Will All of The

REAL pastors

PLEASE Stand Up!

 

 

-3-

 

 

With the passing of the ministry of Joseph & the subsequent enslavement of Israel, God chose Himself another Shepherd to be appointed over His flock. This man came from the most unlikely of sources & yet was taken right from under Pharaoh’s nose. That man was Moses. People often forget that Moses’ illustrious & potentially lucrative career in Egypt was ended prematurely, but nevertheless providentially. Killing another man unnecessarily, in a fit of rage, isn’t the wisest of moves when your adopted grandfather is Pharaoh, but somehow God looked at the scenario & perhaps thought to Himself; now there’s a bloke that I can use. Given the circumstances, Moses was forced to run for his life. In order to escape the wrath of the king & its obvious penalty, he ran away to Midian. There, he became a keeper of sheep just like Abel, taking the role on from the seven daughters of Reuel, aka Jethro, whom he had defended against other Shepherds when they came to water their flock (Exodus 2:16-21). This is another Pastoral trait Moses faithfully executed this duty until the day The Angel of The Lord called to him out of the bush that burned, but was not consumed of the flames (Exodus 3:2). Let me say something that I think is important. Moses’ act of murder, although definitely wrong, reveals something pastoral in his nature. A true Shepherd protects his flock & is prepared to lay his life down for them. Instinctively, when he saw an Israelite being mistreated, Moses killed the abuser. In any reasonable context it’s plain that Moses, given his position in Egypt, possessed enough authority to stop the abuse with a simple command. Yet he didn’t. He killed the Egyptian & hid his body. However, a day later he sees two Hebrews arguing & steps in to find out why they’re in dispute (Exodus2:11-15). Rightly or wrongly, a bonafide Shepherd will deal with a wolf severely, however, he’ll approach & treat the flock very differently. Moses definitely possessed a Pastor’s heart. 

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back side of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb (Exodus 3:1). 

God looks at the heart of a man. Given the task ahead, The Lord decided that Moses was the one for the job & as stated previously, Moses proved that he was more prepared to protect & defend the flock under any & every circumstance than many who are occupying pulpits. I use the word occupy deliberately because these men act like dictators. Just like Pharaoh, some leaders in The Church at large rule their congregations with force & cruelty. They abuse the flock of God biblically, financially, psychologically, emotionally & even sexually. This is heartbreaking to witness, but I have seen it happen many, many times. 

Being a Shepherd is a full time requirement & as with any place of service; when the master calls, you answer. Yet The Church has happily accepted the cart being before the horse in this matter & continues to fund, follow & feed men who have no right to be where they are. It seems to me that certain parts of The Church, as well as the men who claim to be its leaders, have forgotten the example of the One Who said that He was The Good Shepherd & that He laid His life down for the sheep. 

It’s impossible to sincerely hold Christ as the head of The Church whilst systematically abusing His flock. 

Over the years I’ve seen a lot of things with my own eyes & heard a lot of things with my own ears. In the midst of it all I’ve come to realise that The Lord has allowed me to witness everything that I have, to one chief end; I have learned how not to do particular things. I’ve seen ministry with little or no accountability, yet incredibly gifted spiritually, become a law unto itself. I’ve known men personally who were genuinely called of God & anointed by Him, succumb to the love of money & were subsequently seduced by it. I’ve seen Pastoral care sold out in favour of psycho-babble & cheap motivational talk in order to get bums on seats. I’ve known ministers who were Shepherds in name & wolves by nature. I’ve seen all of these things happen in one fellowship & much more besides. 

Anyone who is talented as a speaker, or storyteller, who preaches a popular message & has the right image, can carve out a lucrative career for themselves & become immensely prosperous by shamelessly abusing the sheep ad infinitum. So it is. Where are those like Abel, who are prepared to lay their lives down in order to execute their office righteously? Where are those like Joseph, who think more of others than themselves & who give far more than they take? Where are men like Moses, who loved God’s people more than they loved him? Truly Paul states to The Church at Corinth, ‘And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved’ (2^nd Corinthians 12:15). I tell you, men like these are few & far between because real pastoral ministry is hard work. It is often lonely. It is frequently thankless. Yet God rewards His truly faithful Shepherds with an unfading crown of glory (1^st Peter 5:4). 

