Man of God or Man of Gold?

Are some of the Preachers and Pastors really men of God? I would rather call some of them “men of gold” rather than “men of God.” There is a difference with the “men of God” in the Bible and those for today. What is the difference?

The “man of gold” does not care whether he rightly interprets God’s word or if people are being led the way God has stipulated in his word. All that he is concerned about is that his bag of gold should keep increasing because that is his calling, to acquire wealth. So he will not rebuke, correct or instruct in righteousness. He tells the people what they desire to hear. He says, “You are blessed in your family, you are blessed at your work place, you are blessed in your bank accounts” and so on and so forth. Many are times they get a portion of Scripture and use it to suit their message. They take the passage out of context. The following is an example of what you hear in their sermons:

“The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 8:9 that …Jesus became poor so that through his poverty you might become rich. So this means each one of you is blessed. Hallelujah Church, Hallelujah!! Hehehe! You see when you are blessed, you are blessed. Hehehe! This suit I am wearing I just got straight from Italy. Look at your neighbor and say Italy! Hehehe! Hallelujah. People say we cannot preach in Jeans but I wear my suits with Jeans. Look at your neighbor and say Jeans. Hehehe! Hallelujah.” This weekend I spent some time watching some soccer on my new LG flat screen. Oh, you should see the size of that screen. It is massive. I am a supporter of Real Madrid and we worn actually. Those are rich teams for men like me. Everyone say real Madrid! Hallelujah! But there is this team called Liverpool which has gone bankrupt and I think they need the “man of Gold” to go and pray for their deliverance amen? Look at your neighbor and say Liverpool. Hehehe, Hallelujah!

This is how the whole the sermon goes. Tell me, why do I have to look at my neighbor and say all those things? What has my Spiritual life got to do with the suit and television of the “man of gold”?

Man of gold walks away after telling congregation to sow the seed

On the other hand, the “Man of God” is very careful the way he handles himself, God’s word and the people he has been entrusted with.

 Moses is the only one called the man of God in the first five books of the Bible (Deut 33:1), the angel of the Lord who appeared to Samson’s Mother in Judges 13:6,8, Samuel in 1 Sam 9:6,7,8,10, David in Nehemiah 12:24, Elijah in 1 Kings 17:18 and Elisha in 2Kings 4:7 just to mention a few. Most of these men were leaders, prophets and messengers. We can then conclude that the “man of God” was a representative of God. There are two major roles which fitted the men who were given this title. First is that they spoke, proclaimed and taught God’s word. Secondly, they led people based on God’s command and guidance. Think of Moses, think of Samuel, think of David, Think of Elijah and Elisha. These men represented God in their messages and leadership. Even the title itself is very clear. He is “a man of God. God is the one in control and the man is only a vessel.

A man of God will correct, instruct, rebuke and even chastise his sheep if there is sin present. This is what Moses would do with the people of Israel. His desire is to see to it that he accomplishes his God given task. He cares for his people. He loves his people. He will speak and preach nothing else but God’s Word. Even when the audience only wants to hear that which is appealing to their ears, the man of God preaches God’s Word. When the flock wants to be led in a worldly way, the man of God goes back to the Bible and searches to find how God desires his people to be led. He will make sure the flock is led Biblically. The following is an example of a sermon from a Man of God. “John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

“Based upon this verse and many other like verses in Scripture, eternal life comes through faith in Christ. Apart from Jesus there is no other means of salvation. Everyone stands condemned before God because of sin. There is none righteous no not one so says Romans 3:10. Everyone who is without Christ will test God’s full wrath in hell. Notice it says “whoever rejects.” In other words whoever does not believe that Christ has the power to deliver from the bondage of sin will not see life. What life? He will not see eternal life. When he dies, that will be the end of him.  Notice next it says, ‘that the wrath of God remains on him.’ Why is it so? It remains because it has always been there. Why?  It is because of sin.  How? God is a just God and will not let sin God unpunished. So every human being stands condemned because he is a sinner from birth as David says in Psalm 51:5. So, based on this fact, everyone must taste the full wrath of God when they burn in hell. Failure to believe in Christ for salvation does not bring God’s wrath but instead keeps or maintains God’s wrath which has always been there while faith in Jesus will lift that wrath of God hence liberating ones soul.” Have you trusted in Jesus? Do you believe that Jesus can save you from the wrath that is upon you? Come to Jesus today and let him be you Savior.

You notice the “man of God” has not said anything about his Jeans, cars, blessedness and whatever else. Not that he does not have them but because he knows his God given task. He is to preach the truth and the truth is what God has said for God cannot lie. A listener is able to reason based upon what God says in his word. He is able to say “I am condemned and will perish in hell if I don’t put my faith in Christ.” But how does someone know the will of God if all you keep talking about is your Navara and Range Rover? Will acquiring a Navara save someone from hell? Will purchasing a ten bedroom mansion teach someone how to love and forgive others? 

