “….and my God will provide for all your needs according to his glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil4:18) He had first commended them and expressed his gratitude for their sacrificial giving in v8.

The teachings of the proseprity preachers stipulates, albeit implicitly that man is free to use God to accomplish his ambitions to acquire wealth to the extent that he could exploit the power of words in “positive confession”.  In other words, they opine that since God must honour his words, you can always use the divine promises of God to make yourself rich. This sounds logical and wise to the unwary and uninformed, and to the greedy. It is not uncommon to hear such preachers declare boldly that they can never be poor and also drop the hint that “if you are poor you are under a curse and it is a measure of your faithlessness” They are gaining grounds and recruiting disciples with these teachings on daily basis. They have their lives of opulence to show as testimony for the validity of their teachings. But can we compare the business of running church with a 9-5 daily job or running a company? Churches don’t pay tax and Pastors have perfected the art of using pulpit homilies for revenue drive. You would think they are running an appeal fund to bail heaven out of economic recession. They even tell you how much to give as offering and in what denominations. They have many formulae to extort: seed of faith, sunday offering, new month offering, offering for first born children, testimony offering, Pastors’ appreciation, children harverst, adult harvest, business men harvest and so on. Moreso, these self branded ‘owners’ of the church of God claim they are the Levites of today whom God has given all the tithes of Israel. Yet they teach the congregation to command wealth by positive confessions.

The Bible teaches that God is sovereign and He has a great purpose for creation. This purpose, He has graciously called man to participate in. (Rom 8:28) So rather than using God as taught by these false teachers, man, when he purifies himself and departs from iniquities, is used by the Holy Spirit, as vessel unto honour, to accomplish the noble purpose of God. We serve an Almighty God and not an errand god. Jesus set an example of this servanthood when he empties himself of all his glory, and came to this world in the form of a man and servant to fulfill the purposes of God. Paul wrote that: “you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.(2 Cor 8:9) and Peter was also inspired to say: “This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you is your example. Follow in his steps (1Pet 2:21). Paul also admonished the Ephesians in Eph 5:1  to “Be imitators of God” I believe it is a priviledge to give up all self interests and account all worldly achievements as rubbish campared to the knowledge of Christ just as Paul testified. Paul worked hard as a tent maker, using his income to further the work of God and yet not slacking in his Apostolic calling. The handkerchiefs that were taken from him to lay on the sick were actually sweaty face towels he used as he laboured hard in his daily work so that he may not depend on church funds. Anytime you receive a perfumed white handkerchief today with the promise that you could tap annointing from it please go through your scriptures again. Grow up, please. The time is near.

I do not know where the Prosperity teachers get the scripture backing their untamed acquisition of wealth. I do not know where in the scriptures the present church see the phrase “Me I no go suffer….” The church was founded on the foundation of the Apostles with Christ himself as the chief corner stone. What is  happening  in churches today were never seen in the first church and a lot of the miracles that happened in the fist church are absent today even though God, Christ and the Holy Spirit are still the same.  Have you seen their jeeps and convoy of cars when they move about town? Have you observed the Road Safety Corps and Police Force clearing the road before them and beating other road users on their account ? Have you seen the bouncers that are hired to shield them from the same flock God has called them to nurture? I attended a service one time at a church where the Guest Preacher came with four members of the Mobile police force, armed, and they stood in place of urshers as the man preached. He even boasted to us that his friend, the state Governor gave him these armed men as guards. Where are the Angels who guarded Paul and Silas as they sang in the prison? Among the congregants, there are still some who are unemployed and hungry and others who could neither feed well nor afford to give their children good education. In the same passage where God said there will always be poor people, he had instructed them earlier that if  people would give generously to their neighbours who are in need, there should not be one who is poor among them because HE will greatly pour his blessings on the land. Read Deut 15:4. The poor will not cease to exist in the land because the rich are tightfisted and would not share freely with the poor and the people charged with the task of teaching the commandments of God have become ‘hirelings’ who are too busy on their ivory towers, mixing up with the same world Christ called them to be light and salt to. They have no time to think about the suffering flock. May God save his sheep from hirelings.

It is not a bad thing to have great wealth but it is harmful to love wealth and divert the attention of the flock from Christ. God gives wealth and also the wisdom to use it without loosing the kingdom of God. He gave Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Solomon. The latter was the richest king the world has ever known and he did not deny himself of anything his mind could think of. However, he warned against the love of money when he found out that all he had in wealth, influence and power were all worthless and futile. He still did not get the happiness and satisfaction for his soul. HE wrote in Ecclessiastes 5:10 that “Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings happiness.” Paul also warned Timothy to be wary of certain preachers who opined that Godliness is a means of getting rich. 1Tim 6:5-10. Jesus explained how hard it would be for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God because of the addictive influence of money on a mind that is obsessed with the accumulation of wealth. Whatever pre-occupies man to the exclusion of devotion to spiritual matters is sin of idolatry.

