KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 3:3 KJV Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

The pastor’s relationship with people places him in a condition to show a very high degree of patience. Many times, pastors give all the sacrifice or support to people only to be mistreated, disappointed by the people they have served wholeheartedly. This has left lots of pastors with so much pain. A pastor had to stay in police cells for a church member. This member later left the church, claiming there was not enough power in that church. How would such a pastor feel towards that member? He needs a calm heart and mind towards that member. Sadly, lots of pastors are living with pain and offences. This has caused some of  them to place all kinds of curses on such people. Dear servant of God, you should not do that. The Spirit of Christ would never curse those who  mistreat Him.Please  remember what  the scripture says in 1st Thess 5:14 ” Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” It says we must be patient towards all men.

Every pastor must know that it is an agenda of Satan to have access to the lives of the  servants of God through offences. We said patience is the act of maintaining  a calm mind and heart under various adverse situations. To lose this calmness is to lose your patience. Patience is the virtue that helps you possess your soul against irresponsible actions. Luk 21:19 KJV” In your patience possess ye your soulsWhat should one do to keep their calmness against tempting situations? Learn to speak the words of scripture to yourself. Any time you are tempted to lose your calmness, please say  to yourself, I am crucified with Jesus. It is Christ Himself who is vitally alive in me. I can not lose my calmness. I can not hate anyone. It is my nature to love. It is my nature to forgive. I am never controlled by my feelings; rather, it is the Spirit of God that rules over me. These words would control your whole body.ody.

Negative actions are all responses to negative words that come to us as an interpretation of the negative actions. If those words are left to stay in your mind and heart, you would definitely respond negatively to them. This is what always causes people to act in ways that ultimately destroy their relationships. This is what the scriptures say. Jas 3:2 KJV” For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”

The above scripture shows us why we behave wrongly  and keep offending one another, and how we can control our whole body to behave perfectly. It says that when we speak in a way contrary to the word, we would act wrongly and would be hurting one another. But if we speak rightly, that is to say, what God says, we would control our whole body and make it do what the bible says. OUR TONGUE IS THE STEERING WHEEL OF OUR BODY

THOUGHT: GIVE YOUR TONGUE TO THE SCRIPTURES, AND YOUR BODY WOULD ACT PERFECTLY ALWAYS

FURTHER STUDIES

Jas 3:10 KJV Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

James:3

[2] We all fail in many areas, but especially with our words. Yet if we’re able to bridle the words we say, we are powerful enough to control ourselves in every way, and that means our character is mature and fully developed.

KEY  SCRIPTURE:1Ti 3:3 KJV” Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

Before I go on to talk extensively about this virtue of patience, I would first address it within the context of the verse. It says he must not be greedy for filthy lucre but be patient. Patience from this verse is an answer to greed. Greed for money  places a senseless  urgency to get money in any means possible. In the absence of patience, one would definitely be possessed by greed and would surely end up out of the will and way of God. He really needs to be patient.

Patience is the act of holding a calm heart and mind in the midst of delayed expectation or relating with an individual whose attitude or actions are repulsive or unacceptable.The scriptures normally uses the term longsuffering when relating with a negative character Eph 4:2 KJV “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;” The pastor ought to have lots of patience so the ministry would not be blamed.2Co 6:4 KJV “But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,” As pastors the enemy would show up with diverse trials with the aim of getting the pastor giving up.Patience is an ever present necessity to defeat his plansJas 1:3 KJV” Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” Patience, when allowed to fully express itself at the end, makes the minister perfect and wants nothing.Patiemce is therefore a perfect ion of character

Patience is a twin sister of faith working together to bring to past the anticipated answers.Without patience faith can not be fully expressive.Heb 6:12 KJV “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” The pastor can not show forth any victory of his walk of faith without this all-inclusive virtue patience.

How does one build this virtue of patience.Please note that patience is in the fruit of the spirit which is love.A close fellowship with God’s word and doing as the word says depens our love for the  lord and so patience automatically results.Great patience is always rioted in our love for the Lord.We do not pray to be patience rather patience comes as we grow in our walk in the Lord.Impatience is a sign of baby hood in the life of that Christian and for that matter the pastor.Since the pastor’s work involves relating with people as he demonstrates to them the nature of God must be very patient in everything that requires patience.1Th 5:14 KJV “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.”

THOUGHT: PATIENCE GROWS AS A RESPONSE TO OUR LOVE FOR GOD

FURTHER STUDIES

Gal 5:22 KJV” But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Rom 15:4 KJV “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 3:3 KJV Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

Dear reader, I wish that we look at this topic one more time. To be greedy is a very serious thing. When greed takes over one’s heart, his conscience is seared. He no longer has any sense of right or wrong. He has no restraining power to keep him from being fair, respectful, or considerate. He would go to any length to satisfy his ego of having whatever money he craves.Anyone  overtaken by greed comes under the control of a demon. When Absalom was possessed with a greed for power or the throne, he was ready to kill his father. He openly slept with his father’s concubines on a rooftop. Could such a person be acting by his normal senses( 2nd Samuel 16:22)? Something else had possessed him.Anyone  with a greed for money has sold his soul to the devil. The bible said Satan entered into Judas to make him betray Jesus( John 13:27)

I wish to add that any man under the power of greed for money can not make it to heaven until he repents and surrenders his life into the Lord’s hand. A senior pastor who is greedy for money does not care about the plight of his associate pastors and their families. He would not pay them adequately or on time. He thinks about the car he wants to buy and so delays paying his workers or associate pastors. There have been certain pastors who have brought  their head pastor to the public domain with baseless accusations, all because  their hearts were overtaken by greed. As I said, greed makes one very heartless and would stop at nothing till they achieve whatever they are craving for.

Dear one if somehow your heart has been overtaken with greed then do not treat it as just one of the wrong ways.It is far worse than you see it.You need to cry unto the Lord to reformat your heart or break that power or control of greed that has taken over your heart.With some of you it is just creeping in, seeking a way to engulf your heart.Make  sure you kill it from growing to fully dominate you.It was greed that made Delilah to deceive Samson to tell her the secret of his strength so she could sell him for money.Greed made king Ahab to allow his wife Jazebel , smear Naboth with wrong accusations so he would be stoned to death( 1 st Kings 21:8-14).Please do all you can to free yourself from greed
A very simple way to help yourself out of greed is to find a senior man of God and  confess that evil desire to him. That wrong desire would quickly run away, even without him praying for you.

Finally, I wish to establish that anyone who has known the impact of the gospel of Jesus or the kingdom should never come under the impact of greed. Through the good news, you are dead with Jesus. He is the one  living or reigning in you. It is not mammon any longer. His reign in you is called the kingdom of God  in your heart. Sin, Satan’s rule, sicknesses, and death are all history. You can now scream through Jesus, I am free. Say to yourself, I refuse to be greedy because that is alien to me.

THOUGHT: THE NEW CREATION CAN NOT BE GREEDY BECAUSE HE IS AN EMBODIMENT OF GOD’S LOVE.

PLEASE SAY THIS, I AM BORN OF GOD, MY OLD NATURE WAS CRUCIFIED WITH JESUS, IT IS  JESUS WHO IS MY LIFE, HE IS VITALLY LIVING IN ME, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GREED TO  RULE ME, JUST AS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR SIN, SICKNESS, OR DEATH TO REIGN OVER ME.IN JESUS I AM FREE.GLORY BE TO GOD.

FURTHER STUDIES

Pro 1:19 KJV “So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.”

