THE SHEPHERDS LIGHT IN A WORLD OF TOTAL DARKNESS / THE FRESH DEAD BRANCHES by Bishop Steven Liberty Sr.

THE SHEPHERDS LIGHT IN A WORLD OF TOTAL DARKNESS THE FRESH DEAD BRANCHES

WRITTEN BY : Bishop Steven Maxwell Alexander J.Kpolonyeenkpor Liberty Sr. CEO: SHEPHERDS WITHOUT BORDERS LIGHTHOUSE BUGLE MINISTRY AFRICAN VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS INTERNATIONAL

INTRODUCTION It has always been my desire to provide a free material for those working in the vineyard; ever since my call. I noticed to my horror that the truth has been diluted and what is presented these days to the world is a counterfeit of God Truth by Satan and his agents. There is so much confusion about the truth that Christianity and the Kingdom of God has become like a fairy tale, myth or a scheme created for exploiting the poor. There is so much division that it now appears as if more then one Christ redeemed mankind of their sins. This is shocking and daily Christianity is losing its salt/taste and being replaced by the logics, reasons and ideologies of man. More confuse then ever are those presenting the Word to an even more confuse world. Many are so lost in the gains they can get from their exploitations of the poor , businesses(organizations/Churches), or forum for climbing the political or social ladder that they formulate theories which lead millions to their doom. Yet there are a few honest, hardworking, seekers of the truth who want to do the right and carry high the Gospel of Truth; regardless of the circumstances, it for these few seekers of the truth of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x;s Word that I write this guide.

I am writing this message for all honest seeking men and women of God who feel the call to serve as an instrument in the Kingdom of God as Ministers/Shepherds to tend His flocks. They are referred to as Ministers/Shepherds. I want to be very clear here about the term Minister/Shepherd. I intend to use the words Shepherd and Minister interchangeably to mean the same word .(One day an Apostle told me that according to her definition of Shepherd; she as an Apostle does not fall in that category.) I got very concern because if the Apostles of our time differ from tending flocks; why were they called in the first place, to tend stones? Know today that the word Apostle is not a title but an office to distinguish the difference of duties; therefore the Apostle is not greater or lower than any other and the number one purpose for their call is to tend the flocks of call. Our number one responsibility is to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth; bringing in more sheep to the fold. Those who call the sheep are not different from those who water and feed them. Our general goal is the ware fare of the sheep. For the purpose of this work I am using the word Shepherd to refer to all those who serve as instruments to carry out the mandate of the great commission in any sector of life; be it pastors, Apostles, Teachers, lay leaders, prophets, evangelist, Bishops, Overseers, cleaners in the house of God, doctors , lawyers ,etc. The term for me refers to anyone serving in any capacity to carry out the mandate of God; and those are the ones I have in mind as beneficiaries of this work.

Emphasis however is placed upon the Head of the Church, division, unit, of worship who claimed to be called by God as a representative of His Kingdom here on earth. I use the word claimed because many do not yet understand their purpose in Ministry or do not know that there is a unique distinction upon the lives of those who are indeed called and set apart as a worker from God. In this document I intend for us together to examine this office that is one of the most abused on earth today. We will scrutinize this office from every possible aspect we can visualize; advantages and disadvantages, both the true and false, the call, the qualifications, the charge, duties, what it means to be hospitable to Minister, their ordination, etc. In the end it is my purpose that this document serves as a lamp to direct, correct pass mistakes, and help us distinguish between the true from false Minister/Shepherds. It should also serve as a guide to help the local congregation improve their outlook at their Minister/Shepherd, not because of material gains and influence but because of their call. It should serve as an eye opener for them to know when their Shepherds are on the right or wrong path.

Because I wish to get the best results and facts regarding this topic I will rely heavily on the Holy Bible (KJV), Discussions and writings from Men and Women of God who have written on the topic before or answer an inquiry from me. I know that many of those critics who love to avoid facts and make excuses will want to see text I took from the Old Testament that refers to Priest or Shepherds of those days out of context; by saying that there are no more sacrifices, so the rules have change. Before the thought even enters your head, let me cut it off. Yes the sacrifice is paid and done with, but what about the place of worship? What about the moral standards laid down for God anointed ones? What about the congregation and the rules that were lain down for them and the relationship between the two? Oh so now the price has been paid so should we do away with the Old Testament? These lame excuses are what most false and corrupt Ministers use to abuse the honourable office that God has given them. Lastly I will be using real life examples from our experiences in the church of Today. This Document does not mean to criticize any known individuals, but a corrupt system that has sprang up because of the quest for power, wealth and materialism; using the precious Name of Jesus Christ to foster their evil desires. May The Most Highest God open our eyes to see the Wolves/goats from the Sheep.

It has always been my desire to provide my views about this office free of charge for future generations who want to take a path of truth to follow. I believe in ONE UNITED BODY OF CHRIST; therefore this document is not for any particular denomination, tradition, or creed, but everyone who preaches the Kingdom of God. I do not care how you call yourself, Catholic, Protestant, Apostolic, etc. All I pray for is that one day this free guide will reach the hands of every Minister/Shepherd on the face of this earth; in their native language for absolutely no cost at all. I know the day will come when a printed copy will be out for distribution, analysis, objective conclusions and implementation. No! I am not asking you to accept my views ; because I say so; but research the facts as I have presented them and I believe you will find at least a statement that can help improve your Ministry. How can I close this session without acknowledging the cooperation and my gratitude I got from the Shepherds and members of Asuza Street ( A Social network created by the International circle of Faith which used to be on (Ning)on the internet ; Face Book, Black Preachers, Churches, friends, and other sites, where I conducted research work; share pieces of this work by stages and build upon their comments and encouragement? Above all I am grateful for the love, affection, and openness in discussing this topic with my Dear Wife Evangelist Favor P. Liberty and my Editor Evangelist John & Vivian Noskey Sr . who said without a doubt that I would make it; for all things are possible for those who trust the LORD.

CHAPTER 1

THE MINISTERSHEPHERD IS CALLED & SEPARATED FOR THE TASK BY GOD HIMSELF The Minister/Shepherd of Jesus Christ is called to the task and separated from the flock to care for the message of God and any instrument used to carry out that noble task. Take your time to read and digest the verses below; for they are very crucial to our topic.

(Exodus 28:1; Numbers 3:5-12, 1Sam.3:4-10) As we can see from Chr.23:13 “And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.”

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine. ” That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.”

“The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever.” The Minister/Shepherd, Ministers to God. (This is his/her first priority). The fact that the Minister/Shepherd is call by God makes the office a very Holy one that has to be guarded with care, for it is an office that has the highest mandate on earth as regard the Kingdom of God. Special powers are assigned to this office to bind and loose and to be a vessel or pathway for many things to and from the Kingdom of God. Its jurisdiction extends to the ends of the earth. The Mandate states : “All authority in Heaven and on

the earth has been given to me; Therefore go….”(Matt.29:18-20). Authority from Heaven lies in the hands of the true Minister/Shepherd. That is why the vessel that handles such authority has to be selected by God, called and set apart for the task. The task is not easy and has a lot of rules that concerns both heaven and earth; and has to be obeyed by all cost. That is the one reason not any one can be a Minister/Shepherd; for as the Master stated “many are called but few are chosen”.

The next major fact we should consider here is; that Ministers/Shepherds are not only pastors, but everyone who is called and set apart to minister to God as we can see from Numbers 3: 5-12. Those who serve in the house of God are also Ministers/Shepherds of God, and as we can see from 1Sam. 3:4-10 that age is not a major factor for God in choosing His Ministers/Shepherds. However it is very clear that Character and the willingness to stick to the principles lay down for Ministering to God makes one a worthy vessel for God to use to reveal His directives to man. There are those who carry the title but have defiled themselves so much that God can not work through them again. They are totally empty and dirty vessels after their own selfish gains and worldly heights and achievements. Yet in the eyes of men they are thought to be worthy vessels. Those big titles like: Pope; Arch Bishop, Bishop, Apostles, Evangelist, Doctor, Teacher, Pastor, His Excellency, ETC. certainly does not qualify one as a Minister/Shepherd of God. The long white garment or socalled Ministerial robes and neck brands does not make one a Minister/Shepherd of God. Even if you have ten PHDs in Theology, it does not qualify you to be a Shepherd of God. The number one thing that we must get to the back of our heads is that God chooses and separates those He called as Ministers/Shepherds.

Quite contrary to the concept of today that the Minister/Shepherd top priority is to Minister to his/her Congregation, to act as Lord and Master over the members etc., we see here that his/her first priority is to Minister to God. In many churches, the idea is to promote their own Ministry rather than Jesus. Oh Yes, they do use the name of Jesus but to what end. To sell their books and videos, to bless passports and envelopes for those who can give money, to raise money for non existent projects( usually from areas that really needs it but will never receive it) or to claim to be healing in the name or Jesus but in fact using tricks or black arts to convince the people. This is because they do not understand the unique purpose of their call. The unique purpose of the Call is to Minister to God. Those who do not give God first place, own Holy Spirit is of the world and not the Holy Spirit that guides us in true worship. That is why it is necessary to know what qualifies one to serve as a Minister/Shepherd of the God, ordained to carry out the worthy mandate of spreading the True Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. The Minister/Shepherd is called to take the message of truth as directed from God Himself to any part of the earth that God chooses. God has a particular mission for those He called and set apart. Each person mission might not be the same and might be carry out through different means but for the same purpose, which is to Minister to God and relay His will to mankind.

If we study Jonah(1:1-2; 3:1-2) ; “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.” “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.” we will find a very important lesson and if we study the book carefully we will discover that the purpose of God is not diverted by men, not even His Ministers/Shepherds. Most times in today‟s world we see the evil spirit of Satan which was used to convince Jonah to not carry out God message as He wanted it, but to think He could run from God and change His purpose. Isn‟t that very interesting? Don‟t we see it everyday through the different mediums we use to reach out with what is taught today? Little do they know that all they gather that was not ordained by God will be their own rough sea tomorrow that they will have to be thrown into and countless members of their generations will have to pay for their evil? But like it or not the purpose of God can never be change by man. If it is the mission that God called you to carry out it will be accomplish before your demise.

God call His Ministers/Shepherds long before they know it, most times even before birth (Jer. 1:5) “Before I formed

thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” But what God sees in a person and call them to minister to Him does not always have to fit the category of men. Sometimes those actually chosen do not fit the logic, reasoning, doctrines, and traditions of man. He calls the worse or crumbs of society at times but they do not remain crumbs for He sanctifies them and make them new creatures. Let‟s take Jesus Christ of Nazareth calling of His disciples who would minister to Him and remain on earth to carry out the task after He had left the earth. Those He called were not of human choosing but for divine purpose. He knew Judas before he was called and that His death would come through him but yet he call him. Matthew 9:9 is an example of a man called from the crumbs of life to minister to Christ. What do the following verses tell you about the call of Minister/Shepherds? I leave it to you dear reader to analyze them for yourself.

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I, Send me. And He said, Go, and tell this people….” (Isa. 6:8-9). “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, separated unto the Gospel of God.” (Rom.1:1)

â&#x20AC;&#x153;How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Rom. 10:14). â&#x20AC;&#x153;For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to Glory of; for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly I have a reward, but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. For though I made be free from all men, yet have I made myself a servant unto all, that I might gain the more. (1Cor.9:16-19)

CHAPTER 2

CHOSEN BY GOD AS A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS Can you honestly admit to your congregation about where you were before the call of the Lord came? What if you were a prostitute, a demon worshipper, a gangster, a killer, a thief, a homosexual or something worse? Are you afraid they would use it against you; so you always tell them that during your own youth you were the perfect model of a Christian youth? Why lie? Know today that it is alright to speak the truth about your pass. If you were chosen by God for the task; no matter your pass, He will cleanse you. The fact is those who He chooses; He did so even before they were born. So if you were a thief like Matthew, a murderer like Paul, a drug addict or a prostitute; after God cleanse you; you are an Ambassador of the Kingdom of God and now living under new rules.

Well the truth about your pass could help others ;especially as you now even more experienced to lead those in that same category to the truth. You are now refined Gold and can never return to the pass. Where were you when you received your first call from God to come and work in His Vineyard? What motivated you? Can you clearly remember the events leading up to the period when you received your first call? How did you react to the fact that you were called by God to be set aside for the work of a servant in the vineyard? Did you understand the truth about the call and all its implications? Did you experience a physical or spiritual difference after your call? Did you expect your journey to be one of smoothness, with God on your side ready to smooth every rough path? What did you think previously about those who were working in the Vineyard? Did you expect them to be blameless and without sin? Did you have high expectations about the new life you were about to enter; one without sin? I can tell you for a fact that I did not even dreamed of becoming a Pastor. Yes, I was named after a Reverend who prophesized that I would bring a greater light to the Vineyard of God than he did. My grandmother always said I was born to take the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the world and direct the real truth to Africa; but I always wanted to be one of two things, either a pilot or a politician. In fact in the pursuit of this dream I got my first degree in sociology. I did not know that God was watching and waiting for the right time.

If you ask my family and friends from those early days; they will tell you it was a great shock to many when I announced my intention to be a Pastor (but this is not about me). When God chose you for the task; He does everything possible to bring you to the path. Some of the old life you went through was to prepare you to properly handle those you left behind in that field.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of host. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my month, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send meâ&#x20AC;?. (Isaiah 6:5-7)

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying; Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, say not, I am a child; for thou shall go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shall speak. Be not afraid of their faces; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build and to plantâ&#x20AC;?.( Jer.1:4-10) One thing I want you to understand perfectly is the fact that it is God who call Ministers/Shepherds and anoint them for the task He has for them; even before they were born. God call comes at a time when we least expect it; not regarding age or physical handicap. It comes to anyone God has chosen even those you consider to be hopeless sinners, drug addicts, prostitutes, etc. Many people have the notion that God only choose and work with the cream of society; the best in behaviour, the best student etc,. I want you to know today that it s a total lie; God works with those He choose and ordained for His purpose. This might surprise you a little but among the best preachers of our days are the formers/repented street gang leaders, drug addicts, prostitutes, criminals of our day.

These repented sinners were as surprise as you are right now and never dream about becoming a worker in the vineyard of God. Others were call when they thought they were too young; yet others when they thought that their physical handicap was a factor for people to pity them and not to follow them as leaders. When they first received the call they were as astonished as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Rehab, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, and even the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Father of Faithâ&#x20AC;?; Abraham. Their first reaction was that of fear and fright because they knew that they were unworthy for such task. Some believe that it was not true and the brave ones venture to ask God, others their masters, while yet others just obey blindly; leaving their fate to God. The reaction is normal if you experienced it during your own call. Both great and small of those truly called by God reacted in one way or the other. Both Moses and Jeremiah complain about having one speech impediment or the other. Samuel ran to asked Eli; while Rehab and Abraham follow as instructed( Rehab out of fear ,while Abraham out of curiosity and a sense of freshness and a new beginning; after a life of idolatry, in his new faith. For all of those who are called by God to carry out His purpose in life; one thing is clear, they had to be cleansed and remoulded because they came from a sinful and unclean life and were being set side for Holy purpose. Where you were before God call you?

