For the most part things used to be
simpler in the olden days. God would choose a man, equip that man for service,
give him a message, and that man would faithfully deliver the message he was
given even if it meant prison or death for having delivered it. More often than, not it did. Being called of God was neither a way to grow rich nor was it a way
to grow famous. It was a calling, one that was to be carried out diligently by
the individual who was chosen for the task at hand. Faithfulness, obedience,
humility, and boldness were indispensable, and the men chosen to speak on
behalf of the Almighty possessed these things to overflowing.
In some rare cases, individuals chose to
attempt and skirt their duty. As I said it was rare, but it did happen. Even
back then there were men who attempted to flee from their responsibility, but
eventually, whether voluntary or compulsory, they carried out their mandate and
delivered their messages dutifully.
It goes without saying that one does
not try to run away from umbrella drinks and endless days in the sun. One does
not attempt to flee prosperity and blessing, one does not attempt to bypass a
life of ease and leisure. Whenever we see men within the Word of God attempting
to skirt their duties, we must always keep in mind that their duty, whatever
that duty might have entailed was always difficult, treacherous, and would
likely cause personal distress of some kind or another.
All one need do is read the lives of
the prophets and study what they went through to realize just how difficult a
task and calling these men had on their lives. Rarely lauded, frequently derided,
these men became the repository for the rebellious heart’s lashing out against
the will of God, the physical manifestation of the cringing of the teeth and
the shaking of the fist. If those rebuked and corrected by the mouthpieces of
God could not lash out at God Himself, they would lash out at the next best
thing; the messenger He had sent to speak on His behalf.
Nowadays men aspire to more than just
being messengers. Nowadays the selfsame virtues that were indispensable to the
servants of old are mocked, looked down upon, and wholly rejected as antiquated
practices which can be interpreted as intolerant. Boldness is seen as
aggression, faithfulness is seen as zealotry, obedience is seen as
shortsightedness, and humility is seen as fear of success.
For many in the limelight today, being
a simple messenger is construed as an offense. It is too lowly an office; it is
too humble a calling. It is too insignificant as far as their egos are
concerned. As such, they take it upon
themselves to become negotiators, assuming they know the mind of God, and feeling
as though they are within their rights to negotiate on behalf of God. They give
leeway where God gives no leeway, and they are overly gracious toward those
whom God commands to repent and turn from their wicked ways. The messenger is
still derided to this day. The negotiator is praised and embraced by the world,
because given enough time they know they can whittle the negotiator down to
agreeing to the proposition of men entering heaven laden down with sin.
What those praising the negotiators don’t
seem to realize is that they are not negotiating on behalf of anyone other than
themselves. They come neither in the authority or with the permission of God.
Their promises are just as empty and hollow as their hearts, and though they
promise heaven, they can do nothing in the way of making good on that promise.
Even so, many within the household of
faith today prefer the career of the negotiator to the calling of the
messenger.
A messenger is a lowly, thankless job,
but a negotiator has the power to wheel and deal, to speak words that have
profound impact on the lives of others, and those without understanding, those
whose pride has blinded them to the need for humility, revel in the notion of
possessing power, even if said power is an illusion.
It takes but a passing glance to
realize that there are far more negotiators in the church today than there are
messengers. Though some of them have not the temerity to outright say “Thus
says the Lord”, they nevertheless insinuate it, and only backtrack when called
out for their supposed message of open and unrepentant promiscuity being A-Okay
with God.
Until the masses realize that the
negotiators are negotiating without sanction or authority, they will gravitate
to them, elevating them to prominence ever so joyfully because they offer them
an easier path than that of the cross of Christ. Love for sin has compelled
many to search for an alternative, while conveniently forgetting that no man
can serve two masters.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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