19/10/2012 - A necessary independence

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Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.

I Timothy 5: 22

Fellowship is necessary in life; yet, we have to keep it within reasonable boundaries so we won’t be lured into a trap. Those who, for instance, share other people’s sins are to be accountable for them as well since it’s as though they too had committed them. That’s why you should always be on the alert so that when you set out to help people from falling into sin you don’t end up being carried away as well. After all you may be held accountable for a transgression you were not originally responsible for.

The Word of God states that accountability is personal (Romans 14: 12), but if we don’t watch out we might indeed become partakers – complicit – of someone else’s wrongdoing. Although we have not committed anything wrong, just by concealing someone else’s misdeed or just by backing up those who are engaged in wrongdoing can make us guilty as well – as a matter of fact, many have been even arrested just on account of their letting themselves be persuaded by an evil person.

When it comes to putting into practice the laying on of hands for the ministry The Lord God is The One who will let us know its right time since that’s a method never to be used out of favouritism or empathy. As a matter of fact, your seniority – even with a high level of it – won’t qualify you to receive a ministerial anointing at all. We mustn’t fool with something which should be taken seriously. The best thing is to wait for the divine direction and before it gets to you nothing should be done.

The verse above finishes off by saying that we’re to keep pure and to avoid taking attitudes as foolish people do which would stain our lives in the spiritual realm. And that’s why, if we’re to consecrate someone for the holy ministry of The Word of God, we have to do it only under clear and straightforward guidance from our Father and not on account of our being cornered by other people’s minds or on account of an unwise determination from the church we attend, otherwise that would drive us into going against The Scriptures. Never do anything The Lord hasn’t told you to.

Since other people’s sins might ruin a long-life of service to The Most High those who won’t strictly follow the Gospel might, on The Great Day, be accountable for the errors committed by others. That’s precisely the huge accountability one will have to face as they hastily engage in laying on of hands upon someone else unprepared. In fact, under any circumstance, all the hasty ones are committing a sin (Proverbs 21: 5). That’s the reason why you ought to wait for the moment when God will say to you: “Go ahead!”

Nothing is better for someone than to keep themselves pure. If according to men’s determinations you’ve been consecrating fewer people than any other leader you mustn’t turn your back to The Word by getting into a competition only to consecrate more people; after all, the best “to-do list” is the one signed by The Most High Himself. When He tells us to lay on hands upon someone else, He is giving us an order, and the next step for us is just to go for the reward for having been obedient to Him.

Therefore, you’d better follow the divine formula. Those who truly serve God will never be put to shame, but those who are only looking for their own interests and work on their own – striving to conquer their congregation’s approval – are not being wise and unfortunately they won’t be able to attain the reward.

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares