Many church leaders have become life coaches instead of spiritual fathers. The spiritual fathers have changed their role as shepherds of the flock to motivational speakers. They encourage the people, feed the flesh and focus on the well-being of the soul and body (flesh), succes and wealth. This change of role has taken place because many Christians are not born again but carnal. Many preachers are carnal and influenced by the spirit of this world. And many church visitors don’t want someone that interferes with their lives telling them what to do. Instead, they want someone, who speak positive words and motivates and encourages them mentally and physically. Someone that coach them and provide the right tools to apply in their everyday life to become prosperous, successful, and wealthy.
The spiritual fathers, who depended upon God have become carnal leaders, who depend upon themselves
Many church leaders have gone from the spirit to the soul and have become carnal. They no longer rely upon Jesus Christ; the Word, the Father and the Holy Spirit. They don’t build upon God and His Word, but they have put their trust in their own intellect and ability and the wisdom and knowledge of the world. They depend upon natural resources and methods to attract, please, entertain, counsel, and keep the people (satisfied) in the church.
Throughout the years, human and Eastern philosophies and false doctrines have entered the church. The leaders no longer focus on the well-being of the spirit of people and the fruit they bear, but they focus on the well-being of people’s soul and body and their carnal needs.
Therefore, they have changed and adjusted their sermons to the carnal needs of the people.
The life coaches are no longer inspired by God and His Word and no longer speak from the Word by the Spirit to the people. But instead, they preach from their own insights, opinions, experiences, and focus on the carnal needs of the people and what they want to hear.
They coach and inspire them through their motivational words. And they use natural means, methods, and technics to please and motivate their flesh.
They speak their own words and provide carnal methods and technics on how to cope with issues of the body and soul, stress, conflicts, and problems in life and promote a healthy lifestyle.
These life coaches don’t focus on the spiritual new man, teaching the will of God and becoming spiritual strong and empower the Body of Christ. But they focus on carnal strength and empower the body of believers, by promoting healthy nutrition, lifestyle and physical exercise (fitness, yoga, meditation, mindfulness, martial arts (including self-defense).
The visitors of the church rather listen to life coaches, who feed their flesh and provide carnal wisdom, knowledge, methods, technics and tools, then spiritual fathers, who feed their spirit and spiritually corrects and disciplines them and provide spiritual principles from the Word of God, so that they will get to know the will of God and grow up in holiness into the image of Jesus Christ.
Mental coaches and motivational speakers
I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel (1 Corinthians 4:14-15)
Since many church leaders remain carnal and live like the world, they preach from a carnal mind what carnal Christians want to hear and don’t take it so closely with sin. They try to attract as many people as possible with their appearance and charismatic motivational words.
They preach from their carnal mind and come up with their own encouraging and inspirational life quotes and philosophies that derive from their own intellect and carnal reasoning, instead of speaking and quoting the wisdom of God from His Word (the Bible), which is meant for the spirit.
Many church leaders have changed their role and their message. They are no longer spiritual fathers, who are appointed by God and stand in His service and speak His words.
They are no longer focused upon Jesus Christ and no longer spend with Him and listen to Him and feed, correct and raise the born again believers out of Him, so that the believers grow up into mature sons of God.
They are no longer moved with compassion and concerned about the spiritual well-being of the sheep and don’t correct and chastise them anymore.
They are no longer led by the Holy Spirit in their prayers and informed about the spiritual state of the congregation and don’t fight for them spiritually.
But they have become life coaches, who are appointed by the people and stand in the service of people and are focused upon the people and their mental and physical state and need.
They preach to the feelings and emotions of people and guide them from their carnal mind and intellect with the knowledge and wisdom of the world.
They provide carnal knowledge, wisdom, and natural methods, technics, and tools so that they can improve their daily lives, structure, health, relationships, career, and achievements, and deal with conflicts and become their better self and live a prosperous, successful, and wealthy life.
They think highly of themselves and talk for hours about their own lives and experiences and so now and then, they quote a scripture from the Bible, that is often taken out of context to back up their motivational words.
