Leaders And Loyalty

by Dag Heward-Mills

* * * * *

Copyright 2001 Dag Heward-Mills

Published by Dag Heward-Mills onSmashwords.

E mail Dag Heward-Millsinfo@daghewardmillsbooks.orgevangelist@daghewardmills.org

Find out more about Dag Heward-Mills at:

http://www.daghewardmills.orghttp://www.daghewardmills.org/healingjesuscrusade/

http://www.daghewardmills.org/lci/

Unless otherwise stated, all Scripturequotations are taken from the King James

Version of the Bible

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Excerpts in Chapter 1 taken from TheFinal Quest by Rick Joyner. (Excerptstaken from Part 1- “The Hordes ofHell are Marching”, Pages 16-19)Originally published: 2nd Ed. © 1996.Used by permission of MorningStarPublications & Ministries, P.O.Box19409, Charlotte, NC 28219-9409,Order Department: 1-800-542-0278;Fax: 1-704-522-7212

DedicationTo

Rev. Robert DodooThank you for being my brother and my

best man.Contents

Chapter 1 - If Only You KnewChapter 2 - Ten Laws of LoyaltyChapter 3 - Five Statutes of LoyaltyChapter 4 - The Rewards of LoyaltyChapter 5 - Adventures in GhanaChapter 6 - Adventures in NigeriaChapter 7 - Three Common Causes ofDisloyaltyChapter 8 - The Timing of DisloyaltyChapter 9 - The Adventures of JuliusCaesarChapter 10 - The Adventures ofMacBethChapter 11 - The Three Tests ofLoyalty

Chapter 12 - Six Manifestations ofDisloyaltyChapter 13 - Three Principles ofLoyaltyChapter 14 - The Loyalty of ChristChapter 15 - The Loyalty of theFatherChapter 16 - Seven Methods forDealing with DisloyaltyChapter 17 - Three Basic Facts aboutLoyalty

Chapter 1- If Only YouKnew…

How do you fight an enemy youcannot see? How much more difficult

it is to fight an enemy who can seeyou when you are not even aware ofthem? I have heard it said that we willjudge angels one day.Know ye not that we shall judgeangels…

I Corinthians 6:3In other words, we will be higher thanangels one day. I have oftenwondered why this should be thecase. Are we not so corrupt andinferior to these pure spiritual beings?However, I have realized in recenttimes that Christians areaccomplishing great feats in spite ofthe fact that we do not see the realmof the Spirit. Even the angels admire

and respect us for ouraccomplishments. We only have theWord of God to tell us what is goingon out there! We fight and defeat anenemy who can see us but whomwe cannot see! That is anachievement!When you see an athlete jumping orrunning some distance in exceptional time,you admire him and give him a medalbecause you know how difficult it is to dothat. The hosts of Heaven are watching usoperating in the dark without any vision atall. They see us defeat the enemy time andtime again. They cheer us on as they watchus whip an enemy whose main strength is‘being invisible’.If some Christians could see the hordes of

demons that surround them, they wouldprobably act differently. Some Christiansbelieve the Word, obey God and defeatthe enemy repeatedly. They whip anenemy they cannot even see. Howhumiliating this must be for the devil!Other Christians are simply unaware ofthe devil and his ways. Some ministersare simply unaware of the tricks of thedevil. Others think the devil is working ina way that he is not. For instance, thereare people who think that Satan lives inAfrica. They say this because they do notunderstand the strategies or schemes ofSatan. They feel that the wars, poverty andbackwardness are a sure sign of thepresence of the devil. They do notunderstand that Satan’s principal strategy

is to deceive the world and lead themunknowingly into Hell.This is why I believe that Satan does notlive in Africa but in Europe. MostAfricans believe in God. Today, inEurope, it is the Africans who fill thechurches.Satan has his seat (his place of greatestvictory and relaxation) in Europe. It is inEurope that deception is strongest. Mostindigenous Europeans do not believe inGod, Christ or even in the existence of thedevil. How comforting that must be forSatan! Europe is a place where he can callhome. Your home is where you lay downto rest. Your home is where you sit downto relax and feel safe. Do you think thatSatan feels safe in Africa when meetings

are organized to bind him in almost everyneighbourhood? Do you think the devilcan relax when people are so aware thathe is around? When songs are composedand chanted against you by thousands ofpeople, you will not feel happy. Satanfeels threatened in Africa.Look at a typical song,In the Word of God, there is power!In the Name of Jesus, every knee shallbow!The Bible calls Satan the “father of lies”and that “old serpent which deceiveth thewhole world” (John 8:44; Revelations12:9).As you know, the devil is not omnipresent.He is in one place at a time. In Bible

times, John identified the home and seat ofthe devil. He wrote a letter whichrevealed that Satan’s home was a citycalled Pergamos.And to the angel of the church inPergamos write; These things saith hewhich hath the sharp sword with twoedges; I know thy works, and wherethou dwellest, even WHERE SATAN’SSEAT IS: and thou holdest fast myname, and hast not denied my faith,even in those days wherein Antipas wasmy faithful martyr, who was slainamong you, WHERE SATANDWELLETH.

Revelation 2:12, 13As you can see, this Scripture tells us that

Satan both lived and sat (was at ease) inPergamos. I believe that Satan’s seattoday is in Europe. I do not believe Satanis happy or at ease in Africa. There aretoo many all-night prayer meetings allover Africa. There are too many open-aircrusades going on there. There are toomany groups worshipping and singingabout the blood of Jesus for Satan to sit atease there.One day, I was playing golf in Ghanawhen I heard people praying and shoutingjust outside the course. I said to mypartner, “Satan cannot live in Africa!Which golf course in Europe has a groupof prayer warriors shouting and prayingfrom the bottom of their hearts on aMonday morning?”

One night I was coming home from ameeting and I put on the car radio. It wasmidnight and there were two young menpraying on the air. They were having anall-night prayer meeting in the studio.They spoke mostly in tongues and shoutedtheir prayers to God from the bottom oftheir hearts. One groaned like a bearwhilst the other roared like a lionthroughout the night. I thought to myself,“The prince of the power of the air willnot like this at all.” I said to my wife,“Satan can never live in Ghana!” I knewthat a programme like this could never beaired in Europe.Africa’s problem is leadership. Africa isplagued with bad leaders. Having badleaders is not the same as having Satan

dwelling with you. Many countries inAfrica have been led by people who havestolen the wealth of their nations. ManyAfrican heads of state have more personalwealth than the countries that they lead. Insome ways, this has helped Africaspiritually. The poverty has madeAfricans humble and the humility hasopened them up to the gospel and tosalvation.When there are wicked oppressiveleaders who murder their opponents anddestroy anything and anyone who opposesthem, the result is backwardness andpoverty. Many of the wealthy andintelligent sons of Africa are living underEuropean or American leadership. Theyhate the typical oppressive leadership

found in Africa and they keep their wealthin Europe and America. This is whatmakes Africa poor!People prefer to live in an environment offreedom and justice. Unfortunately, theenvironment that has freedom andprosperity is the environment that isspiritually bankrupt! It looks like you can’thave your cake and eat it. I call Europe themodern day Pergamos. I teach EuropeanChristians how to have victory in“Pergamos”.I said all of this to show that some peoplecannot see through Satan’s tricks. WhenSatan is working, they don’t seem torecognize it. When the country is rich,developed and beautiful they think that thedevil cannot be at work.

A minister must be able to discern whatSatan is doing. If you are going to succeedin ministry, you must know a lot aboutyour enemy.The Word of God warns ministers to becareful of the wiles of the devil.Put on the whole armour of God, thatye may be able to stand against theWILES of the devil.

Ephesians 6:11The word “wiles” comes from theGreek word methodeias. It speaks ofthe different means, plans andschemes that are used by the devil. Awile is a scheme, and a scheme is asystematic plan, an artful or deceitfulplot. Satan has artful and deceitful

schemes to entrap the church. Hismain aim is to enslave, entrap,deceive and finally ruin the ministersand the church with these schemes. Ascheme is not a single action! It is aset of progressive deeds and actsthat lead to a calculated outcome.Many years ago, I stood by the gate of myhome with a man who had been a father tome in the ministry. I told him about someproblems I had been having in theministry. I described to him how a youngman I had trained and worked with hadbecome treacherous. He said somethingthat I will never forget. Mind you, hespoke out of years of experience in theministry.He said, “It is amazing how the same

strategy works over and over again.”“What do you mean?” I asked. Hecontinued, “I have noticed the devil usingthe same deception on ministerseverywhere. It is amazing how it worksevery time.”He concluded, “We don’t seem torecognise how the same trick is used oneveryone. We just fall for the same thingover and over again.” That conversationstayed with me and I thought to myself, “Idon’t want to fall for a trick which hasbeen used time and time again.”If you make the mistake of thinking thatyour enemy is where he is not, you will bedestroyed. It is precisely because manyChristians cannot see Satan working

through the spirit of disloyalty, treacheryand unfaithfulness that they yield to him. Ifyour enemy is by your side and you cannoteven see him, you are but a dead man!More churches are destroyed by the workof disloyalty and its ramifications than byanything else I know! I found that out firsthand in the first year of my ministry. Myfledgling ministry experienced a satanicattack through conspiracy, accusations,faultfinding, slander and breakaways. Ihave never seen as much confusion as Isaw in those days.Very early in the ministry, I came to theconclusion that disloyalty and itsassociated evils are the most destructiveweapons in the devil’s armoury.

Most Christians feel that the devil’s bestweapon is to work through occultism,witchcraft and voodoo. I agree that thesethings are weapons in the devil’s arsenal.But what people must realize is that thestrongest campaign of Satan is in the areaof deception. If Satan can deceive you, hewill destroy you! Satan makes manypeople believe that they are fighting a manof God in the name of justice and truth.However, they soon discover with greatpain, that they are doing nothing butkicking their feet against nails and thorns.This is what Paul discovered when hefought against the church andsupervised the elimination of one of itsleaders, Stephen. Saul was a manwith a good conscience. He earnestly

thought that he was eliminatingtroublemakers from the peaceful cityof Jerusalem. In his fight forrighteousness, he sought to wipe outelements that he thought were harmfulto society. There are many peoplewho think they are on a holy war toexpose false preachers andministries. Like Saul, they think theyhave a divine mandate to leteveryone know the truth about thehypocrites in the pulpits. TheApostle Paul was so surprised to findout that he was actually fightingagainst Christ.And as he journeyed, he came nearDamascus: and suddenly there shinedround about him a light from heaven:

And he fell to the earth, and heard avoice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, whypersecutest thou me? And he said, Whoart thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I amJesus whom thou persecutest: it is hardfor thee to kick against the pricks. Andhe TREMBLING AND ASTONISHEDsaid, Lord, what will thou have me todo…

Acts 9:3-6Paul was astonished when he discoveredwhat he was really doing! When peopledo not know what they are doing, theyoften do the wrong thing. Paul claimedlater on that he had received mercy fromGod because he did not know what he wasdoing.

Who was before a blasphemer, and apersecuter, and injurious: but I obtainedmercy, because I DID ITIGNORANTLY IN UNBELIEF.

1 Timothy 1:13My little experience in the ministry showsme that the inability to be faithful, loyal,stable, consistent and constant is thegreatest killer of ministries. It is thegreatest killer of businesses. The feelingthat there is a shorter, quicker and easierway is in all men. Satan capitalizes on thattendency.Many Christians are tricked into followingrebels and dissident visionaries. Manypeople do these things out of ignorance.The devil uses the example of tyrannical

church leaders to create the culture ofrebellion and disloyalty in the church.Without knowing it, many church leadersare essentially rebellious and disloyal.They teach their followers rebellion bythe things they say and do. They do notunderstand why anyone is unfaithful ordisloyal to them. You see, deception issuch a strong thing. When you aredeceived you think that black is white andwhite is black.I was really intrigued by the revelationwhich the Lord gave to Rick Joyner in hisbook “The Final Quest”. I haverecommended this book to thousands ofpeople since I discovered it. I found thevery first pages of this book particularlyrevealing. He described a vision of a

large demonic army marching against thechurch. The main aim of this demonicarmy was to cause division on everypossible level of relationship: churcheswith other churches, congregations withtheir pastors and even husbands with theirwives.Another notable aspect of the revelationwas the weapons that this demonic armywas carrying. I noted in particular that thespears they were carrying were called‘treachery’. Do you know that treachery isactually the highest form of disloyalty? Itis interesting to me that only one spearwas named and that spear was treachery!Dear friend, I believe that Satan’sprincipal spear against the church is thisweapon of disloyalty and treachery.

As I mused over this, I realized that manychurches which had suffered majorsetbacks, had suffered these thingsbecause of treachery. I thought aboutseveral great men of God I had grown torespect and considered how theirministries had become stunted. Disloyaltyhad played a major role in this regrettableturn of events.There were four arrows mentioned inthe vision: accusation, gossip, slanderand faultfinding. On the surface,these four weapons do not sound veryeffective. They do not even soundlike weapons the devil would use.However, after being in the ministryfor some years I have concluded thatthe most potent weapons of the devil

are these very things. At first glance,most inexperienced people woulddismiss these as minor problems.I am sure that many people haveconsidered these listed arrows as trivialthings that every minister can easilyhandle. The devil knows that accusationsweaken, confuse and paralyse the accusedperson. No matter how innocent theaccused person is, once he is accused heis drawn into a state of confusion. He askshimself, “Why would anybody think ofsuch a thing?” Accusations are sopowerful that, after a while, even innocentpeople begin to agree with theaccusations. Accusations paralyse theaccused person. Once paralysed, they areleft in a state of inactivity. As the

accusations spread, the accused persondoes not even have the confidence tomove in the circles where the venom hasbeen spread. Slander, gossip andfaultfinding are all forms of accusation.These things weaken, paralyse andconfuse the church. This confusion iswithin and without the church. Theaccused person is confused and thehearers are confused. Many people neverovercome this confusion. Some can neverreceive and some cannot continue inministry. This is such a powerful weaponof the enemy! It is no wonder the Bibletells us that strength comes to the churchwhen the accuser is dealt with. As long asyou hear the voice of the accuser, you willbe weakened somewhat.

And I heard a loud voice saying inheaven, Now is come salvation, andSTRENGTH… for the accuser of ourbrethren is cast down, which accusedthem before our God day and night.

Revelation 12:10Have you ever wondered why relentlessaccusations are hurled at men of God? Iremember a pastor who did a greatpioneering work in a large city. Throughhim, many people were saved and manyother ministers were trained. He wasslandered and accused until he eventuallyleft the city. His faults were magnifieduntil there was nothing good said abouthim anymore. Eventually, he left the cityand put aside the ministry. Satan’s modusoperandi is quite simple – accuse them

until they have no confidence inthemselves! Accuse them until no one inthe community thinks well of them. Makethem stop what they are doing.However, many years after leaving, hewas invited back and honoured by thepeople he had blessed. I believe he wassurprised when he saw the fruit of hisministry. He probably realized that heshould not have succumbed to therelentless onslaught of the accuser and hisagents. I am glad to say that soon after thishe returned to the ministry.Another amazing revelation in this bookwas that the demons were riding onChristians and not on horses. In otherwords, Christians were being used by the

devil without even knowing it!I know a pastor who is very good atdividing the Body of Christ. I haveobserved his ministry over the last fifteenyears and I feel he has a special gift fordividing the church and creating opposing“camps” within the church. I think he doesnot even know that his actions anddecisions lead to the creation of factionswithin the church. He does thiseffortlessly and with such distinguisheddiplomacy! He looks and sounds sorespectable that it would never occur toyou that he is actually splitting the churchinto groups. It is only when you sit backand reflect on his actions that you realizehow factious he is.I am happy to have Rick Joyner’s

permission to include a short passagefrom this vision of the armies of Satan andtheir strategies. I pray that you will see thestrategies of the devil clearly.“The demonic army was so large that itstretched as far as I could see. It wasseparated into divisions, with eachcarrying a different banner. The foremostdivisions marched under the banners ofPride, Self-righteousness, Respectability,Selfish Ambition, Unrighteous Judgment,and Jealousy. There were many more ofthese evil divisions beyond my scope ofvision, but those in the vanguard of thisterrible horde from hell seemed to be themost powerful. The leader of this armywas the Accuser of the Brethren himself.The weapons carried by this horde were

also named. The swords were namedIntimidation; the spears were namedTreachery; and the arrows were namedAccusation, Gossip, Slander andFaultfinding. Scouts and smallercompanies of demons with such names asRejection, Bitterness, Impatience,Unforgiveness and Lust were sent inadvance of this army to prepare for themain attack.These smaller companies and scouts weremuch fewer in number, but they were noless powerful than some of the largerdivisions that followed. They weresmaller only for strategic reasons. Just asJohn the Baptist was a single man, but wasgiven an extraordinary anointing forbaptizing the masses to prepare them for

the Lord, these smaller demoniccompanies were given extraordinary evilpowers for “baptizing the masses.” Asingle demon of Bitterness could sow hispoison into multitudes of people, evenentire races or cultures. A demon of Lustwould attach himself to a singleperformer, movie, or even advertisement,and send what appeared to be bolts ofelectric slime that would hit and“desensitise” great masses of people. Allof this was to prepare for the great hordeof evil which followed.This army was marching specificallyagainst the church, but it was attackingeveryone that it could. I knew that it wasseeking to pre-empt a coming move ofGod which was destined to sweep masses

of people into the church.The primary strategy of this army was tocause division on every possible level ofrelationship – churches with each other,congregations with their pastors, husbandsand wives, children and parents, and evenchildren with each other. The scouts weresent to locate the openings in churches,families or individuals that Rejection,Bitterness, Lust, etc., could exploit andmake larger. Then the following divisionswould pour through the openings tocompletely overcome their victims.The most shocking part of this vision wasthat this horde was not riding on horses,but primarily on Christians! Most of themwere well-dressed, respectable, and hadthe appearance of being refined and

educated, but there also seemed to berepresentatives from almost every walk oflife. These people professed Christiantruths in order to appease theirconsciences, but they lived their lives inagreement with the powers of darkness.As they agreed with those powers theirassigned demons grew and more easilydirected their actions.Many of these believers were host to morethan one demon, but one would obviouslybe in charge. The nature of the one incharge dictated which division it wasmarching in. Even though the divisionswere all marching together, it also seemedthat at the same time the entire army wason the verge of chaos. For example, thedemons of hate, hated the other demons as

much as they did the Christians. Thedemons of jealousy were all jealous ofone another.The only way the leaders of this hordekept the demons from fighting each otherwas to keep their hatred, jealousy, etc.,focused on the people they were riding.However, these people would often breakout in fights with each other. I knew thatthis was how some of the armies that hadcome against Israel in the Scriptures hadended up destroying themselves. Whentheir purpose against Israel was thwarted,their rage was uncontrollable, and theysimply began fighting each other.I noted that the demons were riding onthese Christians, but were not in them aswas the case with non-Christians. It was

obvious that these believers had only tostop agreeing with their demons in orderto get free of them. For example, if theChristian on which a demon of jealousywas riding just started to question thejealousy, that demon would weaken veryfast. When this happened the weakeningdemon would cry out and the leader of thedivision would direct all of the demonsaround that Christian to attack him untilthe bitterness, etc., would build up on himagain. If this did not work, the demonswould begin quoting Scriptures that wereperverted in such a way that would justifythe bitterness, accusations, etc.It was clear that the power of the demonswas rooted almost entirely in the power ofdeception, but they had deceived these

Christians to the point where they coulduse them and they would think they werebeing used by God. This was becausebanners of Self-righteousness were beingcarried by almost all of the individuals sothat those marching could not even see thebanners that marked the true nature ofthese divisions.As I looked far to the rear of this army Isaw the entourage of the Accuser himself.I began to understand his strategy, and Iwas amazed that it was so simple. Heknew that a house divided cannot stand,and this army represented an attempt tobring such division to the church that shewould completely fall from grace. It wasapparent that the only way he could do thiswas to use Christians to war against their

own brethren, and that is why almosteveryone in the forward divisions wereChristians, or at least professingChristians. Every step that these deceivedbelievers took in obedience to theAccuser strengthened his power overthem. This made his confidence and theconfidence of all of his commanders growwith the progress of the army as itmarched forward. It was apparent that thepower of this army depended on theagreement of these Christians with theways of evil.”

Chapter 2 Ten Laws of Loyalty1. The Head of an Organisation

Must First Be Loyal to HisSubordinates

Loyalty does not just depend on thesubordinates being loyal to their superior.Everything, good or bad, flows down fromthe top.It is like the precious ointment UPONTHE HEAD, THAT RAN DOWN uponthe beard…THAT WENT DOWN tothe skirts…

Psalm 133:2Whatever is at the top, will be found in theranks. The starting point of loyalty is thehead of the organisation. If he is unfaithfulto his followers, they will be unfaithful tohim.

Can I Be Loyal to this Man?This is why it is difficult to teachloyalty in some churches. Some

churches have unreasonable pastors.Some churches have leaders who aredisloyal to their subordinates in manyways. It is difficult or impossible toteach people to be loyal to adisloyal head. The overseer may besomeone who is not kind to hisassociates and does not even speakwell of them.I was once chatting with a senior pastor.He spoke about my associates.He said, “You have all these nice peopleworking with you. They are so loyal.”Then he lamented; “But I have all thesedevils as associates, I wish I had peoplelike yours.”I thought to myself; “If you call your

associates devils, what do you expectfrom them?” Perhaps it had not occurredto him that if his pastors were devils thenhe must be Lucifer! Just as a loyalsubordinate should not speak evil of hissenior, the head must also not speak evilof his subordinates. Not only was itinappropriate for him to speak like thatabout his subordinates, but also, it was notappropriate for him to say such things toan outsider.I heard another overseer refer to hisbranch pastors as “wicked people” and as“wizards”. Just as the junior pastorsshould not refer to their senior as a wizardor a wicked man, this should also notcome from the top.

Why People Leave Organisations!

It is very difficult to live under certainkinds of leadership. There is a reason whyAfricans flood western nations seekinggreener pastures. They are not runningaway from their homes and families. Theyare not running away from the weather inAfrica. They are not running away fromtheir friends. They are running away frombad leaders!It is difficult to live under leadershipwhich is oppressive. It is difficult to liveunder leaders who steal the nation’swealth and do not care if the people haveroads, hospitals and schools for theirchildren. It is difficult to live in anenvironment where you do not have greatopportunities. I know that most Ghanaianswould come back to their own country if

they could.The Greatest Motivation for

Employees!It has been noted that the greatestmotivation for people in work places, isnot money per se. A sense of self-worthand achievement is the highest motivationfor workers.If someone does not feel importantand appreciated, he often begins tolook elsewhere. It is the duty of thehead of the organisation (church orbusiness) to make everyone feelimportant and appreciated. This isone of the most important ways tobe loyal to the people who workunder you.

When I worked as a doctor for Ghana’sMinistry of Health, I felt that thegovernment did not care about me. Afterslaving away for one year, I decided thatit would be better for me to sellgroundnuts at the roadside, than to workfor the Ministry of Health. I was not loyalto the Ministry of Health. It took me onlyone year to leave them. I moved awayquietly and I have no regrets.The head of the organisation oftenwants his subordinates to appreciatehim and honour him. However, thisappreciation and honour mustbegin from the head downwards. Ireiterate that it is difficult andsometimes impossible, to work undercertain kinds of leadership. If you are

a junior in a church or business andhave a head who is uncaring, you willhave a hard time. I would advise youto find the environment and leaderunder whom you can flourish. Moveaway peacefully and do not say badthings on your way out! Close everydoor gently! You may need to comeback through that door one day.

Why I Am Loyal to You!One day a young pastor asked his seniorpastor, “Do you know why I am loyal toyou?” The senior pastor smiled and asked,“Why?” The junior pastor said, “I thinkthe main reason why I am loyal to you isbecause you are a very loyal seniorminister.” He continued, “It is not becauseI have learnt the lessons or stages of

loyalty. But because you are very loyal tome.” He added, “I feel that you have mywelfare at heart. I feel that you want me toprosper. I sense that you want me to go asfar as I possibly can. Because of this, Inaturally find myself being loyal to you.”This young pastor was unknowinglyexpounding on a great principle of loyalty.Loyalty emanates from the head.Loyalty breeds more loyalty!Consider this: is it easy to followsomeone who constantly turns round andwaves a knife at you? Would you be ableto stay close to someone who constantlywaves a dangerous dagger in yourdirection? Certainly not! In the same way,it is not easy to be loyal to wicked leaders

(even if they are men of God).I have often said that if I were not apastor, I would find it difficult to remainin certain churches. I would find it verydifficult to be loyal to pastors I did notbelieve in.Moreover it is required in stewards,that a man be found faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:2One of the cardinal qualifications forthe head of every organisation isloyalty!

2. Loyalty Is the Key to ExpansionMany churches, businesses andindividuals need to tap into the key ofloyalty in order to expand. Growth in one

location can take place only up to a point.That is what we call localized growth.You sell a product but only a certainnumber of people can buy the product inone locality. After a while the communitywill be saturated with what you areselling. That is why you need to expand.Often, expansion takes place in differentgeographical locations.Years ago, our church was directed by theLord to expand into different communitiesin the city. This has resulted in tremendousgrowth. Had we stayed in one place, wewould have had one congregationprobably of the same size that we havenow.But I followed the direction of the HolySpirit and moved into several localities

within the city. Today the strength ofLighthouse Chapel International hasimmensely multiplied into the differentcommunities of our city. Not only have weexpanded in the city, we have alsoexpanded into several regions of ournation Ghana and into several othercountries. Lighthouse Chapel Internationalnow operates on five continents: Africa,Europe, America, Asia and Australia. Weare in more than twenty different countriesof the world. These are not local churchesthat have adopted the Lighthouse name.They are extensions, outreaches andexpansions of the original LighthouseChapel International, which began inKorle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.People often ask, “How are you able to

maintain your operations in all thesedifferent places?” The key is loyalty.If you are a businessman, and have a shopin an area, you can only make a certainamount of money from one community.You need to expand into other localities.God is a God of expansion. God wantsyou to have big dreams. That is why Hetold Adam and Eve to fill the whole Earth.How could two people fill the wholeEarth with human beings? But that wasGod’s plan for Adam and Eve.You can fill the city with your shops,businesses or whatever you trade in. Ifyou are a pastor, what you are doing canbe expanded into many places. You canhave many churches. As I write this book,there are over four hundred Lighthouse

churches in the world. It is possible toexpand but you must grasp the principlesthat make expansion possible. One of thekeys to expansion and growth is loyalty.You will need loyal people at all theoutlets you establish. Without loyal peoplein position, everything you do willcrumble after a while. I know churcheswhich do not even want to have cellgroups. They have had bad experienceswith disloyal people who have turnedtheir cell groups into rebellious offshoots.Many church planters have watched assatellite or branch churches have beentaken over by anarchistic pastors. Thesepastors have no respect for authority ororder in the church.I know a pastor who began a church twice

in a city but had to close them downbecause the church was overrun by‘rebels’. This general overseer is nolonger interested in church planting orchurch expansion. He is content to staywith what he can control in one locality.In this book, I want to share with you theLord’s principles and tenets of loyalty. If Iwere a businessman, I would prefer tohave one loyal person without a degreethan three with MBA’s and PhD’s.Qualifications do not impress me as muchas loyalty does.Many years ago, my father owned aprestigious hotel in the city of Accra. Myfather would supervise this hotel byvisiting it once or twice a day. Unknownto him the managers and workers in the

hotel were ripping him off. Whilst he wasaway, customers would check into thehotel. However, the money they paidnever got to my father because the staff atthe hotel did not register the guests in theproper way. One day something happenedand my father dismissed all themanagement staff. My father asked me if Iknew somebody who could manage thehotel. I said to him, “Well, I knowsomeone who would be honest and loyalto you. But he doesn’t have any experiencein managing a hotel.”My father answered,“Please bring him. I need him now!”So I called my friend and he agreed to dothe job for a while. After this friend ofmine had worked for one night, the hotelyielded about one hundred and fifty

thousand cedis. Previously it had yieldedonly ten thousand cedis a night.There was a sudden 150% increase in theincome of the hotel!! Can you imaginethat! These qualified managers hadadroitly stolen large amounts of money.The introduction of one loyal person madean amazing difference to the income of thatbusiness. Dear business friend, dearpolitician, the introduction of loyal peopleinto your field of work will tremendouslyaffect your output and your profit.Many people do not value honesty andloyalty. But we would do well to learnfrom Jesus. Jesus did not go forqualifications. He went for loyalty andfaithfulness. Look at what Paul said about

employees or stewards.Moreover, it is required in stewards,that a man be found faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:2Loyalty is necessary for your expansion. Itis required for your business. It isrequired for your church. With all yourgetting, get loyalty. Understand theprinciples that govern loyalty. Discoverthe laws of loyalty and disloyalty. Godwill bless the work of your hands andexpand it greatly.

