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Note to the Reader: This treatise was written by Ken Jacobsen, a member of the United Pentecostal Church in Rapid City South Dakota in 1977 and distributed to many members, including the pastor, J.H. Yohe. The pastor brought in a UPC "Greek expert" to refute this treatise from the pulpit. The writing was declared to have come "from the pits of hell." A large building program was ongoing when this treatise was handed out. Several families who read the treatise left the church. INTRODUCTION
"Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:25-27 Throughout the Bible, it is clear that whenever God made a plan of salvation he demanded perfection. Noah was to build the ark according to the exacting specifications God had given him, and had he at any point refused to do so, all of humanity would doubtlessly been lost in the flood. Moses was commanded to make the tabernacle exactly according to the pattern shown him on the mount, and had he failed to do so in any detail God's glory could never have dwelt there. The Israelites were commanded to follow the law to the letter, ignoring nothing, avoiding nothing, altering nothing, and any disobedience brought judgement and the curse of God. And what of Christianity? The verses from Ephesians quoted above make it clear that Christ intends his bride to be "without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." But while Noah had the verbal command of God himself to build the ark by, Moses had the pattern on the mount by which to build the tabernacle, and the Israelites had the law to live by, what guide or pattern has God given Christianity to go by? He has left it the Bible, and most importantly, the clear and shining example of the New Testament Church, immortalized in the pages of the Book of Acts, to which it must conform in order to be the kind of church that Jesus himself approves. That the Christianity of the New Testament is the ideal by which all of Christianity, past, present, or future, will be judged is the basic premise of this book, and unless the reader concurs, to read further would be nothing more than a waste of time. No social, technological, economic or even governmental change can or will ever change God's plan for his church, or nullify his Word. As the return of Christ draws nearer, the promised increase of knowledge has given modern Christianity an ever greater understanding of the writings of the Bible, those of the Old Testament and particularly those of the New. Many words, verses and even entire sections that have hidden in obscurity for centuries have only recently been brought to clarity, and this process of enlightenment goes ever onward as etymological research continues. Not only this, but Christianity today has at its feet the entire panorama of its birth, its fall to Catholicism, and its progressive return to conformity to the Word of God, a process that continues to this day. If it fails to learn from all this it will have only itself to blame for falling short of the perfection that Christ expects of His bride. Before we can proceed with this treatise, a few qualifications and explanations must be made. The false doctrines which the author confronts in this writing are those of the United Pentecostal Church in general, and of the U.P.C. of Rapid City, S.D. in particular, although much of it applies to Christianity in general today. While the author readily acknowledges that many U.P.C. churches may not be guilty of the same doctrinal crimes that are exposed in this writing, one can safely assume that all these things are sanctioned by the organization as a whole just the same, since they are allowed free play in several U.P.C. churches. Also, the author apologizes for his constant use of the King James Version in biblical quotations, but since it seems to be the only version officially approved by the Pentecostal Church, the author is obligated to quote from it. Consequently, much use of the original Greek of the New Testament has to be made since the greatly improved knowledge of the KOINE which is readily available today so frequently exposes the King James translation as in error. So many good books have been written decrying the backwardness of the King James Version, especially in light of its continued popularity, and so many vastly improved versions of the Bible are easily obtained today it would be superficial to try to justify the use of the Greek to those who may be leary of it. The author can only encourage the reader to verify the information that is presented for himself, and a list of references has been provided at the end for that purpose. For those who may adamantly refuse to so much as consider any challenge to their cherished beliefs though they directly contradict the intentions of the writers of the New Testament, the author can only borrow the words of the apostle Paul; "But if any man will be ignorant, let him be ignorant." It is a common doctrine of modern Pentecostalism that there is in each church a group of people known as "the ministry". This group of men, it is held, is entitled to rights and privileges not granted the rest of the church, which it calls "the laity", and holds a position of power and authority in the church which it allows no one to so much as question. As we shall see, this doctrine is diametrically opposed to the teachings of the Bible and is the basis of an entire system of falsehood and abuse of scripture in which Pentecostalism is deeply entrenched. The use of the phrase "the ministry" to refer to a division of people within the church has absolutely no precedent in the Bible. In the King James Version, the words ministry" and "minister" were borrowed directly from the Vulgate Bible, (the Latin version which was the only Bible accepted by the Roman Catholic Church and fail to express the meaning intended by the writers of the New Testament. In the original Greek, what is translated "minister' is DIAKONOS, meaning "a servant" and "ministry" is DIAKONIA, meaning "attendance to servant-work". Nowhere is "the ministry" ever used to indicate anything but "the attendance to servant work" or DIAKONIA, and using the word in any other way constitutes the perversion of scripture. When, for example, the apostle Paul says such things as "he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry" [I Tim. 1:12] he is not speaking of being elevated into the membership of some elite clique but rather the opposite, of being placed into a position of service to the church. Strange as it may seem, the use of the word "ministry" to describe a caste of people separate from the "laity" betrays the existence of what can only be a "clergy". Wherever there is a "laity" there must also be a "clergy" the terms are analogous, and in religious usage neither can exist without the other. The substitution of the word "ministry" for "clergy" does not alter this fact, it is merely a deceptive bit of semantics, vainly seeking some foothold in the Word of God. Describing the body of the church as "the laity" in itself betrays unbiblical doctrine, for like the word "trinity" it is nowhere to be found in the Bible and originates in the depths of Roman Catholicism. The word "laity" is descended from the Greek LAIKOS, a form of LAOS, "the people" and means "pertaining to the people". In the same way, "church" descends from the Greek KURIOKOS, meaning "pertaining to the KURIOS" the Lord. In the Septuagint the LAOS is always the people of God, the entire Jewish nation, and the New Testament uses the word in the same way. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people (LAOS); that ye should shew the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Which in times past were not a people (LAOS) but are now the people (LAOS) of God." Peter 2;9-10 Since the church is a "holy nation", who is the ruler of that nation? "Our Lord Jesus Christ... the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords." [I Tim.6:15] And since the people of God comprise a "royal priesthood", who is the High Priest of that priesthood? It is "the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Jesus Christ." [Heb. 3:1] Where then does the "clergy" originate, seeing as how all the people of God constitute a "royal priesthood"? It is inherited from Roman Catholic tradition and its very existence opposes the teachings of the Bible. It comes from the lust for power and the love of vainglory and not from the love of God or any care for the church. The Bible has much to say along these lines and deals very clearly with this subject, as we shall see. Many households of New Testament times had servants, the word in the Greek being DIAKONOS, each having some work or DIAKONIA to fulfill in that household, verbalized by the word DIAKONEO, "to do servant work." In relation to their owner these servants were DOULOS, or "bond-men", bought for a price or born into the household. What would prompt men like the apostles to call themselves "ministers" when the word they used was DIAKONOS, meaning "servant" in the strictest sense of the word and not at all in the sense of an exalted caste or "clergy"? The answer is to be found in the following verses as Jesus speaks to the Twelve. "But Jesus called them to him and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you; but whosoever of you will be great among you shall be your minister (DIAKONOS) and whosoever of you will be chiefest shall be servant (DOULOS) of all. For the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister (DIAKONEO) and to give his life a ransom for many." Matt. 10;42-45 These words are to true "ministry" what Acts 2;38 is to salvation, they are the very foundation of all that pertains to true church order. Jesus Christ, who "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant", gave the supreme example of just what true "ministry" is by serving others, and giving his very life a "ransom for many". The example of Jesus washing his disciples' feet because there was no servant to do so and because none of them thought to stoop to such a menial task, is ceremoniously observed by Pentecostals in "old-fashioned foot-washing meetings". Yet the very lesson that Jesus intended to teach in his actions, that men who are "ministers" must never hesitate to stoop to such menial tasks for the sake of the church, is totally ignored by Pentecostal "ministers" who expect the church to serve them instead. But if God incarnate would debase himself in such a. way in order to be a servant, how much lower ought "ministers" to stoop for the sake of the church in order to follow his example! The teachings of the Bible and the example of the apostles exemplify a "ministry" that is totally different from that of the Pentecostal church. The apostles' constant use of the words DIAKONOS, DIAKONIA and DOULOS in relation to themselves shows just how much the teachings and example of Jesus were fresh in their minds. Paul and the apostles were servants, bondmen of the church, not in any hypocritical sense or from any meaningless title, but in the truest sense of the word. "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves
