Here’s a letter to the new dope… I mean pope.
Dear Sir,
Well actually, let’s just make this to every single pastor, bishop, minister, pope—you name it.
If you’ve put yourself in a position of “leadership,” this letter is for you.
At this point, you might be thinking, “Oh my, this gal is about to talk to the high-up men in churches and religions! Who is she to say anything to these men—especially my preacher! How dare her.” Well, let’s dive into that exact issue, shall we?
First off, do you realize that a preacher has no more power than you? Do you realize that you might actually be holding back your spiritual walk because you’re more concerned about what your preacher thinks than what God thinks? I can prove it on more than one occasion.
I was helping on a project one time. There were about 6–8 men, and I was the only woman. We were cutting up, laughing, working, and having a good time—nothing wrong at all. Then suddenly, the vibe changed. The guys stopped joking, got all polite, and I was still trying to lighten the mood.
What had changed?
One of their pastors had walked up and started working with us.
I’m pretty sure if I was the kind of woman to stare at men’s butts, I’d have seen every one of them clenched up. Then one of them said, “Hey Brother [so-and-so]…” and looked straight at me.
I was shocked. These guys completely changed. So what did I do?
I kept talking and joking around with “Brother [so-and-so],” just like I was with the rest of them. Those guys looked at me like I had grown another arm! They couldn’t believe I was talking to him like that.
See, I don’t give power to a man just because he has a title. I give power to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, the reason is because there’s no difference between the pastor and you.
Let me prove it.
You both wake up, get dressed, speak to God, eat breakfast, go to work, get paid, have a wife (some of y’all), go to “church,” pick your nose, drink coffee, go out to dinner, scratch an itch—you get the point. They’re human. You’re human. Both made in God’s image.
So explain to me—why do you put their opinion above everyone else’s?
Is it because you think they’re closer to God than you?
If that’s your answer, then I’ve got two suggestions:
1. Start working on your own relationship with God—today.
2. If you already have one, then you’re giving power to a man for no reason.
Now before you come at me with pitchforks, you’re going to quote: (2 Timothy 4:2)
But before you do, I’ve got one question: Is your name Timothy? Were you born and living in the year 65 A.D.? Was Paul talking to you? Did you have a scroll delivered to your door?
No, you didn’t.
Do you realize someone took Paul’s personal letters and put them in the Bible? Imagine someone finding a letter you wrote to someone who needed encouragement because God told you to write to them, full of wisdom and conviction—and then someone just added it to Scripture just to start a whole religion.
If you take any of these verses pastors use to prove their position, go read the full chapter. Actually, read the full book, you know actually go read the full bible from Genesis to Revelation.
Context is everything.
“You shall nurse at the breast of kings.”
Yep—that’s in the Bible. But you probably think I’m lying.
I promise it’s there. Go find it. I’m not even going to tell you where its at.
Joe and I use that verse a lot to show how important context really is. We don’t want folks running around trying to find a king just to grab a drink of milk.
Whew—we sure chased a rabbit trail there, didn’t we? Haha.
So what’s this got to do with the dope—I mean pope?
Because that man is just that—a man. He’s no closer to God than you or I.
When we read about Moses and others in the Old Testament, remember: they didn’t have Jesus or the Holy Spirit available like we do now.
But we do.
Now, every single one of us can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ our High Priest. We don’t need to be led by a earthly priest or pastor or pope. We can be led by the Holy Spirit—who literally lives inside you. That brings me to tears every time I think about it.
But the world now says the pope is holier than everyone else.
Do you realize that God made women for men and marriage as a blessing?
And yet the pope can’t be married or have children.
Why?
Because of a man-made rule from only 900 years ago.
They’ll say, “Well, Paul said it’s better to be single.”
Yes, Paul said:
“Sometimes I wish everyone were single like me—a simpler life in many ways! But celibacy is not for everyone any more than marriage is. God gives the gift of the single life to some, the gift of the married life to others.”
That was Paul’s opinion.
God didn’t come down in fire and command that.
Paul also said:
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
So… just follow Christ.
Skip the middleman.
We have the Bible. We have the Holy Spirit.
Why do you need a man to lead you?
Oh, and by the way—did you know the pope doesn’t even get paid?
So if your church says “we believe the Bible only” but your pastor gets a paycheck… huh. Interesting.
And yes, I get it—“He has a family to support.”
You’re right. He should be working a regular job like the rest of us.
There’s a lot in the Bible about godly men working and preaching.
I bet more people would hear about Jesus if pastors got off their big butts and actually went out into the world instead of sipping coffee and “studying” for a 30-minute message we’ve all heard a hundred times.
“Ann, that’s a little harsh, isn’t it?”
Why yes, yes it is.
But you like letters so much—read this one and learn something.
Especially here in the South, it’s honestly pathetic how many so-called pastors there are.
And don’t even get me started on “retired pastors.”
Retired from what?!
I can’t imagine standing before God saying, “Yes sir, I’m a retired pastor.”
I picture God doing that confused dog head-tilt like, what?
Because what do you mean, retire?
You’re done teaching Jesus?
Done showing love?
Done visiting the sick?
Done with what, exactly?
If you have an answer, please email me.
But here’s why I say this:
Until my last breath, I will love God with all my heart, mind, and soul.
I’ll try to love my neighbor.
I’ll teach about Jesus and His gift.
There will never be a day I “retire.”
There is no retirement for believers.
That’s the difference between a real relationship with Jesus and a man-made position of power.
Now, if your pastor doesn’t get paid, at least y’all got that part right.
But again—why does someone need to be in charge of you?
You’ll say he’s not “over” you—
Then why do you call him “Pastor So-and-So”?
Why not use his name?
You say “Brother”—okay.
But deep down, you’re putting that man higher than anyone else in your life. And that’s not biblical.
That’s why I’d love to go share Jesus with the new pope and break him out of religion. If I ever had the chance, I’d be on a plane in a few hours.
I don’t care if it’s the president, the pope, a celebrity—they’re all just people.
Last night at a play, I sat beside an older man, probably in his 80s.
He talked about the new pope—how he’s young and progressive, and how he switched to that religion because it was more “accepting.”
They weren’t as “preachy,” and they’re raising $100,000 for the church and want more people to come. The usual spiel.
But after talking with him, I realized how lonely he sounded.
His wife didn’t sound kind. He said, “She’s just one of those people who doesn’t like people or doing anything.”
And that hit me. He doesn’t actually know what the church really is.
I’m a believer who chooses not to follow religion, and I’m not lonely.
And his wife? She sounds like someone who desperately needs Jesus.
I always wonder—if someone like him ever found just Jesus and nothing else…
Who would they become?
This man talked about politics and religion more than most, but the saddest part was—he never once mentioned God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or the Bible.
Now this new pope will be in charge of 1.3 billion people.
Can you imagine what this world would be like if all these people put Jesus in charge, yes of all these same 1.3 billion people?
Same with our little community.
We live in one of the worst counties in Georgia, but we’ve got over 100 churches.
Can you imagine if all those people just followed Jesus?
It would be one of the best counties in the state.
Why?
Because Jesus changes people.
Jesus makes you want to do the right thing.
To love God.
To love others.
A holy life doesn’t come from following a man—it comes from following Jesus.
And you might be steaming right now—but why?
How can you be mad that I’m pointing people to Jesus—and only Jesus?
I’ll never retire from sharing Jesus.
I’m not sure why this needed to be written, but here it is.
As always—read the Bible for yourself. It’s all in there.
Until next time, may the good Lord bless you.
~ Ann Lester ~