Criticisms are flying all over the place and emotions are running high, but bottom line is, many think that ‘pastors’ have become day-time robbers. I think that people need to re-evaluate themselves and I have a few (maybe not a few) questions I want us all to answer.
There has been so much talk from people. This issue of pastors owning private jets instead of doing charity work with all of their life and money, has evoked so much emotion from people. The latest news is another prominent pastor has been given a private jet as gift and he dared to receive it and even keep it!“What audacity!” many say.
Many are of the opinion that he should sell it and use the proceeds for charity, while some think that if it was a gift to him, then by all means, he should keep it. The arguments are that ‘pastors’ now buy private jets and ‘big cars’, live large while the congregation suffers. They take offerings and tithes, impoverish the already poor congregation, do not pay taxes, and then live large.
Criticisms are flying all over the place and emotions are running high, but bottom line is, many think that ‘pastors’ have become day-time robbers. I think that people need to re-evaluate themselves and I have a few (maybe not a few) questions I want us all to answer.
I want us to think through them carefully and be open to answering them honestly (please be honest with yourself at least). Here goes my questions:
Do you think you deserve the best?
Are you working hard and smart to achieve that best?
Are you materially responsible for anyone (no matter how little) asides your family whether at work, where you live or just anywhere?
Do you give part of your income to charity or just give part of it to people who need money, food, shelter or clothing, asides your family?
Do you provide food, shelter or clothing to people asides your family?
Do you think about the fact that your neighbour might not have had anything to eat for days before you take that bite of your precious sliced bread (even though we’re thought to break bread and eat as the proper way of eating bread) or sink your teeth into that apple or dip your hand in your pocket for money to buy Shawarma and Ice cream?
Do you want a house(s), a car(s)?
Do you want to be able to travel the world, go anywhere you want to, whenever you want? And If you get the opportunity, would you go?
Do you think you deserve to receive and keep your gifts?
(And here goes the not so nice questions)
Do you cut corners?
Do you cheat in exams or have cheated before and did not think there was something wrong with that?
Do you take or give bribe?
Do you change figures at work?
Are you diligent, honest, and loyal at work?
Can you say you genuinely love and care for others (asides family and friends, those are easy to love) like God says we should?
Do you jump queues?
Do you lie and cheat?
Do you throw rubbish on the floor/streets/roads? (Yes, you read that right. It is illegal behaviour which is corruption, so, if you do, you are corrupt!)
Are we not all to be like our Lord (whoever yours is)?
As Christians ( I am a christian, so I would speak as one), are we not all to be like Christ, giving materially, emotionally, with our energy and time?
Caring for the oppressed and poor, healing the sick and brokenhearted?
Are we not all referred to as Priests (‘Pastors’)?
Are we not the body of Christ, the Church? Don’t we all make up the Church? Or is the building the Church? Is the Church not the people who come in to the building?
Now I know people may have gotten carried away by some things, but I don’t want us to get carried away by the thought that a ‘pastor’ is that man or woman that stands on the pulpit in that building every Sunday and gives sermons from the Bible, because we are all pastors.
No christian is excused from what the Bible says Christians should do. And you don’t even have to have a religion to genuinely care and cater in every way you can, for your neighbour. If we all do what we say only the ‘pastor’ and the ‘Church’ ought to do, the world would be a better place to live in.
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