What scares me about a young minister or a growing Pastor is not the ministerial youthful exuberance or his excesses which he will have and which he should drop at a certain age in ministry as he walks with a lot of older people who could impart wisdom to him. This reminds me of when I was still an undergraduate at Obafemi Awolowo University, my friends and I just encountered light on subjects like Grace, Redemption, Righteousness and Eternal salvation and we would share word till about 2am in Archi studio (Architecture Studio). I remember things we taught then that the Holy Spirit has explained better to us now, and I hear some younger ones saying now. I sometimes laugh at myself and some of my friends at the excesses of those teachings. But hey, it meant we were growing really. When a seeds grows, it may grow out of boundary. This is the reason for pruning. The excesses will drop off or will be cut off as he grows if he is meek. This is the reason we must preserve our teachability.
What scare me really are the things he is ignorant of, but doesn’t even know. What scares me is how he despises wisdom. Sometime in 2011 my wife and I had gone to receive a lecture from an old man in Oyo state. Which I must say I enjoyed. When we got into our car to return to our base station in Kwara state, she told me a story about the old man and a certain Pastor. Here is the story the way I remember it:
The old man who lectured us had given one of his houses to a young Pastor to live in, out of his kind heart. He gave him for FREE! Let me remember to mention that the young clergy was the Pastor of the local assembly the old man worshipped in. A few months into living in this free house, there was an INVASION. NOT BY THIEVES BUT BY TERMITES. He did all he knew to do to stop this destructive insects but all to no avail. One day, a neighbour told him a huge “SECRET” about termites. He was advised to kill a big black dog and bury at the entrance of the house.
Frustrated with all the troubles the insects had caused him, he heeded the counsel and buried a dog in the house. Well unknown to him another neighbour saw him do that and mistaken it for RITUALS. He went ahead and told the owner of the house, who came with other deacons of the Church and dug the house and found the big dead black dog.
They moved a motion to the headquarters Church and called for the immediate sack of the “voodoo Pastor” of their branch. He was sacked. The young man never recovered from that innocent mistake. Heard he later died of a broken heart leaving behind his wife and children. Funny thing is no one believed his story, really.
Fast forward to 2016, the Lord provided us a property to move the Church to a bigger venue. We started work on the site and then we had an INVASION too. The termites were so many you would bet they owned the land. One day, one of the carpenters called me and said he can tell me the permanent solution to this TERMITES PROBLEM. Pastor, let’s buy a big black dog and bury at the entrance. I SCREAMED SO LOUD HE ALMOST WENT DEAF. The story came to me strongly. I told him never to suggest such madness to me. Just do your work and leave here.
Many Pastors have ended their ministries this way. Taking blind counsel. Imagine I took this counsel and the ministry blows up numerically and the miraculous exploded to another level and unknowing to me, a neighbour saw me bury a dog. One day they would gather the neighbourhood and dig out the dog and DESTROY THE CREDIBILITY OF YOUR MINISTRY.
DEAR SIR AND MA, if there is one thing you must guard and protect with everything in your life, it’s the credibility of your ministry. Don’t let people start battling with lies because of your carelessness. WHAT IS THE BLACK DOG YOU ARE BEING OFFERED IN YOUR MINISTRY? Maybe your mother comes with a special soap to bath so you can conceive and end the delay. REFUSE IT! IT’S A FORM OF A DEAD BLACK DOG. IT WILL DESTROY YOUR CREDIBILITY.
MAYBE FOR YOU ITS A SPECIAL JERUSALEM OIL for ordination. Refuse it! IT COULD BE WHAT SATAN IS LOOKING FOR TO DISCREDIT YOU. MAYBE IT’S A PRAYER CLOTH FROM THE TOMB OF LAZARUS, STOP IT! DONT BE CARELESS. YOU CAN DESTROY YOUR MINISTRY. You may be as sound as Apostle Paul but if your credibility is destroyed, no one may listen to a word of your sound doctrine and revelation. You will be called a worded BABALAWO.
Keep your ministry pure. Whatever God can’t give you don’t reach for it with a stick. It may fall on your head and break. Many pursue doctrine at the expense of wisdom. Please don’t substitute either. Embrace both. They will preserve you. There are many “BIG BLACK DOG” COUNSELS FLYING EVERYWHERE IN THE NAME OF THE PROPHETIC.” Please be careful. YOUR NEIGHBOUR IS WATCHING. YOU MAY BE INNOCENT BUT THEY MAY NEVER SEE YOUR INNOCENCE TILL YOUR MINISTRY IS DESTROYED FROM AN HONEST IGNORANCE. DONT COLLECT ANYTHING FROM ANYONE. PERSONALLY, I NEVER. It doesn’t matter who you are and how close you are to me. So that when I become all God has said about me you will not say you made me what I am. So that the glory due God is not given a special salt from Israel.
WELCOME TO FREEDOM!