Their sermons and doctrines don’t feed the spirit of the new man and don’t ensure that the believers put off the old man and grow up into mature sons of Gods, but their sermons feed the old man and keep the flesh of the carnal old man alive. Because of that, many walk in darkness in the bondage of sin and death.
Many leaders are too busy with their own lives and are more focuses upon their own success, projects, ambitions, achievements, goals, and wallets, than on the spiritual well-being and state of the believers and their eternity. Therefore, many pastors lead their sheep into the abyss, instead of eternal life.
Parents have become life coaches
Since the spirit of the world has entered and controls many lives, this spirit of deception is not only at work in the church, but also in families. Therefore, this change of spiritual fathers into life coaches have not only taken place in many churches, but also in many families. Many parents have become life coaches, who are focused upon the success of their child(ren) in society and don’t raise and nurture the child anymore but they guide the child.
In many families, both parents work and presume they can have a successful career and raise a child(ren) at the same time. But the truth is, that they spend more time on their work than on their child(ren) and are more dedicated to their work than to the child(ren). While they are at work, they entrust their child(ren) to others.
Many parents don’t raise their child(ren) themselves, although many think and say they do.
But if both parents work full time during the week and come home late from work their minds are still occupied with their work and they are often too tired to really listen to their child(ren), let alone spend quality time with their child(ren).
They have approximately 3-4 hours together, before the child(ren) goes to bed, whereof they spend most of their time behind their phone, television, computer, pad, etc.
Although the parents are physically present, many times they are not mentally present.
Many parents have often more eye on what is going on, on their phone than what is going on in the lives of their child(ren). They know more about the lives of the television characters, then about the life of their child(ren). They know more about the ins-and-outs and secrets of their videogames than they know about their own child(ren).
So now and then, they have a conversation with their child to motivate and encourage them in the areas of life and how to become successful. They are often more concerned about their achievements than their spiritual well-being. Sometimes they provide scriptures from the Bible that relate to wealth and prosperity to support their motivational words.
But unfortunately, many times the parental authority and involvement of the parent in the child’s life and the emotional connection between a parent and a child are missing. The parent often doesn’t see the need of the child and doesn’t hear what is not said. Therefore, many times the parents don’t give what the child really needs and because of that many children feel lost in the world.
Some cope with identity problems, feel rejected and are dominated by depressions, eating disorders, fears, anxiety, anger, etc. There are even children, who don’t want to live anymore and are longing to die.
Believers don’t grow up into mature sons of God
The same is going on in many churches and therefore many believers cope with all kinds of mental and physical problems. Many churches evangelize and many people are healed and sometimes saved, but that’s it. They are not taken care of and spiritually fed and discipled in the Word of God and His will so that they will spiritually mature and walk after the spirit in His will. Many church leaders don’t know their sheep and don’t know what is going on in their lives.
In many churches, the parental authority is lacking and the church leaders don’t speak the truth of the Word so that the believers put off their old life and put on the new man and grow up into the image of Christ.
But many have changed and adjusted the words of God, so that they fit into their carnal lives and they can live like the world (Read also: Will God change His will for the lusts and desires of man?).
Since many church leaders are not spiritually mature, but are still carnal and live like the world, they also use the same wisdom, methods, and technics as the world and apply them to motivate, entertain, counsel and advise the people.
But Jesus didn’t say, that the leaders of His body should become motivators, counselors and entertainers, and allow themselves to be exalted by the people and worshiped as gods.
But Jesus said, that the leaders of His body should be shepherds, who represent Him and feed His flock with His words, so that they will get to know Him and the will of God and glorify Jesus and honor God with their lives (a.o. Jn 10:1-15; 21:15-17, Act 20:28-29, Eph 4:11, 1 Pe 5:2-4).
Is there ‘a new thing’ or ‘a change’ coming?
In many churches, the church leaders are no longer in the service of God and don’t preach spiritual truths of the Kingdom of God, the cross, the blood of Jesus, repentance, regeneration, sanctification and eternal life. They don’t live as mature sons of God and don’t set the example on how to walk after the Word and the Holy Spirit and rely on God. But they rely on themselves and their own knowledge, wisdom, ability, and skills and walk after the flesh.
