Who’s Your Pastor? A Shepherd, a Showman, or a CEO?

Oh lord this topic!!! We have to talk about it! This  is an area that I was forced to confront some deep truths. I was deceived, and God corrected me in ways I never expected. As I share my journey, please don’t judge me—I’m just being real.

A Journey of Deception

Before I truly gave my life to Christ, I was a full-on sermon junkie. Every day, I’d tune in to sermons from different pastors. Sometimes the message stirred something deep inside me, and sometimes it just felt like background noise. Looking back now, I see that it was a legalistic habit—a way to feel like I was doing something “right.” The truth: I was chasing emotional highs instead of real heart change. As Hebrews 4:12 reminds us, “The word of God is alive and active,” yet what I was hearing only stirred up feelings, not transformed my heart. It didn’t cut to the heart, convict me, or challenge me to change. A genuine message should do both: fire up your emotions and challenge you to change.

The Gospel: It’s Not About Who Makes You Feel Good…

Listening to sermons isn’t the problem, but who you listen to matters. I eventually had to step away from listening to some of the popular and  mega-church pastors. It’s important to note that not all popular and mega-churches are bad, but the ones I was following were not providing the depth and challenge that lead to genuine spiritual growth. They preached a watered-down, feel-good gospel while living lives that didn’t quite match their words (that’s a story for another day). Thankfully, God steered me toward teachers who delivered the raw, unfiltered Gospel. Suddenly, it wasn’t about feeling good; it was about real transformation. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near”(Matthew 4:17) started to mean something deep.

Are Churches Truly Preaching The Gospel ?

It seems like a lot of churches today might be missing the core of what our faith is all about. Imagine it like being in college: you have your major classes and then you have electives. In our spiritual lives, the Gospel of Jesus—centered on repentance and truly following Him—should be our major. This is the essential course and message.

But what’s happening is, many sermons are focusing heavily on the electives—things like marriage, finance, spiritual warfare, and prosperity. These are important, sure, but they’re not the heart of the curriculum. They should complement, not replace, the fundamentals of repentance, sanctification, and living a life that mirrors Christ.

We often hear more about blessings than the tough, convicting messages of righteousness and holiness. And here’s the hard truth: “Without holiness, no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). We can’t keep pretending that living in sin and comfort is okay just because God loves us. His love calls us to change, to repent, and to live in true holiness. Side note: Remember, holiness isn’t just about sexual purity—it’s so much more than that. It’s about how we treat people, how we love, how we forgive, the thoughts we entertain, how we react, and the posture of our hearts. Holiness —it’s a lifestyle!

Tough Love In Our Walk

Sometimes, love has to be loud. I once heard a teacher ask: If you saw someone’s house on fire, would you whisper, “Hey, get out, your house is burning,” or scream at the top of your lungs to save them? Real love isn’t always gentle—it can be a wake-up call that shakes us out of our comfort zones. If your faith feels too comfortable, you might be missing out on true growth.

Church as a Business: A Dangerous Trend

Let’s be real for a second: Churches have turned into businesses—spiritual corporations, if you will. The pastor has become the CEO, running the place with strategy, marketing, and a focus on filling seats and growing that bank account. The mission? Keep the congregation happy and keep the money flowing. But here’s the truth: The Gospel isn’t about pleasing people; it’s about Jesus!

We’ve seen pastors tailoring their messages to boost membership, preaching what the crowd wants to hear instead of what the truth demands. And that’s not the Gospel—it’s a compromise of God’s truth. True preaching means boldly proclaiming the full message of the kingdom, even if it offends or loses followers.

So, here’s the real question: Are we listening to preachers who are more concerned with being liked, or are we listening to pastors who boldly call us to holiness, purity and repentance—even when it ruffles some feathers?

I Had to Change Who I Listened To

There was a turning point where I had to stop listening to many popular pastors. Just because they have a huge social media following doesn’t mean they’re preaching the truth. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:21). I realized that a large congregation doesn’t necessarily mean the presence of God is there. Churches can grow, perform miracles, and still miss the mark entirely. What matters is whether or not people are being transformed to look like Christ. The true measure of a church is not its size or popularity—it’s the spiritual growth and maturity of the people.

So ask yourself: What Gospel are you hearing? Is it a message that calls you to repent, live in holiness, and experience true transformation? Or is it just a feel-good sermon that leaves you stuck in old habits? If you’ve been in church for twenty years and still struggling  with pornography, you still treat your wife and family like trash. What gospel are you really listening to? C’mon, fam—the gospel is meant to change you and mold you into Christ’s likeness!

Here’s is bottom line: not every pastor or church is genuinely leading people closer to Christ. Remember, salvation is personal. You won’t get to heaven by your pastor’s covering. “Each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). It’s on us to dig into the Word, discern carefully, and really test whether what we’re hearing matches up with Scripture  (1 John 4:1). It’s not enough to like a sermon; it needs to be biblically sound and lead to godly living.

Conclusion: Who Is Your Pastor?

As we wrap up, remember this: not every church is registered in heaven, and there are wolves in sheep’s clothing among us. Many pastors preach from the flesh instead of being truly Spirit-led. Who you listen to shapes your journey—either pointing you toward Jesus or leading you astray. So, ensure that whoever holds your ear is directing you to Christ, not themselves or their own agenda. Don’t put any pastor on a pedestal—the only model we need is Jesus.

If you take nothing else from this post, let these points sink in: just because something sounds nice doesn’t mean it’s biblical, and don’t accept anyone’s word as gospel without testing it against Scripture. Pray, study the Bible, and stay woke.

Music time

No music today switching up sharing three powerful videos  its a must watch for everyone!

1. Ezekiel and Philip Mitchell chop it up real talk open candid conversation it will truly bless and encourage you: Watch here.

2. Jerry flowers on hardly initiated - addressing lukewarm Christians , he also talks about marriage and some personal topics : Watch here.

   
   

Disclaimer—I’m not sharing these pastors because they’re my pastors or anything like that. I’m sharing the message because it’s powerful. By no means am I endorsing or pushing you to follow them. Always test everything against Scripture and let the Holy Spirit guide you!