READ: Daniel 5:13-31
“And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven….“ – Daniel 5:22-23
One day , I had a meeting with some pastors on the third floor of our church building. We discussed at length, several issues that related to loyalty and church government. There were many contributions to the discussion and the pastors were free to share what they felt.
At a point, we discussed a particular situation in which a pastor had taken over and renamed a branch church. We discussed and condemned how he had painted over the old name and substituted it with a new name. Everyone agreed that this was unacceptable behaviour.
A particular pastor stood up and gave a speech. He condemned such treacherous acts and pledged his unflinching support for the ministry. He virtually promised to give up anything that would hinder his lifelong commitment.
A few months later, this same brother came up to me and said, “I have decided to start a church.” I was taken aback because he was already pastoring a church.
Several days later, he painted over the name, ‘Lighthouse Chapel International’ and replaced it with a new name. The surprising aspect of this individual’s story was his very vocal support for the ministry combined with his presence at the meeting at which this particular behaviour was discussed and condemned. Just like Belshazzar, he repeated exactly what someone ahead of him had done.