But you know what, as Christians, we have to play by the rules.
As a pastor, I have to play by the rules.
If somebody is causing problems, you know, I can't just throw somebody out for any reason.
I have to actually have literal evidence to throw somebody out of church, okay?
So somebody just coming up and saying to me,
Pastor Thompson so-and-so is this, this, and that,
and I heard me and him were talking and I heard him say this.
Well, that's not good enough for me to throw somebody out.
You better have two or three witnesses, the Bible says.
And so I'm not going to just, I mean, I'm going to listen to what you have to say.
But I've had people come to me and they expect me to throw somebody out over their own,
just their witness.
Look, I'm not trying to call anybody a liar.
I'm just saying you have to have evidence.
You can't, I can't, you know, I have to play by the rules.
I have to play by the rules of this book.
And this book tells me when to kick someone out and when not to kick somebody out.
And you have to have rules.
They don't have to have rules.
I have to have rules because even if they're not playing by the rules,
if they're not playing fair, as people would say,
I still have to play fair.
I still have to do my job and I have to be diligent at it because,
you know, at the end of the day, it's my reputation that's on the line.
And so when people just think they're going to come and say,
oh, pastor, this person is this or that, you better have some evidence to back it up.
Otherwise, I'm not going to, I'm not, I'm either, I'm not going to believe you
or I'm just not going to, I'm not going to do anything about it.
There's nothing I can do.
So don't come to me and try.
I mean, I had to kick somebody out last week of our church up in North.
And because they brought a railing accusation against our leadership,
I tried to even give them an out to repent, but they wouldn't do it.
You know, even if you still feel like you, you know, that person like,
like you're telling the truth, but if you don't have evidence to back up your claim,
then shut your mouth and don't say a word.
And then if you look, God is the one that fights for us.
He's the one that pulls us out of the snares.
He's the one that does these things for us.
And look, you know, God's going to be the one that avenges us.
So why don't you just let God get that person out of the church
if you think that they're so bad,
instead of trying to take it upon yourself and have a baseless
and railing accusation against someone that you don't have any evidence of.
It's not right.
So, you know, and there's some times when there's been enemies that come against me
and I want to handle it my way, but you know what?
I can't handle it my way.
I want to go full gangster sometimes, but I don't do it
because I'm held to a higher standard.
You know, I can't just, you know, be the punching preacher.
All right.
I can't just handle it the way I used to back in the old days.
I've chosen a different path.
And so I can't just allow myself to be in the flesh and things like that.