Luke 6:26
“Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for their ancestors did the same things to the false prophets.”
I could stop right there. I mean, leave it to Jesus to drop the proverbial atomic bomb on people-pleasing preachers. You know what He just said there? “When everyone likes you, Pastor (preacher, teacher), I can’t freakin’ stand you!”
Anyone know this person? You know, they “preach” around issues, stay “positive” in the sermons, focus on the kindness of Jesus, the compassion, the “love” of Jesus for us all, but never preach on ALL sin, nor confront anyone living in rebellion head-on. They never keep sin out of their assemblies, but rather placate to everyone, and “stick their heads in the sand”, so to speak, so as not to have to upset their popularity and status among men. They are the enemies of Christ. Sure they hold a title of “church figure”, but they are not in The Church. Jesus’ church only consists of those who actually do the will of God. You know, those who actually love Jesus how Jesus says to show we love Him?
John 14:15
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Tell me, does the men-pleaser keep His commands? Never. You cannot serve two masters. It is impossible to fear the Lord and fear man. But they tell themselves they can!! They try hard to convince themselves of some supposed “mercy of God”, that utterly circumvents His word, to justify the hold that people have on their inability to be obedient to God. You know the type….”Well God knows my heart!” Yes He does, and He says this about our hearts….
Jeremiah 17:9-10
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart
and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
So He says our heart is depraved, and what brings it into subjection is to walk in the Spirit, which means to walk in compliance to the scripture, so that we will not fulfill the desires of our flesh. Either the Spirit/ Word guides our deeds/ works, or the flesh nature does. The only thing men will be judged based upon is whether their deeds served the Beast (world system and human lusts), or our deeds were in subjection to God’s Word in Christ’s New Covenant Law.
Most of the people holding titled offices in what projects itself to be “The Church” isn’t even God’s doing. I mean, show me a biblical criteria that was met to qualify them for the role they appear to hold??? The only supposed qualification you will most often find is that the person had a desire for it. Can you show me anywhere in the scripture where desiring something means that God gave you that desire? Where is just wanting something stated as a biblical qualifier for the position they hold? Nowhere! But what is in there are entire books of criteria to be met in order to even be considered to obtain the office. I’ve attended churches where no one knew my life and character, and within a few weeks was asked to play in the worship band. It’s diabolical, people!! How hardly will you find God’s commands for church order fulfilled in this “other” church system? Good luck! The fear of man, respecter of persons, or as we’d say today, “church politics” are what the beast church operates in. Ever notice how it’s predominantly family or buddies who sit on church leadership committees in the modern church? Hand chosen for compliance. Never chosen by God’s mandates! Just a person who won’t block a vote, question a financial decision, etc., or be resistant on much of anything. You know what is funny about it all? The entire idea is not even scriptural. Can you show me where a God appointed Pastor is ever said to have to get approval from the parishioners to use God’s money for a need? Again, it’s not His church that behaves this way. I can see Moses now asking the Israelites for a vote on how he should lead them out of Egypt? Bahaha….stupidity. The Beast Church knows nothing about Kingdom authority. But then again, 90% of people appearing to be pastors and leaders aren’t even God sanctioned anyway. Yes I said that. They are not even recognized by God as legitimate. Why? Most He didn’t put there, and the few He may have? They fear men. It makes them a rebel against the God they claim to preach. I’ve yet to meet a preacher that actually obeys the word of God and still declares that he loves being a preacher. Why? Because Jesus guaranteed intense persecution for all who do as He demonstrated? What these guys today call persecution is laughable. It usually entails someone talking about them negatively. LOL. Look at Jesus and the Apostles. What did persecution look like for them? Now ask yourself, is that what your persecution looks like? If the answer is no, you aren’t preaching His truth. Fact. Either that, or Jesus is a liar. Jesus isn’t a liar.
Look at Paul. He knew the “scripture” better than any of the 12 that Jesus initially chose. Paul was the top of the list of “seminary scholars.” Everyone knew his status as a Pharisee. He was revered amongst his peers highly. But isn’t it amazing that after His Damascus Road experience with the risen Christ that Jesus single-handedly tutored Paul for THREE YEARS!!! You mean being able to quote more scripture than anyone didn’t qualify a person to Jesus? No. People are enamored with that crap. Jesus is concerned with a person who understands the passages they quote. BIG DIFFERENCE!
You know what? I can quote them with the best of them. But I don’t. You know why? Because it draws men’s attention to ME. You know who does that? A narcissist. Can you guess what biblical character was the first to seek to draw attention to himself??? Yeah, the enemy of your soul. Read through your Bible and notice who all does that, and what God deemed them? They are all enemies of God. The false prophets, the soothsayers, the magicians, the religious Temple leaders (Pharisees), the “super-apostles that opposed the true Apostles, those of the circumcision, and on and on. Jesus said this of those who behaved this way in His day…..
Matthew 6:5
“Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward.
Matthew 23:1-7
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The experts in the Mosaic law and the Pharisees sit on Mosesʼ seat. Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But DO NOT do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on menʼs shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long. They love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces, and to have people call them ʻRabbi (teacher).ʼ
Ever notice how these modern “pastors” speak well in word, but don’t do well in deed? Yeah, it’s called hypocrisy. Such men are not the servants of Christ. They’re men-pleasers. They may even preach sin in the pulpit, then excuse their own sin in cowering from confronting people. They talk big, but their actions never follow. So much for being a doer of the word, rather than hearer only, that merely deceive themselves, huh?
Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to gain the approval of people, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ!
Ephesians 6:5-7
Servants, obey your human authorities with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as unto Christ, not like those who do their work only when someone is watching – as people-pleasers – but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart. Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving the Lord and not people,
We live in a day where what professes itself to be the “church” tolerates everything in the name of love and grace. Every denominational leader calls every church under a different belief, “Jesus’ people.” How can that be? How can a Wesleyan and a Calvinist both be “Christian” when their beliefs on salvation are polar opposites?? They can’t. So why declare that? Men-pleasing!! It is avoiding repercussions for calling things what they really are. Let me share an example of this in action…..
I have seen pastors of modern churches be invited to come preach at a totally different denomination. They do not believe hardly anything the same doctrinally. So I would ask, “How do you navigate that?” The answer: “Well I just avoid preaching on things where we disagree.” You know what the scripture calls that, folks? Denying Jesus before men. Think about it…..who does such a person have in focus in doing that? Themselves! We are called to be as Jesus, and actually love those in attendance, by presenting GOD’S TRUTH to them, not to avoid discomfort, persecution, losing future speaking engagements, popularity, etc.. It is not a person who loves God who behaves that way. Well, at least not the Jesus of the Bible. The only way to show him that we love him is to keep his commandments. Have you ever read the epistles of Paul, or John, or Peter? At the root of every one of them is an apostle of God standing against false teachers seeking to pervert the right ways of the Lord. You think their own comfort and self-preservation was on their minds?? Never! They laid down their lives, suffered and died for Jesus. It was “Jesus at all costs!” for them. Oh how fake is the preacher today!!! To a holy God, they anger and disgust Him. “”Their god is their bellies”; their own wants and desires.
I wonder why the New Covenant warns against teaching God’s word unworthily? Unworthily meaning you aren’t educated properly in understanding it in context, you have not been truly called of God to do so, or you misrepresent the seriousness of it to others.
James 3:1
“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater condemnation.”
The majority that people call pastor will not be saved, due to the blood on their hands from all the people they misled, caused to stumble, and for misrepresenting the unchanging God. That is damning.
John 12:43
For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.