The “men of gold” are after wealth and they will use anything to get it. The reason people don’t want to go and listen to sound preaching is because they have what the Bible says, “itching ears.” They want to hear what is appealing to them and for sure we all want to hear people say good things about us. If someone tells you, “you will have mansion in two months.”  You will come next week so that he tells you another lie. Who doesn’t want to have a mansion? We all want a good life. But that is not how it works for everyone.

Be careful not to become a “man of gold.” You also must be on the lookout not to fall prey to “men of gold.” No matter how hard the sermon from a “man of God” may seem, listen and ask God to help you understand and put that into practice.

The Cross Of Jesus

The cross what a wonderful place.

It was there that my soul found incomparable grace.

Though it be filled with blood,

it still is a cleansing flood.

Every soul with guilty stains

may be washed as clean without any remains.

The cross what a wonderful place

See the pain and sorrow on His face,

He endured those sufferings for every race.

The cross, what a wonderful place.

Peace and riches are the cries of every nation

and yet the cross offers both at salvation.

They say take intoxicating grape wine

and forget the worries of thine.

Liqueur is not the answer to the worries of mine

but Christ, the real vine.

The cross, what a wonderful place

because Christ first set the pace.

The King was crucified 
so that you and me can be satisfied.

It looks like a filthy tree

and yet it sets man free.

At that place joy and love flow mingled down

and yet we always frown.

From that tree one beholds amazing love,  

because it comes from above.

Did I hear someone calling for wisdom?

Where in the world are the wise from?

They are not country descendants.

Neither are they knowledgeable students.

The wise are they who found life at the cross.

Their embracing of that bloody tree was not a loss.

They say “knowledge is power,

 get it and you will blossom like a flower!!

They say education is key to success,

be educated and you have every means to progress!!” Very true!

Show me a learned who is full of joy,

but has not embraced the cross like a little boy.

Have you seen him somewhere? Anywhere?

You have not because he has not learned the cross to revere!

Come to the cross, Jesus will make you a boss.

O the cross, it sure is a wonderful place.

Who is a Successful Person?

Who is a successful person? What would you want to see in a person in order to call them prosperous? From the world’s point of view success is about possessions. The more material possessions you acquire the more successful you become. You would need to have five or more cars in your yard and they would all have to be the “hottest” kind. You would need the Range rover, Mercedes, Navarra, Hummer, BMW, Limousine and whatever else you can add to the list. You must be one who has a jaw dropping mansion with no less than five bedrooms. When someone walks into your premises they should be able to say, “Wow, this is amazing. It’s just gorgeous!!”  Apart from possessions, for those who have children, the children should go to the most expensive schools in the country and the most costly colleges or universities. You must also appear often in magazines and in news papers. You must be seen often on TV and heard frequent on Radio.  Of course at the center of all this must be a well paying job. When the world sees this, it will say, “There is a successful woman or there is a prosperous man.” But how does God look at success? Has he said the more possessions we have the more successful we will be? Do we have to become popular in order to be called prosperous? In as much as God may bless us with material possessions and other belongings, we should not use them as a measuring rod for success.

When you look at Scripture and see the people who were called successful, you will notice something similar about all of them. They were people who had a grasp at something very significant. They kept this principle at heart. They made this principle personal. What essential principle did they keep? They were men and woman who were faithful to the task that God had given them. They were faithful to their calling. They were faithful soldiers, they were faithful parents, they were faithful teachers, they were faithful Kings, they were faithful priests, they were faithful prophets, they were faithful judges and they were faithful messengers.  What do I mean when I say faithful? It is that these men and woman took God’s word and applied it to the task which was before them in a manner which pleased God. Take a look at King David. If you read through the books of first and second Samuel you will notice that David inquired from the LORD before taking action on a particular item. He understood that as King he must represent God in his ruling. This, then, would require knowing what God wants. And when God gave the order, David did exactly what God said.  Taking the gospel to the gentiles was the task that was given to the apostle Paul. He was faithful to it up to the very end. God chose Joshua to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land and he was faithful to the task. In fact God says to Joshua that, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” Joshua 1:8. The way for prosperity for Joshua was to do according to all that is written in God’s Word (Be careful to do all that is written in it).

Another thing that is vital about success in God’s view is appreciating your place or position of service. You don’t have to be in America and begin to rise in rank for you to be successful. You can be in the deep jungles of the Equatorial forests serving for the rest of your life and still be successful. You can be someone’s maid for all of your life and still be prosperous in God’s sight. I am not saying that we should refuse promotions but that we should not measure success that way. You can be CEO of a huge company and still be unfaithful to God in the very position. Think of Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba’s husband, the one David killed. That was a successful man whom many people don’t recognize. Why do I say so? He was faithful to the task that was before him. He was Loyal to His King as a Subject and to God who fought Israel’s battles. He comes home and David tells him to go home and relax. He responds saying, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing” 2 Sam 11:11. How many would have responded this way after coming from a heated battle? Uriah knew what it meant to be a soldier in the Army of the Living God and not even David could persuade him otherwise. In fact, during this period Uriah acted more faithful and righteous than David. When you look at men like Uriah very few if possible no one will say, “he was successful.” However, in God’s sight, Uriah was a great man because he was true to his task. The Hittite is actually mentioned as one of the mighty men of David in 2 Samuel 23:39.

