EVERYBODY IS A PREACHER

In the world today, everybody is a preacher. I remember the days of Paul the apostle, when the gospel was fresh and crisp. People valued it, people yearned for it. And before you see someone proclaiming the gospel, that person is actually ready to die for that gospel. Not just death, but to sacrifice for the very message to which they are delivering. Their lives were an epitome of the gospel they professed. They did not have much to go on, but their strength was ever resounding.

Today, it is a pitiable condition. The gospel of Christ is not so special again. As a matter of fact, it is somehow a nuisance to society. Because of the way desperate people choose to exploit the freedom accorded everyone to carry the sacred message. Some organizations and places actually go as far as banning public preaching. And I do not blame their actions, I blame the preachers. Taking advantage of the very weakness of the gospel of Christ, where no qualification is needed what so ever and anybody can do the bidding of Christ thus this grace is abused.

          The gospel is now a nuisance, because we hear it a little too much; and because we hear it a little too much. We value it wisdom lesser and lesser each day, without even realizing it. The respect and reverence that was once accorded the gospel has waned as a result of the wide spread and abuse of the way and manner the Gospel is professed and interpreted. Invariably, a person sorting for direction becomes lost. Because the diversity of the gospel, the abuse of it spread only offers more confusion, than solution.

Today as a result of this trend, we have more churches and less Christians. The service of the church is no longer a calling, but a profession of hungry thieves desperate enough to stand against the purity of the gospel in order to appease their earthly suffering. Every preacher is now a fund raiser, every service is now a fund raising event. And only the best donors stand out, irrespective of where the money is coming from, or the occupation of the giver. The church now stands, as a house that appeases and solves the moral dilemma of evil men that are unwilling to forsake the evil of their ways finally.

The current state of the church is worse than the events and circumstances that lead to the 16^th century Schism. The decadence and slow decline of the tranquility and holiness that is supposed to accompany the gospel is alarming, that the worst evils are perpetrated within the very confines of the church. Even men that hardly visit churches are more morally inclined that people that assume themselves children of God.

This message is a message of self-awareness, in the days of the Disciples of Christ and Apostle Paul. The True Christians were few and loyal, because they lived by the teaching of Christ and once in a while they meet with the Apostles as time would permit thus they thrived. Their strength was not in their numbers or finance, but their faithfulness, holiness, integrity, self-sacrifice, love for each other, honesty, and their loyalty to the purity of the gospel irrespective of persecution and trials. These qualities created a bond of true loyalty to God and Integrity of the Gospel they profess. This is the example of what we should follow. Live our lives by the Model of the Bible, and if we are to be Christians emulate the True and first Christian Jesus Christ.  Thus we would find strength in the bonding created by people who live their lives by the Model of the Bible and Christ rather than the Model of The church and Pastor.

THE INFILTRATION OF THE CHURCH “ONE SIN AT A TIME”

                
They were two men, separated by thousands of years. These men play very significant roles in the life of every human being. As a matter of fact, without these two men we will not have existed at all. These two men have so much in common, that in contrast, we are not supposed to tell them apart. One gave us life, and as a result of giving us life, gave us pain, suffering and a cursed lifetime. The other man gave us life also, but life eternal. Free of the pain and suffering that accompanies the life the first man gave us. I bet by now, you already know the two men of which I refer. Adam and Jesus Christ;

          Apostle Paul in one of his letters to the Romans as recorded in Romans chapter 5 verse 10-15

¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

¹¹ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

¹² Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

¹³ (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

¹⁵ But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

He implied that Adam made us Gods enemies. However, Christ reconciled us with God. How did Adam make us Gods enemy? Through one sin, as a result of one sin committed by Adam, sin spread through the whole human race. Sin accompanied by death, and to this day we suffer a cursed existence. One man, one sin, and to this day the whole world is suffering the consequences. What then is the significance of this message?

