Wisdom for Wealthy Preachers and Prosperity Teachers

I want to discuss two types of people for whom it is very hard to enter the kingdom of heaven. However, in order to set the context properly, I would first like to discuss the difficulty level for most others besides these two types of people.

The General Populace
First of all, it is already difficult for anyone to enter the kingdom, contrary to popular opinion. This is what Jesus taught. He said:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” (Joh 14:6)

People want to believe that there are many ways to God, but Jesus taught that there is only one way and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Christianity is very exclusive. There can be no other gods beside Jesus. He alone is Lord. No idols are allowed. It matters not how nice of a person you are or how many good works you do, if you don’t come through faith in Jesus Christ, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

You have to repent and believe in Him. “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’" (Mat 4:17). Yet the message of repentance is seldom heard today.

Jesus also said to Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God…Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God…Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.’” (Joh 3:3,5,7)

You might be raised as a Christian and attend Church all your life, but you must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God. Without being born again, born of water and of the Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.

You must be converted and become like children, or else you will not enter. Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 18:3)

And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luk 9:23)

Much of what is being preached these days is a cross-less gospel. People want to have all the positive benefits of following Jesus without the cross. If you don’t accept the crucified Christ you cannot get to heaven. If you don’t take up your own cross daily and follow Him, you cannot be His disciple.

"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” (Luk 9:24)

As I wrote in my article, The Cost of Discipleship, following Jesus will cost you everything.

Jesus said that many people follow the wide road that leads to destruction, and few people follow the narrow way that leads to life. "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Mat 7:13-14)

This is why entering through this door requires striving. "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Luk 13:24)

There are four types of soil and only one of the four produces a crop when the seed is planted on it. The hard-packed soil along the path, the rocky soil, and the soil that has thorns are the three types that do not produce any lasting fruit. Only the good soil that hears the word and accepts it is the one that produces a crop, thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold what was sown (Mk 4:14-20).

The Righteous
Now that I have set the stage by showing how difficult it is in general for anyone to be saved, let’s look at how it is for the righteous to be saved. Peter wrote, “And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?” (1Pe 4:18). This clearly teaches us that it is with difficulty that the righteous person is saved.

Jesus said that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees. "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 5:20)

He also said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” (Mt 7:21)

The apostle Paul also taught that we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. “After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.’” (Act 14:21-22)

As I wrote in my article, Remember Lot’s Wife, once you have decided to follow Jesus, don’t look back. “But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’”(Luk 9:62). As that song says, “I have decided to follow Jesus. The cross before me; the world behind me. No turning back! No turning back.”

The Rich
Yet of all the people in the world, it is perhaps hardest for the rich to enter the kingdom. Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Mat 19:23-24).

Jesus told the rich young man that, in order to enter life he must obey the commandments. While the man was confident that he had kept these since he was a boy, Jesus told him that to be perfect, he should go sell his possessions and give to the poor. But he went away sad, because he was wealthy. The deceitfulness of riches and the cares of this world are like thorns that choke the life out of the seed of the Word that is planted in our hearts. So beware of riches.

Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Mat 6:24).

He also said, "Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort." (Luk 6:24, NIV).

Paul wrote to Timothy, “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1Ti 6:9-10).

Despite all these warnings in Scripture, the prosperity gospel is one of the most popular teachings in the Church today. I’m warning you, flee from the love of money.

The Teachers
The last type of person for whom it is most difficult to enter the kingdom of heaven is the teacher. In this same group we have all those who preach the Word, and any minister of the gospel. James wrote, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” (Jas 3:1). This means that those who teach the Word will be judged with greater strictness and the punishment will be more severe.

Jesus said, "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (Luk 12:47-48)

Those who teach are the ones who know the Master’s will. If they do not get ready or act according to His will, they will be beaten with many blows. They have been given much. Therefore, much will be required of them.

Paul knew this very well. That is why he said, “But I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” (1Co 9:27).

Jesus said, “Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.'” (Mat 7:21-23)

Notice that these people who call Jesus their Lord even prophesied, cast out demons, and performed miracles. Yet the Lord said He never knew them, and told them to depart from Him, because they did not do the Father’s will, but practiced lawlessness.

Don’t assume that because you are a preacher or teacher that you will go to heaven. In fact, it is quite the contrary, since it is even more difficult for ministers of the gospel to be saved.

