Considering all we have examined thus far, it should already be clear that the distinction presented forth by organized religion called clergy and laity is most apparently false and against the teaching of Scripture! Please understand that my point is not to suggest that the many individuals who consider themselves ―pastors‖ and ―teachers‖ in the body of Christ are all evil people. Many of them are sincere and love God deeply and desire to serve the Lord with all their hearts. Truly some abide by these concepts out of ignorance and others keep them because of fear. But let us move now from ignorance to truth! And let us stop fearing men but trusting God at last, for either we trust that He is Lord or we don‘t. Let us center our lives around the strong foundation, which is Christ the Lord!
It is a grievous thing among God‘s people today when we miss the bold admonishment of Scripture, which teaches us to recognize such gifts that God gives us as intended simply for function in the body to help us to grow up together in Him; not to make us lords over one another and not to create offices and religious titles for ourselves to prance around in. A lot of those in ―church leadership‖ love to quote Ephesians 4:11 as their banner verse to justify what they call ―the five fold ministry‖; representative of institutional church government and hierarchy.
Ephesians 4:11 (NIV) - It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers...
So much is implied in this kind of terminology (i.e. ―the five-fold government‖) that is, in all actuality, the imagination of man... far beyond what the Scripture passage itself actually teaches. Paul never says in this passage that these five ministries are offices. Nor does he say they are titles or official positions of ―ministry.‖ What Paul does say, first of all, is that these are GIFTS:
Ephesians 4:8 (NKJV) - Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men."
And here is where the real damage has been done; In the actual Greek, these ―ministries‖ are actually descriptions of FUNCTION not office! They are NOT titles!
They are all ACTION words! Paul is not listing hierarchical church offices or titles for men to wear on their shirt; he is making mention of gifts of service to the body of Christ - PERIOD. Unfortunately, you will not likely ever hear this preached from a pulpit any time soon because if the truth were told (or in some cases we might start with ―known‖), this would cause these false kingdoms of men, even the entire clergy system, to begin to crumble.
Let‘s look at these ministries, briefly, one by one and then we will re-examine this passage according to its literal translation...
The first gift he (Paul) mentions is that of apostles. The word in the Greek is ―apostolos‖ – it means ―one that is sent‖ and more specifically, ―one that is sent/commissioned/appointed BY CHRIST with the message of the Gospel.‖ It is exactly
synonymous with the Greek verb (apostello), which means ―to send out (as on a
mission); to go to a place appointed‖. Generally, in the New Testament, it is used in past participle form but, on occasion, it is used in present participle form (e.g. Matthew 10:16 – ―I send you out...‖). It is the same as to say, ―a ̳sent one‘ is one who is ̳sent out‘.‖ They are both, essentially, the exact same word in the Greek but only one is the noun form of the word and one is the verb form of that same word (e.g. as ―worker‖ is to ―working‖ or ―worked‖). Look at the following verse to gain a better comprehension of this word‘s use as a verb – Notice how Paul, in this passage, rather than simply saying, ―I am an apostle,‖ he rather describes the function of his calling – ―being sent‖ (apostled, if you will) to spread the Good News.
1 Corinthians 1:17 (GW) - Christ didn't send me (apostello) to baptize. Instead, he sent me to spread the Good News. I didn't use intellectual arguments. That would have made
the cross of Christ lose its meaning.
It is really this simple in the Greek. But religiously-minded men, whose thinking has been corrupted by this world‘s system (and the religious traditions developed over the centuries), imply that it is far more complex and it is they who insert the ―officialdom‖ to these concepts. Scripture simply describes function. Anything else would incite to pride and be opposed to the teaching of Christ concerning service in the body. Gerhardt Kittel‘s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says the following concerning the Greek word ―apostolos‖ to illustrate how religious tradition throughout history began to reshape how people conceptually viewed the gift of ―apostling‖ and turned it into a title and an office:
"Originally it was an adjective as shown by Plat. Ep. VII, 346a...The most that can be said is that the word denotes the quality of being sent, unless we are to regard it as no more than a stereotyped term...Thus its later Christian usage [as a title] was an innovation to Greek ears or those familiar with Greek. This is shown by the fact that the Latin did not translate it, but took it over as a lone word into ecclesiastical Latin (apostolus)".
