When Pastors Let us Down

According to a recent poll pastors are becoming less and less trusted figures in our society.

How should the Church respond? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Hi, this is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. Right now with your question at 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts. And you can email us with your question at questions at corechristianity.com. In fact, she says she'd rather just stay home and read her Bible. And because we ran out of time, I know you felt you had a few other things that you wanted to say to Lonnie.

Yeah, well, I mean, it really was an important call. And Lonnie, I hope that you are listening right now because I think a lot of people feel the same way that you do at times. And one of the things that she said when she called us yesterday, she says, you know, I go to church and I just feel like I'm not doing enough. And I think a lot of times that that's how how people feel. Church, what church does for them, you know, they go to church and you're just loaded down with this burden of guilt. You need to do more.

You know, don't don't ask yourself the question, you know, what am I getting out of this? But what can you do to serve? And frankly, I think a lot of pastors and churches have sort of played into this by by repeating that over and over again. And one of the things, Lonnie, that I like to tell the people at our church and that I tell people all the time about what church is supposed to be is it's not first and foremost.

Where we go to do or to be burdened by this just huge weight of guilt law. The church is where we go to receive, where we go to hear the word of Christ for us, where we go to have our burdens lifted. And so it really is so important for us to see the church in that way. At times, like I said yesterday, we are going to we're going to feel guilt when you hear the preaching of God's word, when we're under the law, we're convicted of our sins. But we need to move from guilt. And this is where we need to be. Where the church ought to take us from guilt to the grace of God, to the gospel, and from there to gratitude, from, you know, experiencing the law, confessing our sins, receiving grace from Jesus, and then living a life of gratitude, walking with the Lord, obeying him, not because we feel like, oh, man, I'm just burdened down by this this need to have to do these things, but because we love him, because he's been so gracious to us. And so I know, Lonnie, that so many people feel the way that you do.

And I think we need to recover. That high view of the grace of God, of the goodness of the gospel, we really need to be in church, because God intends for us to gather together as his people to be encouraged. And as we gather together, we're receiving the grace of God. And we from that get to go and live in gratitude. And so I just want to encourage you. And I pray that you get to experience not just the guilt of sin when you gather with believers, but more than anything, the grace of the gospel, and thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for us.

For you. Amen. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. We're taking your calls live right now at 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. Let's go to Jacquel from Overland Park, Kansas. Hi, welcome to Core Christianity. Hey, good afternoon. Good afternoon, Jacquel.

Hey, I had a question. I would call myself a mature believer walking with Jesus. And I'm in my 50s, but I have a deep-felt question for my heart and soul. My mother committed suicide when I was 14. And I know Jesus came to restore what was lost. My mother loved me and her family and Jesus, but also committed suicide. And I've often gone to the scripture where the disciples and Judas and I just need to keep walking with our Lord and Savior and with the brother who I'm speaking to get a clear answer from my soul. Yeah, so it sounds, Jacquel, like, you know, the question is, what hope do I have for my, you know, and you mentioned Judas there. And we know from the gospels in Matthew chapter 27 that Judas, that he committed suicide. Matthew chapter 27, beginning in verse 3, when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. They said, what is that to us?

See to it yourself. And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed and he went and hanged himself. Really just a dark scene in the gospels. And we know that suicide is something that many of us have had loved ones, people near to us who have battled with mental illness, with depression, who have tragically taken their own lives. And so it sounds to me like the question you're asking, is this the unpardonable sin? Let me just say, no, a suicide murder is not the unpardonable sin. Just because someone commits suicide doesn't mean that they're not going to be in heaven.

There have been some people in the history of the church who have said that, but the fact of the matter is that's not what the Bible teaches about the unpardonable sin or about suicide. The problem that Judas had was that he didn't repent. He didn't turn to Jesus.

He might have had remorse over what he had done, but there was no hope in the gospel. And true believers can battle with things like mental health issues, can, I believe, commit suicide and yet still be united to Christ. And what saves them is the fact that Jesus holds on to them. We're saved by Christ through faith. We receive that salvation. Really, another way to think about this question is, can someone who dies committing an act of sin be saved, or are they lost forever because they got drunk and got in a car accident and died, and so they're lost?

