The Sin Of Worshipping Your Pastor

Jeremiah 10:21, “For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.”

Jeremiah 12:10, “Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.”

I have seen a sore evil in my lifetime of people idolizing their pastor, and in some cases even worshipping him as if God on earth. The Catholic Pope is said to speak “Ex Cathedra” (in the place of God). I hope you're not that gullible friend to believe that lie. I say the Pope is a dope and he has no hope! The Pope is an unsaved false prophet—a fake, a cheap imitation of a clergy member, a sinister minister—a hellbound child of the Devil. What did Jesus say? Mark 7:9, “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” The Roman and Orthodox Catholic churches are steeped in manmade traditions, which they elevate over the inspired Word of God.

Your pastor being Your Idol.

“Pastor worship” is what occurs when congregants idolize their pastor as being more than a leader, allowing him to control and manipulate their decisions. In some cases they elevate their own pastor over Jesus Christ, which is how cults exist. When a man or group of men usurp authority over God's inspired Words, you have a religious cult like Pensacola Christian College (PCC).

You may be unknowingly worshipping your pastor if:

1. Obeying your pastor's teachings instead of God's inspired Word.
2. Defending your pastor when he preaches false doctrine.
3. Allowing your pastor to interfere with your marriage, when the wife esteems her pastor's words more important than her own husband's words. It is a sin for any wife to obey her pastor instead of her own husband. Your pastor has zero authority in your life! The Holy Bible should be the church's authority.
4. Sowing seed money to a pastor on the pulpit while he is preaching.
5. Giving compulsory money to your pastor who is living large instead of giving to the poor.
6. Telling others how extremely anointed your pastor is, and how you should always be doing more for him instead of Christ.
7. Testify and boasting about the goodness of your pastor instead of God. (e.g., you were allegedly healed by him, or you received a financial breakthrough from him through the laying of his hands).
8. Standing when a preacher enters a room as his bodyguard pushes people out of the way, so the pastor can walk. Christ said for him to be a humble servant. Christ himself said He came to serve.
9. Putting on a show to please your pastor to seek his glory or approval.
10. Being told you are not a good Christian unless you travel with your leader when he preaches, or you must give him extra money, cook for his family, clean his house and take care of all his personal needs. A pastor should work and be a good steward of his own salary (just like you and me). If we cannot afford life's luxuries, we must go without. Asking a church congregation to purchase expensive things, mansions, luxuries, cars, et cetera for the pastor is greed. The Bible says that every man should work and provide for his own family.
11. There are many people who naively put their pastor first place in their lives, errantly thinking doing so will bring them benefits such as healing, financial breakthrough, or a prophetic word to secure a career promotion or position.
12. Glorifying your pastor instead of Jesus Christ.
13. Kissing your minister's hand's or the Pope's feet.
14. Believing everything your pastor says without searching the Scriptures to verify if what he preaches is true or false.  

Freedom comes from Jesus Christ, not your pastor, and the decision to be free comes from reading the inspired words of God and knowing the dear Savior for yourself!

In the 1970's, the Forest Hills Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia (when Dr. Curtis Hutson was their pastor) was a thriving, soulwinning, free Gospel church. Sadly, today in 2024 that same church has deteriorated into a Lordship Salvation preaching religious cult. How did this happen? I'll tell you how, the people blindly followed their next pastor, who misled them doctrinally and they went for the bait hook, line and sinker. Now they are caught on the hook, being reeled in by Satan for the fish fry. 

“It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom.” —Horace Greeley (1811-1872)

Beware of man worship! The only power that your pastor should have in your life and family is the power of godly influence. Your pastor has no right to try to control your marriage or life, nor does he have a right to stand between a husband and his wife. It is a wicked evil thing for any religious leader to tread upon someone's sacred marriage. I have seen wicked pastors ruin marriages, helping and encouraging the wife to file for divorce. God will punish those villains!

I firmly believe that a pastor shouldn't live above the lifestyle that the common man lives. I felt sick when I learned that Pastor Steven Furtick and his wife (of the Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina) purchased a personal mansion for $1,600,000. That is ungodly folks!