Col 1:22 KJV In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

KEY SCRIPTURE:1 Timothy 3:3 KJV” Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;’

The scripture instructs that the pastor should not be greedy for filthy lucre. This word filthy lucre refers to money. In Luke 16:11, the Lord Jesus called money unrighteous mammon. This does not mean money is filthy or unrighteous, but simply means money is carnal or physical. It is not spiritual. Everything physical is corruptible or destructible. It is its ability to be destroyed, or corruption can attack it, which is why God calls it unrighteous, filthy, or carnal. Secondly, the attitude of men towards its acquisition has  caused many to idolise  it to a point that it has led to so much sorrow (1st Tim 6:10).Remember that anything that takes God’s place in our lives becomes an idol, and every idol brings bondage to men. The pastor must therefore not be greedy for money. Some men in the pulpit are witchdoctors or fetish practitioners  in suits. The greed for money has led them into all kinds of places seeking power to be rich. In their private chambers,  they  put on their proper fetish regalia to perform the rituals before changing into a normal pastoral suit. Please, there are a great number of genuine men of God who have not soiled their garments in any way.

Greed for money is always a trap of the enemy. The Lord has promised that His children must seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and everything shall be added unto it. It is his major plan to always reward His servants very handsomely. Mark 10:30. KJV “But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” If one lets greed take over their heart, then this blessing can not be possible. Instead, that man or woman would be cursed with all kinds of evil. Just remember Gehazi, the servant of Elisha. Greed brought the leprosy  of Naaman on him 2Ki 5:27 KJV “The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.”

Why does greed for money set in the life of a man who started genuinely?
1 Financial difficulties at home can trigger that
2 Seeing the affluence of other men of God can lead to greed
3 Bad friends can convince one into it.
4 Social pressures can drive one into greed

How can one stay out of it?
1 . Make Matt 6:33 your lifetime scripture. It is always God first, and His righteous ways, and then other things would fall in place.

2 Have the understanding that serving God is not about you, your comfort, or how the world sees and thinks of you. It is about how faithful you stand before God. Is God happy about your service? If he is happy, then that should also make you happy. Know for certain that God pays better than any man. Be faithful.

3 Know the Lord for yourself. A deep and true knowledge of God would make you keep faith with Him even when everything seems to be bad.
4. Feed much on the word, for faith is that virtue that would keep you hooked up to God. By faith, you would overcome every arrow or fiery darts that are cast at you.

THOUGHT:GREED FOR MONEY RATHER BLOCKS GOD’S TRUE RICHES FROM GETTING TO YOU

FURTHER STUDIES

: 1 Timothy:6
[10] Loving money is the first step toward all kinds of trouble. Some people run after it so much that they have given up their faith. Craving more money pushes them away from the faith into error, compounding misery in their lives!

1 Peter:5
[2] to be compassionate shepherds who tenderly care for God’s flock and who feed them well, for you have the responsibility to guide, protect, and oversee. Consider it a joyous pleasure and not merely a religious duty. Lead from the heart under God’s leadership—not as a way to gain finances dishonestly but as a way to eagerly and cheerfully serve.

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 3:3 KJV Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

The pastor should not be a striker. The word striker has the following meanings: ready for a blow, contentious, or a quarrelsome person. Frankly, it would be very absurd to think of any man of God as a contentious  or quarrelsome person, yet we have sadly seen  certain pastors as very contentious  and extremely difficult people.

There are some men who used to be very contentious before they were born again. These people have unfortunately carried over their former shortcomings into their lives in Christ. This is an error. The apostle Peter was such a man  before he was saved. Joh 18:10 KJV” Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.” After Peter’s conversion, he became extremely gentle and harmless. 1Pe 2:13 KJV” Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;” At this point, Peter had completely transformed. Your former lifestyle is now alien to your present personality. It says you are a new creation, old things have passed away, all things have become new, 2nd Corinthians 5:17

One area where a number of pastors may raise their fists against a second party is in marriage. Some wives have been so buttered that they have completely lost their self-confidence. Some pastors are not only contentious at home but also show it everywhere. At the least provocation, they get so offended to the point that they can become physical in their aggression. This is what the scripture says he must not do.