Today on satellite, internet, in various churches are billions of Bishops, Ministers, Pastors, apostles, Evangelist, Prophetess, Prophets, and you can name the rest of us; who claimed to be called God. The fact is there are millions of fakes among the true Ministers/Shepherds; criminals of various types, instruments of the devil doing business for material gain in the name of God. The painful fact is most of the internet crime, exploitation, fornication, cheating, lying, and sins are now committed by men and women claiming to be called vessels of God. Many around the world are confused because the wolves and sheep are dress alike (and the wolves that are in the majority are setting the standard for todayâ&#x20AC;&#x;s Christianity. On face Book for example; many of the pastors claiming to be in charge of refugee camps where there are boys and girls from ex-politicians homes, with secrets of large amounts of money, minerals etc. are cyber criminals. Many of them use the pictures and identities of other people. There are others who claimed to be miracle workers and can healed you of your illness, make you prospers, help you maintain your job etc. I want you to know that these crooks were not called or chosen by God and are not worthy of you. But Bishop even as a Minister/Shepherd, I am confused here; how can we identify the true from false, because you say there is a thin line between the two?

When God truly choose a person to be a vessel for His purpose; it is not by their bank account that you can know them, the amount of children they have, the size of their Churches, their impact in the relief giving world, preaching /teaching on satellite or their theological degrees; but He touches them in a special way that cleanse them and change their lives to produce the type of fruits that re from His Kingdom. In the cases of both Isaiah and Jeremiah; their lips were touch. From that movement what came out was God own words. The Bible describes it like this:

â&#x20AC;&#x153; Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place? He that has clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, and sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvationâ&#x20AC;? (Ps.24:3-5). Do you dear Minister/Shepherd fit this qualification? Are your hands clean when it comes to the message you preach, teach? Are those hands of yours clean when it comes to money matters, women in the church, dispensation of justice and truth, not chasing/exploiting to gain things of this world/vanity above righteousness, or swearing in the name of God about things that are nonexistent? Or are you producing fruits that are contrary to what you preach? Read between the lines and you will see the truth. The truth does not hide; for when God chooses a person; He backs them up with action. Can you bring to pass what you promise others in the name of God or do you keep changing tactics?

The Apostle Paul caution us with these words: “Now the

work of the flesh re manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revelling and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God”. (Gal.5:19=-26) Be frank with yourself and check your Minister/Shepherd by this list. He/She might have lost the way and through your help they can come back to the original purpose of their call. From my last check I found out that 99.9 percent of the Churches have long ago lost the right track and are producing these fruits and encouraging their flocks to produce them. They hail them in their sermons, they practice them in their everyday lives and those who excel in them re made leaders in the churches today. If you are actually chosen by God, you will only produce sanctified fruits because; when God chose and call a person he touches their lives in such a special way that their lives produce only fruits of righteousness. The Prophet Jeremiah puts it this way : “And I will give

Pastors(Shepherds)according to my heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding”.(Jer.3:15) Yes they are selected even before their births and sanctified according to God‟s own plan even before they are send out to deliver any message. Why? Because there will be storms to face, heat from the devil‟s furnace to brave, trials and temptations, accusations and persecutions.

The Prophet Jeremiah describes it better than I could ever do in these words: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blessed is the man that trusteth in the

Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green, and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruitâ&#x20AC;?. (Jer. 17: 7-8). The Lord prepares those he calls so that during the heat of life they will not fall. Now how were they prepared before their called? Letâ&#x20AC;&#x;s take Father Abraham for an example. He was chosen and called from a idolatry home and put on the field. The task for which he was chosen was not an easy one and it was only when he reached its peak did he realize the essence of his call. He had left his home, faced famine, had to go into exile, had to lie to the King of a pagan land, submit to his wife decision and have a child by his maid, attempted to sacrifice his son; before his mission was pronounced. It was his final test; because from that day onwards he graduated and earned the title Father of Faith on earth and Father of nations in Heaven. For forty years Moses was in the palace of Pharaoh, he was been train for a future battle; forty years caring for sheep in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, he was been train to Shepherd men , before he was finally called for his life mission by God. Joseph was denied and sold, thrown into prison where he graduated to the called of his life mission. What about you? Were you truly chosen and called by the Lord? Were you sanctified by the Lord? Is your life proving it?

If you were actually called by the Lord; no one would have to look far. Your light will shine because you will bear fruits of the Spirit. The Apostle Paul puts it this way: (your life will produce) “….love, joy, peace, longsuffering,

gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance….and they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and lust. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another”. (Gal5:22-26) You will bear only fruits of righteousness in the evil world that you have been send to as n ambassador for God. What does the life of those chosen and called by God resemble ?; the Prophet Isaiah says: “He that walketh righteously, and speaketh

uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from the holding of brides, that stopped his ears from hearing of blood, and shutted his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given to him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty; they shall behold the land that is very far off”.(Is.33:15-17) The Prophet Daniel added his voice to the argument with these words: “And they that be wise shall shine as the

brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever”. (Dan12:3)

The Prophet Malachi also urge us with these words: “But

unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings”(Mal.3:3) ; and the Prophet Hosea stated: “Sow to yourself in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you” (Hos. 10:12). Good fruits follow Shepherds who are called and sanctified by God and they hold fast during the time of storm and do not bow to the temptations of Satan for material gain. I want conclude with these words from these men of God for those Ministers/Shepherds who realized that they have gone astray and have been listed in the Kingdom of God as wicked: “If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that

which he had robbed, walk in the statues of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not did”(Ezek. 33:15) Those lies and exploitations will surely catch up with you one day. It is only right that you keep these words in mind day and night: “Be not deceived; God

is not mock: for whatever a man soweth, that he shall also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh rep corruption; but he that soweth to his spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting”. (Gal.6:22) “For if man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself”. (Gal.6:3) We could go on and on but I think we have established enough that the true Minister/Shepherd of God is chosen and called by God Himself and not some trump up greedy man or woman who is out for self glorification or get rich quick scheme in the name of been a Minister of God.

Today there are millions of Ministers/Shepherds claiming to have been called and set apart by God for the task of Ministering. We see some seemingly Spirit Filled Churches or Men and Women of God. Oh yes, certainly the building looks wonderful, the members are rich or well off as you can see from their dressing or the outside parking lot, yet it is highly possible that such a church lacks a Minister/Shepherd called and set apart by God. Some preach fiery sermons and the people are move for a while by the logic. But when you dig a little deeper into the system and examine the lives of the church members you will discover that the entire church needs to be saved. They are lost and heading straight for hell. That is because the Head is not a qualify Minister Shepherd, Called and separated for the task. There are special laid down principles and qualities from God for those He called for the task of Ministering/Shepherding His people.

CHAPTER 3

CHARACTER AND QUALIFICATIONS OF A MINISTER/SHEPHERD OF JESUS CHRIST What can we say are the true characteristics and qualifications of those who are called by God and set apart as His Ministers/Shepherds? This is a very important question for many reasons; the least of them being a way to distinguish between the true and false Ministers/Shepherds. Jesus Himself classified these two groups â&#x20AC;&#x17E;goats and sheepâ&#x20AC;&#x;. Yes they both have horns, woolly hair, hooves, and looks similar from a distance. But upon closer look we can se the difference. It is upon these differences that Christ place emphasis. In fact for Him the difference was so great that He had to put them on His left and right hands (even in the illustration) to ensure that they were not mistaken. He warns about wolves in sheep clothing but I never heard about wolves in goats clothing. That makes me to assume that goats and wolves are similar here. The Minister/Shepherd Character is the light by which he/she is seen and rated by his/her flocks and outsiders.

Again it is necessary to examine a few verses from the bible relating to the character and Qualifications of the Minister. A few things stick out that we will meet over and over again when it comes to been set apart for such a task. . The Minister /Shepherd need to be clean in thoughts words and deeds as much as humanly possible and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. She/he needs to be a clean and pure vessel that God can use to glorify Himself before the congregation. As we can see the Minister/Shepherd needs to be clean not for himself/herself but for God purpose to be revealed through them. The Minister/Shepherd therefore becomes the mouth piece of God, reminding them about the pass, correcting their today and predicting or prophesying about the future. Before one can be qualify as a Minister/Shepherd of God; He/ She must be sanctified by God. It is only after He/she is cleansed that God decides to send them to the task that they are called to perform. The Minister/Shepherd must fearlessly carry out the word of God regardless of the consequences. They are responsible for the flocks that God gives them and He will judge Ministers/Shepherds according to their work in the end.

“Then Moses said unto Aaron, „This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near me and before all people I will be glorified.‟ “(Lev10:3). “ They shall be Holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer; therefore they shall be holy. (Lev. 21:6; 2Chr.29:11).

“ Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the Lord God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near unto Himself to do the service of the Tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to Minister before them?”(Num. 16:9). “Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which He did to you and to your fathers.” (Sam12:17) “Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of host. Then flew one of the seraphim‟s unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken from the tongs from off the altar; And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard a voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. (Isa6:5-8) “Be ye clean, that bears the vessels of the Lord. (Isa 52:11} “But the Lord Said unto me, Say not, I am a child; for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces; for I am with thee to deliver thee saith the Lord”. {Jer. 1:7-8). “ Thus saith the Lord God unto the Shepherds; Woe be to the Shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks”?( Ezek 34:2)

Before going into the details about the character and qualifications I wish to discuss under this topic I wish to take a view of a few works I have read and admired (but that does not mean that I fully agreed with all that is written there). I like to start with a man I respect and love

but have never met. We both are members of Children of Azusa Street on the internet. He contributes a lot in writing and I have found most of his writings very interesting, educative and worth analyzing. His Name is Pastor James Ellis of Ohio in the United States of America. He was quoting a Minister of God He admired much and wrote: “This is a list compiled by Rev. Gerri Janeway. She has been a minister for over 30 years serving as an evangelist, teacher, pastor, Bishop over the State of Arizona in the organization with which she is affiliated, and other offices but mostly as a prayer warrior. To her friends she is known as Sis. Gerri but to God and to the forces of Hell she is known as The Knee bound Warrior. Her motto is “How can I stand before men on God‟s behalf, if I have not stood before God on man‟s behalf?”

25 Things Ministers Should Ask Themselves

1. Do I have a personal and regular prayer life? (Acts 3:1; Lk 5:15, 16) 2. Am I systematic and faithful in Bible reading and study? (Ezra7:10;Lk 4:16,17) 3. Are my thoughts pure? (Prov 4:23; Mt 15:18, 19) 4. Does my speech glorify God at all times? (Js 3:1, 2; Eph 5:4)

5. Do I possess self-control? (Prov 23:1, 2; 1 Cor 6:12,13) 6. Am I satisfied with a simple lifestyle? (1 Tim 6:6-8; Phil 4:11-13) 7. Am I faithful to my spouse? (1 Tim 3:2a; Rom 2:22a) 8. Am I a responsible and godly parent? (1 Tim 3:4,5; Dt 6:6, 7) 9. Am I obedient to civil laws? (Mt 17:25-27; Rom 13:1-7) 10. Am I transparent in money matters? (2 Cor 8:20-22; Acts 20:33,34) 11. Do I love the sheep as Christ does? (2 Cor 12:15; 1 Cor 13:1,2) 12. Am I committed to training others? (Lk 11:1,2; Eph 4:11-13) 13. Am I compassionate towards the poor? (Gal 2:9,10; Acts 20:35) 14. Am I impartial without favouritism? (1 Tim 5:21; 2 Chr19:5-9) 15. Am I dead to â&#x20AC;&#x153;casteâ&#x20AC;?ism, religion, nepotism, etc. (Col 3:9-11; Rev 7:9,10) 16. Am I enthusiastic in evangelism and missions? (Jn 10:16; Mt 9:36-38) 17. Am I true in reporting? (Rom 15:18; Mk 6:5) 18. Am I accountable? (2 Cor 8:18,19,22-24; Acts 15:22) 19. Am I open to correction? (Gal 2:11-14; Eccl 4:13) 20. Am I meek and quiet when spoken against? (1 Pet 2:21-23; Mt 5:11,12) 21. Am I respectful of the reputation of others? (Prov 17:9; 2 Sam 1:19,20)

22. Am I friendly and kind to my co-workers? (Jn 15:15; Acts 20:17,36-38) 23. Am I cooperative with other ministries? (Lk 5:5-7; Gal 2:7-9) 24. Do I give my all; not afraid of hard work? (1 Cor 15:10,58; Jn 9:4,5) 25. Am I practicing self-denial? (Lk 9:23; Jn 3:30) After reading over what Pastor Ellis wrote; couple with personal experience and the inspiration from the Word of God; I drew out the following points about the character and things that qualifies one for real True Ministry as mandated by Jesus Christ: As Ministers/Shepherds it is true that we need a regular prayer life because we are given charge over many things. Christ spends most of His nights after a hard working day seeking the face of God before every next move. Even after a whole night of prayer He still prayed before any physical action. Communication with God is a must for every Minister/Shepherd. But today it is one excuse after another. The Minister/Shepherd is too busy preparing his recording to pray for the people, too busy counting money, too busy fighting for members to increase his offering, too busy writing books or sermons. Because of that he/she spends about fifteen minutes in a hasty prayer and leave for other things. After all he believes his/her prayer warriors are praying for him and the people. But the question is: Did Jesus wait for others to pray for Him because He was too busy? It is your duty to minister to God through prayers and supplications for and on behalf of the people He give you charge over.

Ministers/Shepherds are to bear the iniquities of the people to the Lord God. The fact of the matter is the Minister/Shepherd today does not know the people enough to bear their iniquities. He only remembers the names of the contributors and not the poor and lost. Many are too busy to visit the ghettoes with drugs addicts and prostitutes, the orphans, widows but raise millions in their names. In fact, there is much hatred in the church these days than out of it. Ministers/Shepherds are competing for material things so much that fights of various sorts on different fronts in the church are fought every day and night. Great visions are split because of these in house fights and the task of praying for the iniquities of the people are forgotten in this battle for fame, supremacy, money and worldly influence and power. Paul wrote â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let the elders

that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who honor in the word and doctrine. I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partialityâ&#x20AC;?.(1Tim.5:17). But how many of our churches and their leaders can stand up to claim this honour?

Shepherds are to keep charge over everything that concerns the worshippers and materials/instruments used to worshipped. Shepherds are in charge of every inch of the house of God yet today the home of the Shepherd is dress 100 percent more decently than the house of God. (Num.18:1-7) â&#x20AC;&#x153;And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness. And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die. And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you. And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel. And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for everything of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.â&#x20AC;?

Most of the things in the various Churches are not consecrated to the Lord again. In fact I personally think that many are not worthy of our God. Ministers raise huge amount of money in the name of the house of God but in fact divide said money with God and buy and place things in the church of sub standard value; things that they would never allow in their own homes. I have attended services in churches before where the house of God is leaking (even on the altar) and the Minister has huge offerings but the money goes to personal usage. The drum skins are worthless, the choir has no gowns, the Altar is falling apart, benches are broken, and yet so much money is raise and diverted to personal usage. It is the duties of the Ministers to bring the Leaders of the people to the Lord. God give charge to them to put some honour and ask counsel for him/her from the Lord. The Minister/Shepherd is authorized to lay hands on the leader and delivered His/ her charge of office . (Num.27:18) “And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him.” The Minister have to always be in constant contact with God, because at any time the Lord God can send him/her to delivered a message (Ezek.3.4). “And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.”

