Шрифт:
You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.
– 1 Corinthians 7:23
Introduction
Have church leaders, pastors and priests wearied you by forcing to follow the church doctrine? Have members of your church ever slandered you? Have they excommunicated you from the church, the so called family and god’s kingdom?
Many believers have experienced this. I have confronted the believers but they said, “If you don’t like our church, then go to another church.” The religious organisations along with their pastors and members are corrupt.
Every religious organisation, the so called “church”, has its own doctrine and set of rules. Those are not the rules of God but of man. The pastor acts as god. Pastor calls his “church” a god’s kingdom. He determines who can be baptized, who can be a member of his “kingdom” and who must be excommunicated. Many faithful believers are wearied by their pastors.
Disobedience to the pastor means sure excommunication. Pastor fears rebellion against him. Just like a dictator, he sets up “church” rules. Pastor spies on everyone to make sure people follow him.
I have attended many worship services in different religious organizations and I saw how arrogant and prideful are those pastors. They love to be praised. Members speak of them in this manner, “Jesus Christ is in heaven, but the leader is on earth.” They exalt their leaders and pastors above God. Those leaders are the pastor-idols.
Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, wrote about the man of lawlessness, about the son of destruction:
Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
– 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
Christ was sent by God and He seeks the will of God. Jesus humbled himself. The man of lawlessness opposes God, exalts himself above everything, takes his seat in the temple of God and proclaims himself to be God. Pastors do the same.
I have observed leaders, pastors and priests, and I have seen myself how they oppose God. Pastors are careful to ensure that believers follow the doctrine of their religious organization and do not deviate from the rules established within the organization. The pastor also requires that the “church” service be held only in his presence. The pastor does not allow believers to gather together without his presence or the one appointed by him.
The pastor exalts himself above other believers, claiming that only he is the minister, and the rest are just parishioners, the mere church members. In fact, the priesthood is given to all those who believe in God and follow Christ. God did not divide believers into priesthood and church members. God gave priesthood to everyone who followed Jesus.
You are the temple of God. The head over you must be Christ. The pastor comes to you and takes the place of judge among you. The pastor excommunicates believers from the church and so called god's kingdom, although God did not give him this authority. Only God has the right to judge believers.
Christ did not send leaders, pastors and priests, but they came themselves. Neither Christ nor the apostles created pastoral positions.
As you can see, leaders, pastors, and priests act in the same way as the man of lawlessness. Pastors and this man of lawlessness Paul wrote about are led by the same spirit. Their deeds are the same.
Jesus honored the God of his fathers, but the pastor does not honor God. The pastor is concerned about collecting more money from you to build a temple, and they don't care about the poor. When he helps the poor, he does it in such a way that everyone sees his alms and praises him.
Christ cleansed the temple and drove everyone out of it, but the pastor defiles the temple of God, that is, you. The pastor demands that you do not seek the will of God, but ask for "advice" and "blessings" from him. This is how he defiles you.
Christ ministered to the needy, but the pastor robs the poor. Many bring tithing to the pastor, even when they have no money themselves.
People give the pastor the last what they have. The pastor claims that these contributions are a gift to God, although God did not require the gifts to be given to the pastors. Whoever wants to make a gift to God – let him give his donation to the poor.
Christ was rejected by the people, but the pastor is accepted and loved by the people. People idolize pastors.
Christ was killed for the people. The pastor attacks and pushes out of the temple those who oppose him. The pastor closely monitors that believers live according to the doctrine of the organization. The temple, where believers gather, is registered in the name of the pastor, organization or pastor’s servant, so this allows pastor to act as a master and treat you as his slave.
The pastor in many ways opposed himself to God and Christ. Christ ascended to heaven, but the pastor will descend into the Lake of Fire. This is because the pastor teaches what Christ did not teach, and what Christ taught he rejects. The pastor persecutes those who oppose him. He took the place of God, judges the believers and robs the poor.
God sent delusion on many. The believers followed their church leaders, pastors and priests. They refuse to hear the truth. They are the self-righteous ones who don't want to hear anything against their "faith" and their pastor. Many of them are aware of the dark things that are happening in their organization, but they prefer to remain silent about it – they enjoy evil. God will judge them. Here is what Paul wrote about believers, who followed the lawless one:
The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
– 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12