Unfortunately, the concept of ―apostle‖ as a hierarchical term of official, even professional, leadership – as biblically false as that concept is – has remained, due to the so-called ―wisdom‖ of the clergy and their made up traditions which have influenced so many. It really is like the blind leading the blind. Both are headed for a ditch. God- willing, it is my prayer that many will awake and come to a knowledge of the truth.
NOTE: Also notice in the previous passage (1 Corinthians 1:17) how Paul states that he didn‘t use intellectual arguments to persuade people because that would have made the cross of Christ lose its meaning. Isn‘t it interesting that one of the principle purposes of homiletic preaching, as taught in seminaries, is to learn to orate skillfully and with intellectual reason in order that you may effectively persuade your hearers? This is man‘s strength, not the strength of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel itself is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16), not how cleverly we can manipulate people to respond to alter calls or subjugate themselves to the traditions of men that sound godly but are utterly godless in origin.
1 Corinthians 2:2-5 (NASB) - For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
Some may say, ―but you did not continue with the rest of the passage Dave... Paul continued to say there was a time to preach with wisdom.‖ Yes, with wisdom, but not wisdom as man regards. Observe:
1 Corinthians 2:6-7 (MSG) - We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it's not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest--what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene.
So, getting back to our subject, we can see, according to the actual language of Scripture, that this is not a reference to someone who has been through 8 years of Bible College and earned some theological degree. This is not a reference to someone who has been formally ordained to a religious office by some denomination or organization of men. Neither is it some officially weighted title conferred on an individual by another title bearer (i.e. one ―apostle‖ to another). In fact, Paul himself was a ―sent one‖ and he made it very clear that his calling to go and preach the Gospel had NOTHING to do with being appointed or approved by men, let alone some official religious group. He made it a point to say that no other apostle gave him this commission and he did not receive his commission in the most likely place one would expect there to be a religious commission to transpire (Jerusalem – the hub of the religious world). Listen as Paul describes his functionary ministry as a sent one (notice how he describes his calling as being ―to preach‖ – ACTION – notice that he does not claim some title or office or religious profession but simply the fact that God called him to service – a service that he regarded wholly as God‘s rich grace):
Galatians 1:15-19 (NASB) - But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus. Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother.
Take some time and examine every reference to Paul or any one of the apostles in the New Testament. It may impress you to find that there is not one place where a servant of God is referenced by a title preceding their name. Paul, for example, NEVER identified himself as ―the Apostle Paul.‖ Peter was never called ―Pastor Peter.‖ And no man, in all of Scripture, is ever called ―Reverend‖ (only God alone bears this title – Psalm 111:9)! In every case, if there is any direct mention made of their gift at all, it is ALWAYS descriptive of function – NOT OFFICE. Isn‘t this curious? You would think the example of titles of ministry were plastered all over the pages of the New Testament when you consider how the modern day church system thrives on them. But Jesus never told Peter, ―If you love Me, be ordained as a pastor.‖ No, rather He said, ―if you love Me, feed (pastor) My sheep.‖ You see? Function. Service. Love. Paul, as I mentioned earlier never called himself ―The Apostle Paul‖ but he sometimes referred to himself as simply ―Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ‖ (in other words ―a commissioned messenger of the Lord‖) – 2 Corinthians 1:1 for example. Again – ALWAYS FUNCTIONAL SERVING THROUGH LOVE AND OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST. Another example is the opening statement in his letter to the Romans:
Romans 1:1 (GW) - From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and appointed to spread the Good News of God.