The fact of the matter is that the Ministers are now unable to criticize the Leaders for fear that if they leave the church, their treasury will run dry. Criminals are now on the Elders board because of their wealth, so it is impossible to counsel the Leaders. Because of these negative characteristics and corruption in the house the self esteem of the Ministers/Shepherds of God has been lower. The Leaders do as they wish and use them as reference for their sinful ways.

Study and prayers is always a key to understanding, knowledge and wisdom. It is necessary you must know that the three are different from one another. They are among the Minister‟s/Shepherd‟s most valuable tools. It helps to prepare one‟s heart and clothe in Salvation. For according to the bible; “The fruit of the righteous is a tree

of life; and he that winneth souls is wise”. (Ezra 7: 10 ; Chr 6:41; Prov. 11: 30). Remember that the Shepherd is not of this world. Their mandate is of a world foreign to this but that has authority over this world. That is why the Shepherd must study very hard to understand the things of the Kingdom that send him to implement this task. Jesus Christ call this been sanctify through the Truth of the WORD (Jn17:16-17) “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

But instead of studying about how to advance the Kingdom of God, many are studying how to make better recordings that will sell fast (usually the ones with messages that suit the people way of life; backing their evil ways, wishes for wealth and influence and injustice). Day after day they are studying strategies on how to enrich themselves instead of preaching and teaching the Truth. The Minister/Shepherd is to study because the Word of God is his/her most powerful tool. The Bible says “The Word of God is quick, and powerful,

and sharper than any two edge sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. (Heb.4:12) “And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my Words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart and hear with thine ears”. *(Ezek.3:3;10). Are there any other ways to stress the importance of studying and mastering the word of God? I do not know a better way than from the mouth of God Himself.

1Timothy 6:11 says; Ministers/Shepherds should flee evil ways and with pure thoughts follow after, righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and meekness. V.13-14 â&#x20AC;&#x153;I

give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. V20-21 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: which some professing has erred concerning the faith.â&#x20AC;? The stress here is that a Minister/Shepherd should be one with pure thoughts regarding not only his/her fellowmen/women but also doctrines and other things concerning the work of God. Yet we have heard of Ministers/Shepherds swearing and fighting on the stage they preach from.

Many Ministers/Shepherds of Today are after things of the world/ material gain; often to the determent of the flocks. Many create false programs and projects only to enrich themselves. Fornication and adultery are high among church workers (Choirs, ushers youth groups, etc) Yes; 1Tim.3:1-15 states in clear terms nearly all that the Minister/Shepherd needs to fulfilled the noble task that is given him or her.

I was conducting a research on Ministers/Shepherds Children in Africa and found that 99 percent of them turn to drugs, sex, and crime and most times come out very useless to the church or society. It is so sad but it is actually the fact that the Minister/Shepherd most times neglects the duties of the home, which should be the foundation for Miniseries worldwide. It is a rare Minister/Shepherd of today that cares for the work of God or the Flocks more than himself/herself. They must have the best homes, cars, children in the most expensive schools, and a fat salary (in some cases no salary is cut out). The ware fare of their congregation members families are second or third priority. If a rich or influential member is sick or imprison, the Shepherd of today hastens there but if it is a poor member; well the matter can wait until Sunday. The congregation will than take a special offering (and most times only half reaches the poor or none at all) to help the cause. In fact in my part of the world it appears as if the act of Baptism is non existence. Some churches have not baptized a single member in the past five years. Yet they have more that a hundred lost souls every service. The sore interest is offering and tithes. Criminals are now holding key positions in our services as Ministers/Shepherds in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x;s world because they can provide the church with some money. Little do they know that acquiring these things are not the priority for the well-being of the home. Because they think material gain brings happiness; when the truth strikes; it is too late to avoid the results like divorce, etc.

But the bible says Ministers/Shepherds are not to be Ministered to but to Ministered, if we are true examples of Jesus Christ Matt.20:25-28; Lk. 22:27; Jn 13:14,15. Personally I admired these words of Jesus when he said (Ye call me Master and Lord and ye say well; for so I am. If

I then your Lord and Master, have washed your feet,; ye also ought to wash one anotherâ&#x20AC;&#x;s feet. For I have given you an example, that you do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. ( Jn 13:13-17) If we analyze this statement carefully we will note that Christ wish is that His Ministers/Shepherds serve, care for their flock. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thou therefore which teachest another,

teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preaches a man should not steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery? Thou that ahorrest idols, does thou commit sacriledge? Thou that makest thy boast of the Law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? (Rom2:21-23). The Minister/Shepherd is warned about difficult times and persecution for the truth. Ministers/Shepherds are to be bold and outspoken but only speaking what the Holy Spirit commands. That is one of the reasons the Vessel being selected by God to Minister must be clean, honest , and of good reputation with both men and God and already fill of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.( Jn 15:20; Acts 6:3).

“Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” “Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.” In today‟s world Ministers/Shepherds are fighting over members that can bring in cash to support their ministries; but the bible says the contrary is the true. We could go on and on but we must stop here and conclude this section. We can not over emphasize the importance of the characteristics of the Minister/Shepherd, which qualifies him/her for the duty of taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ/Word of God to the ends of the earth. That is why I want to use these verses from the Bible to close this section and summarize what I have been saying :

“For every High Priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

For when for a time you ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need for milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Heb 5:1-3;12-14) “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the Word of God; whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; forthey 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. “(Hebs 13:6,7,9,17). “My brethren, be not of many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, than peaceable, gentle and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” ( Jas3:1, 13, 16, 17, 18.) “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” (1Pet.4:10-11). In Conclusion, it is necessary to note that the Minister/Shepherd is a very special person that is called by God, sanctified and set aside for a Holy Mission. Even through he/she is guided by the Holy Spirit, He/she is governed by a set of laid down rules. These rules are mandatory if there must be an open link between the two Kingdoms (Heaven and Earth) where he has a mandate to loose and bind, to teach and preach and to Minister to God and his/her fellow humans. That is why the Minister is Charge by God Himse

CHAPTER 4

CHARGED WITH AUTHORITY TO MINISTERED TO TWO KINGDOMS

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo,I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20) “ For many shall come in my name, saying; I am Christ and shall deceive many.” (Mark13:6) Why is it very necessary for Ministers/Shepherds to know and understand the charge under which they operate? The answer is very simple; Ministers/Shepherds of God/Jesus Christ have a mandate for the governance of two kingdoms.

This mandate therefore comes from the Creator of the two kingdoms who has given us charge over it. It has to come from the Creator because of another factor associated with this responsibility. We are up against our worst adversary, who is very powerful in dark arts and tricks. This adversary; Satan has sworn to make us fail in our mission here because it feels that it owns the earth. It was thrown out of Heaven along with thousands that were deceived but God allow it to survive with all of its power. That power is being use by it to destroy the relationship between God and man. The tools use by it is deceit and in most cases it uses man to implement its dirtiest plans. 99 percent of its work force can be found in the church today and the greater percent of that number among Ministers. That is why in all fairness the Master has laid down rules that govern this noble responsibility. Once we know what we are up against and follow these charges/rules that distinguish us from the ordinary, we have great powers to operate within the two kingdoms; rendering the enemy powerless.

There was a very good and well planted Ministry in Africa planted by a Minister/Shepherd of God (or at least used to be before the fall).This Minister /Shepherd was very sincere about serving God and doing things according to the laid down principles of the Bible (as much as possible); but his inner circle was very bad and thus cause him to deviate to the wrong path. Here is an example of how bad they made him to turn from the truth. He would travel to the United States, Europe, Asia, from Africa and raise support for his Ministry but after getting the money the purpose would change. 1. Materials and logistics for pastors and the church would go to the inner circle family members and children. 2. Instead of growing the Ministry was being down sized every month so the pocket change would grow bigger. Even though the money for pastorâ&#x20AC;&#x;s salary was sent every month by hard working donors; they were told to keep holding on because things were not too good. And this beautiful Ministry decline to a family organization. This good Minister/Shepherd team/inner circle or decision makers cause him to lost sight of his charge. The enemy had put a nail in his Ministry by using the unfilled team that ran him and cause him to lose focus of the one who call, choose and charge him. You know why this happened to this very good man? It happened because not only were his inner circle not called, chosen and charge by God; but because little by little the greed to acquire material things took the place of his charge, and therefore could only point to things of the earth. How very sad.

Today in most of the known world the enemy has succeeded in a great measure to change the focus from SOULS to PROSPERITY. Sin is being compromise for wealth and the mandate of Jesus Christ for the Mandate of wealth. Words like holiness, purity, sanctification, baptism, repentance, forgiveness, salvation etc have left the church. Many are now claiming to be Shepherds of Jesus Christ without being ordained. The case is very simple; if you are not called, chosen and charge/ ordained by God and man, you are NOT a Minister/Shepherd of God. So Bishop, how will God charge us and what is the charge? Yes, it is a good question and the answer serves as a reminder for those who were charge and have forgotten it or escape ordination because they think it is insignificant, or was ordained by just any Minister/Shepherd. If you must be ordained it must be from a person whom you have no questions or doubts about. Whose character is not questionable before man and God?

(Num.18:1) “And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father‟s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.” Let‟s discuss this verse a little before going further. Many Ministers/Shepherds today do not really care if the members in choir, usher, prayer warrior or Elders are living an unclean life as long as they can fill the space; yet they are surprised when they can not heal, teach, walk like Jesus. These other Ministers/Shepherds in these other departments are as spiritually responsible for the body as you are.

How can you let a man/woman who is living in sin to serve as a Minister/Shepherd? He/She comes from fornicating, stealing from others, drinking strong wine, smoking/taking drugs and claims in the Minister/Shepherd seat to sing, usher or do other jobs dress in holy robes. The Minister/Shepherd of God/Jesus Christ is charge with the responsibility to make the sanctuary acceptable for the Spirit of God to dwell. You might want to use some of those Theological jargons that Ministers/Shepherds use to cover up their evil deeds. Bishop, I believe the Spirit of the Lord dwell in the hearts of men and not buildings. Great answer; but are those hearts/Temples that God has given you charge over clean? Does the Spirit of God dwell in the hearts of those ministering along with you? If so, we should have no problem seeing the fruits. For the Bible says : (Matt.12:33)

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Either make the tree good, and his fruit good or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his fruits.â&#x20AC;? That is why you should be aware that your first charge is to: watch over each other (Ministers) bear the iniquity of the sanctuary and your Ministry. Which better watchman can we used as an example than one who experience first hand the attack of the devil or adversary; Peter. He was one of the three inner circle friends of the twelve disciples; the one who identified Christ and later betrayed Him when he was attacked by the Devil. Christ understood and later restored and charge Him with the responsibility to feed His Sheep.

(Peter was an Apostle; yet charged to be a Shepherd. Going back to what I said earlier about titles and offices; but let‟s return to the main point of discussion.) He warns:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, and seeking whom he may destroy.” (1Peter 5:8). As you can see from the text, the devil is on the offensive and not waiting for you to come but is moving about seeking. What then will happen to those of your Ministers in the Choir, usher, and other department who are not sanctified because they were not called, chosen and charge with a mandate from the Lord? I tell you the truth; they will be destroyed by the adversary. That is just what is happening in most cases that I have observed in these prosperity Ministries. They have lost track of the focus of the Kingdom that the mandate of Christ have been change to wealth. Prosperity is not bad or wrong but it is not the priority of the Kingdom of God. The Bible says: “And keep the charge

of the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statues, and Hid commandments and His judgement, and His testimonies …that thou mayest prosper in all thou doest, and withersoever thou turnest thyself.” Know the truth today; God is not interested in your downfall but He has laid down principles for everything.

There are churches out there claiming to represent Christ, but in fact agenda is wealth and riches and their Ministers/Shepherds are those who follow the path of exploitation at any cause for wealth; but those who God called chose and charge as Minister/Shepherds go after lost souls. Worldly prosperity becomes secondary and comes at the end of salvation, not the other way around. Peter again puts it this way for us:

“ Wherefore gird the lions of your mind, be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgest according to every man‟s work, pass the time in your own sojourning here in fear.” (1Pet.1:13, 17). In order to understand what it means to do these things we have to look at the Master a little. You see the Master expect so much from those who are called and chosen. Their life style must be higher than those they lead. They are set apart from the general life style of earth and expected to live a foreign life style (HEAVENLY LIFE STYLE). Anything short of that is not acceptable by God and no verse twisting Theology can correct it because it is a rule lay down by God forever.(Lev.10:8-10) “And the Lord

spake unto Aaron saying, Do not drink wine or strong drink, thou nor thou sons with you when you go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die: it shall be a statue for ever throughout your generations. And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean”.

As you can see this God that you claimed to be serving has a strong rule against defiling yourself before coming to Ministered to him/her and his/her people.(Lev.11:44) says :

“For I am the Lord your God and ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy….)” I tell you the truth many that are parading themselves before the people today are false self seeking prophets and wolves who are being used by Satan to thwart the good works of Jesus Christ. That is why it is very necessary to know the truth and implement it.(Num.18:2) “….; and thou and thy

sons with thee shall minister before the Tabernacle of witness.” V.6-7” And I behold, I have taken your brethren; the Levites from among the children of Israel; to you they are given as a gift, for the Lord, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest‟s office for everything of the Altar, and within the vail, and ye shall serve; I have given the Priest office unto you as a service of gift.” Ministers/Shepherds are charge to Minister to God as a witness from and for God. They were not chosen and set apart because they are special or sinless but as a gift from God. Isn‟t that something to be proud of? But how many Ministers/Shepherds are really working for God? In most cases today; as I said before, they are working for material gain. They want to ride the most expensive cars, live in the most expensive houses, wear the most expensive shoes, watches, coats, gold and diamond that they can acquire with money bled from the Altar.

Can you imagine a gift that was given to us from the bottom of His heart being so abused by men? I find it very disgusting. Because of this abuse of God given privilege, the message of Salvation of souls has been change to Salvation from poverty. On June16, 2009, I read this piece of work on Children of Azusa Street from Pastor Ray Young. Again I must stress here that using this article does not mean I believe it is right or wrong. I am referring to it because it brings some clarity to my topic: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was recently forwarded a

devastating article which clearly reflects the moral condition of the vast majority of the church in America. I share it with you just to watch the fur fly. Despite all of our prayers and rhetoric, there will be no TRUE revival in America until the walls come crashing down around her. And that day is not far off. Prepare for 2014. Here's the article... ---------------------------------------------THE QUESTION that CHANGED MY LIFE -by David Ryser. A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a schoolof ministry. My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly searching for ways to challenge them to fall more in love with Jesus and to become voices for revival in the Church. I came across a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe. It is a short version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this:

Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise. Some of the students were only 18 or 19 years old--barely out of diapers--and I wanted them to understand and appreciate the import of the last line, so I clarified it by adding, "An enterprise. That's a business." After a few moments Martha, the youngest student in the class, raised her hand. I could not imagine what her question might be. I thought the little vignette was self-explanatory, and that I had performed it brilliantly. Nevertheless, I acknowledged Martha's raised hand, "Yes, Martha." She asked such a simple question, "A business? But isn't it supposed to be a body?" I could not envision where this line of questioning was going, and the only response I could think of was, "Yes." She continued, "But when a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?" The room went dead silent. For several seconds no one moved or spoke. We were stunned, afraid to make a sound because the presence of God had flooded into the room, and we knew we were on holy ground. All I could think in those sacred moments was, "Wow, I wish I'd thought of that." I didn't dare express that thought aloud. God had taken over the class. Martha's question changed my life. For six months, I thought about her question at least once every day. "When a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?" There is only one answer to her question.

