Look, I am one to try to keep it "real". Keeping it real, not in the sense of keeping it, as they say, "hood", but in maintaining a mindset to maintain, keep, and communicate the truth. On this blogpost, I want to discuss the reality of having a "famous" name in the realm of the church.
The issue that motivated me to write this post, has happened over and over again in the body of Christ. I have seen it throughout my travels and journeying and it still is a pet peeve of mine, as well as of God's. I would go to cities and places all over the world, and those cities would be full of their own prophets, apostles, pastors, teachers and evangelists, yet when a pastor or leader wanted to have a conference, let's say an apostolic or prophetic conference, or even a seminar, they always tended to bring someone from without in, to discuss issues, or to impart that which they have. This is not the will of God in most cases.
God has set gifts in the body as he wills it. There are gifts in certain cities because God knows that that city needs that gift. The answers for a lot of churches in cities all across the world are right there in their own backyard, but because they choose to bring in sensationalism, someone with a "name", and someone with a "title/gift", they fail to receive the necessary promotion or impartation that God has provided. I have been places in ministry and have had the chance to minister or sit under the ministry and receive from some mighty heavyweights in the anointing, as they say. Suffice it to say, that when others may regard one as great and high, I might regard them as needful and not so great due to my knowing information about them, or due to my understanding of how they, "operate" in their gift. With prophets, we to beware of the Okie Doke. The Okie Doke? Glad you asked.
What I call the Okie Doke, concerning prophecy, is when I go to these "prophetic" meetings, and the prophet follows this formula:
1. They give a testimony (to cause the people to believe in their gifting)
2. They then have others give a testimony to the same (to encourage people to believe in them further and then to prepare them to be more apt to sow a seed)
3. Then they ask for a "seed from God", which ultimately gets bigger and bigger.
Now I am not of those who do not believe in giving and sowing, because I do, but congregations around the world are getting the Okie Doke pulled on them, because they are so into names, titles, notoriety, and church growth. How about we give the body what it needs - true, authentic, and free impartation and anointing. This however, requires using those who might not have a big name, but they may have a big calling and a big anointing.
We tend to connect with people with a big name, instead of people with an authentic anointing. See, here’s the thing……lol
Anybody can speak and use, what I call, kingdom terminologies, vocabulary, rhetoric and jargon. They can sound deep all day long. We are in an age where you have access to many books that people can read to be able to help them sound and look the part, but we need to focus on, is whether their integrity and character in the anointing measures up. Pastors, do not bring people to your church in hopes that they will invite you to come preach for them or give you access to who they know. This is futility, and this is what a lot of pastors are doing and do. They want notoriety, a title, and a bid church. These intentions are hid under the auspices of our own “humility”. This is why for men and women of God, we need to be able to crucify this flesh daily in seeking the Lord. Fasting and prayer is a part of it, but it also takes a conscious decision to choose to live a life based on the Word of God and based on kingdom principles, not worldly principles. The church cannot grow using worldly principles, but godly principles. And it is the will of God for the talents that he has set up in a city to be used for the betterment of that city. Though this seems like common sense, it is definitely not. This is one of the major issues in the church. One that same wise, the African American church needs to be delivered from a mindset and social paradigm that “White is Right”. This is so fully expressed in the church Just as well as it is in the world.
Have you noticed how White Americans are less prone to attend a church with an African American Pastor as compared to an African American? Additionally, more African Americans will readily attend a church where the Pastor is White under the illusional auspice that “White is Right”.
The reality is that there are those African American Christians who need to be delivered from a “White is Right” attitude, as well as those White Christians who need to be delivered from subconscious ethnicism/racism. Additionally, the whole church needs to be wholly delivered from a, “Spirit of the Famous Name”. LOL. They have that, “Famous Name” spirit upon them, trying to ride the backs of the famous to bring in visitors to the church to display your church and what it is doing, with the hopes of expanding your church and becoming bigger – when true evangelism is the key.
Watch out for the fake.
