Some would say to this that the early church just hadn't coming to the place of maturity of having just one......I actually agree with you though. Such doesn't mean though that God doesn't use one's who are Pastors who function like a one man over the people. God looks at their prayer life and how they walk in love and he'll anoint and empower one.
No offence but how you present yourself or make your arguments by saying the Lord showed you about a doctrinal position. I mean how can someone express a rebuttal when God told you. As long as you're open to examine arguments and be willing to admit that perhaps God didn't tell you. Listen I have God tell me I believe many things......but I don't generally speaking put it out that way.
So how about just tell us the scriptures. Just consider if we go down this road of always claiming God told me this or that another comes along saying NO God told me the opposite and they show their scriptures. It just ends up as YES HE DID....NO HE DIDN'T......YES HE DID!
Many do question there is Apostles today. I don't. In present day they're basically establishers of works. You're making claims to be one people on a message board should have a right to see the fruit of your ministry and examine it's fruit to weigh and assess if you're credible. Surely you'd agree many can make claims and not have spiritual substance to back it up.
And I agree with all the scriptures you put down. That's not to say though that one shouldn't go to a church where there's (as we would say) a one man Pastor. No matter how you do church there can always be problems. If you do the plurality of leaders or home churching etc but the people are into strange esoteric doctrines they'd be better off in a traditional church. And some one man Pastors do have a good heart and they genuinely seek to strengthen and support their members to achieve their destiny in God.
But they still have to make their arguments from the scriptures. You did so when you put down scriptures about plurality of leadership etc. But they are in a substantial way in the scriptures.
Actually I have no problem with that at all. One shouldn't just be quick to accept something. Questions need to be asked. Where is the one getting this from . What scriptures are they using AND HOW MANY.
Sure many will. But then we pray prayers like Paul prayed in Eph 1 that the eyes of brothers will be enlightened and if we do so God can impact their spirits with revelation if they're open to it.
Hello and God bless,
You mentioned that God may use one pastor over the assembly. But as far as we know from scripture and for many years of the church this was never the case. Also if later on a one man dominated over others abd drew men after himself this was not the order we see in scripture that Paul taught everywhere and in every church. And believers were warned about this. But again to see these things in scripture we need the Spirit to show us and have a revelation of Gods order and also from scripture.
God clearly shows that He works in every part of the body (Ephesians 4:16, 1 Cor. 14:26-38) and all can edify say they are led. Christ works effectually in every part as Paul revealed to many.
Paul warned of the one man over all and do did John abd Peter.
So if we see in history that one man came over all called “the pastor”, and he quenched the exercise of the gifts in the rest of the body and kept them silent most meetings and hinders body ministry in Christ, then we can safely reject this.
Here we see Sone of the warnings about a one man pastor king type of person over the body.
Acts 20: 29. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.”
3 John 1: 9. I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. 10. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. 11. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.”
Romans 12: 3. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5. So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7. Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8. Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.”
1 Corinthians 14: 26. How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, everyone of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. …29. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. 30. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. 31. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. 32. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
Colossians 2: 8. Beware lest any
man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
Acts 14: 23. And when they had ordained them
elders in
every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”
We can’t just see the modern confusion in the churches today and try to justify it and say we’ll God can use this and maybe this is how he did things. No, God has shown clearly his order for
all the churches
everywhere and God is not the authour of confusion.
The revelation I was sharing shows that there should be no one man pastor gift over the entire body of believers. We see every member ministering and plurality of elders in Gods order for all the churches.it doesn’t matter if they are gifted or wonderful believers, every part of the body is needed and in the gatherings as well. We cannot say to one part I have no need of you as Paul revealed in 1Cor. 12 .
When we try to justify todays order that is contrary to scripture and say that the church changed and now nobody can minister but one man called the pastor, that creates a confusion and error and is directly contrary to scripture.
I find that this justification of the pastor king over all is usually done because they live to have it so and they don’t want reform or change etc.
