But I buffet my
body, and bring it into
subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself
should be a castaway
(1Corinthians 9: 27)
Was
that a reality or even a possibility for someone of Paul’s caliber? Was he just
threatening us against being sloppy in our Christian responsibility? Was he
just throwing words in the air? Or had he so much in his heart that those words
‘accidentally’ splashed onto the letter?
How
could he dare imagine such things, leave alone write them to redeemed saints?
Or he may have been shaking the comfort off those who had become complacent in
their Christian responsibilities? Are there other places in the scriptures we
see such an admonition?
For
it is impossible for those who
were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made
partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the
powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto
repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame (Hebrews 6: 4 – 6)
The same warning by a different
writer, this one going even farther to talk not only about the ministry but the
experience someone has gone through before falling away.
Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in
thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity (Matthew
7: 21 – 23)
Now these are the words of the
Master Himself. Does this close our argument? Will we be content with that? I
don’t think so.
I am a Baptist and we are known
for the doctrine of security of believers. Does this disqualify our position? I
don’t think so. What do these scriptures mean to one like me?
I think the primary focus is the
minister. The standard for the minister is not like that of any other
Christian. I am convinced that what is assurance to a normal Christian simply
does not apply to the minister.
Why do I say so? James warns us
against hastily being teachers since our judgment is stricter than that of
others. That seems to be the position taken by the discourse Christ gave and
the Hebrews passage, even Paul’s position. Ministry connects us to the depths
of God in such a way that we are not just sinning, ours becomes absolute
rebellion since I am convinced what we mainly deal with are not simple
temptations but like what Lucifer encountered in heaven, supplanting God’s
authority. And that is not negotiable, even debatable.
I
am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not
give to another, neither my praise to graven images. (Isaiah 42:8)
Do we have Biblical examples?
Consider Moses. Aaron made the golden calf and was forgiven. Miriam rebelled
against Moses and was confronted by God Himself, yet was forgiven when she
repented. Moses was faithful for forty years. He made just one mistake which
disqualified him from the Promised Land. Was God fair to a servant He spoke
with face to face? God hearkened to Moses as he pled for the Israelites again
and again, yet He ordered Moses not to mention the issue of going to the Promised
Land again. But the LORD was wroth with
me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it
suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter (Deuteronomy 3:26) Yet
we know that before Moses did it he was under so much pressure that I am sure
most, if not all of us would do the same not once like Moses, but repeatedly.
Saul was wicked. He sought to
kill David and even killed eighty five priests, almost an entire priestly
family. He even consulted a witch. Yet we don’t see his descendants being
condemned forever. David only committed adultery and covered up, yet we
find his whole lineage condemned for that.
I
want us to look at the reasons God gave for the sentence He passed on ‘the man
after His own heart’. Howbeit, because by
this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to
blaspheme …’ (2 Samuel 11:14) you see being on a pedestal makes everything
you do have an impact on a greater throng than if you are in the crowd. I
remember an illustration I once heard that makes this so clear. When a very
huge tree in a forest falls, it does not fall alone; it falls with many other
smaller trees. And that is leadership.
We
see the same when we read Jude talking about a quarrelling over Moses’ body
between angels and the devil. Why? Probably because of that one sin Moses
committed.
I
thought about another thing with respect to this topic. Remember the eunuchs?
These were men who were castrated to be entrusted with the secrets of kingdoms.
They could enter any part of the palace because their ambition was only one
lifetime long. Taking the seed from him made him the safest character around
the throne because he had no descendants to scheme for.
Many
of us think that this was a punishment but I beg to disagree. It was a
privilege many yearned for because as long as that kingdom lasted you never
lost your coveted position. A eunuch was the only person who could safely serve
even four successive kings because he was completely trustworthy. In the case
of Daniel he was able to serve two different and opposing kingdoms, Babylonian
and Medo-Persian though he was a Jewish royal.
The
nationality of the eunuch was irrelevant since it could not be passed on to any
other generation. You see the eunuch lived for the present since he had no
future and that was a great asset to any king. He guarded his present with his
life since he only had that one life to live.
The
eunuchs were the ones who prepared women for the king to sleep with as we see
in the book of Esther. They could look and touch places nobody else was even
allowed to approach. Remember Haman was killed just for going close to Esther?
Yet the eunuchs literally lived all day and night with the queens and
concubines, washing them, massaging them and all other things women require to
be attractive in the court.
