The Lord be with you
In commenting on Galatians 1:1, Martin Luther wrote
Thus when someone is called by a prince or a magistrate or me, he has his calling through man. Since the time of the apostles this has been the usual method of calling in the world. It should not be changed; it should be exalted, on account of the sectarians, who despise it and lay claim to another calling, by which they say that the Spirit drives them to teach. But they are liars and imposters, for they are being driven by a spirit who is not good but evil. It is not lawful for me to forsake my assigned station as a preacher, to go to another city where I have not a call, and to preach there. (As a doctor of divinity, of course, I could preach throughout the papacy, provided that they let me.) I have no right to do this even if I hear that false doctrine is being taught and that souls are being seduced and condemned which I could rescue from error and condemnation by my sound doctrine. But I should commit the matter to God, who in His own time will find the opportunity to call ministers lawfully and to give the Word. For He is the Lord of the harvest who will send laborers into His harvest; our task is to pray (Matt. 9:38).
Luther, Martin Luther’s Works 26 (Lectures on Galatians 1535) 18
Notice that, according to Luther, pastors are called through human agencies. Those who simply show up and claim the “Spirit” has sent them have no legitimate calling and should be ignored by the faithful. Also notice that a local pastor has no call to meddle in the affairs of another congregation. A pastor who has time for heresy hunting and stirring up trouble in other congregations is simply not spending his time attending to his God given calling. Finally, notice also that even if you are qualified to correct doctrine (like Luther), he would wait until asked. So, for example, though I am a “doctor of the Church,” I still should not thrust myself into some situation uninvited. God has arranged for “intervention” when needed through properly called ecclesiastical authority. There is quite a bit in this short paragraph that is still oh so important for us to hear today.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Rickert