,your servants (DOULOS) for Christ's This is true "apostolic preaching"; the apostles proclaiming Jesus and not themselves as holding the authoritarian rule, the "lordship" over the church while they themselves were the churches' servants, or "bond-men". "Therefore let no man glory in men, For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Peter, or the world, or life, or death, or things present or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's" I Corinthians 3;21-23 This is true "ministry" and these are the words of a true "minister", the churches which men like Paul had labored to found and establish were not "their" churches but rather the contrary, the churches were Christ's, and they belonged to the churches as bond-men, as servants, out of obedience to the teachings of Jesus the DOULOS. And how did the apostle Paul desire to be regarded by the church, as the "closest link between the church and the throne of God" as "ministers" call themselves today, as the member of some exalted class within the church, as a demagogue? "Who then is Paul, and who Apollos, but ministers (DIAKONOS) by whom ye believed?" I Corinthians 3;5 "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." I Corinthians 4;1 The word which Paul chooses to describe himself to the Corinthians in the verse above is not DIAKONOS but HUPERETES. This word means "galley-slave", a rower of the lowest rank and position in a ship. This is how the apostle wished to be regarded by the church, as the humblest kind of servant. "For I speak unto you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office." Romans 11;13 To many this verse doubtlessly portrays Paul as "magnifying" his exalted position over the church as an apostle, but the King James distorts the true meaning, as usual. What Paul is glorifying is his DIAKONIA, his work of service to the churches, mistranslated "office", in the verse above. The popular stereotype of the apostles, and particularly the apostle Paul, as strong-willed, self-assured, powerful leaders is not only unbiblical but incompatible with the work of service to the churches to which these men were called. Rather than an authoritarian "ruler" the apostle Paul was a servant and bond-man of the churches, not only in word but in deed, as the Book of Acts and his own writings make very clear. After Paul's conversion, we find him in Damascus causing such a stir with his preaching that the Grecian Jews determined to try their hand at killing him. Paul was most likely oblivious to any murder attempts against him and would probably have stayed at Damascus indefinitely had not certain people intervened. "Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus." Acts 9;30 There is much to be learned from verses such as this as to who exactly ruled who in the New Testament Church. In the above verse, "sent forth" is EXAPOSTELLO in the Greek, and Thayer's Lexicon lets us know that this word means more than simply "sent forth" but 'suggests official or authoritative sending'. The apostle Paul uses this same word to describe his call from the Lord to be an apostle. "Depart, for I will send (EXAPOSTELLO) thee far hence to the Gentiles." Acts 22:21 Who brought Paul down to Caesarea and set him on a ship to Tarsus in an official or authoritative manner? It was the church of Damascus, the "brethren", who sent Paul away to his home-town as soon as they heard of the plots against him. We meet EXAPOSTELLO again in relation to another "minister", Barnabas, soon after. When the church of Jerusalem learned that a great number of people had been converted at Antioch "they sent forth (EXAPOSTELLO) Barnabas that he should go as far as Antioch." Acts 11;22 Later, after Barnabas had found Paul in Tarsus and brought him down to Antioch, the church took a collection to aid "the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul." As this collection grew, the churches in Greece chose someone to accompany Paul to assist in that service. Paul describes this person as "chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace." II Cor. 8:19 "Chosen" in this verse is CHEIROTONEO, meaning, literally, "to vote by a show of hands". Whether or not the churches actually voted is not clear, but the use of this word indicates Paul's eagerness to describe this individual as overwhelmingly approved by the churches. "But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. And then immediately the brethren sent away (EXAPOSTELLO) Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still." Acts 17:13-14 It is evident in these few examples that the churches of the Book of Acts exercised an authority over its "ministers" that no Pentecostal "minister" would submit to today. No "minister" would think of serving as "delivery boy" for any church, as Paul and Barnabas did for the church of Antioch. No "minister" would dream of lowering himself to such a place where he could be sent anywhere by the authority of the "laity". And no one could ever be chosen into the "ministry" by the approval of the churches as the individual Paul mentions above clearly was. Why? Because Pentecostal "ministers" have no desire to be the servants of the church; they prefer to be its "masters" instead. "And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. And being brought on their way be the church .... " Acts 15;1-3 After the circumcision doctrine began to trouble the churches, the brethren decided to send Paul, Barnabas, and "certain others of themselves" to Jerusalem to determine the judgement of the apostles and elders. How strange that the "laity" was ever able to dictate to its
"ministers" in such a way as this! How much more II - A "PASTOR" IS NOT A DICTATOR In the twelfth chapter of first Corinthians, Paul enumerates the different spiritual gifts, given by no means to any individual or group in the church but rather "to one... to another... to another" and "to another". He then goes on to explain that while the body "hath many members" it is yet one body. "Nay" says Paul,"much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble (ASTHENES) are necessary; And those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, upon those we bestow more abundant honour". I Cor. 12:22-23 ASTHENES in the verse above means "weak" or "helpless" and we shall hear more of this word as we proceed. Why is it that the "feeble" members of the body should not only be indispensable but worthy of "more abundant honour"? "That there should be no schism (division) in the body; but that
the members should have the same care for What Paul teaches in the twelfth chapter of first Corinthians is incompatible with Pentecostalism for the body is split quite in two, the "clergy" constituting the upper caste and the "laity" the lower. If any "honour" is to be given it goes to the "minister" who not only feels that his "office" entitles him to it but fully expects all the honour the church has to give. "Unless you learn to respect the position of the ministry", he asserts, "you'll never make it to heaven." And the kind of "position" he speaks of is not in any way one of service or bondage to the church but rather one of power, exaltation and authority, a position so sacrosanct that so much as questioning it brings condemnation. Yet it is this very "position" that has brought about the kind of division in the body that the Bible so clearly teaches against, and disqualifies Pentecostalism from truly being "apostolic". After establishing that there is to be no division in the body, Paul concludes the chapter by describing the kinds of members which comprise the body of Christ. "First" , "secondarily" and "thirdly" Paul enumerates the most important members of the body, apostles, prophets and teachers. These positions are the most fundamental to the church for they exclusively entail the "administration of the Word" both to the world, as with apostles, and to the church, as with prophets and teachers. The whole "household of God", Paul teaches, is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone". "After that" come the rest, of which Paul mentions certain spiritual gifts, "miracles", "healings" and "diversities of tongues", as well as "helps" and "governments". "Helps", literally "giving assistance", was an important part of the church of the New Testament, though like apostles, prophets and teachers it is extinct in Pentecostalism for reasons which shall become clear as we proceed. This ministry consisted of assistance to the ASTHENES of the church, the poor, the weak, the outcast. The household of Stephanas, the first converts of Corinth, performed this service in the church, and Paul speaks of them as follows:
Perhaps in this we can begin to see what kind of people true ministers are, and just what constitutes the biblical "ministry". It was only on the basis of the "ministry" which the house of Stephanas rendered that any submission was due from the church rather than on the basis of an authority that is based on self-exaltation. Similarly, the apostle Paul deserved the respect of the churches not because of any "flattering title" or because he demanded or expected it in any way, but because of his service as an apostle; the labour, working with his own hands, the hardships, the beatings, the journeys, the perils, the fastings, all endured for what reason? "For that which cometh upon me daily" says Paul, "the care of all the churches." II Cor. 11:28 And this is why Paul so willingly endured such things, not to receive the churches' care, but because of his care for the churches, not in order to exalt himself before the churches, but because the churches were of such exalted importance to him. There is another service Paul mentions after "helps", that of "governments". "Governments" is from the Greek KUBERNESIS; Paul is speaking metaphorically,for this word refers to the task of steering or guiding a ship, and so is to be taken as meaning "giving guidance or direction". We meet this word's counterpart in the following verse; "And he gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists;