Why
do I compare ministers with eunuchs? The first reason I think of is that
ministry takes one very deep in the things of God. In ministry we are allowed
to access privileges others can’t even imagine. We are able to gain authority
over people and situations rulers crave and never get. We are even able to
access secrets to men’s hearts and even their schemes. I could go on and on. In
short ministry will gain us spiritual and other access nothing else can.
But
that is not because of our persona. And that is where the problem is. And that
is where we are supposed to remember the eunuch. We are gaining it for the
kingdom. All these privileges are just the benefits the kingdom gives me for
being loyal to it. Once I forget that and start thinking posterity a major
problem arises. I will not just become worthless to the kingdom but will become
a great liability to the same.
Why
was Moses not appointed High Priest yet he was the one who fitted that role perfectly?
He was the one who prepared, taught and anointed the priesthood. Why were his
descendants ‘just’ Levites while the man who made the golden calf was appointed
to the priesthood with his descendants? I think this is the reason. Spiritual
authority is not hereditary. Though one can have a spiritual heritage, he can
not access spiritual authority the same way.
What
does that have to do with our topic of discussion? I think that is the place
most ministers go wrong and lose it. The difference between the eunuchs and
ministers is that the eunuchs were operated on. The minister on the other hand
has to make a choice to be so and can decide to reverse it at will. The other
problem is that he has a posterity and that in itself is a great temptation to
forget the vows to the Kingdom.
For there are some
eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some
eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made
themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive
it, let him receive it.
(Matthew 19:12)
The
minister falls in the third category. We are accessing privileges in the
kingdom for the sake of the kingdom and not for our posterity. Why do I say so?
There is a very thin line between the kingdom and my family unless I am very
focused on the kingdom itself. And that seems to be the teaching here.
Where
does the problem start? I think it starts with the minister equating the
ministry with his person. Then he will find it easy to forget that there are
privileges he can only access because of the ministry. Having been in ministry
for long makes it very easy for one to fall for that. Do we realize that it is
what happened to Moses?
And Moses and Aaron
gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear
now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? (Numbers 20:10)
He
knew God enough to confidently call out water. He knew God and His love enough
to know that His, or his people could not die from thirst. It therefore did not
matter what he said or did. He took God casually because he knew Him well
enough. Remember him pleading for Israel?
Lest the land
whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the LORD was not able to bring them
into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath
brought them out to slay them in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 9:28)
Remember
him using God’s mercy as the bargaining chip with God?
He
knew God too much to bow to the pressure of men. Even he could not expect to be
excused, especially him. That was not something they could negotiate with God.
Moses knew God too much to qualify for leniency. And that is the way it is with
ministers. Our yardstick is way up there, not so that we pride ourselves on our
closeness with God or use it for leverage but to keep us even more alert for
the schemes of the evil one.
And
that is where posterity becomes a liability. If it was only my name on the block
it would not mean much to me. It would not be so hard to lose all for Christ.
And that is why most daredevils are people without families since they have
only themselves to consider. Their death or disability matters very little,
especially if they have money that would take care of the consequences. A
family man is another case altogether. He has to think more for his family than
of himself. He will go without food so his family can have. He forgoes many
things so that his family can access them.
Being
in ministry without any outwardly predictable support makes this point very
sticky. I can go without much in terms of basic needs because I chose to go
with God all the way. I don’t suffer any guilt if I have to walk because I lack
fare. I have no issue foregoing a meal or two because God did not promise me a
smooth ride. My clothes can be worn out and it will not down me in the least
because I know my source and my covenant with Him.
Bring
the family along and the equation completely changes. You see God called me. He
did not call them, even my wife. She followed me probably because the call then
was very attractive to her; more like Lot followed Abraham or Michal followed
David. Challenges of ministry may not have meant anything to her even when I challenged
her on the same. Ministry to her may have meant great adventure because then my
life made a lot of sense because the challenges I was handling were on the fringes
of deeper involvement with God. There was a girl we were considering marriage
who opted out when the extent of my calling started becoming evident.
But
deprivation changes the picture completely. That was not anything she
considered, at least the extent of it. When food becomes scarce she then starts
having second thought about her commitment. Then she considers the options, men
who are not called into the kind of ministry you are called to. They therefore
start exerting a lot of pressure on you to be like other men, leading a more
predictable and comfortable life.
I
believe that is what happened to Solomon and Ahab. Jezebel gradually turned the
king inward, thus taking advantage of his authority, the thing we are talking
about here. And this is what has happened to many pastors these days. They have
started using their spiritual authority for their own benefit.
