ARE PASTORS CALLED TO BE RICH?
Wealth is of GOD and the power to have it is from God. We are in an era that people honour wealthy people and attach success and prosperity to material wealth and riches. You are not successful until you have fleet of exotic cars in your garage and many mansions.success itself is beyond this. It is being doing what gives you joy and excelling in it. You can be successful and yet not have fleet of cars or multiple mansions. In the Christian ministry, some are of the idea that until you have mega church, fleet of cars and multiple houses you are not a successful servant of God. We are in an era where pastor flaunt cars,aircraft and mansions as an evidence of successful ministry.
Prosperity is good but is God really happy about that? Acquiring riches and wealth when you have church members that find it difficult to eat a meal in a day. Have you catered for the poor, widows, and needy people around you? If you have not done that then God may be angry with you. The call into ministry is not a call to make money but a call to a life of discipline and life of simplicity. We never read of a disciple that lived a flamboyant life displaying wealth and riches. A rich man wanted to follow Christ, he told him to sell all, give it to the poor and follow him. Do you think Christ did not have opportunities to amass wealth and lived extravagantly? He knew his purpose on earth and stuck to it till the end of his life. Wealth and riches are good if they are used to spread the gospel and build lives. Amassing wealth when you have church members and the poor around you suffering attract God's rage.
As a minister of God if wealth increases, your plans should not be building 100000 church capacity or buying personal Jet or helicopter. Your plans should be how can I help the poor and needy in your environment and how to fund missionaries on the field. Success in ministry is not having cars, houses, big auditorium but being faithful to God in the assignment that he has committed to your hands. God reward faithfulness and not titles. Your focus in ministry should not be on building auditorium. Good auditoriums are good but it ends here on earth but rather build lives and invest in anything that will bring souls to the kingdom of God. Let the kingdom of God matters to you and he will bless you with all you need. Seek the giver of gifts and not gifts. God knows all that you need to be a better work tool in his hands and he will definitely supply it in his own time.
Abolanle Oladipupo
27th February, 2021