That kind of a thing. Well, no, again, Jesus is the one, Jaquel, who holds on to us by faith. And as believers, we still sin, and some people, as Christians, their last act was an act of sin. And yet, I don't think that the Lord abandons them. In fact, Scripture says very clearly that He will never leave us nor forsake us. And so, sister, I am so sorry about the experience that you had. It sounds like you've been thinking about this for many, many years, but let me just assure you that the hope of the gospel is that by faith in Jesus Christ, we will be in the presence of the Lord, and our loved ones will be in the presence of the Lord, even if they died in a tragic way, even if they died through suicide.

Hmm. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Our phone lines are open right now, and we would love to talk to you. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, give us a call at 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. Let's go to Julie from Trenton, Mississippi. Hi, Julie. Welcome to Core Christianity. Hi.

I had a question. I am tithing. I just started tithing, and out of my paycheck that my husband chooses not to tithe.

Now, when we go to church, he gives offerings from both of us, but like I said, he doesn't tithe, and I want to start tithing on a regular basis. So I don't know if that is okay in the eyes of the Lord, because I have no control over his paycheck. Yeah.

Yeah, Julie. Well, thank you for your question. Now, the tithe in particular was a part of the Old Covenant. You know, the Israelites would bring a tithe to the storehouse, to the temple.

It was a part of how the ministry, the temple ministry, was sustained there. The people were giving the firstfruits of whatever they received back to the Lord. Now, there's some debate in the church today about whether or not that tithing principle still applies for believers today. Personally, I think that, well, one, I think that giving generously and giving consistently to the work of the gospel to the local church is an important thing.

I mean, Jesus said, where your treasure is, that's where your heart will be also. And so one of the ways we align our hearts with the purposes of God in the world today, missions, outreach, the preaching of the word, is by giving to these things. And there's a great passage in the New Testament, 2 Corinthians 9, where the apostle Paul talked about what it should look like for us as Christians to give under the New Covenant. He says the point is this, 2 Corinthians 9, verse 6, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. And then he says in verse 7, each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And so the way I would want to encourage you and your husband is for the both of you to think, okay, what does it look like for us to give in light of how generous God has been to us, his goodness to us in Jesus through the gospel? Really, I mean, when we meditate upon God's generosity to his people, we're encouraged to extend that generosity to others to give to the work of the gospel. And so we purpose in our hearts what that looks like, and for some people that might be 10 percent, for others it might be more.

And there's nothing wrong with it. I mean, it really is the wonderful thing that Paul says here. The Lord loves a cheerful giver, but each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion. And so giving shouldn't be done under this sense of law or obligation, it should be done out of this sense of joy. And as those who have received so much from the Lord, we want to give back. And so I think one way that you can encourage your husband, Julie, is by talking about that, how gracious God has been, and how do we want to respond to God's kindness to us? What does that look like for us as a family to be generous as the Lord has been generous to us, as he sustained us? And that's a conversation that the two of you need to have, and I trust that as you have that conversation, especially meditating on the gospel, that you'll be encouraged to give.

And that the two of you can get on the same page thinking about supporting the church generously. So God bless you, and thank you for what you do to encourage the believers around you. Thanks so much, Julie, for your question.

We appreciate that. Let's go to Aaron, who's calling in from Morristown, Tennessee. Hi, Aaron. Hello. How are you all doing? Doing well, Aaron.

What's your question? Yeah, so I'm part of a recent church plant in the past couple of years, and my wife and I have been going there for, I guess, about eight or nine months now. But recently, we've been noticing a consistent pattern of the pastor talking slenderously about other church members, particularly to me, particularly one incident about a couple that I'm very close with when they had had some legal trouble, but they've moved past that now and, you know, repented of any sins and, you know, they're back on the narrow path. However, the pastor shared this to me, and it wasn't something I necessarily felt like I needed to know. So I felt like it was coming from a place of gossip, and we're going to be approaching him just to kind of discuss it and how we don't feel like it was approached the best way, and didn't know if you had any words of wisdom for how to approach this in a tactful manner without, you know, becoming angry.

