Authority In Church Government
by Mark Smith
Webmaster: An oft neglected point of view by some, yet nevertheless, one that should receive careful consideration. Read carefully the many, many Scriptures that are presented, along with Mr. Smith's commentary.
RESOLVED
The Bible’s authorized church government ceased with the death of the last Apostle, the chain of command having been irrevocably broken. Therefore, all church governments since then are man-made, unauthorized, and unbiblical.
INTRODUCTION and
GENERAL BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF AUTHORITY
One day as I was talking to a Jehovah’s Witness, I directed the conversation off of their few pet topics and onto Authority in Church Government. I started out easy with him. I knew his church is run by a group of men in Brooklyn, who call themselves the Governing Body. I asked him to name these people who run “God’s true church.” He couldn’t even name one of them. This made me curious. This board may make decisions that could cost this worker drone bee his life, yet he had no idea who these people were to whom he may one day sacrifice his life in obedience to their commands.
I asked him if these board members (whoever they were!) had been appointed by God,... er...Jehovah. He replied, “ of course”. I responded with, HOW DO YOU KNOW???
This being new territory for him, a blank look overcame his face. The Gestapo’s at his church had not programmed him to answer such a question! I then reasoned with him that the only evidence he had was that some people had told him that these board members had been appointed by God. Wow! That’s enough to convince me! Not even first hand lying. I asked him what his response would be to a used car salesman who claimed appointment by God and then demanded that people buy his cars based upon that claim - would he comply?
He began to see my point and said, “of course not.” Then why trust a total stranger, I asked him, with your “soul” (life), when he makes the same claims, with the same lack of real objective evidence, but tries to sell you a religion rather than a car?? I could see that he was on the road to thinking for himself, which may eventually lead him out of that arrogant but brain-dead group.
Most churches have "pastors" who claim to have been “called” (by God) to the ministry, or to have been appointed by some spirit, holy or otherwise, or even to have been appointed by God himself. And the only proof that is ever offered is the very word of the man you have doubts about in the first place! If a man claimed to be God, and for proof he told you he was God, you would not believe. But a pastor claims to have been “called” by God, and the only proof he can offer is his claim to have been “called” by God, you believe him! Hey, I’m sorry, but that’s DUMB. The personal integrity of a pastor and a dime might buy you a cup of coffee. Don’t take your pastor’s word as the only evidence for something as important as this. We’ll get back to this topic later.
For now, read through some verses dealing with authority from the Bible. This will give you a general feeling for how the New Testament treats the topic. Remember, in the New Testament, authority flowed from the top. They were NOT democratic, and nobody elected and appointed their own leaders, pastors, or gods.
Authority = Orders Are Obeyed
“For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” (Matthew 8:9)
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.” (Matt. 10:24)
Chain of Command
“For He (God) has put all things in subjection under His (Jesus’) feet. But when He (God) says, ‘All things are put in subjection,’ it is evident that He (God) is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him (Jesus). And when all things are subjected to Him (Jesus), then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the one (God) who subjected all things to Him (Jesus), that God may be all in all.” (1 Cor. 15:27,28)
Note: This verse deserves several minutes of your time,
as it is at first confusing. But it does a good job of explaining
the concept of a chain of command. It is also good as an example
of showing where real authority resides—that is, it resides with
the one who is able to do the appointing, thus ruling out democracy,
as congregations have no Biblical authority.
“For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on BEHALF of men in things pertaining to God in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.” (Heb. 5:1) (Note: Appointed by a source higher than man. The authority flows from the top.)
“AND NO ONE TAKES THE HONOR TO HIMSELF, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. So also Christ did NOT GLORIFY HIMSELF so as to become a high priest...” (Heb. 5:4,5)
Note: Appointing oneself a general in the United States Army,
or a prophet in the army of God, does NOT make one such. Even
Christ did not take such liberties. And yet we find ourselves
flooded in our age with self-appointed prophets / preachers /
evangelists etc. They have no authorization from God, and
therefore no authority. Just because someone claims to be
Santa Claus won’t enable that person to fly reindeer!
“But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.” (Heb. 7:7)
The SOURCE of One’s Authority Is The Critical Issue
“And when He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, ‘By what AUTHORITY are you doing these things, and WHO GAVE YOU THIS AUTHORITY?’ ... ‘The baptism of John was from WHAT SOURCE, from heaven or from men? ‘And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, ‘If we say, “’From heaven,’” He will say to us, “’Then why did you not believe him?’” But if we say, “’From men,’” we fear the multitude; for they all hold John to be a prophet.’ “ (Matt. 21:23-26)
“John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.’” (John 3:27)
“He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.” (John 3:31)
“For He whom God has SENT (Note: the word “Apostle” means, by definition, one who has been sent.) speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.” (John 3:34)
“We know that God has spoken to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know WHERE He is from.” (John 9:29)
Note: Again arises the idea that it is important to know where
a “spiritual teacher” is from; whether from God (and therefore “authorized”), or from mere man (and therefore “unauthorized.”)
“Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.” (John 13:16)
Note: This concept here should help point out the idiocy of a
congregation having the authority to appoint their own Pastor,
and then somehow from then on, the Pastor now has authority
over the very congregation that gave him his authority to start with!
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (John 13:20)
Note: This ties back into the concept and definition of “Apostle.”
An APOSTLE would be similar to our modern day ambassador,
a man who has the full authority of the kingdom backing him up.
In this verse, rejecting an Apostle of Christ’s is equal to rejecting
Christ himself. This evidences a very strong chain of command
in the early church.
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and APPOINTED you...” (John 15:16)
Note: Once again, authority flows in a chain of command from
top to bottom. There is no hint here of modern practices of people
popping up with claims of being “called” to the ministry, or of
democracy in church governments.
“As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have SENT THEM into the world.” (John 17:18)
Note: The foundation of authority of the Apostles is here equaled
to that which Christ had from God. Apostle means “one sent.”
“Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘You do not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?’ Jesus answered, ‘You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above.’” (John 19:10,11)
“And when they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, ‘By what power, or in what name, have you done this?’” (Acts 4:7)
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’” (Matt. 28:18)
Note: Even Jesus stayed within the chain of command. This
example should discredit all of these self-appointed religionists
doing end-runs around the Biblical chain of command.
“Jesus therefore said, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I DO NOTHING ON MY OWN INITIATIVE, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.’” (John 8:28)
Note: It is non-Biblical and therefore non-Christian to assume
to one’s self, i.e. on your own initiative, any authority or actions
in God’s Kingdom.
The Authority That God Granted to Jesus Christ
“But when the multitudes saw this (healing), they were filled with awe, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.” (Matt. 9:8)
“I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another shall come in his own name, you will receive him.” (John 5:43)
“Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these bear witness of Me.’” (John 10:25)
Note: Jesus claims to be authorized by God, but he backs
up his claims with more than hot air- he backs up his claim
with miraculous deeds. ANY self-proclaimed man of God in
our age deserves your full support "ifffffff" and only if he can
raise people from the dead, walk on water etc. Short of these
signs, don’t waste your time- the “prophets” are frauds.
“And they were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.’” (Mark 1:27)
“And they became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’” (Mark 4:41)
Note: Let’s see any of the televangelists try controlling
the next hurricane that arrives!
“And He (God) gave Him (Jesus) authority ...” (John 5:27)
“Even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou (God) hast given Him (Jesus), He may give eternal life.” (John 17:2)
“But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” (Matt. 9:6)
The Authority of The Apostles
The Apostles were the foundation of the early church. According to the New Testament, the Apostles were the link between heaven and earth. The importance of this group of men has not been acknowledged fully by modern “pastors” and “evangelists”. This ignorance has been foisted upon the church because it allows modern fakes and frauds to pass themselves off with authority they don’t really have.
The bottom line is this: your local “pastor” has no more spiritual authority over you than does the town dog catcher, and when you come to an understanding of the role the Apostles played, you’ll stop fearing the little spiritual bullies in your church.
The Apostles Were Not Self-Appointed
“And He went up to the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons.” (Mark 3:13-15)
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you...” (John 15:16)
The Apostles Had Authority Over Spirits, Disease, Sickness
“And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.” (Mt. 10:1)
“But Paul (the Apostle) was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Chirst to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment.” (Acts 16:18)
The Apostles Were The Foundation and Backbone of The Church
“And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.” (Rev. 21:14)
“Having been built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.” (Eph. 2:20)
“That you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your Apostles.” (2Pet. 3:2)
“But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 17)
The Apostles also had total authority over the congregations as to what they believed and practiced. There were no votes by the members on what to put in the next church manual. The local elders did not spend nights in prayer asking God what to do or believe. The Apostles handled all that. And the modern practice of church governing bodies voting various doctrines in or out, or even voting entire churches out, was unheard of. The Apostles- and no one else- held total control over the church.
“For even if I should boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I shall not be put to shame.” (2Cor 10:8)
“For this reason I am writing these things while absent, in order that when present I may not use severity in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down.” (2Cor 13:10)
“These things speak and exhort and reprove with ALL AUTHORITY. Let no one disregard you.” (Titus 2:15)
“And we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” (2Cor. 10:6)
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” (Mt. 16:19)
“Now, having received the HOLY SPIRIT and being LED AND DIRECTED BY HIM, if you forgive the sins of anyone, they ARE FORGIVEN; if you retain the sins of anyone, THEY ARE RETAINED.” (John 20:23, Amplified Version)
Note: Here is where we separate the men from the boys.
