“Not for the Righteous” — Episode 1

Chapter 1

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them,
They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick:
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
– Mark 2:17 –

Fifty-eight year old Rev. C. L. Mitchell, pastor of Morning Glory Baptist Church in Rochester, New York, picked up the remote control as he eased into his La-Z-Boy recliner. He switched his back massager on high. That feels real good, he thought as the massager vibrated through every muscle of his back. He flipped to the Christian news channel. Rev. Mitchell had been having back problems the past few weeks and came home early on this Thursday afternoon to get some needed rest. He kept up with the news events even more so now than he did before. His wife, Ernestine, joined him in their small den next to his home office after pulling the drapes shut and dimming the lights, creating an atmosphere more conducive for rest and relaxation.

After listening to the news for a few minutes, Rev. Mitchell said, “There you go. Listen to this.” He turned up the volume on the television.

Two more Christians were murdered for their faith in Nigeria. A husband and wife and their two children were enjoying a quiet evening as a family when militants broke into their home, dragged both parents into the front yard, and shot them at point blank range. What a tragedy for their young children to have to witness.

“That was the international news; this is the national news,” Rev. Mitchell said switching the channel in time to hear:

Homosexuals, it seems, have gained another victory as a homosexual couple sues Tina’s Wedding Bakery for refusing to bake a cake for their upcoming wedding. This same couple sued the Redeemer’s Church a few months back because the pastor refused to marry them in his church even though they had been attending the church for a while.

“And not too far from us,” Rev. Mitchell said switching the channel once more to the local channel. They listened for a few minutes.

More people have joined the rioters in downtown New York City. The cry of racism is reverberating in the air like never before. Much looting has taken place, and more police have been called in as a precautionary measure as things are predicted to get out of hand. So far, twelve have been injured — five of them seriously enough to warrant their going to the hospital for treatment; this includes two police officers. The tension is rising each day and as one rioter says, ‘MLK may be for peace marches, but we are for war. This racial mess has been swept under the carpet for too long. It’s time for some serious changes.’

Rev. Mitchell was getting ready to switch the channel when a special news flash caught his eyes: The body of the missing sixteen-year-old, Ariel Irving, has been found. Some fishermen were out fishing before daybreak today; the body, somehow, got entangled in one of their nets. The body was badly mutilated. From the coroner’s report thus far, the victim had been raped and strangled to death, then apparently thrown into the river where the current dragged her body out into the sea.

“When is this all going to end?” Ernestine said flabbergasted.

“End?” her husband exclaimed. “These are all signs of the end times. Things are climaxing for Jesus’ return. And guess what? Nobody’s warning the people.”

They listened to more happenings in the news, switching from the local to the national to the international and Christian news channels. Reports on the economy was no better. Analysts are predicting a world-wide economic collapse — one they fear could take years to recover from.

Ernestine Mitchell took note of her husband of thirty-three years. She observed the familiar furrowing of the eyebrows casting a shadow over his already deep-set eyes whenever he received disturbing news. Not only had they been married for thirty-three years, but he had also pastored the Morning Glory Baptist Church for thirty-three years.

She looked around the modestly furnished den of their 3-bedroom suburban home. Nothing lavish, but a comfortable place offering them temporary reprieve from the occasional chaos and mayhem of the outside world.

“There’s a rapid spiritual decline taking place in this country,” her husband continued, “and not just in this country, but worldwide. We need some modern-day reformers. We need some modern-day prophets, and some preachers with backbone.”

“That’s right,” Ernestine agreed.

“I know I’m right. We have a bunch of compromising preachers without any convictions whatsoever and still expect to see blessings fall out the sky. Oh, how we have been deceiving ourselves,” Rev. Mitchell said. “Pass me that phone. I better talk to Pastor Ridley.”

Chapter 2

Turning the massager off, he adjusted a pillow behind his lower back while muting the television.

“Thank you,” he said as his wife handed him the phone.

“Pastor Ridley, just the man I want to talk to. What do you think about what’s happening in our world today, my brother?”

“Brother, I’m looking for Jesus to appear any moment now,” Pastor Ridley said.

“I am too. I mean, who would want to continue living on this earth with wickedness so prevalent? I believe more demonic spirits have been let loose,” Rev. Mitchell said. “No place on this earth is safe anymore.”

“For those who talk about life on the moon and living on the moon in the future, now is a better time than ever to go live on the moon,” Pastor Ridley said with a laugh. “That’s a safer place than here on earth.”

The men discussed the dire political, social, and economic situation in the country for an extended time until Rev. Mitchell said, “The really sad thing about all this is our pastors are sitting back fat, dumb, and happy allowing all this evil to go on without saying a word. Rather than address the issue as to why we have all this evil around us and giving the people hope, they are using the pulpit to preach everything but the Gospel.”

“If God does not intervene, we are going to self-destruct,” Pastor Ridley said.

“Amen to that, my brother.”

“As we are talking, I’m thinking of the verse where Jesus says: ‘I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance’,” Pastor Ridley said.