The answer is "Yes." The American Church, tragically, is heavily populated by people who do not love God. How can welove Him? We don't even know Him; and I mean really know Him. ... I stand by my statement that most American Christians do not know God--much less love Him. The root of this condition originates in how we came to God. Most of us came to Him because of what we were told He would do for us. We were promised that He would bless us in life and take us to heaven after death. We married Him for His money, and we don't care if He lives or dies as long as we can get His stuff. We have made the Kingdom of God into a business, merchandising His anointing. This should not be. We are commanded to love God, and are called to be the Bride of Christ--that's pretty intimate stuff. We are supposed to be His lovers. How can we love someone we don't even know? And even if we do know someone, is that a guarantee that we truly love them? Are we lovers or prostitutes? I was pondering Martha's question again one day, and considered the question, "What's the difference between a lover and a prostitute?" I realized that both do many of the same things, but a lover does what she does because she loves. A prostitute pretends to love, but only as long as you pay. Then I asked the question, "What would happen if God stopped paying me?" For the next several months, I allowed God to search me to uncover my motives for loving and serving Him. Was I really a true lover of God? What would happen if He stopped blessing me?

What if He never did another thing for me? Would I still love Him? Please understand, I believe in the promises and blessings of God. The issue here is not whether God blesses His children; the issue is the condition of my heart. Why do I serve Him? Are His Blessings in my life the gifts of a loving Father, or are they a wage that I have earned or a bribe/payment to love Him? Do I love God without any conditions? It took several months to work through these questions. Even now I wonder if my desire to love God is always matched by my attitude and behaviour. I still catch myself being disappointed with God and angry that He has not met some perceived need in my life. I suspect this is something which is never fully resolved, but I want more than anything else to be a true lover of God. So what is it going to be? Which are we, lover or prostitute? There are no prostitutes in heaven, or in the Kingdom of God for that matter, but there are plenty of former prostitutes in both places. Take it from a recovering prostitute when I say there is no substitute or unconditional, intimate relationship with God. And I mean there is no palatable substitute available to us (take another look at Matthew 7:21-23 sometime). We must choose. -Dr. David Ryser.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I commented with a question for the good Pastor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This article is very thought provoking. It certainly brings up many of the same issues that have been playing around in my mind. It put into perfect words many of my inner thoughts that I just did not have the right words to express.

The question now is: If Yes indeed the Church Today is a prostitute how can we bring it back to its original status of fellowship?” I do not believe that the problem is unique to America as many seem to think. No the problem is global and must be approach as one or else we will continue to miss the track. Indeed the Church of today is a prostitute that has long ago lost her tracks and bush/forest has overgrown the original path. The bible says (Mark9:49) “ For everyone shall be salted with fire, „and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt, V.50. Salt is good but if the salt have lost its saltiness, wherewith will ye season it?”(omitted in RV). Many have lost the path of Truth and Righteousness and compromise it for Material gain. No among of words can be clearer in expressing what God expects of His Ministers/Shepherds than this verse : “ That

He would grant unto us that we…might serve Him without fear; In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our lives.” The responsibility before you is very serious and demands much. That is why one can never become a successful Minister/Shepherd unless She/he is called, chosen and Charge by God. In other to be successful you must understand your charge.

Why is it necessary for the Minister/Shepherd to be Holy in the sight of God? Because at any time day and night God can use you for a purpose of His own. God expects you to exhibit the spirit of discernment in some cases and to speak without fear or favour in others. You operate under the charge and command of God in such cases. If we critically examine some of the above listed reasons for the sake of this noble vocation from God that is so greatly abused and misused by Satan crooks for the sake of enriching themselves and their Master; we will see that the Called, Chosen, Charge Minister/Shepherd is not rule by the things, reason and logic of this world but have an extraordinary task.

(Num27:18) And the Lord said unto Moses, take thee Joshua the Son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay thine hand upon him: And set him before Eleazer the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him charge in their sight., And thou shall put some of thine honour upon him, that the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient . And He shall stand before Eleazer the priest who shall ask counsel for him after the judgement of Urim before the Lord at his word shall they go out, and at his word shall they come in, both him and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him; and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; And he laid his hands upon him and give him charge, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.

I do not have to tell you that the replacement for Moses both spiritually and physically had to be Called, Chosen, and Charge by God through already ordained men of acceptable character before the Lord. But it is worth noting that Joshua was called and chosen because he was a qualified enough vessel for the Spirit of God to dwell. He was sanctified and clean and the Lord recognized him by the spirit that dwells within him already. How many of us can boast of having the spirit dwelling within us before ordination, that was recognized by God before they were called. Were You? If so write me a note proving it. Many were called by themselves because they felt Ministry these days is an excellent opportunity to create jobs and sell their books, tapes, videos, and raise money for some non existent make believe cause. Moses was commanded to lay his hands on him. What did God mean by asking him to lay his hands on him before presenting to the priest? It was first of all to examine his life. Moses had to have the power of discernment to detect the type of spirit dwelling within Joshua. He knew Joshua as a strong young man but no man is without weakness and sin. That is why because Moses had been acceptable as an honourable spiritual and physical leader by the Lord, he was qualified to lay his hands on Joshua and ordained Him. The question now is why a man of impeccable character in the same field?

The answer is simple. Moses a citizen of Heaven and earth, with authority from the Creator had to transfer some of his honour upon Joshua. He had to do that before charging him. Was it spiritual or physical? Both; because from that day forward God spoke and enacted directly with Joshua. Now Moses was a Spiritual Leader of Israel, so why did he have to take Joshua to another priest for conformation before ordaining him? As you may have noted by now the cleansing process is not a very easy and simple one. God loves to work in an organize chain and every member counts. Moses was the spiritual Leader but could not be the one Ministering to the Lord daily. It was Aaron and his team (now Eleazer). It is the Priest who is in charge of the house/Temple/Tabernacle that has the right to ask counsel for him. To certify him before the Lord and after the Lord had accepted him; he is presented to the congregation by Moses and was charge to carry out the duties of a Minister.

CHAPTER 5

CHARGE THAT QUALIFIES TO EXECISE POWERS & AUTHORITY OVER BOTH THE PHYSICAL & SPIRITUAL (Ezek3:4) â&#x20AC;&#x153;And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with mine words unto them.â&#x20AC;? Yes? As I promised we will continue to critically analyzed and examine the Charge received from Christ during his lifetime and written about by Paul during his. We will also begin the preparation for a look at the duties of a Minister. Are you a Minister/Shepherd of Jesus Christ for the Kingdom of God? Have you been properly charged to carry out the mandate of the two kingdoms? Have it been proven by your call both on earth and acknowledge in heaven, that you are really operating under the charge from God or have you deviated a long time ago?

Why am I taking so much time on the Charge? Because it is the key to understanding the foundation of the principles upon which we are operating. And proper insight also helps us understand why most of us who think we are sheep have been wearing wolves clothing for a long time now. One of the greatest thing about Christendom is there is enough room at the cross for change any day. And with change comes insight and with insight comes transformation to a higher level that produces results far beyond your wildest dreams; both physically and spiritually.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, sayingâ&#x20AC;Ś.And as ye go, preach saying, The Kingdom of God is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold or silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves; for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house, or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement, than for that city. (Mark 6:11) Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their

synagogues….But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak, For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you….Fear them not therefore; for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What, I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light; and what ye hear in the ear , that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell ….Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men ,him will I also deny before my father which is in heaven ….He that loveth father or mother more then me is not worthy of me :…And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it ;and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth me ;and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me ....” (Matt. 10:5-42) Let us begin to critically examine the Charge our Lord Jesus gives for His disciples; and if you are a qualified Minister/Shepherd of Jesus Christ it applies to you also. I know many Ministers/Shepherds have dance over this part of scripture for many years. They have added their own interpretations/ Theologies to fit their everyday life styles and justification for diverting from the path of Truth as lay down by our Master Jesus Christ.

What most have failed to do is to apply the Truth as it was given to us physically and spiritually. And do not be deceived by anyone; the Charge given here is for physical application. Well let us together dive into scripture and examine this Charge and how it has been applied in our lives as Ministers/Shepherds Today. First we see here that this is a direct command from the Master. This tells us that there is no two way to its implementation. These instructions are to be carry out if one must qualified as a disciple/Minister/Shepherd of Jesus Christ and get the results; cooperation of both the Kingdom of Heaven and Earth. When a soldier is commanded to turn left, he does not turn right or else he does not get the expected result. Today many people are asking why is it that the signs that Christ said would follow those who believe upon Him would take place are not taking place unless in the case of many who use the means of evil powers.(and a very few faithful) The answer is quite simple; Ministers/Shepherds turn right where they should have turned left. That is why the church has entered into a state of Spiritual and Physical Luke warmness. The real Truth is lost and replaced by the reasons and logics of men. Lies and stealing are now out of the sin list because many sermons today are lies design to steal from the congregation.

They steal their wealth through well prepare jargons that motivate them into contributing more and more to non existent projects (that will never see those it was design for). 99 percent of the modern day congregations are headed for hell because they have been misled by the Ministers/Shepherds. “And as ye go, preach….” Take a good look at yourself and Ministries around you today. Are we really preaching the Word of God; The Truth, The Reality about the Kingdom of Heaven? Before giving you my personal view on the question, I will like you to have the views of a few preachers. The first is Pastor Jeff Schreve from the “From His Heart Ministries.” I copy his views from his magazine and he was talking about another topic all together; but these views are applicable to our discussion “For the time

will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

I have a good friend of mine who works with churches to help them design and build new facilities. He was lamenting about the fact that so many churches today seem more concerned with production, entertainment and style than they do with preaching, praying and heart-felt worship.

He told me that the new wave is for pastors to preach a 15 minute "feel good" sermonette. Some very popular preachers on TV today rarely mention sin, or the cross, or the core message of the Bible. YIKES!” This is a reality today. We are now watering the gospel to suit our selfish desires and to satisfy the congregation. No more do we hear the truth about repentance and forgiveness of sin. No more are we preaching about the Kingdom of Heaven but the Kingdom of earth; how to get financial breakthrough, material gain etc. Jeff went on to lament over preachers in America with these words:

“One of the tell-tale signs we are living in the last days is the abandonment of the preaching of the Bible, the very Word of the living God I believe we are seeing an increasing number of preachers who appear to be more concerned with popularity and political correctness than they are with faithfulness to preach the whole counsel of God. Peter and John could have gotten along just fine with the Jewish Sanhedrin IF they had only stopped preaching in Jesus' name. but they would not do that! They were called to be His witnesses, even if their witness meant prison and death. As the viciously attacked beauty contestant, Carrie Prejean, so aptly said after she gave her "controversial" answer to the gay marriage question at the Miss USA pageant, "I would rather be biblically correct than politically correct." Would to God that every preacher in America had the courage and conviction of Peter, John. and even Carrie Prejean!”

However, I must say this at once that the situation is not unique to America but to all the earth today. It is now worse in Africa, Europe, and fast overtaking Asia and other parts of the earth. Ministries are now businesses that are counted among those fast income generating types. Instead of Salvation and the Kingdom of Heaven as commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ, we have taken up the popular prosperity sermons. “You do not need to repent, go right on sinning for Christ has covered you a long time ago. Do what it takes to get rich. It is your portion as a child of God”; totally ignoring the scripture that says “seek ye first….and all else shall be added unto you.” As I was preparing this message; the Holy Spirit touch the heart of a very good friend of mine call Mattie Auzenne, on face book; to send me a video by David Wilkerson, “A call to Anguish”. This video touches me so much; but that is not why I want you to read some of the words he spoke. As if he was in my mind, he spoke some very helpful words that give us an insight into the modern day church and their application of the charge of Jesus Christ. But I will leave the judgement with you:

“And I look at the whole religious scene today and all I see are inventions and Ministries of Man and flesh. It‟s mostly powerless; it has no impact on the world. And I see more of the world coming into the church and impacting the church, rather than the church impacting the world…. A hatred of correction and a hatred of reproof. Nobody wants to hear it any more….Does it matter to you today ?

Does it matter to you at all that God‟s spiritual Jerusalem, the church, is now married to the world? That there is such a coldness sweeping the land? Closer than that ….Does it matter about the Jerusalem that is in our own hearts? The sigh of ruin that is slowly draining spiritual power and passion. Blind to luke warmness, blind to the mixture that is creeping in. That‟s all the devil wants to do is to get the fight out of you and kill it. So you won‟t labor in prayers anymore, you won‟t weep before God anymore. You can sit and watch television and your family go to hell….Where are the Sunday school teachers that weep over kids they know are not hearing and going to hell? There is going to be no renewal, no revival, no awakening, until we are willing to let Him once again break us. Folks, it is getting late, and it is getting serious.” What more do I have to say that has not been said by these two men? The world has long ago diverted from preaching the right message; having the right attitude towards God and man. The devil has used the power of Self above God interest to lure Ministers of today. And what is the result? Many have lost the signs that follow the believers; others have turn to occultist powers of various types to produce like signs for them to convince the congregation.

“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils” Ministers/Shepherds of Jesus Christ are commanded/Charge to heal, cleanse, raise, and cast out…. Wonderfully enough 99 percent can not produce these results in ten years; both spiritually and physically. What a shame. The Church is dead. Many claimed to do these things in large crusades but I am a witness that many of these so called publicize healing return to their former condition as soon as that Minister/Shepherd back is turn. Is it psychology or theology combine? But it is not strange because the Bible speaks about these times. Paul writing to Timothy said: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that

in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron…”.(1Tim.4:1-2ff) Yes, many have turn to wicked ways to achieve material gain through the church. It is such a pity that when you get out there are millions bearing the honourable title of Minister/Shepherds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but in fact are agents of the devil empower by seducing spirits and twisting the Truth Word of God for their own selfish gains.

“freely ye have received, freely give.” Do these six words tell you something significant about the church today? Forgive me but I feel like screaming it at the top of my lungs. THE GOSPEL IS FREE AND NOT MARKETABLE. Jesus did not sell the gospel to us. We did not pay a dime for the power to heal…..etc, so we got no right to market it. I can see you opening your mouth to tell me; but Bishop if I do not sell my messages how do I support my Ministry?

How do I support my family? But before I answer you I want to tell you that I am ashamed of you, really ashamed and disappointed. You have eyes but do not see ears but can not hear. The scripture says: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Provide neither gold or

silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves; for the workman is worthy of his meat.â&#x20AC;? Christ knows that your wardrobe is fill of shoes and clothes; gold and diamond rings and necklaces, expensive cars, etc. He who chose you and calls you and charges you to go has the power to provide for your every need. If you are to carry everything you need for that journey, you will not depend on Him. Know today that it is your inability to depend on Him to provide and protect you that is causing you to miss out on being able to manifest the signs of a true believer. God who charged you to go is ready to cover you as a mother hen covers her chicks. Before you take a step He has someone waiting for you. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO PREACH THE TRUTH. And He did not promise a smooth ride in the latest suits and cars and worship of men, no, no, if that is your idea of a Minister/Shepherd; you have got it very wrong. In that case I advise you to withdraw and find another profession. For He warn that the road will be very rough and rocky and those who dare to venture there must prepare for difficulties.