They feed, satisfy, and encourage the carnal soul of the people, through their motivational messages and continuously say and promise that ‘a new thing’, ‘a new level‘ or ‘a change’ is about to come, that will cause the feelings and emotions of the carnal people to be temporarily psyched up and the people be motivated and encouraged for a short period of time.
But the Bible doesn’t speak about ‘a new thing’, ‘a new level’ or ‘a change’ that will come. The only new thing and change that the Bible has talked about and has promised, referred to the coming of Jesus Christ on the earth and His perfect work of redemption and the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man.
They counsel the believers and try to solve their problems and conflicts by using the same methods and technics of psychologists (Read also: Does Christian psychology exist?).
“Exercise yourself unto godliness, for bodily exercise profits little”
But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profits little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come (1 Tim 4:7-9).
Lately, more and more church leaders not only feed and serve the soul, but also the body of the believers. Many churches are not only changed into entertainment facilities, like lounges to fellowship, restaurants, concert halls with ambiance lighting and loud music, but also into fitness centers, where they provide fitness, yoga, martial arts and self-defense (which derives from martial-arts (read also: The church a social institution or a power of God))
They’ve compromised with the world and have allowed eastern philosophies and new age doctrines to enter the church to feed the soul of the believers, and as a result, they now have allowed the eastern healing, physical exercise, mediation, and combat sports to feed the body of the believers.
Because of that, many local churches are deviated from the Word of God and have entered self-chosen ways, where the devil has control and exercises his lordship, and the flesh of the carnal man is fed, entertained, motivated and empowered. As a result, the people will bear the fruit of the flesh instead of the fruit of the Spirit.
But the Church is not a worldly organization and doesn’t belong to the world, but belongs to the Kingdom of God. The Church is the assembly of born again believers, who walk in holiness after the Word and the Spirit.
The Church should serve and represent the Kingdom of God instead of serve and represent the kingdom of this world.
Throughout the years, the Church has slowly become an (entertainment) business and a social institution that provide the needs of the carnal people.
But this is not how God wants His people to live and this is not how Jesus wants His Body to live and act.
Are Jesus and the Holy Spirit good enough?
Many churches have defiled the Body of Jesus Christ by committing adultery with the world and allow the things of the world in the church and approve them. Indirectly, they say, that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not good enough and sufficient enough to them and therefore they look elsewhere. They look for alternatives for the things of God and look for alternative worldly methods and desires the same things as the world.
The unfaithful people of God
It is just like the people of Israel when God had delivered them from their bondage of Pharaoh and led them to the wilderness, where they were cleansed, equipped and prepared to enter the promised land. But the majority of the people were rebellious and stubborn. One moment, they said wholeheartedly “yes” to God and promised Him to keep His commandments, and the next moment, they turned their back to Him and denied Him by committing adultery and idolatry, because God didn’t meet their expectation and wasn’t sufficient to them.
They couldn’t forget their old lives in Egypt and wanted to serve the same gods and have the same lives as the Egyptians.
As soon as Moses, who was appointed by God and represented God and was their spiritual father, went up into the mountain and left them for a while, their true identity was revealed.
The people rather wanted to have a visible image of a dumb idol, then an invisible living God; the Creator of Heaven and earth.
They’d rather wanted to have fun, party and live a life full of impurities and walk in the ways of the Egyptians and please themselves, then to keep the commandments of God and walk in His way and please Him.
As soon as their spiritual father Moses left and another leader was appointed, who was not able to stand against the people and didn’t stay loyal to God and stand on the Word, but wanted to please the people, they found someone, who listened to them and was able to fulfill their carnal needs.
They gave him their gold, so that he could make a visible god for them. When the image of the golden calf was created and they got what they wanted they became adulterous by committing idolatry, and they partied and danced before their god; their golden calf.
That’s what happens when spiritual fathers are no longer present and carnal leaders or life coaches take over and the people have indirect control over them. Because as soon as the life coaches don’t give them what they want or say something that offends them and they don’t want to hear, they walk away. And that’s something that the church doesn’t want, because the church doesn’t want to offend people but the church wants to attract people and grow. Therefore, they adjust their message and the service to the wishes and desires of the people and give them what they want to hear and do.
