…yes and notice how there is no further mention in Acts of the Holy
Spirit’s current activity after being ignored in chapter 21.
Oh!...so if there was
no apostolic succession what about guys like John Darby who must have been
inspired by the Holy Spirit to recover the truth about the Rapture?
Well, you’ve answered yourself – even in these last days of apostasy
we’re not left without the help of the Holy Spirit, together with genuine
pastors and teachers:
"…and he has given some
apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some shepherds and
teachers..." Ephesians 4:11
Okay, teachers can’t be everywhere at the same time and they eventually
depart this scene so how are congregations meant to be led or governed? Should they appoint their own pastor?
Check this out:
“But from Miletus having sent
to Ephesus, he called over to him the elders (presbuteros) of the assembly....Take
heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, wherein the Holy Spirit has
set you as overseers (episkopos), to shepherd the assembly of God, which he has
purchased with the blood of his own." Acts 20: 17-
Ah!...this is Paul
warning the elders of Ephesus as overseers – there’s no bishop or pastor singled
out because the Holy Spirit is Boss!
Exactly! In fact you won’t even find the words ‘bishop’ or ‘pastor’ in
Darby’s translation...for what it’s worth. Furthermore, we find the same regime recognised in Philippi…
“Paul and Timotheus, bondmen
of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with
the overseers (episkopos) and ministers (diakonos:
deacons)…” Philippians 1:1
And this is how elders or overseers are to be respected:
“Let the elders who take the
lead among the saints well be esteemed worthy of double honour, specially those
labouring in word and teaching.” 1 Timothy 5:17
Let me ask you - has anybody today got delegated apostolic authority to
appoint elders like Titus did?
I guess not. That must
mean that the responsibility rests on elders today to see that they qualify to
act as an elder. So where did the idea
of clergy kick off?
Apparently the early Christians lost sight of
biblical authority and the Holy Spirit being the Boss of the outfit so they
began to recognise one ‘bishop’ in each place, eventually culminating in the bishop
of Rome becoming ‘pope’ with assumed authority. Just by the way here is where
‘clergy’ came from:
"The elders which are
among you I exhort, who am their fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of the
Christ, who also am partaker of the glory about to be revealed: shepherd the
flock of God which is among you, exercising oversight, not by necessity, but
willingly; not for base gain, but readily; not as lording it over your possessions
(Gk: kleros), but being models for the flock..." 1 Peter 5:1-
 |
| No more boring sermons, Vicar? |
Darby has used ‘possessions’ where the King James Bible used ‘God’s
heritage’. The Greek: kleros is cleris in Latin, clergie
in French, and clergy in English.
So the clergy assume to
be God’s heritage, hey??
Unfortunately reformers like Martin Luther didn’t take issue with this
division between clergy and laity, otherwise they would have been out of a job,
so John Darby and others did.
It all gets back to: ‘Who’s running the show?’
Is the Holy Spirit the Boss or is it Man without biblical authority, tending to divide the flock?
It all gets back to: ‘Who’s running the show?’
Is the Holy Spirit the Boss or is it Man without biblical authority, tending to divide the flock?
Mmm…special ‘prophets’,
‘popes’, ‘ordained clergy’,…and now this ‘elect vessel’ guy…it all seems
like Catholic baggage to me.
Man
has well and truly taken over….or Woman for that matter!
NEXT: Our own pastor?
Click on: http://hotspuds.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/our-own-pastor.html
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