On October 18, the God fearing messengers at the annual meeting of Southern Baptists in Idaho Falls passed a resolution to urge city, county, state and national magistrates to act immediately on behalf of our neighbors in the womb and abolish abortion.
Some will say that abortion is a constitutional right. I’m not sure what constitution they are reading to come up with this conclusion. But more importantly, I’m not sure what bible some “professing” believers are reading if they argue in support of the right of women to murder their children or claim Jesus would not have Biblical family values. At that point the “professor” must have set his bible down all together.
On October 24, I will host a “Family Values Forum”, along with my friends Bear Morton and Christopher Folkerts at the College of Southern Idaho. There has been no small amount of backlash from some in the community that think pastors of God fearing, Bible believing churches should set their convictions aside and promote a new reinvented Jesus who is more like a guru from some mystic camp high in the mountains above an actively melting glacier at the epicenter of global warming. Many want a Jesus disconnected from biblical theology so they can further suppress what they know to be true about this Biblical Jesus who will judge all sin and already condemned sinners. In order to be at peace with this kind of Jesus the Bible addresses what false professors will do, they will surround themselves with people pleasers who place greater importance on following an easily deceived heart than devote themselves to the study of righteousness.
If a pastor is not submitted to teaching his people what God has reliably revealed about Himself then that person is no pastor of God’s people. He is, by biblical teaching, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He thinks himself in the sacred office of slave of Christ yet he has decided he knows better than Christ, God’s only begotten son.
If someone wants to lead a people down spiritual paths he/she can do that without hijacking the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. I would argue from the authority of Scripture that it would go better for him if he could have a “millstone tied around his neck and drowned in the depths of the sea” than to mislead one of God’s people.
There is something to be said about a God called, biblically qualified, congregation approved pastor who knows his duty and then does his duty faithfully. He is a slave not an innovator. He is a preacher of Biblical theology not a spineless philosopher. He is shepherd of people leading them in truth not a bandit robbing people of spiritual nourishment in Christ. He leads sheep by following the Great Shepherd not dreaming of more pragmatic ways to lead roaming lamas.
Think of it like this with me. The Bible teaches that a pastor’s duty is to be a pillar and buttress of truth and yet this week I’ve been told that pastors have no place to have influence upon any part of our community. This from those wanting to have influence upon me. The Bible clearly teaches what the definition of a family is; one man married to one woman for life, until death. That in this family unit is where children are to be conceived, nurtured, and raised to fear God. Sure, real life comes with complications, dysfunctions, and circumstances out of our control due to an active sin nature in the heart of all so the ideal family unity will be derailed from time to time. The derailment is not permission to redefine, reinvent, or repackage. It is rather the call to realign, recalibrate, or revitalize and return to the ancient paths.
If your pastor is one of the slaves of Christ then rejoice in the Lord. If your pastor is some kind of amalgamated philosopher/innovator then love him enough to either point him to the reliable Bible or replace him with one who will obey his master. If you are leading a local fellowship of professing followers of God and you want to lead them otherwise then be honest and honorable about your intentions and leave these precious sheep of God to those who will obey their Master. “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan.” (Proverbs 29:2)
Eastside Baptist Church gathers at 204 Eastland Drive North in Twin Falls on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Contact Paul at paul@esbctwinfalls.com and more information about Eastside Baptist at www.esbcTwinFalls.com
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