I Have Not Sent Them
Are All Pastors Sent By God?
I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
Jeremiah 23:21
It was ancient Babylon that the idea of the infallibility of the priest was first identified. Alexander Hyslop makes mention of the Priests of the mystery religions holding peculiar knowledge and were held with an esteem that was above reproach.
Sadly, the idea that a priest, prophet, king or a pastor was to be practically held with this same esteem, never to be ‘dethroned’, has continued to this day. It has long been evident in Roman Catholicism, then we had seen evidence of it in diverse areas of Protestantism, it is found very commonly in the Charismatic / Pentecostal movement, but is now troublingly becoming evident in some Independent Baptist circles.
What does seem most evident of all is that it has risen in popularity among the leaders of Christianity just as the general reading of the Bible has declined among Christian laity. This, I believe, is not a coincidence.
The Character of Those God had Not Sent
The book of Jeremiah is astoundingly clear respecting the condemnation of the many prophets who were pastors to the people. God clearly demonstrates his great displeasure and anger against them and calls upon Jeremiah to preach unto the people the words of God warning against these heretics whom God had “not sent… yet they ran”.
For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.
Jeremiah 10:21
Here God speaks of the true character of such pastors; they “are become brutish”, insensitive, harsh, pitiless, unfeeling; these are some simple synonyms that describe the evident nature of those God had not sent.
These are such men who have no concern of whether a member of the sheep fold stay or go, they do not leave the ninety and nine to seek them, that is the nature of a good shepherd described by the Lord, with a heart likened to God (Matt 18:12-14). No, on the contrary, the brutish pastor is pleased if a member who may have had a contention with them, leaves. Rather than truly mourn for those he considers ‘lost sheep’, he secretly desires they would leave and does little to seek after them.
I have personally been a part of a church with such a pastor, Pentecostalism is filled with such ‘brutish’ self-exultant men. They claim an authority for themselves that is reserved for the scriptures, they condemn all who question their authority, they are unafraid to take the scriptures out of their context claiming “touch not Gods anointed” (Psalm 105:15) assuming that their ascendance to the role of pastor naturally assumes God had sent them. It is however when they have evidently destroyed and “scatter the sheep of Gods pasture” (Jer 23:31), that it becomes clear he “had not sent them, yet they ran”.
It is false to equate David’s relationship with Saul as a justification to claim that their “anointing” was as evident as it was Saul’s. It is important to see that none of the texts, not Psalm 105:15 nor those found in 1 Sam 24, 1 Sam 26 and 2 Sam 1, relate to contention or admonition, nor the final rejection of the shepherd as the leader, but all those passages speak plainly of taking the life of false prophets or wicked kings; it is their destruction, not their admonishment these passages refer to.
Paul tells Timothy plainly;
“A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition REJECT”
(Titus 3:10. emphasis mine).
Ignorance of Scripture Becomes The Permanent Pen of the Sheep
Typically however, false teaches are renowned for taking scriptures from their context and reapplying them where it suits them. But this is only ever successfully accomplished when the Christian laity, the congregations, do not know, nor read, or trust the plainness of the Scriptures. When this occurs, the congregations become snared through their own ignorance, the sheep become trapped in the permanent pen of false teachers.
God despises, even hates false pastors and prophets and princes (Hos 9:15-17). These take the heart of his people and cause them to sin, and all of this because the people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, they did not deal with “the priest” but eventually became ensnared by him and God “will punish both of them for their ways and reward them for their doings”, why? “because they have left off to take heed to the LORD” (Hos 4:6-10), they have set their bibles aside and believed the final authority claimed by the prophet, the priest, the pastor. Men who are charged by God to know the word and lead their families, are willfully ignorant of the scriptures and cannot stand when sinful men come to lead their wives and children astray.
The result or fruit of the ministry of a false shepherd is given to us; they have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered (Jer 10:21).
The passage in Jeremiah first assumes the flock were at one time united in truth, they knew Gods word and they were at one in their relationship to the Lord. They heard the voice of the Lord and draw near to him, but it is when they do not know the voice of their true Shepherd that the voice of strangers confuse them, and they scatter.
Some know the Lord and see he is not evident in their Pastor, and so they leave, but the rest remain enticed and ignorant. This was first witnessed by Jeroboam the son of Nebat in 1 Kings 12:26-33 when he feared the people would separate from him and so he built an alternative alter to entice the people to worship there rather than in Jerusalem, and by good words and fair speeches, he deceived the heart of the simple (Rom 16:18) and there they remained separated from God and suffered no less than nineteen wicked Kings until they were carried away by the Assyrians.
So too it is with Churches who’s men are ignorant of the scriptures and suffer wicked men and false teaches to govern them. Paul makes clear to “mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Rom 16:17-18), but rather than do so, many congregations suffer them. It is true that there will be those who will contend for the truth, I was one of them, but heretics will scatter some and the rest will remain blinded, but sadly when the blind lead the blind, both fall into the ditch.
Absalom
Tragically this also occurs among them that are within Churches.
