BETH EZRA TEACHING

............................ he that has ears to hear, let him hear................................... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summer 1999 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Covering

Gal. 1:1 PAUL, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) ...15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mothers womb, and called me by his grace,16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

A question about coverings often arises regarding autonomous house churches, as in "Whose covering are you under?" Implied is the suggestion that if a housechurch is not under some mega-denominational group, they are suspect. Sometimes those who ask are genuinely concerned, but all too often it is a challenge to those obeying Scripture in their worship: namely, Spirit-led, housechurch meetings. The question is brought up, as if to say, "You are an entity unto yourselves; you are rebellious because you are not submitted to a denomination (or governing board, council, synod etc.), you are a loose cannon, and are, therefore, dangerous. Thus, many who would benefit from these 'gift meetings' are frightened away by those who are either ignorant of Scripture, or just jealous and fearful of losing their prestige and paid position in a man-made organization. The implication is, that if you are not under someone's covering you will get deceived, and eventually deceive others.

What expectations have modern Christians placed in their denominational coverings? First and foremost, they trust they are a safeguard against deception. The 'Safety in Numbers', or 'Many People Can't Become Deceived' syndrome plays out like this: If my pastor is submitted to other pastors, and they in turn are submitted to higher bishops, and they in turn are submitted to a higher, district council, and so, on and on, then I am safe from being deceived because I am under all that covering. The dangers of deception are very real, and no one wants to take the warnings in Scripture" "...be not deceived..." lightly. This warning, in one form or another, is on nearly every page of the New Testament. It is a command to which we will be held accountable, so it is for our own good that we take precautions against being deceived.

It is the job of spiritual coverings to provide a defense against deception, but, we beg the question, what if those trusted coverings are the very ones who are deceived? Will not their deception infect all those seeking refuge under them? In such a case, rather than being a safeguard, the wider the influence of the 'covering', the wider the deception. If, for instance, I am under a denomination that discourages usage of spiritual gifts, even disparaging those who do use them, and I have placed my trust in that covering to safeguard truth, will I not be deceived about the nature and use of the charismata? At the least I'll be challenged to accept my covering's word above Scripture which indicates that such gifts are valid until Christ returns (I Cor. 1:7). Of what value is a deceived denominational covering to millions of Fundamentalists who long for a deeper relationship and more fruitful life in Christ than mere fundamentalism provides? None! In fact, their unscriptural stand is a hindrance to discovery of truth. If I, as a believer, place more faith in what my covering teaches than in what the Bible itself proclaims, I am already deceived, and uncovered, despite any and all feelings of security.

How deceived are the denominations? Women are ordained to the ministry, not to mention practicing homosexuals, charismatic gifts are denied, godly traditions have been replaced with manmade (infant baptism vs. immersion)ones, cheap grace is promoted, maniacal laughter and ridiculous activities are touted as holy, seances and occultism are explored as viable alternatives, Ecumenicism devalues and/or removes the supernatural tenets of the Faith, seminary or Bible school education replaces gifts and calling of the Holy Spirit, money grubbing has infiltrated all levels of church work... well, you get the idea. Yet believers flock to these bastions of deception thinking they are spiritually safe!

We need to re-evaluate and properly understand the meaning of the word 'Head' in the following passages. Col. 1:18 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... 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: ...

8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. The 'Head is the one who makes the final decisions, gives the directional leading, and sets the rest of the organization, company, body politic etc. in order. In effect, the 'head' is the brain of the outfit, just like the head of the human body is the seat of authority over that body. This is the position of our Lord Jesus. He is 'Head' of the body. That applies to the local as well as to the international body. Jesus is the pre-eminent One. He is the Ruler. He makes the decisions, we obey. Each part of the body human reports directly to the head, takes its directions from the head, and knows that the head knows best. If our human bodies reacted like the Americanized church system, when the hand felt the bath water was too hot, it would seek the foot's opinion, then confer with the liver, ask if the knees had any worthwhile input, and eventually pass it on to the lungs who would then pass it on to the heart, who has a more direct link to the brain. Of course by that time the hand would be scalded. No, the Lord has marvelously so constructed us so that each individual member of our bodies has a direct link to the head. That is the purpose of having a head, not a hierarchy. The efficiency He put in the human body is merely a type and shadow of the efficiency He has implemented in the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit abiding in each member has a direct link to the Head, Jesus. To substitute another group of elders between the links God has established is to substitute another head for the Head. And the more intermediaries there in between, the more the chance of getting some mixed up communications.