Being generous to one’s hurt is a difficult thing to do for a carnal mind but it has its gains. The rich man who spoke to Jesus about his intention to inherit the kingdom of God failed to learn this lesson. He walked away from eternal life sad because he had great wealth which occupied the core of his heart. Using the principles of God to serve others rather than accumulate wealth for oneself is hard but a noble life which God accepts as a fragrant offering. Choosing to be poor for the sake of the kingdom of God is a wise choice that honours the Father and follows the steps of Jesus who lived a sacrificial life here on earth. This is one of the practices that made the church to turn the world around in the days of the Apostles. Those days, “All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own; they shared everything they had……there was no poverty among them , because those who owned land and properties sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need (Acts 5:32-35). What was the result of this? “More and more people believed and were brought to the Lord, crowds of men and women. Here is the secret of being fruitful in the service of Christ and having the fruit sustained.

James, the brother of the Lord in his letter wrote that God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit His kingdom but he also warned the rich who are not rich towards God that their accumulated wealth will stand against them in judgement (James 5:3). Paul also said ” people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”  I am afraid, Jesus’ teaching : “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…” has disappeared in the teachings of the new generation churches and has been replaced with seek first financial prosperity and every recognition will be given to you. This is dangerous. If the foundation be destroyed what can the rightous do? Where do you belong? Shepherd or Hireling? Have you noticed these things too? Could you let me know if you have seen things differently? What can the righteous do if the foundations be undermined this way?

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What if David had been dodging every bear and lion in the jungle? What if he had been celebrating every escape from those animals with loud testimonies of ‘supposed’ God’s deliverance from beasts? What if he had allowed Jesse to loose a couple of sheep in the wilderness because he considered his life more precious than those sheep and he wouldn’t dare attempt to save them from death? Of course he would not have been judged wrong. Jesse would have been thankful for the safety of his little boy and the loss of sheep would not have been anything to him. David would have been a hero in the family for having the swiftness and tact to escape hungry lions and bears. Then he would never have been able to make the statement in Ps 144: 1 for he never would have killed any wild beast. With that attitude, even dogs would have caused him jitters if anyone was wild enough to attack his sheep. Maybe David would have remained a shepherd boy all his youth days until he was old enough to join the army like his brothers. And he would have also had to hide in trenches as the Goliaths of Philistines and other enemy nations curse the living God. Worse still, he would have worked against the purposes of God in his life by escaping the trainings needed to make him a vessel unto honor. 2 Tim 2:21 Think of this point when you dodge responsibilities and when you avoid taking risks at work, in your neighborhood and at church. Many Christians give testimonies for taking the easy way out of challenges but loosing the opportunity to get God’s strength for war and skill for battle (Ps 144:1)

Many years ago I was always having a re-current dream of being in school and missing examinations and even lectures at times. I was always disturbed anytime I woke up from such dream. I sought my brother’s help one day and brother Soji told me to tell God that I was ready for all my tests in life. So I prayed to God to help me face my tests with his inspired wisdom and strength. My own call to service was as simple as that. I had no dramatic display or vision of angels. I did not hear any supernatural voice in my ear telling me “Follow me”. The logic is this: No matter how brilliant a student might be, the school authority still needs the result of an examination to promote him to the next class. The student’s performance in a test or examination is still an indicator even to the student of how well he stands. His future career hangs on his performances in the tests he is able to pass. He gathers courage to face the higher challenges. He gets better at managing his time, his attitude to study improves and he learns to read and discern the expectations of examiners. He learns how to cope with failures also. With all these, he also develops the skills to help those who are in lower classes. This illustrates the purposes of life’s trials and the benefits of offering oneself to service even when such services are difficult and could be cleverly avoided.

David himself attested to the fact that his audacity to face Goliath while Saul and all the well trained and armed-to-the-teeth troop of Israel lay panting in trenches took root from his training in the wilderness when he ran the family business of cattle rearing. He rode on the assurance that God who saved him from the paws and jaws of those hungry beasts would also save him from the hands of Goliath and deliver the giant into his own hands. 1 Sam 17:37 He had faced lions without commendation from anyone before facing a killer giant with over a million people looking on. He would not have developed the courage to face Goliath the uncircumcised Philistine dog if he had not earlier on faced the uncircumcised bears and lions. God trains his children in progressive stages. He has the full picture but we could only follow him with trust as he reveals them bit by bit.

If he had not trusted God enough to risk his life for the few sheep of Jesse in the bush, enduring the pains all alone with neither spectator nor supervisor, he would not have been able to trust God enough to give into his hand the army of the Philistines as he risked his neck for the flock of God Almighty. In similar vein, if he had not proved faithful in the relatively lower challenges of keeping Jesse’s flock he would never have been trusted to keep the flock of the Almighty God. If your performance is mediocre, even if man promotes you, you definitely will miss God’s promotion which is the only promotion that is real, good and permanent. All good and perfect gifts come from God. Many Pastors desire to lead very large congregations, many evangelists desire to travel far and wide with the gospel and preach to large assembly of people countable only in acres, many brethren desire to perform signs and wonders and heal the sick. But sadly they fail because the path to these levels of spiritual height is infested with lions and bears which must be killed lest they destroy the helpless sheep. The path to great spiritual height is through selfless service and is full of thorns and thistles, things which the heart of man abhors. Jesus proclaimed the principle of heaven in Mark 9:35 that “ Anyone who wants to be the first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else”. This sounds foolish to the people of the world but the wisdom of the world is also foolishness to God.