Before I go into that, let us again reassess how through one simple sin. We were all condemned, to suffer the consequences for thousands of generations. Adam never realized the consequences of his actions. If he did, he would not have listened to his wife. But I wish it were that simple. I wish Adam, and Eve alone should have paid for their own sins, and leave us out of it. But alas, that is the way of the Lord. The Lord said that, he will visit the sins of the father on the children.

 This calls for somber reflection. Let us all take a look at our lives, and every action that accompanies it. And ask ourselves, a very important question. Does our actions and existence bring life or does it bring death. Are we living the life we set out to live?

 Are we in sync with Gods purpose for us?

Are they little secrets that still tie us down?

 Will our future generations suffer the consequences we suffer now as a result of Adams mistake?

Ultimately the big question is;

Is our existence going to bring life or death?

Let us examine the writing of Disciple Luke; in Luke 12:1-7

12 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

² For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

³ Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

⁴ And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

⁵ But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

⁷ But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

There is nothing as simple as the message of Christ, to beware against the yeast of the Pharisees, their hypocrisy. Today who are those Pharisees?

          They are all the so called prophets, pastors and preachers running around in the name of God.  Do you know what these men do nowadays? They make you feel good with your sins. These men are hypocrite, and with them a congregation of hypocrites, unwillingly to accept the piercing truth. Most of them have grown so powerful with equally powerful followers. No one dares challenge them out of fear. So the wrong things have slowly become the right thing. The church is now a den of hypocrites, liars, murderers, thieves, adulterers, prostitutes and all sort of evil doers. When you enter Gods house, they are the ushers, the singers, and the counselors. Their tentacle has spread, and continues spreading. Sin is now, no longer such a bad thing. Because, there is always a convenient time to lie, to steal, to cheat, to commit adultery, to fornicate and so it spreads.

 How did it start? With one man, and today we have billions following suit, and incurring Gods judgment, and not just on them but on their future generations.

 There is hope in Luke 12:4

⁴ And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

What is the worst thing these men can do? Kill your body? Then why fear, why fear men that can only kill the body. Who we should truly fear is God who can punish the soul for all eternity. Because after death, the journey has just began.

This human life is a pilgrimage, of which we can use it to impact death or life on ourselves, this generation and generations to come. However the choice is yours. 

Will you do what your pastors do and reflect or will you follow the life of Christ?

 Will you rather follow the doctrine of the church, or Gods word in the bible?

Going to church, or working in Gods house is not a guarantee to heaven. In fact, God gets irritated at hypocrites, and if you are. You should know that no sin stays hidden. It is as Christ said in Luke 12:2-3

² For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

³ Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Every secret will be uncovered, so if you think your secret is safe and your sins are well covered. Think again!

          Away from all these, what then is the true way forward? I would like us to combine

Luke 12:7 ⁷ But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

And Romans 5:15 ¹⁵ But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

 Christ said everybody is important. Even the hairs on your head so never lose sense of that. No matter your status in life, or condition you are recognized by God. You are important to him, and there is a purpose to your existence.

Apostle Paul said, through one man (Adam) sins, many have died and suffered. But God gave us a free gift through his son Jesus Christ. That is the gift of eternal life. That gift is not given by any pastor, prophet or man of God. It is given by God through his Son Jesus Christ. And to nurture that gift, what you need first is the bible and the Holy Spirit. These are desperate times, and they are a lot of desperate people out there, ready to take advantage of our weakest spot which is “our religious nature”. But we must not succumb, we must deny them victory.

 One battle at a time and this war will be won. Sometimes I wonder if it is just me. But these days you get more tempted in the church. Than while you are on the streets where no one is pretending. Because it is as a result of pretense, that one sin will lead to another, and it will continue to grow.

The message here is simple. Spread life rather than death. Reassess your life and find out if your life is Gods model or the model of the church. The church has been infiltrated one sin at a time. And we must stop the total death of the church by creating awareness of this one person at a time. So that life will spread and before you know it the church will be whole again.