11/16/00
A Church By Any Other Name:
Would It Smell As Sweet?
Over the years, the Catholic Church has murdered thousands of people who were guilty
of nothing but suggesting that the doctrine of the Catholic Church may not be Biblically
accurate.
Through the Inquisitions and persecutions, the Popes have been responsible
for killing anyone (both men and women, children and elderly, rich and poor, intelligent
and feeble-witted) who questioned their authority.
They forbade the common
man to read the Bible, on punishment of death. People were told that they could not
hear from God, and that they could not correctly understand the Bible on their own.
Instead, the Popes would tell them what the Bible said, and what God had to say.
They set up many traditions, and their traditions became God's law. The traditions
even became more important than the Word of God, to the point where William Tyndale
was once told, "We would be better without God's laws than without the Pope."
- The New Foxes Book of Martyrs, p. 124
They claimed that the bread and wine
of communion actually turned into the physical flesh and blood of Christ as it was
consumed. This became doctrine, and anyone who denied this supposed "truth"
was put to death.
They claimed that Mary was the intercessor between God
and man, when the Bible says that the only mediator between God and man is Jesus.
(1st Timothy 2:5 - For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus,) The Catholic Church set up icons and idols in their sanctuaries
and worshipped them. Anyone claiming this was idolatry, and unrighteous in God's
sight, was put to death.
The Pope claimed that he was infallible. Anyone
disagreeing with this, was also put to death.
These times were truly the
Dark Ages, not just for learning, and education, but they were also the dark ages
of spiritual truth.
Unfortunately, for all of the reformation that has taken
place since those days, today the church is still much the same.
I have heard
Pastors make the statement that, "If anyone thinks they are an Apostle, they
can go start their own church! This is my church, and anyone coming here will do
what I say!"
This is spiritual darkness!
Who owns the Church?
Jesus Christ. It is His Church. (Ephesians 5:23 - For the husband is the head of
the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.)
Pastors are only shepherds, they do not own the flock. (1st Peter 5:2 - Be shepherds
of God's flock that is under your care,…) Furthermore, the Bible tells us that we
are all priests. All of God's Church is royalty. All are holy. None are laymen. (1st
Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
belonging to God,…) The Bible says that no one is to spiritually rule over anyone
else. (Matthew 20:25-28 - Jesus called them together and said, "You know that
the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority
over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you
must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- 28 just
as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as
a ransom for many.")
But pastors today, even Apostolic pastors, act
as if they own the Church. They call the church their flock (when it is Christ's
flock). They spiritually rule over the congregation. They say that you can not hear
from God, and that you can not correctly understand the Bible on your own. Instead,
they will tell you what the Bible says, and what God has to say concerning your life.
People
find themselves in a position where God speaks to them, and they go to their Pastor
to let him know what God told them to do, and the Pastor tells them not to involve
themselves in what they think God told them to do. The Pastor says, "You did
not hear from God. God never told me about this thing you believe you're supposed
to do."
When the person says, "But God told me I need to…", the
Pastor interrupts and says, "Who's your Pastor? Do what I am telling you to
do."
Just as the Pope claimed he was infallible, so do many Pastors
of today claim that they are the only ones who really know God's will for your life.
You don't. God will not speak to you. The Pastor will tell you what God wants.
Darkness.
What does the Bible say about Pastors? What does it say about
the relationship between the Church and the One who owns it, Jesus Christ? What instruction
does the Bible give us on how to operate within the framework of leadership?
Let's open the Word of God and find out.
First of all, let's find out
how the Bible defines a "Pastor".
Ephesians 4:11-13 says: It was
he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and
some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service,
so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith
and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole
measure of the fullness of Christ.
The word "pastor" here, is "poimen"
in the Greek language, and it means "shepherd".
What are a shepherd's
duties?
In the morning, he leads his flock from the fold, which he does by
going before them and calling to them, as is still the custom in the East. After
arriving at the pasture, he watches over the flock, and if any sheep strays away,
he will search for it until he finds it. In the evening, he brings them back to the
fold and counts them to be sure none are missing, by passing them "under the
rod" as they enter the door of the fold.
The Hebrew word for "shepherd"
is "raa", and it means "to care for flocks; to rule with a focus on
care and concern; tend; feed; take care of; find pasture; care for; nourish".
Everything about this word "shepherd" says "Compassion. Sympathy.
Concern. Provide. Love."
Ephesians 4:11 says that some were called to
be pastors, or shepherds. They were called to be compassionate. They were called
to be sympathetic. They were called to be concerned for the Church of Christ, to
provide for them, to take care of them, and to love them.
They are to walk
to the front of the flock and lead them by calling to them. (John 10:3,4 - …the sheep
listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he
has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because
they know his voice.)The flock, who know the shepherd's voice, will then follow the
shepherd. The shepherd is not to lead by walking behind the flock and driving them
with a whip and a rod.
Notice here, that the sheep know the shepherd's voice,
and that is the reason they follow him. Which shepherd are the scriptures talking
about here? The man who is called Pastor, or the Good Shepherd? The answer is, the
sheep know the voice of Jesus Christ, and they follow His voice.
