How do you remove an acting pastor without serious issues???

[Guest]

Our house church pastor left and left the church in the care of a person who thinks he is called by God.. thing is he has embezzled church money,,shown no remores nor made any attempt to pay it back... has refused to financially support the church, does not have any work ethic to propperly prepare a sermon or any other thing... however says "I'm the pastor" ---pride........ asking the former pastor about this, he says "let God remove him" ???
I would think the church members should do this, but most are clueless...
so what should be done? if anything???

[Guest]

The Bible tells us how to deal with other "brethren ” in a dispute, in Matthew 28:15-17. First we go to the person individually, if no response, take one or two others. If no response, take it to the church body. If no response, treat them as if they are "a pagan or a tax collector." He can't have power unless the Lord has placed him in authority.

[Guest]

I know all that... however, in practice it usually gets quite difficult... in most cases the person will not go quietly as he feels that God told him to be there,,, especially if GOD did not.. All too many people feel that God called him so he thinks he should stand up and preach regardless of the fact that he is ignorant, unlearned,, and prideful...

[gail]

You said you have a House Church. If that’s the case and others agree with your feelings, just move on without him.

[Issachar]

Lewis, if the things you state are demonstrable but most of the people there want him to stay on as “pastor”, then sadly, move on. Poor work ethic? Embezzling? Prideful? If these things are accurate, why would the former pastor choose him? Scripture is extremely clear on the criteria for deacons and elders.

Issachar

[Guest]

Issachar asked """why would the former pastor choose him?"""
Because he is the former pastors son in law... who said he was called to preach... even though he was not educated/ qualified...
also because no one else wanted the job... we only have 7 or 8 adults in our house church, I'm the only person there that is a mature educated believer.. and I am not called to be a pastor, only a teacher... I have been teaching the mid week through the Bible study....
The former pastor who lives across the country now is coming back to town to discus this in person in a few days...
I have stayed because I love the people and sound doctrine needs to be taught...

[Guest]

Lewis, May God fight this battle with you. His will be done.

[Glorify Him]

Lewisb you're describing a church that has gone off the rails. These situations will happen over and over with family run situations like you describe. Just my opinion but in these days and times you need to be in a church that is not part of the problem but part of the solution. Leave. Go find another church. Easier said than done I know. But we are called to come out from among them. If you are surrounded by blind guides you are sitting ducks for the enemy.

[Guest]

The problem is in FINDING a sound gospel preaching Church here in the San Diego area.... I have been going to Dr david Jeremiah's South Bay sattalite church Sunday mornings.... he does a decent Job however not the King James Bible ...he usually uses apostate Bibles... and not always spot on doctrine.... One previously ok large church here is is sliding sliding down. into inclusive irrevelance......
About 20 miles away is a Gospel KJV church but who wants to listen to a "beat the sheep" message every Sunday???...

Well, the founding pastor is back for a surprise audit this weekend and the full week... Just maybe there will be a good result... I mentioned to him about giving oversite of the church to a good pastor team an hour away up the coast... So we will see... we do have a great storefront location, however Imperial Beach is a satan stronghold for a very long time..Meth capital of the SouthWest for years.... We have been at this location four years, everyone knows we are here, however no one wants sound doctrine... We have tracted the whole city with no result... still tracting frequently...
What is being taught all around us is the doctrine ""your best life now" !!! The Joel Oldstein message... So Sad...

[gail]

Lewis...the KJB is a must? Apostasy can be taught using any translation. There are other good versions you can trust.

[Guest]

The issue comes from having most all of todays bibles translated from the Vatican text which has been corrupted by Rome... and from the Alexandrian text created by the liberals, (Arian heresy) in Alexandria...
Many dozens of verses critical to sound doctrine being removed from most modern Bibles...A "soft censorship" of God's Word to promote error such as corporate salvation in some cases...
Now, yes of course a person can get saved and learn a lot from incomplete Bibles.. or paraphrases..... however in depth accurate scholarship ??? I dont think so...

For example, Acts 8:37 is omitted in most all modern Bibles to promote the false doctrine of corporate salvation...

[Glorify Him]

If you make use of the King James your standard as to whether or not a church is "acceptable" I would caution you brother that you are setting up an "idol" of sorts. I have taken a 6 week course in the history of the Bible and it's translation. There are plenty of good translations out there now. Dr. David Jeremiah is an excellent teacher and preacher. I'd be delighted to sit in his church. And I have never been in a single protestant church of any or no denomination that teaches corporate salvation. Not even the Roman Catholic church teaches that anymore.

[Andy]

GH - completely agree with you.
While I do not personally care for paraphrase Bible's as (to me) they insert man's interpretation into the text and call it, "God's Word", I know that's a personal conviction and I will not judge another. I find some value in such editions but don't personally use them as my primary source for reading the Word. However, there are excellent word-for-word translations that may simply use a different manuscript yet one that is accepted as authentic and reliable.

My dad dug D E E P into all of that - he was a "KJV-Only" guy to his dying breath but did realize late in life (after months and months of studies) that such dogmatism is baseless and ends up being personal opinion. The manuscripts that were used for KJV are good - but keep in mind the Dead Sea Scrolls were found centuries later and cast some new light onto the whole "manuscript argument".

Brother Lewis...you have opened many, many threads out here on "KJV Only" so it would seem this subject has been hashed out to quite some extent here. Wouldn't you agree? In the end, it would seem there is no 100% "right" answer to this - and I tend to think God allows that for the reason mentioned by GH: We are NOT to lift up one translation as "the only accurate one" or it becomes an idol.

[Guest]

Corporate salvation is definately taught in the Church of England,,, I was brought up in that church...that when you are baptized as an infant you are a member of the church and so going to heaven ... salvation by grace through faith was never taught...
The Roman church teaches salvation by Baptism, & maintaining salvation through confession and communion...
the Roman church and last popes especially teach that individual salvation is heresy..

[Glorify Him]

Well Lewisb things have changed. I was born again in a Baptist Church at 12, baptized at 14. I was "saved." I became a member of the Episcopal church when I married at 31. It was in the Episcopal church that I learned about the Grace of God and the need/possibility of a one on one relationship with Jesus Christ, which profoundly changed my life. Do not discount the fact that you have to be Confirmed and if you read the prayer book and the Confirmation service you are very clearly making a personal decision to follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior. While I am not a part of that denomination any more I'm just saying. I know plenty of Roman Catholics who are clearly born again and will tell you so and why. John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace, former slaver, was a part of the Church of England. No man can write the lyrics to that song without a personal relationship with Christ. Things change. Just because you had one experience in an Anglican Church doesn't mean it is the only experience one can have.