Bible Questions – Are Pastors and Elders Established by God?

Bible Questions – Are Pastors and Elders Established by God?

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Many Christians think: Those pastors and elders graduated from seminaries can preach biblical knowledge and theology, and serve the Lord in the church, so they are definitely the servants chosen and established by God. Therefore, regardless of what happens to them or what kind of difficulties they have, they often inquire of the pastors and elders or directly throw themselves upon their leadership. Then, are such viewpoint and methods of practice right? Did God ever give any evidence in His words to back up this claim? If we don’t seek the truth in this matter or deal with them according to God’s word, but rather merely blindly listen to the pastors and elders, we will easily walk on the path of believing in God but following man and become opponents of God. Hence, it is critical for us to understand this aspect of the truth.

If we want to understand this aspect of the truth, firstly, we should know what on earth God’s ordination is. In reality, when we ponder the scriptures carefully, we can easily find the answer. From the accounts of the Bible, we can know that in the work of every age, God will personally choose and establish some people to cooperate with His work. But we can’t ignore an important problem: For all those who are established and used by God Himself, there is God’s word as evidence. This is an undeniable fact. For example, in the Age of Law, when Jehovah God appointed Moses to lead the Israelites, He appeared to Moses in the flame and said, “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come to me: and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:9-10). In the Age of Grace, when God appointed Peter, He said, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17). He also said, “And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). From God’s word, we can determine that God Himself bears witness to those who are appointed and used by Him. God’s words testify to that. Further, they all have the confirmation from the Holy Spirit’s work and their work is upheld by the Holy Spirit. Superficially, that the people of that time submitted to the work and lead of the people appointed and used by God was obeying man, but obeying God in essence. This is a fact. Besides, they are the ones who fear God, keep God’s word and obey God’s work, and also ones who follow God’s decrees. This is just as Peter was established by the Lord in the Age of Grace. He was the best in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. He could leave behind everything to follow God, love God to the highest level, obey God to the death, and was crucified upside down for the Lord to glorify Him. Finally, he obtained God’s commendation. From this, we can see that when God establishes and uses a man, He always has His own principles and requirements. It can’t be defined by anyone. Because God is righteous, holy and faithful, people who are established and used by Him are surely the ones who are after His will and also exalt and testify to Him. In light of this, there is not the slightest issue on the path of leading God’s chosen ones. They won’t violate God’s will at all, much less hate the truth and resist God.

Now, we are sure that people established by God mainly have two aspects of the verification: On the one hand, there is the confirmation of God’s word. Like Moses and Peter, they are the ones whom God personally testifies to. On the other hand, since they are established and used by God, they will surely have the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. Just like the time when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, Pharaoh king of Egypt hindered them in everything, so they encountered many problems, and even in people’s eyes, it was impossible for them to escape from the control of the Pharaoh every time, whereas relying on the power of Jehovah God, in a mountain of difficulties, Moses brought the Israelites out. When Peter worked, due to having the confirmation of the Holy Spirit, he not only produced the results in spreading the Lord’s way, but enabled people to abide by as well as practice the word of the Lord Jesus by teaching them according to the demand of the Lord. … Through these manifestations, we can confirm whether a man is established by God.

Let us look at the modern religious pastors and leaders. Most of them are brought up in seminaries, but not established and used by God Himself. Their work doesn’t have God’s word as evidence, let alone the confirmation of the work of the Holy Spirit. Thus, they categorize and organize the scriptures that they have studied for many years one by one, and then preach them at the meetings, like teaching students. What they preach is empty doctrine, which cannot point out the way of practice to the believers. For instance, they teach the believers to be accepting and patient, to love their enemies, and to bear the cross…. Many believers have grown familiar with and can recite these words, yet can’t practice them in real life, often living in sins. For example, arrogance, conceit, hatred, jealousy, selfishness and greed control them, like the shadow following the shape. So the Christians all have the gift of gab, but can’t put the teachings of the Lord into practice. Moreover, the churches also become more and more desolate. It is just like an article I have read in a magazine. The article describes the present situation of the church, “More and more people are baptized, fewer and fewer love the Lord; more and more people love the world, fewer and fewer love the truth; more and more denominations appear, fewer and fewer are from the Lord; more and more methods devil use to tempt man, fewer and fewer people preach the way of repenting; more and more people busy themselves chatting online, fewer and fewer serve God; more and more people occupy themselves in entertainment, fewer and fewer sing hymns to praise God; more and more people are up to their eyes in watching TV and playing with phones, fewer and fewer read the Bible with their heart; more and more people are busy making money, fewer and fewer worry about the eternal life; more and more people are up to their elbows in working and living, fewer and fewer go to the church; more and more people are rich in material things, fewer and fewer are rich in sprit; more and more people say ‘Lord, Lord,’ fewer and fewer do the will of the heavenly Father; more and more people wear the cross ornaments, fewer and fewer are willing to bear the cross” (Home of Love). As a matter of fact, such desolation does not just appear in one or two churches. If these pastors and elders are established and used by God, why do their preaching and work have no confirmation of the Holy Spirit? Why are the churches in desolation and the believers weak? This is sufficient to prove that the pastors, elders, preachers and leaders are not established by God at all. Accordingly, that we listen to the pastors and elders in everything is the expression of obeying man instead of that of obeying God.

Although these pastors and elders go on and on with their high-sounding speeches, yet behind our backs they don’t put the teachings of the Lord into practice. Actually, most of the believers know that in the church they publicly scramble for the lectern, vie for high positions, judge each other, discriminate against outsiders and squander the money of the church, and even some commit adultery. Such religious leaders still boast shamelessly when preaching in the church. How can they have the guidance of God and bring people before God? If we still trust in and follow such leaders, in God’s eyes, are we His followers or His opponents?

Now what is the difference between these so-called servants of God and the earliest Pharisees? They speak abundantly of biblical theories, letters and doctrines, and use God’s word to teach others, yet don’t practice the teachings of the Lord themselves. Are they not the hypocritical Pharisees? The Lord Jesus said, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not you after their works: for they say, and do not” (Matthew 23:2-3). The Lord’s word clearly tells us that we should observe and do whatever those who hold high positions bid, but can’t blindly follow and obey the knowledge and doctrine they speak of. We should keep the word that agrees with the word of the Lord. If their preaching does not agree with the Lord’s word, granted that they have high positions, we can’t follow and obey them. Only God’s word is the truth. Only when we obey the word of God and honor God as great in everything can we receive God’s praise.

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