You see He is not sending you to people of like mind:

“Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Do you know what wolves do to sheep? They devour them; tear them to pieces, destroy their lives. But our duty is to tame those wild wolves and put into them the nature of the sheep. But wonderfully true is that many are ashamed to preach Christ today without adding sweeteners for the congregation. Many are afraid that if they come down too hard on their members about sin; many will flee to other prosperity churches. But know this fact that in charging us Christ emphasized these facts: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before

men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny before my father which is in heaven ….He that loveth father or mother more then me is not worthy of me :…” Many today deny Jesus in many ways in their sermons and yet mention His name once or twice for their own interest. They are shame to carry out the charge as Christ mandated it; but they claimed to be Ministers/Shepherds of the gospel. Well it is necessary to note that Christ clearly explained in the charge that in order to follow him one must take up his/her cross. “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” Do you know what a cross is? It is fun to me when I see Ministers/Shepherds trying to use Theological logics to define the cross Christ talked about.

But I can tell you for a fact that Christ meant every inch of the wooden cross and all the pain and agony that go with it. This includes the glory for over comers. Christ laid down similar charges for the seventy that He sent out. That is why in concluding this portion I want to tell you about a Spiritual son of my who realize that preaching the truth had even more vast benefits than preaching prosperity.

He was thrown out from a large prosperity Ministry and send into a remote area to establish a church. Many thought he would call it quits and leave for another profession. He was so down in spirit and like any human fear the challenges ahead. When he came to me I encourage him to go and preach the truth and God would visit him with signs and wonders. We put our faith together and he went to a church with eight chairs, a kitchen for an office and less than ten members. We began to fast and pray together and in three months and three weeks today(two years today) ; he has about a hundred members, 115 chairs, eight wall and ceiling fans and a new pulpit and all the finances he need to sustain himself, the rent age of the church and others. He also has an assisting pastor.

But those are not what I want to write about today. The presence of God is there and many great signs and wonders take place there. The Holy Spirit is present at every service; which is three times a week. Even more amazing is the fact that people are coming out of beer parlours and drugs selling ghettoes to his church. Men women and children are pouring in on the daily basis and as God is meeting their needs both physically and spiritually; they are also making available all they can for the growth of the church. As you can see from this testimony; our God is still on the throne and faithful to those who listen and implement his charge. It was never easy for those three Hebrew boys to take that step of faith and challenge God to His words:

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shall not be burned; neither shall the flames kindle upon thee” ; but when they did take that step of faith , the power of God was unleashed upon the forces of darkness and history was made. You can do the same today by just reverting to the Truth. Stop living a lie; stop preaching a lie; stop teaching a lie and leading millions to hell because of material gain. If you are charge; “ALL ELSE WILL BE ADDED UNTO YOU” both physically and spiritually. Permit me to leave you with the words of David Wilkerson:

“You see, if you set your heart to pray, God‟s going to come and start sharing His heart with you. Your heart begins to cry out- Oh God your name is being blasphemed. Holy Spirit is being mocked. The enemy is out trying to destroy the testimony of the Lord‟s faithfulness, and something has to be done.” And if you have been called by the Lord and chosen for the work of Ministry and feel all this burning in your heart; David Wilkerson left a special prayer of confession and repentance that you can go through right now and walk into the real reason why you were called and I am a witness; signs and wonders from heaven and attested by earth will follow you. You alone know where you miss the way and how far away you have gone astray from the right path. He has been waiting for you a long time. No one needs to lead you because you already know the way. Are you charge and feel like fortifying it?

“Lord there is some need to get to this altar and confess. I am not what I was, I am not where I am suppose to be. God I don‟t have your heart or your burden. I‟ve wanted it easy. I just wanted to be happy….true joy comes out of Anguish (deep pain and sorrow for my wrong doing). There is nothing of the flesh will give you joy. I don‟t care how much money; I don‟t care what kind of new house. There is absolutely nothing physical that can give you joy. It is only what is accomplished by the Holy Spirit when you obey Him and take on His heart.

Build the walls around your family. Build the walls around your own heart. It makes you strong and impregnable against the enemy. God that‟s what we desire.” Examine your self Ministers/Shepherds and determine if you were charge to carry out the duty in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour? If so, are you living by the charge? It is my pray that you gain something that will make a difference in you life and Ministries. Are you really a Minister/Shepherd of Jesus Christ? What then are your duties? “NOW THEREFORE GO, AND I WILL BE WITH THY MOUTH, AND TEACH YOU WHAT THOU SHALT SAY” YES WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF A MINISTER/SHEPHERD?

PART 2 WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF A MINISTER/SHEHPERDS OF GOD?

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION I do not want you to loose focus of our topic:

THE SHEPHERDS LIGHT IN A WORLD OF TOTAL DARKNESS: THE FRESH DEAD BRANCH; I want you to remember that the word Minister/Shepherd covers every servant from Pope, Arch Bishop, Bishop, to lay leaders etc. However our focus here is mostly on the messenger. We have covered together sub topics like; THE

MINISTER/SHEPHERD IS CALLED & SEPERATED FOR THE TASK BY GOD HIMSELF; CHARACTER AND QUALIFICATIONS OF A MINISTER/SHEPHERD OF JESUS CHRIST; ETC .

I praise God for those who partook in the various surveys and others whose work we use as references. Now that we are moving to the next level, we are indeed going to work together to arrive at a notable conclusion and we will for the Glory of the Kingdom of God. WHAT ARE THE

DUTIES OF A MINISTER/SHEPHERD OF GOD? This is what one Minister/Shepherd had to tell a congregation (a few hours before I concluded this work I receive this true report of a sermon preached by a Senior Minister/Shepherd of a large church) made up of about 99 percent internet fraudsters. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am seriously praying and fasting for you to get money from the costumers you have on the internet. When you get this money come and pay your ten percent to God and put in a decent offering for God and than change business. If you do not change your habits after God provide this money for you; God will punish you.â&#x20AC;? So if I must interpret this message in my own words it means; steal if you have to, kill if you have to, lie if you have to and get the money you need to survive. No matter who gets hurt or die in the process, as long as you get the money, give God His share and confess, and because He is love He will forgive and save you.. Here is a so-called Shepherd/Minister encouraging his congregation to lie and steal. His members write false stories claiming that they are refugees living in camps with one fortune or the other; a banker who has certainly come across a fortune, a pastor, Doctor etc.

The greedy or those who want to make it rich by short cuts fall for these lies and ends up losing everything they own. Some commit suicide or go mad after loosing all they own. Here is an example of their communications to people on the internet: Dearest In Christ, My greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.I am Mrs.Carole Duualier . from South Africa. I am married to Archdeacon. Arlene Duualier whom until his death served as an archdeacon in the St.Micheal'sarchdeaconry in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died. We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both born again Christian. Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of $4.5.Million with one of the famous bank here in Abidjan capital of Cote d'Ivoire for safe keeping. Presently, my Doctor confirmed to me that I have serious sickness which is cancer problem. The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness.Haven known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a church or individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein.I want a church that will use this fund for orphanages, helping the widows, propagating the word of God and to endeavour that the house of God is maintained. The Bible made us to understand that Blessed is the hand that grivet”. I took this decision because I don‟t have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don‟t want my husband‟s efforts to be used by unbelievers. I don‟t want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that the lord will fight my case

and I shall hold my peace”. I don‟t need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health hence the presence of my husband‟s relatives around me always. I don‟t want them to know about this development. With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I will give you the contact of the bank here in Abidjan. I want you and the church to always pray for me because the lord is my shepherd. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and Truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life. Any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another church or individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein. Hoping to receive your reply. Due to present condition of my health, I was warned by my doctor to avoid receiving or making any call, Remain blessed in the Lord. Yours in Christ, Mrs.Carole Duualier.) Sometimes it takes other formats like the one below :

Dear Sir/Madam, Forgive my indignation if this message comes to you as a surprise and may offend your personality for contacting you without your prior consent and writing through this channel. I got your contact from the professional data base found in the Internet Yahoo tourist search. When i was searching for a foreign and reliable partner. I assured of your capability and reliability to champion this business opportunity.

After series of prayers/fasting.i was divinely directed to contact you among other names found in the data base Yahoo tourist search. I believe that God has a way of helping who is in need. I am (Mrs Farron Jubri) the Head of file Department in Coris Bank International (CBI). In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of $15 million U.S.A dollars ( fifteen million U.S.A dollars) In an account that belongs to one of

our foreign customer who died along with all his family in the Asia Earth Quake Disaster ( TSUNAMI DISASTER IN INDONESIA / INDIA ) http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/tsunami.disaster/. All of his Family lost there lives in the Disaster. Since then I have made several inquiries to his Country embassy to locate any of his client's extended Relatives, this has proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, unfortunately we learn that all his supposed next of kin or relation died along side with him at the TSUNAMI DISASTER IN INDONESIA / INDIA leaving nobody behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this discovery that I and one official in my department now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill. The Banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after five (5) years, the money will be transferred into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund. The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner, and a Burkinabe can not stand as next of kin to a foreigner.

We agree that 40% of this money will be for you as foreign partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, and 60% would be for me and my woman colleague. That means ($6 million) six million dollars for you, and ($9 million) nine million dollars for me and my partner. There after i will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentages indicated.

All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us seeing this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Please consider my official positions, reputation and integrity, especially, the opportunities in the business itself, it is very necessary that all due care be taken so that we do not miss the opportunity due to our carelessness.

You are therefore expected and advised to display high degree of maturity, responsibility and understanding in handling this information. I will give you all the details in my next mail when you have indicated your interest and commitment to work with me. Always remember that this is the highest confidence and trust any person can repose on the other, especially when it is considered that we did not know ourselves.I hope you will honor me too. I will come over to join you in your Country for disbursement when the funds hit your account. More so for an effective and easy communication I will advice that you furnish me with your telephone and fax number.Upon receipt of your reply,i will send to you by fax or email the text of the application I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer. Your’s faithfully, Mrs Farron Jubri

FILL THIS FORM BELOW PLEASE AND RESEND IT TO ME 1) Your Full Name.............................. 2) Your Age........................................ 3) Marital Status................................. 4) Your Cell Phone Number…………..

5) Your Fax Number………………..... 6) Your Country………………............... 7) Your Occupation............................. 8) Sex................................................. 9) Your Religion.................................. 10) Your Private E-mail Adress........... Many churches use these unsaved souls as members of the Elder board of churches, deacons, choirs, and ushers. Can you refer to such a greedy as a Shepherd/Minister of God or businessman? Is this a sheep or wolf? This is just the tip of the iceberg of the type of messages been preached around the world today. These are also the type of Ministries that are fast growing in the world today. The reason this is so is because many Shepherds/Ministers have lost focus or do not know their real duties. The congregation grows because the world have reach a state long predicted by the scriptures; “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 “ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” Today many Shepherds/Ministers have become demi-gods for their congregations and the congregations are worshiping them instead of the Most Highest God.

I do not know if it is out of ignorance or because the narrow road of a Shepherd is difficult for them to follow. The duties of a Shepherd/Minister are unknown to many claiming to be carrying the mandate of Jesus Christ. I did a survey and you will be surprise that a vast majority of those who took part in it could not explain the duties of a /Shepherd/Minister in their own words but ran for biblical quotations which from what I see around me today; can not be certain if they really know the true meaning of the scriptures they are quoting (because in most cases those very scriptures are missing from their lives and Ministries). The duties of the True Shepherd/Minister were spelled out long ago by the Master Himself and it only by knowing and understanding them can one actually gain access to the keys that unlock the mysteries of the fruits (signs and wonders) that are bound to follow the True Shepherd/Minister. However Satan knowing this has introduce for many the spirit of materialism which has turn many churches to just another family supermarket; with lies and deceit as tools use to carry out their diabolical mission for the devil. Yes there is temporary gain of money, fast and expensive cars and titles from the sweat and blood of the poor, but they are lost to the real truth. They could have gained these same things from God if they had first sought first the Kingdom, righteousness and wisdom.

Because of materialism the rules of “Seeking first the Kingdom of God” have been turned to All else shall be added to you before you make a full confession and Seek the Kingdom of God. In that case the Grace of God will save you. Therefore as I was saying exploitation, lies‟, stealing in the Name of the Gospel has become the order of the day. That is why it is very necessary for the true Minister/Shepherd to know the laid down principle/duties for being a real servant of God. For the Bible says “The

getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.” (Prov. 21:6) There is another crucial aspect that needs to be highlighted before moving into the main topic under discussion. It has to do with the Minister/Shepherd‟s time and aspect has been misconstrued by many as a responsibility or duty. In order to understand this we have to take a look at some of the aspects of leadership in the Churches today under the modern day Shepherd/Minister and critically examine it from the Scriptures. One such matter is physical control over things that could easily be handle by other Spirit filled Persons in the Church; or to put it bluntly should I say, the duties your wives, relatives and best friends are handling needs to be re-examine.

To be a Shepherd/Minister in many churches today means total control over money matters; counting and saving the offering (in certain cases it is their wives or siblings in charge); the project planner and fund raiser, the gossip director/encourager, the master of lies/twisting the message to suit their evil designs and marketing strategies for their videos, tapes, CDs, books etc, and selling the Gospel (or so-called best messages) to those who can afford; while those who can‟t afford to buy are left out of “the secrets to prosperity and life”, “the secrets of happiness and living a fulfil life” or the power to rule your destiny”. With all these physical responsibilities, one is tempted to forget the Spiritual responsibility and the requirement that it takes to carry them out. These things in themselves are not bad if the motives for doing them are honest and to the benefit and growth of the congregation; and not endanger the Shepherd/Minister spiritual life. However in majority of the cases in the modern day church it is to enrich the Shepherd/Minister and his family and friends who established it for that purpose in the first place. In order to fully understand the implications of the evil this behaviour cause for the Shepherd/Minister, we should examine the other side of the coin as written in the Bible.

Yes Sir, there is another side of the coin and it has been proven in the Bible that this task is too tempting and heavy to be added to the responsibilities of the Minister; because where the Spirit of the Lord is really flowing and souls are being added to the numbers daily, the responsibility needs to be share. You see if the Shepherd/Minister is really conscious of His/her duties and carrying it out to the best of their abilities, they will notice that time will interfere in their schedule and some things will be left undone. Acts 6:1 is a very good example of what I am talking about. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.â&#x20AC;? We notice from this text that handling physical responsibilities like money matters, sharing of food, clothes , etc. became very burdensome for the disciples. They could not handle the fast and prayer, preaching and healing, visitation and monitoring of the spiritual growth of the people at the same time and handle the physical aspect without problem arising . There was no way to give their full attention to one side or the other. Some level of unfairness and dispute arose. I want you to note Peter, James, John, and the rest of the twelve could not take of this responsibility and had to share it. What about you Shepherds/Ministers today who wants to be a one man authority? It is impossible and does not work that way. If you are running your Ministry that way I can say for certain that you are not serving our God but your physical desires.

