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From the 1st century until now, not only have sinful men as shepherds pursued their selfish ambitions and led God’s sheep quite unlike Christ, the Chief Shepherd, but they have also from many ego needs and character flaws sought for authority in and among the churches. What is the apostle Paul’s conflict with would be apostles about in the 1st century church at Corinth he had established, if it is not their challenge to and pursuit of the authority he exercised within it (2 Corinthians 10:1-13:10)? Today, for the same cause many pastors and others in the churches of Christianity the religion proudly exalt themselves over one another with educational accomplishments and titles.
The Lord’s gracious provision of spiritual gifts to carry out His will have been largely set aside for academic credentials among these churches. Select gifts such as pastor and teacher have been turned into titles of authority and status that are more important to the religious in the sinful flesh than God’s supernatural power at work empowering ministries of function in the Body of Christ. This, of course, is contrary to biblical instruction and dangerously infringes on God’s glory which the religious educated elite could care less about since they seek their own among themselves (Isaiah 42:8; Mark 10:35-45; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-26; 2 Corinthians 10:12-18).
Among those acknowledging spiritual gifts, men that crave for authority give themselves the title “apostle,” but do nothing like the missionary work of the original apostles sent for that purpose (for whom there are no duplicates) and those that came after such as Timothy in the New Testament. In accord with God’s will in providing spiritual gifts, there is a ranking of authority beginning with the original apostles sent out to us as the feet of Christ’s Body through whom we all have received the proclamation and instruction embodied in the Scriptures to which we are to submit. These are followed by prophets, teachers, all other leadership, sign and service gifts to be exercised in the power and love of God, not self-exaltation in the flesh (1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13; Ephesians 4:7-11).
These same men also clamor to be called “bishop” coveting authority over what has come to be defined as a group of pastors and churches in mimicking not the Bible, but the order of great Babylon that is marked out for destruction! It is in this larger context of pursuing authority that many also seek man invented credentials. Some even get “pay for paper” degrees to be able to boast of their academic credentials and in pride gain the authority and status they desire. But as the Lord leads me to write in this re-titled 2012 blog repost, credentials are no affirmative declaration of righteousness or wisdom in His sight; His judgment is coming equally upon those with and without humanly bestowed religious credentials among the churches who have been unfaithful to His Word. Therefore, the guilty are called to repent!
Originally Posted March 18, 2012
Western Protestant churches especially have allowed themselves in large numbers to come full circle from the Reformation that birthed them over 500 years ago and thus, to be overcome by a credentialed, professional class of elite, religious authority figures. Such a class in Judeo-Christian history goes back to the Scribes and Pharisees that fully resisted the Lord Jesus and was already developing among the Gentile dominated churches by the end of the 1st century.
The formally educated teachers, bishops and eventually priests that evolved over the next 1,400 years before the Reformation sparked by the former Catholic priest, Martin Luther, came to wield and abuse biblically unsanctioned authority over the lives of their religious congregants. Today, churches in pride even seek out highly educated pastors and defer to scholars to the point that many are afraid to trust the teaching work of the Holy Spirit in them as they study God’s Word (John 14:26, 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16). Whole denominations and sects in the thousands have come to exist in Protestantism because some credentialed pastor or scholar forced their heretically corrupt view or patchwork system of thinking on biblically illiterate people.
Please do not misunderstand. I am not anti-education being a seminary graduate myself. With the right motives and guidance of the Holy Spirit, gifted, called and educationally equipped men serve the biblical cause of Christ and His Body (Ephesians 4:7-16). However, I am against the arrogance, unbiblical authority, unchecked dominance and even idol worship given to many of those among the churches that have impeccable credentials from institutions prideful men in the flesh consider noteworthy. I also believe my concern is biblical and of the Lord given His dealings with the well credentialed religious leaders that dogged His ministry and instigated His crucifixion.
The Lord never condemned the credentials of His antagonists, but clearly called them to display the righteous knowledge and wisdom those credentials suggested they had (Matthew 15:1-9). It is because their deeds were corrupt (religious education is no restrainer of sin), he condemned them (Matthew 15:10-14; Mark 12:38-40). In my book, The Strong Man Of God, I challenge men to be Spirit-led students of the Word that they may wisely lead their families in and teach the righteous way of God as well as protect them from the spiritual tyranny that exists in the world and too many churches led by highly credentialed, but corrupt leaders. They are also unmistakably recognized even by the credentialed, religious elite as men who have been with Jesus (Acts 4:5-13).
