Garbage In, Garbage Out 2

I know many have concluded, wrongly, that I meant that these fraudsters and wrong people in the pulpits are not believers. Nothing can be farther than the truth. Yet there might be some who are not regenerated and are in the ministry for the money. An example is these secular producers of ‘worship’ music.

My last post was meant to bridge the conversion and callings of these people in a healthy and fruitful way.

And I used the verse about novices to get us appreciate the fact that we are experiencing these abuses in ministry because we have overshot God’s target. In short, we have decided that we know better to establish our own standards.

I know many will ask what scriptural example I have apart from that single verse. And I got plenty.

But today I want to focus on one, Paul of Tarsus.

Paul’s background was one for which Christ Himself said that unless our righteousness exceeds theirs we cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven. He was thoroughly instructed in the scriptures, and observant too.

Yet why did he not venture straight into apostleship? Why did he not immediately become apostle to the gentiles?

I want us to notice this.

Why did God Himself call Paul as the assistant of sorts to Barnabas yet He knew that he would eventually become a leader? Why did Barnabas have to go for him in Tarsus? Why did the same guy introduce him to the church in Jerusalem? And why did he require Ananias to introduce him to the faith?

He was a new believer. Despite all his qualifications and skills, he was not ready to be launched into the nations as an apostle as he needed to grow in his new faith. Even his theological training was not sufficient in his new faith.

That is why Jesus Himself told him to wait for instructions, from men who were in the faith before him.

And we can see the progression in the growth when we read the book of Acts.

Yet what do we see when someone with the kind of CV converts into our faith?

Most will Ooh and Aah him to the pulpit. I suspect some pastor will readily welcome him to take over the pulpit so that he can then become a bishop.

No wonder we have so many backslidings. No wonder so much burn out. No wonder so much arrogance.

You see someone was not allowed to grow in a healthy way in his faith. He was launched into the deep end before he was taught to swim in his new faith.

He was like a child launched to the kitchen even before he can stand on his own. The best we can expect is a less than serious accident as an accident is inevitable.

How do we expect someone who was singing the devil’s song all of a sudden become fluent in composing balanced spiritual songs? How do we expect someone who has no idea about the Bible become full of the same Bible as to instruct people who have been in the faith all their lives? Do they even know how to instruct themselves in the faith?

That is why they will use the tactics they used in the world to run ministry as the new faith is actually foreign.

And that is the crux of my last post.

(I am posting this now as I might be unable to post next week on time since I am leaving for the Coast for ministry and might not have the chance or material to do it then. I will prayers and other support)