I was reading a post on X(twitter) about the accountability of pastors to speak out about issues such as abortion. The impetus is that the pastor will bear responsibility for not standing against such issues at the judgement seat of Christ. While I do think we have a responsibility to speak the truth, I would contend that the pastor is more responsible for speaking what the Lord has revealed to them for the body.
Ephesians 4:11-16, NASB
“And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
The pastor is then accountable for speaking what the Lord has revealed to them for the body. It is then in the speaking of that truth in love that the pastor fulfills the work that Jesus has placed them in the body to perform. That may include speaking out against abortion, the LGBTQ…community, or greed. The main thing is that it must be done in love and not out of anger or spite. The gospel and the truth are an afront, so the truth is going to be threatening to the dead and dying. But we will not win them with our angry words. We win them by showing them the love that Christ first had for us, namely that He laid down His life for us. This is not conducive to mob mentality.
Think of Jesus when He was teaching at the temple, and the Pharisees brought this to Him:
“Now the scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in the act of adultery, and after placing her in the center of the courtyard, they *said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” Now they were saying this to test Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. When they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” And again, He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Now when they heard this, they began leaving, one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman where she was, in the center of the courtyard. And straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on do not sin any longer (John 8:3-11).”
The scribes and pharisees were whipped up in self-righteousness. They had reason to be, the law specifically outlined what was to be done with such a person. However, look at Jesus’s reaction; He responds in love. They came bearing pitchforks and He shows grace. She was wrong, she knew it, they knew it, and He knew it, but He speaks truth. Notice He does not address her. Her sentence has already been cast. Instead, He addresses them and tells them to cast the stone if you are without sin. One by one with the Elders first they drop their stones and leave. Then He asks her where they went and then gives her a new sentence. Grace and the proclamation to commit the sin no more. Why do we miss this?
The church is not supposed to engage angrily with the world. We are called to speak the truth in love. If we respond to the world in anger, how are we showing them a different and better way? We are not attractive to them; they can get judgement anywhere in the world. What we have is forgiveness and that needs to be our calling card. When we speak the gospel and indeed the pastor preaches the gospel, we are providing the answer to the world’s problems. We are obeying the words and mission of Jesus in carrying the message to the world. That message is peace, forgiveness, and love.
The word says:
“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death (Rev. 12:10-11).”
It is our testimony that overcomes the world. The grace we received from Jesus in that while we were yet sinners, He died for us. We didn’t deserve it, we are as retched as the abortionist, the serial killer, the homosexual. The difference is that we have overcome the sin in our lives because we submitted our lives and believed in Him. That’s the message that we are accountable to share. He will take care of the rest.
Maybe you’re reading this, and you are feeling the weight of your sin in your life. I have good news, Jesus came to this earth, lived a sinless life, suffered, and died on a cross, and three days later rose from the dead. Because of this you can find true forgiveness for your sins. All you need is to “confess Jesus as the Lord of your life and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead (Rom. 10:9).” He knows you and what you have done, and He offers you grace. He forgives you and sets you free from the bondage of sin because He loves you. All that is required is to submit to His authority. Then take Him at His word and believe by faith that He died and rose again for your sins, and you will be saved.
Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying. I pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us. So that we can fulfill the mission He left us in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used with permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org.
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