Stop Worshiping Your Pastor

Stop Worshiping Your Pastor

By Khanyisa Manganyi

There’s a new god in town. He walks in with shiny shoes, three bodyguards, and an entourage that parts the crowd like Moses at the Red Sea. The church stands. Some cry. Others throw money at his feet. And someone in the back whispers, “Papa has entered.”

Let’s be honest: if Jesus Himself walked into that same church, half the congregation would be too busy polishing the pastor’s ego to even notice.

We’ve crossed the line, friends — from honor to worship, from respect to idolatry, and we’re now calling it faith. But make no mistake, this blind loyalty, this pulpit obsession, this habit of treating human beings like they’re divine — it’s not just dangerous, it’s unbiblical.

Your pastor is not God.

The modern church has made spiritual celebrities out of mere men. We follow their every word like it’s Scripture, we repost their quotes more than actual Bible verses, and some of us wouldn’t dare make a decision without “Papa” approving it. You don't ask God — you ask the man on stage with the microphone.

Some pastors are now selling faith like it’s a product: Buy this anointed wristband. Rub yourself with this holy oil (for only R99.99). Drink this “miracle” water imported straight from a plastic bottle. They say, “As long as you wear this, nothing will harm you.”

Really? Did Jesus die so you could wear a bracelet? Did Paul get shipwrecked, beaten, and imprisoned so someone could convince you that God is trapped inside a bottle of oil?

Look, anointing oil in the Bible was symbolic, not magical. And the Holy Spirit is not for sale — not in oil, not in wristbands, not in water, and definitely not in a prophetic prayer that comes with a price tag.

In Acts 8:20, Peter rebuked Simon the sorcerer who tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit, saying, “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!”

Yet today, many believers hand over cash in exchange for “favor.” It’s the same thing with a nicer backdrop and a louder microphone.

Let’s be real: some of us have more fear of our pastor than we do of God. We can’t say no to them. We don’t question them — not even when what they preach directly contradicts Scripture. We say, “He’s the man of God; touch not the anointed.” But that verse (Psalm 105:15) was never meant to shield pastors from accountability. It was about God’s people, not untouchable pastors living in unchecked power.

Even Paul, the apostle who wrote most of the New Testament, told believers in Acts 17:11 to search the Scriptures and confirm what he was saying. If Paul welcomed fact-checking, who is your pastor to be above it?

The truth is: many believers have replaced a living relationship with God with loyalty to a man who performs well on Sunday. They know the pastor’s catchphrases better than they know the voice of the Holy Spirit.

And here’s the danger — when that pastor falls (because he’s human), your whole faith crumbles. Why? Because you didn’t build it on the Rock — you built it on a personality.

This is how church cults are born. It starts with admiration, turns into dependency, and before you know it, people are sacrificing truth at the altar of loyalty. They’ll defend the pastor more than they defend Jesus. They’ll quote him more than the Bible. And when he’s clearly wrong? They say, “You don’t understand him, he’s on another level spiritually.” No, he’s not. He’s just a man with a microphone.

Listen, honor your leaders. Yes. Pray for them. Absolutely. But worship them? Never.

Galatians 1:10 asks a hard question: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

There’s a difference between following a man of God and following man as your god. If your spiritual walk is based entirely on one man’s words, if your prayers only feel powerful when “Papa” prays them, if you believe your healing depends on a wristband instead of Jesus’ blood — you’ve entered dangerous ground.

True faith doesn't need props. True power doesn’t need promotion. And a true relationship with God doesn’t need a middleman who sells miracles like fast food.

Jesus tore the veil so that you could go directly to God. Why are you trying to sew it back up?

Don’t let blind loyalty blind you from the truth. God isn’t calling you to worship the pulpit — He’s calling you to know Him personally, to search the Scriptures for yourself, and to build your life on Christ, not charisma.

Because when the lights go out, the band stops playing, and the crowd goes home — it won’t be “Papa” who stands beside you.

It will be the One who died for you, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Choose Him. Every time.

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