David was to describe God, later in Psalm 46:1, as “A present help in times of trouble” because he allowed all the troubles that came to him to develop in him a solid faith in the deliverance of God. He allowed God to prove it in his life. He had to flee to the wilderness with caves and rocks as his places of political asylum as Saul sought his blood with the best of Israeli troop. Don’t forget he had also been anointed king of Israel by Samuel. But through faith David saw enough of God’s grace upon his life that he also developed a rare respect for the life of his enemy because of his resolve to honour God always. He wouldn’t kill Saul even when he had the opportunity to do so. 1 Sam 24:6,7 1 Sam 26:9. No one would have condemned him for killing Saul when his throne was also there for the grabs but he committed everything to God who says “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” Are you the type that runs down men of God, killing them with your mouth? Hear David “Who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one”?

His early desert training gave him the sound knowledge of the terrain such that when the hostility broke at the time of Saul and during Absalom’s coup, he had the strength of the body and the Spirit to survive outside the palace. Can you imagine a king leaving the comfort and luxury of his palace to live in the Palestinian desert exposed to the harsh weather and wild beasts? What is the reason many of our leaders want to hold on to power till they die on the throne? One of their fears is that they would not be able to survive the necessary downgrade of their luxurious tastes when the perks of office are no longer available. Most rich men could not fast for half a day to have deeper fellowship with God.

It shouldn’t be a surprise and neither should it offend anyone that David pleaded with the soldiers that Absalom should be dealt with gently. His tears and mourning after the death of Absalom was misunderstood by Joab the army commander and others because they forgot how David reacted to the opportunity to cause the death of Saul and how he mourned the eventual death of Saul and Jonathan. Saul had seen David as an enemy that must be killed but David kept on seeing Saul as an anointed man of God, king of Israel. The glory of Israel. He got his compassion and soft-heartedness because he faithfully walked and worked with God through the trials he faced and through the opportunities to serve God and the nation even at a risk to his life. You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to [HIS] commands” Deut 6:5,6

Many of the challenges confronting believers today are in the same cadre as that which confronted David in the wilderness. He wasn’t compelled to do what he did to save ordinary sheep. So also you might have the opportunity to help and while helping in your own way which is good, there may be the chance to go the extra mile. Take the chance and don’t waste it. It is one of God’s way of calling you to greatness. There may be battles to fight. Don’t shrink back. Fight the good fight and contend for your faith. Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there. You still have a reward when you give the minimal help but you get the fastest growth and the greatest joy when you, for the love of God, go that extra mile. In your place of work, what gives you the purest joy and sense of accomplishment is the service that your employer does not pay for, the extra mile you exerts yourself to go, that finesse that shows your savoir-faire. In church don’t wait until you see an angel beckoning on you to come to Marcedonia to help. You don’t need to see a burning bush before you recognize the call of God to serve. To live is to serve Christ and to die is gain. There are needs everywhere staring you in the face. Those needs spell the call of God to you. Volunteer your time, money, experience, materials and anything legitimate that could meet those needs. It may be in the life of a brother or sister or in the running of the church. Well whose resources are we talking about anyway? God’s of course. What is it that you have that you have not been given?

Esther would have been on the right still if she sat back in the comfort of the palace just praying for the deliverance of the Hebrews but she would have missed her place in the list of heroes of faith. After all, the scriptures instruct us to obey constituted authority. The king made a lethal rule that whoever comes to see him without being invited would face death. Had Queen Vashti not lost her position because of disobedience to the king’s orders? But Queen Esther went the extra mile and it pleased God to use her to deliver his people. Nehemiah went the extra mile. HE offered himself prayerfully for service. Later, he forfeited his rations and allowances as governor to further the work of God and God used him mightily to restore the heritage of the Jews in Jerusalem. Remember all these when you revel in comfort zone, not daring to do anything that might cause you discomfort.

We should learn to look for purpose of trials rather than look for their reasons. We should learn to look for joy of service rather than working only for mammon. The body of Christ has become lukewarm. The world now sets the standard for the church. We must get the church back to her spiritual state in the Apostolic days. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and for ever. The Holy Spirit is the same as well. How then did the church get to her present lukewarm state where men practice magic and deceits because there are no miracles? Men now teach the doctrines of men and practice vain worship (Mk 7:7). Men have gone apostate. Haven’t we tarried too long in the tents of Kedar? Wake up brothers and sisters, the night is gone. Be prepared for the coming of the Lord, we are in the last hour.

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