3. Loyalty Breeds LoyaltyYou must be loyal to several people. Youmust be loyal to your God, you must beloyal to your church, you must be loyal toyour spouse and you must be loyal to your

friends.A leader breeds loyalty by beingloyal to the people who follow him.When it is time for your followers tobe rewarded, be faithful and let therewards materialize. Do not withholdthe blessings of those who havelaboured with you for years. Whenone of your followers is in trouble, thatis the time to show your loyalty. Dearfriend, your followers are watchingyou closely. They will do what theysee. If you do not betray them in theirtime of difficulty, they will not betrayyou. Loyalty breeds loyalty!A leader breeds loyalty in hisfollowers by being loyal to hissuperiors. When David had the

opportunity to kill Saul, he did not! Hewas loyal to the king’s authority. Hedid not execute his own father. And allhis men saw it.Then said Abishai to David, God hathdelivered thine enemy into thine handthis day; now therefore let me smitehim, I pray thee, with the spear even tothe earth at once, and I will not smitehim the second time. And David said toAbishai, Destroy him not: for who canstretch forth his hand against theLord’s anointed, and be guiltless? Davidsaid furthermore, As the Lord liveth,the Lord shall smite him; or his dayshall come to die; or he shall descendinto battle, and perish. THE LORDFORBID THAT I SHOULD STRETCH

FORTH MINE HAND AGAINST THELORD’S ANOINTED: but, I pray thee,take thou now the spear that is at hisbolster, and the cruse of water, and letus go.

1 Samuel 26:8-11Many years later, David himself made amistake. He murdered one of his ownsoldiers called Uriah. David could havelost his life through that mistake. Many ofhis leaders could have revolted andassassinated him. However, this did nothappen. His men were loyal to the king’sauthority. They refused to kill the Lord’sanointed because they had learnt it byexample many years earlier. They hadlearnt not to ‘kill’ fathers.

A leader breeds loyalty by beingloyal to his friends. When Davidbecame the king, he realized that hisposition was truly a privileged one. Inthe midst of his establishment as aleader, he asked for a way he couldshow kindness to an old friend.And David said, Is there yet any that isleft of the house of Saul, that I mayshow him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?

2 Samuel 9:1These acts of loyalty to friends teachothers about the true character of theleader they are dealing with. People areattracted to a good character. People aremore inclined to follow someone with agood heart.

A leader breeds loyalty by beingloyal to his spouse. Becausemarriage is such a difficult thing formany people, anyone who has hismarriage in order is seen as a naturalleader. You become a natural leaderin the community because it is evidentthat your domestic affairs are undercontrol. Loyalty to your spouseinvolves self-control and discipline.Everyone would like to have a leaderwith these qualities.A bishop then must be blameless, theHUSBAND OF ONE WIFE, vigilant,sober, of good behaviour, given tohospitality, apt to teach; One thatRULETH WELL HIS OWN HOUSE,having his children in subjection with all

gravity; (For if a man know not how torule his own house, how shall he takecare of the church of God?)

1 Timothy 3:2, 4, 5A leader breeds loyalty by beingloyal to his own vision. Nobodywants to follow someone who isunpredictable. Many years ago, Ideclared my interest in soul winningand establishing people in Christ. I amstill doing the same thing. Much waterhas passed under the bridge but thevision is still the same – a soul is asoul and is precious to God. He maybe a beggar, a lawyer or a doctor – asoul is a soul and is precious to God.She may be a groundnut seller, aprostitute or a nurse – a soul is a soul

and is precious to God.Keep the same vision. The Bible teachesthat you should not associate with peoplewho are prone to sudden mutations andunexpected twists and turns. It isdangerous to sit in a car with a driver whomakes dangerous sharp turns.My son, fear thou the Lord and the king:and meddle not with them that are given tochange:

Proverbs 24:21Are you a leader? Develop a group offaithful, stable, constant and loyalfollowers by being a loyal personyourself.Finally, a leader breeds loyalty bybeing loyal to God. When you study

the Bible, you will discover thatrebellions were often instigatedagainst people who were not followingthe will of God. Let me clarify animportant point here. I am not sayingthat anyone who experiencesbetrayals, rebellions and disloyalty isout of the will of God. If that was thecase, then Almighty God was doingsomething wrong when Luciferrebelled. If that was the case, thanJesus was doing something wrongwhen Judas betrayed Him. That cancertainly not be the case. There aresome rebellions and betrayals thattake place because the individualsconcerned are intrinsically rebelliousand demonically inspired. However,

when a leader is out of God’s plan, itopens the door for anarchy anddisloyalty.King Solomon is a perfect example ofsomeone who experienced disloyaltybecause he deviated from God’s plan. TheBible tells us that Solomon deviated fromthe will of God.For it came to pass, when Solomon wasold, that his wives turned away his heartafter other gods: and his heart was notperfect with the Lord his God, as was theheart of David his father. For Solomonwent after Ashtoreth the goddess ofZidonians, and after Milcom theabomination of the Ammonites.And Solomon did evil in the sight of the

Lord, and went not fully after the Lord,as did David his father. Then didSolomon build an high place forChemosh, the abomination of Moab, inthe hill that is before Jerusalem, and forMolech, the abomination of the childrenof Ammon. And likewise did he for allhis strange wives, which burnt incenseand sacrificed unto their gods. ANDTHE LORD WAS ANGRY WITHSOLOMON…

1 Kings 11:4-9As a result of Solomon’s sins, the Bibleexplicitly tells us that God raised up threerebels or enemies against Solomon. Thefirst one was Hadad, the Edomite.For it came to pass, when Solomon was

old, that his wives turned away his heartafter other gods: and his heart was notperfect with the Lord his God, as wasthe heart of David his father. And THELORD STIRRED UP ANADVERSARY unto Solomon, Hadad theEdomite: he was of the king’s seed inEdom.

1 Kings 11:4, 14The second traitor to the cause ofSolomon was a man called Rezon. He wasan enemy to Israel all through the days ofSolomon. Apart from what Hadad theEdomite did, this man Rezon was a pain inthe neck of Solomon.And God stirred him up anotheradversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah,

which fled from his lord Hadadezer kingof Zobah:

1 Kings 11: 23The third disloyal person was Jeroboam,the son of Nebat.And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, anEphrathite of Zereda, Solomon’sservant, whose mother’s name wasZeruah, a widow woman, even he liftedup his hand against the king.

1 Kings 11:26This man Jeroboam received aprophecy from a prophet calledAhijah. This prophecy contributedgreatly to the future division ofSolomon’s kingdom. The prophecy inquestion shows us the divine element

in the rebellions that occur.And it came to pass at that time whenJeroboam went out of Jerusalem, thatthe prophet Ahijah the Shilonite foundhim in the way; and he had clad himselfwith a new garment; and they two werealone in the field: And Ahijah caughtthe new garment that was on him, andrent it in twelve pieces: And he said toJeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: forthus saith the Lord, the God of Israel,Behold, I WILL REND THEKINGDOM out of the hand of Solomon,and will give ten tribes to thee:(But he shall have one tribe for myservant David’s sake, and forJerusalem’s sake, the city which I havechosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)

Because that they have forsaken me,and have worshipped Ashtoreth thegoddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh thegod of the Moabites, and Milcom thegod of the children Ammon, and havenot walked in my ways, to do that whichis right in mine eyes, and to keep mystatutes and my judgments, as did Davidhis father. Howbeit I WILL NOTTAKE THE WHOLE KINGDOM OUTOF HIS HAND: but I will make himprince all the days of his life for Davidmy servant’s sake, whom I chose,because he kept my commandments andmy statutes:But I will take the kingdom out of hisson’s hand, and will give it unto thee,even ten tribes. And unto his son will I

give one tribe, that David my servantmay have a light alway before me inJerusalem, the city which I have chosenme to put my name there. And I willtake thee, and thou shalt reignaccording to all that thy soul desireth,and shalt be king over Israel.

1 Kings 11:29-37Once again, please do not misunderstandme. I am not saying that God is behindevery case of disloyalty. But in this case,the Bible is very plain about the cause ofthe rebellion. Being loyal to God and tohis instructions for you will lead to humanbeings being loyal to you.When Jesus was betrayed by Judas, did itmean that He was out of the will of God?

Certainly not! Jesus always did the will ofthe Father. There are two groups ofministries or businesses. There arecompanies with a high rate of disloyaltyand there are companies with a very lowincidence of disloyalty. There arechurches with a high number of traitorsand rebels. In some churches, there is anew rebel every month. But in otherchurches you would find a much lowerincidence of disloyalty. It is very unlikelyto find a church with a one hundredpercent level of loyalty.

4. Disloyalty Breeds DisloyaltyAnd Ahab called Obadiah, which wasthe governor of his house. (NowObadiah feared the Lord greatly: For itwas so, when Jezebel cut off the

prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah tookan hundred prophets, and hid them byfifty in a cave and fed them with breadand water.) And Ahab said untoObadiah, Go into the land, unto allfountains of water, and unto all brooks:peradventure we may find grass to savethe horses and mules alive, that we losenot all the beasts. So they divided theland between them to pass throughoutit: Ahab went one way by himself, andObadiah went another way by himself.

1 Kings 18:3-6Obadiah was the governor of the house ofKing Ahab (who hated prophets). Thismeans that he was a very important personto the king. He was a trusted confidant. Inour modern world, we may have called

him a Chief of Staff. Yet unknown toAhab, Obadiah was secretly feedinghundreds of prophets. He was probablyusing King Ahab’s food to support theseprophets who were the archenemies ofKing Ahab. Obviously, Obadiah did notbelieve in the policies of King Ahab. Hisheart was not with the king.This is a very common occurrence. Thereare many people who work closely withtheir superiors but do not believe in them.They undermine them all the time! Howcan a person be so close, yet so disloyal?Can you believe that Ahab’s money wasbeing used to finance the very thing hehated? This happens when there aredisloyal people in important positions.

Many important positions are filled withdisloyal and traitorous people. Iremember a photograph I saw in a museumdedicated to the memory of Ghana’s firstpresident, Kwame Nkrumah. In thispicture, the President, Kwame Nkrumah,is surrounded by six or seven smartlydressed and smiling generals. The guidewho took us around the museum pointed tothat photograph in particular and said,“This was the president and these werehis generals.” Then he continued andsingled out one of the generals and said,“This is General Kotoka, the one whohelped to overthrow the president.”As I looked at the photograph, Imarvelled! Here was the president withhis most trusted and senior men. Little did

he know that in a few months, some ofthese trusted generals would oust himfrom office. That is betrayal for you!Obadiah, the one we read about in 1 Kings18, was in a similar position. He did notbelieve in what Ahab was doing. His realallegiance was to Almighty God. Why? Ibelieve that the fact that Ahab was arebellious king who did not obey the Lordwas a signal to everyone around thatrebellion and disloyalty were acceptable.Disloyalty breeds disloyalty! As soon asthe spirit of disloyalty is manifested fromthe top, it begins to filter downwards.When the overall leader does not care forGod or his principles, this attitude istransmitted down the ranks.When the leader shows disregard for his

subordinates it sends a signal to everyone.Many of the coup d’états and rebellions inAfrica have come from frustrated peoplewho feel that the president does not reallycare for the country. Mutinous soldiersarise from the ranks and murder theirsenior officers and senior governmentofficials because they feel that thesepeople no longer care for the commonman. In other words, they perceive that theHead of State and his cronies are nolonger loyal to the masses and their plight.This is often a trigger for a rebellion.I am in no way saying that coup d'états orrebellions are justified. I am just showingyou how they happen.In the classic story of Julius Caesar, therewas a conspiracy by his right hand man,

Brutus and Cassius to overthrow theiremperor. Julius Caesar was regarded as ahard, unyielding and uncaring leader.When Caesar arrived in the senate anappeal was made to him. In the unfoldingdrama, Metellus asks for his brother’sbanishment to be repealed. But Caesartells him not to beg. Brutus joins theappeal, kneeling at Caesar’s feet, yetCaesar remains firm. Julius Caesar thencompares himself to the sun, theunyielding star which does not move in theheavens.I am constant as the northern star,Of whose true-fix’d and resting qualityThere is no fellow in the firmament…He goes on to describe how the world is

furnished with different kinds of men.Some of these are unshakeable,unmoveable and able to hold their rank.So in the world: tis furnished well withmen…And men are flesh and blood,apprehensive.Yet in the number I do know but oneThat unassailable holds his rankUnshaked of motion.And that I am heYes, Julius Caesar, there are times to beunbending and unyielding, but there arealso times to be flexible and merciful.Perhaps this attitude contributed to JuliusCaesar’s success on the battlefield. Butthis attitude does not accommodate manypeople permanently.

As I have said, one of the laws ofloyalty is that ‘disloyalty breedsdisloyalty’. A leader must be loyal tothe people he leads. You mustgenuinely care for the people youlead. You must genuinely help them.Many leaders are virtually sociologicalvampires. They rip and rape thepeople they lead, leaving themdestitute and worse off. Africa hasbeen plagued with many such leaders.It is no wonder that Africa is thecradle of rebellions and countlesswars.If you desire to build numerous shops,businesses, and branches of your church,remember to be loyal to your people. Youmust develop a system of fairness. People

must feel and perceive that there is equity,fairness and justice in the system withinwhich they work. If people are promotedbased on the whims and fancies of amanager, surely you are creating anatmosphere for disloyalty. When peopleare not rewarded for faithfulness and hardwork, you are sowing seeds of disloyalty.When people do not get jobs based onmerit, the environment for disloyalty isbeing created.I know a country in which you cannot get acontract unless you have certain politicalqualifications. How unfortunate! This onlymeans that everybody on the other side ofthe divide will be bitter. They will lookfor an opportunity to revolt against anunfair and unjust system. Never forget this

simple fact, disloyalty breeds moredisloyalty.

5. Loyalty Has a Single EyeThe light of the body is the eye: iftherefore thine eye be single, thy wholebody shall be full of light. But if thine eyebe evil, thy whole body shall be full ofdarkness. If therefore the light that is inthee be darkness, how great is thatdarkness!No man can serve two masters: foreither he will hate the one, and love theother; or else he will hold to the one,and despise the other. Ye cannot serveGod and mammon.

Matthew 6:22-24In this scripture, Jesus teaches about how

the entire body is affected by the eye. Hesays that if you have a single eye, yourwhole body will be full of light (a goodthing). It goes on to say that if your eye isevil, your body will be full of darkness.What does a single eye mean? A singleeye speaks of seeing one thing! In otherwords, in every sphere of life yourattention should be focused on only onething. Jesus went on to explain that youcannot serve God and mammon. In otherwords, if you see both God and mammonas “gods” in your life, you will notprosper. You must be loyal to one or theother. Jesus taught us that you would endup loving one and hating the other.

Can I Have Two Churches?Another example concerns your church.

You cannot have your attention focused ontwo churches. You must have a single eye!If you want to be loyal to your church, youmust be focused on one church and not ontwo. A husband cannot be loyal to hiswife if he has two women in his view.Any man with two different women in hissights has a potential for disloyalty. Donot forget this important principle, ‘loyaltyhas a single eye’. If you belong to achurch, your allegiance must be to thepastor in charge. You cannot say that thereare two or three captains whom you lookup to. You must see one person as yourpastor, and that is the senior pastor.Everyone else is assisting the seniorpastor to do the work.There are some people who belong to

churches and say, “If it were not for thisjunior pastor I would not stay in thischurch.”What they are saying is that they do notbelieve in the senior pastor. The juniorpastor is therefore the only reason whythey are still around. If that junior pastorwere to break away, this individual wouldobviously follow the rebellion.No matter which organization you belongto, it is important that you understandwhere your allegiance belongs. If youwork in a company, your allegiance is tothe highest authority. If something is goingwrong in your department, because youhave a single eye, you will show yourloyalty to your ultimate employer. Yourallegiance will not be divided.

6. Loyalty Demands the Right AttitudeThere are some attitudes that do not leadto loyalty. A suspicious person cannot bea loyal person. If you suspect me ofwrongdoing, how can you be loyal to me?If you suspect that there is a snake in theroom, how can you relax on your chair?Many people are suspicious aboutchurches and pastors because of thingsthey have heard. There are those who havemade it their duty to spread bad storiesabout the ministry of the Lord Jesus. Theirmouths are full of poison. They haveconvincing tales of the bad deeds ofalmost every minister of the gospel. Whyis this? It’s because Satan knows that youwill be blessed through these men of God.

A Mixture of Good and Bad Creates

ConfusionWhen you see a man of God ministering insuch an anointed way, you will becomeconfused because of the backgroundstories you may have heard about him.Your confusion will effectively cut you offfrom fully receiving from that man of God.A mixture of good and bad is confusing toanyone. Because you are confused, youcannot give your full commitment orallegiance to the man of God or to hisministry.I have seen many confused people in mylifetime. I once had a rebellious pastorwho went around saying bad things aboutme. He told many people that I was athief. He made people think that our

church was a cult. The people who heardhim speak became confused. I could seethe confusion all over their faces.One day I called two of these confusedmembers and I told them, “These are thefacts of the matter. Decide for yourself!Do not be confused. ”I continued,“However, if you are confused, I think itwould be better for you to go away to achurch where you have full trust in theministers.”In the process of time, their confusionvanished and they became stable and loyalmembers. Today, we laugh about the dayswhen they were confused. When I lookback, I realize that a person’s commitmentis greatly affected when he is confused.

Seemeth it a small thing unto you tohave eaten up the good pasture, but yemust tread down with your feet theresidue of your pastures? And to havedrunk of the deep waters, but ye mustfoul the residue with your feet? And asfor my flock, they eat that which yehave trodden with your feet; and theydrink that which ye have fouled withyour feet.

Ezekiel 34:18, 19In this Scripture, God is angry at sheepthat drank from the waters but afterwardsfouled it up so that no one else could drinkfrom it. Let me explain this in very simpleterms.There is a clear pool or pond from which

we all drink. That pool represents yourchurch. Hundreds of people have drunkfrom that pool and have never had aproblem. Then along comes a brother whodecides that he does not want to drinkfrom that pool anymore. Instead of simplymoving away from that pond, he urinatesinto the pool, thereby fouling it up.…to have drunk of the deep waters, butye must FOUL THE RESIDUE…

Ezekiel 34:18From that moment onwards, anyone whocomes to that pool will notice somethingunusual about the water. The water has anunusual colour and a foul smell. They willbecome confused and suspicious aboutdrinking from the pool. No one would like

to drink water mixed with urine. (I knowyou wouldn’t!)The confusion and suspicion is becauseone wicked person, who benefited fromthe pool like everyone else, hascontaminated it. This is what happenswhen politicians leave political parties.This is what happens when ministersleave churches. They say such evil thingsabout the churches to which they belongedfor many years. They ‘drank the waters’ ofthat ministry and were blessed by it manytimes. Yet today, they have only evilthings to say about it.People tend to take such people seriouslybecause they seem to have ‘insideinformation’. This is what leads to theconfusion and the suspicion. If you are a

Christian leader, deal with confusion andsuspicion in your congregation. Explain indetail what is happening and what hashappened. Information helps to dispelsuspicion. Explanations are very goodantidotes for confusion and suspicion. It issometimes painful to have to talk aboutcertain things but there are times when youhave no choice. I must warn you that somepeople’s confusion is simply not dispelledby any explanations.

7. Loyalty Does Not Join or CreateFactions

In every society or group, there arealways people who create divisions.There are natural differences amongstpeople in every nation. God is the onewho makes these natural differences.

However, there are some people whoseem to have an “eye” for thesedifferences. They seem to notice them, talkabout them and make something big out ofthese differences.There are always members who want tomagnify the differences that exist betweenpastors. They want to say how they preferone pastor to the other. They say; “thispastor is really anointed, or that one isreally caring”. Some say “I prefer to cometo church when this pastor is preaching,because it is more powerful”. There arepeople who want to bring out tribaldifferences. They seem to know whichtribe everyone comes from. They wanteveryone to be conscious of thedifferences in tribes or colour.

For it hath been declared unto me ofyou, my brethren, by them which are ofthe house of Chloe, that there arecontentions among you.

1 Corinthians 1:11These people existed in the time ofApostle Paul. There were people whowere magnifying the differences in theleadership styles of Paul and Apollos.Such people only created confusion in thechurch.A loyal person does not create or joinfactions of the church. In Ghana, there arepeople who always notice that peoplefrom certain tribes are doing certainthings. In the church, such people creategroupings based on tribe. I remember one

day, a member in my church had to beconfronted by another. This young ladyconfronted a leader and said, “Why is itthat you only follow-up converts from thisparticular tribe?” She said to her, “Youare creating a tribal group within ourministry and it is wrong!”You see, without even noticing, somepeople carve out groups and sub-communities within the larger church. Aloyal person is not interested in creatingor joining such a group. There are somepeople who see the church as black orwhite. There are others who don’t seem tonotice these differences. Decide to becolour-blind in the church. You will besurprised to find out that God is not anAmerican. The Lord is not white or black.

Jesus was not a Baptist or a Presbyterian.He was not even a Pentecostal.One of the works of the flesh is the abilityto create parties and groups within everyunited body. This is not a good thing!Decide that you will not allow yourself tobe used as a pawn for creating divisionsin your church. Even businesses aredestroyed when all sorts of imagineddifferences are magnified and spokenabout.The acts of the sinful nature areobvious: sexual immorality, impurityand debauchery; idolatry andwitchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy,fits of rage, selfish ambition,dissensions, FACTIONS AND ENVY;drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I

warn you, as I did before, that thosewho live like this will not inherit thekingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV)One of the works of the flesh you mustavoid is creating factions and groupingswithin a united body.

8. The Root of Disloyalty Is PrideONLY BY PRIDE cometh contention…

Proverbs 13:10The rebellion and divisions that happen inchurches are often a result of deep-seatedpride. It is often out of a spirit of pridethat rebellion take place. I want us to lookclosely at the rebellion of Korah.Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of

Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathanand Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On,the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, tookmen: And THEY ROSE UP BEFOREMOSES, with certain of the children ofIsrael, two hundred and fifty princes ofthe assembly, famous in thecongregation, men of renown: And theygathered themselves together againstMoses and against Aaron, and said untothem, Ye take too much upon you,seeing all the congregation are holy,every one of them, and the Lord isamong them: wherefore then lift ye upyourselves above the congregation ofthe Lord?And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, Ipray you, ye sons of Levi: Seemeth it

but a small thing unto you, that the Godof Israel hath separated you from thecongregation of Israel, to bring younear to himself to do the service of thetabernacle of the Lord, and to standbefore the congregation to ministerunto them? And he hath brought theenear to him, and all thy brethren thesons of Levi with thee: and seek ye thepriesthood also? For which cause boththou and all thy company are gatheredtogether against the Lord: and what isAaron, that ye murmur against him?

Numbers 16:1-3, 8-11Moses was leading the people of Israel.He was surprised to find a group ofprinces rising up to challenge hisauthority. First of all, there was a large

group in favour of this uprising. Twohundred and fifty princes were involved!These were not ordinary people! TheBible says that they were famous and ofgreat renown.…two hundred and fifty PRINCES ofthe assembly, FAMOUS in thecongregation, MEN OF RENOWN...

Numbers 16:2Obviously, they felt important. It is whenpeople feel important that they raise theirheads in rebellion. One person asked hispastor, “Why did the senior pastor notcome to visit me?” He continued, “Whydid you take so long in coming to visitme?” He told the pastor, “Do you notknow that I am important to this church?”

This gentleman continued to effuse allsorts of disrespectful remarks. It is pridethat makes people disloyal and rebellious.You only rebel against a person when youthink you are ‘as good as’ he.Korah’s group told Moses, “Why do youmake yourself different from us?” Theyfelt that Moses should be equal to them.This is the spirit of an equalizer.…wherefore then lift ye up yourselvesabove the congregation of the Lord?

Numbers 16:3They had forgotten that it was Moses wholed them out of Egypt with incrediblesigns and wonders. They had forgottenabout the quaking mountain, the thunderand the fire. Rebellious people often

forget whom they are dealing with.One rebellious pastor wrote a letter to merebuking me and warning me for notrecognizing his call. He signed the letteras an apostle to the Body of Christ. Thisgentleman had forgotten how I had trainedhim in the ministry. That is why he wasnow calling himself an apostle andrebuking me.Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram,leaders of the reform rebel movement.They sent a rude reply back to Moses,“We will not come!” They were saying,“Who do you think you are to call us? Ifyou want to talk to us, you better comeover yourself!”And Moses sent to call Dathan and

Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said,WE WILL NOT COME UP:

Numbers 16:12It is only a spirit of pride which makespeople speak like this. They sawthemselves as equal to Moses. No one isequal to anyone, God made us alldifferent. Whether you like it or not, somepeople are ahead and some are behind.Whether it suits you or not, some peopleare above and some are below. God didnot create everything the same.I remember some years ago, I sent amessenger to call one defiant pastor for ameeting. When the minister I sent arrivedat the home of this man, this insubordinatepastor asked my emissary, “How can he

call me for a meeting at such a time?”He continued, “Who does he think he is? Iam not coming!”My messenger was taken aback, “Whatare you saying? You are going to create aproblem.” This anarchistic pastor said, “Iam not just going to create a problem, I amgoing to create a big problem!”Obviously, this mutinous pastor who wasbreathing fire and rebellion had gone theway of Dathan and Abiram.You see, dear friend, there is nothing newunder the sun. Everything that is happeningtoday has happened before. The future canbe predicted by studying what hashappened in the past.But what is the fruit of rebellion? What

happens to people who behave like this?Read it for yourself.And Moses said, Hereby ye shall knowthat the Lord hath sent me to do allthese works; for I have not done themof mine own mind. IF THESE MEN DIETHE COMMON DEATH of all men, orif they be visited after the visitation ofall men; then the Lord hath not sent me.But if the Lord make a new thing, andthe earth open her mouth, and swallowthem up, with all that appertain untothem, and they go down quick into thepit; then ye shall understand that thesemen have provoked the Lord.And it came to pass, as he had made anend of speaking all these words, that

the ground clave asunder that wasunder them: And the earth opened hermouth, and swallowed them up, andtheir houses, and all the men thatappertained unto Korah, and all theirgoods.They, and all that appertained to them,went down alive into the pit, and theearth closed upon them: and theyperished from among the congregation.

Numbers 16:28-33The end of rebels is the same – execution!Please do not allow pride to lead you intorebellion and disloyalty. I know you are agreat person. I know you are as good asall the others. But please take your timeand do not fight a battle you cannot win!

Since pride leads to disloyalty, it isimportant to identify symptoms of pridewhen they do occur. Watch out for thesesymptoms of pride.

Symptoms of Pride

Answering backGeneral rudenessRefusing to come when called.Feeling indispensable.Mocking and laughing atleaders.Feeling that I am as good as mysenior.

Constant criticism.9. Loyalty Is an Integral Part of Your

CharacterSomeone said faithfulness is thecornerstone of your character. Ibelieve it is true that loyalty is anintegral part of your character. Loyaltyis not simply a set of rules you mustobey. It is a matter of developing aninvisible quality, a certain style andcharacter of doing things. Loyaltymust emanate from the heart. It mustnot just be the following ofinstructions.Developing loyalty is like developing aculture. You need to develop a culture ofloyalty in the group of people you

associate with. If you run a business,develop a culture of loyalty. A cultureruns deeper than the rulebooks and thecharts. It goes deeper than many things yousee on the surface. It is an unseen forcethat keeps the family together.When an individual has a culture and acharacter of loyalty, there are many thingsthat no longer need to be said. When newpeople join your company or church, theybegin to “see” how to do things aroundhere. They discover that the system isairtight and unfriendly to treachery and totraitors. When something is part of aculture, it happens repeatedly evenwithout prompting.Dear Managing Director, dear Pastor, Isuggest that you devote much of your

energy to the promotion and cultivation ofthe culture of loyalty. When yourorganization is averse to disloyalelements, you will be much better off. Ifyou are in business you will make profit.If you are in church work, your churchwill grow, expansion will take place.When disloyalty is an integral part of anindividual’s character, he often repeatsthis treacherous behaviour withoutprovocation. You will see this in the lifeof Jeroboam, the king of Israel.First of all, Jereboam rebelled againstKing Solomon. Then he rebelled againstRehoboam, the legitimate king of Israel.After that, he rebelled against God. NoticeJeroboam’s rebellion against KingSolomon:

And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, anEphrathite of Zereda, Solomon’sservant, whose mother’s name wasZeruah, a widow woman, even he liftedup his hand against the king [Solomon].

