We have all met, or have seen, or are instructed by, Pastors that can lead the sheep away. Typically, they will promote emotion. Emotion is not bad, but for these pastors emotion is a requirement. We all experience emotion because we are emotional creatures, but we exhibit the emotion that a circumstance elicits at the time. We do not (indeed, we cannot) turn on emotion as required by another person, even if the person’s title is “Pastor”. (If we do, it’s called “acting”.)These preachers would insist if you were not excited you are not a Christian, real Christians are excited (… emotional, joyful, tearful, etc.) You must show some sort of emotion to be genuine.
These preachers almost always promote giving of money. They say you show your love of the lord by donating money. If you are not giving you are not a Christian. Their kind of giving is to give “above and beyond”. “Above and beyond” what? Above and beyond what is safe for your finances, even if you don’t have money. You should give “sacrificially” if it is not sacrificial it is not really showing your love or trust of God.
They profess that they “know God”, perhaps they know Him better than you. But ask yourself: do they teach from the Bible or their own experience? Do they ever show they are intimately familiar with the contents of the Bible? Could they honestly say they know from personal experience what your life is like? And ask yourself: How does their lifestyle resemble that of Jesus? Would they divert any of their income, or of their church’s income, for the benefit of the poor?
By seeing them on a Sunday, or on a TV program we cannot see the way they live, and we could not live the way they do. Most of us could not dress in their expensive clothes. We do not live in a big house. We do not own luxurious cars, boats, or vacation properties. We do not go on expensive foreign trips for “evangelism” nor stay in expensive hotels.
We should make the effort to be aware of this type of preacher. We should avoid them. We should caution others to avoid them. It is not safe to be apart from God’s own flock of sheep under some devious, self-serving shepherd. We are the kind of sheep that can (and should) discern the quality of shepherd we follow.
