In his sermon 'Burning in the Soul,' Michael Foster reflects on his early experiences leading community Bible studies, which grew rapidly in popularity during the late 1990s. Foster shares the story of a self-styled prophet, 'Mike the Prophet,' who exemplified the traits of what he calls 'vagabond ministers.' These individuals are characterized by their self-appointment, lack of formal church endorsement, and often dubious moral and doctrinal standings. Foster warns against such figures, emphasizing the importance of accountability and community within local churches. He cautions against the allure of social media personalities who may claim spiritual insights without genuine pastoral responsibility. Foster underscores the necessity of genuine relationships with local pastors and elders, whose lives and teachings can be witnessed and trusted by their congregations.

So this is my vacation and a few minutes, about an hour ago, I was about to step in the hot tub and relax. And then somebody called me and said, where are you? And I wasn't here. But I have a, what is it? I have burnings in my soul, so.

Here's one for all of you. 2 Timothy chapter three, verse 10 through 11. You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings. I want to tell you the story about Mike the prophet. In the late 90s, I taught a bunch of neighborhood Bible studies and they grew pretty quick.

They got really popular. It was common to have 30 or 40 teens in a living room any given night. A few times it got up to like 100 or so. We'd have to pray it wouldn't rain and go in the backyard and all that. And I think the popularity was the result of a pretty simple formula and that was having lots of teens who are invitors.

They just invite all their friends and there's food. Young people like to hang around. Young people with the opposite sex. It's a trick. Just let you know if you're trying to get your church to grow, that'll help.

Clary has children. He's trying to marry off, right? So Go to his church. Anyhow, it was always a good time. There was a buzz.

It attracted people from all over. Matter of fact, one of those people was my future wife, Emily Mayer. Now I have claimed her. She's Emily Foster. And those Bible studies, they weren't sponsored, were overseen directly by any particular church.

My pastor knew what was going on, but it was, they really were community Bible studies. And that's kind of all there was to it. I was the only de facto leader. I took over it. A friend of mine started this Bible study, and then he met a girl and said, hey, I'm going to go on a date.

Can you teach for me tonight? And then he just never came back. So Literally, it's how I got into the ministry. So it wasn't formal. There wasn't a ton of accountability.

Our main host family, the Liskeys, they had a ton of influence in the local community, been around for a long time. And they helped give it kind of shape and direction. And I was only 18 at this point, hadn't read the whole Bible yet, and teaching, I basically read Matthew Henry's commentaries, and here's my version of that. So the buzz and numbers attracted all kinds of people and some of those people are what I have come to call vagabond ministers. And I got this phrase from a wonderful book, especially if you're a pastor, Calvin's Company of Pastors, great book, and explains reformed churches in France regularly confronted the problem of self-appointed itinerant ministers known as vagrants or vagabonds who traveled about, causing dissensions and usurping leadership of local churches without official authority or a legitimate vocation.

Some of these vagabond ministers have been disposed from previous charges for moral failure or doctrinal error. Others have never been properly ordained to the pastoral office, still others were self-styled prophets who spewed forth all manners of confusion and heresy. The problem was so widespread that the official minutes of the French national synod maintained a list of vagabonds to warn reform congregations about specific preachers. So these type of guys show up everywhere, and they showed up at our Bible studies on more than a few occasions. And anytime there's buzz and not much accountability, they'll be there.

If you plan a church and it's going well, first year you'll get at least one of these guys. But the most memorable one I had was a guy named Mike. And he was 23, so when you're 18, 23 is really old. Now 23 is the same as like seven year olds to me, so. You will feel this way, so I'm not sorry.

You will join me in this in time. But anyhow, he dominated our Bible study discussions and he liked to talk, these type of guys usually do. Anyway, he shared all sorts of fanciful interpretations specifically about the end times. He told us about how God spoke to him a lot often through dreams and the attendees at this these Bible studies came from all sorts of backgrounds. Our hosts were really kind of in the charismatic, dispensational side of things.