Putting it All Together
We must come through Jesus alone, repent, be converted through the experience of being born again, born of water and of the Spirit, and become as children. We must deny self, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. We must do the will of the Father in heaven. We must put Jesus words into practice.

Scripture teaches us that it is a straight and narrow way to get to heaven and few are those who find it. Fewer still are those who after finding it remain on it until they reach the holy city.

We must enter the kingdom through many hardships. It’s hard for the righteous to be saved. But it is even harder for the rich, as well as the preachers and teachers. I’m sure that plenty of people in both those categories have lost their souls, despite confessing Jesus as Lord. Indeed, the ones for whom it will be hardest of all are those who are rich teachers or rich preachers. They have the least chance of ever entering the kingdom of heaven, because they have two major challenges, either of which would difficult enough on its own.

Therefore, let me encourage you today to fight the good fight, beat your body and make it your slave, throw off every sin that so easily entangles us, run the race with perseverance, compete according to the rules, enter through the narrow gate, walk the straight and narrow path, deny yourself, take up your cross, follow Jesus, get ready, and do the Father’s will. Don’t be deceived by the riches of this world. And let not many of you become teachers, much less wealthy preachers or prosperity teachers.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. 

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading my articles What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?, A Biblical View of the Poor, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, The Cost of Discipleship, The Straight and Narrow Path, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Ibrahim's Experience in Hell, Exposing Heresy, The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Better a Little, All Things Handed Over to Jesus Christ, The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer, Holy Fire Baptism, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, Is Obedience Optional?, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, Walking in the Perfect Will of God, and Costly Grace. I also recommend Kenneth Hagin’s Forgotten Warning by J. Lee Grady.  You may access more of my articles on the Main Directory of this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

Success in God's Eyes

Success in God's eyes does not mean you'll have great numbers of people following you. Beware when all men speak well of you. Jesus warned, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way." (Luk 6:26)

In reading Jeremiah, I am amazed by his godly success. His main message was "Turn now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell on the land which the LORD has given to you and your forefathers forever and ever; and do not go after other gods to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm." (Jer 25:5-6).  Yet the people of Judah did not listen to him during his 23 years of ministry, warning them to turn from their evil ways and prophesying God's coming judgment. (Jer 25:3). Instead, they cursed him, mocked him, spoke arrogantly to him, beat him, abused him, imprisoned him in solitary confinement, and threatened him with death. Yet he continued to prophesy the Word of the Lord to them for another 18 years after that (Jer 52:12).

They never did listen to him. So they were carried in chains into exile in Babylon for 70 years, where they remained captive and fell by the sword, famine, and plague. Yet the Babylonians, who recognized him as a true prophet of God, treated Jeremiah kindly. And he was spared from going into exile. “Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, saying, ‘Take him and look after him, and do nothing harmful to him, but rather deal with him just as he tells you.’” (Jer 39:11-12). It may not look like success to the world, but let's see someone try to top that!

Jeremiah has touched more people since his death than he did during his lifetime. There were about 4,600 people from Judah who went into Babylonian captivity (Jer 52:30). That was his audience. But since his death around 2,500 years ago, his writings have been translated into over 2,000 languages and read by hundreds of millions of people around the world! His writings have encouraged many, led some of those people to repentance, helped many to persevere through trials, and others to a closer walk with God. That goes to show us that we can't base our sense of success on what we see in the natural during our lifetime. Instead we should serve the Lord with our whole heart in obedience to His commands, and trust that He will bring forth fruit for His glory that will last long after we're gone from this world.

Many Christians will gladly receive false prophets who predict good times ahead, peace and safety. The apostle Paul warned that “While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.” (1Th 5:3). There are plenty of prophets like this. But they usually practice deceit (Jer 8:10). Both prophet and priest are polluted (Jer 23:11). Jeremiah gave us the real test of a true prophet. "The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, then that prophet will be known as one whom the LORD has truly sent." (Jer 28:9).

Historically, the religious people have persecuted God’s true prophets. It would not surprise me if non-believers have greater respect for God's true prophets than do the sons and daughters of light. Jesus said that if anyone receives a prophet in the name of a prophet, he would receive a prophet's reward (Mt 10:41). Ebed-Melech was a good example. He was a Cushite from the Nile region who helped get Jeremiah out of the cistern (Jer 38:8-9). Later he received a reward (Jer 39:15-17). And if they receive a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, they will receive a righteous man's reward. Jesus said that if they receive true disciple, then in doing so they also receive Jesus Himself. And if they receive Jesus, they receive the Father who sent Him (Mt 10:40).

