ARE YOU NOT AT FAULT ALSO?

Dearly Beloved, ARE YOU NOT AT FAULT ALSO? “And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock”’” (Ezekiel 34:1-3 NKJV). During my sojourn in the United Kingdom some time ago, I discovered many pathetic things about the western world in less than a month. One of those things is the decline in the number of people who go to church, especially the absence of youth in most churches. Many church buildings have become empty and have been sold because of this. This was, and is still, a great burden to me, and I used to ask pastors when I was there what they were doing to bring back the youth into the church. Later, I discovered that I had been asking the wrong question! I met a lady in her early fifties who told me that the last time she went to church was when she was sixteen. I asked her why she stopped going to church. She told me a bitter truth about the church there: the church has become institutionalized, and the church leaders are not living by example. She cited some examples of the church leaders' atrocities then, which are becoming worse even today. One of such atrocities she emphasized is that most church leaders were getting richer at the expense of their congregations. She pointed out that the youth there will continue to abandon the church because the people of the church are not practising what they preach. I had no option that day but to agree with her because I knew that she was telling the truth. No wonder many people (especially the younger generation) are no longer interested in the things of the church. The indictment of the church leaders by this white lady reminds me of the leaders of the people of Israel in the time of Prophet Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 34). The Lord indicted these leaders because they were self-centred. They did not care about the people that they led. The people were suffering under their watch while the leaders continued to live in affluence. This made the people to wander away in search of care. God was not happy with these leaders and promised to hold them accountable (see verse 10). Are you a church leader? Are you not at fault also of this indictment? Are you not self-centred to the detriment of the people you are leading? Do you care about your congregation? Can your congregation follow your example or you are expecting them to just be following your messages? Do you attract people to the church, or are you driving them away from the church because of your way of life? Well, if you are just a member of a church, your church leaders' infamous way of life should not drive you away from the church. Jesus Christ is our ultimate role Model. He should be your standard (see Hebrews 12:1-2), not any church leader no matter how highly placed or respected. In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Lord, help me not to mislead the people you have entrusted into my care.