The Great Separation

What ever happened to the time when going to church was for the love of ministry, people and  your community?  Now it seems as if going to church is more or less for the love of money,  fame, and power. Singers would sing for free to the glory of God and preachers preached for little to nothing.   Well my friend, that time has long pass for some but for most we are still there because we  obviously  didn't get the memo that you could capitalize greatly off of your relationship with Jesus Christ! As for me, I have been singing in church for years and never really thought about getting paid until now.   My reason for this is because, back home we still sing for ministry and not money so most of us singers  get paid very little to nothing.  But we love what God has called us to do for Him and a price tag cannot  be put on the anointing. However, since I have been a Georgian I realized that people here know how  to capitalize off of their   relationship with Jesus Christ even if it cost them everything including their anointing.  Now I am not  saying that paid gospel singers are not anointed but let's be honest there is a cost to fame and sometimes  that cost is trading ministry in for money. Every since I got out the box and found out that you could get paid for singing the praises of God it hit me  all at once.  "What the hick I'm I doing singing for free"?  And I mean all of it choir, praise team, singing in  the congregation?  Well, maybe not that far but you know what I mean!   After much evaluation, I had to ask myself a question.  That question was "out of all these years that  I have been singing for free what have I lost and why no one told me that I should be paid to sing like  everyone us?  The answer is that back home we are not paid singers for the most part so we don't know much about  the music biz but here in the big city, well these folks cash out and some of them won't even sing the  praises of God if they are not paid? Wow, once I found this out I was mortified I felt like an idiot, a fool and a complete failure.   I asked God what was wrong with me, was I not good enough to earn a living singing?   Or was I just a good enough singer to sing in the choir you know backup for someone else?   Not that there's anything wrong with backup I truly believe in supporting people.   Yet and still there is a fine line between supporting someone else’s ministry and just flat out being used! You are using people when you are able to make money off of other people's gifts and talents.   Back home we call this "prostituting ones gifts". Here, they simply call it the Mega Church.   Now don't get me wrong I love the mega movement but I just can't seem to fathom why the  leaders in the mega church live so well by capitalizing off of their relationship with Christ while  most of the members lack far behind living in mediocrity?  And the members that are doing well  are sometimes there for business or a good look? So, to my point the Great Separation is when church leaders live like Kings and Queens while  the rest of us serving have to keep our day jobs and live like paupers.  Now here's my bigger  question, why does the church allow people to sing for free knowing that many people come  to church just to hear the choir blow and they due the pastor a courteous by staying to hear  him preach.  All the while the choir and praise team for the most part are treated like we  should just be happy to have a mic?  Huh?  You mean to tell me while you get paid to do  the same thing that I am doing which is being a witness for Christ that I should just be  happy to be here? That's probably what the slave owners were thinking to. "Oh these niggers don't have to  be paid to pick cotton, there too stupid to realize that this is free labor something they  could be paid to do" And I am sure that they got a good laugh as they cashed in on all  the cotton that the slaves had picked for them for little to no pay. Meanwhile the church sits and capitalizes from the blood, sweat, and tears of the innocent  in heart who do not think of God as a cash cow but as their provider and way maker.   We must put an end to how we allow people to trick us and pimp us just because we are saved. I said it once and I will say it again, I respect people like Oprah, Tyler Perry and TD. Jakes  because not only are their educating and empowering people to create wealth like the word  tells us to do with our gifts but they also open doors so that people can live their dreams while  earning a living doing so.  At the same time I do not respect the preacher who not only creates wealth by asking for ten percent  of one’s income but also by earning a living from his or her God giving talents while the rest of us get  pimped to no return.  My question is brother preacher why get mad rich off of the blood sweat  and tears of willing volunteers and why not teach us what you know as a business man in order  that we may stop giving our gifts away and start creating wealth from them just like you do.   In the infamous words of Obama “spread the wealth" don't be greedy emphasis mine! Apostle Magdalene