DO NOT BURY YOUR CALLING FOR ANOTHER MAN’S VISION
Just because you came to church, an abusive church will tell you to bury your calling; you have to bury your destiny, you have to bury the gifts that God has put in you. You have to totally bury your life. When you get to heaven you won’t tell God, ‘well, it was my pastor who said I should forget what you told me to do.’ Everybody will stand before God and give individual accounts.
Like I wrote earlier this week, abusive pastors focus on some great things they are doing for God because they use the name of God all the time. They demand money every time while members are unable to save for their own families, or pay their house rent or children’s school fees. They are transfixed on doing God’s wish as stated by the pastor. Taking advantage of others is an abuse. One becomes a slave working for another’s great future.
“…My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I had to neglect.”- Songs of Solomon 1:6
Some people in church cannot go for vacation for five, ten years, but the pastor goes on vacation every year with his family. The people are told that they must be faithful and use all their time for God. While giving these instructions, the pastors do not notice the wounds they are inflicting on their followers. They are usually surprised when a pastor or one of the members of the church suddenly says, ‘I have to go now’, or somebody just disappears. To the pastors, everything is alright because they don’t see the pain.
Any organization that makes its vision more important than people will abuse people sooner or later. You will abuse people if you do not realize vision should be for people rather than using people for vision. Jesus himself died for people. God’s vision is for people. Jesus died as a leader for his followers. Jesus died for these people that you are sacrificing for personal ambitions with all the rules you make.
When your pastor tells you that it is time to build the largest auditorium in the world, which by the way is his personal vision. You should ask him where the money will come from? Is it from the impoverished members? The people who cannot eat properly in their homes? The ones who have no means of their fees and bills? These poor people? Are they the ones you will drain to make your own vision come true? Are you going to sacrifice people in order to make your vision come true? It takes a level of callousness and abuse to do that. You will quickly realize that the vision is not from God.
For one moment, think about Jesus. Who were those who offended him the most? You think about it. The answer is the religious leaders and religion. So that is why it is a personal relationship with God we have to emphasize. Let us begin to de-emphasize religion and all forms of allegiance to it. Let us begin to de-emphasize dedication to structures—religious structures, organized religion. Organized religion will always become deadly. It was an organized religion that killed Jesus. It was an organized religion that did the most harm to the gospel. Religion is always deadly when it becomes organized and institutionalized. Religion becomes institutionalized when we favor structure more than a personal relationship with God; when we need to go and get a pastor’s blessing when you need to go through a man, when you must definitely go to a church every Sunday, you are in for religion.
So what Pastors are supposed to teach people and lay emphasis on is how people can have a personal relationship with God. Let them hear God for themselves. Let them study the Word of God. Teach them the word of God and show them how to have an independent study. Let them have a personal rapport with their Father. Let them build a relationship with him. That is how we can prevent our churches from inflicting wounds, injuries and damages. I will keep making emphasis on this personal walk with God in my articles, books and messages because it helps to save from abuses.
To be continued Tomorrow, don’t miss it.
Excerpts from the Book “Damaged By religion, Path To Healing”. #DSABOOKS
This book can be found on dsabooksplanet.com and Amazon.com
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CHURCH AND NATION
By Pastor Sunday Adelaja.