By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward (Hebrews 11:24-26). 

Moses’ calling wasn’t about him; it was about God’s people. It was about the sheep. He didn’t ask for the job & when The Lord offered it to him he didn’t want it. There were no benefits. There was no salary. There was no compensation package. No pension plan. God was asking this man, who had spent many years tending his father-in-law’s sheep, to Shepherd His people Israel. Moses loved his brethren enough to commit murder. He loved them enough to turn his back on Egypt. He loved them enough to obey The Lord & return to lead them out. He loved them. These are qualities every Shepherd ought to have. Yet there are many so called Shepherds who do not love or even like their congregants. Except their favourites, of course. 

However, when Moses went to the elders & took them with him to see Pharaoh, the ruler refused their request & did not rightfully acknowledge The Lord as God. He increased their workload & the children of Israel were not happy about it at all. ‘And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: and they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us’(Exodus 5:20-21). Under his leadership, Israel was miraculously delivered from Egypt & after they passed through the parted waters of The Red Sea, they sang the song of Moses (Exodus 15:1-21). Moses was the man. ‘And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.’(Exodus 14:31). 

As we’ll see, people can be fickle in their affections. So can leadership. Some will gladly take the money. Counting the cash & counting the days until something better comes along. Moses is continually called God’s servant throughout scripture & The Lord held him in high regard. Can this be said about some of those in leadership today? 

When Israel came to Marah & the waters were too bitter for them to drink, they were thirsty, so they murmured against Moses. Moses cried out to God & he was shown a tree that made the water drinkable when it was cast in. They entered the wilderness of Sin & the people were hungry, so they murmured against Moses & Aaron. The Lord provided them with Quail in the evening & Manna in the morning. 

They came & pitched at Rephidim & again the people were thirsty, so they chided Moses & murmured against him. Again, Moses cried out to God on their behalf & The Lord provided water for them out of the rock. When Moses was with God in Sinai, receiving the Ten Commandments, the children of Israel bullied Aaron into erecting a golden calf for them to worship. This angered The Lord to the point that He wanted to wipe Israel out completely. Once again, Moses intercedes. (Exodus 32:11-12). 

Moses went as far as to say that if God was not able to forgive Israel’s sin, that He should blot his name out from before Him. This is a Pastor’s heart. 

Miriam & Aaron murmured against Moses & this angered The Lord. He affectionately defends the man He calls His servant. As soon as The Lord’s presence leaves, Miriam is struck with leprosy & Aaron quickly repents. What does Moses do? He prays for her. He intercedes, just as he had done whenever Israel spoke against him. This is a man who loved God’s people more than they loved him. Like all true Shepherds, Moses cried out to God on Israel’s behalf even when they sinned against The Lord by speaking evil of him. Time after time, Moses’ first response is to intercede on behalf of the flock of God & The Lord responds in kind according to his request. A true Shepherd does this on behalf of God’s people, even when they murmur & rebel. 

This humble servant of The Lord was spoken to intimately by God, as a man to a friend & yet for all of his access to The Lord he was described as the meekest man on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3)). In Moses we see a Pastor who pleads with The Lord on behalf of his congregation, not for himself, but for them & for The Lord’s Names sake. 

And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd (Numbers 27:15-17). 

A true Shepherd will desire everything for the sheep that The Lord desires & he will do everything he can to see that they receive it, even beyond his tenure. Lord Jesus, give us men like this man. Give us Pastors after your own heart. 

²⁰ Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron (Psalms 77:20). 

copyright © by David Samuel Parkins mmxvi all rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

Will All of The

REAL pastors

PLEASE Stand Up!

