Thursday, September 6, 2018
Apostolic filth
1 Corinthians 4:12,13
Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
Some time ago, back in the 80’s, my pastor, Lee Miller, sent me on a preaching assignment to Maria’s Pleasure Baptist Church on the island of Wakenaam in Guyana’s mighty Essequibo River. I was excited at the opportunity and set off my journey with my little bag, big bible, and what I believed was a word from God.
Getting to Wakenaam is not easy and was even harder back then, first, there was the drive from Georgetown to the Parika Ferry Stelling some 27 miles away. The drive, in poor quality public transportation, included crossing the Demerara Harbour Bridge. I was supposed to get to Parika by 3 o’clock that Saturday afternoon in order to get a ride on the plantain boat that made the afternoon crossing of the river between Parika and Wakenaam.
I got there just at about the required time but couldn’t find the boat. Having not found the boat in time I was left to either come back to the city and give my pastor the bad news or find another way there. I was not going to turn back.
Back then, the big ferry was the only choice left. The ferry was late so I got a ticket and boarded. The advice I was given was that the ferry moored on the other side of the island, not where I was going, which is why I should have been on the plantain boat.
By the time I got off the ferry it was the dead of night, there was a bus there that went as far as the end of the road where the last light was, and after that it was a five mile walk through the night in a mixture of dirt roads and dams that I couldn’t see. Because of the plants and cows that I bumped into, I am sure that I walked across farms trying to find the place I was to stay. I got occasional help from drunks in rum shops that had little light.
I was never so happy to find someone’s home as I was that night. Sister Betty, who had given up on me coming, answered the knock at her gate. The next best feeling would be when I am greeted by Jesus in heaven.
A few years later I was at a prayer meeting in the city of Tyrone in Georgia, USA. OM Missionaries from around the world were home for some rest and recuperation and were sharing their testimonies and prayer requests. I was moved and shaken by their horror stories of abuse, imprisonment, threats, and being on the run for their lives. I was shocked that they were going back soon to continue preaching the Gospel under those conditions. Many of them were working in tough countries in what is known as the 10/40 Window.
As I listened to these young missionaries I felt that my own Wakenaam story was a non-story even though I made a big deal about it. But I also felt that many of us, living and working in the west, whether in developed or underdeveloped countries, have no idea of the sacrifice and risks that many are enduring for Jesus today. Our big church, big choir, big music, big suit, big car Christianity is a far cry from those who are on the frontlines staking their lives for the faith.
We are having arguments about apostles, whether there are still apostles today, and the like. Was Paul the last apostle or could that guy across town legitimately call himself an apostle? Give the guys on both sides a chance and that argument could go on for days with no shifting of positions.
Here is the real problem I have with contemporary apostles, it’s not whether they can be apostles, it’s that most of the ones I have met do not model the apostles of the scripture. The self-aggrandisement, the acceptance of worship and adulation from people, and the lifestyles lived at the exploitation of others condemns many before we even get to the theological discussions about the validity of apostles.
Here is whar Paul wrote, “For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.” 1 Corinthians 4:9-13.
Compare that with this story form the Toronto Star, “A Toronto pastor and self-proclaimed “prophet” can’t keep his identity secret in a paternity case just because the publicity could damage his reputation and hurt him financially, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Fred Myers dismissed a request by Martin Kofi Danso to extend a publication ban and sealing order on a court file related to allegations that he fathered a child with former congregant Chris-Ann Bartley.”
For Apostle Danso, the biggest problem is not the name of Jesus, it’s not the reputation of the church, the biggest problem of his promiscuity being exposed is the damage that his financial empire would suffer. Go figure.
Think on these things:
- Do you believe that the office of Apostle is valid today?
- Can you think of what is the difference between Apostles and other offices like that of Bishop and Pastor?
- Is there anyone in your church with the title of Apostle, if so does the Apostle’s life and ministry stand up to the scrutiny placed on the apostles in the New Testament?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today for all of the ministers in the churches and ministries with which we are involved.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex