A thief is defined as “a person who steals another person’s property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence.” The Lord Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” In this verse, He was speaking to the Pharisees about their strange voices trying to get His sheep to follow them. In the church today, there are pastoral leaders speaking in the name of Jesus that do not have the best interest of the sheep at heart. Like the Pharisees, they pose as shepherds, but do not shepherd the flock according to the word of God. Their ultimate goal is not to help the sheep attain the abundant life the Lord Jesus came to give, but rather to feed on the sheep to satisfy their own selfish desires. They try to accomplish this by teaching their own false doctrine for their own agenda and according to their own personality, all while using the Lord’s name. The Bible says this about them –
Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. (Romans 16:17-18)
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
We must be vigilant of who is leading and teaching us, to see if they continuously reflect the overseer qualifications outlined in the word of God. This is important because a pastor may start off as a qualified, appointed, chosen shepherd, but along the way, begin to inject their own beliefs and personality into the word of truth. As a result, the word of truth is no longer rightly divided and stripped of power, spirit, and life. We must watch out for deceitful workers like the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:12-17). As we discussed in The Root Cause of Unhealthy Sheepfolds post, the motive behind the doctrine of the Nicolaitans is present in the church today.
The Nicolaitans wanted to dominate the people and misled the church in Pergamum right into the very thing the Lord Jesus hates, doctrine rooted in idolatry and immorality. Nicholas, the originator of this doctrine, who started out as an equipped leader in the church, abused his authority and brought a strange voice into the sheepfold to destroy the people. The mission of the Nicolaitans was to steal the place of God and be victorious over the people with false doctrine. Below are two examples of how strange voices in the church today misuse their authority to be victorious over the sheep entrusted to them. Presuming they are spiritually superior, they deceive, abuse, mislead, and ultimately destroy the sheep for their own advantage. Because grace and truth are not in these tactics, if successful, they can cause the sheep to run away from the Good Shepherd instead of following Him, completely lose faith in the Holy Spirit, or leave God altogether:
- The pastoral leadership judges where the sheep stands with God from THEIR perspective. Quite frankly, the pastoral leadership steals the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the sheep. Whatever THEY’RE feeling is what God is feeling. THEY expect 100% compliance with whatever THEY say or want because THEY are always right. Even worse, the pastoral leadership tells the sheep that the Holy Spirit is grieved or that God is displeased with the sheep if THEY are questioned or contradicted in any way. By doing this, the Holy Spirit and the word of God are weaponized to control and manipulate the sheep whose only desire is to obey God. This tactic is rooted in pride and deception because the pastoral leadership has assumed God’s mind and thoughts!
- The pastoral leadership says THEY are the sheep’s “spiritual authority” and must be acknowledged as “the eyes and voice of God” in the sheep’s life. In other words, THEY hear from God for the sheep and therefore control the sheep’s life. God shows THEM what is going on in the life of the sheep and what the sheep should do. THEY expect 100% agreement with whatever THEY say or want because they are speaking for God. Even more damaging, the pastoral leadership tells the sheep that “God showed THEM” something about the sheep that is not happening or has never happened. THEY then use THEIR influence to pressure or gaslight the sheep into believing what “God showed THEM” rather than the sheep’s own reality. This tactic is rooted in witchcraft because it’s all about controlling, not shepherding!
Gaslighting is a tactic that warrants further explanation because it is so detrimental. When done by someone speaking in the name of Jesus, the goals are spiritual and mental control. The aim of a gaslighter is to insidiously make their victim doubt themselves to the point where the victim is uncertain of their own perception of reality, memory, or judgement. As a result, the victim will not trust what they see, remember, think, or feel. Because of constant distortion and coercion by the gaslighter, the victim no longer has any confidence in themselves, and therefore believes and complies with everything the gaslighter says. If a gaslighter is able to manipulate the mind of their victim, they gain both spiritual and mental control over the victim, who is left a shell of a person. Gaslighting ultimately results in anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem and will eventually manifest in physical illnesses.
A pastor who is assuming complete authority over the sheepfold entrusted to them with these tactics is a thief. That shepherd is misusing the influence they’ve been given by the Chief Shepherd. The sheep will not be wholehearted in their walk with the Lord Jesus because of the fear, condemnation, intimidation, and mistrust instilled by a stranger distorting His voice. Pastoral leaders who makes themselves masters of the sheep, rather than stewards of God (Titus 1:7), disqualify themselves from their appointment because they knowingly and willfully mislead, misuse, abuse, and scatter the sheep entrusted to them. Jeremiah 10:21 says, “For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the Lord; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered.”
Good pastoral leadership is God’s idea. The apostle Paul wrote to the elders in the church at Ephesus, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood”(Acts 20:28). God made a promise to His people in Jeremiah 3:15, “And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” We must take the responsibility to ensure that we are following a shepherd and not the voice of a stranger. We must not let any voice distort or override the Chief Shepherd’s voice in our lives.
We may have ignored or dismissed these tactics or even been oblivious to them, but that is dangerous for our present and eternal lives because pastoral leadership who assumes complete authority over and dominates the sheepfold both believes and teaches that which is false and contrary to the voice of the Good Shepherd. Any strange voice speaking in the name of Jesus must be noted and avoided without compromise. We must Know the Shepherd’s Voice.
In our next post, we will continue to explore how strange voices sound today speaking in the name of Jesus.
Disclaimer: Before making decisions or changes that affect your spiritual life and well-being, always personally seek God for His perfect will for your life and always follow peace.