and some pastors and teachers" The word "pastors" occurs only this once in the Bible in the metaphorical sense in which Paul uses it, for the word is POIMEN in the Greek, meaning simply "shepherds". "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Acts 20:28 In the above verse Paul is speaking to the "elders of the church" [Acts 20;17] of Ephesus, reminding them to "feed the church of God" and calling them "overseers". The word "feed" in this verse is from POIMAINO, the verbal form of POIMEN, meaning "to shepherd". "Overseers" is from the Greek EPISKOPOS, meaning " "guardian" or "caretaker", literally "one who watches over". This word occurs several times again in the New Testament as "bishop". "Elders" is itself a word that occurs several times in both the Old and New Testaments, and here it is from the Greek PRESBUTEROS. W.E.Vine speaks of the relationship of PRESBUTEROS to EPISKOPOS as follows; "PRESBUTEROS, an elder, is another term for the same person as bishop or overseer". The former term, we are told, refers to the spiritual maturity of one who is well-seasoned in the faith, and the latter to the work of the elders, that of "watching over" the church as shepherds watch over their flocks. "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder,...Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being an example to the flock." I Peter 5;1-3 The phrase "taking the oversight" in the verse above, is from the Greek EPISKOPEO, which is simply the verb form of EPISKOPOS, and means "to watch over". "Taking" anything is in no way implied in Peter's words, rather fulfilling a duty of care and responsibility to the church is what EPISKOPEO expresses. Like Paul, Peter reminds the elders, as an elder himself, to "feed" or POIMAINO the "flock of God". POIMAINO, as we have seen, means literally, "to shepherd" and connotates "to tend" or "to care for", taking into its scope all that a shepherd does in tending his sheep far beyond simply "feeding" them. It implies a thorough care and concern, and in the Greek of New Testament times, the word could be taken to mean "to cherish". A verse in the epistle of Jude will perhaps shed more light on the meaning of POIMAINO. Jude warns the church against false Christians who are "spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear". [Jude v.12] "Feeding" in this verse is again POIMAINO, and Jude is expressing in this word how such people "tend" or "care for" no one but themselves. Clearly, using the word "pastor" and the word "pastoring" to convey a position of authoritarian rule, one of doling out commands and orders, is entirely contrary to the very meaning of the words. We shall learn more of just what biblical "guidance" and "shepherding" entail as we proceed. But before we can go farther in defining the biblical work of the elders, one point must first be made very clear. The belief that one individual called the "pastor" holds the position of foremost authority over the church is not in any way founded on the Word of God, and is contrary to the teachings of the Bible. In the light of the scriptures, no church which is "pastored" by one man can call itself "biblical" or "apostolic" except in purest hypocrisy. The kind of "governments" the apostles instituted consisted of a plurality of elders in each church, none of whom had anything to do with the kind of power which Pentecostal "pastors" hold over "their" churches today. Except for one notable exception, as we shall see, no individual ever "shepherded" any church of the New Testament. "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things which are lacking, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee... For a bishop must be blameless..." Titus 1:5&7 "And when they had ordained elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed." Acts 14;23 [In the Greek, the word "ordained" is CHEIROTONEO. It is beyond the author's scope to cover the ramifications of the use of this word in this instance, however.] These verses make it clear that a number of elders "governed" the churches of the Book of Acts. Even the verses quoted previously, where Paul addresses the "elders of the church" of Ephesus and where Peter addresses "the elders which are among you" bear this out. The verses from Titus, taken in context, should make it clearer that the terms "elder" and "bishop" are interchangeable. All elders were "pastors"; it was their responsibility to "give guidance", "watch over", and "tend" to the needs of the congregation. Theirs was a position of respect and not power; the congregation submitted to the elders not because they were lords of the church, but its servants, not because they exercised an authoritarian rule, but in order to expedite their "work of service". This is a far cry indeed from modern Pentecostalism where what is called in theology the "monarchial bishop" has supplanted the government of the elders for a lordly rule that has no precedent in the teachings of the Bible. The form of church order which the apostles instituted has its origins in the example of the Old Testament "church in the wilderness". Even while Israel was in bondage to Egypt, before Moses appeared on the scene, the people of God were governed by elders. When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush he told Moses to "Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, the LORD God.., appeared unto me". [Ex. 3:16] The elders are called "officers" in relation to their work as overseers of the brick-making with which Pharaoh burdened the Israelites, and in the Septuagint, this word is EPISKOPOS. After the deliverance from Egypt, the elders received their place in relation to the law of Moses according to the recommendation of Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, as follows; "Moreover, thou shaft provide out of all the people able men such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands and rulers of fifties and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all seasons;... If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace." Exodus 18;21-23 Moses followed Jethro's advice and later relates to the Israelites how he appointed the elders to the service of the law as judges of the people; "And I spake unto you at that time saying,.. Take you wise men,
and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers
over you. And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken
is good for us to do. So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and
known, and made them heads over you..." Moses charged the people to choose among themselves men of wisdom, understanding and a good reputation so that he could appoint them to serve in the execution of the law. It is noteworthy that the men who Moses put in this position were the choice of the people themselves. The law itself stated that this was to be the way in which elders were to be appointed to serve in the execution of the law from that time on, by the choice of the people. "Judges and officers shaft thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes." Deuteronomy 16:18 Unfortunately, though the rule of the elders as "Judges and officers" of the people was instituted by Moses himself as an essential part of the execution of the law, this system of government did not endure for long. The elders served in this capacity until the time of Samuel when the scripture relates the following; "Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways; now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." I Samuel 8;4-5 The elders were not content with God's plan for themselves but desired instead to be "like all the nations" about them, nations that were not the people of God as they were. They loved the ways of man more than the will of God, and so desired a king. "But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord, And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them," I Samuel 8:6-9
"And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked him of a king." [I Sam.8:10] Samuel described how their king would take their sons and daughters for servants, the best of their land, a tenth of their seed and vineyards, and a tenth of their sheep, "and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you and the LORD will not hear you in that day." [I Sam. 8:18] So the king who the Israelites wanted was to make them his servants as he pleased, and make them serve so rigorously they would cry out in despair. And though the Israelites were delivered from the Egyptian bondage when they cried to the Lord "and their cry came up to God by reason of their bondage", yet God warned that he would not so much as hear then when they cried to him because of the bondage their king would bring upon them. "Your wickedness is great,"said Samuel,"which ye have done in the sight of the Lord in desiring a king." [I Sam. 12:17] "And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not; for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king." [I Sam. 12:19] All of this relates very closely to New Testament church order, both in relation to Moses' institution of the government of the elders and in the Israelites rejection of God's plan, and indeed, of the Lord himself, in their desire for a king. At the very birth of the New Testament church we find the disciples selling their possessions, and giving the proceeds "to all men, as every man had need." [Acts 2;45] They "brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet, and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." Acts 4;35 Later, we learn that the number of disciples had grown so large that the apostles, who as true "ministers" cared for the needy with the monies they were entrusted with, were no longer able to keep up with this service and found themselves with no time left for the work to which the Lord had first called them, the preaching of the gospel. This directly parallels the instance in which Moses was unable to bear the burden of the Israel alone. What the apostles then did makes the parallel even clearer. The striking similarity between the verses quoted above and Deuteronomy 11:13-15, quoted previously, is more than coincidental. It reveals the consistent plan of God for his people. Where Moses had appointed elders who were chosen by the people themselves to serve in the execution of the law as judges, so the apostles charged the brethren to find among themselves men who were worthy to serve in the "ministration", the DIAKONIA, to the needy. So "governments" consisted of a number of elders both in the Old and New Testaments, but while those of the Old executed the "ministry of condemnation" [II Cor. 3:9] as judges, those of the New executed a "ministry of righteousness" as servants, DIAKONOS of the church. These seven men were the first "ministers" after the apostles, chosen to care for the "feeble members" of the church. One of these appointees, Stephen, holds the honor of being the first Christian martyr. Despite all this, Pentecostalism knows nothing of the kind of church order which the apostles instituted or the kind of "ministers" which the New Testament exemplifies. It has chosen instead a "King", the monarchial