I Kings 11:26Years later, this same Jeroboamrebelled against King Rehoboam. Therebellious streak within him wasmanifesting as the years went by. Thisis what happens with people who movefrom church to church. They always findsomething wrong with the leadership.So when all Israel saw that the kinghearkened not unto them, the peopleanswered the king, saying, Whatportion have we in David? neither have

we inheritance in the son of Jesse: toyour tents, O Israel: now see to thineown house, David. So Israel departedunto their tents. But as for the childrenof Israel which dwelt in the cities ofJudah, Rehoboam reigned over them.Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, whowas over the tribute; and all Israelstoned him with stones, that he died.Therefore king Rehoboam made speedto get him up to his chariot, to flee toJerusalem.SO ISRAEL REBELLED AGAINSTTHE HOUSE OF DAVID unto this day.And it came to pass, when all Israelheard that JEROBOAM was comeagain, that they sent and called himunto the congregation, AND MADE

HIM KING OVER ALL ISRAEL:there was none that followed the houseof David, but the tribe of Judah only.

1 Kings 12:16-20Once again, with the passage of time,Jeroboam rebelled painfully against theLord. He is the one who set up altars inBethel and Dan for the children of Israel.He made calves of gold and made peopleworship them. He was a terribledisappointment to the Lord.Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mountEphraim, and dwelt therein; and wentout from thence, and built Penuel. ANDJEROBOAM SAID IN HIS HEART,NOW SHALL THE KINGDOMRETURN to the house of David: If this

people go up to do sacrifice in the houseof the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall theheart of this people turn again untotheir lord, even unto Rehoboam king ofJudah, and they shall kill me, and goagain to Rehoboam king of Judah.Whereupon the king took counsel, andmade two calves of gold, and said untothem, It is too much for you to go up toJerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel,which brought thee up out of the land ofEgypt. And he set the one in Bethel, andthe other put he in Dan. And this thingbecame a sin: for the people went toworship before the one, even unto Dan.

1 Kings 12:25-30He ordained priests out of the most

unqualified men in Israel.And he made an house of high places,and made priests of the lowest of thepeople, which were not of the sons ofLevi.

1 Kings 12:31This is the man whom God raised up tobecome the king of Israel when he was anobody.And it came to pass at that time whenJeroboam went out of Jerusalem, thatthe prophet Ahijah the Shilonite foundhim in the way; and he had clad himselfwith a new garment; and they two werealone in the field: And Ahijah caughtthe new garment that was on him, andrent it in twelve pieces: And he said to

Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: forthus saith the Lord, the God of Israel,Behold, I will rend the kingdom out ofthe hand of Solomon, and will give tentribes to thee:(But he shall have one tribe for myservant David’s sake, and forJerusalem’s sake, the city which I havechosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)Because that they have forsaken me,and have worshipped Ashtoreth thegoddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh thegod of the Moabites, and Milcom thegod of the children of Ammon, and havenot walked in my ways, to do that whichis right in mine eyes, and to keep mystatutes and my judgments, as did Davidhis father.

Howbeit I will not take the wholekingdom out of his hand: but I will makehim prince all the days of his life forDavid my servant’s sake, whom I chose,because he kept my commandments andmy statutes: But I will take the kingdomout of his son’s hand, and will give itunto thee, even ten tribes. And unto hisson will I give one tribe, that David myservant may have a light always beforeme in Jerusalem, the city which I havechosen me to put my name there.And I will take thee, and thou shaltreign according to all that thy souldesireth, and shalt be king over Israel.And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken untoall that I command thee, and wilt walkin my ways and do that is right in my

sight to keep my statutes and mycommandments, as David my servantdid; that I will be with thee, and buildthee a sure house, as I built for David,and will give Israel unto thee.

1 Kings 11:29-38Watch rebels closely! Rebellion is anintegral part of a person’s behaviour.After Jeroboam rebelled against KingSolomon, he turned around and rebelledagainst God. Disloyalty is an integral partof a person’s character and culture.Because of this it takes time for a personto imbibe and assimilate the philosophy,tradition and culture of loyalty. However,when it is established it yields wonderfulfruits.

As you read this book, you may discoverthat you have traits of disloyalty. You mayfind out that the spirit of rebellion ismanifest through you from time to time.This is dangerous. Rid yourself today ofevery tendency to rebel and to be disloyal.It cannot be the case that everyone aroundyou is evil. Rebels always have goodreasons for the things they do. Evil menare always full of good excuses. Hearkento the voice of the Lord today and becomea man of faithfulness and loyalty.

10. Familiarity Breeds DisloyaltyTo be familiar means to be more friendlyand informal than is acceptable. It is acondition that develops between you andsomeone you know well, see often andhear often. There is a common saying that

familiarity breeds contempt. In otherwords, familiarity leads to a loss ofrespect. This is often true. I would like togo a step further and say that familiarityalso breeds disloyalty.When a person is often seen and heard, heis usually taken for granted. That is whyguest ministers are often appreciated morethan the resident pastors. This should notbe the case! A resident pastor often doesmore to make a program successful thanthe visitor does. Visiting ministers areoften seen as heroes. The reason for this isbecause of the lack of familiarity.Familiarity leads to a loss of respect andreverence. With time, this can progressinto disloyalty. When Jesus came on the

scene, He was not received in Hishometown because the people were toofamiliar with Him. They asked oneanother, “Is that not the carpenter’s son?Did He not repair our broken wardrobesand beds? Is he not a mere carpenterwhom we have seen in this village for thelast thirty years? How can He say that Heis the Son of God?”Is not this the carpenter, the son ofMary, the brother of James, and Joses,and of Juda, and Simon? and are not hissisters here with us? And they wereoffended at him. But Jesus said untothem, A prophet is not without honour,but in his own country, and among hisown kin, and in his own house.

Mark 6:3, 4

By this Scripture, Jesus was saying that aprophet has a lot of honour in placeswhere he is not known or seen much.Where are you seen and heard often? Theanswer is obvious, in your own country,among your own relatives and in your ownhouse. What was the result of familiarityin Jesus’ ministry? Jesus was not able tominister powerfully.And he could there do no mighty work,save that he laid his hands upon a fewsick folk, and healed them.

Mark 6:5But I want you to see a more dangerouseffect of familiarity – disloyalty. I wantyou to see that familiarity breedscontempt, which can lead to disloyalty.

And Miriam and Aaron spake againstMoses because of the Ethiopian womanwhom he had married: for he hadmarried an Ethiopian woman. And theysaid, Hath the Lord indeed spoken onlyby Moses? hath he not spoken also byus? And the Lord heard it. (Now theman Moses was very meek, above allthe men which were upon the face ofthe earth.)

Numbers 12:1-3Miriam was Moses’ sister. She probablyknew him very well. She was a relativeand knew all about his weaknesses. Aaronwas also someone who was very close toMoses. It seems that they took thiscloseness for granted. A disloyal personoften finds faults and criticizes his

leaders. That is exactly what Miriam andAaron did! They turned their attention toMoses’ marriage. “Why did Moses marryan Ethiopian woman,” they said. “He isout of the will of God.” They were alsodeceived by the fact that God had usedthem before. They said, “Has God notspoken by us?”Familiarity makes you forget importantspiritual principles. Familiarity bringsdeception to Christian leaders. Familiaritymakes people think that they can destroyGod’s servants. Familiarity makes peopleforget the past.Miriam and Aaron were taken up by thedeception that came through familiarityand criticized one of the greatest men of

God that ever lived. This provoked theLord and He spoke to them.And the Lord came down in the pillarof the cloud, and stood in the door ofthe tabernacle, and called Aaron andMiriam: and they both came forth.And he said, Hear now my words: Ifthere be a prophet among you, Ithe Lord will make myself knownunto him in a vision, and will speakunto him in a dream. My servantMoses is not so, who is faithful inall mine house. With him will Ispeak mouth to mouth, evenapparently, and not in darkspeeches; and the similitude of theLord shall he behold: WHEREFORETHEN WERE YE NOT AFRAID TO

SPEAK AGAINST MY SERVANTMOSES? And the anger of the Lordwas kindled against them; and hedeparted.

Numbers 12:5-9Be careful when you speak against God’sanointed servant. When you see himthrough the eyes of familiarity, you maythink that He is a mere man. You willforget all that the Lord has accomplishedthrough him. This will make you lose yourreverence and you may walk into error.Some years ago, I heard a very surprisingstory. There was a great man of God whohad established about six thousandchurches. He had preached in over onehundred different nations of the world.

God had used him greatly to establish aBible school that had trained thousands ofyoung men and women for the ministry. Ipersonally know several graduates of thisgreat man’s Bible school. The graduatesof this Bible school have establishedchurches and ministries all over theworld. At one point, it was said thatseventy percent of ministers in Africawere either his products, or products ofhis products.He was known for massive evangelisticcampaigns in which many fantasticmiracles occurred. I spoke to one youngman who told me how this man of Godhad raised the dead before his very eyes.Surely, this should be enough to show thathe was not an ordinary person. He was a

mighty man of God, anointed of the HolySpirit. Yet, I heard of an argument that oneof his associate pastors had had with him.This man of God dismissed the associate.The associate turned to him and said,“You need to be slapped! “You cannot getaway with this all the time,” he continued.When I heard about this, I was takenaback. I thought to myself, “How couldsomeone threaten to slap such a great manof God? Was he not afraid?”…wherefore then WERE YE NOTAFRAID to speak against my servantMoses?

Numbers 12:8You see, familiarity has a way of breakingdown reverence, respect and fear. Once

these natural barriers are removed, acts ofdisloyalty happen more easily.And the cloud departed from off thetabernacle; and, behold, Miriam becameleprous, white as snow: and Aaronlooked upon Miriam, and, behold, shewas leprous. And Aaron said untoMoses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee,lay not the sin upon us, wherein we havedone foolishly, and wherein we havesinned.

Numbers 12:10, 11After the judgment had come on Miriam,Aaron realized that they had been foolishto think that they could correct Moses.What people don’t realize is that no humanbeing can really correct a man of God. It

is God who called them and it is God whowill judge them. If you do not agree withor believe in a man of God, just moveaway quietly and leave him to the Lord. Ican assure you that it is foolishness tofight against the Lord’s anointed. You maythink you have a cause, but you willdiscover that you are fighting against God.You will notice in this passage that theLord did not even bring up the subject ofMoses having an Ethiopian wife. He justpunished Miriam for speaking against hisservant. You must realize that there aresome things that are beyond our scope.Some church members think that they are akind of jury assessing the pastor all thetime. This is interesting! Who appointedthem as jurors? The Bible teaches that we

should not go beyond our jurisdiction.Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mineeyes lofty: neither do I exercise myselfin great matters, or in things too highfor me.

Psalm 131:1

Chapter 3 Five Statutes ofLoyalty

1. No Matter What You Do, SomePeople Will Be Disloyal

No matter what you do, some people willbecome disloyal in the process of time –so pray that it will not be you! This iswhat a pastor friend of mine said and Iagree wholeheartedly with him. Work onyourself so that you do not fall prey to the

deceptions that lead to disloyalty.Jesus answered them, Have not Ichosen you twelve, and one of you is adevil? He spake of Judas Iscariot theson of Simon: for he it was that shouldbetray him, being one of the twelve.

John 6:70, 71Jesus asked a very important question,“Have I not chosen you?” Jesus choseJudas Himself. He had selected him fromamong many others. Before Jesus took Hisfinal decision as to who should be Hisapostles, He went up to a mountain andprayed all night. Many of us do not takesuch care when making importantdecisions.And it came to pass in those days, that

he went out into a mountain to pray,and CONTINUED ALL NIGHT INPRAYER to God. And when it was day,he called unto him his disciples; and OFTHEM HE CHOSE TWELVE, whomalso he named apostles; Simon, (whomhe also named Peter,) and Andrew hisbrother, James and John, Philip andBartholomew, Matthew and Thomas,James the son of Alphaeus, and Simoncalled Zelotes, And Judas the brother ofJames, AND JUDAS ISCARIOT,WHICH WAS ALSO THE TRAITOR.

Luke 6:12-16I want you to notice how much care Jesustook when He chose the apostles. Did youknow that the apostles were chosen out ofa larger group of disciples?

What else could He do to preventbetrayal and disloyalty? What couldgo wrong when a leader as wiseand as anointed as Jesus takes adecision? What could go wrong whena leader spends so much time inprayer? And yet, something went verywrong! Three and a half years laterJesus was betrayed by one of theseapostles.If this happened to Jesus, it can happen toyou! You are not greater than your master!Remember the word that I said untoyou, The servant is not greater than hislord. If they have persecuted me, theywill also persecute you; if they havekept my saying, they will keep yours

also.John 15:20

No matter your leadership abilities orstrategies, some disloyalty is virtuallyinevitable. One out of the twelve discipleswas a traitor. This is why I say thatdisloyalty cannot be prevented per se.However, it can be minimized greatly.A good leader should be conscious ofthis principle. When you know thatsomeone from within may one dayfight you, you will be more carefulabout how you conduct your affairs. Itis a very sobering thought to think thata familiar friend you eat with couldone day turn against you. Such peoplemay take things you said out of

context to misrepresent you. Theymay re-describe events to give awrong impression.Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whomI trusted, which did eat of my bread,hath lifted up his heel against me.

Psalm 41:9When you are conscious of the fact thatpotential traitors are in your midst today,you conduct your affairs with even greatercircumspection!When you are aware that there isbound to be a traitor, you make extraprecautions to ensure that you do notbecome that traitor!

2. Teaching Is Immunization againstDisloyalty

Teaching cannot totally prevent disloyaltybut can minimize it greatly. Teaching islike primary health care that seeks totackle health issues from the preventivepoint of view.In September 1978, the InternationalConference on Primary Health Care met inAlma-Ata, and defined primary healthcare nicely.Primary health care includes at least:EDUCATION concerning prevailinghealth problems and the methods ofpreventing and controlling them;PROMOTION OF FOOD SUPPLYand proper nutrition; an adequatesupply of SAFE WATER and BASICSANITATION; maternal and childhealth care, including family planning;

IMMUNIZATION against the majorinfectious diseases; prevention andCONTROL OF LOCALLY ENDEMICDISEASES; appropriate treatment ofcommon diseases and injuries; andprovision of essential drugs (Capsmine).Primary health care was to form anintegral part of the country’s health systemand become the central function and mainfocus. Health workers have realized thatthe mainstay of successful medicine is inthe preventive dimension. You will noticethat primary health care involvesproviding education, safe water, basicsanitation, immunization and a reliablefood supply. These things are very good atimproving the health of the nation. These

things are also much cheaper to providethan costly surgical treatments.I have said all this to say that the Churchmust see the wisdom in preventingspiritual problems. We must rise up andprovide a good supply of food andspiritual immunization. Spiritualimmunization involves teaching directlyand unambiguously against disloyalty,betrayal, rebellion and ingratitude. Somepastors do not like facing issues head on.Immunization is not an injection thatgenerally treats all diseases. It is a directattack on a specific disease with theintention of preventing it.Primary health care has not eradicated alldiseases because, it cannot. However, ithas definitely reduced the incidence of

certain diseases. It has improved thegeneral health of many nations.God has shown us the way to prevent thedestruction of his church. Let us embracethe wisdom of God and it will take usforward. Let us teach faithfulness andloyalty until the deception of rebellion iseradicated.

3. Teachings on Loyalty Must BeRemembered in the Hour of TemptationAnd the Lord said, Simon, Simon,behold, SATAN HATH DESIRED TOHAVE YOU, that he may sift you aswheat: But I have prayed for thee, thatthy faith fail not: and when thou artconverted, strengthen thy brethren.And he said unto him, Lord, I AM

READY TO GO WITH THEE, BOTHINTO PRISON, AND TO DEATH. Andhe said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shallnot crow this day, before that thou shaltthrice deny that thou knowest me.

Luke 22:31-34Like with all temptations, it is important toremember the things we have learnt whenit really matters. I have heard people makeprofound declarations of commitment.That is exactly what Peter did.But when it really mattered, Peterforgot all the things he had said. Youmust remember the things you say.You must remember thepronouncements you make both inpublic and in private. What use is a

husband who says sweet words at hiswedding reception but forgets themtwo years later? Of what use is a manwho says on his wedding night, ‘I willlove you forever’ but dumps you afterseven years? Forever does not meanseven years! Forever means forever!You must remember the letters you write.It is easy to write things and to makepromises. But it seems we all have atendency to forget what we have said inthe past. Thank God, Peter had a secondchance. Peter was the most vocal apostle.Everyone remembered Peter’sdeclarations. All four Gospels record thisincident and that is significant. You mustrealize that the writers of the Gospel didnot always record the same events. For

instance, Matthew, Mark and Lukerecorded practically the same healings.They all recorded the healing of thewoman with the issue of blood. But John,the writer of the fourth Gospel, did not.John recorded a number of healings. Butmost of the healings he recorded, such asthe noble man’s son in John chapter four,the lame man at the pool of Bethesda inchapter five, the blind man in chapter nineand the raising of Lazarus from the dead inchapter eleven were not recorded byMatthew, Mark and Luke.However, Matthew, Mark, Luke and Johndid remember the incident of Peter’sbetrayal vividly. That is why it is reportedconsistently in the four Gospels. Peoplewill remember you by the things you said.

Be careful to remember your commitmentin the hour of temptation. You must beloyal to your promises. You must be loyalto your own words and pronouncements.You must be loyal to your written words.Many of the people who have beendisloyal to me in life and in ministry, saidmany positive things to me in the past.They were often the most vocal in theirexpression of commitment. I remember thethings they said to me as though it wereyesterday. They truly encouraged me atthat time. As the years have gone by, Ihave become a little unimpressed withwhat people say. Like Jesus, my attitude ismore of wait and see. Let’s see what youwill say when things get rough. I pray formy children in the Lord that they will be

stable and faithful to the end.Then took they him, and led him, andbrought him into the high priest’s house.And Peter followed afar off. And whenthey had kindled a fire in the midst ofthe hall, and were set down together.Peter sat down among them. But acertain maid beheld him as he sat by thefire, and earnestly looked upon him, andsaid, This man was also with him. Andhe denied him, saying, WOMAN, IKNOW HIM NOT. [First Denial] Andafter a little while another saw him, andsaid, Thou art also of them. And Petersaid, MAN, I AM NOT. [Second Denial]And about the space of one hour afteranother confidently affirmed, saying, Ofa truth this fellow also was with him: for

he is a Galilaean. And Peter said, MAN,I KNOW NOT WHAT THOUSAYEST.[Third Denial] And immediately, whilehe yet spake, the cock crew. And theLord turned, and looked upon Peter.And Peter remembered the word of theLord, how he said unto him, Before thecock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

Luke 22:54-62Be a man of honour. Stand by your words.If you said you would be faithful to theend, then do so. Be a woman of virtue. Donot be erratic, unpredictable andwavering. It is in the hour of temptationthat you must remember your sweet words

of commitment.4. Your Loyalty Is First to Jesus Christ

For there stood by me this night theangel of God, WHOSE I AM, ANDWHOM I SERVE.

Acts 27:23The Apostle Paul in the midst of his crisis,announced to everyone that he belonged toGod and that he served the Lord. This factmust be at the forefront of every minister’smind. You are the Lord’s, you have beenbought with a price and you are to serveonly God. If you are a minister of God,your service must be to God and not topolitics or any other such thing.A politician once approached me andasked for my support for his party. I told

him, “I have learnt a few lessons in myshort life. I cannot support you or anyother party per se. I am a pastor and not apolitician. No one should try to turn meinto a politician for his own gain. I cannotgive my support to you just because youask for it or because you claim to be aChristian.” I encouraged him, “If you towthe line of truth, freedom and justice youwill naturally gain the support ofChristians. I cannot give myself and mychurch wholesale to any political group.”I do not belong to any political group; Ibelong to God! I belong to God and Iserve God!…whose I am, and whom I serve,

Acts 27:23

5. A Loyal Person Does Not DestroyWhat He Builds

For if I build again the things which Idestroyed, I make myself atransgressor.

Galatians 2:18There are many destroyers in thechurch. Many years ago, a largeprogramme was organized on theuniversity campus with the aim ofwinning all the unbelievers to Christ. Agreat man of God was invited as themain speaker for this programme. Thecrowds gathered in the Great Hall ofthe university. There was an air ofexpectancy on campus. To oursurprise, when this man of God

preached, he lashed out atCharismatic Christians.He made a mockery of prayermeetings that were being held in thebotanical gardens of the university. Hesaid, “Christians were roaring likelions.” He commented that no onecould meditate peacefully in thegardens because the Charismaticswere roaring like lions. This generatedpeals of laughter from the assembledstudents. He continued to emphasizethat loud prayer in the gardens wassuperfluous and backward. Thepeople who had prayed for the soulsto be saved and for the programmewere being ridiculed. Maybe he forgotthat Jesus prayed with loud cries and

tears.During the days of Jesus’ life on earth,he offered up PRAYERS ANDPETITIONS WITH LOUD CRIESAND TEARS to the one who could savehim from death, and he was heard…

Hebrews 5:7(NIV)Very few people were saved in thosemeetings! How would unbelievers beattracted to Christ when the pastorwas taunting and sneering atChristians? We cannot destroy whatwe are trying to build. There was nosignificant addition to the Body ofChrist. The destructive wordscancelled all the efforts to build. Whenpastors who claim to be called to the

ministry deride and denigrate otherministers, I ask whether they arebuilding or destroying the Body.Choose whether you are a builderor destroyer and stay within yourcalling.The most wicked and destructivestatements I have ever heard about theBody of Christ have come from pastors.Ministers spread reprehensible storiesabout each other. They ridicule oneanother privately and from their pulpits.They blacken the reputation of otherministers. Then on Sunday morning theymount their pulpits and try to build theBody they have destroyed during theweek.Do not break down somebody’s house in

order to build yours. You will only reapwhat you sow! Do not break downsomeone else’s church in order to buildyours. How do you destroy a church? Withyour mouth of course! Let us choosewhether we are building or destroying.

Chapter 4 The Rewards ofLoyalty

What Is the Reward of Disloyalty?It is a known fact that the rebels of theBible did not end up well. A curse is asolemn invocation of divine wrath on aperson, which results in evil or harm.Look closely at the rebels of the Bible anddecide for yourself whether a disloyalperson is blessed or cursed.

ExecutionThe end of all rebels is one and the same– execution. Rebellion is an essentiallyevil thing. The Bible teaches us thatrebellion is as witchcraft.For rebellion is as the sin ofwitchcraft…

1 Samuel 15:23The Biblical punishment for witchcraft isexecution.Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

Exodus 22:18God does not support rebellion in anyform or fashion. Do not involve yourselfin any kind of rebellion. The people whoget involved in revolts are often

simpleminded. Many of them do not knowwhat is afoot.And with Absalom went two hundredmen out of Jerusalem, that were called;and THEY WENT IN THEIRSIMPLICITY, AND THEY KNEWNOT ANY THING.

2 Samuel 15:11Many people run into rebellion because oftheir innocence and ignorance. IfAbsalom’s followers had known exactlywhat they were doing, I believe theywould not have followed him.The fruit of rebellion throughout the Bibleis very clear – execution. God willdivinely displace and replace you withsomeone else. Your seat will be taken by

another who is worthier than you. Youwill be banished into obscurity andoblivion. There will be a curse on you andyour family. Just study the following listof executions:

Six Famous ExecutionsLucifer

And the great dragon was cast out, thatold serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,which deceiveth the whole world: hewas cast out into the earth, and hisangels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:9Absalom

And ten young men… compassed aboutand smote Absalom, and slew him.

2 Samuel 18:15Ahithophel

…Ahithophel… hanged himself, anddied…

2 Samuel 17:23Shemei

So the king commanded Benaiah…which went out, and fell upon him[Shemei], that he died...

1 Kings 2:46Adonijah

And king Solomon sent by the hand ofBenaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fellupon him (Adonijah) that he died.

1 Kings 2:25

JudasAnd he (Judas)… went and hangedhimself.

Matthew 27:5Is Loyalty Rewarded?

…Well done, thou good and faithfulservant: thou hast been faithful over afew things. I will make thee ruler overmany things: enter thou into the joy ofthy Lord.

Matthew 25:21This Scripture outlines two importantblessings that follow loyal or faithfulpeople.

Loyalty Is Rewarded with GrowthLoyal people receive an increase (many

things) from the Lord. As you pray forgrowth in your church and ministry,remember that loyalty is the master key toexpansion. Loyalty makes you persist inthe same thing until it bears fruit.I suggest that you engage in a littleresearch. You will discover that largegrowing churches differ in style, strategyand emphasis. Some of them are soul-winning churches and others have anemphasis on miracles and the Holy Spirit.Some mega churches are oriented towardssocial services and political issues. Yetstill, some large churches have anemphasis on prosperity and dominion! Allof these churches differ greatly in manyareas. However, a closer look will revealthat there are some common denominators

in every large church.Almost all large churches are led bypastors who have remained faithful to thesame church for a long time. When pastorsmove around every few years, they do notexperience consistent growth. If you are aminister who desires expansion andgrowth, you must be prepared to stay inone place for a long time. Ask God for theprivilege of investing your entire life inone location.I am in the ministry for the rest of my life.My commitment to the people around meis a lifetime commitment and vice versa. Iam loyal to them and I pray that they willbe loyal to me. The blessing of largenessis reserved for faithful and loyal people.

Loyal People Experience the Favour ofGod

The second blessing of faithfulness isentering the joy of the Lord. This meansexperiencing the favour of God. When thefavour of God is upon you, your enemieswill not flourish around you.By this I know that thou favourest me,because mine enemy doth not triumphover me.

Psalm 41:11Be a loyal person so that you can havegreat growth in your business or ministry.Be a loyal person so that you can haveGod’s favour over all that you set yourhand to do.

Chapter 5 Adventures inGhana

There be three things which gowell… a king, against whom thereis no rising up.

Proverbs 30:29, 31The short history of Ghana describes onerebellion after another. They are notspiritual examples but they are goodenough for you to learn something fromthem. Jesus used seeds, trees, rivers andeven falling towers to teach importantlessons. You will see the outcome ofdisloyalty by looking at the history ofGhana. From the first president, KwameNkrumah, until now, there has been one

insurrection after the other. All theseparatists have had good reasons fortheir actions. It is interesting to note thatthe reasons given each time werebasically the same.By studying the outcome of theseadventures, I would like you to decide foryourselves whether rebels and anarchistsare blessed or cursed. The dictionarydefines anarchism as “the doctrine that allgovernment should be abolished”. Peoplewho fight against existing governments aretherefore anarchists.

Wave after WaveIn 1956, the British colonial governmentthrew a challenge to the people of Ghana,undertaking that it would be ready to

accept a motion calling for independencewithin the Commonwealth, passed by areasonable majority in a newly electedlegislature.Fresh elections were thus held on the 12thand 17th of July, 1956. The ConventionPeople’s Party (CPP) won the elections.With the people having expressed theirconfidence in the CPP, Kwame Nkrumahtabled a motion for independence for the3rd of August, 1956. Independence wasfinally granted to the Gold Coast on the6th of March, 1957 under the new nameGhana. However, by 1966 the governmentof Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first electedpresident was crumbling because ofpolitical, economic and social reasons.

The First Wave of Insurrectionists

In February 1966, Ghana experienced herfirst wave of rebellion that toppled anelected government. On the dawn ofFebruary 24th, 1966 a group of officersand men of the Ghana Army led byLieutenant Colonel E.K. Kotoka andMajor A.A. Afrifa with the support of thepolice, removed Nkrumah from officewhilst he was on a peace mission toHanoi on the invitation of Premier Ho ChiMinh.At l p.m., on the same day, a spokesmanon the Accra radio justified the coupbecause of the “misdeeds” of Nkrumahwho they claimed was “running thecountry as his own personal property”.

The Second Wave of Insurrectionists

However, barely a year after this firstinsurgency, two new rebels,Lieutenant S. Arthur and LieutenantM. Yeboah, led one hundred andtwenty troops in armoured vehiclesfrom the Reconnaissance Regiment BSquadron in Ho. In the early morningof 17th April, 1967 they attempted toseize power under a plan that wascode named Operation Guitar Boy.Kotoka, one of the leaders of the firstwave, was arrested at the Flag StaffHouse and wounded by gunfire. Hewas eventually shot and killed nearthe location of the Accra Airport.Kotoka was killed with his ADCCaptain Cephas Borkloe and hisservant Sergeant Osei Grunshie.

When you follow a rebel you areforever welded to his futuredisasters. You will notice that theAccra airport was named after him.…for all they that take the sword shallperish with the sword.

Matthew 26:52General Ankrah, who was the Chairman ofthe National Liberation Council (NLC),managed to climb over the Osu Castlewalls and swim to the safety of the OsuPolice Station.The chief rebel, Lieutenant Arthurmanaged to gain access to thebroadcasting house and announced thereplacement of the NLC (the then rulinggovernment) with a new government.

