A pastor’s 1st or 2nd responsibility

[Mexdeaf]

There's nothing wrong with preaching about hell. But hell is not for believers. And I thought your OP was about lack of preaching about sin to believers. Perhaps I misunderstood.

 

[stilllearning]

Hi Mexdeaf

You asked.......

“And I thought your OP was about lack of preaching about sin to believers. Perhaps I misunderstood.”

No, you didn’t misunderstand. I think EVERYBODY needs to regularly hear messages about sin; And not just the sins of the other guy(like preaching about how wicked the unsaved are); But the sin and temptation that believers face everyday!
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You also said.......

“There's nothing wrong with preaching about hell. But hell is not for believers.”

Your right: “Hell will not be for believers”.
But, believers who live on planet Earth and are drowning in the sea of lies and misinformation about the Bible, need to regularly be “grounded” in the truth’s of Scripture. And that includes the subject of hell.

For sure, no born again Christian will EVER end up in hell. But the Bible itself demonstrates how important this subject is, by how often it teaches about it.

It could be, that the aspect of a fiery hell, just might bring someone to Christ.
So the Lord doesn’t want us to allow the subject to disappear from our vocabulary.

 

[michael-acts17:11]

Great to hear from you again michael-acts17:11

I thought that I had lost you.........

The leaven of the Pharisees is much more than simple hypocrisy. It is a desire for authority over the people through religious law. You would do well to further study the doctrine of the Pharisees. Their motivation was the same as the legalists of our day, they desired the uppermost places in the congregation & demanded to be spoken to as those who were in authority.

Repentance is to be preached to the lost; those in need of repentance. Holy
Spirit indwelt believers have no need for a priestly pastor to preach repentance from dead works. I would strongly encourage you to study the New Covenant & how it changed the relationship between the individual believer & God; as well as the elimination of all human mediators between God & man. He only speaks to us through His Son, the Spirit, & the Word. Pastors cannot divine the heart of man, nor can they reveal Scriptural truths that are not available to every other equal member of the priesthood of the believer. The desire for a man to speak on behalf of God, or to reveal the sins of our hearts, is a desire for the works of the Old Law.

Those who stand before the congregation & preach shallow, milky sermons week after week after week are not doing so by the command of God. It is in direct contradiction to the Scriptures. The majority of believers cannot bare the meat because it has never been taught to them. Would you feed a child only milk well beyond infancy & wonder why he is feeble & unable to feed himself? It is the same spiritually. The elders who only feed the congregation a diet of milk & personal opinion is directly responsible for the spiritual immaturity in their churches. It is a result of their own inability to think beyond their own shallow training & denominational traditions.


Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. ...Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. (Mark 7:5-9, 13)

And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? (Matthew 9:10-11)

But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. (Matthew 12:2)

Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. (Matthew 23:2-8)