bishop, who holds all power and lordship over the church and whose rule effectively excludes Jesus from his place as Lord, King, Master and Head of the church, exactly as the Israelites desire for an earthly King meant the rejection of the Lord himself as their King. Rather than serving the needs of the church, as the "ministers" of the New Testament so clearly did, the "pastor" is free to demand the church's service instead. The church's time, its money, its energies are all at the disposal of the monarchial bishop to use entirely as he sees fit, no matter how much hardship it may cause the members of the church. Is this not the kind of "King" which Samuel warned the Israelites about? Nothing like what occurred in the Book of Acts, as what was quoted above, could ever take place in Pentecostalism today. No "minister" could ever be chosen by the church; indeed, Pentecostal "ministers" freely boast that the "laity" has no voice whatsoever in anything they do. IV - MORE RULES DOES NOT EQUAL HOLINESS Not content with the position of power which he has usurped the Kingship of Christ in the church to obtain, the monarchial bishop desires to be both "lawgiver" and "mediator" as well. He has fashioned himself as another Moses, flaunting himself as the very representative of God to the congregation, and establishing his every dictum and precept as law. The church is to submit to his "Mosaic authority" out of respect for his absolute power or face threats of the condemnation of Korah, Nathan and Abiram. What has the Bible to say of this? We have already seen that the likening of "the ministry" to the levitical priesthood is against the teachings of the Bible. But what of the likening of the position of the monarchial bishop to that of Moses? In New Testament Christianity, who holds the position which Moses typified? The answers to these questions are very clear. Nowhere in the Bible is Moses given as the example or type of elders, bishops, "pastors" or any other such position in the church. Instead, Moses, the mediator of the Old Covenant, is unquestionably the type of Jesus Christ, the mediator of the New, and no other person or position in the Bible fulfills the example of Moses but Jesus. This is a fundamental doctrine of Christianity. Moses makes this indisputable in his own words when he says "the LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like 5 unto me; unto him ye shall hearken." Deut.18:15 "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world." John 6:14 "Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet." John 7:40 Clearly, the people who heard the words and saw the works of Jesus were immediately conscious that he was the fulfillment of the promised Prophet that would be "like unto" Moses. This is the primary way in which Jesus fulfilled the type of Moses; whereas Moses established the commandments of the Old Covenant, and all who disobeyed were punished, so Jesus established the commandments of "a new and better covenant", and God himself will punish all who refuse to hear it. Whereas Moses' commandments were written in "tables of stone" [II Cor. 3:3] by the finger of God, Jesus' commandments are written in the hearts of men by the Holy Ghost. Clearly, then, the position which Moses held in the "church in the wilderness" is the position which Jesus Christ himself ought to hold through the Holy Ghost in the church. But Jesus no longer holds this position in the Pentecostal Church for the "pastor" has become the "lawgiver" and "Prophet" with a capital "P". His every dictum is divine ordinance, his very words constitute the "word of God" and all that he forbids, whether it entails using, abusing or ignoring the Bible, is automatically sin. "The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat", said Jesus, and it is this same position that the monarchial bishop has distorted the truth to obtain. And what of Korah, Dathan and Abiram? "And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: where for then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? And when Moses heard it he fell on his face..." Numbers 16;3-4 What Korah and his followers were after is clear. Jealous of the position of Moses as mediator of the Covenant and of Aaron as High Priest, these men desired power and exaltation rather than the work of service to which they had been called as Levites, and so attempted to depose Moses and Aaron to obtain that power. And because these men sought a position that God had never given them, a position reserved for Christ alone, their condemnation was inevitable. Miriam and Aaron made somewhat of the same mistake. "And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us?" Numbers 12;2 Ignorant of all this, the Pentecostal "pastor" has gone so far as to codify his commandments in what is called a "holiness standard". Because he has succeeded where Korah, Miriam and Aaron failed, the monarchial bishop is free to establish according to his dictates every detail of "his" church's convictions as to what is right and what is wrong. Everything from beards to colored shirts on men, from braids to zippered dresses on women, everything from watches to wedding rings, no matter how pointless, no matter how trivial, if the "pastor" forbids it it is sin, and all who dare indulge in such taboos are guilty of "rebelling against divine authority". "And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heavens and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:18-19 Somehow or another, Pentecostal "pastors" find New Testament substantiation for their practice of "law-giving" in the verses, above. But Jesus is speaking to no one but Peter exclusively here and there is no hint that "binding" and "loosing" in any way refers to determining what does or does not constitute sin. Indeed, if this were the case then this right belongs to the church as a whole as well, for we find the same words but two chapters later, clearly referring to the church. "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heavens and whatsoever shall be loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them..." Matthew 18;18-19 The context of Jesus' words above, in fact, is the "disfellowshipping" of a brother who persists in sin. "If he neglect to hear the church" says Jesus, then he is to be regarded as a sinner. The church, of course, has no such power in Pentecostalism. "Disfellowshipping" is the exclusive privilege of "the ministry", reserved for all who refuse to submit to their "Mosaic authority". There is absolutely no precedent for anything like a "holiness standard" in the New Testament, and its very existence violates some of the most fundamental principles of Christianity. The only thing that even approximates a "holiness standard" is found in the letter sent out from the "apostles and elders" of Jerusalem to the Gentile believers in Christ, described in the fifteenth chapter of Acts. Yet this letter was drawn up not to burden the churches with precepts and commandments but in order to exempt them from such things, not to subject the churches to men who sat in "Moses' seat" but to free them from such people. In the first verse of the fifteenth chapter of Acts we learn that certain Jewish converts began teaching Gentile converts that they must submit not only to all the laws of Moses but to circumcision as well. Paul and Barnabas disagreed so strongly that the church, as we have seen, decided to send the two apostles, and others with them, "up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question". Acts 15;2 This is the first instance of doctrinal division in the church. The one party, the "pharisaical party", insisting, that the church could not be saved without submitting to the rules and regulations which they promulgated, while the other party, headed by Paul and Barnabas, insisted that submission to such laws defeated the very grace of God. As soon as the envoys sent be the Antioch church arrived in Jerusalem "they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them." [Acts 15;4] This happy meeting was brought back to earth when the members of the "pharisaical party" stood up and insisted "That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." [Acts 15:5] After much discussion among the apostles and elder, Peter stood up and said; "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they." Acts 15;10-11 James settled the issue with the words; "Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood." Acts 15:19-20 The Gentile Christians, meanwhile, were perhaps apprehensive as to the outcome of this Council. Would they be required to submit to the myriad precepts of the Mosaic law? Doubtlessly they feared that, were they required to do so, they would eventually find themselves as self-righteous and pharisaical and entangled in legalistic quibbles as the law-keeping Jews were so well-known to be. But the apostles had no desire to "trouble" the disciples with rules and regulations, even those of the law of Moses. "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well." Acts 15:28-29 No threats of "disfellowship" were to be found in this letter, no decree of "stricter standards", no call for obedience to "apostolic authority". The writing was so agreeable to the church of Antioch that "when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation." Acts 15;31 Despite all this, Pentecostals are deceived into feeling that the more laws and commandments the "pastor" decrees, the more "apostolic" their church is, when in fact the opposite is the case. At the same time, the "pastor" feels that "his" church would immediately take to the ways of the world like a fish to water were it not for his strict forbiddance of movies, television, dancing, smoking, drinking, etc. etc. What a truly "Apostolic Church"! The letter sent out by the Jerusalem "Council" was by no means some absolute decree from which nothing could later be deleted. It is clear that as Christianity become an increasingly non-Jewish religion the Council's proscription of "blood" and "things strangled" became a dead letter. Although we are reminded repeatedly in the epistles of the need to refrain from sexual immorality and idolatry all precepts pertaining to food, Paul assures us, are pointless. How sad that the apostle Paul should fall from "the Standard"! This is the only real "commandment" of Christianity, the only law that the Prophet who fulfilled the type of Moses decreed; "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." [John 15:12] Despite the Pentecostal disdain for it, this commandment of love and love alone brings the righteousness that the keeping of the laws of men could never, and will never, attain. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weakthrough the flesh", [Rom. 8:3] says the apostle, "God sending his own Son... condemned sin in the flesh:" For what reason? "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom. 8;4 When all the "conviction" a church has as to proper Christian conduct is that which is dictated by the monarchial bishop, then it has no convictions at all, only the illusion of "conviction". Observing the laws and commandments of any man, whether Moses or monarchial bishop, can never establish within the hearts of men the kind of holiness and purity that God desires of his people. Rather, true holiness is that which the Spirit of God alone can establish in the heart of each believer, and Jeremiah considers this to be the most important part of the "New Covenant"; "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts and will be their God, and they shall be my people." Jeremiah 31;33 True "holiness" is not the subservience to the dictum of any man, but the imitation of Jesus, as the very word "Christian" means; "Christ-like". "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation," says Peter, [ I Peter 1:15] "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." There is much more that remains to be said as to the biblical way of true holiness and conformity to the example of Christ but to go on would take us too far afield. So much of the New Testament is devoted to this subject that to discuss it would be superfluous. In order to see just how the commandments of men can make a mockery of the teachings of the Bible, let us briefly examine but one of the typical precepts of the "holiness standard". [It should be noted that finding biblical grounds for "the standard" in such King James verses as Isaiah 49;22,59;19 & 62;10, Jeremiah 50;2, etc. Is patently ridiculous.] "...every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishounoureth her heads for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered ...Doth not nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her for her hair is given her for a covering." I Corinthians 11;5-6,14-15 Although the proper wording of the words above is still a matter of debate, the meaning is nevertheless clear. The apostle explains that a woman's hair should be long in order to provide a "covering". Literally, this word means "mantle" or "cloak", referring to any garment that requires wrapping about the body. The use of this word signifies that a woman's hair ought to be long enough to serve as a kind of garment, covering not only her head but her shoulders as well. This point is strengthened by Paul's use of the word KATAKALUPTO in verses 5 (where "uncovered" is AKATAKALUPTO), 6 and 7, translated as "covered". This word means more than simply "covered", as something atop the head like a hat, but the use of the prefix KATA denotes both thoroughness, as "thoroughly covered", and (especially in light of Paul's use of KATA in verse four) length, as "something falling down the head". This is how "nature" has ordered the length of a woman's hair; it is to be long enough to serve as a kind of "garment", modest ly falling down from and veiling her head, symbolic of her submission both to her husband (v.5&7) and to God (v.10). And what has the Pentecostal love for the commandments of men made of
this simple truth? A complete shambles. Ignoring Paul's teaching in the
matter, "the ministry" has seized the opportunity to make so
much as cutting a split end a damnable sin. On what basis? Not at all
on the basis of the Bible, but rather on the basis of the "Mosaic
authority" which the "pastor" claims to hold so that he
may freely ladle out eternal damnation on whatever pretext he pleases.
And Paul's teaching concerning hair-length simply provides that pretext,
allowing the "pastor" to be more "apostolic" than
the apostle ever desired to be. Paul nowhere so much as mentions sin in
his teaching concerning hair length; and would never have dared to, for
the law is completely silent in the matter. In making so much as cutting
a woman's hair a sin, Pentecostal "pastors" are confident that
they have decreed a divinely revealed ordinance and established an exclusive
"holiness" that other churches are too sinful to attain. Yet
they have defeated the very purpose of having that hair long by further
requiring that, at least at church meetings, women must wear their long
hair stiffly piled atop their heads. What does Paul say of this? "Every
woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered (AKATAKALUPTOS)
dishonoureth her head; FOR THAT IS EVEN ALL ONE AS IF SHE WERE SHAVEN."
"Thus ye have made the commandment of God of none effect by your
tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did VI - THE MODEL FOR A CHURCH LEADER "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against
the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot
do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not
under the law." "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Romans 8 :12-14 According to the Bible, what qualifies the Christian to be a Son of God is not the receiving of the Spirit, which is only an initial step, but following the leadership of that Spirit. There is no room for equivocation in the apostle's words; the leadership which the Christian must follow in order to live righteously is that of the Spirit and not of some individual who feels entitled to dictate to others what he feels is the leading of God. The Pentecostal monarchial bishop, however, has made it clear that he has no intention of allowing the church to follow the leading of the Holy Ghost which each member has received, certain that utter chaos would result. Yet at the same time it is only the regulations of the organizational hierarchy which the rule of the monarchial bishop has necessitated that prevents the complete dissolution of the Pentecostal churches as each follows its "pastor". The pillar of fire and of cloud, the perfect type of the Holy Spirit, led all the Israelites together in one direction, as the Spirit would lead the churches were it not for "pastors" who have usurped the position of leadership which belongs to Christ alone. Despite the claims of the Pentecostal "pastor" that his position of Absolute leadership is patterned after Moses, the Bible never depicts Moses as the leader of the children of Israel as they traveled through the wilderness. Rather, the Bible is careful to make it very clear that it was God himself who personally led the Israelites from Egyptian bondage to the promised land, "But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea." Exodus 13;18 But did not God use Moses to lead the people, thereby giving "pastors" an example to fashion themselves after? Not at all. "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, not the pillar of fire by night, from before the people." Exodus 13;21-22 "Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys." Exodus 40;34-38 Clearly the "pillar of the cloud" and the "pillar of the fire" represent the Holy Ghost, the true leader of the people of God. All must follow that pillar in order to safely reach the promised land. It is obvious that Moses himself followed the cloud with the people, and had he ever even endeavoured to lead the people instead he would have been guilty of usurping the leadership which God was manifesting so miraculously. How then does the Bible depict Moses, if not as some "exalted leader" of the people? "And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant (DIAKONOS) for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after." Hebrews 3;5 This is true "greatness" in the eyes of God, not the exaltation of oneself over the church but rather the opposite, the humbling of oneself to be the servant, the bond-man of the people of God. But does not the apostle Paul exhort the churches to "be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ"? [I Cor. 11:1] Indeed he does, but only in the King James Version. "Followers" in this verse is from the Greek MIMETES, meaning strictly "imitators" and not "followers". What Paul is saying, literally, is " be imitators of me inasmuch as I am of Christ". So it is in all such cases, as in "and ye became followers of us, and of the Lord" [I Thess. 1:6) and "For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God", etc. [I Thess. 2:14] The kind of "following" Jesus wants from his people is true following; that of hearing his voice through the Spirit, and following his leading. In the verse above, this word is AKOLOUTHEO, a word which occurs many times in the gospels, most importantly in the following verses; "But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers." John 10;2-5 Drunk with the power he has robbed from Christ, the Pentecostal "pastor" feels fully entitled to apply the above verses to himself exclusively. Caring nothing for the kind of "pastoring" which the Bible teaches, that of tending and caring for the needs of the church, he holds instead a position of power and exaltation which he has deposed Christ himself in order to attain. He claims he is faithfully following the example of Moses, when Moses never held or desired such a position. It is not possible that the true authority and power of God can be manifested in men who love power and self-exaltation. God placed Moses in his position not because he was a "born leader", not because he was a great speaker, not because he had a powerful personality or a strong will, but rather the opposite; God chose Moses because "the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth." [Numb.12;3] And because of this important trait, God knew that Moses would never seek power for himself, as Korah and his followers did, and so supplant the leadership of God. This is how it has always been, and will always be with God. Jesus himself impressed true "pastoral authority" upon Paul with the words, "My strength is made perfect in weakness". [II Cor. 12:9 ] And Paul wholeheartedly put Jesus' words to him into practice, even if it meant losing esteem in the eyes of the Corinthian church. "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sakes for when I am weak, then am I strong." II Cor. 12;10 This is the work of the "Chief Shepherd" Jesus Christ, that of leading: the sheep, and he alone holds that position in true Christianity. Jesus teaches Peter the kind of work which "pastors" are to accomplish in the following verses; "He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? ...And he said unto him, Lord thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." John 21 ;15-17 The first and third "feed" in the verses above is BOSKO, referring to the foddering of farm animals, while the second is POIMAINO, meaning, as we have seen, " to tend" or "care for", referring to the care of sheep. Nowhere does "lead" figure in here or anywhere else, for it is the place of Jesus to lead the