Lordship versus Prominence

And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back? And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. (2Kings 1: 5 – 8)

I have been teaching on the topic of Lordship for the past two or so months in the small congregation God sent me to and today I want us to look at one aspect that is so important especially for our days.

Why does the Lord’s servant need such a long CV to be allowed to minister these days?

Do you realize that in the Bible (and elsewhere) a lord denotes the presence of slaves? A lord can never have employees. That is why even the term lording it over others means trashing any other opinion. A lord’s opinion is never open to discussion.

I won’t go through the topic much because I have dealt with it more extensively in other posts on this blog.

It is important to realize that throughout the Bible you will never see any of God’s servants parading their credentials to gain validity or command a hearing. Their lord’s message was all the validity they needed.

Why did Elijah not first introduce himself to the king’s messengers? Why did they also not know this mighty prophet and this was many years after he first appeared in 1 Kings 17? Why did he not call a press conference or elders to validate that very accurate prophetic utterance?

Why was he Elijah the Tishbite? Or do we associate it to a title as opposed to the village he came from?

A slave has no name. He carries the name of his master. That is why Africans in America or Europe do not have African names. They lost them to their slave masters those many years ago.

A slave lives at the pleasure of his master. And that is what Christ called us.

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:10)

How many of us ministers ever entertain that reality? Yet this is what defines us.

Moses was so close to God that his face glowed from that proximity. Yet never do we see him parading that closeness or even using it to justify his person or ministry. God stood up for him again and again. From the Korah crowd to his siblings to the people he had rescued from slavery. He never fought for his rights because he had a master whose orders were sufficient to live and die for.

God’s servants don’t have names. They do not have CVs. They do not have rights. They live for their master. The only thing they are content with is being called by their master’s name.

In Acts we see them celebrating for being found worthy to suffer reproach, beatings and other persecution for His name. We are told that Peter was crucified upside down because being crucified like Christ was could have demeaned his Lord’s sacrifice in his eyes.

The prominence of a lord and his name determines and defines everything a servant does.

That is why I want to trash some of your favorite preachers and prophets. And I will use the Bible to make my point.

If your pastor or prophet demands recognition or respect, it is clear he does not serve Christ the Lord. If he parades his titles and achievements to qualify or justify his ministry, it really is his ministry and not Christ’s.

Safety or comfort does not come close to a servant’s priorities. Even death does not feature.

Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 21:13)

There is an expectation for such as part of His calling.

Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. (John 15:20)

Is your pastor or prophet the man or woman of the moment? Chances are that Christ is not their Lord.

Christ’s servants only promote His name and interests, nothing else. If your prominence is in any way comparable to His, He simply is not your Lord.

Another thing I will add is the focus of their messages or prophecies. God’s servants take His messages to His targeted recipients. He does not share with all and sundry to prove how accurately he can get God’s messages. He has nothing to prove on his person. His lord’s interest is paramount in any message he shares.

Elijah never took the king’s message to anybody else. Though it might have been easier, cheaper and safer to use other avenues to get the message to the king, he chose the riskiest route because that was the method his Lord required. Remember he was always at the direct risk of the queen as we see after the miracle of fire!

And we see that with other prophets. They took messages directly to their recipients. Remember that John the Baptist died for doing it to another king? Jeremiah was imprisoned severally for doing the same thing as were many other prophets.

Does it not surprise you that prophets nowadays use the press and their churches to take messages to people in authority? Is that what Nathan did with his explosive and dangerous message to David, a message that could easily have meant instant death had the king not been repentant?

Why does a prophet announce to the public or even his church a message to political leaders? Why grandstand with God’s message? Can it really be God’s message under those terms?

And I am not mentioning wholesale prophecies, the kind I see on social media because they are way below anything prophetic. God’s message is direct to the recipient, not to be sifted to get what is mine.

Nowhere in the Bible do I see a celebrity being God’s servant. Only a servant of the other side fits that bill. In fact the celebrity status many times converted a genuine servant into something else.

Balaam is a case in point. He became uncontrollable because to the earthly king he could counter God’s design as he knew a bit too much about His operations, a thing he did very effectively but died for doing it. So did Judas. Of course we also have King Saul. These became too famous for their own good as it made them overshadow their Lord.

Most of today’s prophets and ministers are not Christ’s. Though they may be as accurate as accuracy itself, their demeanor disqualifies them from being servants. What of the retinues accompanying them? What of the monies they must be given to effectively minister? What of the titles they employ? What of the requirement for secretaries to make sure that only the right persons can see them?

Whatever happened to Christ’s anointing that opens ministry to the poor, hurting and disenfranchised?

I will use two passages to prove to you that probably your pastor, prophet or spiritual leader does not serve Christ.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 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: 20 – 23)

Accurate, effective and powerful ministry is no indicator of God’s approval. Submission and obedience to God’s will is the only standard.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25: 41 – 46)

Please note that He is not talking about CSR or support raising projects or PR stunts. He is basing His judgment on the purpose for His anointing in Luke 4:18.

Do you also qualify as God’s servant?