Furthermore, we might also want to consider the fact that Paul‘s commission was rejected by the religious leaders of his day. They did not recognize him as being sufficiently ―authorized‖ to declare the message of God and they were so infuriated that he dared to preach and claim he was called by God to share God‘s message that they actually plotted to kill him (Acts 9:23)!
The whole notion of “special ordination” by some church or denomination or whatever, is simply COMPLETELY foreign to God‟s Word!
Continuing on, let‘s look at some of the other ―gifts‖ mentioned in the Ephesians 4 passage...
Vs. 11 – ―...some as prophets...‖
The Greek word is prophetes and is also an action word. Again it is NOT a title or office
– and it‘s certainly not a religious profession. This word simply identifies one who speaks by divine inspiration and ―declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, and in particular such as relate to the cause and kingdom of God and to human salvation‖ (Thayer‘s Greek Lexicon). Its verb form is
―propheteuo‖, which means to speak by divine inspiration.
Again, this is not a word describing ―office‖ and there is NO MENTION of any ordination requirement for such who operate this gift of God. BECAUSE IT IS A GIFT OF GOD! Furthermore, it is not a gift excluded to an elite few, but given to each one according to God‘s choosing.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (MSG) - Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people!
1 Corinthians 12:11 (MSG) - All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.
According to 1 Corinthians 14, a prophet is simply anyone who prophesies! Read the chapter. Examine the context. See if this is not absolutely true.
1 Corinthians 14:31 - For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.
Next, Ephesians 4, Vs. 11 – ―...some as evangelists...‖
This Greek term, euaggelistes, simply refers to ―one who brings good tidings‖. In other
words it is one that God has called to declare (or ―preach‖) the joyful news of the Gospel to others. Not the ―Word of Faith‖ teaching, not the ―doctrine of tithing‖, not ―how to be a good person and get blessings from God‖, not ―how to grow your church in 15 easy steps‖, BUT THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST! Again, it is a term that represents function and action. It is not an exclusive ministry occupied by only an elite few who have been formally ordained by special, ―qualified‖ religious leaders. Just like the others, this is a GIFT OF GOD, that GOD HIMSELF places in the heart of WHOEVER HE WILLS! It does not require the commissioning or approval of men to actuate.
Paul, as a matter of fact, was also an ―evangelist‖ as much as he was an ―apostle‖ (or put more correctly – Paul ―evangelized‖ just as sure as he was ―sent by Christ‖ to bring God‘s glad tidings to the Gentiles). Observe the following verse:
Galatians 1:16a (NLT) - Then he revealed his Son to me so that I could proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles...
The word ―proclaim‖ (euaggelizo - ―to bring good tidings‖) is EXACTLY synonymous in the Greek with the word for ―evangelist‖ (euaggelistes – ―one who brings good tidings‖).
Finally, still verse 11, we have ―...some as pastors and teachers...‖
These two (in my studied opinion) should actually be recognized as one connected ministry gift. The word ―and‖ is not an adequate translation of the Greek term in use here. At best, these two words ought to be hyphenated as ―pastor-teachers‖.
The word pastor, ―poimen‖, describes ―one who tenderly, though diligently, watches out for the others‖. The Greek concept of a shepherd is one who ―guides‖ sheep, not who drives them. He leads not merely by speech but with the example of a life submitted to Christ and which models the character of Christ. He may watch over, but he doesn‘t rule over. His service is under the Great Shepherd and he does not call the sheep his own.
The word teacher, ―didaskalos‖, describes the gifting to ―teach others in the way of the truth‖ The teacher is one whose teaching is coupled by a life that models what he guides others in. The Pharisees loved to be called ―Rabbi‖ (which means ―my honored Teacher‖) by their followers, but Jesus did not tell others to follow everything they do just because they regarded themselves as authorities and ones who loved to be praised by men and to be called Teachers. Rather Jesus said to the Jewish crowds and to His disciples (my paraphrase of Matthew 23:2-4), ―these men like to think they are qualified teachers concerning Moses‘ Law... so, do what they teach as it remains in accord with the truth, but don‘t do as they do because they don‘t put into practice what they teach. Instead, they re-package God‘s Word in a bundle of laws and legalisms to place on you as a heavy burden... a burden that they exempt themselves from.‖
What might Ephesians 4:10-13 look like, in a modern paraphrase, if we honestly translated it according to the proper context of Scripture and put it into terms conveying the actual thought of things?
