The Pastoral Covenant

The Pastoral Covenant
[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 13
17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 10
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 3
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

The ultimate reason why we congregate and commit to the membership of a local assemby is not that we can't worship, pray or evangelize by ourselves but for a purposeful fellowship and discipleship. The end of that fellowship and discipleship is to help our efforts towards being conformed I the image of Christ and to get to heaven afterwards.
Since that is so, it had occurred to me for a long time now, which also we had advocated in our various teachings and trainings to pastors and leaders that there is a need for a pastoral covenant or agreement.
The bible says, can two walk together except they be agreed? Amos 3:3. Lack of prior agreement on basic issues is a major hindrance to achieving purpose in any relationship, and the pastoral ministry relationship is not an exception.
If the purpose of discipleship conformity to the Master, Christ is to be achieved then both the ministers in charge and the individuals must agree to it and to the process required to making it happen.
We must agree about the purposes of our relationship as in pastor/member relationship. We must agree to wanting to be conformed to Christ's image and to get to heaven at all cost. We must agree that our being together is to help both of us fulfil God's plan for our lives, conform to the image of Christ, prepare for heaven and serve each other in this same purposes.
We must agree to contribute and receive all that the other is equipped to do to achieve these goals. We must agree that nothing that is not in conformity to these purposes be permitted from each other no matter how pleasing to the flesh. We must agree that whatever is beneficial to this cause must never be deprived or withdrawn from any of the parties involved. We must agree that whatever discipline necessary to get there would be received from both sides.
What I also know is that doing this is a formality that encapsulates what's generally and unconsciously been done. Even if your pastor or your people haven't given you such an agreement to sign, you are still bound to that unspoken and unwritten agreement under God. It is fundamental that pastors will give account to God over their members and individuals too will give account of his or her own service before God, so the written form of the covenant is actually to help and focus us on what's right.
It follows therefore that every congregant deserves to be given a platform where all such a person needs to become all that God wants is provided for, both in words and in exemplary deeds by the grace and the power of God.
If your aim is to be the Christian God wants you to be and you attach yourself to a group of people in the name of a church whose goals are different from that, then you are in a wrong place. If you are comfortably committing sin, and no one in your local assembly from the pulpit to the pews either by word of mouth or by the move of the Holy Spirit is there to check you, consciously and unconsciously, then you are in a boat sailing away from the path of salvation.
A church that's committed to this purposes would not mind whatever smear its reputation receives from people who aren't ready to go with them. Such a church though would desire to go to heaven with as many as possible won't bother if some decide to jump ship. Jesus's job was to come preach, if He hadn't, we would have had no sin, but that He has done His part, we have no cloak for our sin, John 15:22. That should be the attitude of those assemblies committed to conformity to Christ's image. Do your part and let people make their choices. The control churches have is to make sure that the best in word and in practice capable of helping people make heaven is made available both secretly and openly. Aside that control, it amounts to manipulation to control or force people to do God's will.
If you are a Christian know that we have but a short time. We have to be true to ourselves about our convictions to christ and His cause. It's time to fight for your own soul and take personal responsibility of your eternity. Christ has died and risen, ascended and seated at the right hand of God, the work is finished, it is left to us not to take that grace in vain, it is left to us to make sure that all that He did count in our lives. It is time to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Don't be part of evil either in church or outside church. Be bold to stand for truth and for righteousness. Don't follow a bandwagon into hell. It is your life and you are responsible. If what you are submitting to isn't deeply seated in God you aren't submitting to God. If you are in a covenant that has locked you away from divine order such agreement isn't of God, let your original covenant with God take pre-eminence. Take personal responsibility of your eternal home. Make up your mind that whatever will deny you your place in God must leave your life, either a person, system, character or habit. If your relationships aren't exhorting you daily towards the day of judgment and in spite of such relationships you are being hardened by the deceifulness of sin, then that covenant is militating against your covenant with God, deal with it and protect your walk with God. Heaven is home, preserve your journey! Good morning!

