In recent times, there are accounts of preachers recanting their old practices. My guess is that these preachers have discovered that they were on their way to hellfire. They suddenly realized that if their faith is only on this earth, they are of all men the most to be pitied. These preachers quickly repented. At least, that is what we believe.
But what happens if you are not aware of their repentance and hence continue in your old ways? Ways that they religiously taught you and which you faithfully imbibed? Could you also be on your way to your pastor’s previous destination?
If ever you needed a reason to make Jesus your focus, this is it. The Bible cautions us not to look unto anybody but Jesus. Otherwise, you will end up like your pastor, a loser or earth as well as a loser in heaven.
Think of the thief on the cross. He was on his way to being of all men the most to be pitied. And yet, by focusing on Jesus, he went to paradise on the same day he was hanged. However, his friends, not aware of what transpired, probably continued in their old ways. Naturally, they would end up in hell.
You know, if you have been with us for a while, that our desire for you is the exact opposite. In fact, we want as many of us as possible to go to Heaven when the trumpet call sounds. That way, we can all go into Heaven to live with Jesus, the Savior of mankind.
Hence, we must be careful to avoid any practice that has a tendency towards hell. Rather, we should embrace knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) that propel towards Heaven.
Some Preachers Are Of All Men The Most To Be Pitied
Recently, I heard of a fine gentleman who stepped back from becoming a full-time preacher. Going into preaching full-time means that you are totally dependent on the generosity of others. You drop out of your secular job and focus on preaching to others. But apparently, he did not want that to be his situation.
Other pastors will probably condemn him for not having sufficient faith to trust God for provision. Meanwhile, if you look closely, you find that they are not trusting God either. Rather, they are putting their faith in their craftily worded wisdom of men.
Such preachers are actually depending on themselves and on how crafty they can be. Their faith is on earthly stuff; they have no hope of heaven. They are of all men the most to be pitied.
Yet they know and teach that cursed is the man who makes flesh (even your own) his strength. Those who depend on a man to sustain them have to adulterate the gospel for the benefit of their benefactors. Such preachers are very good at helping to scratch itching ears.
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And still, they claim to be depending on God as though their faith was in heaven. When, all the time, their faith is on earthly stuff, making them of all men the most to be pitied. They lose out on earth and then lose out in eternity. What can be more pitiable than that? All because they like to pretend that they have it all together.
They can fool some people some of the time but they cannot fool God at any time. The man who comes right out to say he does not want to give up on his secular job is honest. And honesty is what counts most with God.
Honesty Is Critical In Our Dealings With God
Take the woman at the Sychar well for instance. Jesus asked her to go and fetch her husband. I can think of half a dozen scenarios that she could have painted to avoid coming right out. But she did not use any of those pretenses. She courageously declared “I have no husband” and went on to paint an even more gruesome scenario.
After commending her honesty, Jesus wrote her name in His book of life on that very day. And just as instantly, the woman received a commission as an evangelist. Painful honesty is critical in our dealings with God. Otherwise, we may end up as being of all men the most to be pitied.
The pastor who is refusing to give up his secular work is honest. So was the Apostle Paul. He refused to give up his tent-making and gave us the reason why he took that stand. So that he would not be a burden to the believers to whom God had sent him. He was thus able to declare that he had renounced deceitfully using the word of God.
On the other hand, pastors who give up their secular work will tend to gravitate towards the highest bidder. They will of course, not be the first ones. There is an example of Micah’s priest who went with the highest bidder. He became a partaker of Micah’s idolatry, of all men the most to be pitied, associated with idolatry.
Evidently, this honest preacher will avoid such a pitfall. He will, like Paul, be able to preach the word of God without watering it down. His fellows meanwhile, will continue to peddle the word of God, to their eternal damnation. They are of all men the most to be pitied.
Not All Preachers Are Of All Men The Most To Be Pitied
Please note that this is not about all full-time preachers. Those who have the call of God will be blessed by God. However, those who respond to the call of men will need men to bless them.
And if you have ever depended on men’s kindness for your sustenance, you immediately see their problem. Those who look to man for provision are of all men the most to be pitied. In fact, they are no better than glorified beggars, always with their hands out
Meanwhile, those who have been commissioned by God have the backing of God. You will know them by their fruit. They are able to preach the uncompromised message of God. There is no namby-pamby in their delivery of the gospel.
Unequivocally, they declare, “Reject Jesus and God will reject you; accept Jesus and God will accept you.” They are able to do that because their sustenance comes from the one who called them.
If your pastor cannot preach that way, God did not call him. He is of all men the most to be pitied, losing out in the present as well as in eternity. You might want to separate from such a preacher, to avoid losing out in eternity.
Maranatha!
