Marketplace and Church

The Marketplace and Church

I have been in ministry for over 25 years and I have seen where pastors are so hard working & faithful and have not had a proper holiday, or where every ‘holiday’ is going to a conference, and where they are on call 24 hours a day. Phone calls and visitors usually interrupt their day off and yet their people believe this is true serving and that they should do it because ‘the tithes are their wages and their getting paid for it’.

I have also seen where Christian businessmen work long hours, or worse make their employees work like this and think it is OK not to pay correctly.

Why is it, we must ask, that the church believes that what must be celebrated is working in ministry or business, till ‘we collapse’. Or what we are seeing today are some leaving work, stay on benefits and go out evangelising day and night and this is also to be revered.

All of these examples are horrible and all are inequality and dishonor, in one form or another and all caused by wrong teaching!

It is time we stop celebrating behaviour where all paths lead to BURNOUT!!

In the book of Proverbs God gives wisdom to leaders, so that they are raised up as strong and influential in every position they are aligned, whether it is in the church or the marketplace.

Perhaps we need a better understanding of honour that is due to those who are in positions of leadership, whether it is in church or the marketplace..

Each one of us have been intrinsically designed with the ability to make a ‘choice,’ as part of our DNA, and so when we are told what to do, and we have no say then we feel frustration because for each one our boundary’s are fundamentally entrenched within our design and this can lead to a frustration build up and then a ‘perceived’ rebellion is often seen.

So often we perceive honour as unwritten rules that are designed to remove our choice and in almost every case at some time, frustration begins, and breakdowns of some sort occur.

When we dishonor those in ministry and or business, it becomes immoral, because it interferes with the intrinsic nature God put within each of us.

I find it personally so sad when I hear Christians elevate one state above another, and usually the state that’s elevated, is poverty! We are given the impression that being jobless and on welfare and being on the mission field or on the streets evangelising, is better than being a millionaire, entrepreneur or in a business, where you maybe creating jobs, or perhaps building multi million corporations and changing the culture of a system and also impacting the world. We have to remember, just because some are working in the marketplace does NOT mean they are less than, compared to those in ministry in the church or on the mission field!

Can I just HIGHLIGHT (in black texta and yellow highlighter) that ministry is not defined by what you give away for free, or work you do for nothing. Ministry is defined by any WORK that is unto the Lord.

We were created to work, to be fruitful and multiply and this then honour’s God, and also gives Him glory. 1 Timothy 5 v 18, tells us that a ‘labourer is worthy of his wages.’

Sadly we have segregated our businessmen, and those in politics in the church, and almost made them our cash cows, whilst promoting those who have no job, on welfare and spend 24/7 evangelising. We made TV shows, and we have extolled their behaviour, and barely given the pastor not getting a day off, or the businessman creating jobs lower in order!

Lets understand now that God honours the evangelists, the corporate business owners, the employees, the politicians, and the pastor, who all LOVE Jesus and work unto Him.

There is no place for the separation between the secular and the sacred. God honours them all.

Lets take a fresh look at the ‘Church,’ His Body, and see it is made up of ‘ministers’, or in other words those who honour the Lord in different ways during the week and none are better than another.

I believe its time the ‘CHURCH ‘saw a revival, not just in the house, but also in the marketplace! Its time we stopped elevating overwork, underpaid and ministry 24/7 as the epitome of ministry and allowed all to work fairly!

#BEWHOYOUWERECREATEDTOBE

www.wellsministries.com.au

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