THE END is near. Prophecies about the second coming of Jesus Christ are being fulfilled. True and false men of God are all over the place preaching, teaching and performing all kinds of miraculous signs in the name of God. Apostle Alfred Nyamekyeh, General Overseer of House of Faith Ministries recently sent me a revealing message under the above heading via the WhatsApp platform which I think will interest you. Enjoy!
INTRODUCTION
If we are to bring back the glory, honour, respect and sacredness of the Church, we must start with Pastors. The condition of the Church today is a direct result of the quality of Pastors the Church has produced over the years. Every Sunday, tens of thousands of Pastors mount the pulpit to preach and talk to people. They have different motives, characters, habits and beliefs. They display various personality traits. While some are happy, others are hungry; while some are joyful, others are sad; while some are positive, others are negative; while some are honest, others are deceitful. While some are saints, others are chronic sinners and while some are real, others are fake and charlatans.
In my years of researching, teaching and interacting with Pastors, I have come to discover various kinds of Pastors. I hope Pastors will through this teaching discover who they really are, where they stand and reposition themselves.
The Place of Pastors (Jeremiah 3:15).
Pastors must be Men of God, true, genuine, godly, relevant and transparent. They must be called, commissioned and commanded by the Lord. They must be God’s men in God’s place at God’s time. Pastors are crucial to the life and vibrancy of the Church. The Church cannot rise above her Pastor. God will not do anything in the absence of the Pastors. The conditions of the Churches today are simply a reflection of the kinds of Pastors leading them.
Kinds of Pastors Today
I have come to discover 12 kinds of Pastors that are visible in the Church today. Though not all, but these twelve represent majority of Pastors leading Churches today. I hope you can find who you are among these twelve descriptions.
- BUSINESSMEN PASTORS (Isaiah 56:10,11).
Description: They are businessmen and women who see the ministry as avenue to make money. They function as the Chief Executive Officers of their Churches. The Church is run along business principles. Their major emphasis is money, finance, prosperity and how to make it. They are in absolute control of everything.
Basic Motive: Gain and profit. Their programmes are targeted at how much money is realized. They are using God’s name, the Church and the Bible to make money and enrich themselves.
Demerits: No heaven-mindedness, disciples and godliness. They breed Christians who are greedy of gain, profit-oriented, thieves and crooks. They engage in lying, fantastic promises and spurious prophesies. They apportion Church position to the highest bidder.
Way Out: True repentance, freedom from financial lucre and restoration of balanced truth to the church. Business Pastors have brought much bad image to the Church.
- FUNKY PASTOR (2 Timothy 4:3, 4; Jeremiah 6:13)
Description: Worldly, carnal, ungodly Pastors who water down the gospel to please people. They dress anyhow and they allow anything in the Church. They are immoral and sex-maniac who take advantage of people. Their messages are the Church liberty, ministry on the broadways, easy way to heaven and making you somebody in life.
Basic Motives: Keep the people happy. Don’t offend them by telling them the truth. They exert influence and power over people in order to get their money. Youth and young people enjoy these kinds of Pastors.
Demerits: No mention of sin, evil, hell or righteousness. Their focus is miracle, blessing and breakthroughs. Secular talk shows are allowed. Immorality, extra-marital affairs and pre-marital sex are overlooked all in the belief that God is a loving God. Funky pastors have brought much shame to the Pastoral ministry and their name.
Way Out: Genuine repentance and restitution, or else…
To be continued
FROM James Quansah, Kumasi