 

 -2-

Pastoral service in particular & the ministry of The Church in general, ought to take its cue from The Lord Jesus Christ. I say that it ought to, but it doesn’t always. Why not? Doesn’t The Church have a mountain of evidence, a multitude of examples & an abundance of Scripture that makes this clear? That’s a rhetorical question. Times have changed & I guess we just have to change with them, right? Although the State Church has definitely had a head start in terms of its accumulation of prosperity, property & power, the modern Church has chosen to follow in its wake. For leadership of this ilk, this is completely understandable, given the sacrificial alternative. In the tradition that I come from, Pastors were revered. They were loved, lifted up & listened to. However, the men who ministered when I was coming up were very different to the new breed of professional ministers present in The Church today. My Pastor & men like him cared deeply for their flocks. We knew where they lived & were often in their homes. They knew where we lived & visited us if we weren’t seen at services. Whenever they prayed God answered them. If anyone was sick they were visited by the elders of The Church & anointed with oil in the Name of The Lord. Our Pastors bought shopping for us. They clothed us on occasion & their wives would cook for us. Lord have mercy, those women could cook! Lord knows, I miss those days & I miss those men of God. As well as all of this, we were reproved, rebuked & exhorted whenever it was necessary. Those men knew they were charged with our oversight & they took that calling seriously enough to execute it in the fear of God. They eschewed the trappings of the world as primary concerns & they continually exhorted us to do the same thing. All of this was an example to the flock, but I was too proud, blind & stupid to appreciate it. Foolishly, I embraced The Charismatic Movement & with it I saw a side to pastoral ministry that in time, would come to seriously haunt me. 

In our last meeting we looked at Abel, the first Shepherd & we will come back to him when we take our masterclass from The Chief Shepherd Himself, The Lord Jesus Christ. As we move through The Scriptures, we come to Joseph. Abraham had flocks, as did his grandson Jacob, who became Israel. The sons of Israel including Joseph were all keepers of sheep & so began a long typological & pastoral tradition. 

 ² Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren (Genesis 37:2). 

Joseph was Jacob’s favourite & the son of his old age, but this affection earned him the hatred of his other siblings. He did himself no favours by reporting them to their father & recounting the dreams that he had concerning their future obeisance to him. The brothers conspired to murder him, but Reuben was against this & suggested that Joseph was thrown into a pit. He had every intention of getting the lad home to his father. Instead, Judah elected that Joseph be sold into slavery & this was done behind Reuben’s back. 

They stripped him of his coat, dipped it in the blood of a kid & gave it to Jacob when they returned home. Jacob was beside himself with grief, assuming that a wild beast had killed him in the wilderness. In Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar. Potiphar’s wife took a shine to the young man & tried to seduce him. Well, you know the rest of that story. Joseph ended up in prison for attempted rape, but was favoured in prison by the keeper of the jail. 

Joseph the Shepherd boy was now Pastor of the king’s prison. ‘And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it’ (Genesis 39:22). Pharaoh’s chief butler & baker were also in prison with Joseph ‘And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward’ (Genesis 40:4). When dealing with the flock of God, a true Pastor’s calling & duty is that of service & care. I have heard many a sweaty & emotional motivational sermon on Joseph’s rise from the pit to the palace & God’s ability to raise us up out of any circumstances. Although technically his journey was from the pit, to the slave auction, to Potiphar’s house, to the prison & then to the palace. Sorry. But Joseph’s life reveals much more than that. He reveals Christ as Messiah, beloved of The Father, sent to his own who didn’t receive Him. Joseph also reveals Christ as Shepherd & notice that before Joseph was raised up to lead, he already possessed a Pastor’s heart & that never left him. 

As a result of interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams concerning the coming famine, Joseph is elevated to ruler over Egypt, second only to the king himself. He’s also given a Gentile bride. The famine was so severe that we’re told ‘And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands’ (Genesis 41:57). Jacob orders his sons to go down into Egypt to buy corn & the ten of them go, leaving Benjamin, the youngest, behind. They fail to recognise their brother, who is now 13 years older than he was when they last saw him. Joseph is now 30 years old ‘And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him’ (Genesis 42:7). He sells them corn but has their money put back into their sacks, essentially feeding them for free. This is a Pastor; he always gives far more than he takes. So many leaders miss this. 

The second time that they come to buy corn, Benjamin the youngest is with them. Joseph goes even further, feeding them & giving his youngest brother five times as much as the others. He again gives his brothers as much as they can carry at no charge. Can you see the Pastor & how he cares for those who are under his governance?  

And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you.And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: and there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty (Genesis 45:4-11). 

When Joseph’s family are brought to Egypt, Joseph demonstrates unequivocally that he had never lost touch with his Pastoral roots. He gives his family strict instructions, saying, ‘And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians’ (Genesis 46:33-34). 

