Wednesday, 18 March 2009

• Challenges of a native pastor in a third world nation

  One of the strong arguments for the non-existence of God comes from the existence of suffering in the world.  If a benevolent and all powerful God exists, he would remove all suffering from the world, but there is suffering in the world and therefore either this God is not benevolent and all powerful or he does not exist.  Living in a country that is ravaged by war, corruption, oppression; all resulting in abject poverty makes it hard for one to respond to that argument.  And there are times even the strongest in faith are tempted to say “may be you are right”.  ‘May be Darwin is right’ because affluent and the strongest only seem to make in this life.  Even when it comes to church, money is able to manufacture a higher level of anointing and apostleship that are non-existent in the poverty stricken churches. The church that gives alms to these financially weak churches feels that it is their birthright to exercise authority over (spiritual or otherwise) and make a spectacle of their alms giving.  Poor pastors and congregations are posed in their pictures and videos extending their both arms towards this gracious Pastor or minister who comes with items like old clothes, shoes, and sometimes medicines as well (or whatever in cash or kind).  Every time I have witnessed this, I wonder for whom did Jesus say “When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matt. 6:2-4)?

  I am aware of the needs for the advertisement in the modern market driven society where Christians in the affluent nations ought to be told about the suffering in the poorer nations, and they also need to be told where their giving is going.  But these pictures and doctored videos are hardly the tools in maintaining accountability.  In this case, the saying ‘picture speaks a thousand words’ does not hold water when it comes to revealing the truth; but it is true in veiling the truth.  Parading the poor children of Africa and Asia in front of their cameras with bowls of soup in their hands flies against the face of what Jesus has said in the above verses.  The motivation of these kinds of ministries and churches cannot be far from what John said in 12:4-6 “But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ‘Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages’.  He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.” Only the motives like Judas can challenge what Jesus has said and dare to do what we have been experiencing in the missions today.

  24 years ago I surrendered my life to the Lord Jesus Christ, and decided to live the rest of my life serving Him.  And the road has not been easy. I became an offense to the very first native Christian leader that I had come to know in Nepal when he demonstrated financial greed in claiming the church property.  Later I offended a foreign missionary who enjoyed a party lifestyle while children in her orphanage were dying with Tuberculosis.  And lately I have offended several visiting short terms mission teams when they wanted to handover their gifts to our needy members in front of their cameras.  Yes, it has been tough.  If I had compromised with my convictions and the words of the Lord Jesus, I might have benefited just like Judas had, but nay, I shall remember the words of a man like Polycarp who at the age of 86, about to be burnt at the stake said to the young solder when told to reproach Christ; “For eighty six years I have been his servant and he has never done me wrong; how can I blaspheme my King who saved me? Nevertheless, as an indigenous minister of the gospel in Nepal, I have faced several challenges and the followings are a few of them.

   

  1.   I am considered a bad son by my parents:  In our culture, no matter how badly the parents might have treated you or even abandoned you, but once you grow (does not matter how), you must bring money back to your parents (again does not matter how you get that money).  But if you fail to bring money back home, it does not matter what noble task you may be involved in, you are a bad son.  Though it was initially the case, but my parents’ opposition to my being a Christian was not much of a faith issue, but it was of the economic.  They had seen the Christian example as how so and so became rich right after becoming a Christian, but I never seemed to get hold of money.  Until today I have failed (unable) to help them financially even when they became very sick (it’s not that they are poor, but this is the way our society is).

   

  2.   You are a threat to the senior ministers in your town: Whenever a young preacher arises in the scene, the older brothers (just like Joseph of old) are threatened of your presence and possible success.  They try everything to put you in the pit and possibly out of business forever.  There has been a pattern for us to see in our nation.  The livelihood of the existing pastor is in jeopardy if a new brat speaks truthfully and fearfully.

   

  3.   The temptation for deception and greed is great: Ministry has become a viable option for a better employment in our nation.  All the role models we have are about persons who were very successful in channeling in the outside resources for the ministry and then divert that to their own personal accounts, build beautiful houses and buy luxury cars.  This has made the life of a genuine minister a nightmare because these humble servants of the Lord do all the hard work in establishing churches and winning the souls, but then comes a gospel seller and buys them all leaving the pastor high and dry.

   

  4.   Rebellious and arrogant in the eyes of missionaries:  Lately the Lord has taught me that just because one has a title missionary before one’s name, does not make him or her an angel.  In order to send back a sweet report to their sending agencies, these missionaries (not all) do not mind if the native pastors also use deceptive methods and twist their reports.  But if you are a sincere minister and disagree with the missionaries, immediately they will send the news like a wildfire that so and so is an arrogant, missionary hating, proud and rebellious pastor. And also the ways missionaries think appear to be the only right way and if you think otherwise, that must be surely from the devil.  Once a missionary speaks, you are doomed!!!

   

  5.   Lack of followers: A month ago, five young people of our church came to meet me.  They shared with me how they were unable to attend university because their parents could not afford to pay for them.  After I encouraged them to depend on God, one of them spoke out loud, “pastor, prayer alone is not helpful, and we need someone to pay for our tuition”.  Well, how can you argue with that?  What he was saying was that if you cannot help us pay our school fees, we will go to another church or pastor who can pay for us.  We have not only lost such precious young people to greed, but also families and ministers.  A cult from South Korea is investing money in Nepal and many of us have lost our supporting staffs to them because they pay higher salaries.  So, you are left all alone and with your God of course.  But those who stay with you, they see the hand of God moving in mighty ways then few crusts of breads from the gospel sellers.  Trusting God, not man is our greatest challenge not only for us as pastors and preachers, but also for our people.  People cannot go higher than the pastors and in our nation, we are quick to trust the man than God, may be this is also due to the curse of poverty.  But praise God that Jesus has set us free from the curse of sin, sickness and poverty. 

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