Denominational coverings are no safeguard against deception. In fact, almost everyone in a denomination admits that their denomination does not have 'the whole truth', but, they are willing to accept that as a trade off for the safety they feel they have. Comparing one group against another, they guess this denominational church is better than that one, and so, commit to what they surmise is the lesser of two evils. They are aware that that denomination diverges from the clear instruction of Scripture in some areas, employing some cultural clause or linguistic exception to explain why the Word doesn't mean what it says, accepting the excuse as viable. The very fact that there are denominations, fracturing the Body of Christ into numerous shards, is a manifestation of how deep the deception goes. Paul's command to the Corinthians (and all believers by extension) is to not allow divisions (I Cor. 1:10), yet denominations not only allow division, but actually encourage them, separating believers of differing beliefs and practices from each other. Seminaries teach only their spin on doctrines, spurning others who do not agree, instead of coming into unity by seeking the wisdom of the Spirit to resolve doctrinal differences. Thus they build walls, preventing born again believers in a locality from fellowshipping with each other. The coverings which the sheep look to for protection against deception are themselves the mainstays and chief propagators of deception. What value is a deceived covering? What safety can a denomination-- be it Baptist, Roman Catholic, Messianic Jew, Assembly of God, Presbyterian, Charismatic, Non-denominational, Churches of Christ, et al.-- provide when they themselves are deceived? They are blind leaders of the blind, and Jesus said both will fall into the ditch (Matt. 15:14).

God has provided coverings for His churches, but they are not the franchised, salaried, man-made, seminary-instructed organizations lording it over multitudes of congregations that we have today. In fact, such faulty coverings have a prototype in the pages of the Scripture-- the Nicolaitains. They were the first denomination, and Jesus hated them (Rev.2:6) because they had a deviant form of the Faith, and another head beside Him. One Nicolas was dispersing false teaching, and gained a following in different churches (Rev. 2:6; 15). Nicolas became their head, over-ruling the local elders God had placed in Ephesus and Pergamum. If an elder of the local church taught one thing, and Nicolas another, the followers of Nicolas would reject their local elder's teaching for the teaching of Nicolas causing schism in the body. Nicolas had become deceived; and having organizational skills, unbridled ambition, and an uncrucified ego( a volatile combination), desired to make a name for himself, and possibly amass a fortune as well, by capitalizing on the naiveté of believers. He desired to be head of not only a local church, but of a confederacy of churches that would all follow his corrupt teachings. If the leadership of a widespread organization is deceived, so is the whole organization. Being part of a widespread, manmade network is no safety net, in fact, it is more like a spider's web, entangling great numbers in falsehood of those who seek safety. Every manmade organization is going to become deceived sooner or later, and this is especially true of denominations. Within a generation or two the original vision of the founder is lost, replaced by an organizational machine existing expressly for the purpose of propagating itself. To avoid the dangers of widespread deception, Jesus ordained another method, a safer method, of keeping churches accountable and in the truth.

Jesus meant for each local church to be autonomous-- self governing, under no other church. When Jesus wanted to rebuke a church, He did it through an apostle, and the apostle dealt with the local leadership. Rev. 2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7 and14 reveals that Jesus held the local leadership accountable, not some governing council of a 'higher order of elders' many miles removed from the scene. The angel referred to in these verses is not some spiritual angelic being, for then no letter would need to be written. Indeed, how could John even write a letter to spiritual beings? Rather the angel in question is the leading elder or elders of that locality. The word angel is in the word evangelist, and it is beyond dispute that evangelists are human agents. The word angel, in its simplest form, means messenger, and the leading elder was the messenger of God's order to the church. So Jesus had John (an apostle) write a letter to the local church leader, the 'angel' of that local part of Christ's Body.