“There you go. I could not have chosen a more fitting verse,” Rev. Mitchell said. “That’s exactly what our preachers are doing: using the pulpit to preach to those already saved, and thus we have Christians sitting in our pews suffering from spiritual constipation because they are taking in and taking in the Word and never giving out the Word. And not only that, but we have sinners sitting in the pews right next to these Christians, believing they are saved, some searching for the Truth, but never getting the Truth because the pastors are preaching everything else but the Gospel. Why are they afraid to preach the Gospel?”

“The harder the look on their faces, the harder I preach,” Pastor Ridley said with a laugh as Rev. Mitchell joined in.

“What did God tell the prophet Jeremiah when He told Jeremiah to go tell the people of the impending judgment to come upon them? ‘Be not dismayed at their faces.’ God was so serious, He repeated the same thing to Ezekiel: ‘And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house’.”

Pastor Ridley picked up where Rev. Mitchell left off: “And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.”

“A-men,” Rev. Mitchell said. “And that’s not all God said. He warned the prophet: ‘But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee, Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house.’ I believe some of these pastors are living in rebellion themselves.”

Rev. Mitchell adjusted himself in his chair. “I believe that God is giving this world space to repent, but people just aren’t taking advantage of His grace. Our preachers have dropped the Gospel baton and people are dying and going to hell in a handbasket.”

“I ask the same question young David asked: ‘Is there not a cause?’ ” Pastor Ridley said.

“Why don’t you join me in praying for a world-wide revival starting in this country. We’re long past due for one,” Rev. Mitchell said.

“Sure. Let’s contact area preachers to join us in this worthy cause.”

Later that night, Rev. Mitchell’s son, Ronald, gave him a call. Ronald was doing missionary work in the country of Cameroon, Africa.

“Dad, be praying fervently for us. The Islamist militants have expanded their coasts beyond the Nigerian border into Chad and Cameroon. The Chadian forces have been successful thus far in keeping them at bay. I believe things are going to get worse. Some of our believers have stopped coming to worship services for fear of losing their lives. But I do thank God for those whose faith have been strengthened in spite of the impending danger.”

“Of course, son. Let me pray with you now,” Rev. Mitchell said. After the ‘Amen,’ Rev. Mitchell shared with his son the conversation he and Pastor Ridley had earlier.

“You’re right. It’s past time for a world-wide revival. I’ll certainly be praying along with you that Christians would get their hearts right so God can open up the floodgates of Heaven and have a huge downpour of His Holy Spirit to fall upon us.”

“When last have you spoken with Dasani?” his father asked.

Ronald Mitchell and Dasani Boone were engaged to be married. The wedding had been delayed as Ronald was unexpectedly called over to Cameroon by his mission board to replace Brother Mike, an older missionary who had been with the board for over forty years. Brother Mike had fallen ill and had returned home to the United States where he was hospitalized for some weeks. His doctor advised him to retire from field work and to work in one of the offices.

“I spoke with her minutes before I called you,” Ronald said. “I miss her so much.”

“Your mother calls her every other day to encourage her. She shared with your mother that she was learning the French language so she’d be ready to join you.”

“Aha! So that’s the surprise she said she had for me,” Ronald said with a chuckle.

“Oops! I think I just let the cat out the bag,” Rev. Mitchell said with a chuckle as well. “Don’t worry. I won’t say a word.”

“I won’t say a word either, Dad. Give Mom my love. I guess she’s already asleep.”

“Yes, she is. We love you, son, and we’ll certainly continue to pray for you.”

Chapter 3

Rev. Mitchell laid in his bed thinking and meditating on the Word of God until the early hours of the morning. Sometimes, he did his best thinking during those hours as his side of the world was asleep, and silence became his companion.

“Dear God,” he quietly prayed, “I am grieved at the worldliness of the church. I am grieved at the increasing toleration of sin in the church. We have denied the power of prayer so much so we cannot call down the forces of Heaven to tear down the strongholds of the devil and the evil spirits that are running rampant in the church and in the lives of Christians. Oh, God! Send a man to break up the fallow ground in our hearts as preachers. Send a man who has permanently put away his stony heart, and in whom You have placed Your Spirit, to break up the fallow ground of the church and make us fruitful once again so we can begin harvesting souls for Your Kingdom.”

Rev. Mitchell drifted in and out of sleep. He saw visions of destruction and chaos, such as he’d never seen before. Fire falling from Heaven. Natural disasters happening in all corners of the world. People dying from unknown diseases. Suddenly, the scenes changed and he saw humans running back and forth searching for the Truth, but never coming to the Truth, because Satan had blinded their eyes, minds and hearts. He saw thousands of pastors of all nationalities sitting around a table of an extremely large circumference, confused as to what was going on around them. Then, he heard a voice speak over the chaos:

“Charles Lorne Mitchell, you’re the man I’m sending to go break up the fallow ground in these pastors’ hearts and in the hearts of Christians. You’re the man to set the sparks aflame for revival. The Gospel is not for the righteous, but for sinners. Tell these pastors that. Tell them what to do with their position of influence in their respective communities. Remember, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Rev. Mitchell flicked his eyes open with a shudder and pushed himself up on his elbows. His wife was still asleep. He looked around his bedroom. It was in darkness except for the thin streak of moonlight forcing its way through the crack between the curtains.

I must have been dreaming. He tried to return to sleep, but he could not shake the recurring words: “You’re the man I’m sending. You’re the man.”