What then can make a  pastor so  contentious?
1.A lack of knowledge or a clear understanding  of the completely finished work on the cross of our Lord Jesus.
2 The next is pride. Pride has a way of making hurts very painful, such that one seeks to avenge their hurt in the second person.
3 Some have the tendency to be contentious or troublesome as a result of a demon that controls that aspect of their life. (Demons only take over the life of the child of God when he practices certain sins, like pornography.)

The first group, that is those who are simply bereft in their understanding of the finished work on the cross that has absolutely freed us from the nature of sin Rom 6:6, Col 2:11.The old man is no more but a new man who is the righteousness of God. 2nd Corinth 5:21.That new man is Christ( Gal 2:20) who is full of mercy, love and  kindness.You are not trying to become that man of gentle disposure , but that is what you are now. .Eph 4:24 KJV “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”  Christ is our life Col 3:4. From now know that every trace of violent disposition is completely alien to you.You are very gentle and peaceful.Accept this as a fact.Glory be to God.

THOUGHT:YOUR LIFE IS CHRIST, AND YOU CAN NOT BE A STRIKER, YOU ARE A GENTLE PERSONIFIED

FURTHER STUDIES

Passion bible translation Ephesians 4

[24] And to be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ-within as your new life and live in union with him! For God has re-created you all over again in his perfect righteousness, and you now belong to him in the realm of true holiness.”

Colossians:3

[12] Love One Another. You are always and dearly loved by God! So robe yourself with the virtues of God, since you have been divinely chosen to be holy. Be merciful as you endeavor to understand others, and be compassionate, showing kindness toward all. Be gentle and humble, unoffendable in your patience with others.

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1Ti 3:3 KJV Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

The bible teaches that the pastor must not be given to
Wine. You can not be well-behaved and be given  to wine. Neither can one be an example to others and be controlled by wine? Noah, that righteous man of faith, was shamefully disgraced by wine. Gen 9:21 KJV” And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.” The daughters of  Lot made their father drink wine, so they could produce babies by him. Gen 19:32 KJV “Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.”

The question many ask is, should the Christian, or for that matter, should the pastor take wine in the first place? I would advise that in light of the potential of alcohol becoming addictive and the many challenges it would bring a man, I would advise that the Christian should stay away from it. Please take the following counsel of the Spirit. 1Co 6:12 KJV All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. The apostle states that certain things may be lawful, yet they are not expedient. It is just wise to stay away from it. Pro 31:6 KJV “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, …..” Are you ready to perish? If not, why go for what would make you perish or be destroyed?

The bible says the child of God is in the spirit and not the flesh. You cannot be under the influence of wine and be controlled by the spirit. Eph 5:18 KJV” And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” Please note that another term given to alcohol is ‘ spirit’. Anyone under the influence of alcohol is controlled by a spirit. What kind of spirit is that? This is the spirit of the world, for every kind of evil has been created by this spirit. Please note that anytime one is not in control of his consciousness, demons easily access his being. They can deposit diseases, misbehaviours of all kinds, exposure to danger, death, and what have you. Decide today to say a big no to alcohol intake.

THOUGHT: YOU ARE EITHER UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OR ANOTHER SPIRIT

FURTHER STUDIES

Pro 23:31 KJV” Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.”

Gen 19:33 KJV” And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.”

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 3:2 KJV” A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach.”

The  pastor should, of necessity, be able to teach the word of God, just as every mother   breastfeeds her baby. Breastfeeding is a very natural trait of all mothers. In teaching, it may not come as naturally as a mother breastfeeding her baby. Teaching requires the discipline of study. 2Ti 2:15 KJV “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The pastor must be diligent in studying. He must be well informed about the truth so he can help the sheep stay away from wrong teachers and wrong prophets.