The Lord expects the local elder(s) to resolve conflicts, agree on doctrine as given in the Scripture by apostles, and generally be responsible before the Lord for the welfare of the local church, not a higher board of elders. The local elders are to be submitted to one another in all humility and teachableness. Above the local elders He has ordained independently ordained (by God, not men) apostles: to church-plant, safeguard the truth, encourage, correct, and if necessary, discipline. Usually a church is under the apostle who planted it, but any bonafide apostle should be welcomed, and his teaching, correction, discipline and encouragement heeded. This can only take place among true apostles, because there is no discrepancy in the Faith once and for all delivered unto the saints. What Paul taught, Peter, James and John also taught. Peter could freely go to any church Paul planted and teach what the Lord gave him without fear of countering what Paul had taught. This is why Jesus commended the Ephesians for testing and exposing false apostles (Rev. 2:2). They were on guard lest they be deceived, uncovering a satanic plot to infiltrate their local assembly with error. This is why Paul could confront Peter when he was in the wrong (Gal. 2:11), and Peter receive it! There is one Faith! And that one Faith is not fragmented into various schisms, arguing "do we do this?", "do we not do that?", "is that for today?", "isn't that a bygone relic of another age?" Peter heard the truth in Paul's rebuke and repented, embracing Paul's correction.

Apostles today may not have all the truth (though they'll have a deep and growing revelation that exceeds most believers' understanding), but surely are open to correction, and are teachable. When they hear a forgotten or overlooked truth brought forth, their spirit recognizes it as truth, as Apollos did when instructed by Prisca and Aquilla (Acts 18:26) seizes on it, incorporating it into their message. The basis for discerning all truth is the Scripture, written by the canonical apostles. "If that which you have heard from the beginning (of the Church age) abides in you, you will abide in the Son, and in the Father..." (I Jn. 2:24).

I Cor. 14:36 Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only? 37 If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment. 38 But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized (NAS). Paul's bold statement declares, with the Lord's authority, that anyone who did not teach, believe and practice exactly what he and the other apostles taught, they were not recognized as of God! This includes not only the preceding chapters, but all of his writings. If someone did not agree, he was not to be regarded as an apostle, or even a prophet. God would not recognize them either, though they claimed to be serving Him. This is what it means to built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets-- that what one taught is what all true apostles and prophets taught. This is the foundation upon which the whole rest of the Church is built. To deviate from the exact written commands is to go off the foundation and begin to build something other than the house of God. To be under any other authorities than the ones God entrusted for the safekeeping of the Church is to be out from under godly covering, i.e. uncovered.

I Cor. 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues..

Paul explains in I Cor. 12:27 that immediately under Christ (in the Church) are apostles, not some governing denominational board hundreds of miles distant, handing down decrees, without specific knowledge of the areas they rule over, who are more concerned with keeping the machinery of their organization well oiled with tithes and donations than meeting the true needs of the saints. If this sounds harsh, it is, nonetheless, true. All denominations are more concerned with keeping the money flowing in, and being successful by worldly standards-- having large crowds and impressive buildings, than ministering to needy, immature and hurting sheep. The nature of a man-made organization is to keep itself growing larger with more and more programs, even if the programs don't fit the need. Everybody just pretends to have their needs met, pretends to be blessed, and the system goes on.

Jesus never intended for there to be any higher say over a local church than its own group of elders. Even the apostles sent to them must submit to their discernment. This is how the church at Ephesus discerned and rejected false apostles (Rev. 2:2). If the church is wise, they will discern and bear witness to the validity of those claiming to be apostles by whether they abide in the Faith once and for all delivered unto the saints (Jude vs. 3). Those who don't support the clear teaching of the NT, in the spirit and intention the NT apostles wrote and expected it to be obeyed (Rom. 1:5), are not true apostles, and ought not be followed. Those churches that do discern true apostles who have proven their grasp of truth by revelation that confirms and deepens the church's understanding of the Word, are benefited if they wholeheartedly follow the apostles' advice. Conversely, when a true apostle is sent, and they spurn him and/or his advice, they will reap the unsavory consequences.

Another benefit denominational coverings supposedly supply is protection from charlatans, such as Jim Jones and David Koresh. Both Jones and Koresh held degrees from seminaries in well known denominations. That ought to be enough said. Denominations have no better track record when it comes to deception or deceivers than do autonomous churches. In fact, when autonomous churches become deceived, their influence is very limited and short lived, whereas the potential for destruction is much wider the larger the scale of influence. Imagine if Jim Jones had climbed the hierarchy of the Disciples of Christ denomination. Don't think for a minute he would have been reined in by cooler heads. There is a spiritual power at work in deception, a power that those who have never been deceived are unaware of. There is tremendous pressure to place one's trust, indeed one's very will, in the hands of the magnanimous person they follow. Jim Jones would have been able to murder countless thousands by suicide had he ascended to higher status.