King David, in attending to the work of the kingdom and for the people of God, had a son who diligently sought the people of his father to turn their hearts away.
1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2 And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servantis of one of the tribes of Israel. 3 And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no mandeputed of the king to hear thee. 4 Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!
What we see is the son of David actively seeking to turn the hearts of the people from the leader of the people through dark communications and speeches unbeknown to the king. The end result of the effort spoke for itself. As Haman built the scaffolding to destroy the faithful servant of the King and later found himself hung thereon (Esther 7:9), so too was Absalom caught in the oak and perished in his own mischief. The Lord hates them who sow discord among brethren (Prov 6:16-19), for it turns the hearts from that which is good toward those whom God had not sent.
And so Absalom represents the aspect of those who run whom God had not sent, which are not pastors, but lust for the role. These too are a perfect representation of Romans 16:17-18, for with such “good words and fair speeches” he, as they, will certainly “deceived the heart of the simple“. Those who do not have the discernment of the scriptures to discover the truth of a matter, are here represented as ‘the simple‘.
The Character of Those God Has Sent
For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.
(Jer 29:8-9)
Clearly there are those who claim the office of a prophet of the Lord, but he had evidently not sent them. Like backslidden Israel, many Churches receive the very prophets they deserve for their lack of discernment and consideration of the Scriptures. There is a reason why the ancient Priests of Babylon, or those of the Roman Catholic Church, or those of the Charismatic movement have such success and remain in their posts unquestioned, the people under them do not read their bibles, and if they do they are unconvinced by the simplicity of what they read. So these are deceived by both the Absalom’s who take their hearts and priests who chain them.
Sadly, in a day when not even many members of IB Churches believe they have a Holy Bible, it is inevitable that wolves in sheep’s clothing will easily outwit them. The final authority of the Bible has already been displaced so it is now simply a matter of a strong or subtle mind to deceive and divide.
It is generally believed today that what qualifies a man for the role of pastor within the Church is his completion of a Bible College diploma/degree. Once a degree is obtained, he is, in the minds of many, off and running. However, not only are we hard-pressed to find ANY clear passage in the Bible stating any such schools are required or even exist for the training of Pastors, but the very passages that DO perfectly describe that which qualifies a man for such a terrible responsibility as pastoring, is virtually ignored.
1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
(1 Tim 3:1-7)
If every single word of God is true and pure and all such words and their logical consideration is taken as authoritative, then when Paul sets Timothy to seek for men to fill the offices required, these are the characteristics and qualities he commands Timothy to identify, these are those qualifications, among others, that DEFINE the pastor. A man with such qualities demonstrates the characteristics of the man who will represent the Lord to his flock. And should not the standards be so high?
Note that his desire for the office of a Bishop does not yet qualify him for that office, but is only the beginning of a good work. Blameless in the eyes of those who may bring a charge or accusation against him is but one characteristic. He MUST be married, and the husband of one wife, in other words NEVER divorced, this sets him apart from many, especially today. Vigilant in other words, watchful, cautious, observant. He must be sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; these are the characteristics that demonstrate a grounded man and wise. He is not to be given to wine, unlike the deacons what are “not given to much wine”, the pastors are to abstain completely respecting alcohol, in this the scriptures are plain. No striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; The pastor is not to be deliberately provocative or argumentative, he should not be on the prowl looking for an argument to enter and quickly voice his opinions. The lust of money and covetousness go hand in glove.
He must rule well his own house, having his children in subjection; beloved this is a priority, If a pastor does not have his own children how can he ever begin to demonstrate the sort of love that represents God to his congregation? Only a father can identify the love and also grief that God experiences when his children are faithful and when they go astray. Having no child leads a man to be easily brutish, never experiencing the selfless pain that can come from a child in need of discipline and the yearning desire to see them restored.
So, it is without a doubt that a pastor must be both married and have children of a good age before any other consideration is given to his suitability, and there is a reason for it. For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? Children ought to be of an age where it is evident they could rebel against the father’s will, to “rule well” assumes wilful obedience with the potential for disobedience. The manner of ‘rule’ written of here is not merely that which governs states and nations, but that patient and longsuffering rule of God. The father represents God to his children in all Gods wonderful nature and character, filled with grace and love and mercy and yet also the meekness that balances such love with discipline.
Interestingly, the epistle to Titus reveals his children to have a good witness without, “not accused of riot or unruly” (Tit 1:6), testifying further of children of a good age with external witness. Yes therefore, it is our children’s behaviour to the outside world that best identifies the character of the man suited to the Pulpit.
Tall criteria? Beloved, it is those who are to care for the flock of God we are speaking of, yes the criteria is expected to be high.
10 Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. 11 They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.
(Jer 12:10-11)
And this is the reason the qualifications must be high. It is settling for anyone who puts up their hand that becomes the desolation of Churches. Jeroboam placed the meanest of the people as priests and this accelerated the demise of the ten northern tribes of Israel.
Jesus our Lord continued the concern;
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
(Matt 7:15-20)
Yet another witness of the false prophet condemned by the Lord.
