I remember my encounter with a pastor who postulated that if you're in the pew, you cannot know as much as he who is in the pulpit.
It all happened when I went to pay a courtesy call to a female friend of mine in the city of Port Harcourt. When I arrived at her place, I met a pastor who was busy evangelizing. I decided to listen to the "man of God" when suddenly I heard the young, supposedly promising pastor say to my friend that "faith is a function of work" and that "you cannot have faith if you do not go through a training process."
Considering my perspective, I decided to ask for clarification because I believe that one cannot develop faith unless the seed of faith, which is a gift from the Father, is already present within them. So I asked, "Pastor, is faith not a gift from God that we develop over time?"
At that point, I must have angered the pastor. In response to my question, he asked me, "Are you a pastor?" I replied, "No, Pastor, I am not a pastor." He looked at me with disdain as though I had committed a sacrilege by asking a question and said, "Who are you from the pew to question me in the pulpit?"
I tried to explain to my brother in Christ that it is scriptural that as Christians, every attribute of God in us is a gift from God through Jesus. All we need to do, having been given the gift, is to develop it.
I knew my position did not sit well with the young pastor because of the leader-and-led mentality.
This short story highlights the belief that when we have faith or possess certain attributes of God, we sometimes think it is our own making. We talk and act in this belief, taking glory in it unconsciously.
Whatever you have as a Christian is a gift from God. This becomes clearer when you appreciate the fact that you have died and been reborn. Knowing that your rebirth comes with a new identity—a new you—and that it is not you who lives but Jesus living through you, for you, and to the glory of the Father.
Thank you, Jesus!
