We will study God’s prohibitions to preachers because, nowadays, there are many religious organizations that do not implement God’s prohibitions and restrictions. Their members are free to do anything they please. They impose no sanctions either. That is, even if they know that gambling is prohibited, the member could still gamble. Their pastor wouldn’t mind it, especially if he happens to be one of the top donors in the church. Even if the pastor tells them that they should not kill, they would neither be excommunicated should they happen to commit murder. They will remain to be members of the church. They practically tolerate their members from doing whatever they want to do.
But biblically speaking, God has an appropriate measure to every person who transgresses the law and to those who do things which are against the will of God. The don’ts, or the prohibitions, that we are going to study are being violated by many preachers today. But, on our part, we would like to be as truthful as we can be because those prohibitions are clearly stated in the Bible.
This time, we will talk about the proper way by which preachers should treat their members, and how, in turn, members should regard their pastors or preachers. Sometimes, the members are unaware that what their pastors are doing is wrong because they were not taught of what were written in the Bible; aside from the fact that their pastors are not teaching them those things. Let us begin by referring to 2 Corinthians 12:14, which says - “Behold the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you; for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for their children.”
Did you get the idea what St. Paul was trying to convey? He was telling the Christians in Corinth that he was coming. But he assured them that he would not be a burden to any of them. He said, “… I seek not yours, but you …” He was seeking, not their possessions, but his brethren. He even added that, it is improper that children lay up for their parents. Instead, the parents are the ones who should lay up for their children. Paul used the parent-child relationship to illustrate the ideal preacher-member relationship. A preacher should be a parent to his flock. This is what 1 Thessalonians 2:7 say - “But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherished her children:”
St. Paul compared their gentleness to a nurse who displays the same gentleness to her children. The shepherd-flock relationship has been likened to a Parent-child relationship. And because of that, we must realize the privilege given to a child by his parents. As mentioned by St. Paul, this privilege is that, the parents are the ones who ought to save for their children, and not the children for their parents.
As a parent, do you prefer that your child is the one who is working while you are just loafing? Or, would you rather work for your children? Isn’t it more ideal to see the parents working for the welfare of their children . . . that they are the ones planning for what is best for their children?
That is why, in a preacher-member, or shepherd-flock, relationship, the greater sacrifice ought to be rendered by the preacher. He is the one who makes sacrifices; he is the one who gives way. And he has a greater accountability. It is just like what a hen does for her chicks. When other people maltreat, or chase, her young, she is there to protect and defend them. And that is how a preacher should protect and defend his flock. If there are enemies, he should be in the frontline.
But if we are to look at the way things happen today, we will find out that the situation is the opposite of what the Bible said. The ones defending their leader are the members. The chicks are the ones fighting in defense of the hen. Why? Where are their leaders, or pastors? They are in their palace . . . they are inside the convent, tightly guarded while the members are out in the streets fighting for their faith, and soliciting money from passers-by to further enrich their pastor. Have noticed that? The members are the ones laboring for their pastor to live a very comfortable and luxurious life. But if we are going to use the illustration given in the Bible . . . if we are going to pattern the preacher-member relationship after a parent-child relationship, it should be the parents, or the pastors, who should sacrifice for their children, or members.
But try to examine the many religious organizations we have today. See for yourself who is making a greater sacrifice. You will find out how the members have been burdened in the construction of their chapel, or house of worship, as they call it. They contributed for its construction, but once the chapel has been build, who do you think will reside there? It’s their minister! And what is worse, the member could not readily enter it because there are security officers guarding the place. Try to enter the place without due permission and you’ll surely be reported to the police despite the fact that you contributed so much for the construction of that chapel. Wasn't it that during the time that it hasn’t been built, your pastor said, “Let us contribute for the construction of OUR chapel.” But when it had been built, “it is no longer OUR chapel, but MY chapel. You had been excluded in its ownership. Proof to that is, you could not enter it without their permission. If it was really OUR chapel, then, you could enter it anytime. But that is not so. There are now security officers guarding it. And you have to pass so many stations before you could talk to your pastor. There is now a wide distance that separates the pastor from his members. He has become unreachable. He no longer has any spare time to talk to his members.
This is not what the Bible teaches. A preacher-member relationship has been likened to a parent-child relationship. The ones working to sustain the needs of the children are the parents, in the same way that a preacher should be the one to make sacrifices for the sake of his members. Like a parent, he should look after the welfare of the children. But very rarely can we find pastors of that kind. Today, a pastor, or a preacher lives comfortably. If his back is itchy, a maiden at his disposal will scratch his back. If he wants to urinate, another maiden will hold the bedpan for him. Why do I know such cases? Because some of their members have joined our group and they are the ones who told me of these things.
