17. The "Servant" Can Be Wrong and You Do Not Have to Follow
And don’t take every word from him or others as God speaking to you
So…the pastor wants you to go as a short term. Wants you to marry a certain person. Wants you to quit your job and live and church and live “entirely for the Gospel”. Wants you to go to World Camp and Dallas Winter Camp even though you can’t get time off. Wants you to go to an English Camp that you aren’t sure you want to go to. Maybe you have the “heart” to go to all of these things but don’t have the money. You have health issues, you aren’t sure you should go. You have psychological issues, you aren’t sure you should go. You don’t know if you want to or should stay up ‘til midnight signing and packing “Dear Neighbor” letters for the Christmas Cantata or go church visiting or door to door passing out fliers and/or letters.
You don’t necessarily like dancing or “have the heart” to dance and practice but are told it opens up the peoples’ hearts….
You get told to throw your thoughts away. That you’re being arrogant believing in your own thoughts, not God’s that are different (Isaiah 55:8). To have faith, believe in the word that pastor says, that the Bible says, that God is with you, and you are made perfect. That He has perfected forever them that are being sanctified (2 Corinthians 5:21). You’re told just believe in the Word. That it’s not a problem if you just believe and follow. You don’t feel qualified to do something but that’s what makes you qualified (supposedly) because you’ll need to rely on God. That pastor’s heart is closer to God’s heart and the closer to the servant your heart is, the closer you will be to God (but I thought you were already perfect and holy as He is holy? Anyways…). You may have even heart that if “Pastor” said it, God will make it happen accordingly and that is why you should follow…
I’ve touched on this topic before in “The Idea of Having One Heart With ‘the Servant’” but felt a need to reiterate as I think it’s at the heart of a lot of issues when taught to defer constantly.
I want to reiterate that you as a person will be responsible before God for your choices in deferring or not deferring to the pastor, minister, samonim, Ock Soo Park himself, etc. Yes, Jesus already paid for all our sins, but you should still be seeking to God’s preceptive will, not sinning so that grace may abound (Romans 6:1-2).
Adam and Eve and the serpent all had culpability (Genesis 3). And as I have heard the first sin was at least in part, believing a lie. We have to repent from believing a lie. All the above activities are not inherently wrong (though to me because it’s doing it for GNM…they are leading people astray), but the big issue is the coercion that can happen under the guise of “fellowship”. Which leads to things like even men becoming pastors that do not really want to be pastors who then run away (More on that perhaps another time).
You choosing to follow or not, you are responsible for (Romans 14:12, 2 Corinthians 5:10). You know that, which is why you may feel guilty they try to get you to do something or not do something. But conversely you probably should feel guilty for following them when you really ought not, or do not actually want to do something. And you can’t just blame them and say, “they told me to”. They will be responsible for their part (Matthew 18:6, James 3:1), and you for yours. You are responsible for deferring when you as an adult individual (or a young adult individual) should be taking the responsibility and making wise decisions for yourself.
That is partly why I have written these blogs. You don’t know what you don’t know, but you’re still making choices that affect your life. Yes you can take in advice, but unless it is overt sin, as stated by God’s law, the pastors or ministers in particular have no authority to tell you to do or not do something.
Wise pastors and wise parents should be teaching those under them how to think things through Biblically, thoughtfully, prayerfully and with Godly wisdom. Not to be codependent and anxiously always checking for assurance. We are also commanded to love God with our entire heart, soul, mind and strength (Matthew 22:37). Meaning you must be able to and should be able to think things through Biblically.
But GNM makes these sin issues where it need not be and act like they must stand in for the Holy Spirit and control people. Biblically there is no case for them having such strong authority in controlling the saint’s lives. Also, as a charismatic church, you’re primed to think that all these events will have some profound effect or have some sort of profound experience on your “spiritual life”. Looking for some “aha” moment, despite the Bible calling us to be sober minded:
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9).
This chasing a profound “spiritual” insight can be how GNM justifies telling people to do “church work” that they care about your soul and want to see God work in your life powerfully, even if it would have you being irresponsible in your duties in the rest of your life…your whole life which is to be stewarded before God. Not just “church” things. Don’t be irresponsible in taking care of your life, your health, your family (1 Timothy 5:8). And if they use the logic of “Who can take care of your family better, you or God?” to get you to do something, you can also bring up that verse…but could also turn the tables then and say “Why should I go do this church work? Who can do it better, me or God?” Just saying..
I was told by the more reasonable of the GNM pastors (who I call a “damage control” pastor) that if the pastor is wrong/ they have a wrong idea, you cannot follow. While on the other extreme end as I mentioned in the prior post, a brother told me that if I followed and was deceived by the pastor than it was God’s will for me to be deceived. Now I am aware one is a pastor, and another is a brother. But this may also be how the bad doctrine proliferates among the saints. The same for being told that if “Pastor” said it, God will make it happen accordingly and therefore believe it and act on it. Again this is then acting like the pastors are prophets…except when it came to prophecy in the Bible, the prophet receives a word from Yahweh. Not that a man has something he thinks should be done and then God establishes it.
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1:20-21)
He does not get to say something, and God establish it. That can get into the weird doctrine of when someone is talking to you, act is if it is God speaking to you…except when are you supposed to apply that? When you feel like it? Or when the other people such as pastors or samonim, brother or sisters? Just stay away from doing that.
So brothers and sisters in Christ, hold to the freedom for which Christ made you free. (Galatians 5:1)
“18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” (1 John 5:18-21)