Unfortunately, for Lieutenant Arthur, at 10a.m. on the same morning, Captain Sowu,who identified himself as being loyal tothe government, announced that the coupattempt had been foiled. After a while, thetwo principal anarchists (people who fightagainst governments), Lieutenant Arthurand Lieutenant Yeboah were arrested.They were tried before a military tribunalchaired by Lt. Col. Coker-Appiah andsentenced to death. They were executed onthe 26th of May, 1967.…for all they that take the sword shallperish with the sword.

Matthew 26:52By 26th of May, 1967 the second wave ofinsurrectionists (Arthur and Yeboah) were

executed. One of the first wave ofinsurrectionists (Kotoka) was also dead.Two years after these events, civilian rulewas restored to Ghana through an electionthat took place on August 29, 1969. Dr.K.A. Busia was inaugurated as the PrimeMinister on October 1, 1969 at theIndependence Square.

The Third Wave of InsurrectionistsHowever, it was only twenty-six monthslater that this elected government wasoverthrown in a coup d’état on 13thJanuary, 1972. The leader of this thirdwave of insurrectionists was Colonel I.K.Acheampong, who was then theCommander of the 1st Infantry Brigade ofthe Ghana Army.

Reasons were given for thisinsurgency. First of all, thedeteriorating state of the economy,corruption in the government of Busiaand finally the lack of concern for theconditions of the common man. Theleader of this insurrection, Col.Acheampong deplored the previousgovernment’s “lack of will to actdecisively on the economic crisis.” Hespoke of a system “that exploited theordinary people, the workers and thefarmers on whose sweat and toil thewheels of the economy turns.” Youwill notice that the same themes runthrough the speeches of all thoseinvolved in revolts and rebellion.

The Fourth Wave of Insurrectionists

However, by 1978 the government ofGeneral Acheampong was faced withenormous social and politicalproblems that led to its downfall.General Acheampong tried tointroduce the concept of a uniongovernment. Professional bodies, likethe Ghana Bar Association, stirred upopposition against GeneralAcheampong. The Ghana MedicalAssociation even withdrew its servicestemporarily. The Christian Council andThe Catholic Secretariat openlycriticised the government of the day.University student demonstrationswere the order of the day. Variousother demonstrations and socialupheavals threatened the stability of

the nation. At this stage, we mustwelcome with “good reasons” thefourth wave of insurrectionists.On the 5th of July 1978, a palace coupwas staged against General Acheampong.He was overthrown by Lt. Gen. FrederickWilliam Kwasi Akuffo who was thenAcheampong’s Deputy and theCommander of the Armed Forces.Once again, reasons were given byAkuffo who accused Acheampong ofhaving divided the country andrunning a one-man-showgovernment. By now you will be usedto the reasons that are usually givenfor these uprisings.A constitutional provision was put in

place which indemnified the current andprevious military governments. There wasalso a refusal by the government toprosecute General Acheampong andothers who, were perceived to have beenengaged in corruption. It soon dawned onthe public that General Akuffo and hisgovernment were also engaged incorruption and other economic crimes.That was the only explanation for theirrefusal to prosecute the former head ofstate, General Acheampong. Theyobviously lacked the moral strengthneeded to prosecute the former head ofstate. With tensions mounting in thecountry, we must once again welcomewith “good reasons” another wave ofinsurrectionists.

The Fifth Wave of InsurrectionistsIt was probably no surprise to Ghanaianswhen junior officers of the air force led bya talented young pilot tried to unseat thegovernment. On the 15th of May, 1979,Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlingsunsuccessfully attempted to overthrow thegovernment. Reasons for this uprisingincluded the injustice in society and thetarnished image of the Ghana Army. Lessthan three weeks later, on the morning ofthe 4th of June, 1979, when the CourtMartial trying Rawlings and hisaccomplices was to resume sitting, agroup of officers and soldiers, led byMajor Boakye-Gyan released Rawlingsand his men from prison.Soon the troops gained control of the

Ghana Broadcasting Corporation but weredislodged by Major General Odartey-Wellington, who was loyal to thegovernment. By 11 a.m. the separatists hadrecaptured the Ghana BroadcastingCorporation, leading to the death ofGeneral Wellington at the Nima PoliceStation. Eventually the government wassuccessfully deposed and several arrestswere made.Ghana’s new government, the ArmedForces Revolutionary Council, waschaired by Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings. This newgovernment instituted a house cleaningoperation to erase all manifestations ofcorruption and profiteering associatedwith past governments. Ghana’s newleader intended to awaken the masses to

their rights and responsibilities. Ghana’snew Chairman declared his irrevocablecommitment to returning the nation tocivilian rule.Within twelve days, the first step wastaken to “clean the house”. On June 16thGeneral I.K. Acheampong (of the thirdwave of insurrectionists) and MajorGeneral Utuka were executed after a trialby a revolutionary court at the Teshiemilitary range.…for all they that take the sword shallperish with the sword.

Matthew 26:52On the 26th of June, just ten days later,more executions were carried out by thenew government. Lt. Gen. A.A. Afrifa, an

ex-Head of State and Chairman of theNLC was executed. You will recall thatthis was one of the two leaders of the“first wave of insurrectionists on the 24thof February, 1966”.…for all they that take the sword shallperish with the sword.

Matthew 26:52Other people who were executed on thesame day were: Major General Kotei, AirVice-Marshall Boakye, Rear AdmiralAmedume and Colonel Felli. Also killedon the same day was General F.W.K.Akuffo, the just deposed Head of State.You will recall that General Akuffo ledthe “fourth wave of insurrectionists”. Asyou can imagine, the whole nation was

thrown into a state of crippling fear andshock. At this stage, you will notice thatall the leaders of past insurgencies hadreceived a similar fate – death andexecution.…for all they that take the sword shallperish with the sword.

Matthew 26:52A few months later, on the 24th ofSeptember, after effectively “cleaning thehouse”, Chairman Rawlings handed overpower to Dr. Hilla Limann. There hadbeen a democratic election and Ghanawas back to a parliamentary democracy.

The Sixth Wave of InsurrectionistsThere were once again reports ofcorruption and a deterioration in the

economy. Only two years have gone byand we must welcome the sixth wave ofGhanaian insurrectionists. Once again,“good reasons” are drummed up to excusethe inexcusable and to defend theindefensible.On the 31st December, 1981 Ghanaianswere introduced to yet another abrupt endto democratic governance. Anotherrebellion had taken place! The rulinggovernment was toppled and a familiarface emerged, in the person of Flt. Lt. J.J.Rawlings. For similar reasons, Ghanaianswere made to embark on anotherrevolution. Ghana embarked on ten yearsof dictatorial rule characterized byarbitrary arrests, seizures of property,disappearance of human beings and abuse

of fundamental human rights. After tenyears of ruling under the banner of aprovisional council, Ghana waspersuaded to return to democracy.In November 1992, the government ofChairman Rawlings metamorphosed intoan elected democracy. This democracyhas lasted several years. The state ofGhana after almost twenty years of thesame leadership is ironic. This is becauseyou could well describe the state of thenation by reading a page out of its historyunder previous leaders who wereoverthrown and executed for mismanagingthe nation.Strikes and demonstrations by workers,students, nurses and doctors have beenrampant in the last years under this

leadership. Even some of the most unusualgroups have been on strike under theRawlings’ administration. The BreadSellers Association, the Traders (ShopOwners) Association and even prisonofficers were among the unusual groupswho found conditions so unbearable thatthey went on strike. Whoever heard oftraders closing down their shops in protestof the trying economic situation?The educational sector under theAcheampong era was seriously affectedwith teachers and lecturers leaving thecountry for other countries especiallyNigeria. Under the Rawlings era theeducational sector also experienced darkdays. Inconceivable circumstances werecreated, such as having eight students

crowd into a hostel room designed for oneperson. You could have as many as onethousand five hundred students in onelecture, in a room designed for a muchsmaller number. We could ask ourselveswhether they were having a miracleservice or an educational lecture! For thefirst time since independence, Britishuniversities declared that they would nolonger recognize qualifications fromGhanaian universities. As the quixoticeducational experiment continued, thechildren of many of the nation’s politicalleaders were safely tucked away inBritish, American and other westernschools and universities.Under the Acheampong regime, industrieswere forced to close down or produce

below twenty-five percent capacity. Manyindustries laid off their staff at this point.Inflation under Acheampong rose from24.7% in 1974 to 116.4% in 1977. Youcan imagine the effect of this on themajority of Ghanaians.In the year 2000, the adventure under theRawlings administration continued.Industries, companies and businessesstruggled to survive. In my opinion, theeconomy totally crashed in the year 2000.Rumours of corruption were rife. Externalfactors were blamed, but many felt thatthere were more internal factors thanexternal ones. The national currency lostits value and became worthless. Therewas a shortage of foreign exchange andeven local currency. Some people had to

queue to get their money out of the bank.In 1983, an airline ticket from Ghanato London cost six thousand GhanaianCedis. After seventeen years of thisleadership, a ticket cost more than sixmillion Cedis. That representsinflation of over one hundredthousand percent (100,000%). I willleave you to do your own comparisonbetween the inflation under Gen.Acheampong (116% inflation) and Flt.Lt. Rawlings (100,000%).Another chapter in the Book ofExodus was almost written in the year2000. Embassies of western nationslike Britain and the USA experiencedan unprecedented flood of visaapplications. Some of these

embassies received over fivethousand applications per month. Theofficial rhetoric was, “Come homeand invest in Ghana”, but the realitywas, “Escape from Ghana if you can!”Some people ask, “What will happen inthe future?” Perhaps King Solomon canhelp us with the answer.THE THING THAT HATH BEEN, ITIS THAT WHICH SHALL BE; and thatwhich is done is that which shall bedone: and there is no new thing underthe sun. Is there any thing whereof itmay be said, See, this is new? it hathbeen already of old time, which wasbefore us.

Ecclesiastes 1:9, 10

After looking at the history of the wavesof insurgencies in Ghana, you willdiscover a pattern. You will notice thatmutineers always have good reasons fordoing what they do. Their reasons areusually similar. You will notice how theend of these heroic but regrettable exploitshas similar conclusions!

Chapter 6 Adventures inNigeria

There be three things which gowell… a king, against whom thereis no rising up.

Proverbs 30:29, 31Let us now turn our attention to Nigeria.Nigeria is another nation that has had

adventures with different kinds of leaders.The pattern is similar. One after the other,there is an example of disloyalty andtreachery for which people pay theultimate price. It is a lesson of the penaltythat all rebels will ultimately pay.

The First AdventureNigeria is a West African country that hadits independence from British colonialrule in 1960. Nnamdi Azikiwe became thefirst president of the senate and laterGovernor-General and President of thecountry. The prime minister of the countrywas Tafawa Balewa. Unfortunately,rivalry and mistrust degenerated into apower struggle between these two heads.The question was, “Who really wieldedexecutive power?” and “Who had control

over the armed forces?” Was it thepresident or was it the prime minister? AsAzikiwe himself said, “Nigeria was notready to have a constitutional head of statewith hollow power, working parallel witha power loaded head of government.”No matter what may be the good relationsbetween the two people involved, externalfactors are bound to provoke feelings andsow seeds of misunderstanding. At apoint, the two leaders engaged in astruggle to gain the support of the armedforces. This was resolved only after ChiefJustice Ademola negotiated a deal. It isbelieved that it was this struggle that madethe armed forces of Nigeria aware thatthey had a political role to play. The waywas thus paved for military coups and

takeovers in Nigeria.The First Wave of Rebellion

The first wave of rebellion took place onthe 15th of January 1966. Five Majors inthe Nigerian army planned a coup andexecuted it. They were Major KadunaNzeogwu, Major E. Ifeajuna, Major D.Okafor, Major Anuforo and MajorAdemoyega. They gave reasons such as:stamping out tribalism, nepotism andregionalism. Their coup was very bloody.It involved the assassination of the leadersof the federal, northern and westernregional governments. The prime minister,other ministers, the premier of the Westernregion and top military officers were alleliminated.

However, the coup was only partlysuccessful because not everyone onthe elimination list was executed.Under the circumstances of a partlysuccessful coup and an assassinatedprime minister, the general officercommanding the Nigerian army,General Aguiyi-Ironsi, “persuaded”what was left of the federal cabinet tohand over power to him. In his speechon the 16th of January he said, “Themilitary government of the Republicof Nigeria, wishes to state that it hastaken over the interim government ofthe Republic of Nigeria following theinvitation of the Counsel of Ministersof the last government for the army todo.”

Although Ironsi alluded to a voluntaryhanding over of power to him,speculations have it that he was party tothe coup. For instance, he was not killedlike all the other senior officers from thenorth of the country. Almost all themilitary officers killed in the coup werenortherners or westerners. Interestingly,Gen. Ironsi did not put the five Majorswho planned and executed the coup, ontrial.

The Second Wave of RebellionAs is the pattern with these things, onerebellion led to another. After two monthsof riots against the government, GeneralIronsi was murdered in a revenge coup on28th July 1966. The General was atIbadan to open a conference of traditional

rulers. He was suddenly abducted by agroup of northern soldiers who killed himand his host, the military governor of thewest, Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi. Thiscoup, codenamed “Operation Araba”, hadbeen in the offing since the January coupthat brought Gen. Ironsi into power. It wasplanned by a few officers including MajorMurtala Mohammed. Interestingly, Gen.Ironsi’s assassination was not announceduntil the next year 14th January 1967.…for all they that take the sword shallperish with the sword.

Matthew 26:52It seemed that other than revenge killingsagainst the previous leader, there was noclear cut plan to takeover power. This

paved the way for the introduction of anew face, Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon. Heannounced on the 1st of August 1966, thathe had been brought to “shoulder the greatresponsibilities of the country and thearmed forces with the consent of themajority of the Supreme MilitaryCouncil.”However, it is not easy for arebellious ‘pastor’ to govern agroup of rebels he has formed intoa ‘church’. I do not envy separatistspastors who try to lead theirbreakaway congregations into unity.In the same way, it is not easy for ahead of state, who comes into powerunder questionable circumstances, torule his subjects.

The military governor of the easternregion, Col. Ojukwu, refused to acceptGowon’s ascension to power; he insistedon knowing what happened to Gen. Ironsiwhose assassination was not officiallyannounced until the next year. He alsodemanded that Brigadier Ogundipe, thenext most senior officer, should take thereins of power. This led to serious andirreconcilable problems between head ofstate, Gen. Gowon, and the easternmilitary leader of Nigeria, Col. Ojukwu.Between May and September 1966 anestimated eighty to hundred thousandeasterners were killed in the north ofNigeria. Ojukwu concluded that the safetyof easterners outside the Eastern Regioncould not be guaranteed and asked them to

return home. From October 1966,relations between the eastern governmentand the federal (main) government,deteriorated rapidly.On the 4th and 5th of January 1967 apeace summit between Ojukwu (theEastern leader) and Gowon (the Nationalleader) was held in the Aburi mountainsof Ghana. Unfortunately, the gains of theAburi Summit vanished soon after.In a dawn broadcast on the 30th of May,Col. Ojukwu proclaimed an independentstate in the Eastern part of Nigeria, to beknown as the Republic of Biafra. A civilwar had begun and raged on for two and ahalf years. Ojukwu seemed to haveexternal support. French supplies of armsand Italian sympathies became the lifeline

to Biafra. At the height of the civil war, adevastating but clever decision to changethe Nigerian currency was successfullyweathered by the Biafran Republic.Perhaps their foreign support wasgenerated because the Easternerspresented the war as a genocidal onewaged by the Northern Muslims toexterminate Igbos (Eastern Nigerians)from the face of the Earth.On 12th January 1970, the civil war endedwhen Lt. Col. Philip Effiong announcedthe surrender of Biafra. Ojukwu handedover his defeated republic and fled to theIvory Coast a day before theannouncement was made.

The Third Wave of Rebellion

Although Gowon survived the rebellion ofOjukwu, a new wave of rebellion wasbrewing in the country. Giving reasons asthey all do, a group of officers swept intopower. We welcome at this stage a newhead of state, Murtala Mohammed.Although new to the presidency, he hadbeen part of a previous overthrow andassassination of head of state, GeneralIronsi. It seems as though the tendency tooverthrow existing leadership had nevergone out of this man. He came to power ina bloodless coup. The military takeoverwas hailed for its maturity because therewas no bloodshed. However, it must notbe forgotten that Murtala Mohammed wasone of the people who murdered theNigerian head of state, General Ironsi.

As was the pattern, the new leader gavegood reasons for his takeover. I wish tostate here, that in the church world, rebels,disloyal people and unfaithful Christiansoften have good reasons to give for theiractions. The reasons are always similar.They involve wise sounding criticismfrom righteous members and ministers.These reasonable sounding assistantpastors propound commonsense theorieswhich they claim, are not being followedby their leaders. Many men of God lookstupid in the light of the criticism of theirdetractors. Notice the speech of MurtalaMohammed. He was giving thebackground for the inevitable change.“After the civil war, the affairs of state,hitherto a collective responsibility,

became characterized by lack ofconsultations, indecision, indisciplineand even neglect. Indeed the public atlarge became disillusioned anddisappointed by these developments. Thetrend was clearly incompatible with thephilosophy and image of our correctiveregime. Things got to a stage where thehead of the administration becamevirtually inaccessible… and when advicewas tendered it was often ignored. Thenation was thus plunged inexorably intochaos. It was obvious that matters couldnot… be allowed to continue in thismatter.”The head of state, Gen. Gowon foundhimself being compulsorily retired alongwith other Generals.

I remember when one man of God said,“Some people are trying to retire me. But Icannot be retired!”

The Fourth Wave of RebellionThe Murtala Mohammed administrationmoved quickly to consolidate its positionand move the nation forward. But on the13th of February 1976, yet another groupof rebels emerged. They calledthemselves The Young Revolutionaries.They were led by Colonel Dimka (a sortof brother-in-law to Gowon). The head ofstate, General Mohammed, was ambushedwhile driving in an unescorted car whichwas held up in traffic. MurtalaMohammed’s aide-de-camp, his driver,orderly and Col. Taiwo, the militarygovernor of Kwara State, were all killed

in the ambush. You will remember thatMurtala Mohammed was involved in theambush and murder of head of state Gen.Ironsi whilst he was attending aconference in Ibadan.…for all they that take the sword shallperish with the sword.

Matthew 26:52The coup makers seemed to have mixedmotives. Some of these included grudgesagainst certain officers in the army overpromotion. A second possible motive wasthe restoration of Gen. Gowon (then astudent at Warwick University in England)who was overthrown by Gen. Mohammed.Although Gowon denied involvement,some facts seem to implicate him.

Dimka’s elder brother, who was theKwara State’s Police Commissioner at thetime, was married to Gowon’s eldersister. Abdulkarim Zakari, the onlycivilian executed, worked at the NigerianBroadcasting Corporation and providedthe martial music tapes used for the coupbroadcasts. He was Gowon’s wife’s elderbrother.More than fifty officers were tried for thisuprising. Thirty-two of them wereexecuted including Col. Dimka. Gen.Obasanjo, the deputy head of statesucceeded the slain Murtala Mohammed.He ruled from February 1976 to October1979. He handed over power to a civilianpresident, Shehu Shagari, who ruled from1979 to 1983.

The Fifth Wave of RebellionWe must at this time introduce to you thefifth wave of rebellion.On 31st December 1983, Brigadier SaniAbacha gave a radio broadcast beamedacross Nigeria announcing a coup. Thisbrought in the government of GeneralBuhari, which lasted only two years from1983 to 1985. As usual, there was aspeech that cited good enough reasons forthe overthrow of legitimate leadership.“Our economy has been hopelesslymismanaged. We have become a debtorand beggarly nation. There isinadequacy of food at reasonable pricesfor our people. Health services are inshambles as our hospitals are reduced to

mere consulting clinics, without drugs,water and equipment. Our educationalsystem is deteriorating at an alarmingrate. Unemployment figures havereached embarrassing and unacceptableproportions. In some states, workers arebeing owed salary arrears of eight totwelve months. Yet our leaders revel insquandermania, corruption andindiscipline and continue to proliferatepublic appointments in completedisregard of our stark economicrealities.”

(Radio broadcast by Sani Abacha 31stDecember 1983)

The Buhari regime instituted a strongauthoritarian rule which enabled them todetain critics and opponents without trial

in police cells. A reign of terror wasunleashed. Arbitrary arrests, torture andindeterminate detention were widelypracticed. Even the breaking of suspects’skulls during interrogation was practiced.The Nigerian Bar Association, TheNigerian Medical Association and theNational Association of Students alljoined the anti-government movement. Themilitary government threatened to closedown permanently any institution wherestudent protests resulted in a breakdownof law and order. Unfortunately, theBuhari government was not able toovercome or even manage the problems itinherited.The stage was set for yet anotherrebellious overthrow. It is almost as

though a drama with puppets was beingenacted.

The Sixth Wave of RebellionWe now welcome General IbrahimBabangida for the next adventure inNigerian leadership.On the 26th of August 1985, GeneralBuhari and his assistant Idiagbonwere removed from power. Theywere retired from the army and put indetention (house arrest) for threeyears and four months. Once again,reasons were given for the takeover.Reasons given by the Babangidagroup were: a failure to salvage theeconomy and a failure to restoresocial services to the nation. It also

cited the regime’s lack of consultationwith the rest of the military andsociety, authoritarianism, poor humanrights record and the lack of aprogram to return the country tocivilian rule were all reasons given.Babangida presented the image of aredeemer who had overthrown animpregnable dictatorship. Babangidaeventually returned the country to civilrule. After a lot of civil strife and politicalviolence, an election was held. But beforethe election we must welcome yet anotherwave of rebellion!

The Seventh Wave of RebellionOn 22nd April 1990, Major GideonOrkar attempted to overthrow

Babangida. Orkar declared in hisbroadcast, “This is just not anothercoup, but well conceived, plannedand executed, for the marginalized,oppressed and enslaved people ofthe middle belt and the south, with aview to freeing ourselves and ourchildren yet unborn from eternalslavery and colonization by a cliquein this country.”The coup was described by thegovernment as the bloodiest in thecountry’s history. Sixty-seven officerswere eventually executed after being triedby a military tribunal. This coupaccelerated the movement of the seat ofpower from Dodan barracks in Lagos tothe more fortified Aso Rock in Abuja. Of

course one needs more and moreprotection from anarchists!…for all they that take the sword shallperish with the sword.

Matthew 26:52When presidential elections were held in1993, Babangida annulled these electionsclaiming that they were not free and fair.He eventually formed an interim nationalgovernment headed by Ernest Shonekan.Under pressure from the military, hestepped aside on the 27th of August 1993.However, before his exit, he announcedthe retirement of the army chiefs. SaniAbacha was the only one who continuedas Defence Minister.The Eighth Wave of Rebellion

For this wave of rebellion, we introduce afamiliar face and a veteran of many coups.On the 17th November 1993, Sani Abachahad announced that he had accepted the“resignation” of Ernest Shonekan and had“dutifully” taken over as head of state tosave the country from drifting into furthercollapse. Abacha portrayed his takeoveras a voluntary relinquishment of power bythe interim government. This was to avoidthe displeasure of the civilian population.General Abacha put Abiola in prison afterhe declared himself as president by gettingsworn in at a ceremony at Rowe Park inLagos. Abacha unleashed a reign of terror.On two occasions he made allegations ofcoups against the government. One hemade up and the other he engineered. This

enabled him to imprison vocal critics,including Obasanjo, a former head ofstate, and Obasanjo’s deputy Yar Adua,who died in jail. Even Abacha’s second-in-command was incarcerated inDecember 1997.However, the early hours of 8th June 1998brought the end of this wave of anarchy.Abacha died in mysterious circumstancesand was buried hurriedly. His death wasopenly celebrated. This is contrary to aculture that usually forgives the dead andspeaks no evil of them.Dear Christian friend, the short historiesof Nigeria and Ghana since independenceare indeed very revealing. They show usrepeated rebellions, overthrows and actsof treachery. One frightening thing is the

way the reasons for rebellions are almostidentical. The results of the rebellions arealso almost always identical.The continual overthrowing of onegovernment after the other testifies to theway history repeats itself. Although theseare not spiritual examples, they are goodexamples we can learn from. They containparallel truths of what we see in thechurch, business, and political worlds.

Chapter 7 Three CommonCauses of Disloyalty

In this chapter, we want to examinethree common causes that lead aperson to disloyalty. The first thing wewill consider is what I call an erratic

personality or character.1. An Erratic Personality

There are some people who have adisposition to make sudden decisions.They can alter the plan of their liveswithin minutes. They can change theirentire course within seconds. This is avery dangerous trait. Such people can bewith you today but can desert youtomorrow.You will notice this trait in people whoenter relationships and break up suddenly.When they speak of their commitment to acause, you will be impressed by theirspeech. But don’t be fooled! These peopleare usually gifted speakers and orators.They will change direction without any

major provocation, to your surprise!I am not writing about some theory inthe Bible. I am talking about practicalthings that I have seen. I have seenthe most committed and ardentfollowers change course inmidstream. Because I have seenseveral people do this, I am convincedthat it is a character or personalitytrait which some people have.This is what the Bible speaks of inProverbs 24:21.My son, fear thou the Lord and theking: and meddle not with them that areGIVEN TO CHANGE:

Proverbs 24:21Do you have a tendency to change course

suddenly after you have been extremelycommitted to something? I would not liketo be in a relationship like that! I wouldnot like to have an assistant pastor likethat. Such people will write letters to youwhen you are not expecting them. Theywill resign at the weekend without notice.They will ask someone to phone you totell you that they are out of the country.Their word is not worth anything! AChristian must be a person who makes astatement and sticks to his word no matterwhat it costs.…He that sweareth to his own hurt, andchangeth not.

Psalm 15:4God is faithful to us even when we are not

faithful to Him. Nothing makes Himchange His mind!If we believe not, yet he abidethfaithful: HE CANNOT DENYHIMSELF.

2 Timothy 2:13God is trying to build up a breed ofChristians who do not change their mindseasily about the convictions they have.Thank God that Jesus did not change Hismind when He came into this world andexperienced such hatred and animosityfrom the people He loved.The ministry of the Lord JesusChrist is not safe in the hands oferratic leaders. Today, they areministers of the gospel and tomorrow

they become social activists. Someswitch suddenly from being ministersof religion to becoming politicians.Today, they are faith preachers andtomorrow they are against the faithmovement!You will often notice a trend in the livesof such people. There is a history ofchanging, altering and switching from onething to the other. If you have an erraticnature, decide today to be a solid andsteadfast believer.

2. Financial ReasonsThe next cause of disloyalty has financialroots.For the love of money is THE ROOTOF ALL EVIL: which while some

coveted after, they have erred from thefaith, and pierced themselves throughwith many sorrows.

1 Timothy 6:10The love of money is the root of all evil.Certainly, one of the evils that is stirredup by the love of money is disloyalty andrebellion. I have noticed that almost everyrebellion is linked to some financialconsiderations. There is something aboutmoney that stirs up disloyalty. There aretwo categories of problems that arise fromfinancial roots – financialmisunderstanding and financialcovetousness.

Financial MisunderstandingMany of the rebellions in

denominations are over issues ofsalaries, conditions of services,emoluments and benefits. There isoften a background of financial needand poverty. I have seen manyChristians serve the Lord perfectly,but they seem to change whenfinancial issues come up. There areseveral reasons why money causesproblems and leads to divisions inchurches.Firstly, many pastors have not had anyworking experience in the secular worldand therefore, they have unfortunatemisconceptions about how much theyshould be paid. They do not know whatkinds of salaries and benefits prevail.One day, I attended a seminar for leaders

in another church. At one point in themeeting, there was a general discussionabout the conditions of service forministers. I began asking some questions.I called out three people and asked them,“How long have you been working?” Oneof them had been working for sixteenyears in a bank. The other had worked asa teacher for eight years. The third hadbeen into private business for severalyears. Then I asked them, “Which of youhas a car?” None of them owned a car!You see, in the economy of Ghana youalmost need to be a millionaire to own acar. I then pointed out some things to thegroup. “Look at this man who has workedin the bank for sixteen years. Hisworkplace has not provided him with a

car.” I continued, “Do you see this teacherwho has taught for eight years and yet hasno car?” “The businessman who controlshis own income has not been able to buy acar.” I asked the group, “Why is it thatwhen someone becomes a pastor, hewants to be given a car immediately?”I pointed out that the educationalqualifications of many of the pastors arevery minimal. In the secular field, many ofthese pastors could not rise higher than theposition of a security officer or a clerk.Yet, they want to have conditions ofservice similar to Chief Executives! Thisis just not realistic.Indeed, this common misunderstandingbetween junior pastors and senior pastorsof the management rank is a common

cause for rebellion, discontentment andanarchy in churches.Anarchism is a political theory that allgovernments and laws should beabolished. It comes from a Frenchword, ‘anarchy’. An anarchist issomeone who fights governments.When such a person becomes apastor, you can imagine thecontroversy and conflict he will stir up.He will try to dismantle the order andauthority structure in the church. Hewill say things like, “We are all equal!We are all called! We are all anointed!We will not allow ourselves to becheated by anyone!”Because of this common misunderstandingthat arises between the employer and the

employed, I am very careful aboutemploying anyone. I have very fewemployed staff. I believe that people mustmature in their understanding ofemployment issues. If we are not careful,the church can turn into another forum forunions and strikes! Soon there may beindustrial action taken against bishops andhead pastors.One thing I do not like, is to work withdiscontented people. I learnt that from theLord. Do you remember how the Lordabandoned the Israelites in the desertbecause they complained so much? Therewas so much murmuring among theIsraelites that Almighty God was fed up.He took a decision to relieve them of theirprivileged position!