church, through his Spirit, exactly as he led the Israelites through the wilderness. And what word does Peter use when reminding the elders of their responsibility to the church? "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed (POKAINO) the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." I Peter 5;1-3 The phrase "being lords over" originates in the word KATAKURIEUO, meaning "to lord it over", and we meet the word again in the following verses; "But Jesus called them unto him and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over (KATAKURIEUO) them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (DIAKONOS); And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant (DOULOS)." Matthew 20;25-27 It is very clear both in the words of Peter and in those of Jesus himself that the kind of "pastoral authority" that is so freely flaunted today is not only without any scriptural precedent, but goes directly against the teachings of the Bible. Willfully ignorant of all this, the monarchial bishop has become Lord of the church, and all that the church does is at his command, under his absolute control and no man dares so much as question his authority. All the church's motivation, its direction, its works, its efforts, its goals, are in total subjection to the "pastor", as he fully expects it to be. Can this even be called Christianity? Is it not simply cultism instead of exactly the same spirit as every pseudo-Christian cult that infects the world today? Biblical Christianity entitles no one to dominate the church, rather it inspires men to "submit yourselves one to another in the fear of God" and "by love serve one another". How can a church possibly please God when all that it does is the result, not of individual desire to do good works expressed collectively, as it was with the church of the Bible, but of empty subjection to the monarchial bishop, who holds a position never instituted by God, and compels the church to follow his orders "with one accord"? Pentecostalism has become a. mere puppet-show, the "pastor" at the strings, looking so active and alive when it is in fact dead. And even though the world may be fooled by the show, God is not. "Obey them that have the rule over you", [Heb.13;17] orders
the monarchial bishop, referring to himself exclus ively Certainly this verse may seem to contradict all that the Bible teaches concerning true "pastoring", but in reality it does not. First, the writer of Hebrews does not exhort his readers to "obey him", as though referring to the "pastor", but to "obey them", referring, of course, to the elders of the church. This alone excludes the monarchial bishop from exploiting this verse as in any way referring to himself. The phrase "them that have the rule over you" entirely misses the intent of the writer of this epistle, any kind of active "rule" is not at all what he wished to convey. This phrase is from the Greek HEGEOMAI, meaning "to be chief" or "foremost". We meet this word again when Jesus says "But he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief HEGEOMAI), as he that doth serve." Luke 22;26 Much is to be learned even from what is translated "obey" in this verse. The word is PEITHO, meaning not "to obey" but "to manifest faith" or "display confidence". Obedience is only suggested by this word, "not by submission to authority", says W.E. Vine, "but resulting from persuasion". This word is used frequently in the King James Version as "to trust", appearing in the same voice in the very next verse: "For we trust (PEITHO) we have a good conscience". Heb. 13:18 Perhaps it will now become apparent why Pentecostal "ministers" insist upon the use of the King James version despite the fact that it is well known to be the most corrupt and inaccurate version available today. Having explored some of the abuses which the monarchial bishopry has brought about, there remains the questions Where did the monarchial system or? since neither the Bible nor the apostles themselves instituted it, and what are the reasons for its inception into Christianity? The answers to these questions are all too clear, as we shall see. VII - MONARCHIAL BISHOP UNBIBLICAL In verse ten of the second book of John, the elder warns the church against heretics with the following words; "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed." The third book of John, however, is not written to the church but rather to John's friend Gaius. Why? "I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church." III John 9-10 The brethren who had delivered the previous letter from John found themselves victim of the treatment reserved for heretics, and not only so, but whoever dared receive them found themselves cast out of the church. By whom and for what reason? By Diotrephes "who loveth to have the preeminence among them." Diotrephes is the first known example of a monarchial bishop, and all the evils inherent in that status reveal themselves in him. In his love for vainglory he not only prevented the church from accepting the "brethren", but he freely prated against John as well "with malicious words." That Diotrephes held absolute power over the church is clear, and he used that power to discredit any who would dare affront it. Nowhere is there any hint that Diotrephes erred in doctrinal matters, and he doubtlessly could never have achieved his position if he had, yet of his actions the elder writes; "Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God." [III John, 11] What induced Diotrephes to usurp total control of the church is summed up in one words PHILOPROTEUO, the composite of PHILOS, "loving", and PROTEUO, "to be in first place". That Diotrephes' love of preeminence entailed the supplanting of Jesus himself in the church is clear the only other time the word PROTEUO appears in the Bible is in the following verse; "And he is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence (PROTEUO)." Colossians 1;18 What Diotrephes lusted for and won over the church was the position of "preeminence", PROTEUO, (the use of this word in both instances is no coincidence) that Jesus alone rightfully holds as the true head of the body, the same position that Korah desired and attempted to discredit Moses to obtain. The parallel is all too clear. Whether or not Diotrephes' church appointed him to his position we do not know, but the very idea of his kingly rule was as distasteful to John as it was to Samuel, and it is clear that the elder fully intended to set things straight with a personal visit. Whether or not John succeeded in restoring proper church order in this instance we do not know, but history reveals that many more Diotrephes soon usurped power over the churches until eventually all church "government" fell entirely into the hands of the "monarchial bishopry". We have much to learn from "pastor Diotrephes". The New Testament deals often with PHILOPROTEUO, the love of prestige, the desire for power, the lust for vainglory. It is a disease that was endemic from the very birth of the church, and even the original twelve fought over who was the "greatest". More than anything else it was PHILOPROTEUO brought about the change from the simple institution of elders in the churches to the great power of the pope. Paul himself dealt with this problem in his letters to the Corinthian church. "For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you in the face." II Corinthians 11:19-20 A clearer description of the actions of those who love preeminence could hardly have been given. It was not by any means their spirituality that brought the Corinthian church into bondage to a man, allowing that man to exalt himself over them, and forcing Paul to commend himself as well, despite his obvious distaste for it. The apostle was indeed of a "different spirit" than such men, whom he labels "false apostles, deceitful workers", for he preferred to abase himself before the church rather than exalting himself, so that the church might be exalted instead. "Ye have reigned as kings without us", writes Paul to the Corinthians. But would to God that "the ministry" would reign instead? How unlike our "ministers" Paul is! "And I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you". I Cor. 4:8 "For ye are yet carnal", writes Paul to the Corinthians. Why? Because the women cut their split ends or the men wore beards, as they all doubtlessly did, being Greeks? Not at all. Although Paul almost single-handedly founded the Corinthian church, he had no desire for any kind of "following", knowing that such idolizing caused only division and a "party spirit" between the disciples and led the people away from Christ, .. "For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal?" I Corinthians 4;3 This is carnality, the holding of one's allegiance to a man rather than to Christ, for "carnal christians" always find it easier to hold to a man than to follow Christ, and it is upon this weakness that the wolves Jesus warned of find easy prey. The first example of the teaching that only one individual holds the bishopry in each church is to be found in the writings of Ignatius, himself the monarchial bishop of the church of Antioch at the beginning of the second century. Whereas EPISKOPOS and PRESBUTEROS were used interchangeably in the Bible., as we have seen, Ignatius separated the terms in order to accommodate the system he advocated. "For it is right that each of you", he writes the Trallian church, "and especially the elders (PRESBUTEROS) should refresh the bishop (EPISKOPOS) to the honor of the Father, of Jesus Christ, and of the apostles." "It is good to know God and the bishop," he writes the church of Smyrna, "He who honours the bishop has been honoured by God; he who does anything without the knowledge of the bishop is serving the devil." "See that you follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father, Let no one do any of the things pertaining to the church without the bishop, or by one whom he appoints. Wherever the bishop appears let the congregation be present, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic church. It is not lawful either to baptize or to hold a feast of charity (AGAPE) without the bishop; but whatever he approves is also pleasing to God, that everything which you do may be secure and valid." Ignatius' writings had considerable impact on the church of his time, particularly the words quoted above, where the churches as a whole are described as "Catholic", the first time this word appears in any Christian writing. The term, obviously, later became very popular. It was because the monarchial bishopry excluded Jesus as head of the individual, local churches that Ignatius described Christ as holding power over the Catholic or "universal" church instead. So it was due to Ignatius' promulgation