Ephesians 4:10-13 (paraphrase) – The same Lord, Jesus Christ, who came down from heaven to this earth, is the same One who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that He might fulfill all things and, being Lord of all, fill both heaven and earth with His gifts. It is He who gave some in the body to go as His ambassadors and envoys; to serve Him as ones who are called by Him, commissioned and sent with the message of the Gospel. He gave some to speak forth by the inspiration of His Spirit to declare such things as relate to the cause and kingdom of God and concerning human salvation. He gave others to joyfully declare the good tidings of the Gospel to the lost. And He gave some to lovingly care for His sheep, teaching them about the Lord, their Shepherd, and watching out for wolves that may try to distract them from their Lord, enticing them away from Him, only to devour them. These gifts of functional service, the Lord gave freely (distributing them among all of His people) so that His body – together – would be built up, strong, wholly nourished in the Way, and become more effective in their service to others because they‘re being pulled closer together, everyone moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son (their Lord and Head), fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.
This is my paraphrase (intending to convey the thought which describes each function)... I trust you get the general idea. Paul means to convey the rich gift of Christ to see His body built up together in HIM. Jesus did not come so that men could set up their own kingdoms and make themselves to be heads over His people. Only Christ is the Head of His Church and only He holds the place of preeminence over His people! (or at least – only He should)
Colossians 1:18 (GNB) - He is the Head of His body, the Church; He is the source of the body's life. He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death, in order that He alone might have the first place in all things.
It would likely take another lengthy article or book to thoroughly examine the full range of the subject concerning ―financing the ministry‖. While I considered delving deeper into the subject here (for there is much I could share), I felt the Lord prompting me to share only what I have. I realize that some may have a lot of questions concerning this issue that are only briefly covered in this writing. I will say that there are a number of excellent resources that have already been written on this topic by others. Rather than attempt to duplicate what many of them have already so eloquently presented, I will instead recommend their work and encourage the reader to examine this topic fully for themselves. One of the best is a book by a good friend of mine, Russell Earl Kelly, called ―Should The Church Teach Tithing.‖ It examines, not only tithing, but the vast subject of giving as taught in the Scriptures. This is a theologian‘s textbook! Highly recommended reading. It is available through my website:
www.truthforfree.com
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
We need to recognize that when Paul talked about ministry giftings (EVERY TIME), he was describing all of them in the context of family function. NEVER at any time did Paul, or for that matter Christ or the other apostles, teach some formula of hierarchically-led organized religion. The word ―office‖ does not even appear ANYWHERE in the New Testament with respect to serving God or His people (and to show how far we have fallen today, consider how even the Old Testament Prophets did not identify themselves with titles – rather they were humble servants of God, utterly despised by the world and sometimes even by those claiming to be God‘s people because they did not love the truth but had itching ears; desiring to hear what they wanted to hear).
In the New Testament there is no mention of titles, offices, or professional ministry paradigms. There is to be no such division in the body of Christ represented in some false system of a clergy caste who presides over laity. Jesus said, ―among you is must NOT be so!‖ (Matthew 20:26) Jesus said, ―you are all on the same level as brothers and sisters!‖ (Matthew 23:8) All of these fallacies, these concepts of religious hierarchy, entered into Christian practice literally hundreds of years after Calvary. It was the device of the pagan world and misled believers were influenced by these things, so they gradually moved in among Christians in their gatherings. Satan used these heathen concepts to wreak havoc on the Church; to place God‘s people in bondage, to blind their eyes from the truth, and rob them of their freedom, their zeal, their peace and their joy in serving Christ and one another.
The confrontation of this bold conclusion will, no doubt, cause some to say, ―this cannot be a good thing, for if there is not leadership in the body of Christ, then there will be disorder and chaos and heresy!‖ While I, myself, have identified with this concern in the past (because it was the same concern I first voiced when the Lord began to open up my understanding and exposure to these things), I remind such people who are concerned about this; don‘t let the enemy and tradition distract you from what God‘s Word compels us to embrace... Remember that I have not once, NOT EVER, said that there is no leadership in Christ‘s body. Neither would I dare say that the Word of God presents a leaderless Church. Please hear this and please listen to these words carefully. I believe God desires that there be no confusion concerning this matter in our hearts, but there is a core motive that needs to be exposed and that many of us need to repent of and come to a full realization of the truth. I do not exempt myself from the need to repent of motives that have, at times, steered me away from total submission to the truth God has revealed. That is to say that when God opens our understanding to things it can be wonderful, but it can also be very uncomfortable and even painful because it means we must then lay the axe to our preconceived religious misperceptions. Many of the concepts that we have learned over the years (through some of our religious traditions), thrive on our deep insecurities, the evil desires of our flesh, the wisdom of the world that has influenced us and which appeals to our old nature, and the enemy as well that has lied to us and captivated our attentions away from the truth. Some of these things are hard to confront. Mostly because they remove us from the ability to control one another and to put God into a religious box. But if we don‘t yield to His truth we will be devastated in our error and miss the intimacy and strength that comes from truly knowing Jesus as Lord.
I will continue to reiterate that Christ is the ONLY Head of His Church (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 1:10, 22; Ephesians 4:15; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18; Colossians 2:10, 19; etc.), the very core and center (1 Corinthians 3:7; 2 Corinthians 1:12; Colossians 2:2; Revelation 1:13; Revelation 5:6; Revelation 7:17; etc.), the Lord (John 13:13; Acts 10:36; Acts 17:24; Romans 14:9; Philippians 2:11; etc.), the Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) of His flock (the Senior Pastor if you will). What ―leadership‖ is failing here?
Christ promised that His Spirit would lead His followers into ALL truth (John 16:13-15). And He vowed that no one would be able to snatch them from His hand (John 10:27-30). To insure that Christ‘s Lordship would not be usurped by false leaders, He gave gifts to build up His body, to keep her growing and strong, to keep her safe from wolves and religious vipers that would try to get in the middle of their relationship with Christ and manipulate them and draw them after themselves (Acts 20:30).
Yes, absolutely, there is leadership in the Lord‘s Church, His body, but it looks absolutely NOTHING like what wholesale religion has sold most people today! Scripture confirms this so boldly! Those who are afraid of potential chaos and heresy among God‘s people (if they are not ―submitted‖ under the ―covering‖ of some denomination) are more than likely operating in fear and lack of faith in God‘s promise and ability to protect, lead and nourish His people!
I have often wondered (aside from the obvious Scriptural ignorance that exists) how it is so many Christians today speak of ―the five fold ministry‖ when no such phrase is ever used at any time in Scripture. Not only that, but it is not a consistent picture of Paul‘s instruction concerning gifts of service (or ―ministry‖). There is nothing to indicate that the five (or ―four‖ depending on how you read the original Greek) ministry gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4 are exclusive. For example, there is another passage in 1Corinthians 12:28, which mentions, not five... not four... but EIGHT!!!
1 Corinthians 12:28 (MSG) - You're familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his "body": apostles prophets teachers miracle workers healers helpers organizers those who pray in tongues.
