Pastor? Evangelist? Part 2 Cure of Souls

Continuing with a look at leadership and what is biblical and what is a tradition of man brings me this week to our leadership's role with what is commonly referred to as pastoral care.

The "cure of souls" is a pastoral duty to provide care and healing to the congregation that John Calvin and Martin Brucer emphasized. (A History of the Cure of Souls (New York; Harper and Row, 1951))

Brucer wrote the preeminent book on this subject, entitled True Cure of the Souls, in 1538.

The origin of "cure of souls" goes back to the fourth and fifth centuries. (History of the Cure of Souls, 100, 109) We find it in the teaching of Gregory of Nazianzus. Gregory called the bishop a "pastor" - a physician of souls who diagnoses his patient's maladies and prescribes either medicine or the knife. (History of Cure of Souls, 108)

Martin Luther's followers also practiced the care of souls. (Ibid., 177) But in Calvin's Geneva, it was raised to an art form. Each pastor and one elder were required to visit the homes of their congregants. Regular visits to the sick and those in prison were also observed. (Ministry in Historical Perspectives, 136) For Calvin and Brucer, the pastor was not merely a preacher and a dispenser of the sacraments. He was the "cure of souls" or the "curate". His task was to bring healing, Cure, and compassion to God's hurting people. (History of the Cure of Souls, 177)

This idea still lives on today in Christendom with the concepts of pastoral care and counseling, and Christian psychology, which all fall on the shoulders of the pastor. Though in the first century, it fell on the shoulders of the entire congregation and upon a group of men called elders. (Reimagining Church/Connecting: Healing Ourselves and Our Relationships, 2004)

As we had seen last week, as the role of a single bishop, pastor, or minister is foreign to Scripture and the first century new testament, so is the "pastoral care" that is seen as a function of the preacher of a local congregation. Through ignorance we continue to play "church" as we have been taught, worshipping and serving God, not according to His ways necessarily, but often according to the ways, manners and order of a worldly system thinking that what we are doing is right and well pleasing in His sight, when in fact, it stirs Him to jealousy and anger because His holy one, His saints, His children, choose not to separate themselves from the world that He has called them out of.

What will you do? Continue on as you always have, pleasing men and disobeying God? Or will you repent and come clean and separate yourself unto God and follow the pattern for the ekklessia He founded through His own blood? 

Pastor? Evangelist? Is The "Church" Leader's Position, Function And Role Line Up With Scripture? Part 1

 What is wrong with the "church"? That's a fair question. In truth, there is much that is wrong with the "church", beginning with the name often applied to it as I have noted before. 

As I engage in a Leonard Nimoy, In Search Of, type investigation, this time focused on the "clergy" and the "professional leader" of the so called "church", oftentimes referred to as pastor. 

My investigation led me to a work by Frank Viola and George Barna called, Pagan Christianity. In this work they do a good job of digging up the roots of our present day "church leader" and the responsibilities attached to them.

While in this series I'll share some of their work, I'll also take a look at what the duties and responsibilities are of the Body of Christ for pastors, elders and evangelists based from Scripture and not the commandments and doctrines of men.

As I connect the dots through this series you will start to see where God's people have erred from Scripture and have set up a system and structure that opposes what Christ had established for His ekklesia.

My search begins with an "early church father" - Ignatius of Antioch, who was the first person in "church" history to begin with the local congregation having a single leader or head. Ignatius elevated one of the elders in each congregation above all others, which was referred to as the bishop. (Ferguson, Early Christians Speak, 173)

In AD 107, Ignatius wrote a series of letters before his martyrdom that exalted the authority and importance of the bishop's office. (Bruce, Spreading Flame, 203-204)

According to Ignatius, the bishop had ultimate power and should be obeyed absolutely. Here are some excerpts from his letters: "Plainly therefore we ought to regard the bishop as the Lord Himself...All of you follow the bis as Jesus Christ follows the Father...Wherever the bishop shall appear, there will the people be; even as where Jesus may be...It is not lawful apart from the bishop either to baptize or to hold a love feast; but whatever he shall approve, this is well-pleasing also to God...It is good to recognize God and the bishop. He that honors the bishop is honored of God...Do nothing without the Father, being united with Him, either by Himself or by the Apostles, so neither do you anything without the bishop and the presbyters...You should look on your bishop as a type of the Father. (Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers (New York: Dorset Press, 1968), 75-130.)

