The Roaming Spirit Trader

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Intro

Proper self-assessment is a delicate matter. It requires an orderly system of personal relationships and a great deal of grace. When we calmly and lovingly endure our conflicts and learn from them, when the unknown and invisible areas become smaller and smaller and our weaknesses, which are understandable to others from the outside, become more and more obvious, then our self-esteem problems also decrease significantly. They do not disappear—we live in a sinful world—but they are not the main problem and, above all, they do not provide a basis for false identity and compensatory behavior.
{At the same time, I admit and confess that I am familiar with the following from personal failures or temptations.}

Restless souls

However, there are restless souls. Those who always have a ready explanation and justification for the correctness of their actions. These are mostly extroverted individuals whose satisfaction factor only reaches around 98% when the ideas they represent (or have created) transform a sufficient number of other souls. Simply put, when others begin to follow them and this influencer dynamic takes off, it naturally brings emotional and financial blessings. The explosive growth of the internet has brought many such beings to light, and millions of naive souls listen to them, pay for the experience, and adopt their "self-improvement" models.
It is no different in a religious context. The message may be about grace, deliverance, growth, family but the fact that our "servant" walks his path alone and his visions of salvation only affect members of a certain segment shows how far removed he is from the dynamics of the New Testament community.
To be honest, I don't know... I am also tempted... The question is, what about true, real callings?
The Apostle Paul says:

Like an expert builder I built the foundation of that house. I used the gift that God gave me to do this. Other people are building on that foundation. But everyone should be careful how they build. (how each one builds on it...)
1 Corinthians 3:10-16 (easy to read version)

"The one without whom you cannot..."

Now I am going to write about a strange being. He/She is The Apostolic Person or The Prophetic Person Without Whom You Cannot Develop, and he/she Helps You to Move Forward. {Acidic pun intended} He/she has many shades, but without exception, he always carries a camera or will film you with a cell phone.
It doesn't matter if you are a member of an established congregation that has been built up over 10 years by a hard-working pastor. In his/her newsletter, you will also belong to those who are the fruits of this holy service. Money raising comes from facts. Or at least from proofs - pointing to the humble servant with a microphone.
And here's the trick. The Wandering Spirit Merchant often really moves you. In a healthy environment, he would obviously be a facilitator in a target group.
I remember when—perhaps by chance—I suddenly encountered such a salesman at a social gathering. He quickly began shouting into the microphone with 120 dB, and diligently recited 120 religious clichés. A woman next to me couldn't take it anymore and groaned:
Oh no! That's just what I needed!
It was cathartic, (to use a more refined expression.) After all: Everyone went home satisfied.
The apparent opposite of this is the quiet, contemplative prophetic servant, or more often, the prophetic woman. {Men run on a different track, called evangelism.} Well, the prophetess also travels around the planet, often well prepared from the {predominantly Old Testament} context... or perhaps she only has certain prophetic statements from Israel's history in her toolbox? The point is that everything is given in the new covenant, pluralism and Acts 2, 1 Corinthians 13, or 14:25, will be avoided.
But Listen! She will lead a truly encouraging ministry! What a pity that her constant encouragement leaves no room for admonishment, warnings, rebukes - when necessary.
People pleaser... Apostle Paul might say. (Eph 6:6; Col 3:22)
However, there are many such examples, and it would not be good to bring them all up here. That's a wrong focus.
Let's read John instead:

I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
1Jn 2:26-27

Industry

Now I'm going to take a big leap!
But why are most of these people from the US?
What? How?
My personal conviction, based on decades of proximity to YWAM and other missions, is that the sense of mission comes from many sources.
Let's start with authentic, dedicated believers. They are usually sent out by elders or responsible presbyters after a long period of faithful service, sometimes lasting years. They are recognized as having a special blessing, a character that shapes an independent mission.
Some come from the first generation, motivated mainly by their genuine relationship with Jesus... Others follow a well-worn path, know the donor sources, and diligently continue on the paths, works others have started. They usually start out with a personal mentor who is a believer, and their marriage and other environmental factors determine the direction they take or turn away from, sometimes choosing a broader path.
And, there are the specials. The wounded people who start out after or even because of a personal crisis. Either they are from the Lord or they are not. And they either read the Word regularly or they don't.

The policy

Then there are the people on the right: just as we see them actively (or rather reactively) acting in Hungary (or other countries with a traditional religious historical background.) For them, God, Homeland, Family, and mission are completely intertwined and even mixed up, far removed from the apostolic teachings of the New Testament: beginning with the osmosis and migration that occurred in the life of the first Jerusalem community (Acts 2:5-11) then, continuing with Acts 10:17–43 about Peter and the pagan Cornelius, then the model of the church in Antioch — The First Multi-Ethnic Church (Acts 11:19-26; 13:1-3), which is not well known. For them. Moreover in their eyes practically everyone who does not put things together the way they do is a liberal. It's sad. And dangerous, too.
However, missionaries with a US background are special beings in at least three or four ways. They are certainly deeply imbued with certain American identities that subconsciously define the religious community. Then it also matters whether the background congregation is south or north of Dixie... Because that is a completely different theology.
However, there are always a few things in common:
· America first {no feedback}
· helper syndrome
· Shalom Israel
· portfolio, success
And I could go on with the lives of delegates from other backgrounds. The maximalist and performance-oriented message of the East Asian missionary peoples, or the laid-back concept of grace of the British-background peoples, or perhaps the Latin-background mass-like large-scale worship occasions or the post-modern charismatics who flirt with Catholicism and incorporate mystical traditions and spirituality.

In summary

People who do not have God’s Spirit do not accept the things that come from his Spirit. They think these things are foolish. They cannot understand them, because they can only be understood with the Spirit’s help.
We who have the Spirit are able to make judgments about all these things. But anyone without the Spirit is not able to make proper judgments about us. As the Scriptures say,
    “Who can know what is on the Lord’s mind?
    Who is able to give him advice?”
But we have been given Christ’s way of thinking.
Easy to read translation
1Cor 2:14-16

This passage of Scripture is ambiguous, in many Bibles and there is no proper interpretation of it in either Hungarian or English by any of the major publishers. Which fact is also ambiguous.
...
Well, that's all for today on the terrible work of the wandering spirit merchants.

Pills for healing

· Old VS New Testament prophets : an article can be found here
· False teachers: 2 Peter 2
· Israel's recent status: article, here
· NT pastors

HU