I must mention also that those who were true to their duties given  where in many instances exalted to a place and position of recognition. David Livingstone was on a mission to take the gospel to the dark continent of Africa. When planning to go to Africa, he didn’t say, “I want to take the gospel to Africa so that I can be recognized.” He knew the good news to Africa was his God given task after spending much time in prayer. However, God has given him recognition. We have towns, roads and cities which are named after him. Our Lord and Savior, God the Son, took up the task of coming to die for our sins. He didn’t say I want to go die for them so that I can be acknowledged. There was no need for that. After all he is God. But we are told in Scripture that “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9-11).

 Are you pushing for success? Are you being faithful to what you have been called? Are you being faithful as a teacher? Are you being faithful as a preacher? Are you being faithful as a doctor, as a nurse or as an accountant? Remember, its faithfulness to the task that before you. May  the grace of God be with you.

Are You a Jane?

Like the stars they shine but deep down their hearts they know they are not doing fine. This is the state of a lost soul. 

At one time, Jane will be on cloud nine and just minutes later she will feel she is at the bottom of the line. She works up in the morning with the sound of MTV hoping she will be like that super star.  “Perhaps the boys will like me if I can look like her” she thinks. “It will upgrade my CV. The dudes really love this.” However, the icon she admires is light in complexion. Jane is saddened. She is only sixteen. She must look like the one on TV. She buys a certain cream from a nearby store and applies it to her dark and beautiful face. Within 10 minutes her face-color changes. She walks out the gate.  Brian, a dude in the neighborhood stared at Jane with amazement as if he was seeing her for the first time. “He’s looking at me” she says. “I knew it would work.” That was the turning point for Jane. Her soul was inclined to become like that celebrity she saw on the magic box. The teenager spent hours on her dressing mirror. It was the only way she would make herself look like a star. Like the stars she wanted to shine but deep down her heart she knew she wasn’t doing fine. This is the sate of a lost soul.

I must look hot!

Niko, a new dude in the block noticed Jane. He told the young girl the very words she desired to hear. He won her heart. Jane was smiling. “It’s working” she thought. “I am getting there. I must reach for the stars.”  It wasn’t long before she gave in to his pressures. She lost hers.  Yes she did, like many young girls have. Soon, Niko was with another girl in the hood. He left Jane. He got what he wanted. There wasn’t any reason to stay.  “Why did he leave?  Am I not good enough?” cried the sixteen year old. “Hasn’t my face become more beautiful?” She wept all night. At 5 O clock in the morning the MTV celebrity was on again. This time, bitter Jane noticed something different about this world icon. It was her dress code. Her clothes were unique. The top she wore was revealing. Half of her boobs could be seen. Her skirts were not longer than 30 centimeters. When she wore slacks, they fitted right to her skin. Her shape was extremely defined. Jane could get anything she wanted. Daddy was a rich man so she managed to buy the attire. “Who’s that chick? She looks so fine,” flattered a young man in the midst of a gang as he saw Jane walk down the road. Jane heard the words and was blushing. She was in a 30 centimeter black skirt and a purple boob revealing top. “It’s working,” she exclaimed in her mind. For sure it was working. Like the stars she wanted to shine but deep down her heart she knew she wasn’t fine. This is the state of a lost soul.

“Oh! No! I am late! It’s Sunday. Church starts in thirty minutes,” shouts the wannabe star as she awakes. She runs to the shower. She’s out in five minutes. Another five minutes she finds and puts on her “church clothes.” The next twenty minutes are spent on her dressing mirror. She must beautify her now brown face which is slowly getting these tiny black spots. Pee pee!! The car horn sounds calling for Jane. She comes out running with her favorite brown hand bag. She knows some niggers will not like her dress and make up especially that guy who always stands in front talking about Jesus and heaven. She wonders why he keeps talking about a person he has never seen. The family seats on their usual spot and Jane knows some dude will want to come and sit next to her so she pushes away slightly. However, it’s not the person she anticipated. It’s this holier than thou guy who comes in her row and seats next to her. Now she is burning from the inside. She pulls her 30 centimeter skirt four to five times hoping it would become longer. Mum notices the tragedy and helps her with a citenge. For the past five years this has been Jane’s routine and way of life. The preacher mounts the pulpit and the sermon breaks Jane’s heart.  The Preacher showed from Scripture that Jesus was someone who loved Jane more than anyone else. Jane didn’t have to burn her face in order to be loved. She didn’t have to disgrace herself with celebrity fashion. Jesus loved her just the way she was in her beautiful dark and lovely skin. He loved her so much he died for her. The Preacher also mentioned that God, the Father of Jesus, had special interest in Jane. He said all who would believe in the death and resurrection of Christ for forgiveness of sin would be made heirs of God. Jane broke down in tears. Her Mum noticed and whispered to her, “he can save you if you call on his name.” Like the stars she wanted to shine but deep down her heart she knew she wasn’t fine. She cried out to Jesus and her lost soul was saved. Are you a Jane? Listen, God loves you and he can save you.