When Itching Ears Control the Preaching....
 

This thread was indirectly inspired by the "When Fashion Controls the Church...." thread....

:preach

have you ever seen a church where the itching ears of the saints controlled the type and/or content of the preaching....
in your opinion, how frequent does this happen in Pentecost?? What leads to this happening and if so, what is the best way to correct it?

:preach

You know, I don't think I've ever seen it. I've seen content change once a pastors child got to be a certain age and that which WAS wrong -- was no longer.

It's a good question. I've seen the accusations but haven't ever really experienced it.

The best way to correct it is to preach.

I've seen the Money People, the Big tithers do this in some instances.

in other cases, sometimes it was the pastor's family that caused him not to preach certain things

right you are, CS....

so noone else besides Thad has ever seen a preacher "buckle" under the pressure of the "Money People" pulling their tithes/offerings or threaten to leave if the preacher doesn't back away from a topic/conviction/etc???

huh...

Methods change, but the Message does not. Jesus is the Message. Methods, radio, video, tv, billboards, etc. That stuff can change but not the Message.

Actually, no. I've seen it threatened. My dad was threatened once -- it didn't work. He doesn't like ultimatums... :D

Actually, I was going to say the exact precisely the same thing as Thad did.

I think the opposite is true as well.

You can pretty much tell the transgressions of the church by listening to the preacher. I had one of those messages preached to me once, it was because I refused to bow to masculine and pastoresque leadership on the part of his daughter and wife.

Some things belong in the office and not behind the pulpit. Respect and relationships are trashed by doing the former.

I never would have guessed!! :kittyhug

I have never, ever had a saint try to control what I preach in the church where I pastor. Not even one time.

I have had several folks from local charismatic churches visit us, and after a few services, tell me how they loved my preaching, how the anointing they feel here is unlike anything they have ever experienced in their church, etc.

Then they give me the line about how if I would just back off on a few of those, "you know, outward things you believe..." that I would soon empty every charismatic church in town.

I have had the same speech from a number of different ones...lol

I just laugh and tell them to connect the dots.

Our doctrine and separation is what makes us different than what they are used to. If we became like them, the thing that originally appealed to them would be gone.

We've had people comment negatively through sermons and pray loudly at business meetings to sway the vote. Consider yourself blessed. ;)

Honestly, I think I have led a charmed life in some ways.

I don't pastor a perfect church, but rebellion is one thing I just haven't had much of.

I am very blessed in that the saints really love me and my family.

I am sincerely happy for you. :bouquet That is a great thing.

We did have one guy when we first came that would roll his eyes every time there would be a message in tongues and interpretation.

He would fold his arms and sigh, rolling his eyes very mockingly.

I got to praying for the dude, and one Sunday morning during a message in tongues, he started his routine. He was sitting by himself in a pew, with no one even close to him.

While he was going through his expression of contempt, there was a sound that sounded exactly like an uppercut connecting with the sweet spot on the point of his chin, and he went sailing out from between the pews and landed unconscious in the center aisle.

Scared everybody to death.

I tried to pray for him, and couldn't rouse him. I told the folks, leave him lay there, we are going to have church anyway.

He laid there for about thirty minutes, and when he finally came to, he was a very subdued man.

He sat through the remainder of the service, and then walked out without saying a word to anybody. That was his last service.

It was a very sad thing. He showed up a few months ago for the first time in years. he was long haired, unshaven, and unkempt. He wanted to see me outside.

He seemed very sheepish, but wanted to know if I would pray for his daughter, who was in a mental hospital under a suicide watch...it broke my heart to see him so far from where he was when he walked out that morning.

It does not pay to rise up against what God is doing.

I can't even imagine negative comments out loud during a sermon. I'm not sure what I would do, but I daresay some of our men would escort the commentator outside post haste.

We had to put up with it service after service for months. There was nothing we could do. And I mean nothing.

You definitely have my sympathy.

I don't have anything in my whole life experience in Pentecost to even help me imagine something like that.

thank God for people who respect the ministry.

You needed a prophet to come by.:)

We had a couple of them.

Sure enough?

The real article, and God didn't let them help you with something so far outside the realm of right?

Concerning this thread.... itching ears...


I think pew control in most churches is usually if done, allowed the man who pastors...

I think is some more questions to be asked tho...
1. Did the Man pioneer the Work?

2. Or was he voted in after a myriad of Pastors?

3. Were the Money people won to the Lord or were they there when He arrived?

4. If not won or there when He arrived where did the Money Folks come from? Another Assembly because they liked his preaching better or the music possibly?

5. Was he an ethical man and he or his wife not handing out invitations to everybody?

It's easy to talk about itchy ears and people who demand things... but there are so many of these questions that need answered before one can postulatet the situation...

As far as Pew Control... I've really seen very little in my lifetime to...

It's talked about.. but I haven't seen it much.. Most use it claim more authority than they already have... or to build themselves up in the Peoples Eyes.. Phrases Like.."BLess GOD.. THE PEW WILL NEVER TELL me how to Pastor" or something like that...

Out and Out rebellion God deals with.. but so many of these Guys are looking for greener pastures folks don't have enough time to get to know them anyways..

Unless they are a Son-in-Law....or Son... then most flocks.. don't really have a choice...

imo...

God took care of it, in His time. The men who spoke spoke the Word of God and it was very good. It was edifying to us.

I don't even feel too bad towards the people that did this. I just feel sorry for them, mostly.

Rev,

Pentecost is a pretty bleak place for some folks, I guess.

I have been blessed I suppose.

If a Man is called To pastor... his ears will be scratched by God.. and not those in the pew... He will know when to lift them up.. and know when to shut things down...

Those that are just looking for a job will be blown by every little wind...

imo...

Me too!!

As I do for the man God dealt with so dramatically in our congregation.

I will say this--that incident lifted the fear of God and the reverence for the things of the Spirit to a new level among our people. It turned out to be a very good thing for the flock, but tragic for the man.

Amen, I like your style! My dad was a home missionary and they would tell him the same thing, "ya know if you let down on certain standards, your church would get large in a hurry" I am glad for men like him.

Funny that those in UPCI who want to change things tend to be the money folks who rant about their giving, at least some in N LA. But, in a word: it's about revival!!!
NI

Do you mean Testify? or Rant? not sure what you mean here?

I don't believe I have ever seen it either.

Hos 4:9

9 And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.
KJV

The people will be no more or no less than the leader.

Wow. I always thought the people reflected leadership but I never noticed this verse before... :coffee2

A preacher needs to preach the word ,and what the Holy Ghost gives him to preach.Of course preach or teach the truth in love ,but preach the word come what may.
But this happens sometimes preachers back off from preaching something if it don't fit with the group that run with ,they may see something differently from what they used to ,but fear of being excluded from the group sets in.

You have been hearing the wrong bunch.:girlnails

I believe it happens more than the pastor would ever believe.

I think it comes from those closest to him and not necessarily the ones sitting in the pews, per se.

I am very thankful that my wife has never tried to influence what I preach or don't preach.

You are blessed brother, although perhaps "sometimes" that is a good thing. ;)

usually it's allergies that make my ears itch.

To be honest I wasn't thinking of the wife, but "friends". That can be influenced by high tithe payers, and/or ministers that are friends, etc.