"What if it's the Pastor that is the Heretic?"

Heretic~A person under any religion, but particularly the christian, who holds and teaches opinions repugnant to the established faith, or that which is made the standard of orthodoxy. In strictness, among christians, a person who holds and avows religious opinions contrary to the doctrines of Scripture, the only rule of faith and practice.

I listed this definition to prove a point.  The established faith is in the word of God.  It’s in Paul’s gospel.  The gospel of the grace of God was revealed to him.  The inner workings and administrations were revealed to Paul from Christ. It was by the order of Christ. If we operate outside that umbrella, we are heretic’s are we not?  If we hold and teach opinion contrary to the established faith, the faith Paul, Peter, Jude, and James wrote of, we are heretics!

Titus 3:10~A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

When most people think of withdrawing from heretics, or others, it is usually because of false doctrine, perversions of the gospel message, gross sin, or many other unruly things. But sometimes, believers must withdraw for other reasons.  When most think of heretics they have a picture in their mind but they would never think their own pastors, or those they run with as heretics.

For reasons that may be more apparent than you may think.  What if men lie and speak not the truth? Are we not to withdraw them?  We have every right according to scriptures to withdraw and separate from men who hold not to the Pauline Epistles, and the gospel, doctrine, tradition, and commandments found therein. We have every right to depart from disorderly men.  Let them know you love them, pray for them, and walk on.  Why is this so difficult for us.

An Inordinate Affection of Preachers

Many of you Fundamentalists, if you saw a man in America today walking down the street dressed like these men you see here, you would assume they were effeminate based on the conservative standards many of you have  had drilled into your heads.  I mean, their knees are showing, the back of their calves are exposed, the thigh is exposed, "Oh my!" How could one dress so indecently?  Now, remember this sort of introductory paragraph here; we will return to it. 

Your inordinate affections need to be mortified. Many of you men are not preaching and teaching God’s word for the edifying of anyone at all.  You are just preaching on the sins of the world to the world.  You guys need to get off your ego-filled tirades! Seriously and for the love of God, man! Stop with your typical five-verse-automated responses that you have ready for every dissenter of YOU.

Colossians 3:1-17 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence and covetousness, which is idolatry:

The dross needs to be removed from you preachers that think you have certain justifications with the Book that you attempt to pander.   Come down off your high horse and sit with your people for a little but. Try to understand  how even you pastors and preachers have deviated from order.  You men have developed a “permanent bent of mind” towards certain topics so much so that you fixate on them to the detriment of your people. 

The Called of God?

It is vital in the scriptures when God speaks. A few rare phrases carry tremendous implications.  It is no doubt that God spoke to mankind at times in mans history. But did this continue or not?  We of course know that God spoke when he was on Earth, manifest in the flesh as our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.  But when phrases like, “the Lord said unto” or the “the LORD said unto”, show up, it is a major incident!

I choose to delve into this topic because of all the mindless claims to speak for God. There is so much loose talk of “God told me to…” or “god called me” or “God is leading me to tell you…” and so on, that it has become a critical juncture now in separating fact from fiction in a persons mind as to what is really happening in their world.

It’s just interesting how men hang around in certain areas and use certain terminology when in actuality, they are not strong at all in the scriptures. Things like dedicate, dedications, offerings, burdened, burdens, God’s call, the call of Christ, God spoke to me, God lead me, God said unto me, the hand of God is upon him, and many more. Some even are not even biblical phrases at all! We hear these things chimed continuously.  They were so rarely used in the word of God, yet we use them repeatedly and pretentiously.

Just a few things to start, to show how often some oft “used” statements we repeat are actually very rare statements in God’s word.  The phrase “the Lord led me” shows up one time in Genesis 24.  “Called of God” shows up one time in Hebrews 5:4.  There is much talk of being “burdened for the Lord”, or “God gave me a burden”.  The word “burdened” appears only 2 times in 2 Chronicles 5:4 and 8:13.  Read them for what they are.

The word “burden” appears many times in scriptures, but is in no way an association of a “call of God” to the “ministry” like we man has been spinning it the last 150 years.  The phrase “God said” shows up 46 times, all OT accept for a reference in Luke.  The phrase, “God spake” shows up 13 times. Which included talks with Noah, Moses, Joshua, Abraham, Isaac. 

Good Works and Working for God

I selected this image with careful consideration to deal with something head on in our ranks which is elitism and  hypocrisy in our leaders (and I know you hard-core, militant uncompromising preachers will get ruffled seeing a bare breast, or a nipple slip, at least you will have something to preach about Sunday!) There  is a  predominantly fixed mindset and problem which we will get to, that has run through the local churches  like a rash over the last 2o years.  You protest so much and take such offense, and yet when someone tells you that you and your cronies have been sucking off the same protestant, Fundamentalist teat for decades, it just doesn't register.

It's like a preacher I knew took his shoe off one Sunday moring and chunked it across the room on the wall where it left a scuff.  No one knew what to do!  Did he loose his mind? He was making a point and said, "Now some of you care more about the fact that I scoffed the wall, which I meant to do, then the fact that..." and then he proceeded in his point.  A great illustration!  

This woman in the image is doing a great work for God! Much like Tabitha in Acts 9. Tabitha was full of good works, alms deeds, She used her talents and gifts while SHE was with them.  She made coats and garments, while she was with them.  She used her members.  The body of Christ was established on this in Acts.  Simply gifts and talents being used to minister to others.  She didn't stand out.  Most likely poor to boot. Simply doing what she could.  This is a work of God.  That was a ministry.  That was her calling so to speak.  

We are Christians not because we say we are or go to this church or that church.  People in the NT were called Christians because they shone forth fruits of righteousness associated with Christ. He desires us to have his fruits of righteousness, as in the holy spirit actually bearing those fruit in us, so that we can have fruit unto God and unto perfection.

Sunday Rant #1

Bible truth and Biblical worship has been replaced with hermeneutics, sermons, showmanship, outlines, theatrics, and the preacher, the man behind the sacred desk, the pulpit of power.  The central part of the service is no longer the unity of spirit, reasoning out of the scriptures, fellowshipping, and bonding together.  It is now, “what the preachers have to say”.  And “thank God for good preaching!” Having said that, I do not under value the true help biblical preaching and teaching provides, so understand my perspective a moment.

This dependency problem is paramount in explaining our fundamental core problems in churches today.  We say things like, “We have to have preaching!”, or we egg the preachers on like they are some athlete.  We just use different words.  Instead of “go, go!” or “rah rah!”, it’s “amen preacher!” or “preach it, preacher!”

Services are held, sermons are preached, and church is just SO good.  That’s all you hear.  We all just kinda keep lying to ourselves don’t we?  There is no real growth but only a surface growth.  How can there be growth?  How can there be? You grow from receiving milk and meat from the Word.  You grow from receiving encouragement, exhortation, teaching of his word and edification.