Maintaining The Stance
Being a Christian is not a permanent spiritual position. It can only be permanent as a religious status and not as a spiritual state. Being a Christian requires moment by moment maintenance of position by living like Christ in intent and in deeds. A church can not also be so called from the standpoint of the tag, it is only a church to the level to which people are gathered in line with Christ's authority per time and not as a static position.You may be a Christian in a moment and be another person the next moment because it all depends on the maintenance of your position in God. That's why not everyone who calls Jesus Christ, Lord, Lord, will make it at the end of the day. Not every church will enjoy divine approval, as long as not every church has departed from iniquity even if they name the name of Christ. Christ must be Lord, not only on our lips and not only at some convenient times but in all things and at all times. Our sentiments and selfishness are not qualified to determine whatever is approved of God, We need to  submit them to God totally, and embrace anew the en-grafted word of God which is able to save our souls. It is the experience and the consequent conviction from God's word that are able to help us follow God in our day to day walk and the moment by moment decisions we make that either make us Christ-like or otherwise, either as a church or as a person. This is where Christianity is determined either with an individual or a group. We can not afford to see divine approval from the spectacle of what is convenient to us or those things that serve our selfishness. Such lives are not submissive to Christ beyond mere religion. Following Christ can't be at our terms, Christianity is not what suits us or what is popular but what God says in His word.Once we leave the preaching and the practice of what's in the Bible, taught by Christ and His apostles and we begin to practice all sorts under certain 'licences', we erode the authority of scriptures and we can't categorically say we are followers of Christ or that our gathering is one of His body. Meanwhile by reason of lots of selfish motivations, we practice all sorts in the name of the Lord or as 'led' by the Holy Spirit in our claims. These times are the times for Christians and churches to do a review of their beliefs and practices with the Word of God as revealed in the Bible in Christ and His apostles and to depart from things unequal. We don't have to sacrifice divine approval on the altar of our selfish ambitions, insecurities, unbridled worldliness and appetite for significance and authority.

Mt 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
 Mt 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
 2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
 2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
 2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
 1Th 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

The Sacrifice in Receiving!

The Sacrifice in Receiving! It is more blessed to give than to receive. Man is a very complex being. I'm sure God deliberately made him so partly for His humor and personal excitement. Man is so complex to his own hurt, he is so complex that though he understands so much around him, he hardly can figure out who he is. Yet, in his conceit believes he is ever on top of all situations, not minding the obvious inability to conquer himself as he conquers the universe. The complexity of man blinds him to self consciousness and the subsequent self unconsciousness projects his weaknesses which he flaunts in pride. Such is the issue of giving. To man, selfishness is a key to survival. The philosophy of the survival of the fittest bothers on self preservation and propagation through as much as you can get from scarce resources. Man believes resources are scarce and so would still be gathering even when he has gotten more than enough and so deprive others of what God has provided them through nature. He doesn't see it as deprivation though. He sees it as a means of self perpetuation due to his fear of the unknown future. The more he can store up from the reach of others the more he believes he can survive. He believes out of his fears that his survival and perpetuation depend on himself even if he still finds it difficult to understand how he finds himself on the earth. He didn't create himself yet he can't leave his preservation to the Forces that brought him to being. So he gathers and keep gathering of the scarce resources with all the opportunities and strength he has, he works for no other, his gatherings are powered by the cravings of his appetite and fear. And whatever he gathers he protects against all odds with his life. He doesn't mind losing soldiers, young men and women of his own loins even the unborn to preserve what he has. He won't mind using religion and whatever sentiments to be in charge of world resources through self-justified violence in order protect what he has gathered and is still gathering. Of the uncountable stored up oil and grains not a drop or a grain must fall to the hands of another man...it would be better if it even falls to the birds to eat than for another man to use. But he doesn't mind trading with the excess to fuel other appetites of his. He uses what excess he has to gain control and significance. He can even permit his body to be burnt just to fuel other appetites of his. The only thing He won't willingly do is die for others though he daily urges those in his control to die for him. But he won't mind trading what else he has to gain control of others and of whatever things those ones have. Trading most times are covered over in the packaging of benevolence. It has to, in order to have access to more important things in the life of the recipients. World exchange of aids has become the international routes for modern-day slave trade and neo colonisation. You wonder why the powers that be would keep prices of their imported commodities at the very lowest only to give aids back to the impoverished farmers who produce the commodities. Why not just pay more for the oil and cocoa instead of giving aids? Mostly, therefore it isn't the one who gives the material things that suffers, it is the receiver who is pained. Yet the pain is hard to define because what is lost is more than meet the eye. That's why it is more blessed to give than to receive. That is why in divine jurisdiction giving doesn't bring spiritual profit no matter how religiously it is covered, even if it is with burnt body, except it is done in love. Solomon said, when the rich's excess is brought before you, put a knife to your own neck if you are one given to appetite, for he tells you eat and drink yet his heart is not with you, for as he thinks in his heart so is he and not as generous his presentation looks. When we have Christ in us and leave carnality behind, we walk less as mere men described above, we walk as God would and profit from our giving in love. We give in simplicity and are more concern with what good others do to us than remaining attached to what we said we have done for others. We separate trading from giving, motivated by the needs of others of whatever opportunities we have gotten from God, not motivated by our self preservation or fear of the future unknown but by purity of conscience and sincerity of purpose with all cleaness of empathetic thoughts and of good and large heart of generousity without guile. This that I've described of giving in love comes only from a heart atuned to God and His Christ by faith in the possibility of such. It helps to receive from men without fear of being traded in and helps to give without looking back so long needs are met by that which has been done even if the recipients have no opportunities of saying thanks audibly! Make it less painful for people to receive what God has sent through you, then you have rewards from the Universal giver, God and not from the often powerless recipients. Good morning!