When deceivers feel they have control, they will abuse the sheep, and the sheep will meekly allow themselves to be abused rather than oppose the ones they committed themselves to obey. Too few have the courage of a Gaius (3John vs.1)to write to an apostle John revealing how the sheep were abused, valid ministries shamefully treated, and their supporters excommunicated. Read III John with an eye to how John intended to deal with the problem of Diotrophes lording it over the Lord's inheritance. Was a governing board, a district council, a supervisory committee consulted? No! The aging John was called upon, because he was an apostle. All the authority necessary was one, elderly apostle. John went in the authority of Christ and rebuked Diotrophes. If Diotrophes accepted the rebuke, he would have been corrected, but retained in his position as elder. If not, he would have been removed by the Lord, in His own time. Christ is the Head of the Church, and directly under Him, in matters ecclesiastical, are apostles.

Some may wonder whether the office of apostle is still valid today. Indeed denominational organizations have done all they can to make the highest office Christ appointed in the Church obsolete. The reason why is plain to see. If apostles and prophets (the second highest office in the Church) are still valid, then seminaries, Bible colleges, synods, councils, and the like are not! Denominations are the antithesis of the apostolic message. They counterfeit, by their committees and councils, the work intended for apostles and prophets. Denominations would very much like to not acknowledge independent apostles and prophets because true holders of those highest gift offices are not tempted by monetary gains, worldly recognition, or control over the Lord's people. Instead, part of their mission and ministry is to expose the denominational 'machine' for what it is. Their passion is Jesus Christ and the establishment of His Church. When true apostles arise, they are a threat to the establishment. No wonder Jesus warned His apostles that they would be persecuted, and those who killed them would think they were doing God a favor (Jn 16:2). When Christians learn of the manner in which the Lord wants the Church governed, denominations, with their highly educated, salaried professional staffs, will be out of business. So, to keep control, they teach that apostles and prophets are obsolete, if they mention them at all. And they warn about the dangers of not being submitted to a proper covering. Thus, millions of sheep are sheared, but kept out of the Lord's true fold where they would grow in grace and truth.

To see whether apostles are valid today or not, we need look no further than Eph. 4:11-13. There it is made very plain that all five of the ministry offices are in effect until the whole body of Christ is united in the Faith to the knowledge of the Son of God, and have arrived at spiritual maturity-- even to manifesting the maturity of the fullness of Christ. Has that happened yet? Resoundingly, we must answer, No! If not, apostles and prophets are still necessary, not to mention valid. Their job is to build the Church up in the truth. Only in the truth can we become united, because the truth is united, not fractured. Thy word is truth... (John 17:17 Jesus prayed in Gethsemane. This is our protection, our sanctification, our covering-- the Word of God and those who rightly divide that word to us. The Word clearly disallows for any other covering over local churches except the local elders and apostles. To trust in any other covering is to be already deceived.

As was stated before, apostles are not just to be taken at their say so. They are to be tested by whether they know the Word in depth, obey the Word, beyond the popular slogans and fads of the day. Some have been misled by teaching that apostles-- if there are such things today-- are supermen, able to leap tall steeples in a single bound, walking on water, dropping miracles, deliverance, and healing as they walk through a crowd. They are thought to have no problems in their own lives or their families; they are nearly perfect.

It is true that apostles must demonstrate a maturity in their walk, and depth of revelation of the Word, but to expect them to be walking in near sinless perfection is a fallacy that will keep one from being benefited when meeting a true apostle. Apostles make mistakes, as Peter did in Gal. 2:11ff. Apostles have sharp arguments, even parting company forever, as Paul and Barnabas did in Acts 15:39. Apostles have weaknesses, as Paul reveals in Gal. 4:13. Apostles, because of their spiritual responsibility and revelation, are more frequently attacked by Satan than other Body members (2Cor, 12:7) going through more trials, struggles, appearing to be walking in less victory, having more needs, are treated suspiciously, despised by religionists, confronted and mistrusted by Christians-- in short, look anything but what we have been taught to expect an apostle to appear like. A good reading of 2 Corinthians will clear up that foolishness. Apostles will often (though not always) appear to be the lowest, most despised, beaten up, foolish, misunderstood men alive.

The sad truth is that many have this calling upon them, but the denominational machine makes no allowance for anything other than pastor, teacher, or evangelist. So, many would-be apostles settle for less than God has called them to. This leads to frustration for both the minister and the body, for the one needs to exercise his gifts and calling to grow into them and help the Church, and the other needs to have those gifts and callings come forth to set her back on the right track.