How
many pastors have made their wives assistant pastors, the deputy CEOs of their
churches? Some go as far as getting their children into senior positions in ‘their’
ministry. No wonder many such wives die untimely deaths since they may not have
the spiritual stamina for the ministry and will thus not be able to handle the
spiritual pressure of their positions. Chances are also that they may have not
have had developed the spiritual muscle consistent with the positions they are
given. Some even call ministries after their names. I am leaving out the
devil’s active participation in such affairs for obvious reasons.
Why
do they do this? I think the first reason is that ministry leadership is probably
the most insecure position anywhere in the world. Spiritual leadership is
therefore not a position that we can count on for posterity. One reason is that
spiritually I have to be close to God to deserve the position. Yet that is not
the main threat to the position since that is something I am in control of. The
main reason is that my spirituality will many times attract a following and
bring forth fruit, even become very attractive to resources. The world will be
drawn to that as bees to pollen. Since they will not be drawn to my
spirituality, they will seek to corrupt the structures I have developed to take
over the ‘empire’ I have built by the sweat of my brow. Some will seek to
compromise me so that they can access what is mine. Others will fight to wrest
the structure from me since they know that they can not be able to control it
as much as long as I am around. They will thus gradually take over the
leadership and then push me out. Of course we have the crafty who will be my
most ardent ‘supporters’ who appear ready to die for me since they know that is
the way to access the privileges my ministry has developed.
These are the ones
who will insist on making sure that the pastor leads a very comfortable life,
free from real exposure to the ministry he is called to. They will therefore
insist that the system buys the minister more toys than a child would require,
only that these will be so expensive, many times because they are the ones who
will be tasked with buying them, yet at the expense of the ministry.
With
a position as insecure as this, what will I need to ensure my posterity is
secure? One way is to make sure that the system I develop is more or less
personal property. And that is why I become the chief executive and my family
my assistants. Then I will not be under any threat. The other way is to make
sure that I save for the rainy day by milking the system, making the system
invest in my future through buying me investments and making me live a life
free from expense. Another way is making ministry a part time enterprise. I
must save for the rainy day for my posterity at all costs, even if it means
starting an enterprise by the side of ministry.
Ever
noticed that today we have made what was normal look most ungodly? Paul and
Barnabas were the exceptions in as far as ministry support was concerned. In
fact we see him saying that he had decided to forgo his rights for support. The
rest depended on the church for support. Even Christ said as much when He sent
His disciples to preach. In fact it was the same principle God employed when He
talked about the Levites. They were not to be given farming land because they
were to live on serving God. God was their inheritance.
Yet
we find even ministers, especially who are on a payroll even rebuke a minister
who has been called out of a payroll because tent-making is the only ministry
support mode for our times. Some actually imply that there is no other option. They
will even discourage their people from considering supporting such ministers because
‘God does not operate that way’. Yet that is what the Bible emphatically
teaches. I don’t know of any ministers who were on anybody’s payroll when I
read the Bible. They simply received the support of the church. I actually
believe that a minister can not be paid – of course because they are not
working for the ministry (church) but are serving God. I therefore don’t look
for a salary when I am considering ministry since I can only be facilitated to
serve God through the people He sends my way.
But
I digress. Posterity is the number one reason for this compromise, even
corruption of what is very clear in the Bible. It is normal to want to leave my
posterity better than I was raised. And that is the problem we are dealing
with.
You
see ministry is unto God. He is the one who owns me and my posterity. Taking my
posterity in my hands, especially by corrupting God’s principles and standards
is extremely dangerous. Not only is it dangerous for me but is especially so
for the posterity I am so concerned for. That is the reason it is very
instructive to consider the eunuch. This means leaving them fully in the hands
of God who has called me. Then my posterity is in far better hands.
I
think this is the reason Jeremiah was ordered not to get married, I think so that
he will remain focused on the ministry God had called him to without being
unduly concerned for his family due to the times he lived. Paul said as much in
1st Corinthians 7. Remember Ezekiel being ordered not to mourn his
wife? No wonder it is called the higher calling! We are supposed to make
choices for God which may run directly counter to our main interests,
especially concerning our posterity. Posterity is one great motivation to bend
the rules of our calling in order to build a nest for our future. I am sure
that the greediest grabbers have posterity as their driving force.
And
that is the reason Christ challenged us to really count the cost before
endeavoring to follow Him. This is because the cost is most prohibitive. It is
only by grace that we are able to do it. This includes our choice to make
ourselves eunuchs for the kingdom. By this I mean following God without looking
back, first at what I left and second at the ones following me. It will
necessarily mean leaving my posterity in the hands of Him whose call I have
responded to.
