Part 3 of Viewpoint Brief Bible Study #009. |
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JESUS calls US to be |
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The Christian religion is the worship and service of Jesus Christ. It’s not Mary we worship, but her Son. We worship neither saints, angels, a law code, nor even God’s Spirit. It’s JESUS who is to be honored. The Bible is our guide. |
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Subject: pastors' tenure and church growth
From: tomwoody@juno.com (Thomas W Woody)
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998Ray, ~ Appreciate your thoughts on the tendency of churches to look to one man to be their leader and public relations man. It is the tendency of man that we are up against, and it goes back at least to the time of Samuel when Israel clamored for "a king" so they could be like the nations around them and have a man who would "fight their battles."
We have the very same pressures today to conform and do what everyone else does in the religious world. But who asks why everyone else is doing what they are doing? Students of the Bible should examine what we believe and test the spirits.
As you know, the congregations I work with function without the hired man up front every Sunday. It doesn't mean we are superior or perfect, and we are definitely not the most popular, but the practice of mutual ministry in our assemblies is in harmony with the picture we see in the NT where brethren appear to function more as priests, not as the "laity."
Men who are hired by congregations to be the "Minister" ought to be supported to help in places where they are most needed, such as congregations without any capable brethren to serve as elders. There they can help the church to grow with the goal of eventually ordaining elders, as Titus was told to do with the churches on Crete.
Evangelists have work they can do with mature congregations, but we should not use them in such a way that they become the focus of their assemblies.
We have been trying to come out of spiritual Babylon, where the clergy/laity distinction is very clear. Many stop short on the way to Jerusalem with an imitation clergy/laity system. I hope we will all strive to function in our churches as the "royal priesthood" where we may all bring our sacrifices to God, not come to watch someone else do it for us.
Thanks Ray, ~ Tom
Submitted humbly for your consideration by ~
Thomas W. Woody, by the grace of God.I'm a member of a small group of disciples, maximum forty. I'm one of the teachers, there are four others who generally guide studies. more if we count teachers of the younger set.
We have no worship team, sing congregationally, and our format (aside from a period when we engage in the eucharist) is, someone guides our study and it's a free-for-all. We have a lengthy period of prayer where the assembly talks about needs, thanksgiving, praise, intercession, the lost, people being 'cultivated' for Christ etc. then we pray (males leading). ~ Another brother