As Sent

Doing the work of God in a shoddy 
manner attracts no blessing if you 
are not ready to do the work as one 
that was sent, it is advisable to 
keep away.
I mean this with love and respect, 
zeal is good but when you receive 
the right call and you choose to 
obey it, you must treat it with utmost 
respect
There is a carnal spirit, the Bible 
referred to it as the “spirit in man” and 
some old ministers defined it as the 
Human Spirit, this spirit is not the 
Holy Spirit.
It is a spirit of religion and all it cares 
about is looking good and seeming 
good. It is not of God.
When you set out as a minister to do 
the work of ministry in a carnal manner 
in which all you desire to do is use 
people or use whoever is available 
regardless of their obvious ungodly 
nature, you are not doing it as unto 
the Lord. 
You are just doing it for your own ego! 
Imagine that you are a pastor and you 
discover that one of your ministers is 
a cheat, he didn’t cheat an outsider 
and he was not reported to you. 
He cheated you and you have evidence 
but because you have a secular job, 
you left him on the altar to preach so 
that your absence will not be felt or 
that there will be no vacuum…
Imagine that you are a pastor, you met 
a minister through a friend, the friend 
is a minister too and the friend later 
told you that “That brother has some 
character defects) and they were 
obvious and then you take that same 
brother disregarding the warning and 
make the brother a pastor in your church 
just because you need “available” hands
Imagine for a minute that a sister in
your church went to sleep with a married 
man and you were informed with video 
evidence and yet you left her to keep 
ministering on your altar without any 
form of discipline because the sister 
is available and you must keep the 
church open.
Imagine that a pastor knew that a lady 
in his church is a side chick to many men 
and the pastor turned a blind eye and 
retained her as a minister because 
there are no other available capable 
hands
Why would such a pastor say he is 
doing the work of God? 
Is he pleasing God or himself?
What can such a pastor preach that is 
worth listening to? 
A man who surrounded himself with 
crooks and people with questionable 
character
Would you want to be associated with 
such a “pastor”?
I once worked with a pastor who acted 
this way, she would say “I will use 
whoever is available, the church must 
keep running”
She was married to a military man and 
was using her husband’s influence to 
get contracts with the government
She was convinced her financial 
success was the key to the church’s 
success, so she would leave the church 
for many months in a year chasing 
contracts
Of course, she needed “hands” to keep 
the church running while she was away, 
so she ensured there were a lot of 
available hands
It didn’t matter whether the hands were 
dirty or clean
I joined the church straight out of the 
university and she made me an altar 
minister the second Sunday I attended 
the church
She said she prayed and waited on 
God to send her capable hands
I was a young man who was still trying 
to find my footing in life and I plunged 
myself into the work because she 
promised to pay me monthly stipends
I did my “NYSC” as her staff (she had 
a travel agency, an oil and gas firm and 
other businesses but I was stationed 
at the church and she paid me 
25,000 Naira every month. 
One day, I went with her to pray for a 
friend of hers, a German lady who had 
cancer
The lady got healed
Out of gratitude the lady offers me a job, 
a good job
This pastor said “No”
I wasn’t as smart as I am now at the 
time and I assumed she had my best 
wishes at heart
I declined the offer
Then we went for a zonal church event 
(a football match) and I was asked to 
be the commentator
I did quite well.
The zonal church immediately wrote to 
her asking her to transfer me to them 
for paid employment
She tore the letter (The assistant pastor 
later told me) 
Then she traveled to Abuja to chase a 
contract and I got a job somewhere in 
Ojota, Lagos State
Weeks after I started the job, one of her 
staff members had an accident and was 
killed on the spot
When she was told she rushed down to 
Lagos
She heard I had gotten a job and she 
said the death was my fault (this was after 
months of not paying salary and I had 
to feed) “if you were on your knees praying, 
no evil would have befallen me, my company 
or the church” she said.
I tried very hard to raise that brother from 
the dead, but my efforts were futile
When we were on our way home from the 
mortuary she said “You have to quit that job. 
I asked God to send me capable hands so 
that I can face my business and I will use 
any hand available. 
You are a good hand but if you’re not 
available you are of no use to me. 
I promise to ensure that you rise as 
high as possible under my tutelage. 
Just pray that I get this contract, I will 
find you a wife and settle you so that 
all you will be doing is pray and ensure 
my progress and that of the church.”
Her words made sense to her but at
 that point I realized something. 
I was just a tool she was using to 
play “Pastor”
She was not really called of the Lord 
and I was!
God called me on September 17, 2007. 
Two years before I met her.
I decided to leave
Then she made her next move, she said 
God told her I am the husband to one 
of her daughters in America.
Oh, oh! 
I ran.
(I met another pastor who needed a fresh
hand at Agiliti, Mile 12, Area of Lagos and
i took the offer)
Another brother who joined the church 
and was active in the choir took the deal 
about marrying her daughter and she used 
him for another five years as her PA
before discarding him.
(He was thrown out empty-handed and
because she accommodated him in her
boys quarters he was left stranded and
empty-handed.
The brother ran to me for help and i did
all i could to ensure he got back on his
feet)
I went to see this pastor in 2019, when 
her husband died. 
I went on my knees and apologized to 
her for the manner with which I left and 
she said she has forgiven me but by 
that time she had heard and seen the 
wonders God has turned my life to
Dear young ministers, please run from 
users and abusers who present an 
“I will help you” front but are only using 
you to fill a gap.
Their characteristics are listed above
They just want to deliver a “service” but 
they have no regard for your development 
or that of those they can use to achieve 
their purpose
If the devil is available, they will put 
him on the altar
Please don’t be like them, the work of 
ministry is delicate and human power and 
might cannot do it
It must be done only by the spirit.
Do you know the funny thing? 
When you decide to leave such users, 
they get defensive and angry!
A true man of God is happy to leave 
people grow and thrive and leave them 
to continue the work.
Users however only see you as a tool 
and losing you means they will have to 
find another or do the work themselves.
You can also have a "user" as a church 
member or ministry member! 
All such want to do is use you to climb 
the ladder of ambition
Watch out for the signs
Hirelings do not love as God loves, 
they are selfish and they do not follow 
the tenets of the scripture as they 
ought to
There are many of them in the church today
You must do your best to set your course 
with God straight and walk in your calling!

I wish you well

-GSW-