So, Mr. Amateur Bible Thumper who is reading this- up to
this point, you may have been thinking that I was making
too big a deal regarding the authority of the Apostles ?
And now you find out that they were directly led by the
“Holy Spirit” AND had authority to forgive SINS ! Can your
local yokel pastor top that? Didn’t think so.
The Apostles were in a league of their own.
The Apostles Had Authority To Give ORDERS, Not Just Suggestions
“Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do that which is proper, yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you...” (Ph. 8,9)
“Now we COMMAND you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.” (2TH 3:6)
“As for a man who is factious—a heretical sectarian and cause of divisions—after admonishing him a first and second time reject him from your fellowship and have nothing more to do with him.” (Titus 3:10 Amp. Version)
“Keep on speaking these things and exhorting and reproving with FULL AUTHORITY TO COMMAND. LET NO MAN EVER DESPISE YOU.” (Titus 2:15)
The Apostles had complete control of the early church. The Apostles were appointed by Jesus himself. The Apostles controlled who ran the local churches and what these people were allowed to teach. It was clearly a chain of command structure that, if the Apostles ever were removed from the chain, the whole system would fall apart.
And, by the way, that is exactly what happened in the second century! And for those idiots who claim “Well, we DO have Apostles today - they are PAPER Apostles found upon the pages of the New Testament...” Then, by your same burst of stupidity we also have “paper” Evangelists, we have “paper” Pastors, we have “paper” teachers and preachers. Heck, spiritualize the whole lot and sleep in Sunday mornings! But as much as it pains me, I am sorry to report that ships without a real live person at the wheel tend to crash and sink.
Likewise, a huge organization like the early church, when their captains were removed, when the Apostles died off, couldn’t rely on mere “paper Apostles”, and the New Testament Church sank out of existence. The rats, of course, got off, and started their own little groups - without any authority from God, and these man-made groups continued into our own era. But let’s now see how it used to be...
The Apostles Were Appointed OVER The Church
“Of this church I was MADE A MINISTER (And not by any church board! -M.S.) according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit...” (Col. 1:25)
“As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines.” (1 Tim. 1:3)
Note: Here the Apostle Paul, is delegating authority to
the Evangelist Timothy, to direct the teaching at certain
churches. The authority of Timothy came from Paul, and
NOT the group he was teaching. This speaks not of
“local church autonomy,” but rather centralized authority.
“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest may be fearful of sinning.” (1 Tim. 5:19,20)
Note: The Apostle is authorized to act as a JUDGE in
handling accusations against elders. And he is also
authorized to punish elders who “continue in sin.”
Obviously, Timothy out-ranked the elders of the local
church in order to be doing this. This evidences
central command, not local church autonomy.
“Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees, which had been decided upon by the Apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them
to observe.” (Acts 16:4)
Note: The CENTRAL Church in Jerusalem is telling
the other churches, via messengers, what to believe
and obey. This indicates central control over doctrine & beliefs.
The local church governments (elders, deacons etc.) were also set in their positions by the centralized command. Apostles set up the local church governments and appointed those whom they wanted. The local bishops and deacons were NOT appointed by the congregations they served.
This type of democratic “shell game” was a later addition. I say “shell game” because if the congregation has the authority to appoint an elder, it therefore has a higher authority than the supposed person in charge! Intelligent people (and irate congregations) do not forget who holds the REAL power in that situation.
“And the Twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, ‘It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. But select (NOT “appoint” -MS) from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom WE may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’ And the statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. And these they brought before the Apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.” (Acts 6:2-6)
NOTE: These seven men were chosen by the congregation,
then APPOINTED BY THE APOSTLES. Their authority did
not originate from the congregation, but from who had
appointed them. The Apostles, being gone nowadays,
eliminates authorized church government for our age.
“And when they (Paul & Barnabas) had appointed elders FOR them in EVERY church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord...” (Acts 14:23)
NOTE: Here is a clear example of how the local church
governments were set up. Apostles such as Paul and
Barnabas (Yes, Barnabas was an Apostle- see Acts 14:14)
would go to congregations and appoint leaders for them.
Elders were appointed by Apostles. We have no Apostles
in this current age. Therefore we have no real elders. And
therefore all the little men who have added to their names
the pompous titles of “Bishop” or “Elder” or “Deacon” or
“Evangelist” are all FRAUDS - as much as the nut who adds
to his own name the title “God.” The only title ANY of these
men deserve is PRESUMPTUOUS.
