My name is Shivender Johnson. I come from a Non Christian background. I accepted the Lord through a miracle that happened in our family. From that day onwards, I always wanted to serve the Lord. So I attended a 3 month prophetic training course conducted by a powerful evangelist from India.
Then I started building contacts in the Christian circle. Slowly I got opportunity to preach in a christian church. The pastor introduced me as Evangelust. Shivender Johnson. I felt happy. Then I got a few more opportunities to preach in other churches too.
One day a Christian preacher met me and told, " Johnson, You should move to the next level. You should become an International evangelist". I asked him how to become one. He immediately said that inorder to become world famous evangelist, I should be famous in the online world. He told me to create a portfolio and as a first step asked me to take a photo shoot so that I can use the photos in my website "Johnson Ministries". He also told me that I could use the photos in the banners , pamphlets, cut outs and also in distribution leaflets.
So I approached a Christian photographer who does photoshoots for Christian evangelists. I wore a shirt and jeans pant to the photo studio. The photographer asked me to wear a coat on top of my shirt. I asked "why?". He said "Only if you wear a coat, you will get the preacher effect". So I wore a coat that he gave me. The shirt I wore, the coat I wore never matched with the jeans I was wearing. Then he asked me to stand in a certain position and pose for the camera. I did as he told.
When I thought he would click the photo, he suddenly stopped and went inside the room. When he returned , he came with a bible in his hands. He gave it to me and said "A Christian preacher should always pose with a Bible in his hands. Only then you will get into the minds of people as a Christian preacher". I followed his instruction and opened the Bible and posed for the snap. He clicked some pictures and the photo shoot ended. When he finished clicking the pictures, I just glanced at the page which I had kept open. It was Matthew 6th chapter. The 5th verse caught my attention.
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
When I read the verse, it started to prick me. I started to tremble. Why all these photo shoot? Am I doing this to prove to the world that I am a big evangelist? I am just a servant. But why am I trying to portray myself as an International evangelist? I came out of the photo studio with these thoughts. Thought these thoughts came across my mind, I hardened my heart and continued with my activities.
Now it has been 3 years since that photo shoot happened. I am now travelling to many countries. But am I travelling to all the countries to preach the gospel? or Am I travelling to all the countries to promote myself and for the money I recieve as offerings? I know the answer to these questions. But it is difficult to openly confess the truth. Tomorrow, I will preaching in a church in Singapore. I saw a banner advertisement in that church's website that advertised about my presence there. It was the same photograph used in that banner. It is not wrong to take pictures and posting it. But the intention of posing for a picture with the Bible and acting like a evangelist is wrong.
Matthew 6:5 flashed across my mind again.
- Confessions of a Christian preacher is the mind voice of many preachers who have come a long way like Shivender Johnson. Let those who have an ear , Listen and obey to the voice of God.
A echo by
Prason
Prason
