Who Can You Believe

[mjtorrence 0]

There is only a few true men of God that truly preach
the word of God all others trade the truth for a lie
There are so many false prophets that always have a "thus saith the Lord"
knowing good well that God didn't say nothing to them
How come we as believers can't just pay our tithes and our offerings
without having Pastors milking the congregation for more money so the Pastor can
drive around in a fancy car. I don't understand how a person can stand in the pulpit
and know that they are not living the right way and that they keep feeding the people
wrong messages. I believe that cause their is no real conviction in the house of the Lord
thats why these so called Preachers have no fear of the true living God.

[lovelywomanofvirtue 0]

You know, we are living in a time where people, including leadership in the church who"...long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." (1 Tim. 6:9-10 NLT). This is why it is important for us as Christians to pray for our leaders.

[mjtorrence 0]

Yes we do have to pray for our leaders yet who is doing the leading I will not follow after man, only God, I feel in my heart that the men and women who call themselves men and women of God should not want to step inside a pulpit and call themselves a man or women of God knowing that they are not right in there hearts Yet it does say in the last days many will fall away from the faith, not wanting to listen to sound doctrine having itchy ears, and chasing after all wordly things. Yet these same people are dragging a bunch of people who listen to them to hell with them

[jjp708 0]

It all goes back to what lovely said about praying for our leaders. You also hit a valid point about not worshiping man but GOD. But in do that we have to be careful not to fall into a spirit of judgment because we ALL have fallen short of the glory of God and that doesn't exclude preachers. Should they be held to a higher standard of living, I think believe so, but then I have ask myself, shouldn't we all be held to that same standard?

Those are just my thoughts. Keep praying for our leaders mj because in this day in age they are going to need it. We all do!

[mjtorrence 0]

[Cholette 0]

jjp708 wrote:

It all goes back to what lovely said about praying for our leaders. You also hit a valid point about not worshiping man but GOD. But in do that we have to be careful not to fall into a spirit of judgment because we ALL have fallen short of the glory of God and that doesn't exclude preachers. Should they be held to a higher standard of living, I think believe so, but then I have ask myself, shouldn't we all be held to that same standard?

Those are just my thoughts. Keep praying for our leaders mj because in this day in age they are going to need it. We all do!

We CANNOT fall into judgment. The only difference with someone being exposed and us ,is that they are exposed. God doesn't expose...the devil does. You play with him long enough, he will drop you.

That's why we have to stay in the word of God for ourselves and not take man's word for everything. I love my pastor and I love the church I go to, but I don't take every single word to my heart until I know it's scriptural and based on the finished work of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us to try the word with the word. When we do this, then when people fall or take a wrong turn, we will be sound and in place.

We are admonished to not lean on the arms of flesh...but we still do. We should only be leaning on the Lord!!!

[jjp708 0]

CHOLETTE...THAT WAS POWERFUL!!!!

To add, just a little note, the Word also tells us to study to show OUR OWN SELF APPROVED.

I'm really sensative to this subject because I've seen people fall away from GOD because of man's disappointment or emotionally based teaching. We are charged with knowing the word for ourselves AND praying for our spiritual leaders.

[lola21st 2]

and

Psalm 118:8
It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

2 Timothy 2:14-26
14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ[c] depart from iniquity.”
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. 24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

2 Peter 2 also speaks strongly regarding these false prophets. The thing that is comforting is that God knows that this is taking place in the Church and a cleansing will take place. When I say this, I'm not commenting on any particular pastor or church, this word is for the Church as a whole:

2 Peter 2 (New King James Version)

2 Peter 2
Destructive Doctrines
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does[a] not slumber.
Doom of False Teachers

4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.
Depravity of False Teachers

12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
17 These are wells without water, clouds[b] carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.[c]
Deceptions of False Teachers

18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped[d] from those who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. 20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,”[e] and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

1 John 2:24-29

Let Truth Abide in You

24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.
26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will[e] abide in Him.
The Children of God

28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when[f] He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

[jjp708 0]

Amen Lola

[Cholette 0]

I can be touched by this topic too. Before I left my former ministry, I had SIX different pastors. They were replaced for some indiscretion or another. It affected me each time, but as I began realizing that I needed to get into the word of God for myself, that's when I put my big girl pants on and grew up. I took my life OUT of their hands and put it in God's...where it should have been in the first place.

Love those scriptures Lurdys!!!!

[jjp708 0]

amen Cholette...amen. And that's what we ALL must do.

[dreamster 0]

big gurl pannnttsss,,, ohh 4 a snapshot,,

[mjtorrence 0]

Cholette wrote:

I can be touched by this topic too. Before I left my former ministry, I had SIX different pastors. They were replaced for some indiscretion or another. It affected me each time, but as I began realizing that I needed to get into the word of God for myself, that's when I put my big girl pants on and grew up. I took my life OUT of their hands and put it in God's...where it should have been in the first place.

Love those scriptures Lurdys!!!!

I totally agree Cholette that's what I am talking about taking my life and anyone elses life out of the hands of so called Pastors :clap2:

[lola21st 2]

I have to admit that the consistent revelation regarding our church leaders over the years has caused me to become distrustful of church leadership... ..part of it is healthy (trust in God, not man) but I have to admit that a small part of it is cynical...wondering who's hiding what (in my local world, not the national arena), how long will it be before another one is exposed, etc. The result is that I'm having a challenge trusting enough to recognize them as a spiritual leader in my life. I've been praying about this but wonder if anyone else is experiencing this (or has experienced this)?

[jjp708 0]

It's funny Lola because I was on my way to cheer practice with my daughter and I was thinking the same thing. I try to keep myself encouraged because once that seed of doubt is planted then the enemy takes over but it is definately hard.

[mjtorrence 0]

Yes it is hard to trust in these women and men of God when they do wrong and yes doubt can set in be I have to be encourged that God will see me thru
don't cry jjp708 God loves us and he said to trust him