We are all hungry for more of God. But without leaders, who will lead us into the right pastures? We may end up eating in pastures which are not good for us. The fact that we are hungry is not a point against submitted sheep, but throughout Scripture, God deals with a heavy hand with leaders who take advantage of the hunger in God’s people.
The Devil is very skilled and accomplished at handling the Word of God deceitfully. Using the hunger in God’s people to his advantage is one of his specialties.
The fact that I was led into deception for many years was not because I had a black heart. Since my salvation in 1970, I have been hungry for God. That hunger has been the compelling force which has caused me to jump onto almost every new-doctrine bandwagon that has swept through the Spirit-filled Church.
I agree with you if you say, "This is truly a sign of immaturity," but without true leaders who will nurture us in the knowledge of the stature of Christ, we are easily tossed to and fro by every new wind of teaching. In fact, it is a shame, but leaders within the Church are the ones who have often introduced us to many new winds of doctrine.
As I look back at my younger years in my home church, I realize that my pastors (and there was a series of them) did not publicly correct the foolishness that took place in our church. Why that was, I can only speculate. I would guess that it was because they did not discern the problems in the first place. I cannot accept the idea that my pastors actually knew right from wrong and kept it to themselves. I choose to believe they gave me all they could.
However, this brings us to very important question. Where does the buck stop? Which level of leadership must face the responsibility for the condition of the food (teaching) which was given to the sheep in God’s pasture?
I suppose that most pastors would prefer to pass the buck to a level of leadership above them. I would venture to guess that leaders of the next level would blame their colleges, their professors, their spiritual mentors, and even their church founders. The sobering reality of all this is; leaders, no matter what level they are at, are destined to face a heavier hand, than those submitted sheep who sit under their teaching. We can discern this by looking at how Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and other leaders of Israel. We can then compare that to how Jesus handled the ordinary man on the street. I get the impression that God does use a heavier hand with any leader who places himself at the head of the class.
"My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment" (James 3:1).
Submission at All Costs
When I, as a leader, participated in various winds of doctrine, I did it with the attitude of "submitting" under the present day leaders of the Church. "Submission" has always been a strong part of my Christian walk. Therefore, I worked hard at finding spiritual leaders I could appreciate and submitted myself under their teachings.
When I became a pastor, I continued to find ministries, movements, and leaders under whom I could submit myself and my church. It had become a hard and fast rule in our Charismatic camp to have some type of covering. We never enjoyed being labeled "independent" or "out there on their own."
Even in recent years, as I have uncovered many false doctrines in my own ministry and shared them with other ministers, they would accuse me of being deceived. In the minds of my peers, I now disagreed with and would not submit under the accepted spiritual leaders of our day — especially if any doctrine I challenged was still widely accepted and taught by "men of renown."
As a Charismatic minister, I submitted myself and my church under a well-known Canadian pastor along with his associates and contacts. I earned a place on the front row at their major camp-meetings with the rest of the faithful. I liked the attention, the cameras, the lights, and the action. If we were encouraged to "yell at the Devil," I would yell the loudest. If we were to praise the Lord and "dance all night," I would dance the hardest. We were up front where all the action was. Not only were we finally able to see and experience things firsthand, but we were at the center of attention. Several times, the pastor acknowledged me by name in front of my peers. I enjoyed the long awaited honor of being received into the "inner circle."
I Was Alarmed
During this time of "submission," I continued to search my own heart and spent much time in the scriptures trying to understand the revelation of Christ and how it exposed the false. Slowly my understanding was being opened and I could see things I hadn’t seen before. My discernment was growing and I began to be alarmed with the vision and direction of the camp and the spiritual leadership I was following.
It was a turbulent time for me. I was beginning to see what was happening around me while at the same time, I was trying even harder to submit. Submission was more important to me than exposing false ideas. Therefore, when they called us by name to the platform to receive a fresh dose of "laughing in the spirit," and some of the other "extra-biblical" blessing, I quickly moved to where the action was and did my best to go with the flow. I was frustrated because my biblical studies were telling me that these popular manifestations were false. At the same time, I did not want to appear "rebellious," so I did my best to yield. After all, if I could "see," surely my peers and my leaders would confirm it because they were more respected, anointed, and sensitive to the Spirit than I was.
It just grew more agonizing to submit and keep the knowledge of what was true and what was false hidden in my own heart. I decided to quietly "slip out" of the movement and had the unpleasant task of telling my own church of my decision.
What a wonderful group of people they were! Even in the midst of belonging to one of the most popular movements in the Charismatic Church, they graciously followed me in this decision.
We, as a church, have never turned back. The revelation of Christ, coupled with the understanding of the false, has set us free. And the freedom and the reward of Christ have been more than enough compensation for the "loneliness" of transition.
Fear of Men
During this time, one of the most challenging and disturbing things I had to deal with was the fear of men. Since we were taught to submit and I was beginning to rebel and challenge the teachings of respected leaders, the result was predictable. The camp I was a part of, gave me the silent treatment. Only a few challenged me over my new doctrinal position. Some of my best friends, though, began to openly rebuke me or target me from the pulpit. If you are a "people person" like I am, this can be very effective. In fact, the same tactic is still used today. But, since I’ve dealt with it, and have come to understand how it works, I’ve replaced the fear of rejection of men with a healthy fear and respect for the Lord.