Such influence does not come from the one who calls you" (Galatians 5:7-8, International Standard Version).
There is the story of a lady whose pastor made consistent sexual overtures to, telling her there was nothing wrong with it and that it is better for her to do it with him rather than with an unbeliever. In fact, the pastor told the lady that it was a spiritual relationship he was inviting her into. I also heard the story of a businessman who was being taught by his pastor how to cut corners and engage in unethical business practices so that he could make more money and bring more offerings to the church. And I was also told of a pastor who intentionally introduced a woman to someone who would help the woman's high school ward to cheat in an examination.
When your pastor asks you to do something that is unbecoming of a Christian, what do you do? How do you respond when a spiritual leader invites you into an unscriptural venture? How should you answer to an invitation to an ungodly journey by a supposedly godly person? The answer, of course, is to respectfully decline. Saying "No" in such a situation is not a sin before God, neither are you in anyway touching the Lord's anointed. You are only taking heed to ensure that no one stops you from obeying the truth. This is a very important matter because we are living in an era when more and more charlatans keep infiltrating the Body of Christ, claiming to be shepherds, whereas they are chronic wolves.
Another thing to do is to seek counsel from mature Christians. Although you should be able to draw counsel from any mature Christian you can access, it will be easier and a lot more helpful if you have been in a spiritual relationship with such mature brethren. One of the very first person to consider is your pastor's spiritual father, if he has one. This is one of the reasons why it could be dangerous to put yourself under a pastor who submits to nobody. However, you have to be careful that in seeking counsel from others, it doesn't become a case of backbiting, mudslinging or embarrassing the person of your pastor.
But the best thing to do is to fortify yourself against or ahead of such incidents. You do that by truly consecrating yourself to God. Consecrating yourself means completely setting your life apart unto God. It literally means dropping your whole life into God's offering basket and becoming His, absolutely, permanently and irretrievably. Genuine consecration will purify your conscience and make the voice of your spirit a reliable guide in your spiritual journey. Also, a truly and fully consecrated vessel is not easily susceptible to abuse. God's seal of ownership over his life serves as a repellant to abuse. If you suffer abuse or you are being invited into what is unbecoming of a believer, the first place to check is the level and sincerity of your consecration.
The second way to fortify yourself is by taking time to study the word of God for yourself. It is the Scripture you know that you can stay true to. We have been admonished that studying the word is what keeps us from shame, error and embarrassment (2 Timothy 2:15). I have found that generally in life, what is in you determines what comes to you. The truth is that those who don't have time to study the Scriptures must necessarily have time to be misled. If you don't have a place of importance for the word of God in your life, you have unwittingly created ample space for deception to creep into your life. Errors of life have a way of finding those who are in the habit of dodging moments of personal study of the Scriptures.
My dear friends, I urge you therefore to do what you need to do so that you may keep running your Christian race beautifully well. Fortify yourself so that no one would be able to cut in on you to stop you from obeying the truth. By the special grace of the one who has called you, may you be continually shielded from satanic errors designed truncate destinies.
No comments:
Post a Comment