Once I had some full-time pastors workingin a church. They began to complain abouttheir conditions of service. Soon Ireceived different reports of variouscomments they had made. It sounded asthough the church was mistreating them. Imarvelled because these young men didnot appreciate what they had.As the intensity of the complaintsmounted, I decided to lay them off. Iwould rather not have a church than tohave a church with a complaining pastor.We called them to the headquarters andgave them a handsome amount of money tosettle them. I heard that they evencomplained about the amount of moneythat was given in the settlement. I toldthem, “Look for jobs in the secular world

and be lay pastors.”They began to look for jobs in the secularworld. After several months one of themreturned and said, “I now realize that I hadone of the best jobs in Ghana.” Hepleaded to be re-employed by the church.This is the maturing experience I amreferring to.If you are an overseer of a group ofchurches, I would advise you to allowdiscontented people to discover forthemselves what conditions prevail outthere in the hard world. It is important thatyou maintain an atmosphere of loyalty atall costs.

Financial CovetousnessWhen I speak about covetousness I am not

talking about people who are in need. Inthis case, we are dealing with people whowant more, more and more! The Bibleteaches that people who love money arenot satisfied with more money.He that loveth silver shall not besatisfied with silver…

Ecclesiastes 5:10Apostle Peter warned against people whoenter the ministry for the love of money.The ministry is the wrong profession if allyou want is to acquire wealth. If you lovemoney, please stay in the secular worldand earn all you can. When you come intothe ministry, your aim must be to make fullproof of your calling. God’s ministry isnot a business so please do not turn it into

one.Do you remember how Jesus threw outpeople who turned the church into abusiness centre?And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesuswent into the temple, and began to castout them that sold and bought in thetemple, and overthrew the tables of themoneychangers, and the seats of themthat sold doves; And he would notsuffer that any man should carry anyvessel through the temple. And hetaught, saying unto them, Is it notwritten, My house shall be called of allnations the house of prayer? but YEHAVE MADE IT A DEN OFTHIEVES.

Mark 11:15-17I cannot leave this subject withoutmentioning two classic examples ofpastors who suffered from covetousness(Rev. Gehazi and Rev. Judas!). Gehazi,the associate pastor of Elisha could notresist the temptation of using the ministryas a business. He wanted to charge moneyfor the gift of God. He was charging forprophecies and healings. Does that soundfamiliar?Naaman the Syrian, the one whom hecharged, detected the spirit ofcovetousness in Rev. Gehazi. Why do Isay that Naaman detected the spirit ofcovetousness in Gehazi? Because, eventhough Gehazi asked for one talent ofsilver, Naaman, the unbeliever, said to

him, “Be content and TAKE TWOtalents.” Naaman detected the pastor’sspirit of greed!And Naaman said, BE CONTENT,TAKE TWO TALENTS. And he urgedhim, and bound two talents of silver intwo bags, with two changes ofgarments, and laid them upon two of hisservants; and they bare them beforehim.

2 Kings 5:23It is sad that an unbeliever should have tocorrect a minister of the gospel in thisway. Gehazi was virtually told by a sinnernot to be greedy. Dear pastor, did youknow that unbelievers can see through ourgreed and covetousness? They laugh at us

in their homes and denigrate the ministryof the Lord Jesus Christ (to denigratemeans to blacken the reputation of athing). It is unfortunate that when you callyourself a minister today, people look atyou with suspicion. This is because ofRev. Gehazi and others like him.Elisha, the senior pastor, asked a verypertinent question.…IS IT A TIME TO RECEIVEMONEY, and to receive garments, andolive yards and vineyards and sheep andoxen and men servants and maidservants?

2 Kings 5:26The ministry of the Lord Jesus is not theplace to make money. Neither is it the time

of your life to gather wealth. I am notsaying that God will not make youwealthy! I am not saying that you shouldbe poor! I am not poor and I have nottaken a vow of poverty. God will blessyou with all you need so that you canserve Him, but this will be at the righttime!Judas Iscariot sold his master for onlythirty pieces of silver. The current valueof thirty pieces of silver is $19.20!And said unto them, What will ye giveme, and I will deliver him unto you? Andthey covenanted with him for thirtypieces of silver.

Matthew 26:15Incidentally, that was the price of a slave.

If the ox shall push [kill] a manservantor a maidservant; he shall give untotheir master thirty shekels of silver, andthe ox shall be stoned.

Exodus 21:32Rev. Dr. Judas Iscariot lost his lifeand ministry because of greed andcovetousness. Twenty US dollars is allthat it took to make him sacrifice hisfriend, his master and his God. Hesold God for twelve poundssterling, (twenty Euros, thirtySwiss francs, fifty thousandGhanaian cedis)!If you ever employ a Judas or a Gehazi,you are in for trouble. They will never besatisfied with what you offer them. They

will always think you are cheating them.They will try to usurp your authority andtake over. Such people can easily be takenaway by someone who offers them moremoney.

3. Missing God’s DirectionThe third common cause of disloyalty, ismissing God’s direction for your life.Many people miss God’s direction fortheir lives. Because of this, they end up incomplicated situations. They are oftenforced into disloyalty by their ownmistakes. Every minister must know howto hear the voice of God. The leading ofthe Spirit is crucial for successfulministry.Many ministers claim that they are being

led by the Spirit of God as theybreakaway and rebel in the ministry. Arethese people really being led by the Spiritof God? Many people are having what Icall visions of their own heart.…The prophets PROPHESY LIES inmy name: I sent them not, neither haveI commanded them, neither spake untothem: they prophesy unto you a falsevision and divination, and a thing ofnought, and THE DECEIT OF THEIRHEART.

Jeremiah 14:14Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearkennot unto the words of the prophets thatprophesy unto you: they make you vain:they speak A VISION OF THEIR

OWN HEART, and not out of themouth of the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:16A common trick of people who gotheir own way is to claim that God hassent them. The scripture tells us thatwe should not listen to the words ofsuch prophets. When someone has arebellious spirit, he will surely dreamabout a successful rebellion. Godsays in his Word; I sent them not,neither have I commanded them,neither spake unto them: theyprophesy unto you a false vision andthe deceit of their hearts (Jeremiah14:14).

A Scriptural Rebellion?

I watched a junior pastor as he rebelledagainst his senior pastor. His mouth wasfull of venom. He went about slanderinghis former church and criticizing hisformer pastor. Yet this man had scripturesto back his claim. He claimed that Godhad called him and asked him to do whathe was doing.I said to this rebel, “God does not destroychurches! God is a builder of churches.”He was my friend so I went with him tothe new church he had established. When Igot there, I realized that all the equipmenthe was using belonged to his formerchurch. He had taken over the church’sseats, pulpit and instruments. He had theirmembers and their building. I said to him,“These things do not belong to you.” I

continued, “It is stealing.” He just smiledand said, “You don’t understand.” Icontinued, “You are my friend, but God’sblessing will not be with you when you dosuch things.” Within a few years, thisanarchist’s ministry collapsed!If even an angel appears to you and givesyou instructions, we will not accept it if itis contrary to the Word of God! The Bibleteaches us not to believe when peoplespeak a vision out of their hearts. Howcan God in one stroke build a church andin the next stroke destroy it?Anyone who goes around slanderingother ministers is a dangerous person.Snakes are not discriminatingwhen they begin to bite. After

spreading venom about someoneelse, they will turn on you.I know a pastor who abandoned shipbecause a prophet told him to. Later on, Ifound out that this same prophet wouldsend scouts to the church in which he wasgoing to minister. These scouts would takecar numbers and descriptions and find outwho the owners were. The prophet woulduse this information to conjure up “wordsof knowledge”. These words ofknowledge were so spectacular andastonishingly accurate that everyonebelieved the prophet’s word.Finally, he had a prophecy for theassociate pastor, “This is not your place.You must begin your own church.” Youcannot imagine the confusion that broke

out in that church. The visit of this prophetchanged the course of that ministry. Thechurch broke up into many splinter groups.The pastors ended up fighting in courtover church property.The Bible says that we shall know themby their fruits. I would not criticizeanybody for his accurate words ofknowledge. I pray for accurate words ofknowledge myself and I am happy when Isee them happening. The Bible did notteach me that I would know a thing by itsgift. You know them by their fruits.When I see the fruits of broken churches,destroyed ministries and deceivedpastors, I know that the Spirit of God isnot at work. The devil and the flesh are on

the rampage.But if ye have bitter envying and strifein your hearts, glory not, and lie notagainst the truth. THIS WISDOMDESCENDETH NOT FROM ABOVE,BUT IS EARTHLY, SENSUAL,DEVILISH. For where envying andstrife is, there is confusion and everyevil work.

James 3:14-16Dear minister friend, do not yield topressure from people. You may make themistake of your lifetime. People will pushyou into things but they will not supportyou when you are out there. Somebodyonce told me, “people sympathize with theunderdog, but they follow the top dog”.

When I first got married, people oftensuggested the number of children that weshould have. Some said we should havefive, others said we should have fourchildren. They would describe theadvantages of having large families.“How nice it is when they all grow up andyou have children all over the world,”they said. “You can have such nice familyreunions. The children will have lots ofplaymates.”I would smile to myself and think, “Thisman is suggesting that I have all thesechildren. Will he look after them whenthey grow up? Will he pay their schoolfees and build houses for them? Certainlynot!” Those who will not contribute adime are those who put the most pressure

on you!Dear friend, be careful about yielding tothe pressure of the people. When you havetaken the wrong decision, these samepeople will criticize you for makingmistakes.Judas came under pressure to betrayChrist. He eventually succumbed tothe pressure and temptation to betrayhis master. Afterwards, he realizedthat he had made a mistake. He wentback to these same people who hadpressurized him with money and madea lame attempt to undo everything. Heactually took the money back! But thepeople would have none of it andthrew him out to face suicide andeternal damnation on his own. They

told Judas, “What is that to us? Thatis your problem! See to it yourself!”Then Judas, which had betrayedhim, when he saw that he wascondemned, repented himself, andbrought again the thirty pieces ofsilver to the chief priests andelders, Saying, I have sinned inthat I have betrayed the innocentblood. And they said, WHAT ISTHAT TO US? SEE THOU TOTHAT. And he cast down thepieces of silver in the temple, anddeparted, and went and hangedhimself.

Matthew 27:3-5

Please do not yield to the temptation ofmoney or to the pressure of the people.You will have to deal with theconsequences of your decisions byyourself!

Chapter 8 The Timing ofDisloyalty

When I write about disloyalty, I amwriting about a whole array of things.These range from subtle acts ofdisloyalty to betrayals, insurgenciesand open rebellions.But, when do these things happen? Do theyhappen all the time? Or do they havespecific seasons and timings? A closestudy of the Bible will reveal that acts of

disloyalty are more common at particulartimes. In this chapter, we will study what Icall the timing of disloyalty. Let us nowconsider four important times whendisloyalty may occur.1. Disloyalty occurs with the apparentweakening of a leader.All leaders go through different phases oftheir lives and ministries. In the prime oftheir ministry, they often appear verystrong, hard, tireless and invincible.Leaders may appear to weaken in thelatter part of their ministries. They seem tobe vulnerable to things that before werefar off. This apparent weakening of aminister is not actually a diminishing ofhis strength. Sometimes in later years, thematuring minister speaks with a softer

tone and is more accommodating.Sometimes it is a result of entering intoanother phase of ministry.In the early part of Jesus’ ministry, Hewas very strong on certain things. At onepoint He spoke about how He wasanointed and people tried to kill Him. Atthat stage of His ministry Jesus justignored His persecutors and went Hisway.And all they in the synagogue, whenthey heard these things, were filled withwrath, And rose up, and thrust him outof the city, and led him unto the brow ofthe hill whereon their city was built,that they might cast him down headlong.But he passing through the midst ofthem went his way.

Luke 4:28-30At one point, Jesus preached and calledHis listeners snakes. He told them to theirface that they were vipers.O generation of vipers, how can ye,being evil, speak good things?

Matthew 12:34Jesus was a strong direct preacher. Hewas a no-nonsense personality. There wasa time when people wanted to kill Him.Jesus told them directly, “I know you wantto kill me.” He continued, “Your father isthe devil.” These were direct statementswhich infuriated the crowd. Yet, Jesuspersisted in this line of confrontationalpreaching.

But now ye seek to kill me, A MANTHAT HATH TOLD YOU THETRUTH, which I have heard of God:this did not Abraham. Ye do the deedsof your father. Then said they to him,We be not born of fornication; we haveone Father, even God. YE ARE OFYOUR FATHER THE DEVIL, and thelusts of your father ye will do. He was amurderer from the beginning, and abodenot in the truth, because there is notruth in him.When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh ofhis own: for he is a liar, and the fatherof it. Then took they up stones to castat him: but Jesus hid himself, and wentout of the temple, GOING THROUGHTHE MIDST OF THEM, AND SO

PASSED BY.John 8:40, 41, 44, 59

In those days, Jesus did not seem to bemoved by death threats. But later in hislife, Jesus began to say things like, “I amgoing to suffer!”And he said unto them, With desire Ihave desired to eat this passover withyou BEFORE I SUFFER...

Luke 22:15At another point, Jesus was in a reflectivemood and said, “This is my last drink.”For I say unto you, I will not drink ofthe fruit of the vine, until the kingdomof God shall come.

Luke 22:18

Jesus continued and said, “There is abetrayer amongst us.” If He was a goodleader, why didn’t He do anything aboutthe betrayer. Had He lost His power?Judas must have heard these words andfelt that Jesus’ power was waning.Jesus’ power never diminished. Theanointing on His life was stronger thanever. If His power had diminished, howcome He was able to heal the boy whoseear was cut off by Peter (John 18:10)? IfHis power was diminished, how comeeveryone fell under the power of Godwhen Jesus identified Himself as the onethey were looking for?As soon then as he had said unto them, Iam he, they went backward, and fell tothe ground.

John 18:6Jesus’ power had in no way diminished,but He had entered a different phase ofHis ministry. This power would help Himgo to the cross and accomplish hissacrifice for the sins of the world. ButJudas misinterpreted this to be aweakening of His master’s anointing.Judas was encouraged to rise up and rebelagainst the Lord when He heard Himspeak of dying. If you eat with someonewho speaks of dying and taking His lastdrink, would you not think there wassomething wrong?The High Priest and the Pharisees wereafraid of Jesus. There was great mysteryand intrigue surrounding Christ! Jesus was

a public figure and they could havearrested Him at any time. Jesus did not goaround in secret. But they feared thepeople and were unsure of what sort ofpowers Jesus would conjure up againstthem if they tried anything.Judas waited for a sign of the apparentweakening of Christ’s ministry. As soonas he felt his leader was a little weaker,he betrayed Him. Dear pastor, do not bedeceived. If God has called somebody,and you betray Him, you will pay for it! Itmay seem easy to rebel at certain times,but that is the devil luring you to your owndestruction.2. Disloyalty occurs with the aging ofthe leader.

For it came to pass, when Solomon wasold, that his wives turned away his heartafter other gods: and his heart was notperfect with the Lord his God, as wasthe heart of David his father.

1 Kings 11:4King Solomon turned away from God inhis old age. It may sound strange, but itsometimes requires physical strength tokeep on doing what is right. King Solomonhad married so many different women inhis younger days. He wanted to be surethat he did not fall into the mistake ofadultery as his father did. So he marriedall the ladies he met to prevent himselffrom having an affair with anyone. But inhis old age, the resolve to serve Jehovahwas weakened. He began to succumb to

the pressures of his ‘unbeliever’ wives.Then did Solomon build an high placefor Chemosh, the abomination of Moab,in the hill that is before Jerusalem, andfor Molech, the abomination of thechildren of Ammon. And likewise did hefor all his strange wives, which burntincense and sacrificed unto their gods.

1 Kings 11:7, 8I am a young man. As I write this book itis my prayer that I will be loyal to theLord as I get older in ministry.In the life of King David, it was when hewas very old and stricken in years, thatAdonijah rebelled against his father.Adonijah was one of David’s sons whohad been a loyal member of the family for

many years. He did not rebel withAbsalom. Nor was he associated with anyother rebellion. Yet, he was tempted to bedisloyal when he realized that his fatherwas weakened by old age.Now king DAVID WAS OLD andstricken in years; and they covered himwith clothes, but he gat no heat. THENADONIJAH THE SON OF HAGGITHEXALTED HIMSELF, saying, I will beking: and he prepared him chariots andhorsemen, and fifty men to run beforehim.

1 Kings 1:1, 53. Disloyalty occurs when the leadersins.When Solomon went after many wives and

his heart was turned against God, the Lordraised up rebels to fight against him.And the Lord was angry with Solomon,because his heart was turned from theLord God of Israel, which had appearedunto him twice, And the Lord stirred upan adversary unto Solomon, Hadad theEdomite: he was of the king’s seed inEdom.

1 Kings 11:9, 14It is the grace of God that keeps a churchtogether. What prevents one person fromrising against another? It is the mercy ofthe Lord. What prevents a bodyguard fromshooting his own leader in order tobecome famous? It is the grace of God.A leader must be aware that God’s mercy

upholds all things. You will not have asingle loyal person with you unless Godhelps you. Ladies and gentlemen, thepower of the presidency and the power ofleadership are maintained by a delicatebalance of forces. God’s grace is whatsustains us in all our endeavours. We maygive many teachings about disloyalty andloyalty. We may print all the books wecan on the subject. Ultimately, it is thegrace of God that holds all things together.Jehoshaphat was a famous king of Judah.He served the Lord and God wroughtmiracles under his regime. God gave theIsraelites more blessings than they couldcarry under the reign of Jehoshaphat.When Jehoshaphat died his son Jehoramtook over. Jehoram was not like his father

and became associated with Ahab the evilking of Israel. This is because he marriedthe daughter of Ahab.It is interesting to note that under the reignof this backslidden king, a group of peoplewho had lived in submission to Judah formany years rebelled. The Bible tells usclearly that the people of Edom becamedisloyal and traitorous under the rule ofJehoram. But why did they staysubmissive under Jehoshaphat?…JEHORAM the son of Jehoshaphatking of Judah began to reign. And hewalked in the way of the kings of Israel,as did the house of Ahab: for thedaughter of Ahab was his wife: and hedid evil in the sight of the Lord. IN HISDAYS EDOM REVOLTED from under

the hand of Judah, and made a kingover themselves.

2 Kings 8:16, 18, 20It is clear from this Scripture that thetiming of the revolt of Edom was relatedto the type of king in Judah. The revolttook place under the hand of an evilperson. Acts of disloyalty by followersare often related to acts of disobedienceby leaders.

4. Disloyalty occurs upon the death of aleader.I have watched many churchesdisintegrate after the death of theirfounders and leaders. Why does this

happen? Disloyal people are oftenlooking for an opportunity to breakaway or revolt against authority.They are opportunists who will grab atany sign of weakness within thesystem. Often the death of a leadersignifies to them the removal of afactor that has long prevented themfrom rebelling.Recently in one African country, thedictatorial head of state died. When hisassistant took over, he pursued policiescompletely opposite to what his leaderdid. He freed all the enemies of his formerboss and set about to return the country toa democracy – something his predecessorwas opposed to. What does this mean? Itshowed that the assistant was not loyal to

the former head of state’s ideologies. Hecould not say or show it publicly whilsthis boss was alive. However, upon thedeath of his leader, his true feelings weremanifested! This is a very commonoccurrence in life.I remember when a great founder andleader of a denomination in Ghanadied. It was not long before some ofthe prominent pastors of hisdenomination separated themselves. Ialso recall when a founder of a greatdenomination in Nigeria died. It wasbut a few months before some of themost prominent ministersdisassociated themselves from thechurch. Rebellious people sense aweakening in the system by the

passing away of the leader.The unexpected death of a head of statecan cause instability in a nation where thepower is already held in delicate balance.In some countries, the head of state doesnot even have to die. All he has to do is totravel outside the country. KwameNkrumah, the first president of Ghana,was overthrown in a coup d’état when hetravelled outside Ghana for a short while.He was in Hanoi for a meeting when hewas overthrown. He was never to returnto Ghana in his lifetime.Some pastors are afraid to travel awayfrom their churches because of this.Ahab, the king of Israel, was a wicked butstrong ruler. He had the Moabites under

control. But when he died, Moab rebelledalmost immediately.And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king ofIsrael a hundred thousand lambs, and anhundred thousand rams with the wool.But it came to pass, WHEN AHABWAS DEAD, THAT THE KING OFMOAB REBELLED against the king ofIsrael.

2 Kings 3:4, 5This is a common pattern for revolts. Yousee, there are many people who are rebelsat heart but are afraid to make a move.They are watching for a sign, a change, aweakening or an opening. With littleprovocation they will separate themselves

and fight against the authorities.Are you a rebel at heart? Will your loyaltypersist even when there is an apparentweakening of the leader? Will age, sin oreven death of your leader turn you into arebel? Time will tell!

Chapter 9 The Adventures ofJulius Caesar

William Shakespeare, a famousEnglish author, often had the theme of‘loyalty and disloyalty’ in his writings.These stories bring out even more,some of the realities about loyalty anddisloyalty.

Julius CaesarIn this story, Julius Caesar was

appointed dictator to restore order tothe Republic of Rome. He wasRome’s most successful general.After returning from battle in Spain,Julius Caesar was given a rousingreception. The pomp of his receptionmade two leading senators, Caesar’sold friend Brutus, and the enviousCassius, fear that Caesar woulddeclare himself emperor. Caesarhimself did not trust some of thepeople. He saw in them the signs ofdisloyalty.Julius Caesar: Let me have menabout me that are fat;Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o’nights;

Yond’ Cassius has a LEAN ANDHUNGRY LOOK;HE THINKS TOO MUCH: SUCH MENARE DANGEROUS.Brutus abhorred the prospect ofoverthrowing the Republic of Rome.However, he reluctantly joined Cassiusand other conspirators in a plot to murderCaesar. Although Julius Caesar waswarned by his wife Calphurnia not to stepout of the house on that day, he refused tolisten. His wife spoke of graves andhorrible sights she had seen in the night.But Julius Caesar would have none of that.He said,Julius Caesar: What can be avoidedwhose end is purposed by the mighty

gods?Yet Caesar shall go forth; for thesepredictions areto the world in general as to Caesar.COWARDS DIE MANY TIMES BEFORETHEIR DEATHS;The valiant never taste of death but once.Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,it seems to me most strange that menshould fear,seeing that death, a necessary end,will come when it will come.Julius Caesar attended the senateand was brutally assassinated. JuliusCaesar did not know that his closest

aides were plotting his death. He hadseveral close friends and assistants.Everybody expects their closest friendto expose wrongdoers andconspirators. A truly loyal personwill save you by telling you what isgoing on behind your back. Whenyour closest aides fail to do this yourdemise is imminent. Your businesscould collapse. Your company couldgo bankrupt. Your factory couldregister losses. Your church couldsplit up!When the conspirators attacked JuliusCaesar, he was startled. But his greatestsurprise was when he found Brutus to bepart of the conspiracy.He said, “ET TU, BRUTE?” (You too

Brutus?)When Julius Caesar realized that Brutuswas part of the conspiracy, he knew thatall was lost. He said those famous words,which meant that it was all over. If yourassociates and trusted friends turn againstyou in ministry, your dreams of growthand expansion often end. Your vision for agreat business often ends at the feet ofdisloyal people.He said, “THEN FALL, CAESAR!”(Then it’s all over)But the story doesn’t end there! We mustnow observe the end of all rebels. Brutus,Caesar’s trusted friend, defends thisindefensible savage act to the Roman mob.However, Mark Antony is allowed to

deliver a funeral oration. His speech,which is loyal to the fallen Caesar, turnsthe hearts of the Roman public against thetreacherous murderers. You will noticehow the expected outcome of gainingpower does not materialize!Soon after this, Brutus and Cassius fledRome and raised an army. However, theyare defeated by the combined forces ofAntony and Caesar’s heir, Octavian. Theend of the story is the same for all rebelsand treacherous men. Brutus and Cassiuscommitted suicide.Dear friend, Antony chose to be loyal, hepaid the price and received the reward.Brutus, the close friend of Caesar, chosethe way of unfaithfulness and treachery.He ended up just like Judas!

Chapter 10 The Adventures ofMacBeth

We now turn our attention toShakespeare’s story of MacBeth.MacBeth was a successful warrior inthe Scottish army. He fought againstthe Norwegian army and Scottishrebels and defeated them.Unfortunately, MacBeth became aterrible traitor. Right at the beginningof this story, you can see how thestage is set for rebellion withMacBeth’s victory.Success often breeds a sense of pride. It iseasy to have an over-inflated opinion ofoneself when you are succeeding. Winning

one battle does not mean that you mustbecome the king. MacBeth had justdefeated the Scottish rebels and was verypleased with himself.Preaching well one day does not mean thatyou are supposed to be the pastor-in-charge. When people are affected by thepride of achievement, all they need is alittle push to encourage them to move outof place. This is what happened toLucifer.…thou sealest up the sum, full ofwisdom, and perfect in beauty… thouhast walked up and down in the midst ofthe stones of fire.

Ezekiel 28:12, 14Because of this Lucifer said, “I will

ascend and sit on the throne. I will replacemy Lord and King.”For thou hast said in thine heart, I willascend into heaven, I will exalt mythrone above the stars of God: I will sitalso upon the mount of thecongregation, in the sides of the north: Iwill ascend above the heights of theclouds; I will be like the most High. Yetthou shall be brought down to hell…

Isaiah 14:13-15This is also what happened to MacBeth.He met up with three witches whoprophesied that he would become theThane of Cawdor and the King ofScotland. Notice what the witches toldMacBeth.

First Witch: All hail, MacBeth! Hail tothee Thane of Glamis!Second Witch: All hail, MacBeth! Hailto thee Thane of CawdorThird Watch: All hail, MacBeth! Thatshall be king hereafterWhen one part of this prophecy happened,MacBeth was convinced that he was to bethe next King of Scotland. His wife wasoverjoyed at the prospect.When King Duncan of Scotland wasinformed about how brave MacBeth andhis associate Banquo had been, hedecided to confer on MacBeth animportant title – Thane of Cawdor. It wasthe king who personally thanked MacBethfor his bravery and then conferred on himthe title Thane of Cawdor.

The wife of MacBeth, having receivedthis revelation and its confirmation, wasexcited about the prospects of becomingQueen. She worried that her husband wastoo soft to be able to take the throne. WhenMacBeth arrived home, she encouragedhim and insisted on planning the murder ofKing Duncan.Not long after, Duncan arrived atMacBeth’s castle where he waswelcomed by Lady MacBeth. At onepoint, MacBeth wavered in his resolve tokill his king (pastor). But his wife spurredhim on. She encouraged him to be ‘a man’.Just like Jezebel, she urged her husband toget into a wrong situation. It may soundobvious, but being a murderer is not the

same as being a man.Lady MacBeth:When you durst DOIT,then you were A MAN;and, to be more than what you were,you would be so much more the manSome people are encouraged by others tobe disloyal or treacherous. Some peoplelike MacBeth have wives who yearn forposition and power. They inadvertentlycajole their husbands into doing thingsthey should never do. Some ministers arealso encouraged by church members to berebellious.I know one pastor who was given abeautiful and an expensive car toencourage him on his journey of rebellion.