More Than Meet the Eye

More Than Meet the Eye
I'm being inspired to meditate more and more on the subject of faith these days. Maybe as a fallout from a recently taught bible school class. Where we tried to see the basic process of ministry. And we saw how impossible it is to run a God driven ministry without demanding people's faith to connect to an invisible God. Receiving or giving between man and God are the same to faith. Faith is only a conduit through which communications are executed between man and God. Man must locate God's faithfulness and respond by his faith.
Meanwhile faith can only be a farce. Man has the capacity to believe in the unseen, either real or unreal, the consequence is what separates the two. You can pick up your phone and dial an unexisting phone number, you can even speak, not minding whatever the provider is saying from the other end, but you can't make a report of your conversation. But that hasn't removed the fact that your phone exist and that telephony is real or that people make conversation through that channel every second of the day all over the world. It only that you dialled a non existing number.
Faith is a channel to the unseen meant to create communications between that realm and our perceived realm. It is a conviction of the reality of realms outside of what we perceive by our senses. It is the conviction of thoughts that are ahead and are yet to penetrate the human mind. It is the conviction of the activities of those realms and how they bare on our own perceived realm.
Faith is meant to locate the knowledge of the truth that the senses cannot reach. Some calls it the sixth sense. It is useless with mere imaginations that are only crafted from the residue of the past in our minds. It works with the realities confronted in the realms beyond ours.
Faith is a door to that realm. We can't have access without faith and we can't judge that realm when we haven't been there. You have to have faith in God to have access into Him. Faith built on the truth He had shown us already with whatever He has done here: as the invisible things of His are shown clearly by the visible things He has done here according to apostle Paul.
We can argue all we can but the reality is that man didn't make this world and it is absolute nonsense to say the universe made itself: unbelief can actually make one mad. Unbelief is a deliberate blindfold, a self inflicted delusion out of the misunderstanding of pride that won't let man agree to His ignorance. Yet without a place for faith, you can't even experiment with the unseen realm or research into it. It's a realm ahead and beyond. A realm that gave birth to the seen and yet a future for the seen realm.
The activities of that realm and that of the inhabitants thereof tell on us and that's the more reason why it is pertinent for the inhabitants of our perceived world to be connected and become players in the game of the spirit.
Life is more that meet the eye. Faith is the eye that sees beyond what the eye was made to see. The One who made the eye to see in this realm made faith to be the eye to see Him and to relate with Him.
Ever blessed are those who won't wait for the instrumentality of the senses before believing in the reality of the supernatural. Those who understand the superiority and the value of the spirit realm far and above the realm of vanity and decadence in which we live are men and women of faith who through the experimentation of faith can tell the difference by faith.
Those who have the simple understanding that if one must come to God, such must believe first that He is and that He rewards those who through faith seek Him diligently...it is an impossible case with any who don't believe beyond what is seen...
The whole truth can't be accessed without the inventory of the unseen realms. There's something out there that hides itself from the five senses, from it came the physical and the discovery of that in truth is the opening of a new world to mankind and only the eye of faith can see even a glimpse of it to explore...believe and be enlightened...! Are you in faith? Good morning!