“For this reason I (Paul) left you (Titus) in Crete, that you might set in order what remains, AND APPOINT ELDERS IN EVERY CITY as I directed you.” (Titus 1:5)
NOTE: Several points of fact leap out from this verse -
and all go against current church teaching. Note how
the elders were NOT appointed by their own congregations
or even by “elders” of the same. The elders in these several
cities were all appointed by the same man, who was himself
directly authorized by the Apostle Paul. Here we have one
man - Paul, who is appointing elders in all these different
cities through Titus, his direct assistant. Sure sounds like
a chain of command to me! These congregations were not
autonomous little kingdoms all to themselves, such as the
practice is in our age. And as for the ignorant argument that
“we have men who meet the qualifications, so therefore they
are elders,” I would say that there are also MILLIONS of men
in the USA who meet the qualifications to be President! And
the reason they are NOT president??? No authorized person
appointed them such!
“Do not be in a hurry in the laying on of hands—giving the sanction of the church too hastily in reinstating expelled offenders or in ordination in questionable cases—nor share or participate in another man’s sins; keep yourself pure.” (1 Tim. 5:22)
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (Bishops), to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28)
NOTE: The elders were not appointed by their congregation
nor by their fellow elders, but by the “Holy Spirit.” This
evidences, once again, the chain of command.
Apostles Placed Directly By God
“But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.”
(1 Cor. 12:18)
“And GOD has APPOINTED in the church, first Apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.” (1 Cor. 12:28)
NOTE: All of these officers in the church were appointed
by God, not man. And God did the appointing through his
Apostles - as has already been shown. Nobody can rightfully
claim one of these titles for himself - even if he is able to
do the task somewhat! Without the proper appointing,
it is all in vain.
“And the same One (Jesus Christ) gives these, indeed, as Apostles, yet these as prophets, yet these as evangelists, yet these as pastors and teachers.” (Eph. 4:11 CLNT)
NOTE: These officers were appointed by Jesus. They were
not self-appointed, appointed by church boards, or fellow elders!
“And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” (Acts 13:2)
“For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute.’” (Luke 11:49)
“As thou (God) didst send Me (Jesus) into the world, I also have sent them (the Apostles) into the world.” (John 17:18)
NOTE: The authority that Jesus claimed from God
is the SAME authority the Apostles could claim from
Jesus, so then let no ignorant hee-haw backwoods
preacher claim that he’s just as good as an Apostle.
“God raised Him up on the third day, and granted that He should become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to US, who ate and drank with him after he arose from the dead. And He ordered US to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify.” (Acts 10:38-42)
NOTE: The Apostles were chosen and authorized to preach.
You weren’t.
“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an Apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” (Rom. 1:1)
(The gospel...) “...of which I (Paul) was MADE A MINISTER.” (Col. 1:23)
NOTE: Paul was “made a minister” NOT by some
local church board, but by God.
“Paul, an APOSTLE, not sent from men, nor through the agency of man, BUT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, AND GOD THE FATHER, who raised him...” (Gal. 1:1)
NOTE: I hate to belabor the obvious, but the pretended
ignorance of some make it necessary. Obviously I hope
you can see that Apostles were appointed by Jesus/God,
and that your local preacher is not in their league.
(The gospel) “for which I was appointed a PREACHER and an APOSTLE and a TEACHER.” (2 Tim 1:11)
NOTE: In the New Testament church organization, the
various officers had their authority from a “higher source.”
That “source” is not now appointing anyone - not even
dog catchers, much less "elders" or Apostles. Therefore
it’s fair to guess that whoever is running your local church
has NOT been put there by God.
(Webmaster note: Is it any wonder why we see marriage after marriage being destroyed, especially but not exclusively, in "Reformed Baptist churches").
“...he (Paul) is a chosen instrument of Mine.” (Acts 9:15)
“But arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I (Jesus) have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you.” (Acts 26:16)
“But just as we (Paul, Silvanus & Timothy) have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men but God...” (1 Th. 2:4)
NOTE: These men had to be approved by God Himself
before being entrusted with the gospel. The preachers
of today are not, and those that claim to be have no evidence of it.
(God)... “gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:18)
“But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter with the gospel to the circumcised.” (Gal. 2:7)
“...the gospel...with which I have been entrusted.” (1 Tim. 1:11)
“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1Cor 3:9)
“Let a man regard US (i.e. the Apostles) in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Cor. 4:1)
“Therefore, WE (APOSTLES) are AMBASSADORS for Christ, AS THOUGH GOD WERE ENTREATING THROUGH US (APOSTLES) ; we (Apostles) beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. 5:20)
NOTE: For your own education you should do some
research on the concept of being an ambassador. It
implies direct authorization from a head of state, which
allows a man to act as a direct representative of the
head of state - WITH FULL AUTHORITY. What the
ambassador says carries as much weight.