If the Pastor
is dead to himself, and only alive in Christ, being a mirror image of the Lord, then
the words he speaks are not his, but come from the Father. So as he speaks the words
of the Father, the sheep hear their master's voice, and will follow.
The sheep
are not hearing the voice of the man called Pastor, but the words of the Lord. As
long as the Pastor follows Christ, the sheep will follow him. But if the Pastor begins
speaking in his own voice, then the sheep become confused, and will not follow the
strange voice. This is how it comes to be, that the Pastor leaves his position of
leadership at the front of the flock, and goes to the rear, driving them with a whip
and rod.
Anyone herding the Church of God is not shepherding them. The fact
that he has to resort to herding them, proves that the voice he is speaking with
is no longer the voice of the Good Shepherd, and that is why the flock have stopped
following.
A Pastor who finds himself in the position of having to drive the
flock, needs to stop and ask himself what voice he is speaking with.
So a
Pastor provides for the sheep, and leads them by calling to them. How many Pastors
have it completely backwards? They require that the sheep provide for them (See the
Bible Study "The Law of the Tithe") and they lead from the rear with a
whip.
By the Biblical definition, these people are not Pastors, regardless
of what they call themselves.
The Biblical definition of a Pastor, is one
who cares for the flock, who rules them by being their servant, focusing on care
and concern for the sheep. He tends the flock, feeds them, takes care of them, and
finds pasture for them to graze on. He cares for the sheep, and nourishes them. (Original
Hebrew meaning of "shepherd")
What else does a Biblical Pastor
do?
He watches over the flock to make sure none of them come to harm, and
that none of them wander off. If they do wander off, he is to go and search for the
ones that are missing. (John 10:11 - "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd
lays down his life for the sheep.; Matthew 18:12-14 - "What do you think? If
a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine
on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it,
I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine
that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing
that any of these little ones should be lost.)
How many Pastors could care
less about those who meet with them in the church building? If the sheep show up,
fine. If they don't, then so what? If they stop meeting together with the saints,
does he go after them? Does he call them? Does he visit them? Do they delegate the
job that they should be doing, as Pastors, to others in the Church? Some "Pastors"
are not only indifferent to the needs of the flock, they are the ones responsible
for driving them away, by beating them with the whip and refusing to meet their needs
(See the Bible Study "Triage: The Devil's Battlefield").
Those
who refuse to look out for the flock and bring them back when they get lost, are
not Pastors, no matter what they may say. The Bible says they are only hired hands.
(John 10:12,13 - The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when
he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks
the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares
nothing for the sheep.)
Ezekiel 34:1-10 - "Son of man, prophesy against
the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not
shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the
wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4
You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You
have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly
and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they
were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over
all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth,
and no one searched or looked for them.
7 "'Therefore, you shepherds, hear
the word of the LORD: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because
my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the
wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for
themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of
the LORD: 10 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and
will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock
so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from
their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.
The Lord says that
those who do not take care of His flock, those who do not strengthen the weak, or
heal the sick, or care for the injured, those who ruled His sheep with harshness
and brutality, were not shepherds at all. The Lord said that His flock was scattered
because they had no shepherd, regardless of what the hired hands called themselves.
The Lord said that because His flock has no shepherd, He is against those who had
been called to shepherd. He will hold them accountable, and He will remove them from
His flock.
Those are pretty harsh words. Shepherds who do not care for the
sheep will be removed from the flock and held accountable. The Lord Himself will
be against them.
Pastors are to take care of the sheep, and bring them back
to the safety of the fold when they wander away from it.
Galatians 6:1 - Brothers,
if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.
James 5:19 - My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone
should bring him back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of
his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
These
two verses talk about the work that a Pastor does. A Pastor restores those who have
become lost. He brings the sheep back to the fold.
So now we know what a
Pastor is. He is a Shepherd. We know what a shepherd does, and we know what happens
to those who call themselves shepherds, but are only hired hands.
Here is
another thing to remember. A Pastor should treat the title of Pastor very reverently,
for in all reality, he is not the shepherd of the sheep. Christ is the shepherd of
the sheep. Pastors are only caretakers of the sheep which the shepherd has given
them, and He has given them to the Pastors, not to be ruled by them, but to be cared
for by them.
John 10:14-16 - "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep
and my sheep know me- 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I
lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep
pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be
one flock and one shepherd.
Jesus said that He was the Good Shepherd. He
said that there is only one flock, and only one shepherd.
So Pastors should
tread lightly and respectfully, mindful that even though they are called shepherds,
there is only one shepherd, and that is Christ. God may have been gracious enough
to give them the title of Pastor, but no one really deserves this title, for there
is only one Pastor.
Romans 12:3 - For by the grace given me I say to every
one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think
of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has
given you.
Pastors do not own the flock, they are only caretakers of God's
Church.
1st Peter 5:2 - Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care,…
They are to be shepherds of whose flock? God's flock. It is not theirs.
