John 10:13 (The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.)
The Lord said, “Who is the faithful and wise servant whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?” He said, “Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he comes, shall find so doing.” He will, in turn, make him ruler over all that he has.
But if that servant says in his heart, “My lord delays his coming,” and begins to maltreat the household, denying them their food, beating them, and drinking with unbelievers, the lord of that servant will come at a time when he does not expect him and will cut him asunder, assigning him his portion with the unbelievers, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
There was a pastor who lived beside my house in those days. This pastor tied up one of his members, tortured him with beatings, and refused him food because he would not give his money to him.
The man reported the pastor to me. I went there myself and saw the grave situation he was in. Then I called a policeman who lived near my house, and they warned the pastor to desist from such evil manipulation.
I asked the pastor about it, and he said the man was giving him problems. Then I asked, “What kind of problem warrants this kind of torture? What if he dies in your custody?”
It is a pity that the pastor and his wife died in a motor accident on the same day. Such evil people do not normally live long because the Bible says, “Do not be overly wicked. Why should you destroy yourself?”
If you cannot exhibit the kind of love Jesus had for humanity, you are not qualified to be a pastor or a leader in the church.
Unfortunately, hirelings fill many pulpits today. Most of them are wolves in sheep’s clothing, messengers sent from hell. They lead souls nowhere except toward destruction through their conduct and nature.
They are in the church to steal, kill, and destroy. The congregation gains nothing from them except sorrow and disappointment. When you try to condemn such behaviour, they say, “Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm.”
Whose prophets are they? It is only the prophets sent by God to whom this passage applies, not those operating in the camp of the devil. The Bible passage that applies to them is: “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
Previously on SHEPHERD OR HIRELING – BIBLE STUDY BLOG
A woman reported her husband to their pastor after she became born again and realized that her husband’s occupation was evil and would keep him from entering heaven if he continued in it. His business was drug trafficking.
Instead of correcting him, the pastor advised the man to divorce his wife so she would not hinder his means of making money.
Another man asked his shepherd for advice on how to invest his money. Instead, the shepherd asked him to hand over the money he intended to invest. If not for his wife, who intervened and told the pastor that it would not be possible, the man would have fallen into the trap set by his leader. What a hireling!
These are the kinds of people who pray for fraudsters and internet scammers to prosper, as long as they bring their tithes and offerings into the house of God.
Good shepherds are supposed to point souls to Calvary, not to themselves. They should not climb the pulpit only to draw attention to themselves and lead others astray.
Wolves in sheep’s clothing, hirelings posing as shepherds, the Lord will ask you one day, “What did you achieve with the position I gave you in My kingdom? Was your service profitable to the kingdom or a loss?”
Did you point people to God, or did you separate them from Him?
Many shepherds today are hirelings. By their fruits you shall know them.
Remove money from the pulpit and see how quickly some will leave. They are in ministry for gain, not for sacrifice.
Moses did not collect gold and silver from the children of Israel for personal use. The moment there was more than enough to complete the tabernacle, he stopped the collection.
But if it were some shepherds of this generation, they would have kept the excess for themselves and diverted it for personal use, claiming it was divine provision.
If you do not know what church money is meant for, you are not qualified to be a pastor. Had Moses mismanaged the resources of the children of Israel, he would not have had the moral authority to challenge the excesses of the Levites or command the earth to open and swallow the rebellious.
There is no way people will avoid the challenges of life. This is one reason we come into the kingdom of God. Those who belong to cults understand this principle; they care for one another in times of need because they know their common destination.
In God’s kingdom, however, we are meant to be our brother’s keeper. If a situation goes beyond the power of the church, leaders should seek the guidance of Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, just as Moses consulted God whenever a matter was too difficult for him.
Any leader of a nation who forbids the Bible in his country acts as an agent of darkness, helping to deliver the souls of citizens into Satan’s hands. Such powers work against the purposes of God among the nations.
Likewise, any church gathering that forbids the preaching of the whole counsel of God should cause concern. Examine its leaders carefully. They are hirelings who obstruct the spiritual growth of their members so that they will never attain the standard God requires.
The ignorance of their members feeds their greed. They grow fat at the expense of the people while denying them the nourishment of God’s Word, keeping them in perpetual captivity until they eventually harvest their souls.
Prayer:
Father Lord, flush out the hirelings from Your church. Give us leaders who will lead people into Your presence and faithfully point souls to Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
