'PROFESSIONAL CHRISTIANS'

You may have read my last Blog about ‘Full-time service”

Well, it caused quite a few more responses than usual …

One person, just emailed me back with 1 word …..… AMEN !

Another commented - “aren’t we all in full-time service” ……
“absolutely” I responded, “that’s the whole point” !!

But then there was a dear couple in England who commented further, as follows ..

“Presumably you're referring to those Christians who are paid to be Christians and who have no other jobs, in other words, professional christians.
The Bible refers to them as 'hirelings', see John 10 : 12-13 'The hireling ....careth not for the sheep'.
There are also stern words in scripture for those who don't work at a proper job and who are busybodies. 2 Thess 3:10 '...this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.'

We can probably include in this group those who 'live by faith'; which basically means they rely on gifts from Christians who work for a living. We have come across a number of these people, some of whom have organisations called 'faith ministries, others just individuals; all have one thing in common, they let you know their financial needs for their ‘faith ministries’ !
We would all be better off if many of them did not exist. They are however very popular with some Christians. It's easier to salve one's conscience by giving some money than to seek to be obedient to the Lord oneself.

What we have also found to be particularly unpleasant and self righteous among professional Christians is the clear implication that they are the obedient (and therefore better) Christians. On occasions, this has not been implied, but clearly stated. Those not in the blissful state of being ‘professional Christians’ are only part time ones, therefore only obedient to the Lord part-time.

Regretfully, while the majority of us (in the West, at least) continue to be rebellious, ‘professional Christians’ will flourish.
Most of us do not seek the Lord ourselves and therefore do not hear His voice and are unaware of our true state. We will continue to need the professionals to reassure us and tell us what our heavenly Father is saying.
Jeremiah 2:13 'For my people have committed two evils, they have forsaken me the fountain of living water and hewed them out cisterns “

Thankyou, and so very well put, I thought, but where had I been all my Christian life ….. why had the term ‘Professional Christians’ never occurred to me before ?
Its all so obvious … when I was young virtually ALL sportspeople were amateur, but in these days each and every sport has its ‘professionals’.
Sports used to be for the masses to get them physically active, for many to participate in, and to benefit ….. now.a.days we pay to watch a few elite professional sportspersons who are paid quite obscene amounts.

Plus virtually every domain of what started out as an amateur past-time now has its ‘professional’ counterparts – not just in sports, but music, the arts, each and every field of human endeavour has been infiltrated, high-jacked by the ‘professionals’

And so it has always been I guess with the ‘religious’ field – just how many ‘religious‘ groups and organizations have been similarly high-jacked. Most starting out as ‘amateur’, people just doing it for the love of it, then with ‘success’ ending up as ‘professionals’ or to use Jesus term - ‘hirelings’

Oh, and about ‘faith ministries’ who are not short on letting you know about such, and how you could assist them to stay afloat ……
My mind quickly returns to George Mueller, who cared for numerous orphans, established many orphanages in his day, and to memory ending up caring for about 5,000 orphans. He lived by faith AND NEVER MADE HIS NEEDS KNOWN TO ANY MORTAL PERSON …. ever !
Every need was made known ONLY TO GOD, in prayer.
I remember reading his story, how he and his ‘family’ sat down to a bare table, gave thanks for “what they were about to receive” ….. waited …. and then answered a knock on the door to find a local baker outside, who had just had a sudden thought to take some of his wares to the Muellers … and such incidents happened to him and them repeatedly !!
Now that’s LIVING BY FAITH …. not making ones needs known to any BUT GOD himself. Is it ‘FAITH IN GOD’ ….. ALONE, who can choose any way how and when to answer, or is it ‘Faith in other people’ to respond …. instead

And so for this Christian businessman through my pilgrimage, and so for many others that I have met … according to our FAITH so be it unto us !

But, beware the ‘religious professionals’, who gave Jesus a hard time also
and the publicized bleats of the so-called ‘Faith ministries'