[A pastor] must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.
Titus 1:10–11
Just as it is part of a shepherds job to protect his flock, it is part of a pastor’s job to protect his church. It isn’t unkind or unloving for a pastor to rebuke a false teacher and prevent him from tearing the families of his church apart. A pastor must protect the flock. This is part of his job.
The other day I was listening to a Christian radio station and one of their DJs came on and said something like, “If you haven’t figured it out yet, you won’t get any heavy stuff here. We keep it positive and encouraging all the time...." And I thought that’s exactly what’s wrong with so many of our church’s today. They keep it positive and encouraging all the time. Heavy topics? Not here. Difficult or confusing issues you need help thinking biblically about, we won’t touch them. Rebuke, correction, reproof? Not gonna happen. We just plaster a smile on our faces and try to make you feel good before we take your money and send you out the back door. That’s how some churches are!
If you ever wonder why the church would take up difficult topics. If you ever wonder why we would talk about what the Bible says about homosexual activity, transgender issues, abortion, sex outside of marriage, money, racism, divorce, or other hot button issues… It probably isn’t because your pastor enjoys it. It’s probably because it’s part of a pastor’s job to correct false teaching and error. There are many false teachers and influencers and talking heads in the world today trying to teach you their morality on all these topics! You are surrounded by false teaching on these topics. If yoru pastor won’t tell you what God’s Word says about them, then who will? Who will speak the hard truths to you? A pastor must correct the errors that threaten his people.
Parents. You need to think about this too. You need to understand that there are many false teachers trying to lead your kids into error. False ideas and false teaching enter your home through books, TV shows, video clips, and social media. You have to do the best you can to silence the false teachers in your kids life. You need to protect them as much as you can. Even still your kids will be exposed to error at school, at the park, at their friends house... everywhere they go. You can’t avoid it! If you don’t want them to believe these lies, then you are going to have to teach them the truth. Protect your families, parents. Cut sources of error out of their lives and be sure you are teaching them the truth.
And I would encourage all believers to do the same for themselves as well. The first mistake Eve made was listening to the serpent. Don’t make that same mistake. Watch out for false teachers in your own life. Don’t to be swept along by the flood of error in our day.