Yeah, well, one, I'm sorry to hear about this situation that you're in. It really does put individuals in a difficult position when someone in spiritual authority, some woman who's a pastor, does something that is clearly wrong, engages in gossip or in some other sin. And so it's a really awkward situation to be in, but you can love your pastor by being honest with him and having this conversation. So how do you approach that conversation?

I think, one, with a lot of humility and with a lot of prayer. Pray for your pastor. Pray that when you bring this up, you know, that it doesn't come off as an attack, as an accusation. I think so often, whether we're talking to a pastor or someone else, you know, when we're talking about sin, struggles, it's really easy for us to get defensive. And so pray that there wouldn't be that defensiveness, but that there would be humility and the ability to receive the words that you're bringing, what you're saying.

And so I think that that's the best way to approach it. I mean, certainly, Aaron, having a direct conversation with your pastor and letting him know, hey, I felt like when you brought this up or when you were speaking in this way, that that was gossip. It made me uncomfortable. And, you know, as a pastor, I'll be the first to say that we have to lead in repentance at times.

We have to be able to say, look. And same thing with parents, right? As parents, you know, as a father, when I failed, I go to my children and I say, I'm so sorry, please forgive me. And sometimes pastors have to do that as well. And so my prayer is that as you're praying for your pastor, as you approach him with humility, with care, with love, that you'll be able to talk about this and that it'll be an edifying conversation for you and for your family and also for this pastor. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and today we want to offer you a very special resource.

It's actually something that Adriel has produced himself, and we love it. It's called Seeing Jesus. Yeah, we've been offering this resource for a few days now, and we really want to get it in your hands. You can find out more about it over at corechristianity.com, but it's a brief sort of devotional resource written to encourage you in your walk with the Lord and to help you have a deeper understanding of who Jesus is.

I focus on Jesus as the bridegroom of the people of God, as the great high priest of God's people, the one who deals with our sin and death. I want you to get ahold of this resource, again, Seeing Jesus. Bill, you can tell them how to get ahold of that, right?

Exactly. You can go to our website for your free copy of Seeing Jesus. Just head over to corechristianity.com forward slash Jesus. You can also call us at 833-843-2673 for help getting any one of our offers.

That's 833-THE-CORE. Also, if you go to today's show on our show notes, you will see more about that particular resource and any resources that are mentioned on today's program. Well, let's go to Miguel, who is calling in from Kingfisher, Oklahoma. Hi, Miguel. Hey, how are you doing? Doing well, Miguel. Thank you for calling.

What's your question? Yes, I want to ask a question on when we as Christians have somebody that does something wrong. A lot of people immediately seem to like abandon them or pull away from them and doesn't even forgive them. And it seems like they just totally forget about how the best names in the Bible have fallen like David and Abraham, but the Lord still found favor and gave them, you know, forgiveness and grace and mercy. I wonder, how come we as Christians don't do that? We immediately throw them off the ship and abandon them.

Yeah, that really is heartbreaking, right? So, you know, why is it that we turn our backs on a brother or a sister when they've fallen into some sin? Well, Paul said in Galatians 6, verse 1, brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. And so why do we turn our backs? Well, look, every situation is a little bit different, but part of the issue is we're not exhibiting the same grace to others that maybe the Lord has given to us. Now, there are situations, and Jesus talks about it in Matthew chapter 18, where, you know, someone goes through this process of church discipline, and maybe they continue in a pattern of unbelief, of not repenting, of continuing in sin stubbornly. And in those situations, the church does say, okay, well, look, this person is out of fellowship with the church and out of fellowship with Jesus Christ, and they deal with it. But for repentant sinners, for people who have fallen and they're broken, it's not the job of the church to say, no, you're done. We've sort of excommunicated you.

You're out of the picture. No, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. And you also have to consider yourself, because the reality is like that saying goes, you know, but for the grace of God, there go I. It's only the grace of God that keeps us, and we should really be humbled when we hear about these things, because the reality is it could happen to anyone, and that's precisely what the Apostle Paul is getting at there in Galatians chapter 6. And so, Miguel, if there's someone in your life who you feel like you've seen this happen to them, or maybe, I don't know what the situation is, but you can reach out to that individual, or make sure that you're in a church where when people are truly repentant, they're coming forward and they're asking for mercy. They're not just being cast aside, but they're being received, because Jesus welcomes repentant sinners, and so we should as well. Thank you for your question, Miguel.