It's in the Pain

It's in the Pain
Ordinarily I don't want pain. Nobody wants it. That's why it's called pain. Jesus came to heal the broken hearted and in the process took away our pains. Why do I still have these pains? I realize that more than what come against our bodies to cause sickness are the things that come against our hearts to break it. More than the stress of physical weariness are the stress of mental burden. My pastor once told me that the burden the anointing is to remove from off our necks are those things bothering us. Of course, how many have I seen on the streets carrying heavy burdens that only prayer can heal, the burdens are of the heart. The wise king said the heaviness of the heart makes the heart stoop.  Sometimes they stoop like a bending pine until they break. When it breaks they call it mental illness. The sickness of the heart comes out of the unending expectations of the heart. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. Long standing thirst, and everlasting hunger waiting for good news from afar to quench and a good word of gladness.
But without the hunger the utility of the food is low. What I have no expectations for may worth nothing to me and become useless. If I don't have to wait I may not appreciate what I got. If there's no hunger for light, the plant won't grow. And the cut down tree will sprout again at the scent of water, the standing tree may remain stagnant swinging to the rhythm of the winds but the search of water keeps the cut tree growing.
I guess the inspiration is in the pain. Some would discard the pain as quickly as it comes. Entertainment, alcohol, sex, drugs, violence and so on paliate the pains and placates the heart to its total destruction. But I have seen great things come out of the times of pain. Great books came out of apartheid, marvelous music from the pains of oppression and slavery...and I have seen futility and vanity replace all that when the pains got healed. I guess it's in the pain.
The heart responds from the depths and character is built as the heart stoops. As the muscles bulge under extreme weight so goodness is birthed through labour pangs of life.
Are you suffering, find out what's in it for you...virtues and nobility maybe waiting to be born. Are you oppressed, maybe you are about to become a savior of others under oppression. The comfort by which you are comforted will also comfort others, you were in the pain to culture the vaccine of comfort to immunize those who shall thereafter be attacked by such pains.
There's something in the pain don't discard the pain with fleshy indulgences or you'll throw out the baby with the bad water.
Hope deferred may make the heart sick, but the sickness attracts the desire and when it comes it's a tree of life, an everlasting tree that keeps producing the once longed for desire.
Are you going through frustration, make a song of it, are you in prison, write a book, are you waiting read a prose, and if life is making jest of you, write a comedy otherwise you may never have the time to ever do that again because it's in the pain, only in the pain.
Pain moves you to the deep where good counsels lies. It takes pain to dig out gold, value is never cheap they are delivered by the bus of pain. A world built around the culture of comfort and vanity don't get anywhere. Soldiers worth relying upon are those trained in the throes of pain, your faith isn't dependable and lacks value if it hasn't gone through heavy and fiery trials. Many who now enjoy divine health had to endure the battle of faith in pain. Testimonies are born out of painful tests. Great relationship are built from smothering fires of overcome pains.
Don't run away from it, it has a message for you and your purpose might be attached...leave the drugs, don't react with violence rather engage your mind and squeeze out the good news in the pain. I'm doing that...do likewise! And be happy! Good morning! Share this and Visit evansademanuel.blogspot.com today!