And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers. They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen. And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle (Genesis 47:3-6). 

In this, we see that Joseph was not simply a Shepherd by occupation, but as a true Pastor at heart. He was humble, with a servant’s disposition. What he did was done for the good of others, not for money, not for recognition or for power & yet he ended up with all of these things. However, what he prised far more highly, were those he was able to bless, serve & save. He is a true type of Christ. Joseph was a true Pastor. Just as it was prophesied of him; from thence is the Shepherd, the stone of Israel (Genesis 49:24). Modern ministry could learn a lot from studying the life of Joseph & pastors could achieve a lot by following his example. 

When Israel died & Joseph buried him, his brothers feared repercussion, ‘And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them’ (Genesis 50:19-21). Joseph never, ever stopped being a Shepherd. 

And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families (Genesis 47:12). 

Joseph fed his flock. When there was no money left to buy food, Joseph still fed the people. He took their cattle, their horses, their flocks & their asses in exchange for bread for that year. When the people returned & had no money or livestock, offering him their lands & themselves, Joseph still fed them. He also gave them seed to sow in order that they might feed themselves & their families. 

And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones (Genesis 47:24). 

Again, Joseph demonstrates the heart of a true Pastor. He gives more than he is asked for, more than has to, more than he takes. How many so called men of God do this today? Whatever Joseph had was given to him. He didn’t engineer it. He truly gave God the glory for saving his life in order that he might save the lives of others. The ministry today is not like that. The ministry today would rather enrich itself on the backs of those who are hungry & thirsty, who come to The Church for bread week after week. Yet week after week they are pressed for their donations & when their cash runs out, they’re asked for more. They take jewellery. They take property. When there is nothing left to give & the people faint because of a lack of bread, these so called Shepherds will make their people donate their free time as volunteers, rather than pay them. I have seen this done & it makes me nuclear with an incandescent rage. 

The word that Joseph gave to Pharaoh came to pass, but these men prophesy falsely, always telling their flock that something is about to happen. Just keep giving. The famine will soon be over, while it is they who starve God’s people, line their pockets & fatten themselves. Where are the real Pastors? Where are the true Shepherds? 

Eventually, Joseph died, having given instructions concerning his bones. A king arose in Egypt who didn’t know Joseph & because of his xenophobia he invokes bondage on the Israelites & instructs the Hebrew midwives to kill any males born among the Jews. Thankfully the women disobey this instruction, claiming that the Hebrew women deliver too quickly. God blessed them for this & Pharaoh ordered that every male child was to be cast into the river (Exodus 1:8-22). Then, there came a certain son, of the tribe of Levi.

 

 

 

 

 

copyright © by David Samuel Parkins mmxvi all rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

Will All of The

REAL Pastors

PLEASE Stand Up!

 

-1-

 

What I write here, are my views as a sheep & as someone who needs to be both led & fed. Ultimately, we know that The Lord is our Shepherd, but we also have to recognise that He has placed men in ministry to lead & feed the flock. Depending on where we fellowship, the pastoral shepherding model will differ. These articles are not an analysis of particular styles. As the title suggests, there are those who are not doing their job. A job for which they will give an account to Jesus Christ, The Head of The Church. This is dire for congregations. Either these men are not called or they are in disobedience. They will perform the minimum amount of work for their benefits, salary & pensions. This has to stop, for the sake of the sheep. I know that what I write may ruffle the feathers of those who are sitting pretty in ministry but avoiding their duties. His concern is His flock & He will judge those who neglect or abuse them.

Somehow or other, modern leadership within The Church has either lost its memory or lost its mind. Gone are the days when ministry was built & centred on the loving service of God’s people, in answer to the call of God. In days gone by, people thought twice about claiming that they were called to the ministry & those already in places of service, went to much greater lengths to see those callings confirmed, than people are willing to go to today. Ministry often meant sacrifice, discomfort, late nights & early mornings. It meant spending time in study & prayer, when others were enjoying leisure activities & kicking back as it were. Sometimes the called were labelled as being a bit weird or super spiritual because of their preoccupation with the things of God, but this was a badge of honour for those whom The Lord’s hand was upon. ‘And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron’(Hebrews 5:4).

