How Some Churches and Preachers are Sinfully Guilty of Cheating and Stealing
By: Ptr. Jesse
Amiel A. Ramoso
Psychiatrist and broadcaster Dr Raj Persaud has admitted plagiarising material for a book and articles published under his name. Here in the Philippines supreme court Justice Marian Del Castillo plagiarized decision to dismiss the petition of 70 Filipino comfort women. I was confused who is the real author of the “(12) principle”, because when
I went to Mindanao I found out that there is G12, here in Manila D12. I'm not
sure if there is A12, B12 to Z12? Who's the real author of this concept? Anyway
this is just my example of a confused authorship of something which everyone
claims they're the original and others are just plagiarizing. So many
preachers and teachers in the church today appear highly intellectual in
their preachings and teachings whereas their ideas were taken from a book or preaching of
somebody else. What a shame for us teachers and preachers if we did this without acknowledging
the author and sources. This is stealing of somebody's intellectual property and it is sin.
The Philippine government provide an office called I.P. in order to protect ideas, invention, composition, and copy righted and patented properties. Stealing of other's intellectual property is a serious criminal offense and is a sin not only against man more so against God. I am not only talking of stealing intellectual property from the Internet or any other copy righted and patented properties. I am also talking of stealing intellectual properties within the Church or Christian institutions. I will give you an example. If you are a senior pastor, senior leader or boss of a church or company and your subordinates accomplished something using their own ideas and efforts announcing it in meetings or in the pulpit as yours is considered stealing of intellectual property. This action often leads to somebody on the sidelines grieving because instead of them getting the applause that is rightfully theirs they end up feeling that they're being used. This always happens in the corporate world and apparently to churches also, especially if someone wants to climb to a higher level of position. This is stealing and dishonesty. It is a lie to tell during church/corporate reports or anniversaries that you pioneered the church/project by yourself while you kicked out the real person who work behind this success, this is evil! If we want also to become a MEGA church like Ptr. Peter Tan Chi of Christ Commission Fellowship, let's also learn his way to martyrdom behind his success. Let us first join and win the race before getting the crown. Learn to give credit to whom it is due, by doing this you show that you are powerful and strong by the grace of God. Therefore, if you are not the one who started something which today appears to be very successful, yet you know that is not truthfully yours learn to give credit to whom credit is due.
There are so many success and failures in the ministry, be fair to give credit to whom who is due and not the discredit to every failure to your subordinate/s, this is unfair. Learn to rejoice to the one who is successful and laugh with them, do not laugh at them when they fail. I highly honor and tends to encourage me to be loyal to leader/s if they're honest enough to admit their failure and learn to acknowledge success of others specially to the competitors. No body's perfect, even me I am guilty of piracy and plagiarism in some way or the other but once somebody corrected me I am honest enough to accept corrections and consequences. When I find myself not worthy to a certain position or to be with someone, I am honest to resign and give it to somebody who's capable and worthy. It happens in me and it will still come to happen. My personal vision in getting success in ministry is this...“The oceans are wide and fish are everywhere, I am a fisherman so why not go to other side of the ocean for fishing?”.
Lastly, even high school student know what is "CREDIT and knew how to get and give credit to a right person. I learn this when we made a film in Makati Gospel Church titled “LANDAS 2007 filmed” when Director Ken Saavedra “a high school student” asked me... "Who gets the credit pastor Jess?" I said, Credit? What credit? Of coarse Jesus gets ALL the credits, Then he said, no! We will acknowledge those people who work behind, and in this film they should be address and carefully acknowledge to whom who gets the right credit. Wow! This is just a high school student! What a pleasing and honor to serve people like this in the church if everybody has this kind of deposition sad to say not all.
The Philippine government provide an office called I.P. in order to protect ideas, invention, composition, and copy righted and patented properties. Stealing of other's intellectual property is a serious criminal offense and is a sin not only against man more so against God. I am not only talking of stealing intellectual property from the Internet or any other copy righted and patented properties. I am also talking of stealing intellectual properties within the Church or Christian institutions. I will give you an example. If you are a senior pastor, senior leader or boss of a church or company and your subordinates accomplished something using their own ideas and efforts announcing it in meetings or in the pulpit as yours is considered stealing of intellectual property. This action often leads to somebody on the sidelines grieving because instead of them getting the applause that is rightfully theirs they end up feeling that they're being used. This always happens in the corporate world and apparently to churches also, especially if someone wants to climb to a higher level of position. This is stealing and dishonesty. It is a lie to tell during church/corporate reports or anniversaries that you pioneered the church/project by yourself while you kicked out the real person who work behind this success, this is evil! If we want also to become a MEGA church like Ptr. Peter Tan Chi of Christ Commission Fellowship, let's also learn his way to martyrdom behind his success. Let us first join and win the race before getting the crown. Learn to give credit to whom it is due, by doing this you show that you are powerful and strong by the grace of God. Therefore, if you are not the one who started something which today appears to be very successful, yet you know that is not truthfully yours learn to give credit to whom credit is due.
There are so many success and failures in the ministry, be fair to give credit to whom who is due and not the discredit to every failure to your subordinate/s, this is unfair. Learn to rejoice to the one who is successful and laugh with them, do not laugh at them when they fail. I highly honor and tends to encourage me to be loyal to leader/s if they're honest enough to admit their failure and learn to acknowledge success of others specially to the competitors. No body's perfect, even me I am guilty of piracy and plagiarism in some way or the other but once somebody corrected me I am honest enough to accept corrections and consequences. When I find myself not worthy to a certain position or to be with someone, I am honest to resign and give it to somebody who's capable and worthy. It happens in me and it will still come to happen. My personal vision in getting success in ministry is this...“The oceans are wide and fish are everywhere, I am a fisherman so why not go to other side of the ocean for fishing?”.
Lastly, even high school student know what is "CREDIT and knew how to get and give credit to a right person. I learn this when we made a film in Makati Gospel Church titled “LANDAS 2007 filmed” when Director Ken Saavedra “a high school student” asked me... "Who gets the credit pastor Jess?" I said, Credit? What credit? Of coarse Jesus gets ALL the credits, Then he said, no! We will acknowledge those people who work behind, and in this film they should be address and carefully acknowledge to whom who gets the right credit. Wow! This is just a high school student! What a pleasing and honor to serve people like this in the church if everybody has this kind of deposition sad to say not all.
Jesus said, the harvest is plenty and the laborers are few, why fighting
each other to grab isolated place for a few fish, whereas the harvest is very
wide. Jesus is my model of ethics when he said ...”Give to Caesar what is for Caesar and to Church what is for the
Church”, this does not mean temple tax and imperial tax, this is also about acknowledging ownership and properties to Caesar and the Church. Be Honest!
Remember, Liars, cowardice and idolaters goes to hell. Rev 21:8. However, Jesus
is ready to accept to those who is honestly repent and accept Him as Lord and
Savior. He is willing to accept you as his children if there is a true
repentant heart found in you. God bless!
Comments