Christian identity is one of the highest priorities in Christendom today. Sentiments towards Church institutions, mission organizations, denominations, and Christian facilities is at its high and people are scrambling to protect it. On the other hand, there are the custodians of global missions adored and favored by people. It could be a mission leader, famous televangelist, person with gifts of healing, prophet, etc. Unfortunately, they are also fragmented to the point of showing superiority over one another in being authentic.
Churches and organizations do believe that mission to the unreached is part of their denominational goals. Many of them have great strategy, funds, manpower, global connection, models, tools with a good Follower base. Surreptitiously, the models and concepts are given more attention and made popular than the mission towards reaching the unreached. The Christian leaders gain more following than God Himself.
I had already addressed in one of my blogs HERE on the incident of a slave girl in Acts 16:17. Though she was demon possessed she endorses what Apostle Paul was doing by crying out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation, are the servants of the Most High God.”. She was someone who was making huge profit for her master under the influence of this evil spirit. Apparently, Apostle Paul cast’s out the demon from her. To draw parallels, there are similar Christian leaders like the slave girl endorsing and propagating Christ’s mission with a questionable spirit. Money, power, falsehood has seeped into the mission world. Too many noises that needs to be well discerned and if needed stopped for good.
Another incident on 1 Samuel 4 where the Philistines defeat Israel and four thousand men on the battlefield. In 1 Samuel 4:4 it is recorded, 'So the people sent men to Shiloh to bring back the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.' Eli’s sons were custodians of the ark of the covenant at this point, who were rogues by nature (1 Samuel 2: 12-17). They died of God’s judgement on them and the custodians of the Ark of the covenant were killed. The ark of the covenant was captured by the Philistines.
How relevant it is in today’s scenario, where leaders project themselves as custodians of the mission camouflaging their selfish agenda. Christ’s mission has become their personal profit and enterprise. Apostle Paul brings an important principle while he writes in his letter to Galatians, 'because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.' Galatians 6:8. Today, it is so sad to see many organizations and Churches have their own numbers of accomplishments to promote, projects to sustain, models to sell and coalitions to benefit. Your mission can sound holy but at the end it may not serve the divine purpose if there is a hidden personal agenda. The Bible warns us that our works will be tried with fire. 1 Corinthians 3:13 states, “each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.”. God’s mission does not necessarily survive by our efforts. “For we are God’s coworkers…”. We are privileged to exist as coworker and work alongside. Churches are meant for this same purpose. If this is not the case, then we are not in the right direction.
You may read the last blog HERE