For Ignatius, the bishop stood in the place of God while the presbyters, or elders, stood in the place of the twelve apostles. (The Organization of the Early Christian Churches, 106, 185)

In Ignatius's mind, the bishop was the remedy for dispelling false doctrine and establishing church unity. (The Organization of the Early Christian Churches, 100) Ignatius believed that if the church would survive the onslaught of heresy, it had to develop a rigid power structure patterned after the centralized political structure of Rome. (The Rise of the Monarchical Episcopate, in Three Essays on Early Church History (Ann Arbor, MI: Braun-Brumfield, 1967); Ordination: A Biblical-Historical View, 175) Single-bishop rule would rescue the church from heresy and internal strife. (Christian Priesthood Examined, 69; Early Church Writings, 63-72)

At the time of Ignatius, the one-bishop rule had not caught on in other regions. It was only being practiced in such Asian cities as Ephesus, Philadelphia, Magnesia and Smyrna. (Spreading Flame, 66-69; Ministry in Historical Perspectives, 23-25) But by the mid-second century, this model was firmly established in most churches. (Christian Priesthood Examined, 67; Spreading Flame, 69) By the end of the third century it prevailed everywhere. (Ministry in Historical Perspectives, 25)

The bishop became the man responsible for teaching the faith and knowing what Christianity was all about. (Christian Priesthood Examined, 68) The bishop became the solo pastor of the church. (Growth of Church Institutions, 35) The bishop became the professional in common worship. (Protestant Worship and Church Architecture, 65-66)

As can be seen Ignatius, very early in the begin of Christ's ekklesia, began to set up, exalt a man over the local congregation. Not that he received "divine revelation" that contradicted the revelation given to the apostles that laid the foundation of the ekklesia, but rather Ignatius followed after his own reasoning (Judg. 21:25; Prov. 3:5; 14:12; 16:25; 21:2) and caused the ekklesia to drift (Heb. 2:1) from it's foundation as it will become more clear in this series.

Ravi Zacharias, Our Example

 In chapter 10 of 1 Corinthians, Paul exhorts them to remember the children of Israel and their wanderings in the wilderness. More specifically, he referred to them as examples for them bot to follow because with many of them God was not pleased. Paul went on speaking of the idolatry, fornication, and murmuring. Paul didn't want them to lust after evil things and fall from their faith and be destroyed. The same examples are for our exhortation as well.

Many have probably heard of Ravi Zacharias, the Christian apologist. Many thought high of him and the work he was doing for the kingdom. Yet, sin lurked in the camp.

I bring Ravi up because he is the latest "big name Christian", though now dead, who after their pattern of a sinful lifestyle is once again causing the way of truth to be evil spoken of (2 Pet. 2:2)

I bring up Ravi, because far too many make up their heroes and idols in the flesh and when their world is rocked by the scandalous life of their hero, they themselves fall from their faith because it was never founded on the Rock, which is Christ. If this may be you there's no better time to lay your foundation anew, this time on Christ. Reach out for help now! Do now delay!

I bring up Ravi because there are others that profess to be Christians and they won't necessarily be preachers or teachers, who are still living in their former (?) sins, which honestly aren't former because they never made a clean break from them. Don't deceive yourself to eternal damnation! Are you like Ravi given over to sexual sins? Repent! Make a clean break! Is it alcohol? Repent! Make a clean break! Lying, gossip, or slander? Repent! Make a clean break! Again, reach out for help now! Do now delay!

I bring up Ravi because if you know someone who professes to be a Christian and yet are living in sin that will keep them from the kingdom of heaven (Rom. 1:18+; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:1-8; etc), go to that person in Meekness that they may be restored (Gal. 6:1); that their soul be saved from death (Jam. 5:19-20); that they may be recovered out of the snare of the devil (2 Tim. 2:26).

I bring up Ravi that you make behave according to the pattern shown to us in Scripture. That we may continue to be "steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58). That we may continue on our path to holiness and purity (1 Pet. 1:15-16; 1 Jn. 3:3). That we may "warn the unruly, comfort the feebleminded/fainthearted, support the weak, be patient toward all men" (1 Th. 5:14).

I bring up Ravi that prayers for healing, comfort, forgiveness, and salvation will be made for the victims and their families and friends. As well as for Ravi's family, ministry and circle of acquaintances.