Pastors that have learned their service in the spiritually dead churches, legalism and empty traditions of Christianity the religion and fear of men have much trouble. They hold these churches together MacGyver style using the biblically unrelated elements of fallen personality, human effort, psychology, intimidation, coercion, control, manipulation, capitulation to sin and the will of the people as well as deceit. In part two of this 2013 blog repost, I continue urging every pastor seeking a reward from Christ for your service, to repent if guilty from purposeful ministry out of the motives and deeds of the sinful flesh and instead, imitate the example of our Chief Shepherd in the power of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, woe to the domineering and sinful shepherds (Ezekiel 34:1-16)!
Originally Posted July 7, 2013
Pastor, the Lord does not see you as some infallible dictator He has assigned to lord it over His sheep. He really meant what He taught His disciples and modeled, ‘“he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves,’” (Luke 22:25-27, NKJV). Abuse of authority by leaders in the churches is ancient and continues rampant. Men weak and insecure in the flesh run off or attempt to destroy perceived rivals and those who do not agree with their every dictate like worldly despots. They are cultishly more focused on subduing and controlling others than they are serving them in genuine, Holy Spirit supplied love as the Master taught. There is no mystery as to why this is the case; such men are either impostors or quenching the Holy Spirit so that all of the failings of the sinful flesh dominate (Romans 6:1-16, 8:5-13; Galatians 5:13-26).
How can you realistically expect men to gladly follow you and it is plain you are not following Christ? Stop excusing your sin by calling it imperfection. We already know that. The issue is what are you going to do about it, pastor? The Lord calls us to confession and repentance from our sins not accommodation (1 John 1:5-10)! You cannot hypocritically call God‘s people to repentance and you refuse to do the same yourself since you are to be to them not a lord, but an example (1 Peter 5:1-3). The call from the Lord to pastor is a call to serve His local flock through visionary leadership, oversight, administration, loving works of service, teaching, guidance and counseling as a father in the home where God first begins to train you (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
As it concerns leadership and oversight, the business of leading men is not a matter of one size fits all just as it is not with our children in the home. Again, pastors and elders in the flesh without the love of God in their hearts, find it easier to see and treat everyone the same--as creatures needing to submit to their authority--falsely calling it equality. Notice that John describes himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved,” (John 13:23, 20:2, 21:20, NKJV). Clearly, he speaks of favoritism to the carnal mind. Yet, there is not one recorded complaint by any of the other disciples about John’s special status with the Lord.
Surely, it is because none of them felt neglected and unloved; the Lord dealing with each man in accord with his personality even giving them special, descriptive names (Matthew 16:17-18; Mark 3:17). No wonder John felt loved--he was! Rather than cookie cutter conformity to a worldly authoritarian, flesh driven, religious handling of men, our Lord sets the perfect example of loving each man enough to really get to know him--his personality, proclivities, aspirations and needs (which requires spending quality time you cannot give if you are busy with the stuff of your own ambitions)--so that thereafter, you might gain his ear and voluntary following.
Finally--for this go round, I don’t know about you, sir, but the promise of reward from “the Chief Shepherd” means a lot to me (1 Peter 5:4, NKJV). If nothing else, serving for it has kept me from doing the things He certainly will not reward but punish since they are foreign to His shepherding example. It is Christ’s example that we are to follow in everything. For this reason, we challenge every Christian man including you, brother pastor, to aspire to be a strong man of God in Christ’s image (get my book to find out what that is all about)! Truly, being called by the Lord to be a pastor in no way suggests instantaneous spiritual maturity and Christ-likeness for the task.
In the time that is left before His return, be faithful in your service to Christ eagerly seeking to please Him. Pray, study and live out the Word as well as serve in the power of the Holy Spirit so that no sheep is lost due to your negligence (Matthew 18:6-9). Do this and you will have every confidence that His reward is yours.
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