Wounded Fighters 3

As we continue looking at ministers who insisted on continuing ministering despite injuries, many of the injuries so deep as could be crippling, I want us to look at a few other scenarios and outcomes of their ‘ministry’.

As we have already seen, injury makes one dread companionship, especially close and on an equal footing as they already feel exposed.

How then will they minister?

Two ways.

One is that they will take complete charge of whatever ministry they will be doing. This means that 

they will insist on being on top of all things, especially if the injury involved exploitation. It means they will apply an iron hand on whoever may be interested in joining him.

They will also leave no chance for second guessing who is in charge.

I suspect that most pastors and bishops who insist on having a picture of them with their wife on signboards and stationary have injuries. Then no upstart has any chance of repeating what he has already gone through as all routes are blocked.

As a result of that they will demand loyalty as a test of one’s commitment. This means he will lock out independent thinkers and anyone not ‘completely sold out’ to his agenda.

This presents two major problems, the major one being that they will become more central than the Christ they think they are preaching. This means that they have actually joined the anti-christ indirectly. Sorry I am being so brutal.

They also are unable to attract any useful spiritual partnership because you can’t retain a spiritual partner when they must do things your way to make you feel safe. A truly spiritual person is first and foremost accountable to Christ before joining another minister.

Thus, in seeking to buffer yourself from hurt, you have completely blocked any opportunity for healing.

Iron sharpens iron by constant friction and scraping and chipping off parts of itself. And that is how spiritual healing occurs.

A downside of that is that you will get more than your complete share of conmen who will become everything you are looking for to exploit you, but as underlies. They will be loyal and fight off challenges which many times could be people God is sending to heal and help you recover. They will fight off and even kill anyone and anything that threatens their leechy attraction to you by swearing unwavering loyalty. They will even support you when you sin because they become more powerful then. You see, their agenda is self-gratification and nowhere near God’s will or purpose.

On the surface you could be looking all fine and healthy but it is a different story when your driving force is looked at.

I look at some rants by ministers and see this very clearly. Why does a minister swear at and even threaten other ministers and members? Does it mean that your imitation of Christ is perfect that you have become Christ personified? Do you have to always remind people that you are anointed or do you have doubts about that anointing that you must shout it out to believe?

The truth is that fighting a pastor is not necessarily fighting against God. Even Abraham was rebuked in the incident in which we get the verse, ‘touch not Mine anointed’. Peter was rebuked by Paul. In fact, if we followed the Bible, not being challenged proves you are illegitimate and not a son. You are not iron and so can’t be sharpened. It could actually be an indication that you are not in the faith you profess.

 It is not an indicator of spiritual health when you stop being challenged. It therefore means that you must have enough friends who will challenge your faith for it to be healthy.

The second way is maintaining a safe distance in your ministry relationships. You then think there is no chance of the injury repeating itself.

Thus you will minister with gloves on. They dread the impromptu, the emergency as it exposes them.

That is why you see a pastor who can only be seen on appointment. And even in that appointment you must say what you want to see him about so that he can have the gloves on.

Let us continue with that later