The Identity Error

The Pastor stopped speaking mid-sentence again, a frown on his face as he looked up at the door to his office. He turned back to the man seating before him, a smile in place.
“Forgive me; I need to call my assistant.”
“Please do, Pastor.”
The Pastor picked up the intercom and pressed three buttons and waited.
“Sandra, what’s the commotion outside my office about?” He asked and listened for a bit. “Let her come in next. Apologize to the next in line, and I’ll take care of it.” He said and hung up.
The Pastor continued his counseling session, and in five minutes, the man was out of his office. Someone knocked twice.
“Enter.”
A smart young woman dressed in a business suit walked in with a smile and went straight to sit. The Pastor noted all that, smiling as well.
“Good afternoon, Pastor.”
“Hello, what’s your name?”
“Kate Gilbert, Pastor.”
“Tell me about yourself. May I call you Kate?”
She nodded. “I’m single, and I work in an Oil company as their Legal representative. I’m supposed to be at work in two hours, so I had to hurry through the queue.”
The Pastor smiled. “Did my assistant inform you that you can schedule another time for this meeting since you are in a hurry?”
“She did, but I decided it’s best to get it over with fast. I don’t know when next I will be in Church for a service, with all the workload I have piled up. However, it doesn’t mean my tithes and offerings won’t hit the account on time.” She said, smiling at him.
The Pastor smiled again at her response, and looked downward, rubbing his forehead with three fingers. He looked up again, and this time the smile was gone.
“Kate, here, we work on building the internal, the spirit-man. We are not after your tithes and offerings. They are just bonuses from God. We are aiming at letting the person of the spirit live and thrive.” He said, nodding as he spoke. “Do you understand?”
“I understand. Man has a spirit, and we communicate with God as spirits.”
“Yes, we want to work with you to help you grow to the point where you can stand before God for yourself, anytime and anywhere. We want people to miss service, not because of their workload, but because they have cleared it with God first. I want you to give your tithes and offerings, not according to laws you have known but on God’s instructions. Our prayers are for members to grow in Christ and become joints that provide straight from the throne of grace.”
“Pastor, is this what you say to every new member?”
“Everyone without fail. I want to ask you a question, how long ago did you give your life to God?”
“Well, it’s been about four or five years.”
“When you gave your life to God, you became a new man, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Have you tried to find out about the new person you have become in Christ? What this person looks like and should be?”
Kate laughed, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for this. My friend told me you pray, and it works, and things happen here. I don’t know why you are asking all these questions? Do I seem like a pagan because I work?” She got up and picked her bag, turning to leave.
“Before you go, I have a question. What picture comes to mind when you think about life in Christ?”
She turned back to him. “God is our father and loves us. So I think about a loving and merciful father, who wants me to be happy.”
“Yes, but what were you created in Christ to become for God’s kingdom? God couldn’t have created everybody on the earth to soak in love and happiness forever. There is a reason for your creation, and joy comes in that state of enlightenment. Tell me, are you happy all the time?”
“That’s why you are here, Pastor. I work and bring in the money, while you pray and ensure I keep my job, which benefits the Church, making me happy.”
The Pastor laughed; he couldn’t help himself.
“Kate, that’s not what Christ died to achieve. We are all to stand before God, as parts of Christ’s body. You have a gift, I have mine, and we are all supposed to tend them and bear fruit for the kingdom. All you have to talk about is what God has seen fit to add to your life. Please don’t get me wrong, the additions are good, but that’s all they are. If one dies today, someone else will provide as God leads. However, your identity in God is of utmost importance, not your status here on earth or what it provides. Seek first, Kate, seek first.”
Kate looked down and clutched her bag tight. “Can we talk again, I’m running late?”
The Pastor smiled at her bent head. “Of course, and that’s one of the reasons why I’m here. Please schedule another meeting with my assistant. I want to talk to you again.
Kate looked up at him and nodded, then turned and left the office.