of the monarchial bishopry that Roman Catholicism found its namesake and Christianity became an "organized" religion, structured according to the ways of men and not of God. In the paragraph quoted above, Ignatius insists, as he constantly does in all his letters [with the sole exception of his letter to the church of Rome, which at the time was still "pastured" by a plurality of elders], that the monarchial bishop must hold absolute power over the church; all that is done must be subject to his approval, any authority in the church is entirely at his appointment and under his control, and all that the church professes and believes is to be set by his dictum. This teaching is nowhere to be found in the Bible, of course, nor in any Christian writings up to Ignatius' time. Ignatius, however, was a most vehement preacher of the monarchial system, and it was not long until nearly all Christian churches abandoned the apostolic "overseership" of the elders for the system he proclaimed. It is this very system, perpetuated for hundreds of years by false doctrine and passed down from Roman Catholicism that holds Pentecostalism in its grip today. Only a church that prefers the Word of God to the ways of men will ever break loose from that system, free itself from the traditions of men, and reap the blessings of true "apostolic" Christianity. What excuse did Ignatius have for the institution of the monarchial system that it should find acceptance in nearly all the churches of his time? It was primarily due to the attraction of the ever-multiplying number of heresies that Ignatius insisted on the monarchial form of church government. If all doctrine originated in one person in each church, then all members could be expected to conform to that person's teachings, and any disagreement with the "pastor" would automatically constitute heresy. This would end, supposedly, the divisions that were threatening to dissolve Christianity and impose a nicely unified facade before a still pagan world, and it was for this reason more than any other that the churches complied. Besides ignoring the fact that the monarchial bishopry was never condoned by the apostles, the Church of Ignatius' time had forgotten the warning which Paul gave the elders of the church of Ephesus; "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20;29-30 In these verses, Paul is not speaking to "the laity" but to the elders, the bishops of the church of Ephesus, of whom he warns would come men who would willingly distort the truth in order to obtain their own following. Paul's words were well fulfilled in the years that followed as men felt free to wrest scripture in order to "draw away disciples after them" and the divisions and heresies that this PHILOPROEUO spawned nearly destroyed Christianity. And the monarchial system, rather then effecting any cure, worsened the situation, giving men who loved power more than truth license to "lord it over" the churches. It was Diotrephes' love of preeminence that divided "his" church from John and the brethren that were associated with him. And it was the desire for a following that induced the believing Pharisees to compel Gentile converts to conform to their interpretation of the law, an interpretation that was incompatible with true Christianity. When Paul wrote the evangelist Timothy, giving instructions concerning the qualification of bishops (EPISKOPOS) and "deacons" (DIAKONOS), he concludes by sayings "These things write I unto thee .... that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the ... living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." I Tim 3;15 This was perhaps the gravest error of the monarchial system; it robbed the responsibility of upholding the truth from the church as a whole and transferred it to the monarchial bishopry. And rather than strengthening the church, it left the churches weak and helpless, unable to perform their biblical function as the very bulwark and stay of truth, and slave to the false doctrines of power hungry men. "But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1;8-9 It is to "the churches of Galatia" that Paul writes above, warning them that they must reject even an angel, even the apostle himself, anyone who preaches an errant gospel, different from the gospel with which they were initially entrusted. Paul had committed the truth of the gospel, not to other "ministers" in an "apostolic succession", but to the churches as a whole and Paul reminds them of their responsibility to uphold that gospel. Jesus is by no means addressing any "pastor" or "minister" in this verse, but the entire church of Ephesus, through their "angel" [The "angels" of the seven churches, by the very definition of the word, "are not their presbyters or bishops", says Thayers', "but heavenly spirits". To see just how the lust for vainglory can distort this simple truth, see "The Seven Church Ages", by William Marrion Branham.], commending them for trying false apostles and proving them to be liars. Yet because we Pentecostals have been so blinded by the false doctrines of power-hungry men, we can no longer even discern that we are in bondage, slaves to a Diotrephes, a "false apostle" who hides behind the title of "pastor". Ignorant of the elders' words to Gaius, we are blindly following "that which is evil" [III John, 11] and we are being led, not to the promised land, but into the ditch, not by another Moses, but by a Korah. And while the Ephesian church exposed as false the self-exalting claims of men, we are like the Corinthians instead, "suffering" a mere man to freely exalt himself over the church, allowing him to "smite us in the face" so fiercely that no one dares to so much as question the position of power and authority which this man has perverted the word of God to obtain. "Touch not God's anointed", prates the monarchial bishop, referring to himself exclusively in an attempt to frighten the church away from questioning his extorted power. "When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people; He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm." Psalms 105;13-15 The verses above, which the "pastor" distorts to enforce "the position of the ministry" and insure a submissive following, are not speaking of anyone who holds a position of "divine authority" but of the Jewish patriarchs. "Anointed" in the verse above, is in the plural, literally "anointed ones", as the best versions have it. Who, then, are the "anointed ones" of the New Testament? "Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed us is God; Who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." II Corinthians 1:21-22 "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." I John 2;27 Nowhere in the Bible is there any anointing greater than that which the entire church has received from God, the anointing of the Holy Ghost. In the verse from Corinthians quoted above, "anointing" is from the Greek CHRIO, from which the word Christ comes. This is the same "anointing" that the kings, priests, and prophets of the Old Testament received (always CHRIO in the Septuagint), setting them apart from the rest of the people. And this anointing was merely symbolic of the anointing of the Spirit which Jesus purchased with his death for the "royal Priesthood", his church. Not at all content with this, Pentecostal "ministers" have fabricated another "anointing", one that is somehow superior to that of the Holy Ghost, which they flaunt as entitling them to their privileged position in the church. But this "anointing" is based on pure falsehood, with no origin whatsoever in the Bible, and it makes those who claim it for themselves all but "false Christs". Having explored some of the more flagrant abuses of the monarchial bishopry, one final point must be made concerning this unbiblical form of church government before we go on to determine the biblical work of elders in the church. It is that the monarchial system, taught by Ignatius and holding sway over much of Christianity to this day, is directly responsible for the extinction of apostles, prophets and teachers, the most essential and important in Christianity. Adolf VonHarnack, in "The First Three Centuries of Christianity", explains why: "But Hellenizing was hardly the decisive grounds for abolishing the order of teachers in the churches; here, as elsewhere (i.e. as with apostles and prophets) the change was due to the episcopate with its intolerance of any office that would not submit to its strict control and allow itself to be incorporated in the simple and compact organization of the hierarchy headed by the bishop." Von Harnack explains that it was the monarchial bishopry that effectively excluded apostles, prophets and teachers from the churches. How? Like Diotrephes, the monarchial bishop of each church was free to use his position of power to berate and cast out those who, like the apostle John, would not submit to his total control or acknowledge his preeminence. And because it was simply not possible that apostles, prophets and teachers could fulfill their callings from the Lord under these conditions, they eventually disappeared from Christianity altogether. Today, conditions under the Pentecostal monarchial bishop are exactly as they were in the monarchial churches of Ignatius' time and after. As for apostles, any and all "sending" will be done by the "pastor" rather than by God himself. As for prophets, the monarchial bishop is the Prophet with a capital "P", although prophets and bishops are two entirely different positions in the church, and "preaching" and "pastoring" are never equated in the Bible. And as for teachers, as Ignatius insisted, it is the "pastor" who is the source of all that the church believes, the mainstay of the truth, the supposed guardian of the gospel. So while the monarchial bishopry today boasts that its position of power is soundly based on the Bible its very existence has robbed the church of its most essential ministries and of its responsibility to uphold the truth and has destroyed the order which God instituted for the Church . How long will Diotrephes be allowed to rule? VIII - THE SELFLESS LIFE OF A TRUE MINISTER "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" Ephesians 4;11 In this verse, Paul denotes five different positions which are held in the church of the New Testament. The work of apostles, like the lesser but similar work of evangelists, was that of preaching the gospel to the world. "Go ye therefore and teach (literally, 'make disciple of') all nations", said Jesus, "teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Jesus is not speaking to all those who believed in him, but to the Eleven specifically, reaffirming their call to bring the gospel to the world. Where the apostles "laid the