As we stood by this pastor’s new car, hesaid to me, “Can this miracle be of thedevil? It only shows God’s approval ofmy actions.” He felt that God wasapproving of his disloyal activities bygiving him a car. A few years later, it wasquite evident that God had not approvedof this man’s actions.Back to our story on MacBeth! AfterMacBeth murdered the king, he returned tohis wife in a distraught and emotionalstate. He had forgotten to place the murderweapon on the king’s drugged guards.Instead, Lady MacBeth had to smear themherself with the blood and guilt. She was abold woman, initially.Lady MacBeth: Infirm of purpose

Give me the daggers.The sleeping, and the dead,are but as pictures;It is the eye of childhoodthat fears a painted devil.After this, there was a knock at the gateand a gentleman named MacDuff arrivedto wake up the king. MacDuff exchangedpleasantries with the porter beforeMacBeth arrived to escort him to theking’s chambers. It was at this point thatMacDuff discovered that the king hadbeen murdered. MacBeth then slew thetwo guards of the king to cover up hisdeed. King Duncan’s children senseddanger and slipped away to England andIreland.As is always the case, rebellion and

treachery do not bring the desired results.MacBeth was crowned king and LadyMacBeth became the queen. Yet MacBethand his wife were not happy.A fearful MacBeth did not feel secure.MacBeth hired murderers to kill his oldassociate and colleague Banquo. Hefeared that Banquo might try to become theking in order to fulfil another prophecy.Speaking of Banquo’s soul, he mused,“Banquo, if you’re going to go to heaven,you’re going to have to leave tonight.”MacBeth: Banquo, thy soul’s flight, ifit find HEAVEN it must find it outTONIGHT.When people leave churches, they oftensay bad things about their former

ministries. They do not just leave. Theyseem to have to add insult to injury. Theyseem to have a deep need to slander. Afterall, they must justify their actions. Thiscomplicates their original sin, if indeedthey committed one. Rarely have I seenpeople walk out of relationshipspeacefully. There is often a lot of slimeand venom flung around.MacBeth had a need to continue his acts oftreachery. He needed to add to the originalcrime by killing other people. Imaginethinking about your friend and saying,“Jack, if you’re going to go to heaven,you’re going to have to go tonight.”During a party, MacBeth saw the ghost ofBanquo twice. He knew the rewards ofdisloyalty were catching up with him. He

knew that he would reap what he hadsown. That is why he said blood wouldhave blood! Like Judas, he knew he wasalready condemned.MacBeth: It will have blood, they say;blood will have blood.MacBeth was distressed when he saw theghost, and only the quick thinking of hiswife saved him from blurting out his guiltat the party. She quickly asked the gueststo leave.Although MacBeth had obtained hisultimate dream, he had to keep on actingtreacherously against all and sundry. Themood of MacBeth and his wife is summedup in the words of Lady MacBeth whenshe said,

Lady MacBeth: Nought’s had, alls’spent,Where our desire is got withoutcontent:Tis safer to be that which we destroyThan by destruction dwell in doubtfuljoyMacBeth then decided to eliminate hisnext major threat, MacDuff. Onceagain, MacBeth turned to the witchesfor direction. Disloyal people are oftenmisdirected. They claim to be led bythe Spirit but in fact, they are not.Just as MacBeth was led bywitches, many disloyal pastors areactually led by demons and not theHoly Spirit. The witches gave him anambiguous prophecy about how he

would die. Meanwhile, MacDuff hadbeen able to secure an army fromEngland to fight against MacBeth.In the latter part of this tragic story, thequeen, Lady MacBeth fell ill. She began towalk and talk in her sleep. Her doctor andgentlewoman realized the implications ofthe guilty things she was saying. You see,she remembered the bloodstains of KingDuncan and it drove her crazy.There is no rebellious person in the Biblewho has enjoyed any benefits fromdisloyalty. Judas could not stand the guiltanymore than Lady MacBeth could. Listento this woman going mad. Watch herspeaking to imaginary spots of blood.Lady MacBeth: Out, damned spot!

out, I say!Yet who would have thought the oldman to have had soMuch blood in him?What! will these hands ne’er beclean?Here’s the smell of the blood still: allthe perfumes ofArabia will not sweeten this littlehand.What’s done cannot be undone. Tobed, to bed, to bed.The prodigal son must have spoken to thepigs he fed. He must have told them abouthis family back home. How he regrettedleaving home! Like Lady MacBeth, he mayhave thought, “What’s done cannot beundone.” One day MacBeth heard a

scream from the castle. He learnt sadlythat his wife had just committed suicide.Mind you, it is severely depressed peoplewho usually commit suicide.The closing chapters of this drama unfoldwhen MacDuff attacks MacBeth’s castle.MacBeth goes out fighting and meetsMacDuff. Remembering a prophecy fromthe witches that a man born of womancould not kill him, he believed he coulddefeat MacDuff. But MacDuff told himthat he was born by caesarean section. Inother words, MacDuff had not been “bornof a woman”.MacBeth was eventually killed. MacDuffthen produced the head of MacBeth forMalcolm and hailed him King of Scotland.

Is this not the end of all rebels we havestudied? MacBeth was disloyal to his kingand even murdered him. The result wasdeath for him and suicide for his wife. Thestoryline is the same; it never changes!Like an old minister once said to me, “Thedevil has no new tricks. He keeps usingthe same methods, and Christians keepfalling for them!

Chapter 11 The Three Tests ofLoyalty

But he knoweth the way that I take:when he hath tried me, I SHALLCOME FORTH AS GOLD.

Job 23:10There are many yellow metals in the

world. Which one of them is real gold? Ionce asked a jeweller in Malaysia; “Howwould I know whether my wedding ring ismade out of real gold or not?”I will neverforget what he said, “There are many tests,but the main test is to pass it through fire.”He told me, “All other metals will changecolour when subjected to fire.”He continued, “Gold is the only metalwhich will come out shining brighter. Itwill not change colour in any way.”You can never tell the false fromthe real until you subject it to atest.Many things will test the loyalty andfaithfulness of a Christian. When Idecided to pursue the ministry instead

of medicine, my commitment wastested many times. My commitment tothe church has been tested on severaloccasions. There are three mainthings that will test everyone’s loyalty:distance, time and fire. If you passthese tests, then your loyalty is real.

1. The Test of DistanceBut it is good to be zealously affectedalways in a good thing, AND NOTONLY WHEN I AM PRESENT WITHYOU.

Galatians 4:18Paul had to exhort a branch of his churchin Galatia to remain faithful even thoughhe was not physically present with them.Many people are not loyal when they are

away from the leader. Many companies donot work efficiently unless the manager isphysically present. Because of this, manybusinesses cannot expand.

Can the Boss Be Everywhere?If you are working under someone,your loyalty will be tested by distance.As they say, “out of sight, out ofmind”. It is important for you to befaithful even when your leader is awayfrom you. People who have passedthis test are the ones who are trulyfaithful. The ministry of LighthouseChapel International now spans fivecontinents: Africa, Asia, Europe, NorthAmerica and Australia. How on earthcould I be present everywhere? Theonly way for a large network to

continue expanding is for people tobe faithful whether the leader ispresent or not.In some churches, the pastor justhas to turn his head and asarcastic comment will be made.You must not only say nice thingswhen a person is present with you.You must say nice things about himeven when he is away. It is good tobe zealously affected always in agood thing and especially when yourleader is not present with you. I cantell whether people are loyal to me ornot by what they say about me when Iam not present.It is good to be zealously affectedalways in a good thing, AND NOT

ONLY WHEN I AM PRESENT WITHYOU.

Galatians 4:18My Loyal Friend

I remember someone who claimed to bemy friend. When I was with him, he wouldsay nice things like, “I am committed toyou. I have a relationship with you.” Healso said things like, “I know you areloyal to me. You and I have a goodrelationship.” However, when I was notwith this person he would say terriblethings about me. Some of the things wereso shocking that it was hard for me tobelieve!One day someone said to me, “If you everheard what this man said about you behind

your back, you would not go near him anymore!” What this person was telling mewas not strange. You see, I had heard ofalarming statements made by this manabout me. I had received so many reportsof the cruel discussions he had had aboutme. This “loyal” friend was not loyal afterall! When he was with me, he said nicethings. As soon as we parted company, hestabbed me in the back and ‘weeded out’my legs! A little distance and the uglyhead of disloyalty reared itself. He failedthe ‘distance test’ of loyalty repeatedly.Loyalty is not what you say or do when aperson is with you. It is what you do andsay when you are apart.It is good to be zealously affectedalways in a good thing, AND NOT

ONLY WHEN I AM PRESENT WITHYOU.

Galatians 4:18

2. The Test of TimeVery few people can imagine the ability oftime to test our resolve to stay loyal to ourwords.I marvel that ye are SO SOONREMOVED from him that called youinto the grace of Christ unto anothergospel:

Galatians 1:6The Apostle Paul was shocked that agroup of Christians could so quickly

change their minds and commitment.Early and Late Disloyalty

In some cases people becomedisloyal very early in the course ofevents. This is what I call earlydisloyalty. People suffering from earlydisloyalty are not able to withstandthe test of time. In other cases,people become disloyal after muchmore time has elapsed – this is latedisloyalty. Individuals who experience‘late disloyalty’ have a greater abilityto withstand the tests of time, buteventually fall away.And he said, therefore said I unto you,that no man can come unto me, exceptit were given unto him of my Father.

FROM THAT TIME MANY OF HISDISCIPLES WENT BACK, and walkedno more with him. Then said Jesus untothe twelve, Will ye also go away? ThenSimon Peter answered him, LORD, TOWHOM SHALL WE GO? thou hastthe words of eternal life. And webelieve and are sure that thou artChrist, the Son of the living God. Jesusanswered them, Have not I chosen youtwelve and one of you is a devil? Hespake of JUDAS ISCARIOT the son ofSimon: for he it was that should betrayhim, BEING ONE OF THE TWELVE.

John 6:65-71You will notice from this passage thatafter a short while in the ministry,several of the disciples deserted

camp. They left the church andrefused to be part of Jesus’ ministryanymore. From that time many of hisdisciples went back, and walked nomore with him (John 6:66). This is agood example of ‘early disloyalty’.These disciples failed the test of timevery quickly indeed.However, the twelve apostles werenot so quick to fall away. Even JudasIscariot was not moved. But Jesusknew that with the passage of moretime, Judas would betray him. That iswhy he said, “Have I not chosen youtwelve and one of you is a devil? Heknew it was just a matter of timebefore there would be some moremanifestations of disloyalty.

Can you stand the test of time? Will yoube there when everyone is gone? Howmuch longer will you last in the ministry?For how much longer will you preach thethings God told you to preach? How muchmore time has to elapse before you rebelagainst your leader? Are you going to bean early leaver, a late leaver or will youstay until the end?Decide to be a survivor! Develop stayingpower! Be faithful to the very end! Beloyal to God until your very last breath!Be loyal to your pastor and to your churchuntil the end. You will definitely receiveyour reward from God. I recommend thatyou read my book on ‘Backsliding’. It willhelp you to develop your staying power.

3. The Test of Fire

Fire represents all kinds of pressures thatwill be brought to bear against you. Thesepressures could be in the form of afinancial test. When you work in anorganisation, a transfer or an instructionyou do not like could be another test. Firecould be spiritual, social, marital orfinancial! I want to challenge every leadernot to be afraid of the fires that God willallow you to go through. It is those whocome out of the fire unscathed who aremost valuable to God.Marital difficulties, financial difficulties,hurts and offences should not make youdisloyal to your God. Fire purgesunwanted elements from our lives. Godrefines us through these experiences.

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifierof silver: and he shall purify the sons ofLevi, and purge them as gold and silver,that they may offer unto the Lord anoffering in righteousness.

Malachi 3:3God often puts the heat on hisservants in order to bring the bestout of them. When you have passedthrough the tests, you will shine andyou will become more attractive. Doyou want more people to be attractedto your ministry? Then pass the testsof fire that come your way!My brethren, count it all joy when yefall into divers temptations; Knowingthis, that the trying of your faith

worketh patience.James 1:2, 3

On many occasions, I have been subjectedto various tests. I have been subjected totests from disloyal friends and pastors. Ihave suffered mistreatment fromauthorities in high places. I have beenthrough many journeys for the Lord. I havehad several near death experiences in carsand planes. I have experienced deep hurtsfrom various unexpected sources.I am not the only one who has beentested in the ministry. God allows allChristians to be offended. He will thenobserve whether you will obey hisWord or not. Will you forgive the onewho has offended you? When you

walk in forgiveness, you attract God’smercy. Blessed are the mercifulbecause they shall receive God’smercy. If you fail the test of hurtsand offences, you exclude yourselffrom the mercy of God. Whenbitterness is in your spirit, you will nolonger receive from God and he nolonger answers your prayers.Many years ago, a minister saidsomething which I took seriously. Hesaid, “It is important to alwaysmaintain a sweet spirit!” We mustlearn to live without bitterness.When you go through the fire of financialdifficulties, please do not succumb to thepressure. Do not become a murmurer. Donot become a complainer and do not

become a thief!When you come under pressure in yourmarriage, please do not give up. Do notseparate or divorce. Fight to achievehappiness. The world is full of peoplewith failed marriages. Everyone islooking for someone who has been able tostay faithful in spite of the tests. The testsof marriage come to everyone. To survive,you need determination and a whole lot offaith. Be a survivor! I see you making it!

What Have You Survived?Someone asked me: “What have you beenthrough? What have you survived?” “Whathave you suffered?” You see, the things aperson has survived speak volumes abouthim. The credentials of survived tests are

greater than the credentials of anyeducational institution.When Paul wanted to show who he reallywas, he told the people what he had beenthrough! He told them what he hadsurvived. He showed them what he hadsuffered. The tests you pass tell a storyabout who you really are. Notice howPaul used a long list of experiences he hadsurvived to show that he was a legitimateminister.ARE THEY MINISTERS OF CHRIST?(I speak as a fool) I AM MORE; inlabours more abundant, in stripes abovemeasure, in PRISONS more frequent, inDEATHS oft. Of the Jews five timesreceived I forty STRIPES save one.Thrice was I BEATEN with rods, once

was I stoned, thrice I sufferedSHIPWRECK, a night and a day I havebeen in the deep; In JOURNEYINGSoften, in perils of waters, in perils ofROBBERS, in perils by mine owncountrymen, in perils by the heathen, inperils in the city, in perils in thewilderness, in perils in the sea, in perilsamong false brethren; In WEARINESSand PAINFULNESS, in WATCHINGSoften, in hunger and thirst, inFASTINGS often, in cold andNAKEDNESS. Beside those things thatare without, that which cometh upon medaily, the care of all the churches. Whois weak, and I am not weak? Who isoffended and I burn not?

2 Corinthians 11:23-29

Chapter 12 Six Manifestationsof Disloyalty

To manifest means “to ‘demonstrate’, to‘display’, ‘exhibit’ or to ‘show forth’”something. People show disloyalty inmany ways. In this chapter, I want us tostudy a few of the common manifestationsof disloyalty. Why do we need to look atthe manifestations of disloyalty? Becauseloyalty and disloyalty are things of theheart and things of the heart cannot easilybe seen. Like many diseases, it is bestdetected by watching out for symptoms.Let us now look for these importantsymptoms and signs of disloyalty.

1. Disobedience

The first important manifestation ofdisloyalty is disobedience. Disobedienceis an outward manifestation of a disloyalheart. Watch out for disobedient people,they are probably disloyal at heart. Goddisposed of Saul after he disobeyed him.And Samuel said, Hath the Lord asgreat delight in burnt offerings andsacrifices, as in obeying the voice of theLord? Behold, to obey is better thansacrifice, and to hearken than the fat oframs. For rebellion is as the sin ofwitchcraft, and stubbornness is asiniquity and idolatry. Because thou hastrejected the word of the Lord, he hathalso rejected thee from being king.

1 Samuel 15:22, 23

Disobedient people often have arebellious streak. It is the spirit ofrebellion that gives them the audacity todisobey.

2. ScorningBlessed is the man that walketh not inthe counsel of the ungodly, nor standethin the way of sinners, nor sitteth in theSEAT OF THE SCORNFUL.

Psalm 1:1Scorners are people who mock at you.They do not believe in you or in what youare doing. The Bible very clearly tells usthat we must not associate with scoffers.According to Psalm 1:1, we are not evensupposed to sit in the same chair with thescornful. How can somebody who does

not believe in you be your assistantpastor? How can someone who despisesyou be an associate to you?Yet, this is a situation existing in manychurches today. The scornful aresitting in the same chair with you. Canyou understand why your ministry isnot blessed? The Bible says; blessedis the man who sitteth not in the seatof the scornful. Blessed is the pastorwho does not sit next to a scornfulassistant.What must you do with a scornful person?Should you pray about the scoffers?Should you fast for a week? The answer isNO! There is a biblical remedy fordealing with scornful people.

CAST OUT THE SCORNER, andcontention shall go out; yea strife andreproach shall cease.

Proverbs 22:10According to Proverbs 22:10, the biblicalremedy for dealing with scoffers is to castthem out! In modern English, to cast outmeans: to dismiss, to expel, to eject, tobanish, to fire, to sack, to discard, tounseat or to lay off. If you are wiser thanGod, you can pray about it. If you knowmore than God, you can handle scornfulpeople in your own way. I prefer to trustthe wisdom of God. I will dismiss, expel,eject, banish, fire, sack, discard, unseatand lay off any scoffer in my set-up. Thatis the biblical way to deal with disloyalpeople!

3. InflexibilityInflexibility is a manifestation ofdisloyalty. An inflexible person isstubborn and defiant. Watch out forinflexible people in your set-up.Such people do not want to workovertime. They do not want to gobeyond what is stipulated in theircontract. They are not prepared toadapt to any new situation. They willalways point out to you that workends at 5.00 p.m.! They are unwillingto do anything extra for theorganisation. Woe to the manager ifhe asks them to do something new! Asulking face is the trademark of suchinflexible workers.

Inflexible church members are notprepared to stay on if the church servicegoes beyond the stipulated time. Aninflexible and unyielding person isdifficult to work with. He can becomedisloyal to you when things no longer suithim.Stubborn people are also not prepared totake correction when they are confronted.You will see this in the life of Saul. WhenSamuel confronted him about the war withthe Amalekites, he argued with Samuel.He was inflexible and unyielding in hisdiscussion with Saul. He insisted that hehad obeyed the Lord. The evidence of hisdisobedience was obvious and yet Saulargued with Samuel.And Samuel came to Saul: and said Saul

unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: IHAVE PERFORMED thecommandment of the Lord. And Samuelsaid, WHAT MEANETH THEN THISBLEATING of the sheep in mine ears…

1 Samuel 15:13, 14Some years ago, I had a worker whomisused some church property. Initially,he denied everything! Because of this, Icollected a lot of documentary evidence toprove that he was actuallymisappropriating the equipment and thechurch’s money.When I had gathered all the documents, Icalled for a meeting. I presented all thedocuments that showed unambiguouslythat this gentleman had disobeyed

instructions. Would you believe that inspite of the evidence in black and white,this man argued with us for three hours? Iwatched as an inflexible and unyieldingattitude was flagrantly displayed. I said tomyself, “How stubborn can a person be?”Indeed, it was only a matter of time beforethis stubborn individual became openlyrebellious. Truly, stubbornness is amanifestation of disloyalty!

4. LiesI am convinced that if demons could havetwins, then the twin of the spirit of lyingwould be the spirit of stealing. Lying andstealing always go together. Anybody wholies to you is not loyal to you. His heartcannot be with you.

Watch out for liars, they are verydangerous people! Do you know how tocatch a liar? Let me share with you a littlesecret I use. Listen to people as they speakcasually. When they jokingly tell youabout how they lied to someone and gotaway with it, take note! Since he iscapable of lying effortlessly to otherpeople, he can do the same to you.I believe that truth is an integral part ofyour character. If the belt of truth isabsent, you are exposed to demons. If Godhates a lying tongue, it must be the duty ofevery Christian, leader or manager to hatethe same thing.These six things doth the Lord hate:yea, seven are an abomination untohim: A proud look, a LYING TONGUE,

and hands that shed innocent blood,Proverbs 6:16, 17

Liars are disloyal people!5. Tale-bearing

…and he that soweth discord amongbrethren.

Proverbs 6:19There are people who have the ability tocreate stories and recreate events to suitthemselves. They can spread stories andmake things sound interesting. Have younoticed that newspapers often have tragicor scandalous events as their headlines?Bad news is sweeter to the gossips thangood news.Watch out for people who have endless

tales about others. They know every badevent that has occurred in the church. Theyare ready to give you a complete rundownon any story you request. They know thedetails and they have inside information.Watch out for such people. They sowdiscord and division within the camp.

6. RudenessAnd Moses sent to call Dathan andAbiram, the sons of Eliab: which said,WE WILL NOT COME UP...

Numbers 16:12Dathan and Abiram were openly rude toMoses. They refused to come when hecalled for them. Most people express theiranimosity behind the backs of theirsuperiors. People who lash out at you

openly with their tongues can lash out atyou in other ways.Rudeness is a manifestation of disloyalty.Watch out for it!

Chapter 13 Three Principles ofLoyalty

1. Loyalty Exposes Wrongdoers tothe LeadershipBe ye followers of me, even as I also amof Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1It is reported commonly that there isfornication among you, and suchfornication as is not so much as namedamong the Gentiles, that one should

have his father’s wife.1 Corinthians 5:1

Wrongdoers abound in every sphere oflife. Wrongdoers abound at businessplaces. When the manager is away thereare all sorts of people who do their ownthing. They steal, cheat, under-invoice andover-invoice. The list is endless. Humanbeings have a way of stealing and cheatingin almost every sphere of life. People aresent out to buy things and they return withinflated and unreal prices. If suchdishonest people are not under directsupervision, you can imagine thenumerous evils that they will carry out.

A Loyal Person Keeps an Eye onEverything!

One loyal person will keep an eye on allthese people. Once people know that thereis someone who is loyal to the boss, theywill often change their behaviour. Theyknow that that person will not withholdinformation. Such a person is worth a lotto the manager.

Loyal People Can Incur Hatred!A truly loyal person does not mind whatpeople think about him. He will exposeevery crooked activity to his superior. Heis genuinely loyal to one person – thehead. Loyalty is a sign of good character.However, a loyal person will sometimesincur the displeasure and hatred of thepeople he exposes. Remember theexample of Joseph.

These are the generations of Jacob.Joseph, being seventeen years old, wasfeeding the flock with his brethren; andthe lad was with the sons of Bilhah, andwith the sons of Zilpah, his father’swives: AND JOSEPH BROUGHTUNTO HIS FATHER THEIR EVILREPORT.

Genesis 37:2Joseph, the son of Jacob, was loyal to hisfather. He did not care what his brothersthought about him. He constantly reportedthe evil deeds of his brothers to theirfather. That is loyalty. Loyalty had itsprice – the hatred of his brothers. Loyaltyalso had its rewards. Jacob developed aspecial affinity and love for Joseph inparticular.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than allhis children…

Genesis 37:3Unfortunately, there are many managingdirectors, leaders, presidents and pastorswho do not know the value of a loyalperson. They do not reward that loyalperson for his loyalty. They treat loyalpeople as ordinary people. But Jacobvalued his loyal son. I believe in placingvalue on loyalty.…and he made him a coat of manycolours.

Genesis 37:3Jacob made a coat of many colours forJoseph. What do you do for people who

are loyal to you? We often get theimpression that Jacob loved Josephbecause he was the son of his old age.That is true! But by studying this story youwill see how the loyalty of Joseph and thedisloyalty of his brothers led to Jacob’sspecial love for Joseph.Dear leader, you will only discover yourlosses after the loyal people have left. AsI watch other pastors and generaloverseers struggle with disloyal branchpastors, I am so grateful to God for theloyal people he has given to me.You will make far more profit whenyou value a loyal person. Experienceis good. Education and qualificationsare great, but place a high premiumon fidelity. Value someone who

brings you true reports of whatgoes on behind your back.I have been a leader for some time. I knowthat people put up their best behaviourwhen they see me. Because of myposition, I see smiling faces and receivethe warmest of greetings all the time.Sometimes these cheerful and supposedlynice people have been saying bad thingsabout me. This happens to every leader.That is why I value my loyal people. Theyare to me like Joseph was to Jacob.Betrayal is a very common occurrence inthis world. It is one of the most popularthemes in the writing of books and themaking of films.Dear leader, dear pastor; do not expect

people to know how to behave. Manypeople do not know the implications oftheir actions. I have realized that manysubordinates do not know the implicationsof withholding information. It is importantto teach on the subject of loyalty. It isimportant to train people to report evil asthe family of Chloe did in 1 Corinthians1:11.Teach your followers that they will berewarded for loyalty as Joseph wasrewarded with a coat of many colours.2. Loyalty Is Not Compatible withMurmuringDo all things without murmurings anddisputings:

Philippians 2:14

Murmuring is when a person speaksabout issues in undertones. Peoplemurmur because they feel that theycannot openly voice their opinions.Someone said, “I am afraid to ask aquestion because if I do, I will bebranded as disloyal.” That is notcorrect! A loyal person is someonewho asks a lot of questions. A loyalperson is someone who finds out whathe needs to know. It is the subtlescoffing attitude with which questionsare sometimes asked that make aperson appear disloyal. But in reality,a genuine seeker of information is nota disloyal person.I encourage people to ask questions. Infact, I am more at ease with people who

ask questions and make contributions. Ifeel very uneasy with people who havenothing to say or ask. It is not possible thatyou have no questions on your mind. Godgave you a questioning and reasoningmind. Murmuring is an evil way ofspeaking.A good leader must encourage questionsand openness. Murmurers do not amountto much. They are discontented peoplewith hearts of bitterness. The murmuringis just a manifestation of deep-seatedfeelings of hatred. I do not trust murmurersand neither does God.And all the children of IsraelMURMURED against Moses andagainst Aaron: and the wholecongregation said unto them, Would

God that we had died in the land ofEgypt! or would God we had died in thiswilderness! And wherefore hath theLord brought us unto this land, to fall bythe sword, that our wives and ourchildren should be a prey? were it notbetter for us to return into Egypt? Andthey said one to another, Let us make acaptain, and let us return into Egypt.And the Lord said unto Moses, Howlong will this people provoke me? Andhow long will it be ere they believe me,for all the signs which I have shewedamong them?

Numbers 14:2-4, 11The children of Israel murmured againstMoses on several occasions. Murmuringis often a product of fear. Loyalty is not

compatible with fear. The Bible says:“fear has torment” and “perfect love castsout fear”. It is likely that the children ofIsrael were afraid of Moses because ofthe spectacular signs and wonders thatwere associated with him.There is no need to fear your leader. Beopen and honest with him. Because thechildren of Israel did not approach Mosesopenly, they resorted to murmuring andthat brought a curse upon them. Murmuringis like an evil spirit. The Bible teaches usnot to murmur as the children of Israelmurmured. Every disloyal person will bedestroyed. Disloyalty manifests itselfthrough murmuring.Neither murmur ye, as some of them

also murmured, and were destroyed ofthe destroyer.

1 Corinthians 10:10Murmuring is a spirit. If you are a leader,watch closely for people who are alwaysmumbling and whispering to each other.They speak to each other under theirbreath. When you ask them what they aretalking about they say, “Oh, nothingmuch.”Dear leaders, when people murmur, theyare usually talking about you. Murmuringis like a cancer that doesn’t go away. Youmust get rid of all the murmurers in yourgroup. It destroys the person and thosearound him. Gradually, that spirit polluteseveryone around. I can tell you very

plainly that I do not trust people whocomplain, murmur and speak under theirbreath. Notice God’s reaction tocomplaining and murmuring people.And when the people complained, itDISPLEASED the Lord: and the Lordheard it; and his ANGER was kindledand the FIRE of the Lord burnt amongthem, and CONSUMED THEM…

Numbers 11:13. Loyalty Requires a Study of HistoryIn order to be loyal to a cause you need tobe fully persuaded about the vision.Loyalty demands full persuasion. TheApostle Paul wrote to Timothy becausecertain people were criticising Paul toTimothy. In order to encourage Timothy,

Paul asked him to remember nine differentthings about his (Paul’s) life and ministry.Paul made this personal reference becauseit had become necessary to reassureTimothy.But thou hast fully known my doctrine,manner of life, purpose, faith,longsuffering, charity, patience,Persecutions, afflictions, which cameunto me at Antioch, at Iconium, atLystra; what persecutions I endured:but out of them all the Lord deliveredme.

