Over the last year, the writer has written significantly of the evils of Church of God sectarianism and that its modern landscape resembles Protestantism more than any would likely desire to admit. Moving forward, the writer will continue to do so; however, this post will take a moment to speak from the heart with no ulterior motive, void of any attempt to persuade, and without the desire to present a justification for oneself - but only in the spirit of love and humility.
Consequential decisions should not be made quickly. An old saint once gave sagacious counsel saying that when “you get in a rush, you get in the flesh.” I have made life-altering, consequential, and irreversible decisions. Each of those decisions was made by continual prayer, fasting, meditation, and patience. God has led me out of places I dearly cherished and loved to be completely alone. In the face of much opposition, I married the woman God told me to marry. Without job prospects, a place to live, and lack of financial means, God instructed me to move thousands of miles away from the state I called home, and I did as instructed. Those are decisions that have influenced and shaped my life beyond measure. In each of these decisions, choosing to do differently was convenient, easy, and justifiable in the eyes of many. However, what God says to do trumps what anyone says to do. There is no individual on earth who should be of greater importance or influence than the directions of God Almighty, irrespective of the title they hold, their years of experience, or their prominence among people. My heart and conscience are held captive to the way of God, and I’ll do nothing but obey Him.
One of the most difficult trials to go through is that of being misunderstood. Consequential decisions often result in many not understanding why such choices were made. First, it is unlikely that any will truly understand. Second, spending a great deal of time explaining what God has made clear to you will often only result in questioning what God has shown you. I am not saying that it is wrong to attempt to give an understanding when it is sought, but it must be committed that what God has shown me to do I must do. I had to trust that God would take care of the misunderstandings that would result, and in that, God has never failed.
Essentially, as of recent God has led me to make a consequential decision. I cannot abide silently in accordance with the dictates of ministers who have repeatedly shown themselves to be untrustworthy and operating without the best interest of the sheep. Loyalty is not more important than truth, and loyalty must always be sacrificed at truth’s altar. However, no doors have been closed and the line of communication is always open. There will never be a time when I am unwilling to sit down and have a dialogue. However, it does seem that there are those who would rather shape narratives, adjust the truth, and only reveal what makes them look good in the eyes of the people
Truths
These truths are not confined to a particular group or ministry but are truths that I have experienced in the Church of God circles.
- A ministry that loudly and emphatically declares the necessity of anointing and inspiration in the pulpit and the necessity of being able to feed the flock, and then continually establishes those who are unable to do so is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that shares confidential information with others is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that is not aiming to be equal to or greater than the book of Acts and the first seal/sixth seal Church of God is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that will cry aloud from the pulpit and yet spare for those who do contrary is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry who will stand in the pulpit and leave people with a perception that healing occurred when it did not occur is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that will install as pastor a man who is known to have a collection of rock music in his library is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that will use stolen information and hold it for an extended period of time as a means to ensnare a saint or saints is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry who will talk about their concerns relating to you with someone other than you is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that makes others who have concerns related to you feel comfortable in not speaking to you about their concerns is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that does not render straightforward, transparent and honest answers is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that will allow advocates of heresy to stand in the pulpit is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry who preaches from the pulpit on private matters not given by the Holy Ghost but from someone is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry who claims they will suffer as Jesus did - quietly, yet continually speaks on matters publicly is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that is never capable of getting to the bottom of issues and problems is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that makes situations worse when they get involved is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that cannot admit they are wrong and is not humble enough to apologize when they are wrong is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that is always more concerned about how something is presented rather than what is presented is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that allows worldliness, carnality, and sin to go unchecked is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that is not capable of engaging in hard conversations is not fit for the ministry.
- A ministry that will imply a “bad spirit” after a decision is made but makes no effort to address a “bad spirit” prior is not fit for the ministry.
The matters here discussed are not personal and bear no resentment. The fact is that I cannot make decisions as a result that are consequential in one situation containing strong concerns and then overlook it in another situation with similar strong concerns. The same God that led me to stand alone, sanctioned my decision to marry, and blessed a relocation effort in miraculous ways is the same God that is leading me now. Doubtless, some will say I was influenced by a spirit, but God as my witness, I will only be guided by the Holy Spirit. I have only one objective in this life - and that is to see the Church of God produced in the hearts and lives of God’s people. There should be zero allegiance given to a geographical location or to a ministry that is not in direct alignment with God.
In conclusion, I would just ask the reader to consider a few points. First, whenever a church does not have a distinct message for their time, there is confusion, division, and lack of power. What was the message of Luther’s time? Justification. What was the message of Wesley’s time? Sanctification. What was the message of Warner’s time? Unity of God’s people. Now dear reader, what is the message of our time? We don’t have one. Essentially, we are a church without a message. We can so quickly identify the message for other times, but we would have trouble identifying the distinct message of our time. Second, is there even a possibility to you that your ministry could be wrong? If not, there is nothing to really discuss, for you cannot be objective, and your decision has been made. For me, I will hold ministers accountable, I will ask questions, and I will be on constant guard for the uncertain sound, uncertain operation, and uncertain leadership. If there is one organization on earth that should be free from confusion, then it should be the Church of God. Finally, I love all of God’s people, and I appreciate each saint of God. In fact, my goal is no different than any other saint of God’s - to help build the Church of the living God.