Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches - Politics - Nairaland
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| Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by Obascoetubi(op): 10:24am On Sep 27, 2015 |
According to Jesus, many of the so-
called churches today that are large
and famous are actually spiritually
dead.
In many churches today, pastors are
preoccupied with the size of their
congregation. Some take a census
every church-service. Others keep
statistics of the number of people
who answer their altar-calls. When
pastors meet socially, how big their
church is determines their social
status and prestige; ensuring that
many are prone to exaggerate their
numbers. The bigger the church, the
more highfalutin and celebrated the
pastor.
However, the wisdom of God is
contrarian, she shouts in the street;
she lifts her voice in the public
square: “No king is saved by the
multitude of an army; a mighty man
is not delivered by great strength. A
horse is a vain hope for safety;
neither shall it deliver any by its
great strength.” (Psalm 33:16-17).
Let me apply this scripture more
precisely to the context of mega-
churches. No man is saved by the
size of a church, neither is the
wicked delivered by the great
charisma of a pastor. When we are
preoccupied with size in churches,
we are guilty of trusting in the
multitude of our mighty men. (Hosea
10:13).
First become last
“This is the word of the LORD to
Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by
power, but by My Spirit,’ says the
LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great
mountain? Before Zerubbabel you
shall become a plain!’” (Zechariah
4:6-7).
One of the great mountains before
Zerubbabel was Solomon’s temple.
Those charged with rebuilding it were
concerned the new temple would not
have the splendor and majesty of the
old. But God is not concerned with
size and other physical attributes.
Through Haggai, he declares: “The
glory of this latter temple shall be
greater than the former.” (Haggai 2:9)
. Accordingly, Zechariah asks: “Who
has despised the day of small
things.” (Zechariah 4:10).
Indeed, according to God’s kingdom
dynamics, “every valley shall be
exalted and every mountain and hill
brought low.” (Isaiah 40:4). God
says: “All the trees of the field will
know that I, Yahweh, have brought
down the high tree, have exalted the
low tree, have dried up the green
tree, and have made the dry tree
flourish.” (Ezekiel 17:24).
This indicates in the day of the Lord,
we are likely to discover that the big
church is small in the sight of the
Lord and the small church is big.
Before Zerubbabel, even the great
mountain of Solomon’s temple
becomes a plain.
Preference for small things
In the kingdom of God, good things
come in small congregations. Jesus
says: “Where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there I
am in their midst.” (Matthew 18:20).
In effect, we don’t need to be in the
thousands and tens of thousands in
order to feel the presence of God.
But because Jesus says where two
or three are gathered, and not where
at least two or three are gathered, he
is actually expressing a preference
for small gatherings.
According to Jesus, the appropriate
size of a church is not “mega” or
“big,” but “little.” Thus, he reassures
the small congregation: “Do not fear,
little flock, for it is your Father’s
good pleasure to give you the
kingdom.” (Luke 12:32). It is the
“little flock” and not the big flock that
the Father has decided to give the
kingdom. Mega-church pastors are
akin to the Israel of old: “Israel has
forgotten his maker, and builds
temples.” (Hosea 8:14).
As a matter of fact, the large size of
a church is eloquent testimony of
spiritual deficiency. Jesus says:
“wide is the gate and broad is the
way that leads to destruction, and
many there are who go in through it.
Because narrow is the gate and
constricted is the way which leads to
life, and there are few who find
it.” (Matthew 7:13).
It is the stone the builders reject that
becomes the headstone. (Psalm
118:22). This prophecy is bad news
for mega-church pastors because
they are currently the accepted
stones. Indeed, according to Jesus,
“the first will become last and the
last first.” (Mark 30:31). This means
today’s “first-class” pastors will
ultimately turn out to be “last-class.”
Few are chosen
Because the gospel is naturally
unattractive to the large flock, Jesus
says: “Many are called, but few are
chosen.” (Matthew 22:14). Therefore,
numerical church-growth is an
unrealistic index of success in
ministry. When we are focused on
the numbers game, we become
ashamed of the words of Jesus, and
readily sacrifice his doctrine on the
altar of attracting a large following.