foundation", founding churches from city to city, prophets and teachers had the responsibility of instructing and strengthening the churches; the former by the inspiration of the Spirit, the latter on the basis of the scriptures. "He that prophesieth", Paul tells us, "speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation (literally, 'encouragement'), and comfort." While it evidently requires a definite "call" to be an apostle or evangelist, and it requires the gift of prophecy to make one a prophet, the ministry of teaching is open to those who are willing and able to undertake the responsibility of establishing the church in the scriptures. James, however, warns the believers that not many of them should aspire to become teachers, for those who instruct others shall themselves be judged more strictly. As we have already seen, the work of "pastors" is that of "shepherding", caring for and tending the needs of the church, "watching over" it with the care of a shepherd for his sheep; "This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop, then, must be blameless…" I Timothy 3;1-2 In this verse, the phrase "office of a bishop" originates in one word, EPISKOPE, meaning "overseership". The true work of a bishop, an "overseer", is such a duty of care and responsibility that, like that of teachers, it is reserved for all those who are willing to undertake it, provided they meet the requirements which the apostle prescribes. One of these requirements is that the person who aspires to be a bishop, according to the apostle, is that he must be, "One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity: For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?" I Tim.3;5 The King James wording here evokes an image of bishops "ruling" the church with belt in hand, ready to discipline erring members as they would their own children. Yet this is by no means what the apostle wished to express. "Rule" here is from PROISTEMI, "to attend to (indicating care and diligence)" says Vine's, here expressing the responsibility of the head of the house in looking after the needs of his familly. "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and
when he saw him, he had compassion Beside its surface meaning as the Lord's depiction of what it means to "love thy neighbor", this parable has an underlying relevance that the use of the word EPIMELEOMAI brings out. It is the same selfless, compassionate care as that which the good Samaritan showed the man who fell among thieves that the bishops, or "overseers" are to manifest toward the church. As the apostle makes clear, this is the kind of "feeding" or shepherding that is required of all true "pastors". When Peter addresses the elders specifically in his epistle (I Peter 5:1-4), charging them to "feed (POIMAINO) the flock of God", he tells them just how to go about that shepherding in order to be worthy of "a crown of glory" from the "chief Shepherd". They are to exercise their duty of "watching over" the church "not by constraint, but willingly", not lording it over and domineering the church, but rather to serve as an example for others to follow. There is another important facet of Peter's charge to the elders; it is that their "pastoring" must not be done "for filthy lucre", meaning, of course, monetary gain, "but of a ready mind". Contrary to the teachings of "the ministry", God never ordained that the work of "pastors" be a paying position or any kind of profession. Of the five positions Paul denotes in Ephesians, it is only those who fulfill a calling to preach the gospel to the world, apostles and evangelists, that are in any way entitled to the support of the church financially. As the apostle writes; "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." I Corinthians 9:14 "Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought", Paul reminds the Thessalonians "but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable unto any of you." [II Thess. 3:8 ] The apostle refused to so much as eat anyone's food without paying for it, working at a. "secular" job, that of tent-making, day and night not only to avoid burdening the church but also "to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow (imitate) us." [II Thess. 3:9] Paul felt a responsibility to those whom he had "begotten" in the gospel that far transcended his right to financial support as a preacher of the message of salvation to the world. Writing to the church of Corinth, which he founded almost single-handedly, Paul expresses this as follows; "Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you; for I seek not yours, but you; for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved." II Corinthians 12;13-14 This is the example of a true "minister"; the apostle's concern for the church was so great he was willing not only to spend but to be spent as well for the sake of the church, whether the church ever even appreciated it or not. Paul did all this to be an example not only to the church in general, but the elders in particular. After instructing the elders of the church of Ephesus to "feed (POIMAINO) the church of God ", over which "the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers (EPISKOPOS)", Paul reminds them of his example of supporting himself and explains Just how it related to their work of "pastoring", as follows While apostles and evangelists are entitled to the financial support of the church in order to expedite their work of preaching, "pastors" are in the opposite position; according to the apostle, they are to labour, to work at a job as he did, not only to support themselves but the "weak", the ASTHENES of the church as well. While ASTHENES (literally, "without strength") typically means "sick" or "infirm" throughout the New Testament, here this word has a somewhat different meaning. As the context makes clear, it refers to those who are in need and the use of this word restricts the sense to those who are in need not out of preference or laziness, but because of circumstances that they are unable to change. Above everyone else in the church, the "pastors" have a responsibility to put into practice the words of Jesus, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" as they perform their ministry of tending and "watching over" the flock, caring for the needy at their own expense. This is the kind of "shepherding" that the word POIMAINO, so often translated "feed" in the King James, is meant to express, and this is the "ministry" the work of service which is required of all "pastors" by the Word of God. The differences between the "pastoring" of the New Testament and that of modern Pentecostalism are so glaring they scarcely need to be pointed out. "Overseeing" no longer has anything to do with "watching over" and looking after the needs of the people of God with the compassionate care of the Good Samaritan; it has become commandeering instead, the same kind of tyrannizing that Peter warned against. But worst of all, while not at all entitled to the support of the church but commanded instead to work for the sake of the church's needy, the Pentecostal "pastor" freely demands and fully expects the financial support of every member of "his" church, indigence being no excuse. Revolting as the very thought may be to many of our "pastoral", the position which they claim is meant to be one of service, of bondage to the church more than all the other ministries of the New Testament. True "pastoring" is not an opportunity to be first but last, not to be the greatest, but the least, not to exercise authority but to be in bondage, not to be the master but the servant of the church, following the example of Jesus. Only in this is true greatness to be found in the eyes of God. "Whosoever will be great among you shall be your servant" said Jesus, "and whosoever of you will be the chiefest shall be DOULOS, bond-man of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many". Mark 10;43-45 Jesus, like Moses, clearly cared nothing for any kind of authoritarian, worldly "rule". "When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone." [John 6;15] Though he was the only true King of the Jews, Jesus preferred being a servant to being a ruler, and willingly "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant (DOULOS- bond-man)." [Phil. 2:6 ] Why? In order to give the unsurpassable example of a true "minister". "For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you", said Jesus, after washing his disciples' feet. And just as Jesus was an example to the apostles, so "pastors" have the responsibility to be an example to the church in an equal willingness to give of themselves and humble themselves to be the servants, the "bondmen" of the people of God, "Neither as being lords over God's heritage" says Peter, "but ensamples to the flock". Not an example of tyranny but one of love and dedication, expressed in works of service to the people of God, caring for its sick, providing for those in need, assisting the elderly, in every way "addicting themselves to the ministry of the saints." It is works such as these that constitute the true "work of God. While the five ministries of which the apostle speaks in Ephesians have different functions, they all have one important task in common. According to Paul, it is "to prepare God's people for works of service." Eph. 4:12 [so the best versions.(such as the New International, the New English Bible) have it.] Here again the King James ("for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry") misleads; "perfecting" here is properly a "making fit" or "preparing fully" while the phrase "the work of the ministry" originates in the Greek, ERGON DIAKONIA meaning, as we have seen, "servant-work". Rather than demanding that the church serve them, all true "ministers" have the responsibility to teach and to exemplify true Christian "service" to the church, to encourage the church in similar works of love to the needy. "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have skewed toward his name," in doing what? "in that ye have ministered (DIAKONEO)to the saints and do minister (DIAKONEO)". Heb.6;10 This kind of work is the very core of true New Testament Christianity, though it is almost completely unknown to modern Pentecostalism . "Serving God" is serving the needy, first and foremost the needy of the church and "giving to the work of God" consists not in paying the wages of a "pastor" under the pretext of "supporting the ministry", but in financing the care of the sick, the feeding of the hungry, the providing for the poor, though all such things are bottom priority in Pentecostalism and to its "pastors". At the very birth of the Church, after Peter had preached his Acts 2;38 message and 3000 souls were added to the church, what is the first t |