Take an honest inventory of your life. How does it stack up with the Bible? Is your pantry bare or lacking the spiritual fruit unto salvation? Is your fruit corrupt, spoiled or simply gone bad? Today is the day to stock up! Today is the day of salvation, the day to be delivered from your old man of sin. The storm is coming! The day of the Lord's wrath on the children of disobedience is near! Repent! Make a clean break! Reach out for help now! Do now delay!

5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? - 2 Cor. 13:5

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. - Mt. 7:21-23

16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. - Titus 1:16

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We Have No President?

 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; - Col. 3:8-9

Oh that we would take heed to these inspired words and have the fear of God in our hearts to obey them. Alas, it seems that His fear is not in many, especially those that call themselves His preachers of righteousness, the stewards of the mysteries of God, whose cup is clean on the outside yet filthy on the inside.

Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Mt. 12:34) and we can know what evil and good lies in a person's heart by what comes out of it (Lk. 6:45).

Unfortunately, the tongue (or even our voice on social media) is an unruly, unrestrained evil at times, full of deadly poison (Jam. 3:8). I've seen this unfortunately in more preachers than I'd care to count. Looking back at the main text of this post we are to put off the deeds of the old man, like lying - if its not true, its a lie. There are no shades of grey, yet like the false prophets of old preachers today are into speaking lies and sadly are comforted and encouraged by other preachers to continue in them, tickling each others ears with smooth words.

The main text today also tells us not to blasphem, to slander, to reproach, to scorn, to disdain, etc, yet preachers are doing it this very day! If they are claiming that Biden is not president, this is what they are doing. They are overtaken with other evils as well like lying, pride arrogance, etc. If you are an American citizen, Joe Biden has officially been sworn in as president. That's the cold hard facts whether we like them or not. We don't wrestle against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12). The weapons of our warfare are not carnal (2 Cor. 10:3).

Is Biden furthering wickedness as clearly shown in the holy scriptures? Indeed! It is our call as the saints of light to expose this darkness! Yet, to not respect the office of the president, whom God has ordained to fulfill His purpose for this nation and the world at this time is also coming against God which has appointed Biden at this time. It also comes against His Word that commands us to honor and respect those in authority. In fact, one characteristic of a false teacher is that they blasphem, reproach, scorn, reject, etc those in authority (2 Pet. 2:10; Jude 1:8). Is your preacher, elder, etc doing this? Beware what you are being fed! Call them out on it. If they do not humble themselves and repent, remove them until the time that they do. If they refuse to repent? Well, I'm persuaded of better things than that, so keep praying and manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, being a Christ-like example for them to follow.

In continuation, a preacher instead of poisoning the flock which was purchased with the precious blood of the Great Shepard of the sheep, which you are appointed to oversee, to watch over their very souls, beware this poison you are feeding them.

Are any of you preachers without sin? What do you think of the flock when they disrespect you as God's authority over them? They see some of your sins and therefore believe you are not worthy to have authority over the well being of their souls. What if they said that your are not their preacher, but their former preacher is still their preacher even though they are long gone? What if they even declared that they have no preacher, though the fact is you are their preacher even though they refuse to except it?

Beware the seeds you are sowing. God is not mocked. For you will reap what you sow. Let us all humble ourselves. Get on our knees and seek out the will of our Lord not only for our own life, but for all that follow Christ that we may shine forth as lights in this crooked and perverse nation to the saving of souls.

How Are You Training Your Children?

  25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. - Jn. 12:25

A good verse to always meditate on. Two contrasts, either you do or you do not! There is no middle ground. Do you love this world and the things you can gain and profit from it? Is your focus on worldly pursuits.

Many "Christian" parents these days are training their children to pursue the "American" dream - a better way of life, a better way of living then they, the parents, have accumulated in the world themselves.

Many "Christian" parents, while they will say that their children knowing Christ and serving Him are most important, yet in actions deny such claims as they sacrifice the spiritual for the carnal.

Most believe that their children need to have a college degree to amount to anything and make a "good living" according to worldly standards. But college is so expensive! So we need to get them involved in all kinds of sports, 4-H and a number of other activities in hope they can obtain as many scholarships as possible to help.