Direct Revelation
Direct revelation from God Himself was also a privilege of being an Apostle.
This was one way they could claim to intelligently manage and run the daily affairs of the church. Imagine the arrogance of modern church leaders, who presume to speak in the place of God. Yes, they have the Scriptures - the same Scriptures all the members themselves have - so how, given this equal footing, are they to come up with any better ideas than the “laity” can from the same book??
Fact is, they can’t! And how can they even run the “church” without ever HAVING ANY DIRECT REVELATION WITH GOD IN THE FIRST PLACE?? Obviously, they CAN’T, and are pretenders and fakes to imply otherwise. If they are NOT Apostles, they have no business pretending to be “leaders” in the church. Unless they’ve a direct revelation with God Himself, they are FRAUDS.
“And it was because of a REVELATION that I went up...” (Gal. 2:2)
“For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Gal. 1:11,12)
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth...and will disclose to you what is to come.” (Jn 16:13)
“For this reason I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. And by referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy APOSTLES and PROPHETS in the Spirit.” (Eph. 3:1-5)
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him to show to His bond servants...and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond servant John (an Apostle.) (Rev. 1:1)
“But this I say by way of concession, not of command...But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the LORD, ... But to the rest I say, NOT the Lord,... Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord, but I give an OPINION...” (1Cor 7:6-40)
NOTE: This shows the necessity of having a living Apostle
amongst the church. Situations will arise that written
revelation does not plainly cover. Disagreements will arise
that only “direct revelation” can solve. Notice that during
the past 2,000 years, hundreds of divisions have fragmented
organized Christianity - divisions that could have easily been
solved by a living Apostle with a direct line to God. If any deny
the need for living Apostles with direct access to the Lord
Himself, the fractured state of modern Christianity plainly
shows the need. In fact, when the Apostles died off,
"Churchianity" went down the sewer.
FALSE APOSTLES
I maintain that all the REAL Apostles died off a few thousand years ago, and thus also, the “true church.”
There are no living Apostles running around in our age now. However, we do have people who CLAIM to be Apostles. For example, the Mormon church has some living fossils that they call “Apostles”, but are such in name only. Likewise, some little minuscule charismatic groups sometimes claim to have their own Apostles - but who takes these groups seriously anyway!
There is a way to tell if a man claiming to be an Apostle really is. Paul gave a very easy test that anyone can apply to self-proclaimed Apostles. For you see, Paul himself was a “self-claimed” Apostle, and used to have problems convincing people that he was legit.
“The signs of a TRUE Apostle were performed AMONG YOU with all perseverance, by signs (i.e. attesting miracles), and wonders, and miracles.” (2 Cor. 12:12)
NOTE: People who make SUPERNATURAL claims must
provide SUPERNATURAL evidence to back up those claims.
And this evidence - these miracles - note that Paul said that
they were performed “among you”, that is, directly in front
of their eyes. The people at Corinth did not hear about these
miracles from some P.R. campaign, or thru second-hand gossip.
Paul said that the miracles were done right out in the open,
in their very midst! And we’re not talking the usual fake miracles
of today (backaches, headaches, etc.). Anyway, if any in our
age claim to be Apostles, and can back it up - fine, submit
yourselves to their authority. But if they can’t restore severed
limbs in your presence, or bring back to life a man who fell
into a giant meat grinder and is now just a large pile of stinking,
rotting flesh in a body bag six feet down—if they can’t show
you one-hundred percent legit, real, impossible to fake miracles
right before your very eyes—they are FAKE Apostles.
Don’t listen to them.
Local Church Government
The governments of the various congregations were put into their positions of authority by apostolic appointment.
That is, the local Elders/Pastors/Overseers/Bishops etc. all derived their governing power via the authority and appointment of living Apostles.
Translated for our day - we have no living Apostles, and therefore no authorized local church government officials. All who lay claim to titles such as “Elder” in our age are FAKES and FRAUDS and have illegally usurped the titles to themselves. Read what the New Testament says...
“But now GOD has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as HE desired. (1 Cor. 12:18)
“And He (Jesus) gave some as ... pastors and teachers.” (Eph. 4:11)
(Paul to the Elders at Miletus:) “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the HOLY SPIRIT has made you overseers...” (Acts 20:28)
“It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspire to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.” (1 Tim. 3:1)
