Abigail,

In your letter, you posed four questions:

"

.        Isn't Jesus sufficient to look after his own?

.        Isn't his protection enough?

.        Isn't the real Pastor for each of us the Holy Spirit

.                and shouldn't we be looking to Him for to teach us and encouraging others to do the same?

.        Shouldn't we be looking to Him for discernment

.                and trusting Him to pay attention to details for each member (and potential member) of his flock?

"

Unfortunately sometimes people can be led off track.

It happened to the church of the Galatians:

Galatians 3:1 ¶ O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

 

Paul was also very concerned about the church of Corinth members being led off track:

II Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

It happened also in the church of Thyatira:

Revelation 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

Jesus warned that deception will get very severe before he returns:

Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

It is not necessarily a bad thing that Christians look out for one another in these areas.

It is also especially not a bad thing for pastors to look out for the members of the body, in these areas.

Gino