You will definitely neglect your True responsibility talking cases, distributing food and clothes because your want to choose the best ones out and send it home for the benefit of your family alone. That is why Peter and the others recognized that they needed physical assistants who were spiritually filled of the Holy Spirit; from among the congregation. I love how the Apostle Peter put it in Acts:

6:2 â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Ś.It is not reason that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables.â&#x20AC;? Am I speaking to a living soul here or just empty greedy vessel? Many Shepherds/Ministers today have been on the very wrong side of the coin; leaving the duty God assigned to them for the sake of materialism. What you have been neglecting your Spiritual responsibilities for is just work for your servants and helpers in the vine yard. Before reaching you and discussing the duties of a True Shepherd/Minister; we have to deal with some of those things that you are claiming to be your duties that should in fact be for your students. So you better stop right now from walking with open arms as you lord over materialism. Now what type of people should be chosen for your replacement to carry out these physical duties; your sister, your wife, your brothers (because they are your family members so they will look after your interest) are doing in your churches right now .Many Ministers are protecting what they claim to be their interest by putting families or friends in the seat of the decision makers of the church.

In such cases I am tempted to ask if the souls you are claiming to be harvesting are really born again, because if they were you would trust them. How can you plant a farm and harvest your crops and leave it in your barns and go to your neighbour‟s farm to purchase the very same crops. The message you are sending is that your crops are sub standard. If you can not trust your converts enough to use them in position of trust; you have not done your homework properly. But for many Shepherds/Ministers today it is not a matter of trust but a matter of greed and the quest for materialism. The True Shepherd/Minister has to trust people who fulfil the qualification of God and the congregation they have. The True Shepherd/Minister can not afford to be an Island and needs to distribute responsibilities. It is one of the true signs of growth. Let‟s see how the Apostles of old handle this delicate matter. In all we do or say it is always necessary to go back to the bible for the measurement rod and examine our ideas with it lest we fall into temptation of speaking vainly. Now let‟s return to the scriptures and examine how the Apostles handle this issue and why? Acts 6:3 “Wherefore

brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.” Notice here that they first instructed the congregation to “look among themselves” and select. This is very important to note because it is one things that is missing from many Ministries.

There is so much dictatorship in the church today that position filled are most times not approved by both God and the congregation; but force upon the people . Notice here that those chosen were not because they were family members or could feed the Minister or his wife with gossips and lies about other members; not by the size of their pockets and their position in society; but because they were of honest report (I am not talking about the Pastorâ&#x20AC;&#x;s choice but the congregation), full of the Holy Ghost (so full that it is seen by everyone in the person life), and wisdom.

These are tools needed for working among such a group because the group approval is needed for future cooperation, God approval is needed if they must represent Him and wisdom for discerning and combating the forces of darkness and their tricks. But this is the opposite in majority of the Ministries that I know and in certain cases have interacted with. As I was saying before the illustration there are just certain things the Shepherd/Minister has to do to be fully prepared for the task He has been assigned by God. Now if he/she is a True Shepherd/Minister of God they will need time for a personal and regular prayer life Acts 3:1;

Lk. 5:15,16). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.â&#x20AC;?

“But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.” This matter cannot be over emphasized. An engine has to be fully oiled and fuel and all bolts tighten if it must serve its purpose for the journey. Today many Shepherds/Ministers have no time to pray for more than five minutes on their own, unless there is a difficult situation threatening the existence of their Ministry/Business. I know of Shepherds/Ministers who call for the church to fast and yet not fast themselves claiming ulcers etc. Many do not have a regular prayer life not that they do not wish to but because there is no time and they are usually too tire from running up and down after their self interest or “serving tables” as it was in Acts.6:2. They take more time on their outfit on worship days than prayer; maybe pray for a minute or two before rushing up to preach or teach the message that was copied from the internet using sermon help ;but not really understanding the message themselves. The True Shepherd needs time everyday to pray for himself/herself, in order to know the will of God; to present their congregations to God, and fortified himself/herself for the daily encounters with Satan and his agents. In such cases the True Shepherd, their family, and congregation is surrounded day and night by the power of God through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

The True Shepherd/Minister needs to be systematic and faithful in Bible reading and study (Ezra 7:10;Lk 4:16,17).

“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written” How can you preach what you do not know? It is so sad that many lie on outline sermon and preaches rubbish; while others copy from the internet. These type of sermons are not inspired by the Holy Spirit filled but empty words that most of the preaching it doesn‟t understand.. Most of the sermons preached these days are on the market anyway so it has to be tailored to suit the ears of the customers and not necessarily the hard true. The true about Salvation, Repentance and Forgiveness have been replaced by the so-called get rich Gospel/prosperity sermons. To preach the type of prosperity sermons that are preaching today the Shepherd/Minister of the world do not need to study. Taking the True message in its entire original context will destroyed their goal and they are afraid to chase people out of the church; so they just take a verse and preach it out of context to suit the project on hand. Lies, stealing, etc are now out of the list of sins preached today.

How can you tell a Elder (governmental Minister/ Congress man engage in fornication and adultery and bribery or ritualistic killings), choir leader (who the pastor is sleeping with), usher (who is bringing money from defrauding others) or Deacon who is bringing gossip about other members that these things are wrong when you are afraid they will leave the church if you preach against them? The negative impact of such behaviour has sold the church to Satan and there is much dirt in the church today than in the outside world that we claim to preach or teach. The church is so dead of Holy Spirit and fruits of true Christianity and miracles from God that most have become just another organization of the world.. Many turn to occultist powers to produce like signs to promote themselves in the eyes of the costumers. But real miracles and signs and wonders are possible with only total reliance on the power of God; if only the Shepherd/Minister takes time to study and prepare for his/her assignment with every step they take. These fruits are theirs for it was given to them from the Master as working tools. It is written â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? But in order to gain these tools the True Shepherd/Minister must study and be conscious of your duties. He/She must be systematic and faithful to studying the laid down principles and its format for implementation. It does not change with time because God does not change.

The True Shepherd/Minister needs time for evangelism and missions for Christ, (Jn 10:16; Mt 9:36-38), “And other

sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” I am not talking about that team that you have set up without properly examining of their lives and calling them evangelism team. I am talking about your personal evangelism. When last have you walk around the neighbourhood visiting your converts and their families, talking to people about the Gospel? When was the last time you drove to a village or home in your community that you knew needed the Gospel and evangelize on your own? For many it has been years because the responsibilities have been left to the evangelism teams. Bishops, Apostles, Prophets, Prophetess, General Overseers and in many cases Pastors are now too important to go out on personal evangelism. For them they are too important to do house to house evangelism. It will dirty their expensive shoes and spoil their expensive cars. They rather the big crusades, speaking engagements, internet mailing, television and satellite relays but personal interaction have gone out of their books altogether.

Personal evangelism is above the simplicity of man greedy theories for fame and personal glory. It is far beyond traditions, denominationalisms, cultures, ethnicity, geographical locations, catholic, protestant, etc; but one body united for the purpose of bringing the sheep to one single fold. Oh; how the quest for money has distorted this noble field of evangelism with blood shed, gossip, war, divisions and strive. The job can be sweet and very simple if we teach the flocks the right way. This can not happen if you are devoid of compassion for the poor, weak scattered flocks; because you want to prosper. So; the Master was right when He said the labourers are few. Personal evangelism minus selfish gain is a very healthy means of reaching out to the flocks. No wonder some pastors, modern day apostles, etc refuse to be call shepherds. It is for no other reason than the fact that they want to exploit the flocks personally. The True Shepherd need time to cooperate with other Ministries for fellowship and encouragement and bringing in the harvest (Lk 5:5-7; Gal 2:7-9) â&#x20AC;&#x153;And Simon answering

said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.â&#x20AC;? Unity, fellowship, and sharing are key pillars to the distribution of the Gospel. However it is a known and sad fact that from the biggest to the smallest, richest to the poorest congregation of Christianity; this aspect is missing. In many countries today including the one I live and work in presently; Shepherds/Ministries are in competition and not companions for Christ. Many criticize the others and do anything in their power to discredit and bring about the downfall of the others. Many are not on speaking teams with one another. They form little groups and organizations and if you are not a part of circle; you are not a Christian for them. Once a Muslim told me that Christianity is a great religion and might have the truth but their division is their greatest weakness and is always their point of penetration. If you want to destroy any section of the church; you donâ&#x20AC;&#x;t need an outsider to do it; you can depend on the other Christians to leak their secrets if not carry out your plans. Many churches today do not fellowship for fear that their members will be stolen; so how can they ask for help or fellowship in bringing in the harvest.

As we saw above from Galatians 2:7-9 ; there is a peaceful way around every situation if we seek for it. But instead of seeking for ways to work together the split gets wider daily. The only reason this is so is because many Ministries are false and not about the harvest for the Master but for their personal gain. In many cases if you see a visiting Clergy; it is for financial reasons or popularity that in the end will lead to the end of the same road. I am not saying it is wrong to visit a Ministry for help; but here I am speaking about fellowship for fellowship sake. It is the responsibility of the True Shepherd to cooperate with other Shepherds in order to encourage one another or point out each other weakness and strengths for the Word of God demands that we be open to correction

(Gal 2:1 1-14; Eccl 4:13). “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?” “Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.” When it comes to correction; there is no big or small, no color or position for no man knows it all.”

A time has to be set aside for the purpose of fellowshipping among Ministries in the same geographical location first; and the world as a whole without discrimination; as long as we are preaching the same Gospel. The true Shepherd/Minister need time for practicing self denial (Lk 9:23; Jn 3:30). “And he said to

them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Self denial is one that is totally out of most churches today. “He must increase, but I must decrease.” I was telling a friend the other day that it will take a „camel to go through the eye of a needle‟ in our world today before a modern day Shepherd/Minister can get down from his/her expensive car for a poor sick old person to be carry to the hospital (he/she would rather give money in certain cases or just drive by), deny his child school fees for a poor member child to enter school before their own children, use their wife jewels money to buy food or even take food from their own storerooms, or go without food for the day in order for a beggar( in many cases the food would rather spoil and be thrown into the dump site or given to the dogs or cats) to take home and share with their families. Today it now a growing tendency that the Shepherd/Minister should be the most comfortable person in the church, the best dressed, be among those with the best vehicles for sky or road, have the best homes in the community and children goes to the best and most expensive schools. Compare this with the Ministry of Jesus Christ while He was here (who you are emulating); and contrast and come out with a result.

Could God not afford a donkey, horse or chariot for His son? Could the Most Highest God not provide money for the most expensive home for His son? He who dresses the flowers and the creatures of the earth, sea, and sky; could He not have given His son the most expensive clothes or jewels? A horse was too high from the ground and the King of Kings preferred to walk on the level of even the poorest person on earth. He rode a donkey at the time He was going to wear a crown of thorns. Everyone had access to him at all times for He lodge under the open skies; travelling from place to place to help others free of charge. I want you to do this research for yourself. Find out how many of the Shepherds/Ministers you know whose children are living under these conditions come out as true born again Christians? This is not the world of the True Shepherd/Minister (I am not saying it is wrong for the Shepherd/Minister to be rich in the things of this world). The world of the true Shepherd is a very narrow one that has to put others first and become last in most cases. The cross of Christ was not a very sweet one and if you truly desire to honestly work for Him it is necessary to accept the fact that many times you will have to deny yourself of many of the comforts of the world for the sake of others. It is necessary for others to see your Master through your lifestyle. It is false impression that some have about a rich sweet cross. The Cross was for paying the price of crime. It was like the hang man noose, the electric chair of firing squad. There is pain and disgrace associated with it.

What makes ours different is that after the storm, pain and disgrace; we are certain of coming out victorious both on earth and in Heaven. Taking it up means giving up many earthly rights and only those who are selected, called, chosen and charged can carry this heavy burden with dignity. These people know its true meaning and will not be tempted to twist it to fit their selfish desires of materialism and worldly power. The True Shepherd/Minister needs time for their homes; wives and kids (1 Tim 3:2a; Rom 2:22a) ;( 1 Tim 3:4,5; Dt

6:6,7). “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach” Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?” “One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)” “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Many of the marital problems we experienced today are because of the Shepherd/Minister lack of his/her responsibility as a parent. Many are so caught up in „serving tables‟ or chasing riches that before they can notice it the home is destroyed, the child is an addict or involve in crime. This is the outcome of a Shepherd who forsakes their spiritual responsibility for the physical.

The True church starts from within your home and you must be there for them day and night. Remember that you are to stand guard for your family for you might be able to defend yourself in the battle but the devil will attack a family that has an opening. Remember that the Bible caution us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your

adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, and seeking whom he may destroy.” (1Peter 5:8). So why cry when your home is attacked by the devil after you left an opening there fir it to enter. The Bible says “A Bishop then must be blameless, a

husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality apt to teach”. How can the Bishop be blameless if he/she is not upholding the truth and knows it, exploiting the poor in the Name of Jesus Christ, selling the free message of the Gospel entrusted in their hands to teach freely? The media is filled of stories everyday now of Shepherds/Ministers who are unfaithful to their wives and who homes are in turmoil; because as I pointed up before was drunk with the powers of this world and materialism, while Satan destroyed their families. There is no time to be hospitable because they are never home and when they are they dine only with the rich or their so-called class. The question asked in Romans 2:22a is worth your meditation “Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege.”

The question I put to you is how many hours do you have in one day to do all these things and yet take up the physical load? If you know your responsibilities you will note that your duty is a very unique and special one that demands your entire time and being. That is exactly why it is very essential for all Shepherds/Ministers to know and understand why they were selected by God. If you know your duties, you will understand that many of the things you have always been fighting for in life had in fact been at your disposal long ago; but because you choose to get it the wrong way you were blinded by your greed and selfishness. One of the first and fore most duty of a Shepherd/Minister is that He/she is Selected, Chosen, Called and Charge to be a VOICE. Yes Sir, in this one word we can define our most principal reason for being a Shepherd/Minister of God. But the real meaning lies in the answer to this question: A Shepherd/Minister is a Voice for whom, to whom, to say what, and where? The Shepherd/Minister is a Voice but not just any voice. Earlier I told about this Pastor who was encouraging his members to lie and steal from others and confess later. He is a voice also but for whom? It is very essential to know that there are many voices in the world today calling for different reasons but ours is a single voice, representing both the problem and the solution.

That is why it is very important to know the answer to these questions or else we miss the entire point. Of course: as I said the earth is full of voices of different types and shapes and sounds; so it is very necessary to define the type of voice we are talking about here. To do this we will have to examine several different responsibilities that qualify this unique voice we are referring to. The first thing you should understand here is that you are not a voice of your own but the voice of He who send you. Indeed you are an Ambassador of the King; bearing a message from the Kingdom to His subjects and at the same time an Ambassador from the subjects to the King; taking back their problems, iniquities. You are also something else but let‟s stop a little and examine Ambassadorship. I did a little survey with Shepherd /Ministers of God from different categories; Apostles, Evangelist, Pastors, Teachers, and Prophets asking them about their Interpretations of what they think are the duties of a Pastor. Yvonne Wilson answers this way. “Christ Jesus said that

He came to serve not to be served...so therefore a true minister of God...should serve the flock of God, in the place of God in the earth... Speaking and doing what thus saith the LORD...for we are ambassadors of Christ Jesus, servants of the most high God, we should look like Him, talk like Him, walk like Him, and most of all Love like Him...for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; He gave of Him self…

Therefore we should laid down our life for Him, pick up our crosses and follow Him and forsake all for Him... be about His business, preaching / teaching the good new of Jesus Christ, telling people that they should repent, be baptized, in the name of Jesus… warning the world that He is coming back again, so we should be living our life as though He is coming right now… being holy for He is Holy…Hallelujah and Amen God Speed and Good Journey 09” James Bartlett said… WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF A TRUE MINISTER OF GOD??? “A Minister or Preacher is an Ambassador or Representative of God and is strictly charged of God to speak His Everlasting Word, to whom we are sent to speak to. The responsibility that is upon this Minister is great (it is a matter of Eternal Life or Death, for both the Minister and the listeners). A Minister is to always be able to hear the Voice of the Lord. He must spend a great deal of time in Prayer, Fasting, the Study of The Word of God, and Meditation. The purpose of this is so that he will ready to whatever God want him to when he called upon for the service of the Lord.