It seems rather obvious that Paul is not saying in either passage that ―there are only five important ministries‖ or that ―there are eight‖. It seems clear he‘s not describing titles or offices or religious leadership pyramids. He is describing that there are gifts of functional ministry in God‘s family. But men take the function and the family out of things and replace it with their worldly concepts of hierarchy and business organization and they end up programming the life right out of the gathering of the saints. The kill the body for the sake of building a machine... an idol that reflects their image. A brother I correspond with by the name of Andy shared an article he wrote on the ―five fold‖ gifts and the following are some excerpts from that writing:
―Paul begins by stating that each one of us is given grace. Note that he includes himself in this, ―us‖ referring to the measure (metron) Christ had given him. It is an interesting study to search out in Paul's epistles how many times he referrers to the grace given to him as it related to what he said and did, "according to the grace given unto me" (see Romans 12:3, 12:6, 1 Corinthians 3:10, Ephesians 3:7, 4:7, etc.). However outstanding as Paul's service may have been, he made no distinction between the grace given to him and the grace given to the rest of the believers. This verse alone refutes the idea that a few are exceptional. He goes on to tell how these cooperate—on what basis these graces are given and on what basis they are received. One Bible teacher (Derek Prince) used to say, "When you see the word ̳therefore‘ in the Bible you need to look and see what it's there for." Here the word ―therefore‖ implies that the following words are an extension and development of the previous thought. In this case it attaches the statement to the explanation of how every one of us is given grace, "he ascended up on high . . . and gave gifts unto men." We see then that the gifts given by the ascended Christ are not given to a special few but are distributed among all.‖
―Simply put, ―all‖ means every one of us! The God and Father of every one of us, is above and upon every one of us, working through every one of us and in every one of us. Nothing could be clearer. Not all are apostles or sent-ones, but all are given grace. These graces or divine empowerments are distributed among all believers to accomplish specific tasks. They are not given to exalt anyone person above the rest. Jesus did not ascend on high and bestow entitlements to rule. He bestowed power to serve.‖
―We have a choice to make. Will we continue on in our comfortable padded pews Sunday after Sunday and abdicate our high callings in Christ's body to the few, or will we move on into the glory of God? We have all been given our measure of Christ that enables us all to do the work of the ministry and equip each other to do the same in the fullest way possible.‖
But some will still grab their tried and true King James Bible and say, ―no Dave, Paul clearly is describing order and position, because he says that apostles are first, etc.‖
Well, in 1 Corinthians 4:9 he (Paul) says they (those who function as apostles) are last, not first. What about that? Obviously, people who fail to see the humility of Paul‘s intent and his description of simple functional service among ALL the brothers and sisters in Christ, are reading their religious bias into the text and not comprehending anything God intended. In case some are still not convinced, let‘s continue to examine the broader context of Scripture, for Paul spoke again about functional ministry in his letter to the Romans. How many clergy men are counting the ministries listed in this passage?
Listen what Paul said to the Romans.
Romans 12:6-13 (NLT) - God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.
Isn‘t it interesting that Paul never says, ―if your ability is to teach, then make sure you get formally ordained as a Teacher by an official appointing of a church organization and expect others to honor you by this title and make sure it is etched on the door of your church office and on your ministry resume.‖ No! A thousand times no! Paul simply says, ―if you‘ve got the gift, then give it!‖ (We might also note, in comparison with the other passages speaking about ministry gifts, again, Paul is does not limit his mention to a mere ―five-fold‖ – or ―eight‖ as we examined in 1 Corinthians 12:28 – but here he mentions ―seven‖... So, which is it all you ―five-folders‖ out there?) I hope it is becoming clearer to us all what these passages mean to represent to us as members of one body.
The ministry of the Church, is just that – The loving service of the family of God. The Lord‘s Church is not represented by a building or a program (not any place in the New Testament)! Just as ―ministry‖ in the Scripture is not a profession. It is functional service in the family of Christ.
