Pulpit Messages

Is my pastor uncaring?
There he is, my pastor, preaching mightily from the pulpit about sin and damnation, love and sacrifice, and that time may be growing short. “The wages of sin is death.” “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” As his eyes gaze expectantly out over the congregation, they settle on me, I am sure, as he says, “You are terminal.”

My pastor did it again. Preaching, teaching and reading the scriptures inspires him to comment on the intimate relationship God wants with all men to come to Himself. But separation impairs man’s ability to respond, for “There is none that does good, not even one.” Even Christian believers’ conduct can impair the relationship. Conduct such as “Why did God do that to me?” Or, “Why can’t I have that?” As he quotes Psalm 51:4, his eyes gaze again over the congregation as he finally settles on me. I am sure of that. He says, “All complaining is against God.”

Speaking of Christian conduct, my pastor says we need to learn the practice of “Put On”, and “Put Off”. What is that all about? He speaks of habits, some good, and some bad. When you put off the bad habit, it must be replaced by putting on a good habit or the bad will remain in place and gradually produce more fruit of its own kind. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” Why is it that he seems to gaze out and settle on me again: “Each one is responsible for the consequences of his own actions.”

I think that man over there besmirched my character and behavior. Why is it that the very next message of my pastor in the pulpit is based on 1 Corinthians 13: “Agape love does not take into account a wrong suffered.”

My pastor should be more careful to avoid prosecution. He keeps preaching about sin: societal sins, personal sin, homosexual sin, political sins, abortion sins, my sin, your sins, original sin, national sin, and sometimes government sins. He even mentioned his own sins recently. Are these hate crimes? Will they take him away to jail? A better question is, “Will I stand by him and support him until they take both of us away to jail?”