Saturday, May 12, 2012

Should We Blindly Accept Whatever Comes from the Pulpit?


Should We Blindly Accept Whatever Comes from the Pulpit?


The term Sola Scriptura is the doctrine that says the Holy Bible as we know it; in all its 66 books, Old and New Testaments, is the final, inerrant, authority on all subjects concerning God and His relation to creation. This does not mean that there are no other relevant sources for learning about God, and His relation to creation. (1 Corinthians 12:48, Ephesians 4:11) Sola Scriptura means if there is an occasion when an alternative source makes a statement which is contrary to what the Bible teaches than the Bible is always without question correct.

It naturally goes to reason that the only way to know if an alternative source of learning about God and His relation to creation is in error in its teaching is through knowledge of the Bible. What this means is no matter how much dedication you put toward reading about God, the Holy Bible (Scripture) should make up the majority of that reading.  No matter how much time you put to learning from a teacher,  preacher, prophet, or bishop, the combine time sitting at the foot of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) should never be near as much as the time you send sitting at the foot of the Lord Jesus (Luke 10:38-42)

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.  Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.  (Acts 17:10-11)
The Bible teaches us that the brethren of Berea where considered more noble than the brethren in Thesalonica because they, 1) received the word with eagerness and 2) they examined the scriptures to see if what they were taught was true!

Do you think that the brethren in Berea thought Paul and Silas would lie to them?  Why would they them go behind an apostle of Christ to examine the scriptures?  The answer is simple; this is what God requires of us!  Pay attention to what is being said in the passage. Because the brethren at Berea went behind the Apostle of Christ (Paul) and examined the scripture to see if Paul was telling the truth; if he was correct in his interpretation;  to check to make sure Silas had not fudged scripture to get his personal opinion or to edify his personal agenda. Because they listen with eagerness, but were discerning in what they were hearing, the bible says the bereans were more noble then those at Thessalonica. 

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success  (Joshua 1:8)
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (1Peter 2:1-2)
There is nobility not just in the knowledge of scripture, but in the examining of what is being taught against the scripture. We must be eager to hear a word as God reveals it to a pastor, but we are also required to be discerning of what is coming from the pulpit. Accepting it as God’s word only after we have examined it against the whole bible, what all of scripture says, not just a single verse.  A single verse that stands alone can be made to mean anything, but the immutability of God word is reflected from Genesis to Revelation. If scripture appears to stand alone in the Bible it only because you have failed to dig deep enough, you have failed  to study to show yourself approved  unto God a workman that need not be ashamed [of his ignorance of the scripture] but able to rightly divide the word of truth.

Last week I spoke to a young lady about preaching, she was working on her very first preached word for the children ministry and wanted my thoughts. As I was speaking to her the spirit of God was speaking to me unching me to say things that I would have not have otherwise said.  Out of nowhere Holy Spirit said to me tell her “That our gifting from God, comes before our maturity in God” I’m not sure it that word was for her or me but it did help to explain a lot of thing that I had seen in the church.

The gifting is not proof of inerrancy
Some pastors have a gift for preaching, the have skills in exegesis and can recite Hebrew and Greek as if they were there with the prophet and apostles.  Some pastors have a gift for parablelic (preaching with stories) preaching when they preach, stuff just makes sense. Difficult subjects come to life in your heart and mind.  And there are some pastors that can move the heart of the people, while other pastors can engage the mind of the congregation. But no matter how gifted they are they are not infallible, and they will (sooner or later) get scripture wrong that’s just the truth.

However getting scripture wrong is not the big problem. The problem is when a pastor gets so pious because of his position, or some level of success, or some level of fame that he acts as if it is insubordinate to question his interpretation of scripture. Or in some cases, if what he said had anything to do with scripture in the first place. Nothing scares me more than a pastor that is always trying to tell me my actions are as witchcraft. (1 Samuel 15:23) They want from me unquestionable acceptance of everything they say and preach. However because I sin, I cannot even give unquestionable acceptance of God word, should I be putting them ahead of Jesus?

Just because bishop so-and-so said it, does not make it true.  The Bible and the Bible alone is the only infallible, inerrant, final word of authority on those thing concerning God and His creation.  I have seen leaders that prophesize in the lives of the people. The congregation would go wild as they would say exactly what that person needed to hear at that time. On many occasions I thought this was not from God, it was not scripturally sound, and it was not for the edification of the congregation.  But the congregation would cheer like a bunch of high school cheerleaders at a pep rally.  They were all eager to hear the word but took no responsibility to examine it against scripture.   Most of them know that what was being said was not of God but all feared to say anything because someone had pronounced this person a prophet. But like the Emperor’s new clothes I just could not see it.

Scripture like 1 Timothy 3:2-3 is there so that we may have a tool to measure the behavior of a pastor by. He should be held accountable to his congregation. Not just in his preaching but in the way he lives his life.  It is a sad day for a church when a pastor asks “Who are you to question me?” Or when you bring his behavior or misinterpretation of scripture he tried to turn it back on you.

There are 4 thing which will stunt the growth of a church or destroy the congregation all together. They are;
1.      A hidden agenda
2.      Sexual promiscuity or perversion
3.      lust for filthy lucre 
4.      and a proud and pious sprit
We must help our pastor preach more effectively, .help him to see how to lead and care for his people more honestly. We must Encourage him, hold him up and it needed some time we must even question him

T.Charves FireSpeaks

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