I hope that I have helped to clearly illustrate why the concept of a modern day clergy system is problematic at best in light of God‘s Word? I hope the contradiction has become more evident? The priesthood of the New Covenant is intimately and completely tied to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If there can be another order of priests (i.e. the modern clergy system) who exist beyond what we have been plainly taught in Scripture, then we are left with a most difficult choice to consider; Either God has not told us what is true in His Word (that there is only One Mediator between God and Man, One High Priest, and one single priesthood which includes every believer in Christ before God), or else one must believe that sometime (hundreds of years after the apostles had all died) God changed His mind and introduced ―new revelation‖ that actually was so powerful it had the authority to cancel out the former written word of God. In fact, not only would it have to make the writings of the New Testament inferior, but it would mean that there is another ―new covenant‖ and the New Covenant of Scripture is now obsolete. Either way, it would mean that Scripture no longer holds any application for the believer in Christ – for it stands in total opposition to the entire foundation which holds up the modern clergy system. The New Testament teaches a priesthood that is only mediated by Christ, who dwells in the hearts of His people. They (not a building) are His Temple and they (all of them) are His priests. No other intermediary clergy is mentioned and we must therefore conclude that such is entirely false.
This leaves us with a most sobering discernment we must engage: Any time, I repeat – ANYTIME, a man steps in-between this holy, divine order (where Christ presides over His priesthood – a priesthood he purchased and ―covered‖ with His precious blood), and this man enacts some intermediary function between Christ and the believer – dare I say even positioning himself ―over‖ that believer as an authority, who claims to speak for God and order their obedience (as the modern clergy system essentially does), he is in gross error and proves by his visible position, his title, his words and his actions that he, apparently, does not know or practice the truth in these things.
This is not to say that he necessarily has evil intent or even that he does not have some desire to serve God. It simply says (one of three possibilities) that he is either ignorant himself, deceived, or deliberately deceiving others. Either way, no matter how much good he intends, his position stands in opposition to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and distorts the truth for those following, causing them to stumble and fall into a ditch; widening the wedge of separation between the believer‘s relationship with His Lord, and causing them to place their dependence more upon man than God.
The end result is a mass of believers who lack for knowing who they fully are in Christ and how they are intended to function in the body with one another. They grow weaker and weaker the longer their priesthood is denied and ignored and the voice of the Holy Spirit becomes harder and harder to hear. Haven‘t you ever wondered why it is that so many church folks run to their pastors, apostles and prophets to inquire what God wants them to do? It is for the very same reason that many precious brothers (and sisters) in Christ who have taken on themselves the title of a clergyman (or clergywoman) have become weary and burned out in their profession. Because of the error that both have embraced, both are being spiritually shortchanged and the enemy laughs as they stumble around as if in the dark. They have traded their priesthood and replaced it with a counterfeit! O, dear Christian reading this (whether ―clergyman‖ or ―layperson‖), I pray that God by His wonderful Spirit would set you free in this revelation; that you would no longer be deprived of knowing Christ in the fullness of who He is – Lord, Head, Master Teacher, and Great High Priest. I pray that you would know with such bold confidence, the truth that there is ONE MEDIATOR between you and the Father and it is not any man whatsoever. It is essential that you know Him as He is.
Concepts like those prevalent in the clergy-laity distinction present a severe problem of division in the body of Christ. Many sincere men and women of God throughout the centuries (yes even among the clergy profession) encountered this revelation through God‘s Word and were moved by it. Some literally gave their lives, shedding their own blood, for the liberty of the Gospel – because their message was not often well received. It bucked hard against the established system. They were branded as heretics, rebels and fools. Many were burned alive, tortured, imprisoned and killed for their refusal to bow to a system that robbed them of their priesthood in Christ. Sadly, however, many others thought they could simply repair the problem and reform the system rather than eliminate it altogether in favor of fully embracing Scripture. Oddly enough, these men are often considered heroes in the Christian Faith and we even title them ―The Reformers‖ because they sought to ―re-form‖ the system itself.
