The vast majority of our Pastors and Ministry Leaders are what we call “working Pastors.” They work full time secular jobs to support their families, and their ministries. Full time work in Kenya is typically 5½ days per week. To come to the Bible School, they sacrifice a full or half day of work’s pay. That’s significant. It will mean a drastic reduction in the family’s provision. It is a profound Step of Faith to forgo a day of “work” in order to attend Bible School. Few outsiders realize the sacrifice. I consider myself privileged to walk amongst such current day Heroes of the Faith.
While acknowledging such “faith in action,” it is important to note many first arrive at Bible School without that perspective. In fact, much the opposite. Many are encouraged, if not required, by their Bishops/Sr. Pastors, to “prove” their faith by quitting all secular work. This allegedly is a “step of faith” and proves they are “trusting God” for their provision. The result: most end in the terrible grip of destitution, subjecting their families to self-inflicted suffering. Eventually, many of these pastors “living by faith” morph into master manipulators, prosperity pimps and abusive hirelings that relentlessly beat the sheep for tithes and offerings. the fruit of disobeying God’s Word is always bad. Every time.
It is only through the Holy Spirit, and the ministry of God’s Word, that our Pastors are set free. God’s explicit command is for men to work. It is the Curse originating in Eden. Not a curse by some evildoer, but from God, as a consequence to sin. God’s corrective discipline always bears great and lasting fruit...if we will only submit to His merciful chastening.
God requires work by all able bodied men. It is not optional. We should, however, distinguish between “work” and “renumeration.” We remind the Pastors & Ministry Leaders, God is not commanding us to find employment, nor to be paid. The command is to “work”. If I cannot find a paying job, or no longer “need” to work, I am still under God’s holy directive to “work” today. And that truth has set many free.
It is nearly impossible to find formal “employment” in Nairobi. Waiting for “employment” is often a convenient excuse for sloth. But the informal sector provides many work opportunities. Even within the massive urban slums, there is an ongoing economy. Buying, selling, trading and transactions of every sort go on daily. In the Kibera slum, with over 1,000,000 residents, there are thousands of shops, stalls, skills and services engaged in meeting the daily needs of the residents. And therein lay the opportunity for the Pastors and Ministry Leaders to lead the way.
We cannot simply talk about things. We need to lead by example. When a Pastor in a slum community shuns work, but relentlessly demands tithes and offerings from his impoverished congregation, he has become a shameful representative of Jesus Christ. God has been very clear about this...
“For i desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
If, as Christians, we are called to be a Blessing, then even more so the Pastors of the Least. Our admonition to them is “Be a Blessing, never a Burden.” Perhaps the greatest example and testimony of a poor pastor is to work hard, if not harder, than those around him. Not in the cause of materialism, but rather in the cause of Faith. Faith in God, His Word and His Disciplines. Jesus would have been working in his father’s carpentry trade from the age of 12 to 30. Those years were not wasted, nor an indication of a lack of Faith, but rather a testimony of full Faith! Paul the Apostle worked as a tentmaker throughout his years of ministry. Following in the steps of Jesus, he proclaimed...
“...I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls...”
Work is our Witness. People are watching us. If we avoid the everyday Struggles of life, then our “Words of life” ring hollow. And what more common struggle is there than working for our daily bread? Pastors, Missionaries and Ministers of every sort need to consider this point, especially when ministering amongst the poor. The question has rightfully been asked, “Well Brother Paul, why don’t you work?” Point well taken! In order to receive a missionary visa, I am forbidden from earning any remuneration in my host country. This is true of most overseas missionaries. But “work” I do! I have worked 6 full days a week for over 18 years, and days in Bible School are easily 14+ hour days. That is not my boast nor my burden....it is my Opportunity to be an Example before the Pastors and Ministry Leaders.
It is a delicate conversation to inquire of a poor pastor why he is suffering financially. We approach each conversation prayerfully, gracefully and with the leading of the Holy Spirit. The surprise is not the dire situation of poverty. The surprise is the often outright disregard of God’s command. Many of our Pastors have never been counseled, let alone confronted, on these basic spiritual issues. When they apply for admission, they are met with it immediately. If you cannot show how you are supporting your family, you will not be admitted to the Bible School. Now that’s an odd position for us to take, considering we are not covertly seeking school fees either. The Bible Schools are free! This immediately gets the applicant’s attention. And therein lay the opportunity for us to expose them, on the very first day, to the wisdom and Word of God. Paul the Apostle explained the practical implications...
“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a Burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an Example of how you should follow us. For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.”
This is not heartless legalism. This is the Inspired Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ! On the other hand, we dare not use it as a cudgel of cruelty to disregard the plight of Pastors in extraordinary circumstances. We are called to support the infirmed, the widows, orphans, aliens, elderly, and “urgent needs” (Titus 3.14). But valid Exceptions do not diminish the prevailing Rule. We are to focus on God’s primary purpose, with a heart to obey His holy intents. We are not to focus on finding exceptions in order to escape His prescribed Will.
And what is the fruit? Glorious by every measure! Over the many years of ministry, hundreds upon hundreds of Pastors and Ministry Leaders have been led into Obedience, and consequently, Blessings from God. In the process, many have had to contradict their own inclinations, Church Leaders and a dependency culture. This is not an easy thing to do. But a needful thing to do. We now have Pastors who represent every trade imaginable...welders, mechanics, shopkeepers, painters, drivers, security guards, plumbers, teachers, gardeners, traders, farmers, recyclers, cooks, cleaners, construction workers, tailors, and yes, even carpenters (just like Jesus!). Work that honors God, provides for their families, and speaks volumes to their communities and congregations.
Now the word is out. “That Bible School is serious. Don’t go there unless you are willing to change. They do things differently there. It’s not easy. But I really think it’s the place for you. Come, let me take you there.”
The “Work” of discipleship begins with our own Example of Obedience. In all things common to mankind.
Especially the ones we’re inclined to avoid.
