To Be Or Not To Be (a Faithful Pastor) That Is The Question?

I was talking with my Pastor yesterday and he mentioned to me and someone else that he is pressured from time to time by local pastors to bring our Church together with them to fellowship in the spirit of "unity" at one of their ecuminical functions, concerts or whatever.

Thankfully our pastor does not compromise regardless of the labels such as Pharisee, legalistic, mean, or the looks of disgust and disapproval. He mentioned that one of the local pastors really “lit into him” the first time they met. That pastor was waiting at the end of the stairs outside our Church and asked my pastor if he “was one of those mean Baptist preachers”. I assume “mean” because my pastor wouldn’t disobey the scriptures like himself and a few others. That and if he had any issues pertaining to the Word of God, it was never brought to my pastor’s attention. This really burned me up because the man that “lit into” my pastor is my former pastor and it looked as though he wasn’t going to tolerate my pastors intolerance!

Sadly, my former pastor wasn’t content in his own deception so now he was going to come on over and rebuke a faithful pastor he had never even met. And, should his rebuke succeed, then my former pastor would be an ungodly influence on my current pastor and have him disobey Paul's instruction to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them". (Eph. 5:11)

I was reminded of my former pastor's apathy towards false teaching & teachers; I once suggested he reconsider allowing an evangelist from coming to my former Church a second time because the "evangelist" had quoted heretics and false prophets like Bill Hybels and Rick Joyner the first time he was there. Not to meantion the evangelist had very strong ties to the “Brownville Revival” (Tit 3:10). Unfortunatly the evangelist came with my former pastors blessing. Yep, no rebuke waiting at the end of any stairs for this fellow.

I also recall my wife commenting to him & his wife on how she thought it was a bad idea, but more importantly it was disobeying God to fellowship with the local Roman Catholic Church (Romans 16:17; 2 John 1:9-11). The pastoral response was a sharp rebuke and told “they still believe in Jesus” though Paul warned of “another Jesus” (2 Cor 11:4) and “another gospel” just like the one Rome teaches (Gal 1:8-9). But that didn't seem too important. And don't misunderstand me, I understand we are called to be salt and light and that is not possible unless we interact with people (1 Cor. 5:10). However, we cannot worship God in Spirit and Truth beside false religions such as Roman Catholicism or those that do not uphold sound doctrine and are in blatant error -- that is either true or the Bible is a lie (John 4:23-24; Romans 16:17; Tit. 1:9; 2 John 1:8-11; Jude 1:3).

I thank God our Father He still has obedient men and I pray they continue to resist the pressures and ungodly influences from unfaithful ones because the obedient pastors, unlike the unfaithful, understand that wolves need to be kept away from the sheep according to Jesus Christ our Lord!
B. Fox

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. (Acts 20:29-31)