Apostles are discipled, not seminary trained. If seminaries were God's plan, Peter and Paul would have established them in the First Century. There were schools of higher education around then, such as the School of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9), but even though Paul disputed (not taught) in one, no other method of preparing men for the ministry evolved, save discipling. Sometimes apostles are called and discipled by the Lord, as in the case of Paul, other times an apostle disciples those whom the Lord indicates to him are called to be apostles, such as Titus, who was an apostle to the Isle of Crete, setting things in apostolic order and ordaining elders in every church (Titus 1:5). Apostleship is incontrovertibly at variance with the seminarian system.

Consider the logic of seeking to be covered by a higher, widespread board or council. I recently asked a young man by whom was his pastor covered. The conversation went something like this, (with liberties): He replied "the District Council." So I pressed the issue, asking "And, who are they submitted to?" He replied, "The Regional Council." "And who are they submitted to?" I pressed. "The Northeastern Area Council," he replied, still not catching my drift, seemingly proud of the manmade hierarchy he was submitted under. "And who are they under?" I asked. Then without waiting for his reply, I said "You can see where this is eventually going, can't you? At some point the answer must be 'they are under Jesus.' And what makes that 'Grand High Council of the Wazoo' so spiritually high and holy that they can hear from God directly, whereas the local elders of the local church cannot?" Either God ordains men in each locality to hear directly from Him, or He doesn't. If He does, then higher councils and boards are superfluous. The Book of Acts, along with the epistles, reveal that it is God's intention that Christ be the head of each man-- a direct connection as regards the family. If a man is to hear from God directly, even if he is a new believer, how is it that the elders (those who are spiritually more mature) of the local church must have a higher board of elders presiding over them? If a problem arises that none of the local elders have the spiritual maturity to handle, an independent apostle, with a surer grip on God's intention and design for the Church, will be dispatched, not a higher board of denominational elders.

How do such boards and councils resolve conflicts? By taking a vote. Do they utilize the gifts of the Spirit and reach a unanimous agreement? They claim they do, but even though prayers are offered, there is no seeking and finding the mind of the Lord. Several ideas are put forth, argued about, then decided by vote-- then a prayer in Jesus' name closes the meeting and all are convinced this is the way Paul would have approved. Voting is a syncretistic addition of the American way of Churchianity, not the Lord's method for perceiving His will.

It is a slight to the Holy Spirit to infer that each individual believer is not capable of hearing from the Lord. After all, God has set it up so that the Father is head of Christ, Christ is the head of every man, and man is the head of woman. There need be no intermediary council or mediators between man and woman. Although both (if believers) have the indwelling of the HG, only one has the authority to make final decisions-- man. Man is the covering of woman. In the local church, God has invested that same authority in the elders He has raised up from that locality, not a council of extra-local elders. The reason for this is simple. An elder in Philippi might not be spiritually mature enough to be an elder in Ephesus. An elder is only an elder in his local church, whereas apostles and some prophets are authorities extra-local. An elder among 7 years olds is the eight year old. An elder among 70 year olds, is the eighty year old. So, for an extra-local elder or board of elders from Philippi (7 year olds) to sit in judgment or make decisions for a more spiritually mature Ephesian (70 year olds) body just because the Phillippians hold some manmade seminary degree is ludicrous.

This also sheds light on the Acts 15 example which many bring up as an example of one church being the dominant Mother church (Jerusalem) and all the other churches her children. The ticklish matter of whether the Gentiles were required to submit to Jewish rites in order to be full-fledged Christians was settled by the council at Jerusalem. Many have mistakenly thought that was an example of the Mother church reining in her baby churches. Not so! The whole issue was brought before the Jerusalem elders because the Judaizers went out with their false message claiming to be sent from Jerusalem, and the apostle Paul wanted the Jerusalem church to control her erring sons. The matter was brought back to Jerusalem, discussed and explored in detail, then settled in Jerusalem, because Jerusalem was the site of the origin of the error. The Judaizers came from the Jerusalem church. It was their problem, the local elders of Jerusalem must correct the problem. The letter sent out as a result was not a decree, but a statement that if anyone claiming to be from Jerusalem came to different churches and taught what the Judaizers taught, they were not sanctioned by the church they claimed to be from, and were to be rejected as false teachers (Acts 15:24). To think this passage teaches otherwise is to enforce Romanism and Papism! If it were a Mother church scenario, it would have been Peter, to whom the Lord said 'Upon this rock I will build my Church', that made the final decree, not James, the local head elder of Jerusalem.