Now this is where is becomes even more sad in that when these activities conflict with spiritual grow, these activities are preferred, because they have bought into the lie that if they sacrifice these worldly activities, it will stunt their "American" dream. Therefore they sacrifice the "pearl of great price" for something far more inferior.

They have given into idolatry and friendship with the world teaching their children how to be conformed to the world and not to Christ. It's no wonder that "Christians" don't look or behave much different that the world they are call to separate themselves from.

Again, most allow their children to go to public schools, since the parents turned out so well, the public schools today won't harm our children either. Once again, the sad thing is that even when I went to public school in a small conservative town decades ago, I was taught many things that were contrary to God's Truth and looking back it had its effects on me - negatively. The things that are in the public schools today are even worse! Yet, how many "Christian" parents that allow their children to go to these institutions put their foot down and make a stand and say, "My child will not participate in this!"? Very few indeed.

Why don't parents pull their children out that their minds aren't poisoned? There are probably many answers to this question, one of course is that they can't afford to? Why? Because the bottom line is that their "American" dream would suffer. Yet, we know that anything is possible if it is truly our hearts desire. Which brings us back to the opening verse - do you love this world or do you hate it? Are you training your children to love it or hate it? If you want to prosper and want your children to have good success remember the words given to Joshua in chapter one:

8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Is Your Church Of God Or Man?

What is a non-profit or a 501(c)3? You've probably heard of it, yet do you understand what it is and what it means if your "church" is one? What are the spiritual implications if you are a member of one?

My hope in this article is to help educate others to an extent, to open their eyes which have been blinded due to ignorance and association and to the fact that no one has ever talked with them about this topic and they have just excepted that this is the way it is.

Again, this is a brief overview. There's a lot that could be shared on this, and if the Lord will permit me in time to further expound the legal documentation I will.

To begin, a non-profit, 501(c)3 is a corporation. To incorporate is to create a corporation...the union of one domain to another. [Black's Law Dictionary] To put it another way, the verb "incorporate" means that the thing did not exist, but is brought into existence and united with it's creator. [How The Church Fell From Grace, p2]

Now a corporation is an artificial person or legal entity created by or under the authority of the laws of a state. An association of persons created by statue as a legal entity...Such an entity subsist as a body politic under a special denomination, which is regarded in law as having a personality and existence distinct from that of several members... [Black's Law Dictionary] Notice - a corporation is under a special denomination, a legal designation. Does your "church" make a claim that it's not a denomination? Well, if it's a non-profit 501(c)3 one cannot honestly make that claim. A 501(c)3 is a business, and not the "church". 

"A corporation is a creature of the state. It is presumed to be incorporated for the benefit of the public. It receives special privileges and franchises and holds them subject to the laws of the state and the limitations of its charter. There is a reserved right in the legislature to investigate its contracts and ascertain if it has exceeded its powers." - Hale vs. Henkel, 201 U.S. 43.

The corporation is born on the day and at the time the Secretary of State stamps the Articles of Incorporation for filing. The state creates this corporation pursuant to the statues of the state according to the authority of the Constitution of the state. (General Corporation Law) People often talk about what year their "church" or denomination was founded. Some even say it as established in 30 or 33 AD. Yet, as I have just shown, a 501(c)3 did not exist until the Secretary of State puts their stamp of approval for its establishment. So, if you are a 501(c)3, just look at your Articles of Incorporation and you will know the date. If your "church" is not a 501(c)3, then you may be a part of the "church" Christ established in the first century.

In the eyes of the government, a non-profit 501(c)3 "church" or ministry is just another business and will be held accountable as any another business. Even it's minister(s) are classified as "employees" engaged in a ministerial trade or business. The Bible calls such "hirelings" - a man employed to take care of the sheep, to whom wages is paid. As he does not own the sheep, and guards them merely for pay. (Barnes Jn. 10:12)

A corporation derives its existence and all of its power from the state and only has the power conferred to it by the state. For instance, a preacher has obtained the authority from the state to administer a marriage union between two parties which have obtained a state license to do so, not that it's required, but to gain the special privileges granted unto them for this corporate union - but that's another topic. Therefore, this should be clear to even the most simple minded of people that the preacher is an agent of the state and receives their authority from the state. If they want to be able to "marry" someone in a different state, they would need to file with that particular state to be granted such authority, like getting a real estate license in a different state - its all business. 