But even the reformer, Martin Luther, towards the end of his life, recognized that his ―reformation‖ of organized religion did not (and could not) eliminate all the evils of Rome‘s influence. In truth, as much as he is to be credited for the good things he accomplished (in his sincere attempts to follow Christ within the system), he is also responsible for many of the negative marks that remain. Though most of Luther‘s intentions were good, he is a very large part of the reason most Christians live under Protestant substitutes for Roman Catholicism rather than purely biblical influence. Because of Luther we have professional pastor/priests. Because of Luther we partake of Communion as a solemn funeral-like ceremony (instead of in the context of a full meal in the home as did the early saints). Because of Luther we sit passively in pews and listen to long sermons instead of interacting spontaneously in fellowship with one another whenever and wherever the opportunity may present itself. Because of Luther we have all sorts of churchy, religious traditions that have no foundation in Scripture but are simply carry-overs from Roman Catholic traditions – and we are often led to believe that such are essential to the Christian‘s walk with God and so we start to consider rules made by men as though they were commandments of God, thus fulfilling Jesus‘ comments in Matthew 15:3, 6, & 9.
Please understand, this article is not intended to question the sincerity of those people who are currently part of the clergy system. But it is to question the validity of the clergy system itself. Some of my own heroes of the Faith include men and women of God that were identified with the clergy system. What makes their story exciting to me is that their eyes began to open to the Gospel and it radically transformed so much of their thinking. Many of these endured great personal risk to step out of the known territory they walked blindly in for so many years. I love reading about the Martin Luthers, the William Tyndales, and the John Wycliffes. I sincerely thank God for the many sincere soldiers of truth that have responded to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the revelation of Scripture and sought to obey the Lord and see God‘s people delivered from bondage (this was Luther‘s heart and passion, despite his failures); however, I have begun to realize myself that one of the principle problems in most moves of God has been that men have sought to ―reform‖ a system of religion that did not purely originate with God to begin with. Rather than understanding fully that Christ is the One who builds His Church and who has declared that the forces of hell even will not prevail against it, they busy themselves with this other thing, which they also wrongly call ―the Church‖, but that is a system whose every root can be traced back to the organizations of men.
History seems to continue to repeat itself time and time again. You would think by now we would recognize the patterns. Man so often tries to box up the moving of the Spirit into a program (turning revival into religion). But God cannot be held inside a box just like the wind cannot blow in a sealed chamber. The organization of religion may accomplish some apparent good in the world in terms of the control it exerts over the external actions of men, but it is powerless to effect real change in the heart and it will always kill the life of the Spirit by inadvertently replacing the voice of God with religious rules and regulations. It‘s really not that different from what the apostles confronted in their day. We can see the same bold proclamation by Paul in the following passage:
Colossians 2:16-23 (MSG) - So don't put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ. Don't tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They're a lot of hot air, that's all they are. They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us. So, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it? "Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!" Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.
It really is time we faced facts; that the clergy system produces division and declines spiritual growth among believers in Jesus. It distorts our clear view of the Gospel. It misrepresents the body of Christ. It entangles believers in the law; robbing them of their liberty. It blinds them from the revelation of fully knowing who they are in Christ and short changes them of their role as priests before God. It diminishes their joy and destroys their confidence. It frustrates the grace of God. It denies the truth. It numbs the conscience and the ability to discern truth from error. It is a counterfeit that all true believers must expel if they sincerely desire to live without compromise before the Father.
These titles, terminologies and concepts the world gave us will simply not do. We are family – the very family of God – and we are all brothers and sisters who sit at the feet of one Lord.
As John Wesley said so well:
‖Would to God that all party names and unscriptural phrases and forms which have divided the Christian world were forgot; that we might all agree to sit down together as humble, loving disciples at the feet of a common Master, to hear his word, to imbibe his Spirit, and to transcribe his life into our own.‖
And the great reformer, Martin Luther:
―St. Paul would not permit that any should call themselves of Paul, nor of Peter but of Christ... Cease, my dear friends, to cling to these party names and distinctions; away with them all; let us call ourselves only 'Christians' after him from whom our doctrine comes.‖
And finally, as it was stated in a fantastic article I read once on servantsnews.com:
―Let‘s expose "rank" for what it is: rank! And realize from where the "clergy versus laity" mentality comes: The Adversary.”
WHO ARE THE CLERGY?
By David Yeubanks April 2005
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