An imaginary sermon by an imaginary repentant pastor to an imaginary congregation....
“It was not the Lord Jesus Christ who authorized me to be the pastor of this assembly; it was flesh-and-blood that appointed me. If you find that hard to absorb, try to find me in the Bible. The New Testament teaches 'one another' ministry, not a salaried one-man overseer. (To verify, simply type in 'one another' in a searchable online Bible, i.e. Bible Gateway). No christian should have the degree of influence over you that I had. You assimilated my untruths, which were many, as well as truth. I want you to see that, as leader, I had a vile leverage over you. For example....
“If you did not call me pastor you would have paid a hefty price. I have learned over the years to efficiently deal with dissention. I have subtly intimated from this very powerful pulpit that the only way you can publicly serve God is through this assembly, or one similar, and you correctly sensed that to do so my approval is paramount. Also, you know your friends within this congregation will withdraw much of their warmth if they sense any dissention between me and you. Harmony is everyone's friend; tension is everyone's enemy. And so everybody was careful not to cross me. Not only is that the reason you called me pastor but it's why you submit to many other 'commandments of men' that I have imposed.”
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