¹ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ² Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? ³ Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. ⁴ The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them (Ezekiel 34:1-5). 

Of all the ministries that serve The Church, the Pastor is the one who will have the most contact with the flock. I’ve heard Pastors described in derogatory terms in times past, portrayed as a type of wet nurse or wiper of noses. However, this is not the picture that Scripture paints. The Pastor holds a responsibility that in my opinion is very noble indeed. However, a significant number of men who describe themselves as being in pastoral ministry, are not Shepherds; they’re more akin to rustlers. When The Lord stirred Ezekiel to prophesy against these men, He may very well have been speaking directly to those in leadership at that time, but His words echo very loudly today.

Jeremiah makes a similar proclamation when prophesying concerning the return of the remnant, saying, ‘Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD’ (Jeremiah 23:1-4).

Both here, in Jeremiah 23 & in Ezekiel 34, The Lord makes it abundantly clear that He will raise up a true Shepherd. This Shepherd ought to be the model for all pastoral ministry because the care of the flock of God is paramount in its importance to Him. Throughout Scripture, God erupts with fierce anger towards those who abuse the sheep & yet time & time again we see those who either haven’t learned this lesson, or simply do not care. They don’t have a Pastor’s heart & I believe that this quality is the very first indicative thing that The Lord deposits in a man’s life when He calls him to feed the flock of God.

What is a Pastor’s heart? A man with a Pastor’s heart will desire everything for The Church that The Lord desires & he will do everything he can to see that they get it.

³⁵ And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. ³⁶ But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. ³⁷ Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; ³⁸ Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. (Matthew 9:35-38). 

³² And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. ³³ And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. ³⁴ And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:32-34).

The Lord always wants a man set over His congregation so that His people are not like sheep who have no Shepherd. Moses prayed before he died; ‘..saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no Shepherd (Numbers 27:15-17). However, in these days, the Pastor’s role has been redefined, as have other ministries within The Church & the Shepherd is no longer the servant of God’s people; he’s their ruler. This is not the model that Jesus gave to us. This is not the example He set. This is not pastoral ministry. If a man isn’t moved with compassion towards his flock, he’s not a Pastor.

The harvest is plenteous. The labourers are few. This is true because there are fewer genuine Pastors in The Church than we may think. They’re outnumbered by those who eat the fat, clothe with the wool & kill the fed. They rule with force & with cruelty instead of serving with gentleness & kindness. The new breed of minister runs his church & drives his congregation, he doesn’t lead, ignoring the admonition of Scripture & the model given by Christ.

Many years ago, when I foolishly embraced the popular & dominant aspects of the Charismatic Movement, it was this new model of ministry that was on display. Little did I know that it was diametrically opposed to everything ministry was meant to be. The Church was big business & boy oh boy was business booming. Gone was the humble servant of God & man, with a handful of people he’d probably won to Christ himself & discipled personally. Now we had Pastors who were heads of corporations. Their church memberships were in the high hundreds & even into the thousands. They lived, breathed, ate & spoke faith. This was the key to their success.

Along with their positions came the relevant accoutrements. Property. Money. Cars. Jets. Property. Money. Did I mention the property & money? I think I did. You see, being a Pastor now meant a regular income, recognition & relative comfort, especially if you hammered your congregation regularly & repeatedly with teaching on tithes & offerings. From this regular income, a salary is deduced as well as bonuses & several other benefits. There was also the added enhancement of paying no tax whatsoever, with charity status being awarded to most if not all churches & believe me, charity definitely began at home. We were assured that this was all good though, God wanted to bless us all & as the infamous Benny Hinn once said, ‘..when God wants to bless you, he makes your pastor rich first’.

The first of many questions for me is a simple one; just where did The Church get its model for this particular type of ministry? Did it come from the world or did it come from The Word? That’s a rhetorical question. If we begin with the case of Abel, the very first Shepherd & type of Christ, we will begin to forge some answers.

 ¹ And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. ² And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³ And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. ⁴ And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: ⁵ But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell (Genesis 4:1-5).

When Adam sinned against God, he was told unequivocally, ‘..Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field: in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return (Genesis 3:17-19).