Look at the people of Nineveh for example.  These non-believing Gentiles received Jonah as a true prophet and their reward was that God spared their city.  There were 120,000 children in that great city, which didn’t know their right hand from their left, plus adults and animals (Jon 4:11).  That was a real success!

I love the book of Jonah, because it’s a true story of mercy and compassion.  He had a mission to go and preach to people who were enemies of Israel.  The message was that they needed to repent, because Nineveh would be destroyed in 40 days.  Many Christians today would say we don’t need that kind of preaching.  They would say that it’s doom and gloom, and that we need more preaching on love and grace.

But I see it just the opposite. The whole reason that God sent the prophet Jonah to Nineveh was that He did not want to have to destroy them.  But God was going to have to destroy them, if they did not repent of their wickedness.  The only obstacle was that Jonah knew that God would mercifully spare them, if they repented.  He did not want to see these enemies of Israel spared.  In fact, after the whole city, from the king to the most lowly person repented, and God spared them from destruction, Jonah confessed to God why He ran from his mission.  “He prayed to the LORD and said, ‘Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.’” (Jon 4:2).

Then there was also the mercy that God showed to Jonah himself.  When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach, he ran from God and went in the opposite direction, away from Nineveh.  But the ship he was on encountered a huge storm that nearly sank it. It was only when they threw Jonah overboard that the storm ceased.  And God in His mercy sent a big fish to swallow Jonah.  It was there in the belly of the fish that Jonah himself repented.  God forgave him and had mercy on Him, giving him a second chance to complete the mission. The Lord knew before He sent Jonah that this would happen, and He intended on being merciful to Jonah. God also intended on being merciful to the Ninevites before He sent Jonah to preach to them.  And in the end, the Lord was merciful to Jonah and the Ninevites. 

So rather than doom and gloom, this was a real story of mercy and compassion in every respect, for those who have ears to hear.  Maybe the church today needs more preaching of repentance, faith and forgiveness.  Those who do preach this message are in good company with people like Jeremiah, Jonah, Jesus, and John the Baptist. 

However, preachers may be afraid that they will lose people, by proclaiming this message.  It’s true that often times the so-called believers don’t receive the servants of God sent to them. So if you’re concerned about rejection, the prospects of this could scare you away from this kind of preaching.  It’s not for the faint of heart.

Jesus only had one apostle and a few women who remained with Him to the end, during His crucifixion.  The rest were scattered.  The apostle Paul, at the end of his life said, "At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them." (2Ti 4:16) In some of the places where Paul made disciples and established churches, those same places are dominated by Islam today with barely a trace of Christian faith present.

But those who are obedient to the Lord in preaching the full gospel of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ will receive a rich reward.  Their ministry may seem like a dismal failure in man’s eyes, but that’s not what God looks at. They may not draw large crowds, but they are truly successful in God’s eyes.  And the fruit they bring forth will be the kind that lasts!

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Clergy-Laity Distinction unbiblical

Even though the Reformation occurred almost 500 years ago, we still see unbiblical divisions in the Church today. One of those is the distinction between clergy and laity.

Clergy comes from a Latin word, meaning clerk. It’s used today to refer to the body of people ordained for religious service. It refers to those who are ordained religious practitioners, such as priests, ministers, pastors, bishops, cardinals, chaplains, or any prelates ruling in the Church.

For those who recognize this as a separate class of Christian people, all those who are not clergy are referred to as laity. The word laity refers to members of a religious community that do not have the priestly responsibilities of ordained clergy.

We don’t find these terms clergy and laity in the Bible, nor do we find the distinction between two such classes.

Overseers and Elders
In God’s Word, we do find that the Lord gave gifts to the Church, for the purpose of building up and equipping the Church. According to the apostle Paul, these are called apostles, teachers, pastors, prophets, and evangelists (Eph 4:20). These people are supposed to be equipping God’s people for works of service, so that they too can serve.

The New Testament Bible also refers to elders or overseers. The apostle Paul said that if any man desires to be an overseer, it is a fine work he desires (1 Tim 3:1). This word overseer comes from the Greek word episkopos, which means one who oversees. Paul described the qualifications for overseers in this same third chapter of his letter to Timothy.