2 Timothy 3:10, 11Before you can fully believe in a vision,you must study the doctrine, the lifestyle,the purpose and the faith of the people

concerned. Paul reminded Timothy of hislongsuffering, charity, patience,persecutions and afflictions. It isimportant to know about the problemssomeone has had in the past. Why did theperson have those difficulties? Was he atfault? Did he do something wrong? Washe persecuted out of jealousy? Are thestories about him true or false?Some people have had persecutionsbecause of sins and mistakes they havemade. Others have had problems becausethey were doing the right thing.Before you join a new church or ministry,it is important to delve into the historicalbackground of that ministry. Many peoplefollow false religions without studying thehistory of that group. If they were to study

the history of their leaders, they wouldnever support or believe in them. Ifhowever you were to study the life ofJesus Christ, you would discover that hewas a noble and righteous man. He wastruly without blemish. However, the samecannot be said about some other people.Jesus was murdered on the cross notbecause he had siphoned away a nation’swealth, but because he was paying for thesins of the world.Even though our Lord Jesus suffered ahumiliating death on the cross, it was notbecause he had done anything wrong.Jesus Christ never raided and lootedtowns. Jesus Christ did not marry tendifferent women. Jesus Christ did notmarry children. Yet he suffered many

things and was murdered by the people ofhis day.When Peter preached that famous sermonabout the name of Jesus, he told thePharisees, “I know you. You killedJesus.” He knew the history of the town.He knew why and how Jesus died.Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost,said unto them, Ye rulers of the people,and elders of Israel, If we this day beexamined of the good deed done to theimpotent man, by what means he ismade whole;Be it known unto you all,and to all the people of Israel, that bythe name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,whom ye crucified, whom God raisedfrom the dead, even by him doth thisman stand here before you whole.

Acts 4:8-10Instead of rushing to believe in somethingwithout fully understanding it, delve intoits historical background.

Elisha Knew the History!When Elisha began his ministry, he wascalled upon to minister to the king. WasElisha supposed to flow with thisbackslidden king or not? Was he supposedto cooperate with this secular leader?There seemed to be no apparent reasonwhy not! Elisha had had no previousinteraction with this king. He was a newprophet and the king was also newlyappointed.But Elisha said something that showed hewas fully aware of all that had gone on in

the past. He told king Jehoram, “If it wasnot because I respected King JehoshaphatI would not even lift up my head in yourdirection.” He went on to say, “If my eyeswere even to fall in your direction, Iwould not see you.” This is a very strongstatement to make to a king.And Elisha said unto the king of Israel,What have I to do with thee? GETTHEE TO THE PROPHETS OF THYFATHER, AND TO THE PROPHETSOF THY MOTHER. And the king ofIsrael said unto him, Nay: for the Lordhath called these three kings together,to deliver them into the hand of Moab.And Elisha said, As the Lord of hostsliveth, before whom I stand, surely,were it not that I regard the

presence of Jehoshaphat the kingof Judah, I would not look towardthee, nor see thee.

2 Kings 3:13, 14Elisha was being very uncooperativebecause of the historical background ofthe king. This king was the person whosefather had hunted down his ‘father’,Elijah. He had hunted him down like ananimal. Ahab had served other gods andworshipped idols. Because Elisha was astudent of church history, he knew that hecould not flow with such a person. He toldthe king to seek help from his father’sprophets!Loyalty demands full persuasion in allareas. When I studied the background and

the history of Christianity and JesusChrist, I became more convinced about thefaith that I had found. Indeed, a generalstudy of history will help you greatly todevelop loyalty in the right direction.

Chapter 14 The Loyalty ofChrist

Many of us do not realise how loyalJesus was to his Father in Heaven. Heexhibited this many times. He mademany statements that teach us greattruths about loyalty. In this chapter, Iwant us to learn the principles offidelity, loyalty and faithfulness directlyfrom Jesus Christ.Perhaps all that you know about Jesus are

the miracles that he performed. But Jesusis the express image of God and if wewant to learn anything about God, all wehave to do is to look at Christ.Who being the brightness of his glory,and the express image of his person…

Hebrews 1:3The best teacher of loyalty is Jesus ChristHimself. He was loyal to his father and tohis father’s vision. He never deviatedfrom his line of duty. He was loyal evenwhen it cost Him his life on the cross.Christ is the person you must emulate.Why do people call us Christians?Because we are supposed to be Christ-like.As you read this chapter, decide to

emulate these characteristics of Christ-like loyalty. Be the person that isdescribed in the next few pages. Be adevoted and loyal person.

Eleven Christ-Like Characteristics

A Person Who OpenlyAcknowledges His FatherTherefore the Jews sought to kill him,because he not only broken the sabbath,but SAID ALSO THAT GOD WAS HISFATHER, making himself equal withGod.

John 5:18Some people do not want anyone to knowabout their origins. If you follow meclosely, you will know where I came from

and how I was trained in the ministry. I amnot self-made. I have been influencedgreatly by many people.A loyal person openly speaks of hisfather. He is not ashamed to say whom hehas followed. He is not ashamed to saywhose messages have inspired him. Jesusopenly spoke about His father. He alwaysexplained that he had been sent. His proofthat He had been sent lay in the fact thatHe did the same things that His father did.A loyal person takes pride in the fact thathe has a superior.…the same works that I do, bearwitness of me, THAT THE FATHERHATH SENT ME.

John 5:36

He spoke so much about his father that itannoyed some people.Therefore the Jews sought the more tokill him…

John 5:18I have noticed that certain ministers refuseto speak of their relationship with theirseniors. Watch such people because theyare not manifesting Christ-like qualities. Itis Lucifer who forgot that he was createdand appointed. If you have to be remindedabout your origins you have a problem.Thou art the anointed cherub thatcovereth; and I HAVE SET THEESO…

Ezekiel 28:14

Someone who does not acknowledgeopenly and freely where he is from isusually not a grateful person. Such aperson usually has a hidden agenda.Perhaps he is after greatness for himself.

A Person Who Follows HisSuperior’s Example at WorkA loyal subordinate will continue workingas long as his superior is working. I havemany loyal assistants. Hardly would theygo home if I were still around working.Jesus said, “My father is working andbecause of that I am going to stay aroundand work.”But Jesus answered them, MYFATHER WORKETH hitherto, AND IWORK.

John 5:17Dear assistant, how can you sleep whenyour father is working? A good leader isoften the last one to leave. As they say,“The captain is the last one to leave theship.” A good assistant stays with hiscaptain until the end.Watch out for those who have no timeor energy for extra work. Watch outfor those who see the leader’s hardworking attitude as a vexation thatmakes everyone weary! How canyou think that your father is doingunnecessary things? Jesus said, “Myfather is working and therefore, I mustwork.” Do not think that you are beingover-worked. Have the attitude ofJesus.

A Person Who Does OnlyWhat He Sees His LeaderDoingThen answered Jesus and said untothem, Verily verily I say unto you, theson can do nothing of himself BUTWHAT HE SEETH THE FATHERDO…

John 5:19When you are assisting your father, thereare many things you can do. You can dowhat you think is right or you can do whatyou see your father do. Let us choose tolearn from Jesus. He only did what he sawhis father doing. He was loyal to Hisfather and to His father’s ideals. He

preached what His father would havepreached and He did what His fatherwould have done.Jesus, Why Don’t You Heal Everyone?One day, Jesus did something mysterious.He went into a hospital where there was amultitude of sick people, yet he healedonly one person and left the others to theirfate.… And Jesus went up toJerusalem. Now there is aJerusalem by the sheep market apool, which is called in the Hebrewtongue Bethesda, having fiveporches. In these lay A GREATMULTITUDE OF IMPOTENT FOLK,of blind, halt, withered, waiting for

the moving of the water. …And acertain man was there, which hadan infirmity thirty and eight years…Jesus saith unto him, rise take upthy bed, and walk… And he thatwas healed wist not who it was: forJESUS HAD CONVEYED HIMSELFAWAY, a multitude being in thatplace.

John 5:1-3, 5,8,13Later when He was questioned about whatHe had done, He explained; “I only dowhat my father does.” Jesus saw Hisfather healing only one person and that iswhat He did. He ministered to only oneperson! After ministering to one person,He conveyed Himself away. He didn’tbother to pray for anyone else. It probably

wouldn’t have worked anyway!No Power!

One day at a programme, I decided to prayfor everyone present. As I prayed for thepeople, I felt the power of God wasabsent. I prayed quietly to myself andsaid, “Oh Lord, where are you?” Then theHoly Spirit spoke to my spirit and said,“Who asked you to pray for everyone?”Suddenly, I knew I was doing the wrongthing. I was on my own trying to pray foreveryone. God wanted me to pray forsome people and not for everyone.You see, with our natural mind, we woulddo things in a particular way. But Jesuswanted to do only what his father wasdoing. With my natural mind, I expected

that Jesus would heal every single sickperson he came into contact with. Iexpected that he would empty hospitalsand heal everyone. But that is not what Hedid in John chapter five.Every servant can choose to do his ownthing. Are you a loyal minister of Christ?Are you doing what you want to do or areyou doing what he is doing? There aremany nice things that you can be involvedin, but are they the will of God?Perhaps everybody is opening a school,but is that what the Lord is doing? Perhapseveryone is travelling around ministering,is that what the Lord is doing?Years ago I had several opportunities tominister in different churches in the world.

At that time, the Lord was leading me tostay within the Lighthouse network. I didwhat I saw my father doing. This hasresulted in several large Lighthousechurches all over the world. Is everyonebreaking away and becoming a rebel? Donot follow the crowd. Do what you seeyour father doing. Is your father a rebel? Isyour father breaking away?If you want to succeed in ministry,learn to do exactly what your leader isdoing. You will grow faster whenyou emulate your leader exactly.Do you want to progress faster inministry? Life is too short for you notto learn from your fathers. Jesus didexactly what he had seen his fatherdo and he was a successful minister.

Many of my pastors preach what Ipreach and teach what I teach. Theyrun the programs in their churches inthe way they see me do it.

Don’t Be a Hero!I have noticed something! My “children”in the Lord, who follow me closely and dowhat they see me do, make greater stridesin ministry. Those who experiment andplay around with unproven methods oftentake much longer to advance in ministry. Iwant to say it again! Don’t be a hero!Your life is too short for you to playaround with it. Your life is too short to usepart of it to discover things that havealready been discovered.It is time for you to move quickly in

ministry. The fields are white untoharvest. Do what you see your father inministry do. Follow him closely. Avoidhis mistakes and learn all you can fromhim. A loyal person takes pride in the factthat he is able to do exactly what his fatherdoes.…THE SAME WORKS THAT I DO,BEAR WITNESS OF ME, that thefather hath sent me.

John 5:36The loyalty of Christ to his father’smethods paid off. Jesus was the ultimateminister. Learn his secrets and you will begreat in the ministry.

A Person Who Does Not Seek

His Own Will, but the Will ofHis LeaderI can of mine own self do nothing: as Ihear, I judge: and my judgment is just;because I SEEK NOT MINE OWNWILL, BUT THE WILL OF THEFATHER which hath sent me.

John 5:30What a blessing it is to have an assistantwho is not seeking his own will. I oncehad a pastor who joined my team with hisown vision. He was not seeking toaccomplish my vision. His aim was toaccomplish his dream. Jesus said veryclearly, “I seek not my own will, but thewill of Him who sent me.”

Let me ask you today, “Who sent you?Whose vision are you following?” Whenthere are two or more visions within oneteam, you have a di-vision. When there isdivision there is a lot of pain and hurt.Even if your small toe were to separatefrom your body you would experience alot of pain and you would not be able tosleep.I had a pastor who decided to use me as astepping-stone to his ministry. I had noidea that this young man was using me toaccomplish his vision. I thought he washelping me to accomplish my vision. Heused me to gain visibility and wasintroduced as a minister. His secret planwas to leave us after some years. Indeed,some years after he joined, he pushed

through with his vision and separatedhimself in a very painful move. We weretaken aback! But this is what happenswhen there are assistants with their ownhidden agenda and programs.Develop the loyalty of Christ. He saidvery clearly, “I seek not my own will, butthe will of my father which hath sent me.”If you have been sent to begin a church inanother country or locality, decide toaccomplish the will of those who sent you.

A Person Who Does Not BearWitness of HimselfIF I BEAR WITNESS OF MYSELF,MY WITNESS IS NOT TRUE. There isanother that beareth witness of me; andI know that the witness which he

witnesseth of me is true.John 5:31, 32

When you bear witness of yourself, youpromote and exalt yourself. Jesus did noneof these. He exalted His father and spokeconstantly of where He derived Hisauthority. That is the loyalty of Christ. Aperson who exalts and promotes himself isnot sent from God. Are you a loyalperson? There is no need to elevateyourself beyond your current position. TheLord who sent you will do that for you.There are pastors whose best sermons areabout themselves and what they haveachieved. If you are a prophet, there is noneed to exalt yourself. God has a way ofexalting people He has called.

How can ye believe, which receivehonour one of another, and seek not thehonour that cometh from God only?

John 5:44There is no need to be a pushy or forwardminister. There is no need to inviteyourself everywhere, claiming you want tobe a blessing to others. Allow God to liftyou up Himself.

A Person Who Does NotAllow the Words of Men toInfluence HimBut I receive not testimony from man…

John 5:34A leader must be very careful about what

men say to him. Human beings are fickleand can misdirect you. They will tell youthat you are an apostle, prophet orevangelist. They will say to you, “Do notsubmit yourself to any man. You can do ityourself.”Others will say to you, “You can alsowrite books. He is not the only one who isanointed.” Assistants, watch out! Theywill tell you, “I prefer it when you preach.I wish you were given more opportunitiesto minister.”

You Can Break Away!A senior minister once told my associate,“Do not see yourself as an assistant. Youare a great man of God. God has calledyou to do great things.” He continued,

“Can you not see that anytime there istrouble in the church, you are the one whois sent to put out the fires?” “You canmove out on your own and you will begreat in ministry”. My associate was takenaback because this advice was comingfrom a senior minister. Moreover, this‘advisor’ happened to be a friend of mine.My pastor was not taken in by thistreacherous suggestion. My associate toldme later, “I decided never to interact withthis minister again.” He had concluded tohimself: “this is a very dangerous person.”Many people listen to this kind of adviceand embark on a wild goose chase.Understand that your credentials do notcome by what men say about you. Men caneasily misdirect you in the ministry.

I RECEIVE NOT HONOUR FROMMEN. But I know you, that ye have notthe love of God in you.

John 5:41, 42Jesus was careful not to receivedirection from human beings. He tookinspiration directly from the Father.When people criticize you,remember that it is what God saysthat matters.Years ago when some people calledme “Jim Jones”, I could not believemy ears. They derided and denigratedme. To denigrate means: to blackenthe reputation of someone. I havebeen blackened many times! I havebeen blackened by friends! I have

been blackened by pastors! I havebeen blackened by neighbours!However, I am still around! This isbecause my promotion does not andwill not come from these people. Itcomes from the Lord!The promotion I have received in theministry is not from men. Some men havemostly said negative things about me. Itmust be painful for these same men towatch as the Lord slowly but surely liftsme up.…Thou preparest a table before me inthe presence of mine enemies…

Psalm 23:5The loyalty of Christ will pay off in theend.

A Loyal Person Does NotSeek to Impress PeopleHow can ye believe, WHICH RECEIVEHONOUR ONE OF ANOTHER, andseek not the honour that cometh fromGod only?

John 5:44A loyal person does not try to impressothers. One dangerous trait for leaders tohave is a desire to impress people. Paulsaid that he had overcome the need toimpress or please anybody.For do I now persuade men, or God? ordo I seek to please men? for if I yetpleased men, I should not be the servantof Christ.

Galatians 1:10Why is this character trait adangerous thing? Because you cannotplease everyone, you will end uphurting some and pleasing the others.Ministers who cannot take harddecisions because they want tomake everybody happy, end updestroying their own churches.Years ago I had an assistant who was avery nice person. I liked him very muchand so did many others. I still like himbecause he is a nice person. He was niceto be with and he chatted freely with allthe members of the church. The membersgravitated to him naturally although hewas my assistant.

Soon, external ministers who were notpart of our church knew him. With theprocess of time, some of these externalministers began to be inimical towards myministry. This pleasant brother tried tobalance his loyalties between myself andthe external ministers. Mind you, he nevershowed any outward signs of ill will. Hewas a nice person through and through.However, you cannot please everyone!There comes a time when you must standup for your conviction. A time came whenI realised that his heart was not with me.He could not please those other ministersand me. A time came when we had to goour separate ways. You are not safe with aleader who tries to impress everyone.

A Loyal Person Seeks Only

the Approval of His LeaderThere is another that BEARETHWITNESS OF ME; and I know that thewitness which he witnesseth of me istrue.

John 5:32A loyal person knows that it is what hisfather says that really matters. Men maydisapprove of you, but with God’sapproval, you are going places. Everyminister must realize that it is God whoopens certain doors and closes others.Seek the approval of the one who reallymatters.Human beings may rant and rave aboutyou. They may say all sorts of evil things,but if you have the approval of your father,

man, you are covered.

A Loyal Person ConstantlyHears the Voice of HisMaster…YE HAVE NEITHER HEARD HISVOICE at any time, nor seen his shape.And ye have not his word abiding inyou…

John 5:37, 38Jesus heard the voice of His father; Hewas constantly in touch with His father.Loyalty is greatly helped bycommunication. A person often becomesdisloyal when he stays out of touch for along time.I encourage my pastors to stay in touch all

the time. Those who listen to tapes andhear the voice of their leader are moreprone to be faithful. Those who read thebooks, listen to the tapes and watch thevideos are in constant fellowship withtheir father.Distance, separation and a lack ofcommunication have a way of breaking upfriendships. That is why mostdenominations have yearly meetings andgatherings of all sorts.If you want to encourage loyalty within asystem you are creating, increase thenumber of gatherings that you have.A Loyal Person Loves His Leader andLoves the LordBut I know you, that YE HAVE NOT

THE LOVE OF GOD in you.John 5:42

Love never fails. When there is genuinelove within an association, church orgroup, there is a bond which is difficult tobreak. Things are kept together by bondsand linkages. Do you want a bond that isstronger than super glue? Try love! Loveis as strong as death. It is a bond thatcannot be easily broken.… Put on charity (love), which isthe BOND OF PERFECTNESS.

Colossians 3:14Let me ask you a question, “Do you loveyour head?” If you do, then it is likely thatyou will be faithful to him. I would preferto work with people who love me rather

than those who are with me because ofwhat they can get from me. That is why Iprefer to have an office which is more of afamily than a business.

A Loyal Person Flows withLoyal PeopleFor HAD YE BELIEVED MOSES, YEWOULD HAVE BELIEVED ME: forhe wrote of me.

John 5:46Christ ‘flowed’ with Moses. He spokeabout Moses. He read Moses’ books.Note that Moses was one of God’s faithfulservants. Jesus told the crowds that theydid not believe in Moses or his teachings.A loyal person associates with loyal

people. A loyal person believes in theteachings of other faithful people. Hisfriends are good people. As they say,“Birds of a feather flock together.”Jesus’ ministry was in line with theteaching of Moses, one of God’s mostfaithful and loyal servants. Who are yourfriends? Whose teachings do you flowwith? Are you always siding with rebelsand wrongdoers?If you want to know if someone is loyal,take a good look at his friends

Chapter 15 The Loyalty of theFather

This chapter could also be entitled,How to Be a Loyal Senior Pastor or

How to Be a Loyal Chief Executive.You must realize that Jesus was sentto the Earth as an emissary of theFather. His duty was to present theviews of our heavenly Father to thisworld. He was supposed to leteveryone know what the Father waslike.Many people do not know what God islike. By knowing Jesus they get to knowwhat the Creator of Heaven and Earth isreally like. Jesus could havemisrepresented the Father, but He did not.The Father (who represents the sendingorganization) could have failed Jesuswhen He was on this earth. But AlmightyGod was loyal to the one He had sent.Many senior pastors are not loyal to their

followers. As I have observed thebehaviour of certain senior leaders,bishops, managing directors, etc.; I haveoften said to myself, “I could never workin such an environment.” Some seniorpastors are so inconsistent andunconcerned about the welfare and futureof their subordinates that it would beunwise to follow such people.If you want to have a stable following, youmust decide to develop a pattern of loyaltytowards those who support you.In this chapter, I want us to see how ourheavenly Father demonstrated his loyaltyto Jesus Christ whom He had sent into thisworld. The loyalty of the Fatherdemonstrates the type of person every

manager or senior pastor needs to be.Six Characteristics of a Loyal Senior

Minister1. A leader who worksBut Jesus answered them, MYFATHER WORKETH HITHERTO,AND I WORK.

John 5:17There are some leaders who do not work;they just give orders and go to sleep. Jesuswas under the authority of His Father andhe spoke of His Father and said, “MyFather works and I also work.”Do not just enjoy the privileges ofleaders. People love to work whenthey see their leader working. The

sight of their leader working givesthem much inspiration. Do you want tomotivate your workers and followers?Let them know that you work evenharder than they do!2. A leader who is seenThen answered Jesus and said untothem, Verily, verily, I say unto you, TheSon can do nothing of himself, butWHAT HE SEETH THE FATHERDO: for what things soever he doeth,these also doeth the Son likewise.

John 5:19Everybody wants to follow someone theycan see. There is a style of leadership inwhich the boss is more of a PrimeMinister than anything else. If the senior

pastor is more of a Prime Minister than apastor, he is seen very occasionally. Hecomes in with high security and does nottalk to the common man. He is whisked inand whisked out! But our heavenly Fatheris not somebody that Jesus could not see.Jesus could see all that his Father wasdoing and follow Him easily.When David came on the scene, he wonthe hearts of the Israelites. He was ayoung man and a good warrior. But hewon the hearts of the Israelites because hewas more visible than Saul. The peoplecould see their leader and they werehappy with him.But all Israel and Judah loved David,because he went out and came in beforethem.

1 Samuel 18:16People are more loyal to people they seethan to people they cannot see. That iswhy members of churches tend to be moreloyal to their resident pastor whom theysee every day, than to the general overseerwhom they rarely see.3. A leader who loves his subordinatesFor the Father LOVETH the son…

John 5:20aThe Father loved the one He had sent.Be a leader who loves his followers.Many leaders do not care about thepeople they lead. When the peopleyou lead are sure that you lovethem, they will be willing to doalmost anything for you. Loyalty is

deeper than what you see on theoutside. It goes beyond giving ordersthat are obeyed! Loyalty is of theheart. When you can win the hearts ofthe people and convince them that youcare for them, they will be loyal toyou. This is exactly what Absalom did.Absalom, although an evil person, used aprinciple that works for everyone. Heused the principle of showing love to thepeople in order to gain their loyalties.Love is a seed. If you sow it, you willreap it!I want you to notice how Absalom wonthe hearts and loyalties of the people ofIsrael.And Absalom rose up early, and stood

beside the way of the gate: and it wasso, that when any man that had acontroversy came to the king forjudgment, then Absalom called untohim, and said, Of what city art thou?And he said, Thy servant is of one ofthe tribes of Israel. And Absalom saidunto him, See, thy matters are good andright; but there is no man deputed ofthe king to hear thee. Absalom saidmoreover, Oh that I were made judgein the land, that every man which hathany suit or cause might come unto me,and I would do him justice!

2 Samuel 15:2-4Absalom asked people about theirproblems. If you are a good leader,you will be interested in people’s

personal problems. It helps to wintheir hearts. People turn their loyaltiestowards a leader who shows genuinecare and concern for their well-being.When Jesus said, “the Father loveththe Son”, He was giving us a greatrevelation about how to treat thosewho work for us.Absalom came from the outside and wonthe hearts of the people from David, theking. Absalom showed that he wanted tohelp the people.…Oh that I were made judge in theland…

2 Samuel 15:4Absalom said he wanted a chance tobe judge. His message was simple;

“Oh, if only I had a chance to help.”Gradually, the hearts of the peoplewere drawn to Absalom. If you arethe senior pastor of the church,you must draw the hearts of thepeople to yourself so that they willbe loyal to you. Show them that youcare. Show them that you areinterested.You must not allow their hearts to be‘stolen’ by any one. You must do thisif you want to keep your church in onepiece. Do not allow a rebelliousassistant to sit at the gate of yourchurch or company. Do not allow arebellious worker to have access tothe sheep that God has given you.If their hearts are with the assistant,

you have a dangerous situation onyour hands. One day, when theassistant decides to leave, he willmove away with a large section ofyour people.And on this manner did Absalom unto allIsrael that came to the king forjudgment: so ABSALOM STOLE THEHEARTS of the men of Israel.

2 Samuel 15:64. A leader who is open to hissubordinatesFor the Father loveth the son, andsheweth him all things that himselfdoeth…

John 5:20

When Jesus was on earth, He knew thatHe could trust His heavenly Fatherabsolutely. This was because His Fatherhad shown Him all that He was doing. Ihave discovered that openness breedsloyalty. I have always endeavoured to beopen to those I lead so that they can trustme. Some ministers are mysteriouslyprosperous. When you ask them, “Howdid you come by this house or car?” Theywill answer; “It is the blessing of theLord.” They will continue, “God has madea way where there was no way.”We thank God for His blessings and forgiving you more than you carry. But inpractical terms, how did you come by thethings you have? What is the channel orvessel that God used to promote you?

When people know the source of yourblessings they are more relaxed in yourpresence. When they feel that you are notcheating anyone, they tend to be moreloyal.That is why the Father showed the LordJesus everything He was doing. Jesusknew what His future was. Jesus knewthat His present suffering was for aseason. He knew that He had a goodFather who had His best interests at heart.He was prepared to do anything and to goanywhere to please His Father.Wouldn’t you like to havesubordinates with that sort ofattitude? How many workers wouldbe prepared to die for theirbosses? Yet, Jesus died on the

cross because His ‘boss’ wanted Himto! Jesus described His death on thecross as the cup that his ‘boss’ hadgiven Him to drink. He described Hissacrifice as a drink. How manyemployees describe their hard workas a drink?Then said Jesus unto Peter… THECUP WHICH MY FATHER HATHGIVEN ME, SHALL I NOT DRINKIT?

John 18:11Many ordinary African citizens have verylittle confidence in the leadership of theircountries. We all know that many thingsare hidden. We know that millions ofdollars are probably being stashed away

by the leaders of African countries.Openness Generates Trust!

In the history of Ghana you will discoverthat corruption was revealed only after theleaders were removed. Recently, when aHead of State in Africa died, a billiondollars of petty cash was discovered inhis home. I was personally taken aback! Ihad mistakenly thought that this man couldbe trusted. Confidence in the leadership isvery low when everything is shrouded insecret. We realize that we will only knoweverything after the removal of dictators.The salary and benefits of the Americanpresident for the rest of his life are publicknowledge. Why is this? To generateconfidence in the government.

Mistrust Leads to SeparationWhen people feel that they are not trusted,they begin to separate themselves. Theyfeel hurt and rejected. “Why should I stayaround if I’m not trusted?” They say tothemselves.A good leader must not do things thatmake his followers or subordinates feellike they are not trusted. It is a sure seedthat can lead to disloyalty. Those who arenot involved in sensitive areas, such asmoney, should not feel that they are beingexcluded because of mistrust. They mustbe made to understand that everyone has aschedule and it happens that their scheduledoes not involve financial things!For the Father loveth him and showeth him

all things!5. A leader who gives publiccommendation of his followersAnd the Father himself which hath sentme, HATH BORNE WITNESS OFME…

John 5:37A good manager is someone whogives public approval of his workers.Praise people in public and correctthem in private. A good leaderknows that praising his subordinatesis not going to weaken his position. Itis a good thing to show publicapproval for your subordinates. Itbreeds a spirit of confidence andloyalty. Jesus often said that His

Father had testified of Him in public.The Father did many public things thatdemonstrated his approval of Jesus.Many bishops, head pastors and generaloverseers do not want to publicly approveof their juniors. It just does not occur tosome people to recommend their workers.Some feel that it is unnecessary. Othersare insecure and so do not do it. I oftenwonder why some people who like to bepraised and encouraged refuse to praiseand encourage others.One day, Jesus raised Lazarus fromthe dead. The prayer that the LordJesus prayed at the cemetery wasvery revealing. He did not pray foranointing or power to raise the dead.He had to explain to his Father why

He was even praying at the tomb site.He told His father, “I know that youalways hear my prayers. It is becauseof the people around that I ampraying. I want them to know how youapprove of me.”Then they took away the stone from theplace where the dead was laid. AndJesus lifted up his eyes, and said,Father, I thank thee that thou hastheard me. And I knew that thou hearestme always: but because of the peoplewhich stand by I said it, THAT THEYMAY BELIEVE THAT THOU HASSENT ME.

