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Ive been a youth Pastor for over 10 years and ive never had to paint a law (much) to people who have a grip on God. They usually will be lead to git rid of certain things and have the same conviction based on what they have SEEN, HEARD, and FELT by God.
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I fell I must resopond to this, it just came at me the wrong way. Mostly because Ihave been in the ministry over 40 years. I have seen all types of teachings in the church, from pastors that were authoritatian, to pastors that most would call liberal. What gets me is that the spirit of God was manifest in all these meetings. I am remminded of one verse of scripture, "God does not dwell in an unclean vessal". Years ago my family attened a church for two years where the pastor did not teach standards, my Sunday school teacher wore pants and had cut hair. Yes she was a women. The same family had a, (God forbid, a tv) as did many in the church. Yet the spirit of God was in the lives of these wonderful people. Yet many would say they were on their way to hell, because they were not holy, based on their definition of holiness.
Holiness IS NOT OUTWARD APPERAL, holiness is the inner man of the heart, as Peter describes in
I Peter 3. People will in fact be lead to get rid of certain things by What they have Seen, Heard, and Felt, but it is not God that has taught them, rather what they have seen, heard and felt within the society (church) they attend.
An example of this, I was assiate minister for ten years to a pastor did not teach standards, of any kind. His wife came to me one day and ask me, "why did so many leave the church over standards, when her husband did not teach standards?" I had no answer for her at the time until I realized, it was her spirit that was condeming others, concerning standards. See she was very stanch in standards of holiness.
On one hand some might say her spirit was convicting others of a need to accept standards. When in fact it was her spirit that was judging others of standards she held high in her own convictions, and when others studied these things out for themselves and came to a differing conclusion, they would rather leave this church than cause division.
When a saint come to a pastor, and tells him that they have studied certain points in their teaching and found differing opinions. Many pastors take offense and fall back on the "I am the pastor and I am responsible for your soul, or this is the teaching of this church or organization, if you do not to follow this teaching you are in rebelion." Instead of taking the opportunity to reflect on the teaching they have held to and maybe God forbid change the way they teach or what they teach.