TIME FOR SOBER REFLECTION BY ALL!!
TIME FOR SOBER REFLECTION BY ALL!!
~Pastor Toks Oshokoya
Is there any good pre-determined by God to come out of this controversy over TITHING and perceived EXCESSIVENESS of ministers?
I am very certain that this is a good development. I think that this has created an opportunity for every true elect, whether you are a pastor, prophet, apostle, GO, bishop, choirmaster, lay reader, laity,… to pause and re-check if you are truly standing in the Faith once delivered to the Saints.
I believe that God expects massive wave of humble confessions of errors/sins and repentance leading to clean restorations now!
I believe that this is a necessary and an urgent pre-condition stage before we have FULLBLOWN REVIVAL and thenafter comes unprecedented WORLDWIDE PERSECUTIONS, leading to the TRANSLATION OF THE CHURCH.
My humble opinion.
Some persons have termed what has been happening over this matter of tithing to be a CIVIL WAR.
Some say it is a EVIL STORM.
Someone have just posted a piece, tagging some believers as ACCUSERS OF THE BRETHREN. These group of individuals see the whole matter as evil criticism of men of God.
Another person has just done a write-up. He simply chronicled most of the ‘good works’ percieved to have been done by the pastors and church ‘founders’ in the communities and for societal developments, assistances to the disadvantaged ones, etc.
I think we must endevour see the good rather than evil from all this controversy.
To those who are suddenly putting up defence for the men of God and calling some “accusers of the brethren”, i want to suggest that they think deep again!
[1]
What will make God to do this remarkable thing? What?
He suddenly picked a previously unknown priest out of the rank and file of priests in the nation of Israel. He then converted him from being a priest to a fiery prophet and set him forth against his own constituency!
Afterwards He, God, shut up for 400years!
Malachi was a priest not a prophet by calling. The Book of Malachi was written wholly to the Priesthood of the nation of Israel then!
To understand the peculiarity of the case, one must grasp fully the difference between the office and function of a priest as against that of a prophet!
The priest is the spokesperson for the people toward God, he represents the people and presents their helplessness, dependence, the plea for merciful interventions to God as intercessions.
However, the prophet is the spokesperson of God to the people, he represents God or presents God’s mind – comfort, guidance, cautionary moods, warnings and judgements, to the people!
There are distinct emotional and strong personality traits that are divinely attached to each of the two offices.
When Malachi, therefore, suddenly seem to turn on his own fellow priests in a most damning indicting way “…if i be a father, where is my honor? and if i be a master, where is my fear?…”
What? From the mouth of a fellow priest to his colleagues and some his seniors/perharps mentors?
“…ye have profaned…”
“…ye have weared the Lord with your words. Yet ye say…”
If ‘Priest-turned-Prophet’ Malachi was to have lived at this present time in 2017 and in Nigeria, wouldn’t some have termed him THE ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN? Wouldnt some defenders of the High Priest shoot out litany of beautiful projects beautifully executed in the past in order to turn public (logical reasoning) opinion against Malachi and neutralise to move of God to cause REPENTANCE? Think.
The Book of Malachi, thus closed an era.
[2]
Secondly, why will the Master give a strange answer to a simple question recorded in John 21: 21 “…Lord, what shall this man do?”
Answer “if i will that he tarry till i come, what is that to thee? follow thou me”
Fast forward to AD96.
This man, John, had been thrown into hot boiling oil and refused to die … for what reason? ‘To do’ something important enough to demand tarrying!
He was henceforth exiled to the Isle of Patmos – ‘to do’ something that necessitated his tarrying!
What?
Amongst others, he wrote a most damning Jesus’ message to the Seven Churches in Asia.
John?
Yes, John the love…love love apostle?
How could it be that the John that was nicknamed “the beloved” would go on to write “i have somewhat against thee…” “i will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that i am he…”
John?
Is this not an unnecessary criticism of The Body of Christ?
Are these words not too judgemental?
This might have been seen as a stiring of a civil war then!
How dare John would declare that some ministers were merely conquering the laity?
Think! NICOLAITANS deeds that went unchecked until it became accepted as doctrine!
Wait a moment…
The messages seem to start with “…i know thy works…” (meaning, i know the building of schools and universities, the giving to the orphanages and widows, the scholarship awards to students, etc).
“I know thy works, and thy labours…”
BUT
“…REMEMBER THEREFORE FROM WHENCE THOU ART FALLEN, AND REPENT…Lest i remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent!”
“…because thou sayest, i am rich, and increased with goods (which goods? The ones you gave away or the ones you amassed to yourselves?)…”
“I counsel thee…i rebuke and chasten…repent”
Imagine a John in Nigeria on the ‘Isle of Facebook’ in 2017!
Someone will call him an accuser of the brethren o ❗
An end to the era of the apostolic fathers.
3.
Imagine a Martin Luther and his 99 ‘verses’.
Definitely, he was branded a leader of insurrection…an instigator of civil war and one would not recognise the ‘good works’ of the Catholic Fathers!
End of an era!
Take Malachi, John and Martin Luther…look at what storms their declarations caused…imagine that they never came…what do you think?
I suggest that we stop defending and fighting on behalf of any pastor or church leader but allow them, as men like us, to take advantage of this kairos moment, to step aside and reflect.
Recall accurately what they were called originally to do. Evaluate and screen with the aid of these piercing words of these ‘trouble makers’ and the Holy Spirit where they are now.
If we love these leaders, we must allow these men of God to soak in these words, internalise and make God inspired adjustments please!
2 Cor 13: 5 – 9
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.
1 Cor 10:
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Just my thoughts.
I need God’s mercy too.
I need your prayers.
I have deep issues of concerns in life as well…pray for me.
I shall not judge you but point out areas that i consider demanding attention spiritually (i may be wrong also) but i shall pray for you.
Our goal is God.
The Liteman T
_True Eagles follow the Light of God in His Word_