It amazes me that 26 of the 27 books of the New Testament warn us about false teaches and false prophets and yet there remains the belief that it is to be tolerated no matter the cost. What willful blindness needs to prevail to be willing to tolerate those who distort the words of God and scatter his flock? Such occurs from both within and without, from pulpit to false ‘shepherds’ among the sheep. What lack of love for the Lord will excuse having those who claim to represent him as false teachers, liars, brutish men? It is not a fear of God that tolerates such sin, but a fear of man.
Some will utilize passages from the Old Testament out of proper context to give the excuse that God is the one who needs to remove unqualified men from the pulpit, and yet forget that God employs MEN TO DO HIS WORK.
17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. .
(Romans 16:17-18)
“Cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine...” In days where men have such little esteem for “every word of God“, the “simple” are perfectly carried away by that which seems good, but attended to through the manners and orders opposed to scripture. In this, “there is no fear of God“, for his words are lightly esteemed as they “serve…their own belly“.
As a man who is both a Pastor and was once a deacon of a Church, I had contended more strongly for the faith of Christ than any who had done before me, against a false pastor, I have long studied the truth and consistency of the scriptures in this matter. Agreeably such men I had also seen among the sheepfold and contended earnestly against them. We are to attend to these matters all in a proper order, according to the scriptures alone and not presume to do our work in the flesh. Our Christian character is to attend to this work faithfully and being in subject to the Lords will and purpose.
Notably; my contention against the Pastor of what was once Sunbury Community Church was long ago, but time vindicated the truth of all I had written about with that false teacher, who is now divorced and quit of the ministry. My efforts from the first was to go to him personally, as the scriptures plainly teach in Matt 18:15-20, to address biblical matters of heresy only, such contentions ought to be simple enough as we compare one teaching with another. Next was to bring two witnesses to the same error, and this is in line with our passage in 1 Tim 5:19 “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.” Only when attending to matters in its biblical order do we have confidence we are attending to it the Lords way. It is a fearful thing to attend to a matter outside of this order and to presume it is just. The third is to the entire assembly if the opportunity is available and in its due order. In my case at the time, it was not available and so I had first left the Church and warned the people from without. Leaving to them the matter in their own hands. The warning was clear and not vague, it gave to the people the biblical distinctions of what was being taught and compared to the scriptures, no personal matters were ever entered into for these are all subjective and causes of hurtful contentions.
Though none stood with me at the time, and only a very tiny number came out over the months and years that past, I am in no doubt as to the justification of the stand I had taken and the Lord had wonderfully blessed me and my family since. Now as a Pastor myself, I believe with all my heart it is the congregations right to deal with their pastor should he turn from the Scriptures. All being attended to in proper order as per the scripture (IE: Matt 18:15-20, 1 Tim 5 et al), then and only then are we confident we attend to it the Lords way. If the way is prosperous, well, if not, we move on and seek for a shepherd who teaches the word elsewhere.
Beloved, In charismatic circles My family could never have grown when the ‘cloud without water‘ held the pulpit, but because the Church would not consider the scriptures and compare his teaching, they suffered another 15 years of that godless man’s service.
Closing Thought
There are manners in which both the warning, admonition and ultimate removal of such people be undertaken, while it is noted, that is not the overriding object of this brief essay. But in short, if it is that the Church was already apostate (as was the case for me so long ago), and YOU are the one who has grown in your understanding of the scriptures only to then realise you are a part of an apostate church, all you can do is contend through appeal until it is time to come out of her, and then perhaps warn those if you have such burden of responsibility. Martin Luther came out of the Roman Catholic system after attempts to reform her, so too Calvin, so too Tyndale and Wycliff. As Israel could not convert Egypt, out of Egypt he was called (Hos 11:1), so it will be with you who come to see the nature of apostasy in the church in which you see God has taken away his candlelight.
FINALLY
It is also important to understand that “Majority Opinion” is not the measure to mark the man, ONLY the Scriptures are. Though all people are for the contender, it does not make the contender right, he could very well be an ABSALOM; and though all are against him, it does not mean the contender is in error, he could be a Jeremiah. How shall we know?
Do the work in good order. Attend to it according to the scriptures noted (ie: Matt 18, 1 Tim 5 etc) and be willing to accept the outcome. If it is not attended to in the biblical order, you may very well be doing the devils work for him.
HOWEVER, if good biblical landmarks had long been established, and a new ‘minister’ takes the pulpit and is seen to move those original landmarks long established, then it is for this minister to be removed and not its sheep scattered. In changing the doctrines it is the minster who is the divider, the heretic, the wolf upon whom it were better that a millstone was cast about him, than that he should cause one of the Lord’s children offence (Mrk 9:42).
This is, however, a consideration of a topic grossly misunderstood in this Laodicean age. Be sure simply to know that NEVER can a false teacher be biblically justified to be tolerated as a wolf among the sheep, not if you have a love for the sheep, and reverance for their Shepherd.
God bless you.
Pr Edi Giudetti
0 Comments