A Minster must always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us. We need to lead by example: Paul told the Church "to be followers of him as he was a follower of Christ" 1 Corinthians 11. We need to Preach and Teach the Word, Reprove, Rebuke, Exhort (Encourage). We need to feed God's people with what God has given to us, help them to know what the right to is, and to stay away from doing the wrong things, and why. No matter what our job is as a Minister, we need to be ready to do the other parts as well. For example a Pastor still needs to visit other Churches as much as possible (doing the work of an Evangelist). Making full proof of you Ministry, I believe we need to know when to feed and when to be fed (we need to eat from the Master's Table to). We need to always be ready to share the Word of God to those who need it, both Christians and the Lost. We need to be ready to help any one, and evryone that we can, when we can, where ever we can. Matthew 25:31 – 46”

Lets see our yard stick for measuring the true if indeed this is what the Master meant.

The Bible says : “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say.”(Ex.4:12)

“And I will set up Shepherds over them which shall feed them; and they shall fear no more….But if they stood in my counsel, and have caused my people to hear my words, and then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream, and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully”.Jer.23:4; 22; 28) “And thou son of man….And thou shall speak my words unto them….”(Ezek.2:6-8) “That ye may teach the children of Israel all the statues which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses” (Lev.10:11) “ Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warefare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness….O Zion, that bringeth good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain;….He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are young”(Isa.13;9;11) “And shall say, cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people.”(Isa.57:14) “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”( Isa.58:1)

“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day or night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”(Isa.62:6) “But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child, for thou shall go to all that I shall send thee, and whatever I command thee thou shall speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver, saith the Lord. Thou therefore gird up thy lions, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee.; be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For behold I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls against the Kings of Judah….”(Isa.1:7,8,17,18) The Shepherd/Minister is indeed a very unique voice and as we have notice as a double Ambassador; for God and man. He/She is a voice bringing an unedited message directly from God to man and a voice taking a message from man back to God. Yes, a very unique voice indeed. Unlike what we see and hear today in many of our churches across the world it is God who puts words into the mouth of His Minster/Shepherds. The Minister is to use his/her voice to teach the congregation the statues laid down by God for them to follow. But sadly and quite contrary to performing this duty the Shepherd/Minister is now using the pulpit to break and encourage the breaking of the statues of God.

Many today use this position to distribute lies and exploit the people; claiming that it is within their powers to prosper the poor. The Shepherd/Minister is call to duty to comfort the people because many are the afflictions of this world; but today it is the duty of the Minister to afflict countless frustrations on the people at every meeting where they gather huge sums of money/materials from them by cohesion, trickery and the misinterpretations of the Gospel to fit their selfish needs. Instead of being comforted the people are confuse. Imagine the sweetness in the massage giving to the Minister. The True Shepherd /Minister foremost duty is to be an Ambassador with a message. The Prophet Isaiah calls it a message of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Good Tidingsâ&#x20AC;?. It is a message that speaks about a wonderful God who is capable of feeding His people; being there for them when things seems wrong and sad, healing their sickness and gathering their young ones and loving and caring for them. Yes a very unique message that does not exclude times of trails and temptations that are bound to come at times; but include promises of assistance during those times. God is not the magician many are falsely presenting to be but a God who understands our ups and downs brought upon us by our evil ways of sin. It is the duty of His messenger to represent Him as He is; not as they want Him to be, in order to put across their vain desires. God is a God of love a love radiates from every thing that surrounds Him. That is the difference between the True servant of God and the false one.

The false Minister do not care what it takes others as long as they can buy him/her new cars, shoes, houses, planes, etc. He does not care if they are sick of hungry or the children are out of school or if it is their last to eat that day as long as they contribute it for that false project he is claiming to have. Are you a True Minister/Shepherd? If so you are a voice of love from a God of love who cares. The True Shepherd/Minister is also the voice of an Advocate. He/She is responsible to represent the people in times of difficulties and frustrations before the Lord; to represent the depressed, downtrodden, oppress, and disadvantaged on earth before the rulers of this world. But I know for a fact that in many cases this is contrary to the true. Indeed a very unique task. Are you a True Shepherd/Minister of God? Are you a Voice for the King?

PART 2/CHAPTER 2

A UNIQUE VOICE THAT SPEAKS TO AND FOR GOD

As a Voice of the Lord you are also a messenger who brings a direct message from God and not yourself; as most do today. You are a messenger to God‟s people and you must deliver His messages without fear or favour. Sometimes the message God give you to deliver may not suit your taste (as in the case of Jonah) but you are in no position to question God. Whatever He says He is capable to implement and if He wants it done it will be done with or without you. Jesus told the religious Leaders of His day that if the people stop shouting praises, the stones would; and He meant every word He said. Other times He gives messages of comfort and restoration; (“Then spake Haggai

the Lord‟s messenger in the Lord‟s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord”). (Haggai 1:13) As a Voice you are a very unique person that has been called, chosen and charged to represent two kingdoms; therefore there is a very high expectation from both God who choose you and man/woman who you take the message to and for.

That is one of the reasons many Ministries have lost value in the sight of both God and man. Many of their Ministers/Shepherds speak and teach rubbish for either exploiting their congregations or inciting them. There is no knowledge in their words and what they preach is quickly forgotten, minutes after the service. What the people remember is how you shouted until goose bumps fill their bodies, how much you collected, who you incited them against. Many of them forget the scripture you preach from or your theme and most importantly what you said about God. I have been in churches where the Minister/Shepherd asked if anyone remembered the theme of he last Sunday message and it took more than five minutes to get an answer; and the one who give the answer took it from his/her notebook and not from memory. Let me tell you why this is happening; for it is written: “For

every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” (John.3:20). Their deeds are so evil that they are afraid to preach or teach the truth before it be used as a measurement stick against them. They are wolves and using the Gospel as a means to gain earthly riches for themselves and their families. It is written about such Ministers/Shepherds: “For the preaching of the cross is to

them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greek seek after wisdom; But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jew a stumbling block, and unto the Greek foolishness” (1Cor.1:18, 22, 23).

The Bible clearly instructs us Ministers/Shepherds to be very careful about what we say at any given time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the

priest lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth, for He is a messenger of the Lord of hostâ&#x20AC;? (Mal.2:7). Interestingly in our world today, many of our members learn how to lie, steal, corrupt, cheat, and even murder and get away with it(once they bring ten percent to the church): from the very lips of the Minister/Shepherd. A recent research carried out proves that majority of the drug pushers, fraudster, internet criminals, rapist, etc., in African Islamic countries are sadly professing Christians. The worst part of this is that in most cases those representing them (maybe to release them before the case goes to court) or taking a lawyer for them are Ministers/Shepherds and not because they want to change them but because of personal gain. As I said it would have had a decent ending if they were releasing them to for the sake of evangelizing to them and helping them change their lives; but contrary to this they paid heavily to those Ministers/Shepherds and their churches are fill. The Muslims who collaborate with them spread this news and use it as a tool to convince their people that Christianity is a fake religion for criminals. In such countries, certain group of churches have less than one percent of the indigenous as members; even with their shining cars, big bank accounts and false pride and impressions. This shameful behaviour destroys the reputation of Christianity and should be stopped at once. It must be rooted out because it is not of Jesus Christ, but the devil who seeks to destroy us.

God highly value His True Ministers/Shepherds and recommend them highly to the flocks. Any Voice representing the Most High is His Ambassador and should live and act like an Ambassador because you came to prepare a way for the people to receive God through the Gospel you preach or teach. How can you preach/teach one thing and live another? It is not possible and you do not represent God. It is written : (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Behold I will send my

messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His people, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold He shall come saith the Lord of hostâ&#x20AC;?) (Mal.3:1). Bishop, what are you trying to say; are we now John the Baptist, that we should have these qualifications? Of Course you are, Dear Ministers/Shepherds of God, and you need to prepare the earth for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Your flocks should be able to follow that path that you have laid down for them to meet God for themselves and benefit from the promises of His covenant. Before coming to destroy the works of darkness upon the face of the earth; the Lord commands His Ministers/Shepherds to prepare the earth by uniting families in the right path. He compare you with Elijah His prophet; who brought message of draught to Ahab, was on the run most of the time, fed by divine instructions, raise the dead, prayed and God answered with fire, and taken to heaven alive in a vehicle.

This time the mission for you; our modern day Elijah/True Shepherd /Minister is to unite the earth before the second coming of Jesus Christ, before the final defeat of the power of darkness. Isn‟t that a huge enough task that we must concentrate our effort towards instead of seeking vanities? If we do not prepare the earth for the Lord‟s coming we will all perish with the powers of darkness. For God instructs that if is not done He might just as well come and “smite the earth with a curse” Yes, these are not my instructions but God, as written in His Holy Word:

“Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse”(Mal.4:5-6). Ministers/Shepherds can‟t you see that the causes of numerous wars, economical disasters, incurable diseases, are because of our failure to unite the world with the Word of God? Don‟t you know that he great darkness overtaking the earth is a result of our submission to greed, selfishness, lack of wisdom, disunity and not implementing the duties that we were called, chosen, and charge to do by the Lord? Can‟t you understand that speaking with one voice, singleness of heart and purpose pleases God? No, many of you do not, because of what you stand to loose financially, materially, politically etc., so you will continue to stick to your doctrines, traditions, beliefs that divide instead of unite; and yet we all claim to be Christians. We are the solution and yet we choose to be the problem.

Do you know, Ministers/Shepherds; that the thorn that now buffets you from preaching/teaching/living the truth of God Word is your pride, love for material things, riches, that expensive car you worship; after exploiting your congregation to but it, women who you take advantage of in the name of the Gospel, yachts, private planes, etc., that their acquisition have become more important to you than the task on hand? I did not say you have no right to own them but when the passion of owning them takes first place in your life, brother/sister it is of Satan and not God. Ministers/Shepherds the Apostle Paul recognized that his own thorn came because Satan wanted to stopped the vast revelation from God that he received and spread; but he use his own thorn to help check himself and remember that he was just human and in no way God. In this way the messenger of Satan was defeated because in no way did the thorn impede Paul but encourage him.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measureâ&#x20AC;?2Cor 12:7. Interestingly enough from what we see here Satanâ&#x20AC;&#x;s messenger has the ability to plants thorns in the flesh. They might just go unnoticed if we do not do a spiritual check up frequently. The Apostle Paul really wanted God to take away this temptation but the Lord give him a very wonderful answer that should reassure us that these temptations are not above us. We do not have to bow to them, but use them as a weapon against the sender.

Paul was conscious of its presence and used it as a check mate to pride, etc., what about you? If you are a true Minister/Shepherd of God, you will notice that God answer to Paul reassures us that regardless of what kind of thorn the devil inflicts upon you His Voice; you have the power to overcome. He answered: “….My

grace is sufficient for you for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness….” (2Cor. 12:9a) That is why in proclaiming this great victory the Apostle Paul could boast in the power of God‟s grace that render the power of Satan‟s thorn useless and powerless over his life; with these words: “ Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in

my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ‟s sake: for when I am weak the, I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9 b10). Many Ministers use this verse to encourage their members to swim in sin; because we are under the Grace of God; but the Grace makes one strong to overpower the thorns of the messenger of Satan, thus having victory over the trials and temptations placed before you to fall. Yes, you are supposed to be the Voice of God among men exhibiting all the attributes thereof. Ministers/Shepherds do you know that you are qualified to hear clearly the voice of God? What if God speaks to you today, will you recognize His voice? Many claimed to be walking according to the instructions of God but in fact are walking by the principles of man‟s logic and reason.

As Shepherds/Ministers of God, it is very important to identify the voice of God, because Satan tries to perfect his art of duplication daily. However the voice of God is very extraordinary and unique and can readily be identify by those who truly serve the Lord. Let‟s take a look at a few examples of True Ministers/Shepherds who had the unique experience of hearing the voice of the Lord; some recognizing it, while others had to be told. It is not an ordinary voice and leaves a lasting effect upon those who hear it. It is unique and powerful beyond the imagination of man; it brings understanding, knowledge and wisdom, as we digest and interpret them. It is written :

“And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings; As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake” “And the sound of the cherubim‟s wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when He speaketh”. Ezek 1:24,29;10:5) But Christ claimed that what these men heard were just the tip of the iceberg. The voice of God is more marvellous than you think; therefore there is a very sure way of recognizing it for clear interpreting it, and that is through acceptance and acknowledgement of Christ. God Himself pointed us to that method.

“And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me; Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape” (John 5:37). Jesus was simply saying that what was seen or heard in the past needed to be fully understood and that type of understanding comes only through Him. “Father, glorify thy name. Then came

there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.”(John 12: 2830) The True Shepherd/Minister is also the voice of an Advocate. He/She is responsible to represent the people in times of difficulties and frustrations before the Lord; to represent the depressed, downtrodden, oppress, and disadvantaged on earth before the rulers of this world. He/she is expected to wed and bury them, be the shoulder they can cry upon in times of distress, be their consultant in times of confusion, nurture and nourish them when they are physically and spiritually malnourish, and the Voice that they can hear the instructions of God through. But I know for a fact that in many cases this is contrary to the true. Indeed a very unique task. Are you a True Shepherd/Minister of God? Are you a Voice for the King? If you are really the Voice of God that I am talking about: what is expected of you? You are to represent them before God and man and help them to put their lives in order. That is why your calling is unique and demands a lot. You become an administrator for the people way of living.

Much of what they do or say depends on how you direct them. You control their way of thinking because they see you as an oracle of God Himself; therefore if you are a crook, sadly majority of your congregation see it as a way of life. That is why I believe from the bottom of my heart that it is within the means of the church and not the political institution to take over and correct the economical downturn of our world today. However instead of finding solution to the economical problems, the Ministers/Shepherds are the ones to increase it by exploiting the people. Because as a Minister/Shepherd, you are also responsible to build the community to the standard Godâ&#x20AC;&#x;s wants it to be. The people have great respect for their Ministers/Shepherds and you are the confidante for many suffering minds. Now because it is part of your role you must also be the solution. The people look up to you for it. Half of the church members lost their jobs, people are homeless and hungry; and there you are preaching nonsense calling it politics. People go to God for solutions in times like these and as the Voice, Ambassador, and confidante; of God they expect an answer from you. But many Ministers eyes are so close because of greed that they think it all starts and end in those four walls of that hall they call church; which is used for business purposes.