John 11:41, 42A leader who constantly disgraces his

subordinates in public will not have manyloyal followers. No one is perfect! I havecorrected many of my subordinates inministry. But I always do it in private.You would never know about thediscussions that have gone on behindclosed doors. It does not concern youanyway. How can a leader haveconfidence if he is constantly rebuked infront of those he leads?6. A leader who trusts the judgment anddecisions of his subordinatesFor the Father judgeth no man, butHATH COMMITTED ALLJUDGMENT UNTO THE SON:

John 5:22The Father, once again exemplifies great

leadership as He demonstrates trust in Hismessenger. Jesus was sent to this earth asa messenger of the Father. Jesus wasgiven a lot of responsibility. He wastrusted with decisions. He was trustedwith the judgment of this Earth. He had alarge amount of independence committedto Him. This is a mystery, because inanother breath Jesus said, “I can of myown self do nothing: as I hear, I judge.”(John 5:30) Even though Jesus had beengiven a large amount of latitude in whichto operate, He had decided to depend onthe decisions and judgments His Fatherwould make.A good leader can generate loyalty inpeople by giving them a freehand inmany of the decisions that affect their

own lives. The Lord showed this tome many years ago and I haveimplemented it with great success. Iknow that people become moreloyal when they are involved in thedecision-making process. It givesthem power, freedom andindependence. These are things thatevery human being needs!Long ago, I decentralised the decisionsabout salaries and benefits for the fewemployees we have. Almost everybodywho is employed in my set-up is involvedin determining his or her own conditionsof service. I prefer to invite people to the“soup pot” and ask them to dishthemselves. If they take out all the meat,there will be none left for all of us and we

will all starve.I often tell the different boards who takethese decisions, “Just make sure you don’tkill the chicken which lays the eggs.” Iremind them, “If you kill the chickenwhich lays our eggs, we will all starve inthe future.”Once people have a mature mind as theyapproach the “soup pot”, they take soundand rational decisions. Most of the time, Idon’t even know what people are paid intheir different regions. For all you know,they may earn more than I do. I trust themto be sensible. Of course, there aresupervisory checks and balances in place.But people know that they have beentrusted with the judgment. When peoplerealize that they have been entrusted with

high responsibility, they often matureovernight.Jesus said that the Father hadcommitted all judgment to the Son.Allow people to use their brains. Donot assume that you are the only wiseperson who can take decisions. Afterall, as someone said, “You are notalways right!” Do not be afraid to trustpeople. Sow a seed of trust andyou will reap more trust. Learn fromyour heavenly Father today. Be afollower of Almighty God.Be ye therefore followers of God, asdear children.

Ephesians 5:1

Chapter 16 Seven Methods for

Dealing with DisloyaltyEvery manager, businessperson andpastor must learn seven importantmethods to deal with all forms ofdisloyalty.

1. The Teaching MethodThis method involves teaching the Wordof God regularly. This method is apreventive process that every wiseminister or leader should adopt. There aretwo ways to manage an organisation:crisis management or preventivemanagement.In crisis management, you move fromone crisis to another, solving theissues as they come up. In preventive

management you constantly teach andimmunize the people against theproblem you are trying to avoid.I would suggest to you that your church orbusiness should adopt the preventive styleof management. Those who have a crisismanagement style are often stressed outand never able to do the things they haveto in order to take their business or churchforward.Teaching your people constantly isa sure way of preventing a wholearray of problems. This is why I holdShepherds’ (leaders) Camps andCongresses. This is why I constantlyhave meetings with our pastors andleaders.

The main thing that teaching does is tofight against deception. It is only peoplewho are deceived who go in the way ofAbsalom or Lucifer. Lucifer was deceivedand is the father of deception. Luciferthought that he could replace God. Hesaid, “I will ascend and be like the MostHigh.” There must be a strong deceptionfor a created being to think of displacingthe Almighty God.The Bible calls the devil “that old serpentwho deceives the whole world”. Ifsomeone can deceive the whole world,then believe me he must be very good atit! That is why the teaching method ofdealing with disloyalty is very important.And the great dragon was cast out,THAT OLD SERPENT, CALLED THE

DEVIL, and Satan, which DECEIVETHTHE WHOLE WORLD: he was castout into the earth, and his angels werecast out with him.

Revelation 12:9Many countries have adopted preventivemedicine (primary health care) as themainstay of their medical programmes. Ithas become evident that it is easier toprevent diseases than to fight them oncethey are established.It is easier to prevent disloyalty byteaching than to clean up after an‘Absalom’ has passed through the church.The situation created by a ‘Judas’ is somessy that you would be better offpreventing it.

2. The Nicolaitan MethodBut this thou hast, that thou hateth thedeeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I alsohate.

Revelation 2:6In this method, the church together with itsleadership develops a hatred and aversionfor disloyalty and disloyal people. TheNicolaitanes were hated by the EphesianChurch and God recommended them forthat!When people are taught about Judas,Absalom, Ahitophel and so on, theygradually develop a hatred for any form ofdisloyalty. They are quick to pick it upand reject it.One brother told a friend in the church, “I

want to tell you something in confidence.You know Pastor is really annoying me.”He continued, “I know that the series hehis preaching is directed against me.” Hewent on, “I am very angry with him.” Thebrother he was talking to replied, “What iswrong with you? Are you out of yourmind? Why are you talking like this? I amgoing to tell Pastor what you said.” Theangry brother was taken aback. He said,“This loyalty thing has also affected you.”Indeed the loyalty “thing” had affected thisbrother. He immediately reported theseunacceptable comments to the pastor.Soon that fire was quenched.This is the Nicolaitan method – whereeveryone has a hatred for rebellion andany form of disloyalty.

3. The North Wind MethodThe NORTH WIND driveth away rain:so doth an angry countenance abackbiting tongue.

Proverbs 25:23This scripture teaches us that an angryfacial expression can drive awaydisloyalty. You see, complainers,murmurers and slanderers are looking forsomeone to talk to. If you give them thechance, they will sit you down and poisonyou thoroughly. What every leader mustrealize is that these people must not begiven a chance to even speak in our midst.Some people’s words are like cancer.They poison the whole system and have apotential for polluting many people.

Would you smile at the sight of a viper inyour sitting room? What facial expressionwould come up if you saw a rattlesnake inyour bathtub? Certainly not a smile! I amsure you would have no welcoming facialexpressions for the viper. Please do notwelcome vipers in the church or in thecompany.From today there can be no welcomingsmiles for defiant agitators. They must notfor one moment feel welcome in ourmidst! If you cannot smile at a snake donot smile at a disloyal person. Let himknow from your facial expression that hispresence and his comments areundesirable.

4. The Abrahamic Method

This is the method of peaceful separation.It happens between mature individualswho want to avoid the deadly effects ofconflicts.And there was a strife between theherdmen of Abram’s cattle and theherdmen of Lot’s cattle: and theCanaanite and the Perizzite dwelledthen in the land. And Abram said untoLot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee,between me and thee, and between myherdmen and thy herdmen; for we bebrethren. Is not the whole land beforethee? SEPARATE THYSELF, I PRAYTHEE, FROM ME: if thou wilt take theleft hand, then I will go to the right; orif thou depart to the right hand, then Iwill go to the left.

And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheldall the plain of Jordan, that it was wellwatered every where, before the Lorddestroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, evenas the garden of the Lord, like the landof Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.Then Lot chose him all the plain ofJordan; and Lot journeyed east: andthey separated themselves the one fromthe other.

Genesis 13:7-11There was strife between Abraham’s menand Lot’s men. God gave Abrahamwisdom to deal with the situation. Hecalled his nephew Lot and suggested apeaceful separation.There are some people you should not

work with. As long as you labour withthem on the same field, there will never bepeace. Sometimes people simply do notbelieve in your calling. They cannotaccept that God will use you for anythingspecial.

Do You Believe in My Prayer?These people must be allowed to separatefrom you in peace. I once prayed forsomeone. After the prayer I asked, “Doyou believe in my prayer?” The answerwas short and simple – “No!” I told thisindividual to go peacefully to anotherchurch. I said, “Over there you will beable to receive.”This is different from a dismissal in whicha rebel is thrown out! In this case

everyone goes his way and has equalopportunities to do well. With time, thedifferences will show up. After theseparation of Abraham and Lot, therewere soon obvious differences betweenthe two parties. These were due to thedifferent relationships that Abraham andLot had with the Lord. No one can seeyour spiritual status in the natural. Butwith time, it becomes clear as to who isreally called of God.And the Lord said unto Abram, afterthat Lot was separated from him, Liftup now thine eyes, and look from theplace where thou art northward, andeastward, and westward: For all theland which thou seest, to thee will I giveit, and to thy see for ever.

Genesis 13:14, 155. The “Casting Out” Method

Cast out the scorner, and contentionshall go out; yea, strife and reproachshall cease.

Proverbs 22:10The biblical remedy for dealing withscoffers is to cast them out! Inmodern English, to cast out means tothrow away, to dismiss, to expel, toeject, to banish, to fire, to sack, todiscard, to unseat or to lay off. Ibelieve that almost anyone canunderstand the meaning of “castingout”.The Bible teaches us to cast out scornfulpeople. A mocker is disloyal to your

cause. The biblical treatment for suchpeople is expulsion. Whenever you realizethat someone is mocking at you, please donot hesitate to expel him from your life.Sometimes, failure to dismisspeople is like failing to do asurgery that will save your life. Ihave used this method for treatingdisloyalty. It was indeed painful, but anew spirit of loyalty entered thechurch. What a fresh breath of life weall experienced.When you fail to dismiss someone whomust go, you are exhibiting weakleadership. You are allowing a snake tolive under your children’s bed. Please donot cry if your children are bitten and theydie.

6. The Marking and Avoiding MethodNow I beseech you, brethren, markthem which cause divisions and offencescontrary to the doctrine which ye havelearned; and avoid them. For they thatare such serve not our Lord JesusChrist, but their own belly; and by goodwords and fair speeches deceive thehearts of the simple.

Romans 16:17, 18This Scripture teaches that peoplewho cause divisions must be notedand avoided at all costs. What doesmarking and avoiding mean? To markmeans to brand or to label anobject so that it will stand out.Some sheep need to be branded so

that they can be recognized from afar.It is important to notice a disloyalperson from afar.I once had to apply this method in dealingwith a rebel in my church. Since I couldnot take a tin of red paint and brand thisperson, the only way I could mark himwas to inform some people that thisbrother was a doubtful person who shouldbe avoided.I called for a meeting and told them thatthis brother was unsafe and should beavoided at all costs. By holding thatmeeting and telling the people that thebrother was not loyal to the church, I hadbranded or marked him sufficiently. I didnot even have to give the details of thisbrother’s misdemeanours.

After that, sheep that would haveinnocently played with that brotherbecame wary of him and stayed off.Indeed, the few sheep that he wasable to get close to suffered from hispoisonous effusions. There are peoplewho have fallen away today becausethey were exposed to this person. Donot be afraid to mark and avoidanyone. It is a biblical instructiongiven by the Apostle Paul himself.When a nation is deporting someone, theyoften attach a letter that says, “Yourpresence is now undesirable in thisnation.” There are some people whosepresence is undesirable in the church.They must not be allowed to remain in the

church any longer. They must be markedand avoided. They must be expelled andprevented from coming back.

7. The Cursing MethodThe Apostle Paul used this method whenhe was trying to prevent charlatans fromdeceiving the flock. He was powerless tophysically prevent anyone from trickingand dividing his flock. Paul was far awayin a Roman prison, so he employed thespiritual method of cursing.But though we, or an angel fromheaven, preach any other gospel untoyou than that which we have preachedunto you, LET HIM BE ACCURSED.

Galatians 1:8The curse was a spiritual barrier against

intruders. When you are powerless in thephysical, it is a good method to employagainst traitors and mutineers.Many years ago King David had adisloyal associate called Joab. Joab wentagainst David’s commandments andmurdered Abner. David realized that itwas too risky to fight against Joab. Itwould have brought more division anddestabilized his kingdom. Davidemployed a powerful curse against Joaband his family. He took the matter upspiritually.David knew that he had power through histongue, to curse traitors and rebels. Andhe used it!Let it rest on the head of Joab, and on

all his father’s house; and let there notfail from the house of Joab one thathath an issue, or that is a leper, or thatleaneth on a staff, or that falleth on thesword or that lacketh bread.

2 Samuel 3:29Many years ago, I was preaching inour church. At that time, our churchwas occupying the medical schoolcanteen in Korle-Bu Teaching Hospitalof Accra. I was preaching on thesubject The New Wave Churches. Ata point nearing the end of my sermon,I began to speak prophetically. Ispoke many prophetic cursesagainst anyone who would rise upto destroy the new wave churches

that God was building.You see, the Spirit of the Lord upon mewas leading me to cover his church withspiritual protection. I believe that thoseproclamations are at work today! I believethat they contribute greatly to the divinepreservation and growth of the ministry!

Chapter 17 Three Basic Factsabout Loyalty

1. Disloyalty Is Often a Fruit ofImmaturity

I have realized that many people becomedisloyal because they are not mature in thethings of God. When Absalom broke awayfrom the regular army and attacked hisfather, many people followed him. But that

is not all! The Word of God describes thestate of their minds. It says that they weresimplistic. It says that they were simplepeople and they did not know much.And with Absalom went two hundredmen out of Jerusalem, that were called;and they went in their SIMPLICITY,and THEY KNEW NOT ANYTHING.

2 Samuel 15:11You see, if you really understand what youare doing you may not go ahead withrebellion. That is why I preach and teachon disloyalty. The more we teach on thissubject, the more awareness is created. Itis not a good thing to be a Judas, anAbsalom or Lucifer. These are bad namesyou should not be associated with. Who

would really like to be a rebel when allrebels end up being executed?

Mild and Serious DisloyaltyIn the ministry of Jesus, it was not onlyJudas who betrayed Christ. Peter alsobetrayed Christ. He swore and cursed thathe did not know Jesus. Was this not abetrayal? If you got into trouble andneeded help, would you not bedisappointed if your friend said he did notknow you? Would you not feel that he hadbetrayed you in your time of trouble? Iknow you would! But this is exactly whatPeter did.Yet, it is not only Peter who desertedChrist at the moment when he neededsupport. The other disciples were

nowhere to be found. They all abandonedship when it was most critical. That isbetrayal! Yet, Christ did not put them inthe same category as Judas. Judas wasmanifesting what I call serious disloyaltyand the other disciples were manifestingmild disloyalty.

Characteristics of Serious Disloyalty

In serious disloyalty the rebelconcerned actually engineersan uprising, demonstrationor revolt against authority.You will notice that the disciples did notengineer anything; they were victims of thecircumstances.

In serious disloyalty, the

traitor is often disloyal formonetary gains.Seriously disloyal people willsacrifice their friends for anyflimsy reason.Seriously disloyal people lieabout you with the intentionof hurting or destroying you.They spread evil stories about the personin order to destroy him. Notice that thedisciples did not spread any bad storiesabout Christ after they had deserted him.

Serious disloyalty, (e.g.Lucifer, Absalom or Judas) is

usually untreatable, notcorrectable and withoutremedy.

Characteristic of Mild Disloyalty

In mild disloyalty, you willnotice features of betrayaland desertion andabandonment.Such people are usuallycaught up by the events ofthe day.The disciples were caught up by themomentous events of the night.They do not personally engineer or

create a rebellion against authority.Neither do they help to destroy the churchor business.

Mildly disloyal people followwrong things out ofsimplicity.They do not understand the issues at stake.Many people follow things only to find outthat they have made a mistake. I have hadpeople leave the church only to return andapologize profusely for their mistake.And with Absalom went two hundredmen out of Jerusalem, that were called;and THEY WENT IN THEIRSIMPLICITY, and THEY KNEW NOTANY THING.

2 Samuel 15:11Mildly disloyal people are oftenconfused by events.They don’t know what is right or wrongand they don’t understand what ishappening. To them, the pastors in thechurch are in conflict and they wish itwould all end happily.Mildly disloyal people often act infear and ignorance.They are frightened by conflicts. They donot know anything about rebellion orinsurgencies.Mild disloyalty can often beremedied with time.

Mild disloyalty often

manifests itself as confusionand uncertainty.Whenever there is a shake-up in a church,such people are often caught in the middleof the fight. They don’t know who is rightand who is wrong. You cannot reallyblame them as they don’t really knowwhat is going on.And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shallbe offended because of me this night:for it is written, I will smite theshepherd, and the sheep shall bescattered. But after that I am risen, Iwill go before you into Galilee. ButPeter said unto him, Although all shallbe offended, yet will not I. And Jesussaith unto him, Verily I say unto thee,

That this day, even in this night, beforethe cock crow twice, thou shalt deny methrice. But he spake the morevehemently, If I should die with thee, Iwill not deny thee in any wise. Likewisealso said they all.

Mark 14:27-31Even though Jesus’ disciples were notloyal to Him when it really mattered, Ibelieve that He considered it to be a resultof immaturity. Because of this I oftenoverlook things that people say, knowingthat they will come to understand. Often aperson is critical because he isinexperienced. Sometimes assistantpastors are critical of the senior pastorbecause they have never been headpastors before. If you are a senior pastor,

it is important to check this before itgrows into a serious rebellion.

The School of Hard KnocksOne of the best ways to deal with milddisloyalty is to allow the individual to gothrough certain experiences himself. Ifyour associate pastor feels that you are nota good head pastor, one of the best thingsto do is to send him to the ‘school of hardknocks’. Allow him to be a seniorminister. Let him pioneer a church. Hewill mature in no time! The ‘school ofhard knocks’ issues certificates ofmaturity. You will also receive a diplomain understanding from this ‘school’.As he pastors a church himself and haspeople under him, he will begin to

appreciate the responsibilities andpressures that come upon a leader. Thereare some people who are not able toappreciate these realities withoutexperiencing head-ship themselves.However, some ministers have the graceto assist without going through this‘school’.After the disciples had abandoned Jesus,you will notice that He did not rebukethem for betraying Him. Jesus understoodthem! Jesus knew that it was a stage ofdevelopment and gave them anotherchance. He just said to them, “Go into theworld and preach the gospel.” Jesus wassending the disciples in to the ‘school ofhard knocks’. When you read the letters ofPeter, you will realise that he met various

rebellious people in his ministry. Helearnt first-hand about loyalty.When you give people a chance,they often turn out very well. Thedisciples became so loyal to Christthat many of them died for their faith.Those who fled in the early days oftheir ministry had matured into faithfuldiehard loyalists. To die for someoneis the highest form of commitment youcan ever have. Many peopleexperiencing mild disloyalty can turnaround to become the most loyalpeople you could ever have.

2. Loyalty Today Does not MeanLoyalty Tomorrow

The fact that you are faithful today does

not mean that you will be faithfultomorrow. A Christian needs to be loyalbecause the devil does not go on vacation.Jesus overcame the devil in thewilderness. The Bible teaches us that thedevil went away for a season and notforever. The devil will leave you for awhile but not forever.And when the devil had ended all thetemptation, he departed from him for aseason.

Luke 4:13At different times in the history of KingDavid’s reign, he had sons who tried tousurp his authority and take the throne.The first time it happened, a young mannamed Absalom was involved in the

conspiracy.And there came a messenger to David,saying, The hearts of the men of Israelare after Absalom. And David said untoall his servants that were with him atJerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for weshall not else escape from Absalom:make speed to depart, lest he overtakeus suddenly, and bring evil upon us, andsmite the city with the edge of thesword.

2 Samuel 15:13, 14In this particular instance, Joab, David’sarmy commander, was loyal and foughtagainst Absalom. He was so zealous thathe even killed Absalom when David wascrying for mercy for his son. This was a

great display of loyalty to the cause of theKing.And Absalom met the servants ofDavid. And Absalom rode upon a mule,and the mule went under the thickboughs of a great oak, and his headcaught hold of the oak, and he wastaken up between the heaven and theearth; and the mule that was under himwent away. And a certain man saw it,and told Joab, and said, Behold, I sawAbsalom hanged in an oak. Then saidJoab, I may not tarry thus with thee.And he took three darts in his hand, andthrust them through the heart ofAbsalom, while he was yet alive in themidst of the oak.

2 Samuel 18:9, 10, 14

However, several years later another sonof David, named Adonijah, tried to takethe throne. This time Joab was not loyal toDavid. It was exactly the same situationthat had happened a few years earlier withAbsalom. Another child who had nobusiness on the throne, wanted to becomethe king. Please read the followingScripture carefully.Then ADONIJAH the son of HaggithEXALTED HIMSELF, SAYING, IWILL BE KING: and he prepared himchariots and horsemen, and fifty men torun before him… and his mother barehim after Absalom. And HECONFERRED WITH JOAB the son ofZeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest:and THEY FOLLOWED ADONIJAH

AND HELPED HIM.1 Kings 1:5-7

Notice how Joab, who had fought againstAbasalom a few years earlier was nowhelping Adonijah. Is it not ironic thatsomeone who was once loyal to Davidcould become disloyal?I remember a brother who was so loyal tome. He would stand up at meetings anddeclare his commitment each time. Hewas noted for his proclamations andutterances about his commitment to me.One day, at a meeting, we were discussingthe actions of a rebellious pastor. Thisgentleman stood up and condemned thebehaviour of this rebel. As I listened tohim, I was encouraged by his words of

commitment and support. I said to myself,“I really have some loyal people withme.” Sometime later this brother wasappointed a pastor and pioneered a churchsomewhere. It was not but a few yearslater when this pastor rebelled against mein a very surprising move.One afternoon he said to me, “I would liketo see you.” I said, “Sure, I’m alwayshere. You can see me now.” He started, “Ihave decided to begin a new church.”“Which church is this,” I asked. “Achurch,” he replied. “Is it part ofLighthouse Chapel?” I asked. “No,” heanswered. “Oh, I see!”This was his way of telling me that hewas pulling out unexpectedly. Shortlyafter, in an unanticipated move, he

changed the name of the Lighthousechurch he was pastoring and retainedsome of our properties. This personhad been very loyal to me for severalyears. It was a surprise to almosteveryone! His loyalty to me wasconvincing and impressive! But thisillustrates the principle. Loyalty todaydoes not mean loyalty tomorrow.Joab was loyal in the case ofAbsolam but not in the case ofAdonijah. We must therefore bevigilant so that we do not fall prey tothe attacks of the enemy in the future.Nowadays, I take speeches andproclamations of commitment with a pinchof salt. I pray for people who makestatements of commitment, that as the

years go by they will remember what theyhave said and live by it.

3. Loyal People Catch the AnointingLoyalty has its rewards. No one can forgetthat statement. “Well done, good andfaithful servant.” We will be rewarded forour faithfulness to God.…Well done, thou good and faithfulservant…

Matthew 25:21You will also be rewarded for yourfaithfulness to the men you serve. Jesussaid, “Whosoever receiveth you, receivethme.”Verily, verily, I say unto you, He thatreceiveth whomsoever I send receiveth

me; and he that receiveth me receivethhim that sent me.

John 13:20When you are loyal to your pastor / boss,God considers it to be faithfulness to him.As I said in an earlier chapter, loyalty isan integral part of your character. If youare faithful to man, you are likely to befaithful to God. Loyalty pays off! It willcost you to be disloyal!Many people think of Elisha as Elijah’sservant. But what you must realize is thatElijah had two servants. No one evenknows the name of the first servant. It wasthe first servant of Elijah who saw most ofthe great miracles! Do you remember thestory of how Elijah prayed for rain? You

will remember that Elijah kept sending hisservant to see if there were any clouds onthe horizon. That was the first servant.And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up,eat and drink; for there is a sound ofabundance of rain. So Ahab went up toeat and to drink. And Elijah went up tothe top of Carmel; and he cast himselfdown upon the earth, and put his facebetween his knees. AND SAID TO HISSERVANT, Go up now, look toward thesea. And he went up, and looked, andsaid, There is nothing.And he said, GO AGAIN seven times.And it came to pass at the seventh time,that he said, Behold, there ariseth alittle cloud out of the sea, like a man’shand. And he said, GO UP, SAY UNTO

AHAB, Prepare thy chariot, and getthee down, that the rain stop thee not.And it came to pass in the mean while,that the heaven was black with cloudsand wind, and there was a great rain.And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah;and he girded up his loins, and ranbefore Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

1 Kings 18:41-46This man saw Elijah call down fire fromHeaven. This man saw Elijah challengethe false prophets of Ahab. Elisha neversaw these things, he just read about them.Later on, Elijah got into trouble withJezebel because of his powerful ministryagainst the false prophets.

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijahhad done, and withal how he had slainall the prophets with the sword. ThenJezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah,saying, So let the gods do to me, andmore also, if I make not thy life as thelife of one of them by to morrow aboutthis time.

1 Kings 19:1, 2Elijah was terrified and decided to fleefor his very life. It was at this point thathis first servant left him.And when he saw that, he arose andwent for his life, and came toBeersheba, which belongeth to Judah,AND LEFT HIS SERVANT THERE.

1 Kings 19:3

Whether Elijah asked his servant towait behind or his servant abandonedhim for fear of his life, no one knows.Whatever the case, this servant didnot stay till the end. This is the lastwe hear of him. How sad! This mancould have been the next anointedprophet of the Lord. Perhaps hisname would have filled severalchapters of the Bible.When Elijah got to Mount Horeb the Lordspoke to him about several things. One ofthe things was about getting a new servantto replace the old guy who had left him.This is how Elisha came to replace thefirst servant!…and Elisha the son of Shaphat ofAbelmeholah shall thou anoint to be

prophet in thy room.1 Kings 19:16

I often wonder why people do not stay tillthe end where they will receive all thatGod has for them. God has a great callingfor many of us. We need an anointing tofulfil that call. It is by staying to the endthat we catch the anointing. Most of thegreat blessings come at the end of therace. No one gets a medal for starting arace. The medals are for those who finishthe race!In the Christian world, many ministers arelike university students who did one ortwo years of study, but never completedtheir courses. You see, many people thinkthat they have arrived after they become

familiar with the ministry. Familiaritywith pastors and with the church is not thesame as experience in ministry. Somepeople think that the ministry is as easy asthat. Many people do not know that ittakes years of faithful following andloyalty!As I go on in the ministry, I realize thatthere are many things that I do not know.No one knows it all. It is said that Elishafollowed Elijah for twenty years before hereceived the anointing.It is important to learn from the mistakesof your predecessors. I think that isexactly what Elisha did, and it paid off! Inthe last days of his ministry, Elijah tried toleave Elisha in the same way he did to thefirst servant.

And it came to pass, when the Lordwould take up Elijah into heaven by awhirlwind, that Elijah went with Elishafrom Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha,Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lordhath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha saidunto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thysoul liveth, I WILL NOT LEAVETHEE. So they went down to Bethel.

2 Kings 2:1, 2Elijah tried four times to get rid of hisservant Elisha. He was going to have anexperience with God and he didn’t wantanyone to be around. But Elisha was not tobe moved. Elijah looked at Elisha in theface and said, “I have a new vision. I ammoving on without you!” I think Elisharemembered what happened to the first

servant and he decided to be faithful to theend. Elisha replied, “Your vision is myvision.”Once again, Elijah tried to get rid ofElisha at Bethel. But Elisha wouldhave none of it. He had decided tostay till the very end. He knew thatloyal people receive the anointing.Elijah told Elisha, “The Lord has sentme.” Elijah did not say, “The Lord hassent us.” He said, “The Lord has sentme.”Elisha just looked at Elijah and saidblandly, “The Lord has also sent me tothat same place!”When they got to Jericho, Elijah said,“God has sent me to Jordan. Please go

back home. There is no place for youanymore.”And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I praythee, here: for the Lord hath sent me toJordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth,and as thy soul liveth, I will not leavethee. And they two went on.

2 Kings 2:6In other words, Elijah told Elisha, “Ihave a new dream. God has spokento me and I must go on without you.I’m off to Jordan!” But Elisha knewwhat was at stake and simply replied,“Your dream is my dream. Whateveryou want to do is what I want to do!”In the end, Elisha was an eyewitness tothat precious experience of Elijah being

caught up into Heaven.Many people think that Elijah was takeninto Heaven by a chariot of fire. Thechariot and horses of fire were used toseparate Elijah and Elisha and not to takeElijah to Heaven. Elijah was taken up toHeaven by a whirlwind and not a chariot.And it came to pass, as they still wenton, and talked, that, behold, thereappeared a chariot of fire, and horses offire, and parted them both asunder; andElijah went up by a whirlwind intoheaven.

2 Kings 2:11Elisha was so glued to his mentor andpastor that it took a supernaturalforce to separate them. This is a

lesson to us all. A loyal personcatches the anointing. Elisha becamedoubly anointed after thisexperience. Elijah did sixteenmiracles but Elisha did thirty-twomiracles. Elijah promised that adouble anointing would be on Elisha ifhe were loyal to the very end (whenhe was taken away).And it came to pass, when they weregone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha,Ask what I shall do for thee, before I betaken away from thee. And Elisha said,I pray thee, let a double portion of thyspirit be upon me. And he said thou hastasked a hard thing: nevertheless, IFTHOU SEE ME WHEN I AM TAKENfrom thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if

not, it shall not be so.2 Kings 2:9, 10

Dear friend, never forget this importantfact about loyalty. God will bless youbecause of your faithfulness, loyalty andfidelity. Your loyalty will earn you theanointing. You may even receive a doubleportion!!!

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Other Best-Selling Books by DagHeward-Mills:

Loyalty and Disloyalty

Leaders and Loyalty

Transform Your Pastoral Ministry

The Art of Leadership

Model Marriage

Church Planting

The Mega Church

Lay People and the Ministry

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