It's 10 PM, Do You Know Where Your Pastor Is At?

1st John 4:1, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

There was a popular Tv news slogan decades ago that is still legendary today: “It's 10 PM, do you know where your children are?”...

The history of “It's 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are?”

I would like to apply the same question to you dear reader regarding your pastor. It's 10 PM, do you know where your pastor is at? In other words, do you know what he believes doctrinally? Do you care? Do you know enough about the inspired Word of God to discern if your pastor is teaching you false doctrine, lies and deceptions?

I cannot find one passage of Scripture that commands believers to “Search the pastor,” but Jesus did command us to “Search the Scriptures.” John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

Another one of my favorite passages of Scripture is found in Acts 17:10-11, “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Carefully notice that the group whom the Apostle Paul scolded for not studying the Bible was the Thessalonicans. In 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-5, Paul is addressing a debate that had erupted among their church group over the timing of Christ's return. Notice what Paul said in 2nd Thessalonians 2:5, “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” This is a rhetorical question. The implication is that they in fact DIDN'T remember what Paul had taught them. The Thessalonicans were not diligent to search the Scriptures.

With this disturbing truth in mind, I would like to appeal to you dear reader not to merely go along with whatever your pastor teaches you. What if he is wrong? What if he is a theological liar? He may be completely sincere, but still be very wrong in his teachings. You are likely familiar with the unsaved religious group which Jesus rebuked in Matthew chapter seven:

Matthew 7:21-23, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

The most frightening thing that they said is the phrase, “have we not prophesied in thy name?” That is, they taught others! These hellbound false prophets were sincere. Proverbs 16:25, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” They followed Christ as their Lord, calling Him “Lord, Lord.” (There's your Lordship Salvation crowd in the Bible.) They did not just a few, but “many” good works. Yet, they were horrified when Jesus told them, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

It saddens me to read that these hellbound false prophets with their damnable heresy, had spent their lives teaching others the same Satanic lies, thus leading them into Hell. Beware of anyone who deceptively tells you that to get to Heaven you must turn from your sinful ways, follow Christ as “Lord” of your life, get water baptized, forsake a lifestyle of sinning, become a disciple of Jesus, or anything else that constitutes WORKS.

Biblical salvation requires only that you realize you are a guilty sinner (Romans 3:19-20), and by faith receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for your sins, believing that He was buried but then raised up physically from the dead three days later. This is “the gospel” (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). There are many liars, wolves in sheep's clothing in church pulpits today.

I'm talking about most Independent Baptist Churches and nearly all neo-evangelical churches. Beware of the deadly Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and their Lordship Salvation heresy. Beware of Pacific Garden Mission's deadly UNSHACKLED radio program, who propagate the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation.

Good works are not the payment for sin, the payment for sin is death.

Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty!

Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.

Turning away from sinful ways would be a work. Faith puts all of the merit where it belongs, on the object of our faith, Jesus and His work.

If to “repent” means to forsake our sinful ways TO BE SAVED, but Jesus already paid for our sins by dying on the cross, then what are we repenting from?

The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU.

Please don't ever give any pastor your brain Carte Blanche. No pastor should be idolized with blind trust, which is how cults get started. The only authority in a local church should be the inspired Holy Bible. When a man or men usurp authority, and the congregation let's him (them) do it, you now have a religious cult instead of a New Testament church.

We must search the Scriptures ourselves to verify what a pastor is preaching and teaching. Is it biblical, or a manmade commandment. For example: I've heard pastors all my life browbeat people that they owe God a 10% tithe, yet you won't find any such commandment in the New Testament for believers today. Covetous clergy fabricate that deception to get your money.

You've likely heard umpteen preachers require you to “turn from your sinful ways” if you want to be saved and go to Heaven. Yet, no such commandment is found in the inspired King James Bible (the Devil's corrupt modern Bible revisions add those lies). Lies, lies and more lies will be found in 99% of churches today!!!

You must do your own homework friend, so that you can know THE TRUTH directly from God's inspired Word, lest you end up in the Lake of Fire (because you believed a corrupt plan of salvation by some lying neo-evangelical Baptist pastor, Catholic priest, Lutheran minister or Jewish rabbi). Right doctrine matters! 1st John 4:1, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” It's 10 PM, do you know where your pastor is at?