Ministry or Menace-2-Me?

Disclaimer: First, let me say up front - I am a firm believer in the personal faith of an individual. I believe that if you stand on your measure of faith, God is going to reward that measure of faith. He can work within the measure of faith with which you are meted. If you have the faith of a mustard seed, God can work with that. If you have the faith of the field from which sprouted that mustard seed, God can work with that. The faith of the individual is not my question. Disclaimer noted and ended.

I want to hear your thoughts on this – because in these days we need to be oh so careful. Did anybody see the movie Eli? What good does it profit a man to gain the world, if he loses his soul? Be on alert out there people. The world wants us to think all kinds of behaviors are acceptable, which are not.

Here, now, is my theory. Okay, I fudge just a little. It is in the Word. False prophets are among us. When a Minister, Pastor, Prophet or Apostle – all self proclaimed or proclaimed by men wearing the right garb, says something like:

Those of you who have $100, come up to the offering right now. God is calling for those who have $100 to come to the offering right now. He said there are at least 15 of you here tonight with $100 for the offering.

Is that ministry or menace to me? I cannot see any evidence of that happening in the word.

Or, say for instance, an appropriately deep and rumble-voiced speaker of the Word (who may or may not be a doer thereof as well) says to the congregation, friends and visitors:

God wants you to write that check tonight in faith. Where is your faith, oh ye of little faith? Do you not believe? Write your check on faith believing that He will provide. Bring your offering now.

Is that ministry or menace to me? I cannot see any evidence of that happening when I read the word. 

Okay, let’s move away from the money for a minute, because money brings power, and power corrupts absolutely and absolute power corrupts.

Let’s move toward relationship. I will tread lightly here, but I want to also say that any similarity to those living or passed on is a tragic coincidence and therefore not intended.

                Now, say the leader of the cu..church, is ministering to a couple whose relationship is in danger. Notice I didn’t specify marriage, but we can even suppose that this is a married couple. Just for the sake of it, let’s do Couple A: Married; Couple B: Unmarried.

Couple A: Married….A couple of issues, as most marriages will have. Minister counsels that all marriages have issues, however, God is the center of the marriage, so therefore if we turn to him for the council of these issues with realistic visions of the work involved on both parts, and are true to each other and the task at hand, this to shall pass and that which does not kill us, will make us stronger. There may have been some infidelity involved. Minister tells couple, both parties are involved. Can two walk together less they agree? We have work ahead of us, but if you were fully committed to what you said in front of God, and the people you loved, and some of the people that you actually luvvedd previously, then you can be successful. Grow up and grow UP.

Couple B. Unmarried…Well one party is unmarried. The other one is separated, but has made a new relationship with this woman. This couple seeks the council of the married person’s pastor, and the unmarried person’s pastor.

Married person’s pastor:  You all need to go to church together and get close to the Lord and study his word together. That is what is wrong; you need to go to Church regularly and to the same church. Y’all need to be here every Sunday and on Wednesday’s for Bible Study.

Unmarried person’s pastor:  First of all, this person belongs to a union, and this ain’t it. Therefore, this union you all are in is wrong. Period. Point blank. I am gonna keep it real for you – that’s not according to my word, it’s according to God’s word. Secondly – we need to do some work on you as individuals – one, because your self worth is an issue, which means you don’t know whose image you are created in, and to whom you belong – and it ain’t somebody else’s spouse. I don’t care how long they have been separated, special rated, pro rated, or fornicating. You got to get your own.

Now, which one of these is ministering and which one is a menace to us?

Let me hear your thoughts on this...It's Elemental that we discuss it..............