Thoughts on Loyalty

Thoughts on Loyalty
In the study of leadership, coming across the word 'loyalty' in it's various forms is normal. Leaders can only lead those who submit to their leadership. True leadership can only influence voluntary following in the people. So we assume people who follow do so because they want to. Yet, it can't be assumed that every follower is a loyalist or is loyal depending on what such is loyal to or disloyal to.
What touched the loyalty button inside individuals that made them follow are different and to that each will be loyal. Though leadership may not define acceptable loyalty as such.
In Christianity and its leadership, one of the concepts of leadership is called the 'follower-leadership' whereby the leader is also a follower of Someone else. The Christian leader is a follower of Christ either at home or in church administration. He or she isn't the ultimate leader. He can't call the shots without being led himself by the Spirit and the Word of God in the normal circumstance. This too tells on the demand for loyalty.
Most leadership error come from the inability to obey the 'follower-leader' concept. Apostle Paul said [My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 11
1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
When the hierarchy set forth in that simple statement is breached it's no longer Christian leadership. That concept as said earlier must also inform the giving and receiving of loyalty.
The Christian leader receives his authority from Christ and his confidence is borne on that premise. He demands loyalty towards Christ and not to self. He is protected and strengthened  by the authority he received from Christ and those who seek to follow Christ would follow him with confidence.  But that goes as far as he follows Christ. The true Christian desires to follow Christ and to imitate God towards becoming like Him. But the body administrative structure requires that in being organized, a leadership structure be in place for things to be done decently and in order according to Apostle Paul in 1Corinthians 14. The leadership structure therefore operates in concert with the ultimate cause of believers conforming to Christ's image. The leadership must follow Christ in all things to remain relevant in its middle position: the believer follow the leader as a necessary bridge to following Christ.
Responsible leadership therefore points Christ to the follower and not to self. The honorable leader seeks loyalty to Christ and not to self. The loyal leader demands loyalty towards Christ, while the disloyal seeks loyalty towards self.
And that's where the weakness of leadership lies. The desire for loyalty weakens leadership. The more crave the leader has for loyalty towards self do not only show how exposed his disloyalty to Christ is but also shows how vulnerable he has become to disloyal people among his ranks or team.
What we crave for become baits in the fishing hooks of the predators who desire to prey on us; you don't try to catch a fish tying ordinary rope to the hook...you put there the desire of the fish.
Loyalty is portrayed by the obedience we receive from our followers. Their desire to always be there for us, to do our will and those things that please us. Their willingness to be ready to fight for us and to even die for us, if need be, shows loyalty. We desire they be ready never to be in variance with our opinions, decisions and actions, good or bad and to even defend them to blood. Whoever won't do that is a rebel and disloyal.
But people who in their heart has disloyalty breeding and brooding also know this. They present that front and with a kiss and fair speeches betray their already vulnerable leaders.
Jesus said it shall not be so among His followers. A true Christian leader would demand such loyalty towards Christ and not self. He will demand obedience to Christ at all cost. He will differentiate between Christ and himself and exalt Christ and His Word. He let's the world know he's only a servant and one of the followers of Christ privileged to lead others to Him and to do His works.
Leaders who don't mind disobedience to Christ in the course of defending self aren't true Christian leaders and the followers who are ready to disobey God's word to defend their leaders in order to show loyalty aren't following Christ. True leaders defend Christ at their own expense and not mess up Christ to protect self.
Leaders who don't mind the destruction of God's work and people in order to look good are not serving Christ and His God. And they open up themselves to the whims and caprice of evil people.
Are you a Christian leader? Know that you are still imperfect and let no one defend your imperfections at the expense of Christ. Let your vision be that followers remain loyal to Christ and His principles, let none of God's word be broken in your defence. Let no one do evil to protect you, let no one commit any sin to make you look good. Let Christ and His Father be the Ones presented to the world.
Those who are ready to offend God to please you are enemies in disguise.  Those who won't seek God by themselves but would do whatever you say either good or bad aren't loyalists. Those who speak evil of the commandments of God yet defend your errors are bringing death and destruction you.
Mark those who will stand for God even when it's not convenient, they'll be loyal to you and to your God. Mark those who like Berean Christians will put your words to the test of God's commandments, they are your true friends. But run from those who lool loyal to you but are disloyal to Christ...they can't love you more than they love God! Good morning! Share and Visit evansademanuel.blogspot.com and let's know you came.

His Will Be Done

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 13
20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I pray God makes me perfect in every good work to do His will, working in me that which is well pleasing in His sight.

I have realised that many Christians only follow God at their convenience. Many do their own will and make it look like God's will only because both fall on same state pwr time. Otherwise, they use God as excuse to perpetrate their own evil cause. He wants to oppress his wife, he has enough scriptures twisted to paliate his conscience, he wants to oppress a subordinate he has enough religious reasoning to make it look good. He wants to disobey leadership he knows enough religious jargons to have his way: there isn't anything evil that evil hearts won't justify.
But good and sincere Christian hearts will seek God's will and do it. Self seeking and always expecting our own desires to come to pass weaken the strength of our walk with God no matter how religious we make it sound. In a world of deadly competitions among the holy, we must stop and quietly ask why we do what we do, we must ask if it's God's will we seek, we must stop and ask if our expectations of others are towards pleasing God or pleasing self. We must ask who is truly glorified, we or God, we must ask who truly gets paid, we or God?
That's the essence of the prayer above, it's time to leave all into God's hand and come to trust God enough to permit Him work out His will in our lives...that alone glorifies Him.
Don't justify evil because it pays you, don't assume you are in God's will when it's obvious you are hurting people around you. Don't think whatever pleases you must please God, don't bring yourself into unnecessary competition with God...find out His will and do it.
I pray that His will be done in our lives, homes, jobs and ministries today in Jesus name! Good morning!