Is the fear of God present in the Church?
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Co 7:1)
We live in an age, in which the generation, who had somewhat a fear for the Lord and His Word and walked in His way, surrender the baton to a new generation of whom the majority don’t have a fear of God, but are rebellious and world-like and walk after the flesh and go their own way and therefore walk on their own carnal path of life.
They copy the world and Christianize the things of the world. Since they are carnal and led by their senses, emotions, and feelings, they are focused upon appearances, they look like rock stars and bodybuilders, who are good looking from the outside, and are social and speak smoothly.
By their charismatic appearance, good looks and flattering words, they know exactly how to attract and win the carnal people, who are sense-ruled, for themselves by pulling their feelings and emotions.
They want to be noticed and exalted and worshiped by the people and they are focused upon success, fame and wealth. They are led by their carnal mind, worldly trends and figures and by using worldly knowledge, wisdom and methods they try to achieve their ambitions and goals and attract as many people as possible so that the church becomes a successful business that they are responsible for.
Sexual uncleanness in the churches
However, since they sow in the flesh, they also reap the fruit of the flesh. Therefore, we see much sexual uncleanness in the lives of many leaders, who are appointed in the churches.
They commit fornication, adultery, abuse children sexually, they live together unmarried, have sexual relationships, same-sex relationships, are divorced and remarried in a short period of time, watch porn, visit prostitutes and so on.
And when they are caught, they just ask forgiveness out of a formality and they are quickly restored in their position in the ministry. But many times, after a while the same sin takes place again. That’s because the unclean spirit is still present in the life of the person.
Because of the fact, that many church leaders ignore sin and allow sin and live in sin, the church members also habitually live in sin. Why? Because they follow and adopt the example and the behavior of their leader.
They consider their leader as someone, who is appointed by God and therefore if their leader lives that way, God approves it and they may also live that way.
But as long as someone doesn’t hate sin, but embraces sin and approves sin, it proves that the person doesn’t have the nature of God and is not born again, but still has the nature of the fallen man, which is the nature of the devil.
Because of that, the morals of God are being adjusted to the morals of the world and fallen man, and the lamps of many churches have been removed by Jesus and they are seated in darkness (Read also: The church seated in darkness).
The return of spiritual fathers
As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory (1 Th 2:11-12)
It’s about time that the spiritual fathers, who are born again in Christ and have the Spirit of God and walk as sons of God in obedience to the Word and His will, return and take their place in the Church. Leaders, who don’t have the carnal mind of the world and are focused upon themselves and establishing their kingdom, but are focused upon Jesus Christ and establishing the Kingdom of God.
Every born again believer in Christ is a representative of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God on this earth. But the church leaders, who are appointed as shepherds of the flock have a greater responsibility. Because the church leaders are responsible for the souls of the believers (a.o. Jer 23:1, Heb 13:17)
They should feed and correct the born again believers, so that they grow up and spiritually mature in the image of Jesus Christ and walk in God’s way, that leads to eternal life.
The church leaders are appointed by God and stand in His service instead of the people, and don’t serve themselves, but serve from Him the people (a.o. Mar 10:45, Lu 22:24-30, Jn 13:12-15).
The church leaders are only able to stand in the service of God and represent Him and serve the people, when they have put off the old man and put on the new man and walk as the new creation in obedience to God in the authority of the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The church leaders should listen to what Jesus; the Word says and speak His words and correct the believers, when needed and raise them spiritually. Instead of listening to their own knowledge and rely on their own (charismatic) skills, intellect, and insights and speak and acts from them.
They should be led by the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit speaks the truth of God and reveals what takes place in the lives of people. Everything that takes place in darkness, He shall bring into the light.
The church leaders are the keepers of the souls of the believers and are responsible for the spiritual growth of the born again believers and the overall state of the Church.
Therefore, let the leaders of the church take their position as spiritual fathers and their responsibility to nurture and raise the believers into mature sons of God, who walk in His will and preach, bring and establish His Kingdom on earth.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