Sadly, the typical Christian perceives that a non-profit 501(c)3 "church" or ministry are legitimate of what Christ established, but in truth, these "churches" have removed themselves from the very Head of the Body of Christ and have voluntarily sought out another sovereign to be their head - man, or the government if you prefer. The "church" was founded by Jesus Christ - He is the Head of the "church". (Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18) In contrast, a non-profit 501(c)3 "church" is founded by the state. It's as different as night and day! Either Christ is your head or He is not. If you're a 501(c)3 "church", then your head is the state, not Christ. Don't deceive yourself. A "church" and a corporation are two separate entities. Talk about having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, we are told to turn away from, to shun, avoid such (2 Tim. 3:5).

A 501(c)3 abides according to the charter of its Articles of Incorporation with the state. Therefore, it is to uphold whatever the state desires is "politically correct". Remember, the state created it for public interest. So the 501(c)3 "church" put itself in the hands of it's master, the state, to abide by it's philosophies, vain deceits, the traditions of man and the world. It does not have the authority to proclaim the Truth, IF it goes against state policies. If they do, the state has every right to come against them.

Yet, I've talked with preachers, even presidents of seminaries about this. Many confirm that they are in it for the financial privileges it provides and that when the winds of change come to the point that the state comes after them for violating their contract (which of a truth, some Christians that go to the state to form a 501(c)3 never plans to be true to their part of the arrangement from the start because, for instance, they do not condone abortion. Therefore, they are liars and deceivers for the sake of filthy lucre). So they will "ride the beast" and "milk the cow" as long as they are able.

I ask you again to ponder by whose authority is the 501(c)3 "church" birthed by? Man or God? (Mt. 21:23-27)

God has called us out of the world. (Jn. 15:19) He has called us to be holy, set apart from the world to be entirely His. (1 Pet. 1:15-16; 2:9) God said not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. What fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? What association has light with darkness? What harmony does Christ have with Satan? What portion has a believer with an unbeliever? None of course! (2 Cor. 6:14-16)

The bottom line is - who is your Head? God or man? 

Are You Ignorant Of God's Will?

We cannot know God's will if we are ignorant of God's Word.

Unfortunately, there are many professing 'Christians' today who say that they not only know God, but also know His will. I say unfortunately, because many do not.

Look at the religious leaders of Jesus' day that didn't know the Scriptures (Mt. 22:29; Jn. 5:39; 16:3). Even His apostles didn't always understand (Acts 1:6). 

Even some of those that handled the Word of God in the OT did not know God (Jer. 2:8; Mal. 2:8).

Even in the NT people claimed to know God and His will yet proved to be workers of iniquity (Mt. 7:21-23; Rom. 2:17-24; Titus 1:16). 

Just because one spends a lot of time in Scripture, knows a lot about Scripture, can quote a lot of Scripture, does not mean they are a genuine child of God.

Jesus said that we would know them by their fruit (Mt. 7:15-20). Are they given to drunkenness? Are the homosexuals or given over to other sexual perversions? Are they liars? Covetous? Gluttonous? I could go on (Rom. 1:26-32; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21). They may have a form of godliness (2 Tim. 3:5), but have not come to the knowledge of the Truth (2 Tim. 3:7). They've possibly been given over to a reprobate mind (Rom. 1:24, 26), or been given a strong delusion because they don't have a love of the Truth (2 Th. 2:10-12).

How about you? Oh, no, you don't indulge yourself in such things. Glory be to God! Yet, do you take pleasure in them on a "one-eyed monster" (TV, cell phone, tablet, etc)? Do you watch or read or listen to things that are ungodly like hatred, fornication, cursing, rebellion, disrespect to parents or others in authority, etc? If so, you are not better off than those which do them (Rom. 1:32-2:3).

Again, can we know God's will if we are ignorant of if? No. Be not deceived! (Gal. 6:7) Make sure that you are a doer of God's Word (Jam. 1:22). Check EVERYTHING that you've EVER been taught about Scripture by EVERYONE (Acts 17:11), to make sure that your ears have never been tickled (2 Tim. 4:3-4). You will have to stand before the righteous Judge one day to give an account (Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Pet. 4:5). Do you teach or preach the Word? You need to be even more careful in how you handle it (Mt. 5:19; Jam. 3:1). 

As Paul told the Thessalonians, "prove all things". (1 Th. 5:21) Grace and peace to you.