I was still semi-charismatic. I would say hallelujah, sometimes an amen in sermons. So anyhow, so these type of things got said from time to time in our circles, but I didn't trust Mike at all. I smelled a wolf and he came around for a few weeks and early on he took me aside to share a prophecy God had given him for me. And it was something like, Michael, God told me that you're going to be one of his end time generals in the coming great revival.

I think you know this, Michael, don't you? We are being called to do great things. I hate when people repeat your name over and over in conversation. Right? It's always a way to assert authority.

But so I'm gonna be great. Mike, I'm fine with whatever God wants to do, but I'm not changing my day to day at all. I'm just gonna read my Bible, pray, go to church and work. Speaking of which, Which church do you attend? Michael, you're not ready for this, are you yet?

Apparently not, so what church do you go to? I don't believe in denominations. I belong to the church. Ooh, holy man. I see, so you don't attend church.

Let's talk later Michael." I was like, nah, it's all right. Let's not be friends. So this is, I got other things to do. So Mike's prophecy has meant nothing to me. I heard all that stuff during the laughing revival.

Needless to say our relationship was rocky from there on out. And he would tell people, you know, take people aside. Michael has a tendency to quench the spirit, doesn't he? Yeah. Certain types of spirits.

But Mike the prophet put a target on his back when he sat by himself in a car with a 15 year old girl from our Bible study for an hour. And I found out about it after the fact and he was sharing the same stupid end time shtick with her as well, and no doubt he was grooming her. So I pressed the issue with Mike the prophet in front of our host family, and the wife of that home, she was really skilled at getting people to open up and she started going after him and she had figured out that he was living with his girlfriend. Now he wasn't sleeping with her is what he said and I said, what red-blooded man wouldn't, right? Like that's why you don't, right?

I don't believe you And Jody said it doesn't matter. Ephesians 5.3 says there must not even be a hint of sexual morality. So she just took the high road and and Mike said there were all a bunch of, you know, judgmental legalists and blew out of there never to be seen again. So that's the story of Mike the Prophet. I share it because I meet these guys from time to time and the internet has led to them just multiplying like gremlins.

Their legion, their reform types, non-reform types. It doesn't matter what their theological packaging is. They have all the same sort of common traits. They try to flatter people into their favor by claiming that you and them are somehow special and no one can get you like I get you, right? They poison impressionable people against leaders who are unimpressed with their shtick.

They're usually self-appointed and self-educated and very unread and proud about it. They have new insights which usually come directly from God or some new source. They usually have a major moral failing that has been left unchecked for years. Mike the prophet these days they don't need neighborhood Bible studies. They have social media.

They have YouTube. They have Twitter. They have TikTok. They have all that stuff. And I want to warn you about these vagabond ministers and these self-styled prophets.

They are everywhere right now and some of you are gullible. Some of you are gullible when it comes to social media. People tell me I have a great marriage. I do, but how do you know? How do you know what I'm like behind closed doors?

Because the pictures I put, like it's hard to find a good picture with me, with my wife, it's easy, But I put the best pictures online, right? I don't put when my kids are screaming crazy and I'm about to lose it in a mega van with a bunch of kids driving down to North Carolina to almost get in the hot tub, right? I don't put the bad pictures on there. You don't know me. I don't know you.

Don't forget to click and subscribe, hit that little bell. If you subscribe to my Patreon, I'll give you a mug, Right? Say something pithy on it. You need pastors and elders who know you. You need the local church.

Listen again. Listen to how Paul exhorts Timothy. You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and suffering. You know me. You know my example.

You've seen my life. You're there for it. You need to double and triple and quadruple down on the local church. Are your local pastors not very impressive? Good, they match you, right?

Good. These people online, there's Edit buttons. There's little stupid apps that will tell you what to say. Right? They're not pastors many times.

It's one thing if it's a little extra vitamin D, a supplement, okay? But it is not a meal. Beware of vagabond ministers. Love your pastors and elders. Amen?

Hallelujah? There we go.