Preachers today live in luxury. There is even one pastor who is entertained by a Canadian woman every time that he feels sad. Aside from that, there is another preacher from this country who had sexually molested 36 women. In the US, I know of one preacher who had 48 wives and 27 children. Actually, there was a minister who raped a member who was then five months pregnant. But why are there young ladies being abused by leaders of religions? It is because the members readily give in to their pastor’s caprices. They gladly do as he pleases. That is wrong!
In the Bible, if a pastor is asking his members to do something that is against the Christian doctrines, they should get out of that group. A member has the right to protest and complain if what his leader says and does no longer conforms to the teachings of the Bible.
God has a set of laws for the preachers to follow. They should be like parents to their members. If you are a loving parent, you will not abuse your children. Instead, you will always be compassionate to them. Try to talk to some parents and they will tell you that the foremost reason why they are laboring very hard is to prepare their children’s future. Isn’t it that parents think of nothing but the best for their children? No parent in his right mind will prioritize his personal needs over and above the needs of his children. This is the reason why God wants the preachers to emulate the care and the concern that a parent gives to his children. If a preacher regards his members as his children, he will surely consider their welfare. He will surely defend and protect them from all kinds of atrocities.
But if you do not see these gestures to your respective leaders in religion, you better get out of it. There are, indeed, pastors who regard their members as slaves and servants. A member wipes his perspiration; other members lift him. I wonder why he has to be lifted by 6 men when he can walk! Apparently, he does not regard his members as his children but his salves. And that is against the Bible. 1 Peter 5:1-2 say - “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you …”
The ones being addressed here are the pastors, the preachers, the elders. What was the admonition to the pastor, the preacher, and the elder? “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but a ready mind.”
They should shepherd their flocks not for money, and neither for gains. You know very well that there are leaders of religion whose primary concern is to accumulate money. As written in Micah 3:11 - “And the heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money …”
There are, indeed, those who lead, preach, and prophesy for money. Religion has become the pastor’s source of livelihood. Can we deny that? It has been written in the Bible. There are preachers who preach for personal gains. That is, thru Peter, Christ admonished the preachers not to rule with force, not preach out of money. Instead, they should lead with a ready mind. They need to have a ready mind. There should be gladness in them as they make sacrifices. And “Neither as being lords over God’s heritage …” (I Peter 5:3).
There are preachers who act like lords. In fact, their members call them “Beloved Pastor.” You just cannot address them by their first names or nicknames. You always have to attach a descriptive title to their names, such as, Beloved Pastor, Reverend Pastor, Very Reverend Father, Beloved Evangelist, Most Holy Father, etc. And these preachers are very delighted to hear their members address them that way, as if they deserve those titles of respect. One of those preachers used to be an aspiring lawyer. But since he couldn’t pass the bar exam, he opted to become a pastor. Apparently, that was a wiser decision because, look at him now, he has become very rich. And why not? He keeps on collecting tithes from his followers. The income of a lawyer is nothing compared with the tithes that he regularly collects from his unsuspecting members. Lawyers earn only during the hearing of the cases they handle, while a pastor earns from Monday to Sunday, the whole year round.
This is the reason why the Bible instructed them that money and other gains should not be their primary consideration in preaching. A minister of God preaches for the soul of his fellowmen. He should preach even without monetary compensation. 1 Corinthians 9:16 says - “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of; for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel.”
St. Paul said that the responsibility of preaching the Gospel had been laid upon his shoulders. If he would not faithfully preach the Gospel, nobody else would. That is why he said, “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel.” Was he preaching the Gospel for money? No! He was preaching because he was fulfilling the responsibility that was given to him. In other words, a preacher who is of God is preaching because he wants to save his fellowmen from damnation.
But today, we could see preachers in market places, in street corners, in buses. But it’s obvious that their main objective is not really to propagate the Gospel because, if it was, they should not have done this “preaching” thing in busy public places. Their voices could were hardly audible due to the noise that other people make. But they were unmindful of it because, more than anything else, their main concern is to solicit donations from passers-by. Actually, if you are to examine the whole thing, you will find out that only one was “preaching” in a corner, while about 20 others were soliciting donations from the people. There are even instances when, during traffic jams, they will knock on your car window. And when you look at them, they will extend to you a pouch, wherein you can drop your donation. Are these the people who will lead you to salvation? Do not be deceived. They are only after your money. This is what 2 Corinthians 2:17 says - “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”
Paul differentiated himself from the many other preachers who make the word of God a merchandise. They have made religion a big business. And this is manifested in their lifestyles. Most of them have become very rich; one of them had already built his own bank, because other banks could no longer accommodate his very huge deposits. The members are not aware of it. They are too naïve to even suspect. They keep on giving donations to their pastor without them realizing how rich they have made of their pastor. But whenever a chapel needs to be built, even the ones residing at the squatters’ area contribute for its construction, while their pastor who now owns a bank does not even bother to give his share. Isn’t it that the ones who need donations are those squatters, and not the pastor who lives in a palace? Isn’t that ironic? The pastor who lives in a palace collects donations from his members who live in the squatters’ area. Why do you allow that thing to happen?
