MINI-DESPATCH. May 30, 2001
From W. B. Howard ...Editor of Despatch Magazine
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CALL NO MAN “FATHER”!

The Protestant Reformers, Zwingli and Luther, had a saying:
No sacrifice but Calvary;
No priest but Christ;
No confessional but the Throne of Grace.

The name “pope” means “father” but God tells us:

“…call no man your father upon the earth:
for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” Matthew 23:9.

DO WE HAVE LITTLE PROTESTANT “POPES?”

Today we are seeing independent churches being set up, which are not attached to the Images denominations. This has been an answer for some Biblical Christians in the Remnant Church. For others it has not, as authoritarian leaders can become just as difficult and self-seeking outside the denominations as men like that are within Christendom and Roman Catholicism! We believers who have liberty in Christ Jesus do not want, in any way, to go back under the bondage of Roman Catholicism, and we reject non-biblical teachings. But, are we willing to accept Protestant, Remnant Church, versions of “priests” or “popes” who bring bondage to men and women, who “lord it” over congregations? Are we willing to put aside the leading of the Holy Spirit and His Lordship in order to please some authoritarian man? Isn’t it time that the Lordship of God was honoured, instead of the model of leadership which has blighted the Christian Church for many centuries? This first came in when the Roman Catholic Church brought bondage to people by means of “clergy” and “priests.” Thus establishing a rule over the so-called “laity.” This is NOT the model of leadership which is shown in the New Testament the early Church. The word “Laodicia” means basically taking rule over the “laity” and that church is condemned by the Lord in Revelation 3:15 for various things. God is NOT pleased with an authoritarian rule being taken over the Body, this is NOT Biblical.

It is a great temptation for some people when they find themselves the head of a Home Fellowship, or an independent local church. The temptation is to become a dictator instead of a servant! Now, there must be respect shown by the man who will lead in the New Testament manner, that respect is to be to the assembled Body of Christ! He must be humble, serving, caring, loving, ready to be brought to account by the Body of Christ. He is to bear the burdens of others, show empathy, concern and gently lead the sheep to the Lordship of the Chief Shepherd – not to himself! We have heard a number of unhappy descriptions of leaders in small groups (don’t take that personally, unless the cap fits!). People are being brought into bondage sometimes. We do not need more little “priests” in our midst, we need Body ministry and the restoration of the whole Body to be used of God in the Great Commission. Remember that the Church is not a democracy,  it is a theocracy. God has the Rule over the Church, the Body is to be submissive to Him.

Consider before the Lord Jesus Christ:

Are you following a man or the Lord God Almighty?
Are you submitting to bondage when you should have liberty in Christ?
Are you submitting in a non-Biblical way to a man who wants to be a lord and a “priest” figure?
Do you realise that all saved people are now priests under the great high Priest, Jesus Christ?
Are you aiding some person to make himself a cult leader?

This is an interesting question! It does appear that some Christians have been in many churches which do not have an authentic N.T. leadership, and so they have submitted to a wrong understanding for a long time – in many cases. It therefore becomes easy to just knuckle down and do so again in a Home Fellowship or independent church. God is only pleased, however, when His people follow His Word and His instructions on leadership. If congregations allow a despot full sway, it is they, themselves, that are disobedient to the Holy Spirit. Let us examine carefully, in view of this, what God wants a leader to be:

A leader in a church should never be like a leader in the world system. Christ Jesus was not, He is the ultimate Model. He gave shepherds to the Church so that the shepherds could lay down their lives for the sheep, and lovingly care for them. The Jewish leadership of the Twelve Apostles did not carry on down to the pastors or a hierarchy in Christendom. Those apostles will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30). But we do not have a jump from those apostles to leadership in the Church.  Look at those who will serve as judges in they future, it is the SAINTS, the Church itself. (1 Cor. 6:2-3). The Church itself possesses authority, not the mere servants of that Church, chosen to be in N.T. leadership positions. The authority is in the Word of God, not in some man. There is NO command by God for some person to RULE over the Body, quite the contary. We believers in Christ are all priests!

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation,
a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him
who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” ( 1 Peter 2:9).

We can again suffer under a “spectator sport” kind of leadership as the Remnant Church develops (if it does, who knows at this juncture?) If at any time the leadership is narrowed down to a “powerful few” as someone described it, then the playing field has become “spectator”only for the majority. Church should be a shared ministry, with an enpowerment by God of the whole. The whole congregation taking part in the pastoring of needy souls, not the Body watching some “boss” glorifying themselves at their expense. Yes, we all cannot teach, preach or study full-time, but that is a service to people who must work in a secular way, not an opportunity to act like the world does. The work done for service of the Body, in gentle self-sacrifice, should be highly esteemed for the love and devotion it is. But it is never the position or person who should be esteemed, it is the devoted service and hard work that is appreciated. This must be given willingly to the humblest member of the Body, for Christ’s dear sake.

A leader must be submissive, as all the others in the congregation are:

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.
Yea, ALL of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility:
for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”
( 1 Peter 5;5).

“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But IT SHALL NOT BE SO among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” ( Matthew 20:25-27).

CALLING MAN “FATHER.”
We are calling a man “father” in a sense when we obey him rather than God. When we seek to please him, and place him in a revered position for his own sake. It is GOD whom we must follow and revere. We should get back to the service from the bottom up, and away from the control from the top down model of “ministry.’ Look again at the passage in Matthew 23, it is revealing.

“Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, [that] observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay [them] on men's shoulders; but they [themselves] will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, [even] Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23: 1-12).

NOTE:
Jesus Christ never would commend pastors who lay heavy burdens on the congregations; who take the honour from God for themselves; who are not truly servants in a humble way; who show arrogant disrespect for others; who exalt themselves and will not seek counsel and accountability from the Body. This is true whether such a one is a Jewish Rabbi or a Protestant pastor in a church or fellowship in AD 2000. Pastors must show how Christ takes away burdens, not laden others with burdens and dos and don’ts! The greatest joy of any life is obeying the Lord in the beauty of holiness. This is not a legalistic pressure in response to a tyrant, it is an inner response to the Holy Spirit within which gives delight and pleasure, release and comfort to the heart. It has always been so, willing and joyful obedience:

“Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly,
because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD:
and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.”
(1 Chronicles 29:9).
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22,23).

Is the person you have as a leader been chosen by God or by himself?

A person is not ordained or commissioned, and then becomes a leader.
To be a N.T. style leader the servant will be showing the gifts and attributes which mark out the position God has given them, even before there is any move by the Body to commission them! Those gifts and character-virtues which make a true leader should always fit the N.T. pattern to be authentic. It will be obvious that that person has “leadership qualities” of a Godly nature.

Editor of `Despatch' Magazine & "Beauty for Ashes" Booklet
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