Thanks, Miguel. Man, what a great promise for all of us, that when we mess up, God forgives us every time, as long as we're truly repentant. Yeah, and I think it's the lie of Satan that when we fail, you know, he wants to convince us that we can never get back into God's good graces, is that God has done with us that kind of a thing, but you know, no, 70 times 7, that's what Jesus said.

We come to the Lord, we repent, we're honest about our sin, which means we don't minimize it, downplay it, pretend like it didn't really happen, that kind of a thing, but when we truly repent, when we walk in the light, John says in 1 John chapter 1, we have fellowship with one another, and so we need that fellowship, and we need to be encouraged in it. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Let's go to a voicemail we received at 833-THE-CORE. Good morning, my name is Sharon, I am from Wisconsin, and I was listening this morning about the Gallup Poll. They numbered the professions 1 through 22, which were the trusted most and the least, and they said nurses were number one, but in the middle were pastors. Why are they in the middle? Why are they distrustful?

They were going down to the bottom of the list. Could you answer why people feel that way about ministers? Thank you.

Bye. As you can imagine, as a pastor, I'm really bummed out about this one as well, but it does seem like there is this lack of trust, not just for pastors, but for authorities in general right now. I think in our culture today, we have this radical individualism. I don't want anybody telling me what to do or how to live or how to think, even regarding things of subjects like spirituality. We don't like authority. We have this allergy to authority, even the idea of a God who is over us, who has these laws for us to follow, that kind of a thing. I think that's one of the reasons why potentially pastors and quote-unquote spiritual leaders are viewed suspiciously today, but I think part of the problem is also some of the ways in which pastors have acted in society in very public manners. I think of prosperity gospel preachers who are on television, like snake oil salesmen, trying to convince people to send them more money and I'm going to send you this sand from the Jordan River or that kind of a thing that's going to heal you. I think people hear that and they just think, this is just bogus. That's part of the reason another issue is not just these prosperity gospel preachers, but prominent pastors who have fallen, who have been caught up in some sort of sexual scandal or financial scandal. Again, people see that and they just think, oh man, you Christians are all a bunch of hypocrites. That's another really big problem in the church and in the world today.

A lot of those things are a lot more public than they once were, at least because of social media and the news. Sadly, people are drawn to those kinds of stories we want to hear. They want to hear about how the church is failing and about how pastors and Christians are hypocrites. At the end of the day, your pastor should be a man of integrity, someone that you feel like you can trust, but you're never called to place your trust, your faith in your pastor.

You're called to place your trust in Jesus. Good pastors are pastors who point not to themselves, whose ministry is not all about what they're doing. Good pastors are pastors who lead the sheep to the chief shepherd, Jesus Christ. Again, maybe part of the problem today is too many pastors are focusing on themselves, trying to lead people to themselves. It's what the apostle Paul said in Acts chapter 20, when he was warning the Ephesian elders about those who were going to come in, not sparing the flock, seeking to lead people astray after themselves. It's sort of one of the hallmarks of false teachers. Good pastors point to Jesus.

Maybe there haven't been enough of those today. Pray for pastors that are going to point you and the rest of the world to Christ, the chief shepherd, because he's the savior. I think the more pastors focus on themselves and on their own ministry and are falling into some of these scandals, that's why you see a lot of distrust. No, we need to point to Christ, and we need to help people trust in Jesus. I think the other issue that comes up is, unfortunately, we have a lot of Christians who are elevating pastors to superstar positions in certain churches in this country, where there's almost an idol worship of the pastor, and that can cause huge problems right there.

Absolutely. It's a sort of celebrity pastor problem that we see all around us. A lot of times, you have the rise of these celebrity pastors, and then they crash and burn.

Again, nobody can carry that on their shoulders. We're not called to as pastors. What we're called to do is feed the sheep, to preach the word of God, to be faithful to Jesus, to be committed to the word and to prayer. And God is the one who gets the glory. Jesus is the chief shepherd.

He gets the praise. Thanks for listening to CORE Christianity. To request your copy of today's special offer, visit us at corechristianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar, or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833-The-CORE. When you contact us, please let us know how you've been encouraged by this program. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's word together.