Anyone
who says, "I am the Pastor of this Church", or "I am your Pastor",
is in danger of overstepping his boundaries, and may have, in fact, already overstepped
them.
Yes, his duty is to care for Christ's flock, and yes, he is called
a Pastor, but there is only one Shepherd, and there is only one Head of the Church.
Pastors should go about their duties of searching out the lost sheep and restoring
them to the fold, with humbleness and meekness, ever mindful of the fact that Christ
is the only true Shepherd that there is, and that they have only been granted the
privilege of using His title. The title does not belong to them.
The Bible
tells us that there is a specific goal that Pastors work toward, and that is to equip
the saints for their ministry, to build up the Body of Christ until we all attain
maturity in Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13 - And his gifts were that some should be apostles,
some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for
the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to
the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; - RSV)
Do you see
here, that Pastors are to be about their duties with the purpose of equipping the
saints for ministry?
We all have a part in the Body of Christ.
1st
Corinthians 12:4-31 - There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5
There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds
of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7 Now to each one
the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is
given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge
by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts
of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy,
to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds
of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are
the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its
parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized
by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all
given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but
of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong
to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16
And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the
body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the
whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were
an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts
in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all
one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head
cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those
parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that
we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable
are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special
treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor
to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body,
but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers,
every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And
in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers,
then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help
others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds
of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work
miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
The Bible says here that each
of us are given a gift, and each of us have a part in the Body of Christ. We each
have a ministry.
The Pastor's job is to equip the saints for their ministry.
The Bible says that we each have a job to do, and Pastors have been given to us to
help equip us to do those jobs.
When you look at Pastors today, do you see
shepherds? Do you see equippers? Or do you see rulers?
Imagine a prospector,
entering an old dusty General Store. He is preparing to mine for gold in the mountains
to the west. The Outfitter sells him the tools and the provisions that he needs.
Sometimes, the Outfitter will recommend a certain type of tool, explaining the advantages
that one piece of equipment has over another. He tells the prospector what he will
need, and occasionally imparts a nugget of knowledge that he has picked up over the
years. The Outfitter equips the prospector for the work of mining for gold.
This is just like a Pastor, who equips the saints for the work of their ministry.
Today, many Pastors are not equippers. They act as if they own the mountain
that the prospector is mining. They act as if the sheep work for them, instead of
it being the other way around (By saying this, I do not mean that the Pastor is in
the employ of the saints, but rather, that the Pastor serves the saints).
Many
of today's Pastors act as if the saints are there to equip them, when in reality,
they are there to serve and equip the saints.
What did the Bible say about
those Pastors who are feeding off of the sheep, rather than the sheep feeding off
of them?
Ezekiel 34:2,3; 7-10 - 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe
to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds
take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and
slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 7 "'Therefore,
you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign
LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become
food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock
but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear
the word of the LORD: 10 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the
shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending
the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock
from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.
The Pastors who
only take care of themselves, and do not care for the flock, will be removed from
the flock and the Lord Himself will be against them.
A Pastor is to care
for the Church, nourishing it and equipping it. A person who calls himself a Pastor,
but has the Church nourishing him, and equipping him for his ministry is not a Pastor,
but a hired hand, and will find himself replaced by God and having to give an account
for his actions.
Pastors today love to have "visions" of the work
they would like to accomplish for Christ. They then enlist the saints to be about
the work of carrying out their vision. They ask for volunteers to work in a soup
kitchen, others to begin a jail ministry, some to go door-to-door witnessing, some
are recruited into the music ministry, and some are conscripted as Sunday School
Teachers, in order to fulfill the vision the Pastor has for his ministry.
This is not what a Pastor is supposed to be about, at all!
He is to help
others find out what their own unique talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts are.
He is to help the saints find out where they are supposed to fit in, in the Body
of Christ, whether they're an ear, an eye, a hand, or a foot.
Then he is
to equip them to fulfill their own ministry!
Pastors are care-givers, restorers,
teachers, and equippers. They are not spiritual rulers, with their own agenda. The
Bible says those are hired hands.
Pastors today all get the teaching part
of their job description right, but many completely ignore the shepherding part,
where they watch over the flock with care and concern, and go after those who slip
away, restoring them to the fold. Many Pastors today believe that this is the job
of the congregation, because they are too busy preparing sermons. It is the job of
all Believers, but it is specifically the job description of a Pastor.
Ironic,
isn't it, that they, being called Pastors, forget the pastoring aspect of their jobs!
Pastors provide for the sheep, lead by calling them, watch over the flock, guard
them from danger, go after those who wander away, restore those who are lost to the
safety of the fold, and equip the saints for the work of their ministry.
Now that we know what Pastors do, who can be a Pastor? Is there only one per church
group?
Let's take a look in Acts.
Acts 20:17 - From Miletus, Paul
sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.
Paul sent for the elders of
the Church in Ephesus. Note that he sent for more than one man. He sent for several
men from the same group of believers.
Before we continue, let's look up some
definitions.
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