by TheTruth

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matt 20:25-28

It is amazing to me how quickly some pastors ignore one command of God and gravitate to another such as Hebrews 13:17 (“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority”). They love the words obey and submit but yet reject the word of service to Christ and others.  They love having the title of pastor but not wanting the assigned responsibility of Godly leadership and service. The ignorant love quoting “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm” found in 1 chronicles 16:22. But the anointed ones spoken about are kings and priests, and not specifically about a pastor. The Apostle Peter called all born again believers priests of God. If you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, you too have an anointing, not just the preacher.

There have been many people wounded by the ignorance, arrogance and disobedience of church leadership. However, there is a way to prevent this, know what the word of God instruct and hold leadership accountable; not accountable to you but to God’s word. If you haven’t learned what the word of God states, than you will be misguided and possibly wounded.

Do people really look for the fruit of the spirit when selecting church leadership; Galatians 5:22-23 states (“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self–control.” ) or do they select the leaders based on what their itching ears want to hear? How many pastors have been chosen by the qualifications found listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7?

Just a reminder of what Paul told the Corinthians “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.” And in Titus 1:16 “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him...” Psalms 14:1 states, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”  Don’t let a fool lead you into being a fool, for there is a God who will hold everyone accountable. Put your faith in Christ and not men.  All people make mistakes that are to be forgiven. But some intentionally mislead for their own benefit; there is a difference.

In Philippians 2:19-21 we find Paul stating, “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.”

Who are you following, God’s obedient pastor or Satan’s fool?