Another term for overseer is an elder. Elder comes from the Greek word presbuteros, which means older, senior, or simply elder. In the context of Paul’s writings, it is clear that elders and overseers are two words for the same function. They simply describe different aspects of the same role. Peter wrote to the elders, referring to himself as a fellow elder (1 Pet 5:1). So he considered himself an elder also, even though he was also an apostle. He states that an elder should “shepherd the flock of God, exercising oversight.” (1 Pet 5:2). Since an elder shepherds the flock and provides oversight, it is obvious that he is an overseer by definition.

So when we read the New Testament in context, we see that elders or overseers are either pastors, teachers, apostles, prophets, or evangelists. The head is our Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Peter wrote to the elders saying, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (1Pe 5:4) 

Reasons Why Clergy is an unbiblical term

There are three basic reasons why the concept of clergy must be dismissed as unbiblical.

1. First, all disciples in the kingdom of God are priests. A priest, according to the Word of God, is one who represents men before Almighty God and performs a holy service in God’s house. In John’s Revelation, he wrote: “He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father--to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 1:6).

The apostle Peter agreed with this when he wrote: “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1Pe 2:5). Peter went on to write: “But you are a chosen race, A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1Pe 2:9-10).

So Scripture teaches that all believers are priests and are part of God’s holy priesthood. The spiritual sacrifice we offer is our own body, and the service we perform is to proclaim the excellencies of Christ. The term priest is not reserved for a select few individuals, but is used for all disciples in the kingdom of God.

2. Secondly, we have only One Leader, and His name is Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself taught us not to use titles like “Father,” “Leader,” or “Rabbi” to distinguish ourselves or set ourselves apart from other believers. He said, "But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant.” (Mat 23:8-11). So we should not use the titles “Father,” "Teacher," or "Leader," when addressing those who serve in equipping ministries, since we are all brothers. We shouldn’t let anyone address us with titles and we should not address anyone with titles. Rather, we must walk in humility.

You will not find one single instance in the Bible where any of the apostles put the word "apostle" in front of their name as a title. Peter was simply called "Peter" by others, and that is what he called himself. Likewise, Paul was called "Paul" by others, and that is what he called himself. He was "Paul, an apostle", not "Apostle Paul." The same was true of James, John, and all the other apostles. Moreover, there is not one instance in Scripture where someone was called with the title "Pastor" in front of his name. It does not exist. The same is true of other big titles like "Bishop," "Archbishop," "Reverend," "Right Reverend," etc. Therefore, anyone who uses titles like this has no biblical basis for it. In fact, they are disobeying the Lord's command not to use titles.

3. Thirdly, according to the apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit has given gifts to the Church. The apostle Paul wrote, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.” (1Co 12:4-14).

He teaches in this passage that the Body is not made up of just one member who does everything. Yet many churches operate like this where everything depends on the pastor. Paul taught that there are a variety of gifts given for the common good. They are distributed to the various members of the Body as He wills, so they can use them in their priestly service.

Functional differences
Naturally there are functional differences. Not everyone in the Body of Christ is an elder. But all are priests. Not every elder is a pastor either. But some elders are pastors, some are teachers, some are apostles, etc. While there are clearly functional differences, the Lord taught us not to set ourselves apart or distinguish ourselves with titles or class distinctions.

The apostle Paul affirmed this also. He wrote to the Corinthians, “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1Co 1:10).

Yet how many times do you see in a Christian gathering that the clergy get front row seats? Or there is special reserved seating for clergy. Why do men do this?

James taught us not to make distinctions among ourselves when he wrote: “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?” (Jam 2:1-4). One might consider that if an elder is supposed to be functioning in oversight, he is better positioned to do so while seated among the people, rather than from the front in a seat of honor, as though he were above everyone else.

If a man is serving as an elder in the role of a pastor, teacher, apostle, prophet or evangelist, then others will know it. He does not need to wear a title to let everyone know. The key is that he must be serving. This is what Jesus taught.

Putting it All Together
While many people today still make a distinction among Christians between clergy and laity, it’s unbiblical. If we claim to follow the Word of God as our sole rule of faith, then we should do away with such distinctions. They only serve to create divisions and exalt men above others.

Instead we should exalt our Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the Body, the Chief Shepherd of the flock. Let’s humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God and repent of this practice. Let's restore Jesus Christ to His rightful place in the Church as our One Leader.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading The Priesthood of All Believers and How to Treat Leaders. You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." 

___________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.