Failure
to do so will open the same posterity to judgment through me. I will lose the
only connection that can safely assure my posterity of all security. Again this
brings another scripture to mind
And
he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same
shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and
lose himself, or be cast away? (Luke
9: 23 – 25)
Does this bring any clarity on our
topic? I hope so. Though my system cries unceasingly for my posterity, God
seems to say that my security lies more in what I lose than what I gain, in
fact there is no assurance about the gaining.
I don’t know whether this is the
reason quite a number of minister’s children turn out the opposite of what
their parents preached and practiced. Could it be that they took ministry as
personal property and diverted all inward? Could it be that they became scared
of being unfairly shoved aside from the ministry they had invested so heavily
that they consciously created structures that entrenched them at the helm?
Could it be that they became workaholics so that they remain being wanted,
neglecting their family in the process? Could it be that they forgot that the
family is a vital aspect of ministry and converted them to just recipients of
his largesse?
I know there are more reasons for
the same and will not want even to deal with them as this is not the main
thrust of this message. I also don’t want us for a moment to forget that the
minister is in the devil’s crosshairs from the moment he responded to God’s
call because the enemy can safely predict the damage the minister will have on
his kingdom should he remain focused on his calling. In fact most would have
focused on that aspect but I choose to focus on what I have control of, my
actions, decisions and attitudes. And that is the reason I am talking of things
that have a capacity of calling for God’s wrath on the minister.
Joseph is one person who wraps up
much of what we are saying here. He is exposed to so much trust yet puts a
limit to the extent of his authority. Just look at how he responds to an
approach many would treat as a breakthrough, a great open door.
But he … said unto
his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath
to my hand; There is none
greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but
thee, because thou art his
wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? (Gen 39:8, 9)
He
knew the limits of his authority. It may have been probable that even that
master won’t have minded him sleeping with his wife so that he can raise such a
bright kid in his name but Joseph knew God’s standard, even in a godless
society. And no wonder that he could access authority that nobody else had
though you can be sure many sought. And he had just suggested that they look
for a man and everybody realized that only Joseph had any capacity for carrying
out his recommendation.
Thou shalt be over
my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the
throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no
man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. (Genesis 41:41, 44)
We
would expect Joseph to take such authority with zest as it did not entail any
consultation. He was the boss, period. The only thing he couldn’t be is called
the Pharaoh. Yet we see him consulting the king who according to the authority
he had delegated actually was much more junior to Joseph. He was only a
ceremonial king with all the other duties handed over to Joseph. That is what
the signet signified. Yet Joseph was so submitted to God that this power had no
chance of getting into his head.
We
see him consulting the king again and again especially when it concerned his
family being settled in Egypt. Though he had the authority I am convinced he
didn’t think it fair to make a decision on his family just because all
authority belonged to him. The fact that the king allowed him everything he
asked did not give Joseph leeway to overlook him. The fact that even the king
was authoritatively subject to his leadership did not give Joseph the blank
cheque to do all that he wanted. It seems so foolish of him not to have changed
the constitution to give unlimited privileges to his posterity after his demise
since I am sure the king, even all of Egypt would have been delighted to extend
the same to a person of Joseph’s caliber. Is that how we operate?
Let
us look also at Christ. He was God in the flesh when He walked the earth. He
had all authority as He said in Matthew 28, yet we do not see Him putting even
1% of the same to use. He is being harassed by everybody from the devil he
created to an earthly army to a priesthood that He had established. Imagine
being spat on by a person you had created! He had authority to deal with all
conclusively. You see He was the one who sent the chariots and armies of fire
all around Elisha and they were even then under his authority. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my
Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew
26:53) It was only that He knew the limits of His authority were the assignment
He had come to accomplish.
If
these two cases do not help us understand what I have been trying to explain
with so many words, then I will close my case by giving this passage to meditate
on.
Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of
God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no
reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:6 – 8)
Let
me close by saying that I am also a minister and what I write probably applies
more to me than to you. But I hope that the challenge God has given me will
encourage you to look at your ministry the way God would look at it to see
whether He is pleased with our efforts at serving Him.
May we be found the good and
faithful servants that God will reward us with even greater authority!
Otherwise we could be tossed aside to a place there is weeping and gnashing of
teeth with the dogs as Christ warned.
Gituma M’Ikiara
+254 722 220 147
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