Goodbye, Usurpers!

Have you ever wondered how leaders, prayer warriors and ministers of the Church get to their position in spite of their obvious lack of capacity to handle it? Is ministry just another organization where you look at the credentials and not the calling? We call the Church the house of God, yet is He the truly the one in control? We consider the Church a family, but are we doing what is necessary to protect it? Are we in danger if we proclaim and not act? What does God do in all of this?

These things happen and continue to happen, as our God continues to extend His grace. It is by His grace that people are in their positions of the Church. All of us are forgiven for our inequities and are still breathing by His grace. The Church continues to operate even if it is going the wrong direction, only by His grace. Even if no one admits to any of this, things still carry on only because of His grace. But is grace unlimited? I would like to turn your attention to a part of literature attached below from "Costly Grace" written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Grace is like a soft cushioning to your fall in your walk with God, but it does not become a place of rest. How many ever times we fall, He never pulls away the cushioning, however, if we start sleeping there, He may be left with no choice. Grace cannot become your comfort zone because it was costly, it took the life of Christ to have it. We cheapen grace by making it into some thing for our own comfort. Why should we be comfortable when Christ did the most uncomfortable thing for us. It should shake us to our core, moving us to do things which will make a difference to Him and His Kingdom.

What if we find ourselves in this comfortable position? There is then the Mercy of God. If we genuinely repent for our mistakes, God will forgive us. No matter the number of times you have faltered, if you truly repent, He will show Mercy. For when Peter asks Jesus how many times should he forgive his brother or sister who sins against him, He replies in Matthew 18:22 saying “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times". This shows His character when it comes to forgiveness and mercy toward us, his people.

We cannot make people repent of their sins, as it should come from the heart of the individual. True repentance involves change of the persons character from sin to holiness. This also requires the help of the Holy Spirit, who will intercede on our behalf and facilitate the process of repentance through you. What we can do is hold such people accountable for their actions and inactions towards His kingdom. We can also be led by the Holy Spirit to minister to the people in what ever capacity we can. As the congregation, we are as much responsible for the Church as the leadership is.

Even if we do what ever we can, you will still find people in positions of authority who are clearly not meant to be there. It's not that we have something against them, or that they have hurt us that we notice this, but it's because the Spirit is showing you the truth about the person or the situation. Jesus mentions about such people in the parable of the Good Shepard, where he imparts clear wisdom and instruction as to how the leadership of his Church must operate. Parables are an eternal source of wisdom, knowledge and insight on the Kingdom of God and it is a goldmine for believers who seek its secrets.

The Parable of the Good Shephard (John 10:1-18)

1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Starting off, the sheep pen is the Church and the one who enters by Gate is the appointed leader. This is true as Christ is the head of the Church and He appoints leaders and ministers by opening the gate for them. It goes on to mention how the appointed leaders will have authority over the sheep as they will listen to their voice. It further mentions that they will know each sheep by name, meaning, they will have a relationship with each member on a first name basis. It also mentions that they will lead them and go ahead of them, that is, they will set the example of discipleship and obedience in Christ.

It later goes on to describe how Jesus is the example of how to be a good shephard. He expects us to know each member like how He knew our Father. He also goes on to mention that we must lay down our lives for the sheep willingly. Then it says that there are sheep not of the sheep pen which he must bring, which signifies our call to evangelize by bringing the people Christ elects to save and plant them in the Church. He also imparts His vision here, which is one flock and one shepherd (that is Christ), meaning there should be no division and separation among Churches. Remember, those who enter through the gate will go out and find pasture, which is true spiritual nourishment.

The person who does not enter from the gate is not supposed to be there and is a usurper. A usurper is defined as a person who wrongfully or illegally seizes and holds a position of power, such as a throne or a job, without having the right to do so. Keep in mind that Jesus does not indicate that people can only enter through the gate, which means that we will have people climbing the walls. If you are able to discern that the leaders in place are not meant to be there and have climbed the walls, that fulfills the scripture where Jesus says in John 10:5 that "But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice”.

When Jesus says in John 10:8 that "All who have come before me are thieves and robbers", this indicates people who come without Jesus's presence in their lives. This could be because they see it as a worldly career, or identify with their educational qualifications, or are doing ministry out of their own strength and conviction. It also points to people with an unnatural hastiness in seeking the pastoral title for status in society. Jesus goes on to say that such people come to only steal, kill and destroy, which means that they are going to surely cause the downfall of the Church and its people.

A Hired hand represents running the Church like an organization. As mentioned in Romans 12:2 that "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind", we must not look to replicate what is being followed by the world, its trends and its ways of handling people, businessess and organisations. He also goes on to mention that if we rely on the hired hand, when the wolf comes, he will abandon the flock and run away as he cares not for the sheep. This shows that leadership without personal investment in the Church is detrimental to its congregation in times of danger and crisis.

All of this reminds me of a song in which he sings "Your grace has found me just as I am, empty handed but alive in your hands". We are not worthy of the position, authority and power we hold, if it were not for Jesus. The bestowment of responsibility, authority and power comes from Him, else we are all empty handed. Grace is not cheap, for it cost His life. Yesterday can be forgiven if we lay it down in front of Him and repent. Today may not be forgiven if we continue to remain prideful and ignorant, as it is mentioned in Psalms 109:7-8 that "When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership".

Repent Now!