I was in church on Sabbath morning bright and early. Surprisingly, I received a call from the pastor inviting me to come to his vestry. His reason was that sister Brown had complained to him about my actions. Having some pastoral experience, I gently suggested he refer her to me to sort out the problem before involving anyone else. He declined to follow my counsel, claiming that she had advised him that she had already spoken to me about the problem and that I was uncooperative. “Do not go hastily to court; For what will you do in the end, When your neighbor has put you to shame? Debate your case with your neighbor, And do not disclose the secret to another; Lest he who hears it expose your shame, And your reputation be ruined.” Proverbs 25: 8-10. (NKJV). Predictably, I wondered what he was talking about. When I reached the Pastor’s office, three other people were there. Two elders of the church and sister Brown herself. She wore a brown outfit and a brand-new wig and looked absolutely stunning.
The flowers and card she had given me permission to send were in her hands. But she pretended I was a complete stranger when I entered the small room. “I don’t know why you sent me these brother James. Please don’t send me any more because if you do, someone close to me will contact you.” I was almost in a state of shock, and I simply blurted out, “You must be suffering from a Multiple Personality Disorder?” The Pastor considered that assertion of mine to be unkind, and he clearly communicated his discomfort to me. At that time, I rose to my feet and said, “What can I say?” Apparently, it was an urgent prayer under these circumstances. Nevertheless, we are assured in scripture not to despair when faced with such difficult situations because divine aid will be available. “Now, when they bring you to the synagogues, magistrates, and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer or say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say in that very hour.” Luke 12:11-12 (NKJV).
I decided to give that woman some desperately and urgently needed Reality Therapy. While I was standing erect, I asserted, “You are flirting with me, sister Brown, and you need to stop, do you hear me? After sending you that card the other day, I ignored you completely for ninety days because of your response. Following the transpiration of that period, I attempted to speak with you, and your demeanor was ‘no, no, no.’ You behaved like a woman who had been emotionally wounded, but I pursued you. I sat on the bench behind the pew in which you were seated, and after we had exchanged a few pleasantries, you turned around and smiled at me. Not once, nor twice, but three times. Lest there was any doubt in my mind about the import of those smiles, the Spirit said, ‘She is smiling at you that way because she loves you.” “I find that statement particularly repugnant, Brother James,” the Pastor interrupted. “If I’m lying, may God strike me dead,” was my response. Needless to say, I’m still alive today.
This was the same prevailing attitude in the early church. The ecclesiastical leaders felt that they had a monopoly on God’s spiritual manifestations, contrary to the declarations of the disciples, “And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Acts 5:32 (NKJV). The fact that he was the Pastor and yet the Holy Spirit was not communicating with him was unbearable and untenable. “The following Sabbath, you came to church, sister Brown,” I continued. “Dressed in a manner designed to show me the full extent of the real estate and its potentialities. Furthermore, I was duly complimentary. I told you how nice and beautiful you looked, and you soaked it all up just like a sponge.” Nevertheless, I left the church with another young lady, Sister Rose. She and I are not going together. She is only a friend. I needed a lift home, and she was happy to oblige me. Things became a crisis when we ran into each other in The City of South Bend the following evening. Presumably, because at that time, I was also with another lady and her family. However, this lady you saw me with is not my woman. She is only a friend.” “Oh, I see,” said the Pastor.
But he couldn’t SEE unless he took time out to consult with me. He had no intention of doing anything of the kind because he had no interest in seeing. He had known sister Brown for over twenty years, and he should have known that she was either emotionally unstable at best or mentally ill at worst. His sole intent was to attempt to use her to discredit me. The extent to which fate repeats our experiences is absolutely amazing. Primarily because we are meant to observe them carefully, think about them, and learn important lessons therefrom. I had quickly encircled two very similar roundabouts within less than thirty-six hours. Yet, the meaning of these phenomena had not fully registered in my cerebral cortex. Apparently, Sister Brown had expected me to propose marriage to her after receiving those flowers. We had never dated, and she had never invited me home to lunch or dinner. We had never sat in church, in a park, or anywhere else and held hands. We were total strangers except for the brief verbal encounters in God’s House. Now, she was in a full-blown rage because I had failed to ask for her hand in marriage. This irrational expectation of hers was yet another manifestation of her severe psychopathology.
By this time, the full force of my presentation was affecting me because the more I thought about her deception and treachery, the more upset I became. Nevertheless, I continued. “Approximately two weeks ago, I was seated in the main auditorium, and one of the ushers escorted two young ladies to the pew where I was seated. I chatted with both of them briefly, and after the service, I arose from my seat and proceeded to leave the sanctuary. As I walked towards the rear of the building, I saw you sitting at a vantage point, Sister Brown, where you could clearly see exactly where I was seated, beside whom I was sitting, and precisely what I was doing. But that is okay. Since congregants sit behind other people in church all the time to observe them. However, what betrayed and exposed you, sister Brown. It is the fact that when I saw you, you tried to cover up and conceal what you were doing.” Then the Pastor interrupted again, “That’s it, this teaching stops.” “Mission accomplished,” I thought to myself. The sole objective of this meeting. He took my Bible class from me since he obviously perceived me to be some kind of a clerical threat. “What a compliment,” I mused to myself. “And don’t touch me,” sister Brown interjected. “Touch you?” I sneered. “The only contact I have ever had with you is in the greeting period.” Sister Brown was crying by this time, and the Pastor shouted, “This meeting is over.”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
aadventuresinghana.wordpress.com 