Have you ever wondered how a function (notice I said function and NOT office--more on this later) that is listed in the New Testament all of TWO times has become the dominant face of Christian work? The pastor has become the centerpiece of the body of Christ, but is this even scriptural? Consider this:
A man says that he has heard from God and has received a calling to 'ministry'. He then gathers a people unto himself. He becomes the repository of God's word to the people. He speaks to God on behalf of the people and to the people on behalf of God. He baptizes you, performs marriages and funerals. He becomes an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist and a healer. He eventually becomes quintessential; the 'be all and end all'.
One question. WHERE IS THE BIBLICAL PRECEDENCE FOR THIS? What if someone came to you and said that God has called them to a rocking ministry? You would be puzzled as you ask them just what is a rocking ministry? They tell you that a rocking ministry is where you walk up to an unbeliever and quietly rock back and forth, and the unbeliever would come to know Christ in this way. You would at least search the scriptures to see if there is any basis for a rocking ministry, wouldn't you? My point is that the scriptures are our point of reference for our lives, and should be the foundation of ALL our beliefs. That said there is no precedence for pastoral ministry as we have come to know it.
Functions not offices
A function for our purposes is defined as a role distinguished by a particular activity. An office is defined as a position of authority. The difference between the two is that one is concerned with action and the other is concerned with position.
God was particular in collectively comparing those born of God to a body. This is important to know; because the body though composed of different parts all the parts have FUNCTIONS. The clergy has taken on the role of OFFICES which is diametrically opposed to how a body works. Your liver functions WITHIN the body. This act of 'functioning within' is important in that it is DEPENDENT on OTHER functions to preform its function. This therefore creates INTERRELATIONSHIP and INTERDEPENDENCY within the body. The clergy acts as an OFFICE in that activities, people and works flow TO IT. The clergy/office system sets itself as the FOCAL POINT. The body has no focal point but ONE, and that is the head which is represented by Christ and not some pastor.
Temporary in function
Consider this:
Ephesians 4:11-16
...And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
The apostles: these functioned to establish the oracles of God. They were the foundation of the church. The apostles were purposed at establishing the accepted doctrine of the church. They gave the word of God to us. Their purpose was temporary, because once a foundation is set it DOES NOT CHANGE.
The prophet: his function is to provide the believer with a word of edification, exhortation and comfort. They were gifted by God to tell of the future. Their function is to, at the discretion of God, give us useful glimpses of the future to aid us in our lives. Their purpose is expressed intermittently and is by nature temporary.
The evangelist: his function was to go about spreading the good news of the gospel of God. They were gifted as they were able to lead persons to Christ through their preaching. After the person has been born of God he no longer is in need of the evangelist. Therefore his purpose is also temporary in the life of the believer.
The pastor/teacher: his purpose was to teach the people of God so that they can take all that the prophet, apostles and evangelist have shown them. They were to teach the ELEMENTARY truths of God. This teaching is to bring the person to the POINT OF MATURITY where they no longer are in need of milk. Their purpose was TEMPORARY.
By now you should have been...
Hebrews 5:12
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
The clergy system corrupts your development since it hinders and stops your maturity. A tree needs fertilizer while it is young, but as it matures the RESULT OF MATURITY is that it comes to a point where the tree is now able to absorb nutrients from the soil on its own. If cultivated correctly the tree now finds itself firmly anchored to the soil, and because of this deep relationship it is able to gain access to nutrients. This is important because it is no longer dependent on an external source (a farmer) for its continued growth but now is TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON THE SOIL. (Just as a side note, when the tree matures it switches the source of its dependency.) The clergy system ENSURES that you never arrive at this point, because you are always dependent on them to feed you. They have in effect usurped the relationship between God and his people.
The nature of solid food
Hebrews 5:13-14
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
When someone is mature enough to eat solid food that person is no longer dependent on SOMEONE ELSE to feed them. Babies are always in need of assistance in the way of feeding, because they are not mature. But when you mature to being able to eat solid food it is around that time when you become able to find and prepare your food yourself.
Milk comes from the breast of your mother. It has in it the necessary nutrients that helps your body to grow. It is suppose to bring your body to a point where YOU NO LONGER NEED IT. The mother in this case uses the milk to bring you to a point where YOU NO LONGER NEED HER, but where you become able to EAT SOLID FOOD. The thing though is that solid food DOES NOT COME OUT OF THE MOTHER'S BREAST. In this same way the function of the pastor can ONLY BRING YOU TO A POINT WHERE YOU ARE MATURE AND AT THAT POINT ONLY GOD CAN FEED YOU.
Remember the purpose
It is easy to forget that the pastor/teacher had a VERY distinct purpose, and it is a SHARED purpose that was accomplished in conjunction with all the other functions. What is that purpose?:
Ephesians 4:11-16
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
Here we see that each of these functions were linked together, because TOGETHER they have ONE purpose and that is :
...for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; UNTIL we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Now what would be the RESULT of the accomplishment of this shared purpose:
...As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
Do you see what was suppose to be the result of SUCCESSFUL functioning? Let me ask you, since the word of God says that this would be the result of the fulfillment of this shared purpose DO YOU SEE THIS ANYWHERE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST? The clergy system has produced NOTHING BUT children tossed here and there and easily tricked by schemes of men. But hold on there are more results:
...but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Love? You mean to tell me that LOVE was supposed to be a result? WHERE? In addition, we were to 'grow up in all aspects into him who is head, even Christ'. Well monkey foot ARE YOU SERIOUS! How can this be when EVERY so called ministry under the sun thinks itself GOD's true one and only.
The point is that it is OBVIOUS that this clergy system FAILS us. It has NO basis in truth and is therefore ILLEGITIMATE. The functions described by Paul in Ephesians can find no place in our churches today. I have no doubt that God is restoring his established and sanctioned order and those whom he has called will see his light.
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