The preacher of my church resigned. The last Sunday he was there, he brought another preacher and told us he was our new preacher and that he had the right to do this whether we liked it or not.  Us members of the church thought that we had to vote him in for him to become our preacher.  Can he do this without the members voting on him?  We don't know a thing about this man except he is our used-to-be-preacher’s brother-in-law.  We don't know what we are supposed to pay him or nothing.  He just took the job, and that’s it.  Weren't we supposed to vote on him as members of the church?

Sincerely,
Under New Management

Dear Under New Management,

Every congregation is commended to God’s Word, and that is what has charge over them (Acts 14:23).  All congregations must be very careful whom they allow in their pulpit.  It is each churches’ responsibility to keep false teachers at bay (2 Tim 4:3-4).  No one has a right to force his way into the pulpit.

In fact, the apostle John dealt with a situation where someone tried to take control of a congregation.  Diotrephes loved to have power and be honored in the church (3 Jn 1:9); he also loved to kick people out of the church that disagreed with him (3 Jn 1:10).  The apostle John made it very clear that he would punish and expose Diotrephes for that behavior.  Your congregation has the right and the responsibility to choose your own preacher… one that follows and teaches God’s Word.

Does God care why someone goes to church?  My son was told that he could not go to church because he was going for the wrong reasons... he was attending and met a girl who also attends that church.

Sincerely,
Pew-Sitter

Dear Pew-Sitter,

Yes, God cares why someone attends services, but that doesn’t mean we should ban someone from coming just because they are attending with less than perfect motives.

Ultimately, God wants us to attend services, so we might praise Him with a broken and contrite heart (Ps 51:16-17).  He also wants us to attend services, so we might provoke others to love and good works (Heb 10:24-25).  In a perfect world, everyone would have God and others on their minds when they got together with the church… but we don’t live in a perfect world.

Many people have ulterior motives for going to church, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t welcome.  Paul even recognized that unbelievers will often attend church right alongside christians (1 Cor 14:16).  This is a positive thing.  Regardless of why someone goes to services, they are hearing the gospel and have an opportunity to learn from it.  No one should be denied the opportunity to see God’s Word in action.

{To our AYP Readers – the following is a follow-up to the post “A “Pastor” Problem”.  In order to fully appreciate this post, you should go back and read the previous question.}

Thanks for writing me back.  I hear what you are saying; I think that my father-in-law should be pushing me to the next level.  My wife still does not want to leave her dad’s church, but I have to do what GOD is calling me to do.  I want to please GOD and not man, so I am getting myself together, so I can do the will of GOD for my life.  And you are right if we start doing things GOD’s way and not our way (sic-AYP).  What do I do now that I realize this?  I could lose my wife to her dad.  I am praying for things to change, but until then, I will stay on bended knees.  Please give more insight, please.

 

Sincerely,
Pastored Pastor

Dear Pastored Pastor,

I’m not sure that you do understand what we are saying.  We are saying that the church you are a part of is not God’s church.  You are not a pastor in the Lord’s church, nor have you ever been.  You were ordained to fulfill a position that isn’t found in the Bible and serve in an apostate congregation.  You shouldn’t be “pushed to the next level”; you should start over again.  You are not abiding within the doctrine of Christ and His Word is not in you (2 Jn 1:9).

If you really do want to serve God, and we pray you do, you will have to leave this church.  Christ said that He would set families against themselves (Matt 10:34-36).  If you choose to find a faithful church (please read “Finding A Church” and “Preacher Interrogation”), it will set you against your wife and father-in-law.  You will need to start over and look at the Bible as your standard for all your behavior.  Nicodemus, a Pharisee, feared what Jesus’ preaching meant for His position, but ultimately – the truth is the truth (Jhn 3:1-2).  We must be prepared to do whatever it takes to put the Lord first.  You need to leave man’s religion and start a new life, never again adding or taking away from God’s standards (Rev 22:18-19).

What does the Bible say about a pastor who is rumored to have had an affair and is divorced as a result?  Should he still pastor the church?  I can forgive.  I guess my question is: does God want us to stay or find a new church home?

Sincerely,
We All Fall Short

Dear We All Fall Short,

A pastor is the same as an elder (Acts 20:17), a bishop (1 Tim 3:1), and an overseer (‘overseer’ is another translation for the word ‘bishop)… all four titles represent the same job.  A pastor/elder/bishop/overseer has certain qualifications that God says they must meet in order to be appointed.  Those qualifications are laid out in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  One of those qualifications is that the pastor/elder/bishop/overseer needs to be a husband of one wife (Tit 1:6, 1 Tim 3:2).  Literally, ‘husband of one wife’ means ‘a one woman man’.  If a man has had an affair, he has proven that he is not ‘a one woman man’.  It is not a matter of forgiveness (if he repents, you should forgive him {Lk 17:3} ); it is a matter of meeting the criteria set by God.  A man who has had an affair can be a christian, but he is unqualified to be a pastor/elder/bishop/overseer.  It sounds like you may need to find a new church; we recommend reading “Finding A Church” and “Preacher Interrogation” to help you in your search for a faithful, Bible-only congregation.

If I don't have my child christened, will he go to hell?

 

Sincerely,
Nervous Mother

Dear Nervous Mother,

All children go to heaven.  David’s son died and went to heaven (2 Sam 12:23).  ‘Christening’, also known as ‘infant baptism’, is nowhere to be found in the Bible.  Children are not baptized; adults are.  Baptism is only for believers (Mk 16:16).  You must be old enough to understand and repent (Acts 2:38).  Infants can neither believe nor repent.  It is adults, men and women, who hear the gospel news and then obey it through baptism (Acts 8:12).  Baptism must be requested by the individual wanting it (Acts 8:36)… babies cannot request baptism.  All babies go to heaven; baptism is for those of us who have grown up, rebelled, sinned, and need our sins removed (Acts 22:16).