To My Facebook Friends

To My Facebook Brother in Christ….

Please bear with me, once more, as I share some insights regarding your 3-part teaching, “What Is The Church?” Okay? You probably surmise, by my response to your ordination video, my perspective on church is at variance with yours. And, mostly, you would be correct. I think the quotation (from your teaching series) that best identifies our differences is: “The one and only superintendent of the church is Christ through the Holy Spirit.” You might ask, “How could anyone disagree with that?” Please hear me….

We both know there is “one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” Most don’t realize there is a Mediator between “the Man Christ Jesus” and the christian, none other than the Holy Spirit. Jesus says of Him (Amplified): “Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf].” Doesn’t that sound like a mediator?

You would say the Holy Spirit is a Mediator between Christ and the CHURCH but, though somewhat true, it is misleading. It suggests He leads the local church as a group when in reality He only leads individuals within that church.

Peter once said, “The Spirit told me to go.” Paul and Silas were “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.” Of Stephen it is written that he spoke “by the Spirit.” Still not convinced? Consider Rm.8:14: “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” And 2Tim.3:16: “All Scripture [written by individuals] is given by inspiration of God.” Had you written, “The one and only superintendent of the CHRISTIAN is Christ through the Holy Spirit” I would declare “Amen and amen!!!”

You mostly exclude the Holy Spirit in your 3-part teaching. (He was also excluded from your ordination.) While my perspective on governance is Christ…. Holy Spirit…. christian, yours seems to be Christ…. local church…. christian. What an enormous difference! My perspective minimizes the need of pastors, yours enlarges it.

When speaking of church leadership, the first person to come to mind should be Jesus Christ. Doesn’t the Bible declare Him to be “the head of the church”? The second person should be His representative, the Holy Spirit. Pastors, elders etc. should be afterthoughts. Perhaps that’s why Jesus said, “Do not be called leaders; for One is your leader, that is, Christ.” (NASB) However, since the early church there has been a transference of emphasis. Pastor Whoever has become the focus. More accurately, Pastor Whoever has made himself the focus, having used the pulpit to rally the people around him. He has replaced the Holy Spirit as emissary between Christ and christian. For this, he has persuaded the fawning congregation, he is worthy of ordination. And appellations (titles). And a respectable salary.

My precious brother, the successful christian is he/she who “bears much fruit”. Amen? That’s what we both want for our brothers and sisters, isn’t it? Jesus gives the recipe for such an outcome: “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.” Utter simplicity (though not easy). Paul was concerned the Corinthians would lose their “pure and undivided devotion to Christ”. From my perspective, that is exactly what has happened to those who consider themselves evangelicals. And who brought them to this sad plight? Surely not compliant pew-people. Hmmm. Who…. could…. it…. be?

Thanks for listening, my brother-in-Christ.