Personally, I cannot afford to be burden to my impoverished members, most especially if I will ask from them my daily sustenance. I do not have the guts to do that. That is why before I eat, I try to find out first where the food came from. I do not go to the houses of my brethren just to dine. No. For all I know, the food that they might be serving me is all they have for their next meal. But there are pastors who have made religion their source of livelihood. They never stop from soliciting money. I do not deny that I have loans, because I’d rather borrow from banks and other lending institutions than rob my members of their money. That is why in 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9, St. Paul said, “For yourselves know how ye ought to follow; for we behaved not ourselves orderly among you; Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought …”
St. Paul paid for what he ate. He did not abuse the kindness of the early Christians. However, today, many preachers are void of shame. They make their members their milking cows, and religion, a lucrative business. That is why, you will notice that in every move they make, they ask for contributions. During meetings of their young members, they solicit contributions; during the meeting of the elders, they collect contribution; even during ministerial classes, they also collect contribution. Can you imagine that? Even during ministerial classes! They are supposed to study the word of God there, but they still collect contributions. Practically, in everything they do, they collect money.
On the other hand, there are pastors who, every time you see them on television, they talk of nothing but tithes. That manifests how hungry they are of money. I used to wonder when these pastors would ever stop from asking for tithes. But God immediately supplied me with an answer in Isaiah 56:11 - “Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough; and they are shepherds that cannot understand:”
Therefore, they will never stop because they can never have enough. They find not satisfaction and contentment. Do you know the ploy that one pastor uses to motivate his members? In front of a television camera, he will show his members and the viewers how he places his offerings, which are four pieces of five hundred peso bills, inside the envelope. Insinuating that his members should do the same, and God will bless them. But that is not true. Why? The members remain poor, even poorer, in fact, because the 10 percent of the meager income they receive goes to the very rich pastor. For you, not to be deceived, find out whom was God talking to when He said that, He would give His blessings. Was He addressing you? For all you know, His pronouncement did not concern you because He was talking to the Israelites. These pastors bank on Malachi 3:10, to entice their members. But what does the verse say? “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house,”
God said “meat,” or food. The intent in Malachi 3:10 was for them to have food in the house of God. Are the tithes that your pastors collect meant to feed? These pastors already have more than enough, and still, they keep on asking for more. One of them already even owns an airplane. Did God say that a pastor should have an airplane? What God said was, to have food in the house of God. Actually, aside from asking for tithes, they also have other collections termed as love offering, prayer request, special offering, very special offering, etc.
They have invented so many names for their collections, and they are all unbiblical. This is the reason why I keep on talking, hoping that, eventually, I would be able to enlighten the minds of my fellowmen, and also, for the wickedness of these pastors to stop. If they continually succeed in fooling other people to give him tithes, they would be able to fool many more. The more money these pastors have, the easier it will be, on their part, to buy airtime in radio and television networks. Many people would be able to listen to their lies, many will be brainwashed, and many will be deceived. Thank God that thru our program, Ang Dating Daan, these anomalies in religion is being exposed. There are, indeed, thieves in religion. They are able to rob people legally. Why did I say legally? Because the law enforcers let them do as they please. Instead of putting them behind bars, they are even welcomed with open arms and with a band of musicians. Despite their being thieves and robbers, the society even regard them highly. John 10:1 says - “Verily, verily I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”
They are the thieves and robbers in religion. Beware of them! They steal and rob in broad daylight. And mind you, they are very greedy.
Always bear in mind that, a pastor’s relationship with his members has been likened to a parent-child relationship. According to the Bible, it should be the parent, or the pastor, who should labor for the welfare and interests of his children, or members. Like a parent, the preacher, or the pastor, should sacrifice for his members, or his flock. And as a parent is selfless, the pastor should also be one. But if your pastor does not possess these traits, that means that he just cheating you. Do not establish relationship with him anymore!