I Pet.5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Since each man is capable of hearing from the HG, how is it that anyone else (as in district, regional or national council) would dare interpose mandates and oversight? Do they not trust the HG to do His job? Obviously not. In fact, the whole denominational system was set up because men decided they could do a better job of policing their ranks and eliminating deceivers and despots than the Holy Spirit. The truth of the matter is, by the Spirit God raises up elders in each locality who are capable of deciding the Lord's will for that local body, because the head of every man is Christ. That there are elders in the body local is simply an indication that all local believers are not yet on the same level of spiritual growth, and those who are younger ought to submit to those who have demonstrated spiritual wisdom and been 'set in' as elders by the Holy Spirit via other elders or apostles (not elections). This is humility, recognizing the authority the Holy Spirit invests in others; and submitting. It is the utmost of pride to think that Bible School and/or Seminary education is required to provide what the Holy Spirit does. Even an apostle or prophet should be able to hear when the Master speaks through a younger member and submit, nevertheless, the normal functioning of the body is for the mature members to lead, and the younger to follow. This requires humility, one of the hardest things for young believers to adapt to their lifestyle. Humility is remaining teachable; humility is the key to spiritual growth. Only when we are humble can we admit that an uneducated fisherman, or a tax collector, who has been discipled by Jesus, has something to teach the doctors of the Law. Pride will only allow us to submit to someone who has a title, degree or a large paycheck. The body of Jesus Christ is to operate on humility, not pride.

I Pet.5:1 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:

2 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;

3 Neither as being lords over Gods heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Along with the instructions to elders, Peter gives us the chain of command. The elders are accountable directly to the Chief Shepherd, and by that he did not mean Pope, District Secretary, Denominational President or any other human invention. He meant Jesus Christ. To have the local elder(s) in submission to anyone or anything but Christ is out of God's order for the Church. But, men love to lord it over other men, and love to make bigger and bigger organizations that enslave men under their control. This is not to say that these men do not have good intentions. Indeed, they have the highest intentions. They wish to protect God's heritage from harmful ways and teachings, but in reality, are contributing to the harm by modifying, side-stepping, or totally ignoring God's methods. In short, they don't trust the Holy Spirit to deal with heretics any more than they trust Him to lead the meetings.

Authority is given to apostles to deal with heretics. Titus 3:10-11 says: A man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. Now this order was not given to just any body member, nor even to local elders(though they have the authority to control heretics from disrupting the meeting), but to Titus, apostle to Crete. He was to correct such deceived persons with the truth-- the same Faith all the apostles taught-- and if the man persisted, he was to show him his error again. If he still persisted in his error, the apostle was to excommunicate him, turning him out from fellowship, warning other churches not to receive him, because he was subverted by Satan and would sabotage the unity of believers. One man, acting unilaterally, had the authority to deal with heretics. Give the matter to a committee (i.e. district council, et al) and you'd get various suggestions, with little or nothing being done, and Satan left free to wreak havoc in the body.

For the Lord to put such responsibility and authority in his apostles shows He trusts them. Jesus only ordains men to apostleship that He knows have His heart's desires worked into them-- i.e. bondslaves. A bondslave has no aspirations, goals, loyalties, preferences or motives of his own, but only those of Him who bought him. The word bondslave is used in the NT to denote apostles, in fact, the terms are synonymous. That is why apostles are the first authority in the church, and the matter is not left to a committee. Committees are made of many men, at many levels of spiritual growth, with various ideas of what the Lord wants. An apostle has received by revelation the blueprint from the Lord, and knows it isn't to be tampered with, not even for an iota. He would rather have himself misunderstood and falsely accused of being harsh and narrow minded than disobey what the Lord wants done. The Church needs to pray this office back into activity, and then respect, heed and cooperate with them when they show up on the doorstep. We need to implore the Lord to send these harvesters into His field again.

The subject of the BET is, no doubt, a challenge to the way many of you have been taught to conceive of church. It seems a stark contradiction to what is practiced by millions of Christians around the world. Yet, dear reader, I challenge you to look in the Word of God for yourselves and see if this is not the methodology Jesus implanted in His Church. The methods of Denominationalism, though useful for a less demanding era (but still not His perfect will), will not suffice in the dark days ahead. We need to return to the Church built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself being the Head Cornerstone. Anything less is a house built on sand (man's methods), which, when the storms come, will collapse.