Cain took after his father in that he tilled the ground & out of this environment he brought an offering to God. Cain took his model from the world & wanted God to bless it, but God would not & did not. Cain’s actions were those of a belief system that constructs its own doctrine, its own traditions, its own rules & its own worship. The Lord does not have any respect for this; ‘..but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect..’. Not just the offering, but the man himself because of his heart & character. If you take your model from the world, God will not recognise you and He will not recognise your works. God testified of Abel’s gifts, not Cain’s (Hebrews 11:4).

This is nothing new. Jude says, ‘But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah’ (Jude 10-11). The way of Cain, which is always proliferated by those who are tillers of the soil & not those who are not keepers of sheep, reveals exactly what false Shepherds are doing in & to The Church. Beware the way of Cain & those who are in it.

His brother Abel differed, in that he followed the sacrificial model God had instituted after our foreparents sinned. Abel was a keeper of sheep. He was a Pastor who pleased God in his character & with what he brought to Him. It’s impossible to be a Shepherd without giving your life & time to & for the sheep. Abel & the gifts he presented to God, the firstlings of the flock & their fat, are a model of God’s will & God’s way. This is why God had respect to him & to his works. Abel didn’t go the way of his natural father, Adam. Abel went the way of his heavenly Father, God. Cain went the way of the world. Abel went the way of The Word. Modern ministry, for the most part, has gone after the way of Cain.

During the 1990s, I remember being part of a conference about how churches ought to be set up. There were classes on administration, charity set-up et cetera. The videos we watched, sermons we listened to & books we read all told us that there was no real biblical pattern. We were all enthralled by stories of men who had started Bible studies in their lounges with a handful of people or family, they had seen these meetings grow to the point where a facility had to be rented & then eventually a building was either built or purchased. This was standard operating procedure for Pentecostals & Charismatics.

What we weren’t told about, were the ministerial discussions held behind closed doors, the deals done under tables or any of the agreements reached in backrooms. You see, although the meetings we all attended were called Church Planting & Missions Conferences, the truth is that they were that in name only. After the way of Cain, churches were being built after a business model just like the world. The Pastor was no longer a servant of the flock, he was now an MD or CEO. As the head of a corporation, he would live, dress, earn & speak as one.

This was the offering that was sold to The Church & one which The Church gave itself to wholeheartedly. However, a vital part of proceedings was overlooked entirely; God’s approval. It’s one thing to offer something to The Church, but quite another thing entirely to offer something to The Lord. The popular messages of faith & prosperity were sufficient to attract the attention of some of the sheep, but sheep aren’t the smartest animals on the planet. What counts is whether God has respect for & gives recognition to us & to our offering & the only way that happens is when we do His will in a way that He prescribes. Abel, the first Pastor, learned this & was faithful with it. Cain was not & murdered his brother.

¹² Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous (1^st John 3:12).

What Cain did was all about him but what Abel did was all about The Lord. As I stated earlier, those who are genuinely called will happily forego whatever temporal pleasures & benefits they have to in order to answer & obey God. But those chosen to be Shepherds of His flock have to have a heart for God’s people, a heart that only The Lord can give to them. Those who have gone after the way of Cain have no heart for the sheep whatsoever. Their agenda is selfish; it’s all about them.

In Ezekiel’s prophecy against the Shepherds of Israel, The Lord’s concern was that his sheep were fed, recovered, healed, restored & protected. They were to be cared for lovingly despite their tendencies for straying & entering difficulty. Instead, these men were taking advantage of the flock of God, feeding themselves, clothing themselves & enriching themselves. This happens when the false Shepherd sees the flock as his & not God’s. This man doesn’t see himself as a servant; in his mind he’s a master.

As such, everything he says & does is a means to an end that has nothing to do with the needs of the sheep & all to do with maintaining his position & his possessions. The people in his congregation pay his salary & that of his wife, even though she probably does little or nothing. They pay for their house. They pay for his car & that of his wife, even though she does little or nothing. They pay all of their bills, provide them with benefits & bless them with gifts for birthdays & Christmas. How nice. Yet this man doesn’t care for the flock. All he wants is their attendance. He wants their tithes & offerings. He wants their custom. I have seen this with my own eyes over the years. It has to stop. Will all of the real pastors please stand up.

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