Indeed, God is contemptuous of size;
he prefers the mini to the mega. He
says: “Woe to the multitude of many
people who make a noise like the
roar of the seas, and to the rushing
of nations that make a rushing like
the rushing of mighty waters! The
nations will rush like the rushing of
many waters; but God will rebuke
them and they will flee far away, and
be chased like the chaff of the
mountains before the wind, like a
rolling thing before the
whirlwind.” (Isaiah 17:12-14).
David got into trouble with God
because of his preoccupation with
numbers. When pride moved him to
conduct a census in Israel in order to
determine the size of his kingdom,
God responded by decimating it with
pestilence, killing seventy thousand
men. (2 Samuel 24:1-15). Jesus
himself was not the product of a big
church but of little Bethlehem
Ephrathah. (Micah 5:2).
Fake pastors: dead churches
Speaking to his disciples, Jesus
provides this simple kingdom
dynamic as their mark of distinction:
“If you were of the world, the world
would love its own. Yet because you
are not of the world, but I chose you
out of the world, therefore the world
hates you.” (John 15:19).
Therefore, the very fact that the world
loves mega-pastors indicates there is
something wrong with them. If
something is very popular, it is not of
God. The evil spiritual “ruler of this
world” will not allow what is godly to
be well-liked. Therefore, Jesus says:
“Woe to you when all men speak well
of you, for so did their fathers to the
false prophets.” (Luke 6:26). Mega-
pastors are in trouble with the Lord
because all men love them.
The people of this world do not like
the doctrine of Jesus. Neither do
mega-pastors otherwise they would
be mini. If the general public like
what a pastor preaches, it is a sure
sign it is not of God. God and men
hardly ever see eye to eye. Jesus
says: “That which is highly esteemed
among men is abomination in the
sight of God.” (Luke 16:15).
This shows the true Church of Christ
is inevitably anathema to the world.
Jesus insists his kingdom is not of
this world. (John 18:36). Therefore,
his Church cannot be worldly; neither
will his disciples preach the world in
order to attract a crowd.
According to Jesus, many of the so-
called churches today that are large
and famous are actually spiritually
dead. He declares: “To the angel of
the church in Sardis write, ‘These
things says he who has the seven
Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I
know your works, that you have a
name that you are alive, but you are
dead.’” (Revelation 3:1).
www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/beware-of-celebrity-pastors-and-mega-churches/ |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by legendboy(m): 10:26am On Sep 27, 2015 |
Na end time tins na |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by Cutehector(m): 10:29am On Sep 27, 2015 |
We knw who these churches are by their names.... But we are afraid to say them.. |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by Obascoetubi(op): 10:30am On Sep 27, 2015 |
legendboy:yea |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by Dennygirl: 10:34am On Sep 27, 2015 |
Most churches these days are worst than police cells were bribing is the other of the day... . |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by Tallesty1(m): 10:53am On Sep 27, 2015 |
Cutehector:Some of the pastors are more corrupt than our politicians |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by lomprico(m): 10:55am On Sep 27, 2015 |
Cutehector:Why afraid? |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by McCarlito(m): 10:58am On Sep 27, 2015 |
All churches have their politics played within their cacauses There's also a particular popular church here in nigeria that 1 or more full buss carrying their members always records accidents at the end of their yearly conventions/retreats.. (Blood Sacrifice in the making) Meanwhile: Going to church daily does not make u a christian; even as staying in a car-park does not make u a car... |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by Cutehector(m): 10:58am On Sep 27, 2015 |
Tallesty1:at leasts, politicians cannot deny their own corruption, but these set of pastors are the worst hypocrites.. One was even exposed as a subscriber to a pornn website. All they r interested in is tithes. |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by Cutehector(m): 11:00am On Sep 27, 2015 |
lomprico:d society we are in |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by lomprico(m): 11:03am On Sep 27, 2015 |
Cutehector:What will they do to u if u mention names of the church? |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by Cutehector(m): 11:07am On Sep 27, 2015 |
lomprico:crucify me like dey did to Jesus |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by 989900: 11:17am On Sep 27, 2015 |
The question should rather be: which 'churches' can you exempt? |
| Re: Beware Of Celebrity Pastors And Mega- Churches by VanPOLICE: 7:29am On May 15, 2020 |
Most [color=#000000]Mega Churches In United States[/color] are Great |
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