"The craze for worldly achievement in the only business of the Almighty God on earth-THE CHURCH which he has committed to our hands is very alarming and it calls for a quick attention. The unnecessary distractions which has suddenly crept into the church, is now becoming cancerous and a deadly virus which needs to be totally wiped out."The race to be called a General Overseer, Superintendent of District, Zone and General, Senior Pastor, to be counted among the largest church with the largest auditorium in the world, to be among private jet owners, to be listed in Forbes Richest men of God and the likes, has become so unending in the fold. We cannot but state how these frivolities has degenerated into undue competition and rivalry amidst the custodian of the gospel itself and its stakeholders becoming enemies of God, just to sustain the top (James 4;4). We have diverted our attention to the DENARIUS forgetting the main assignment. The time and duration of work doesn’t matter to God but how well we do it. Understanding this fact will erase the seniority mentality we are battling in the ministry (this does not negate the fact that the young ministers should honor their senior colleague) because at the end of the day, we are all entitled to the same pay. So why the envy?
The major purpose of the gospel which is winning souls and depopulating the kingdom of hell has been abandoned with several souls been won every day to the other side. The mystery of every commission and mandate is that it has a penny attached to it.
Our God is faithful and just that he will not call anyone to work without making provision for what will be needed to succeed in the mission and that is the more reason why the devil usually entice the unguarded ones with what God has already make provision for, in other to dissuade them from the original mandate. There is every tendency that he who start first might not finish first and he who start late might not finish late because in the race, there is room for OVERTAKING.( Matt 20:13)
Matthew 20:1-16 illustrate the story of a vineyard owner who hires laborers at various times throughout the day. He hired some at 6am, some at 12pm and some at 5pm. We all know that the closing hour is 6pm. Mathematically, we can analyze that the one that started by 6am put in a full day’s work, the one that started by 12pm worked for 6 hours while the one that started at 5pm just worked for an hour yet the owner pays everyone a full days wage (a denarius). He makes sure that all are paid the same regardless of the different number of hours worked.
There was commotion at the end. The laborers who worked full day and for 6 hours felt cheated and consider the vineyard owner has been unfair to them but here is the employers response in quote ‘ Friend, I am doing you no wrong ; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?..... Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?
Some scholars has given so many interpretation to this verse, considering the laborers here as doing the right thing as humans. Some assume its work and the employer ought to apply the measure of experience on the job and should not have treated them equally but that above response in quote should be engraved in the heart of any critic of the scripture.
This part of that response got me speechless ‘did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage’ which implies that God will never be guilty of anyone. He is the owner of the business, He runs it Himself, He decides who to employ and at what time He deem fit. He is a faithful employer who will never pay His employee when it’s due. He doesn’t cheat and there is no overtime in His business. When it is time to close, no one will be forced to work beyond the closing time. Everyone has an agreement with Him before he/she commences work and He will surely keep to His own part of the deal which is A PENNY.
This is a revelation and a mystery of the kingdom service and the few lessons i leant here is that;
· No one tells God how to run His business.
· No one can help God in His business.
· He determines who he employs in the business.
· There is a closing time in the business- NO OVERTIME.
· The business is on a wage system- Every hour counts, so no room for complacency.
· He pays everyone the same amount – (A PENNY) so don’t envy others, focus on your calling.
Three stages on the job is morning, afternoon and evening and everyone no matter how and when start the job, accumulate all the wealth, fight ourselves for topmost position in the office, get all the global recognition, travel round the world, build the largest auditorium in the world with the largest number of worshippers in the world, have all the anointing – It is all for a PENNY
May the Lord help us not to miss the goal while we concentrate on the wage