Every pastor must understand how to study the word by the inductive approach. The inductive approach uses the fact-finding questions to find literal truths in the passage. It is called observation. The fact-finding questions are who is speaking, who is his audience, where was this statement made,what is the speaker saying, and what was the response to the message, if any? After observing the truths of the scripture, you proceed to the interpretation or the inference. The interpretation gives you the meaning of the truths you have found. The last part of the inductive approach is application. The study becomes beneficial as you do what you have learnt. Please, always study to first apply it to your life before you think of sharing it with others. ( Act 20:28)

The three stages for studying the bible inductively are
1 Observation
2 Interpretation
3 Application
If the pastor  uses this type of study system, he would be able to   present the truth of the scriptures to the sheep in a clear, practical way. The pastor must be an ardent reader of the bible and other anointed books. The bible can be well understood when one has a broad  knowledge of the bible. Another way to help yourself teach well is to listen to other anointed teachers of the word. Look out for the general knowledge presented in the message. Observe the way he uses illustrations to explain his points. Look out for where he makes emphasis.

Finally, a very good example to learn how to teach is  from the teachings of our Lord Jesus. He is the greatest teacher of all time. Take time to study the Lord’s teaching style. He used day-to-day events, objects, and practices to explain His ideas. The Lord was extremely good at using illustrations to teach. No wonder people were glued to his teachings. Much talking without the manifestation of the power of God to heal and restore men to a sound, healthy state makes the message another academic lecture moment. Please understand that teaching God’s word is always a supernatural activity that must be spiced with that supernatural touch. This is made possible as the pastor is ready to confront any negativity in the lives of the people in the  name of the Lord.

THOUGHT: AVAIL YOURSELF TO TEACH, AND THE LORD WOULD HELP YOU TEACH.

FURTHER STUDIES

Ezr 7:10 KJV “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.”

Mat 4:19 KJV” And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”SIMPLE TRUTH

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 3:2 KJV “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;”

A pastor or a bishop should be a well-mannered person. He does not live to please himself. The truth about good behaviour is that it proceeds from a heart of great love. Love is the character of the Spirit. The bible says it is a fulfilment of the law. Rom 13:10 KJV “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” The call to good behaviour has to do with our sincere love for God and our fellow men. Good behaviour gives great reverence to God.

A look at the ten commandments shows two divisions: the laws pertaining to God and those relating to our fellow men. Having good behaviour makes one show that love for God, such that you place nothing between you and God. No man can relate very well to God and then fail to relate well with his fellow men. There are certain pastors who think the members are their subjects. They feel they have the right to use a member’s car and some properties of their own at will. Your love and fear of God would restrain you from treating your members as your subjects.

It is an abomination to consider your members as your subjects. Your role as a pastor makes you their servant. John 10:11 KJV” I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” This statement means the shepherd does not take advantage of the sheep; rather, it is the sheep that takes advantage of the shepherd through the shepherd’s loving service of the sheep. A good behaviour would mean honouring every one of the commandments that relate to our fellow men.

The commandments are as follows:

Thou shalt not kill

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Thou shalt not steal.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Thou shalt not covet what is thy neighbour’s

The word teaches that to hate your neighbour is to be a murderer, and so hatred can not be part of your vocabulary. He must not commit adultery. All these commandments should never be discussed about the pastor. Once again, your answer to good behaviour is to see your crucifixion already done on the cross. The cross slew this old man in each of us who bore all manner of misdeeds and misbehaviour. It is no longer there in your body. Acknowledge that you were indeed crucified with the master, and now you are free from the influence of that power to do wrong. You are now the very righteousness of God. With this consciousness, you would not act against God’s laws; rather, the laws are the nature of your real personality. Rom 8:4 says the righteousness of the laws is fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh but after the spirit. We do not strive to be good, but we are good people; that is what we are. Believe that, say it always.

THOUGHT: TO BEHAVE WELL, ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE A VERY GOOD CHARACTER

FURTHER STUDIES

Eph 2:10 KJV” For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Rom 8:3-4 KJV” For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”