Take the United States for instance; at a period when many lost their jobs and businesses start closing for the lack of customers. If the church was in control they would start teaching/training their members some self sustainable skills and liaising with businesses to supply the items needed to help their members get started. If these people were trained in honesty, decency, and hard work; they would paid back for themselves for the items they received to get them started and regularly paid their dues to the church, without been being force or lied to. Take for example the Ministers/Shepherds from Africa, India, etc.; who every year wants people to help out with money, money, and money. My question is when will they become mature and dependent on themselves? Never, if they continue to get those hands-outs instead of being taught how to fish, open a fishing industry and help others to open theirs. But the Ministers/Shepherds of the big nations think that if they help these people to become independent; their own ministries will suffer because they will have nothing to raise money for. But all this is planted by Satan because he knows a fully economically control Church will easily defeat his purpose and tactics. If each group that was made financially independent return five percent to those Ministries that set them up; there will be no need to lack; but dishonesty and fear have close the doors of trust and the right path have overgrown with weeds. Well back to your duties.

You have the duties to regulate the patterns that their discussions take daily and positively lay the ground work for the shaping their outlook. Many times it is not an easy task and some like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. die in the process. The end result was he did not die for nothing, for his vision lives on and he continues to motivate others with the truth of its impact. He recognized very early that even to the detriment of his life and that of his family; if change was to come than he had to be not only a Minister/Shepherd but a Advocate for truth, confronting the powers of his days with the need to bring the needed change that made a people/nation as God wanted them to live. He sought justice by the only means he knew how that would fit the recommendation of a Minister/Shepherd of God; through encouraging the people to understand the force behind truth, even through non-violent means. (He might have learned from others but studies and prayers brought a mighty impact that usher in a wave of change.)As a dispenser of the knowledge of God, he prove that only through love and not blood shed could this problem be solve; for blood had already been shed on the cross of cavalry. He was one of the ambassadors of God that was truly a voice during our modern days.

Ministers/Shepherds, It is your duty to weep for your people before the Lord. You are to spend time daily lifting them up in prayers and seeking directions that will affect the way they live their every day lives. For it is written :

“ Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say; Spare thy people Lord, and give not thy heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is your God?”(Joel 2:17) That is the question many modern day heathens ask when they see the way we live; our faithlessness, our submissions to the ills of this world instead of taking control over them. Instead of seeing the church as a home; they now see it as a centre that confuses them more than ever. Some enter with high expectations, only to be disappointed the very next day. We are expected to go and do always according to the will and instructions of God and not ours. The reason many Ministers/Shepherds have so much storm in lives today is because they fail to follow the clear and precise instructions of God Almighty. You see if you don‟t; you might be thrown into the sea of life difficulties and problems until you realize your true calling. God instructions are always clear like this: “Arise, go to

Nineveh, that great city,, and cry against it; for their wickedness come up before me.” (Jonah 1:2) It instructs you when to move, where to move, what to do once you get there and why.

It is always necessary to grasp this very important point or most of the time you find yourself flogging a dead horse that you are calling ministries. Because He send you he also provides specific instructions for how you will be taken care of during that period (Matt. 10:11-12). “And into

whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute it.” There is also a particular behaviour pattern laid down for you as you work in the lord‟s vine yard; you are not the boss but the servant and you are to serve the people you shepherded. This is where we fail today many times over. Today instead of been servants we wear big titles, robes, caps/hats etc. and want those we are to serve to bow to us. It is so sad. Take Jesus for example; walking most of the time, people calling Him just Jesus most of the time, and yet He is the King of Kings. I came to understand that great men serve and empty men spend their time fighting for titles and boasting about their achievements. For it is written: “….you knows that the princes of the gentiles

exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever shall be great among you let him be your minister; And whosoever shall be chief among you let him be your servant: even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and give His life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:25-28;Mk.10:43-45) (I love you Jesus). Today in many ministries‟ we see the attributes of the authorities of the world and one cannot serve two masters at the same time.

Yes as the Voice of the Lord; we are instructed to be as humble as little children in our faith in God, have compassion, be witnesses to the ends of the earth, baptizing those converted, preaching the good news to the poor (not selling the good news to the poor) casting out demons and evil spirits, healing the sick and setting at liberty the physically and spiritually imprisoned. IF YOU ARE AWARE OF YOUR DUTIES AND HAVE GONE WRONG, FEEL EMPTY AND ASHAMED; ITâ&#x20AC;&#x;S TIME FOR RENEWING, REFILLING & REVIVING IN JESUS NAME.

CHAPTER 3

THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SHEEP TO THE SHEPHERD! In our world today, many of the Ministers/Shepherds who go astray and subject the sheep to various types of agonies and exploitations, have received the green light from the sheep themselves. They accept without question anything that is put across to them by the Shepherd; whether it is right or wrong. I cannot say if this is because of ignorance or the need to worship a physical object. Many believe that these men and women are superhuman and have no fault; therefore whatever they say or do must not be questioned or challenge. They feel it is not in their place to correct their Shepherds/Ministers even if the evil is clear to the public. Sunday after Sunday they go to church and bow to the will of these false and corrupt Leaders without questions.

That is why when the Minister/Shepherd fall they all come crashing down. It also means if the Minister/Shepherd goes to hell they will follow with their eyes wide open. Sometimes they know within themselves that what is being preached is false and misleading; yet they shout their loudest Amen and Praise the Lord. Many live in the same communities with these false Shepherds/Ministers and know that their life does not measure to the standard of what they preach; yet they do not speak to them about it. You could help your Minister/Shepherd if you give them a true picture of how the world sees them. Many Ministers/Shepherds imposed themselves upon the congregation and expect them to worship and bow to them as demi-gods. Know today that this is wrong and unacceptable in the sight of God. You the sheep also have a responsibility to their physical, social, psychological, spiritual, welfare as well and they are humans that fall at times and need you. Do you know that if you eat rotten and poison food, the body reacts to it? You get seriously ill and sometimes if care is not taken you end up dying. It is always necessary to know the type of food you take in, how it is prepare and by whom; because in the end it is you who suffers. If the food prepared is always getting you sick and you love the person who prepares it, then; it is your duty to advice the person to change or change yourself or else, you will be affected. This same analogy goes for your spiritual life in the church family you belong to. Do not allow them to feed you with the wrong diet or else you will die spiritually.

You have the responsibility to speak out about these ills or else the entire congregation could be affected or a laughing stock like some that you read about who came down disgracefully. Tell them their wrongs and help them to change because their disgrace is yours also. Stop gossiping about the issue, go straight to them and help them in love and if they do not change you have another option. Do not bow to that Bishop, Pastor, etc that calls you for counselling and ask you to have sex with him. Do not bow to that prophet or Apostle that tells you that it is within his/her power to give barren women children ,but only after you sleep with him/her; that choir master that says you won‟t sing on Sunday if you do not sleep with him; if you do not contribute to that project y, you won‟t go to heaven; only certain books written by them have the keys to successful living and if you can‟t afford a copy you will remain poor forever; it is the pastor that heal your sickness, got you that job, that new home so you must worship him/her with your resources even if you can‟t afford it. Stop listening to the lies of that Bishop that claim that if you do not pay money, your church dues, offering etc., they have the right to put a curse upon your life. It is a lie. (Yes you should pay those vows you made, offering within your means, and other dues according to your means and not above.) They want ten percent, plus other monies in one Sunday come to fifty percent and the family starves or the children can‟t go to school.

If they tell you to do things that are not in line with the word of God; challenge them with the scriptures. Refuse to do their bidding if they want to exploit you and you know it is not biblical and a sin. Remind them that it is written:

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; thou shall not be afraid of himâ&#x20AC;? (Deut.18:20-22; 13:3,5 ) How many times have they not ask you to pay fabulous sums of monies in the offering boxes after shouting a fiery message to stir you your emotions; and prophesize good things about your life that just never come to pass. They claimed at that movement to be standing upon the authority of the Kingdom of Heaven, and cover with the blood of Jesus Christ, and speaking in His name. It is all lies because of those few dollars they want to exploit you out of. A young seemingly rich prosperity preacher came over to an African country and brought a lot of one dollar bills ($1.00) which he claimed were heavenly blessed money. He was invited to a crusade for the purpose of raising funds. After He had preached one of these prosperity sermons of rectories and nonsense; using one or two doctored verses from the Bible. He called out 100 persons

that he claimed that God wanted to bless through him. He ask them each to come back the next day with $650 USD

(in the local currency; in exchange for each of these dollar bills and in three months they would be millionaires. After he had collected the monies from those greedy ones who wanted to get rich quick; He said God asked him to just open it up to the blessed ones half the amount.... This is a live testimony that I witnessed with my very eyes. I can‟t tell you how the people rush to get those dollars bills from heaven. As I watch this shameful act with my very eyes, my heart bled. Isn‟t that a shameful act that should cause all earnest seeking Christians to bow in disgust? A year or more have come and gone and these people are even poorer than before. What I do not understand is the greed in people that drive them to believe such evil beings. Many such so-called men can‟t tell you how the people rush to get those dollars bills from heaven. As I watch this shameful act with my very eyes, my heart bled. Isn‟t that a shameful act that should cause all earnest seeking Christians to bow in disgust? A year or more have come and gone and these people are even poorer than before. What I do not understand is the greed in people that drive them to believe such evil beings. Many such so-called men and women of God have come and gone using the same technique or a slightly modify type and each time go away richer. These are live and very true events that I am telling you about.

This Bishop visited a church about a year or so ago and called a pastoral conference. At the end of it; he asked each pastor who want to travel to Europe or the Americas to put $25.00 each, and general overseers $100:00 each and drop it on the ground and leave. He would lie down on them that night and pray and indeed they would travel. The turn out was very great and that imposter left with a huge sum of money. We must be very careful for the Bible says: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cease, my son, to hear the instruction the causeth to err and destroy the way of thy pathâ&#x20AC;? (Prov. 19:27) You can help these types of Ministers/Shepherds by refusing them and challenging them from the scriptures in love and disobeying any thing that is not according to the word of God. You have a responsibility to helping them to be well prepared spiritually and physically; but that does not mean you should bow to their quest for living above the standards of others in competition. Help them to avoid being envious of the other churches or else you will suffer the burn out. One Shepherd/Minister has a thousand members and has an airplane; so because your own church has two thousand members you need an airplane too? Well that is envy and not in the interest of the members because their incomes might not be the same. But there are written rules about how you can help your Spiritual Leader Physically in order for them to prepare for their Spiritual obligations.

“But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him” (Deut3:28). It is your duty to encourage him/her when they are doing the right thing. Yes, it is right to give him/her voluntary gifts as you can afford. It is not a matter of force and if you can‟t afford it, you can encourage him/her with words of Truth. You are under obligation to help him/her to keep and execute the charge that he/she received and whenever they are straying from the way, to call them to notice. Strengthen him/her by making sure that his/her home is relax with provisions as you would want in your own home but; according to your means. In many instances we see the Apostle Paul writing to various churches to live by his example and walk by it too. They are to watch him carefully and walk by his examples; because he was to practice what he preaches. (1Cor.1:11, Phil.3:17) “For it hath been declared unto me of you, my

brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.” “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.” If they can‟t speak to other Shepherds/Ministers in the community and have grudges ; challenge them when such cases happen to you and they want to intervene; that both cases may be solve together.

You have a responsibility to pray daily for your Shepherd; because they are on the battle front. I have notice that if Satan wants to attack a church these days; he goes straight for the head. He focuses their attention materialism, lust, greed, and corrupt ideas for exploitation etc. He focuses their attention on other Shepherds and churches that took years to reach a particular standard and tell them they can arrive at the same standard in a couple of months. That is why the sheep must pray that they have the right Shepherd who cares not for himself/herself, but prioritize their wants, giving them the best of physical and spiritual blessings and nourishment, leading them always in the Truth of God word, that will prepare their soul for heaven. Pray for a Minister/Shepherd whose life is control and lead in the path of righteousness by Jesus Christ Himself; so that he/she can ably direct your own life to eternal life; that as you move daily through the storms of life, battling the devil along the way you will be certain that you are protected and on the right path. Even your enemies will look at you and marvel at the wonders of the Lord in your life. Sheep know that the way you handle your Shepherd can produce two types of Ministers/Shepherds and we spoke a little above about the false and corrupt ones. There are also those who are faithful to the things of God and to His word. I will not go into details now but I will only point out a few to you that you may or may not have known.

I will also give you references of their faithfulness that you may see what it means to have a faithful Leader and the consequences of their actions upon the lives of those they lead. Moses, Duet.4:26, 30:19, Heb.3:2,5; Micaiah, 2Chr

18:12,13; Azariah, 2Chr 26:16-20; Balaam, Num.22:18,38;23:8,12; 24:12-14 Nathan 2Sam. 12:1-14 Isaiah, Isa. 22:4,5;39:3-7 Jeremiah Jer. 17:16,: 26:1-15; 28; 37:9,10,16-18; John the BaptistMatt.3:3-12; Mark 6:1828; Luke 3:7,9,10: Peter, Acts 8:18-23 etc. These were faithful Shepherds that were not afraid to obey the Voice of God and carry out His instructions to the letter. Unlike what the corrupt Shepherds of our days tell you about your responsibilities to them; there are laid down rules about helping to support them within your means. We will discuss that next time because I do not want to confuse you about your responsibilities to your Shepherds /Ministers and yourself. Yes if you properly care for them in prayers, love, encouragement and gifts within your means to help them care for their everyday responsibilities; they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x;t force you to shallow doctrines of exploitation, marketing the gospel at the slightest opportunities etc.

I am grateful for using the works of experience Shepherds of our time and again I want to acknowledge them. I am also very grateful to those of you who partook in the various research works as I study to ascertain that we got 100 percent the true picture of the church and its leadership. Let me thank the following among many who I can not name today because of space: Pastor James Ellis, Pastor Ray Young (who quoted Dr David Ryser) Mattie Auzenne (who give me a video of David Wilkerson), Qualita Pendergrass, Bishop Bennie Wade, Bishop J.M. Gilson Levi ,Malachi Daramy, Lee Goodall Pastor John & Evangelist Vivian Noskey ,Ceri Dewar, Cherry Stoltz, Debbie Knight, Linda Fawkes(who always send me freat pictures and illustrations from Gospel Gif etc; some of which I used in this work) among many others who continue day and night to help me clarify the purpose of my calling. Special thanks go to my prayer partners worldwide led by my Dear Angel of a wife Evangelist Favor P.Liberty. I might not have done an excellent job putting this work together by the standards of man; but I am satisfied that by the standard and approval of the Most Highest God , I have done a service to my fellow Shepherds in the field. This is the first of many free materials I intend to place at your disposal. My only prayer request is that God teach you something from it that will open your eyes and impact your Ministry. I also pray that one day every Shepherd on earth will have a copy in their native language.

I want to leave you with these words :

â&#x20AC;&#x153; Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say; Spare thy people Lord, and give not thy heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is your God?â&#x20AC;?(Joel 2:17)

A Shepherd, who cares for, defends his flocks from the lions and bears of this evil world, know his flocks by name, water his flocks and keep them in folds. A Voice in the Wilderness crying out to the lost to return back to the original Gospel of Salvation, Repentance and Forgiveness. Happily Married to Evangelist Favor P. Liberty and the father of five children. Founder and President of Shepherds Without Borders Ministries Worldwide & African Voice in the Wilderness International. The Bishop has thirty years of experience in the vineyard. He holds two degrees in Sociology and Theology. He has vast experience in the field of trauma healing, conflict resolution, and counseling. A gifted Preachers/Speaker/Teacher/Writer with diverse gifts of the Spirit of God, he has serve in nearly every office in the vineyard. Bishop Liberty presently resides in Dakar Senegal West Africa.