Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
Matthew 18:6-7
The Word of Faith has a couple of teachings that I am offended by..
One is the teaching on Spiritual Fathers and the other is on Offence.
Both of these teachings have a common element: intimidation.
In these teachings the pastor says that if you become offended at a preacher or if you break ties with your Spiritual Father you are in danger. During the sermon he cites various unnamed examples who "got offended because I got blessed." To him, "blessed" means he got money, a car, a house, or an airplane.
He claims that the offended ones eventually suffer various calamities: divorce, bankruptcy and even death. (Even though these very things happen to his own congregation.)
I have even heard a pastor explain how an individual can 'borrow' another person's offence, so a person shouldn't even talk to offended brethren.
You are taught that if you separate from him or church that you will lose your blessing (for laypeople, that means promotion at church). Don't get offended, he says. "God wants to promote you, just be mature and go on despite any offending behavior." He tells you that if you leave you could find yourself outside of God's plan for your life, as if to insinuate that serving the pastor is God's plan for your life.
You would think that your salvation rested on the one in the pulpit. It appears your life is in jeopardy without him.
That is intimidation and control.
How does this behavior reflect Jesus? He did not use intimidation tactics to maintain a following.
Good Christian people stay in these churches because they are afraid that what the pastor is saying is true.
If you go to a church where you hear this kind of talk regularly, you don't have to accept it.
It's not true.
People become offended in Word of Faith churches because the ministers are not accountable to anyone and behave offensively.
Churchgoers become 'offended' because of financial misconduct, immorality and just plain unkind behavior.
If this is your church, don't let intimidation silence you. Do not accept unrighteous behaviour from your leaders.
Do not allow injustices to continue , do not be silent.
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Matthew 18:15-17
I heard my former pastor say, "If you leave the church you get out of line and you have to start over. He said that some people who had been there for years got out of line when they left and lost everything they had built. WHERE IS THAT IN THE BIBLE?
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a great job of explaining these things!
It's fear! They're using fear to try to hold people in their church so they can keep getting their tithes. They don't want to lose anyone's money because that would cost them their extravagant lifestyle!
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous Jan. 9: I've heard the same. I wish we had asked if the get out of line thing refers to a hierarchy and what are we supposed to be building aside from the pastor's kingdom?
ReplyDeleteMy former pastor preached these same things about offense. Yet, when he was offended, he wanted the congregation as a whole to borrow his offense. Why else would he stand in the pulpit and vocalize with passion how HE has been "mistreated" and "done wrong".
ReplyDeleteAt MFC the preacher said the same things about needing to follow him to be promoted. But when those on his staff or key volunteers ceased to tickle his fancy he would fire them, dismiss them or place someone else in their position and he would tell them it was promotion time for them. I guess it was their job to figure out what the promotion was. He sure didn't bother to tell them.
ReplyDelete