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Any day there is need to make a choice between God and any person, even if the person is a church leader, please choose God; never you choose man. If you choose man, you will create a problem for yourself, your wife, your children, the church leaders and the entire church. Hophni and Phinehas created problem for Israel. The Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle” (1 Samuel 3:11). When church leaders are living in sin, unrighteousness and unholiness, they create a problem for the church.
God told Samuel that He would judge the house of Eli for the iniquity, which Eli knew about. What was Eli’s sin? Eli honoured his sons more than God. Today, some church leaders honour the presbyters more than God. They honour the sectional leaders more than God, They honour their wives more than God and they honour their children more than God. As a priest, you should honour your wife, live well with her and live in peace with her, but when you are discharging your priestly duties, she should know the difference between her husband in the bedroom and her husband as a man of God. As a church leader, respect your presbyters and their wives; live with them in peace and have a good relationship with God, so that the work of God will move forward.
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Beloved pastors, do you honour man more than God? Is it because he has money? Is it because he speaks grammar? Is it because he says he is a knight or an ambassador of the kingdom? Is it because he went to school? Is it because he built the church? God decided to teach Eli and his entire family a lesson. God said to Eli through Samuel, “I brought you into the priesthood. I have decided to remove you and everybody in the family. I won’t allow anybody in your family to get into priesthood. Anyone I leave, they will be suffering and their generation will beg for bread because you honoured man more than me” (1 Samuel 3:11-14).
In the morning, Samuel was afraid to tell Eli what God told him, but Eli persuaded Samuel to tell him and Samuel told Eli God Has rejected you. God had rejected Eli because Eli first rejected God. God had dumped Eli because Eli first dumped God. Eli forgot that he was God’s priest. He forgot the rules and regulations of priesthood and did things his own way. God removed him. It doesn’t take anything for God to remove anybody. Samuel was a small boy and didn’t even know the voice of the Lord yet, but God decided to use him. God taught Samuel to know His voice because Eli and his children failed.
Sin is a disgrace; sin is a reproach; sin brings somebody low. And that is why it is foolishness to live in sin. You may begin to say my pastor, the deacons and church members are not seeing me. Are they to judge you? The Bible said all things are naked before the omniscient God (Hebrews 4:13).
Today’s Nugget: All things are naked before God.
Prayer: Lord, help me to live a life of holiness!
Prayer lines: 08054477940.
E-mail: [email protected]
Rev. Pastor Ejikeme Ejim, General Superintendent, Assemblies of God Nigeria.
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