The Narrow Way of Ministery According to Jesus

About 33 AD

And today, Circa 2014 A.D.

There is an amazing contrast from the weekly pulpit ministry of today and Jesus.
As Jesus achieved some fame they sought to kill him.  But the suited Sunday orators bear little resemblance to the meek and humble Jesus Christ of Scripture. 

The temptation of Jesus bears mention, who tempted Jesus with the highest position in the building?

Matthew 4:5 (NLT)

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple…

Do you think there were no people around to see the potential miracle and show?

Contrast with the popular, author-pastor who literally filled Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in April 2010 with a huge crowd. 

 And we read how the devil took Jesus to the high place in God's temple building that his disciples described in : Mark 13:1 - And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!" 

You see, Jesus could have jumped and put on a great show to impress the crowd below.
-But no,  it was not deliverance from the temptation of suicide that was being offered, it was the temptation to use worldly means to gain recognition..
Every time His disciples or followers tried to take him and promote Him in the eyes of man, Jesus hid Himself.

 John 6:15 - When Jesus then perceived that they would come and take him by force to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain alone.."

 Rather than seeking fame and a large "ministry", Jesus did not use self-promotion so commonly practiced in the church world. Yet even His own family urged Him to advertise and promote His ministry!!

John 7:3-5 (NLT)
³ and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles!

 ⁴ You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” 

 That's right,  His own carnal "brethren" were all for Jesus using worldly means to promote His "message".  

Why did they think in terms of using worldly promotion
The next verse says: "For neither did his brethren believe in him." 

-And neither do these self-promoters with their body guards, "faith partners", telethons, appeals for support, and laying up of their treasures here on earth contrary to what Jesus spoke. They are preaching "another Jesus" as Paul warned.

Notice how Jesus refused opportunity:
Matthew 8:4 - And Jesus said to him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
Mark 7:36 - And he charged them that they should tell no man
Mark 8:26 -  he sent him away to his house, saying, Do not go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
Mark 8:30 - And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.
Mark 9:9 - And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
Luke 8:56 - And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.

Compare Jesus with many famous present day representatives of Christianity today:
John 7:18 - He that speaks of himself seeks his own glory: 
John 5:41   I do not receive honor from men.
John 5:43   if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

How we honor the great orators and pretty faces in our day!
But Jesus warned:

John 5:44 "How can ye believe, when you receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that comes from God only?" 

In our church experience it became nauseating to hear the flowery, men-honoring introductions of visiting preachers. And usually those well paid speakers would in turn pay flattery tribute to the pastor. In our old denomination the pastor was exalted and I remember testimonies of the glory of pastor's life and ministry.

 Did you notice how Jesus pointed out the religious leaders would get honor from each other and this would hinder their ability to believe His Word?  

Notice the way of Jesus in John 5:13 (ASV): But the man who was healed did not know who healed him,  as JESUS HAD SLIPPED AWAY while there was a crowd in that place".

Surely Jesus missed a golden opportunity  for showmanship in the style of countless other "name brand" ministries of today.  What Jesus could have done was taken that fella by the hand and skipped him around the temple a few times so folks would know the healer was in the house.

If He wore a tailored, white, Italian made Jewish robe, had body guards, and Gucci sandals, could He quickly attract a vast following?

But He also missed a chance to give a 50 minute sermon to proclaim his "vision for the church" too, and especially the chance to receive some tithes and offerings from the great crowd in the place in order to finance His ministry. 

He was completely unlike the preachers who rarely pass an opportunity for a bit of "seed sowing" from the folks.  Elaborate church platforms and lighting bear witness to who is seeking the attention of the crowd.

-Acts 8:9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which before in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 

10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 

11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries

13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip..when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money

19 Saying, Give me also this power.. 20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money".

Yet today the modern merchants of Babylon have an industry in Christianity selling "anointed" cloths, Holy Spirit Crusades, Books on "blessings", CD's and syllabus’s, impartation, conferences.... the list is endless.  22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness... -Peter told Simon when he wanted to buy a ministry.

In 3 John :9 another character is mentioned illustrating what happens to a man who is lifted up: 

"I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, received us not.  

Simply put , Diotrephes was a  man in charge of a church that loved his position.
"Preeminence" is defined: Superior to or notable above all others; to stand out .  That one verse should give a serious heart-check for hidden motives.

      

Acts 20:30 gives another clue:  "Also of your own selves (ministers) shall men arise (be lifted up), speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples to follow after themselves". (making followers of their ministry (teachings-ideas, and words)  

Whose disciples are we/ Who do we seek to emulate?

            Rev. 2:14   "But I have a few things against you, because you have (in the church) them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to set a stumblingblock in front of the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication.

The Lord brought  mention of both Balaam and the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes in forceful terms in this passage.  Let's see if we can apply this word to modern ministry.  Balaam, a messenger and servant of God sold out for personal gain and was impressed by the gifts and status of the men Balak sent to him. "And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honorable...".
Balaam was drawn away from obedience to God by his respect of persons that flattered him, and God tested his heart..     

The Christian "stars" and celebrities of this present world are the idols of God's people.  So often too is the local pastor people seek to follow and promote as the voice of God.

Those who build the visible, man-made kingdoms of "the earth" certainly appear to fill the warnings given to "beware of false prophets".   Put them in their "temples" and you have God's people following them preferring their words and ministries in place of personal study and prayer. 

And the people still continue to bring their gifts, sacrifices, and offerings to the modern idols of stone and wood called "churches".

Compare the manner and ministry of Jesus, Paul, and the believers in Acts, see an honest picture of what real Christian ministers look like. And there is not one flashy, self-promoting, self-serving, glorified one in the bunch. Period. 

Sadly, it is God's people who magnify and enable these men to become the spiritual giants they are. And God forgive us for the "glory-to-the-pastor" testimonies and blind loyalty cultivated in our churches.

 Drawing close to God's Word and Spirit will enable us to take the sword of the Spirit and cut off the head (leadership and influence) of these religious giants so Christ can reign in us.

Jesus Who? ??? Call Him What?

?

Call Him Jesus?

by Rory Moore

If we did not already have confusion in Christianity today, there seems to be a growing number of Christians, or should we say Yahoshuans, Yeshuans, or Christianos that put forth an interesting array of apellations for the Saviour.
Jeshua, Yeshua, Yeshuah, Yehshua, Yehshuah, YESHUA, YESHUAH, YEHSHUA, YEHSHUAH, Yeshouah, Y'shua, Y'shuah, Jeshu, Yeshu, Yehoshua, Yehoshuah, YHVHShua, YHVHShuah, Yhvhshua, Yhwhshua, YHWHShua, YHWHShuah, Yhvhshuah, Yhwhshuah, Yahvehshua, Yahwehshua, Yahvehshuah, Yahwehshuah, Jahshua, Jahshuah, Jashua, Jashuah, Jahoshua, Jahoshuah, Jehoshua, Jehoshuah, Yashua, Yashuah, Yahshua, Yahshuah, YAHSHUA, YAHSHUAH, YASHUA, YASHUAH, Yahushua, Yahoshua, Yahoshuah, Yaohushua, YAOHUSHUA,  Iahoshua, Iahoshuah, Iahushua, or Iahushuah?? 

Now while there are various spellings and pronunciations, sometimes folks can slip into the  legalistic side of how we call on the Savior. (and He still shows up!)

I culled a few variations from a number of sources: Yahshua YESHUA Yeshua Adonai Yeshua HaMashiach Iesous Ieshoua yehÖshÙa yehoshua Y'SHUA Yĕhowshua YAHUSHUA came from someone correcting me. Yahusha "Yahusha and this Yahweh? That's a mistransliteration of G-D's name! The word is meaningless! .. “Yeshua is not the Hebrew name of Jesus. It would be Yeshai" -was seen on a YouTube post. and from a FaceBook post: "YAHUWSHUWA" ... can also we spell c-o-n-f-u-s-i-on?

If you are Japanese, He is YaeSu Nim; in Tamil, YaeSu Nim; in Fiji, Jisu;  or in Russia: Иисус Христос, -Iisus Khristos, A Serbian calls on ISUS, a Slovakian Jezis.

Why do we need to make such a simple thing so complicated?
If you are reading this, God bless you, I sincerely mean no insult or offense to anyone from any of the various camps. Folks go to verbal fighting over their pet version and Jesus saves no matter what language you speak. 

There are a lot of people named in the Bible, why stop with only another translation version of Jesus?    Here is a list in Romans of NAMES of saints:
Rom. 16:
8  Ampliatus...
9  Urbanus... and Stachys my beloved.
10 Apelles... the household of Aristobulus.
11 Herodion...  Narcissus...
12  Tryphaena and Tryphosa.. Salute Persis....
13  Rufus ....
14  Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas...
15  Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints 

And do not forget Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Timothy, Titus, Paul, Peter,  Philomen, Cornelius, Dorcas, and others.

Hopefully, you will see some humor in this exercise by now. 

The chances are very good that if you are reading and understanding these words it is because you read and understand English no matter what your ancestry might be.  And if you are the typical American Christian, you probably read and believe in the Bible Scriptures that you read in English, even if we get a bit tongue tied over some of the Biblical names.

One lady told me how she had become confused of how to address God in prayer because of the variations of Jesus' name.  SAD! 

Well I hope many of us take comfort in the fact that even though some of us do not read Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, or Greek, the truth of Scripture is not limited or hindered by our lack of ability to read and/or speak those languages. 

If you are Latino, God bless you in the name of Jesus (Hay-soos) Christo.If you are from Alabama and speak with a Southern accent, Jesus saves.
If you are praying and in need, calling on "JEEE-sus", or it comes out sounding like "JeSUS!", fear not.  God hears and answers our cry.

Years ago, before religion got to me, in repentence and brokeness, I called on to Jesus to save me.  HE did, and my life was changed by Him from that day forward.  No, the Lord did not send someone over to correct the sylables I had uttered or instruct me in the Hebrew, Latin, or Greek pronounciation.  I just started reading the Bible and prayers answered when I asked in Jesus' name.

Later, as a Holy Spirit baptized believer, I began to experience healing and the casting out of demons through the Name of Jesus.
Yes, people were healed, saved, and delivered all through the name of Jesus that I read about in my Bible. Praise the Lord JESUS.    

There is absolutely no irreverence or disrespect in this writing, nor is it meant as a slap to any of our Jewish brethren that choose to call on "Yeshua" or the like. What God did for me through Jesus, He will do for a Jewish believer in Yehoshua, or a Latino who calls on "Hey-soos Christo". 

The point is why get hung up over the correct pronunciation  from a language you don't even speak?

Some of the contenders go as far as saying Jesus was really Zeus, the Greek pagan god.
That is sheer RIDICULOUS and absurd.  

God ordained the New Testament to be written in Greek,
Over 911 times it was spelled in the Greek form IESOUS, as a Greek lexicon will prove.

Even though Jesus is rooted in the Hebrew Old Testament, the New Testament never gave us the Hebraic form, so relax.  
Even when Old Testament verses are quoted in the New Testament, they are in the Greek language.

What is most important is that you read God's Word in the language you understand, and call on Jesus in your language in faith knowing that God hears you.

 If you are an English speaker, I assure you devils are cast out in Jesus' name, lives changed, healings and miracles are done. When we pray, God hears and answers, in Jesus name.When we read our English KJV, ASV, NKJV, NASV, or even the NIV, there is no need to stumble over the English version of Jesus on the printed page, the same is true for a Chinese, Korean, or Russian Christian reading their translated version of the Name of Jesus. God still hears and answers.
Here it is in Greek: Ihsou=v The Transliterated Word  Phonetic Spelling
  Iesous     ee-ay-sooce' 

May Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Messiah, the Savior, deliver us from un-necessary strife over syllables, vowels, and silliness. 

Our Journey and a word about who we are (and were)

About us as we are about Him. Me: (Rory Moore) came to the Lord in 1979 at the age of 28 and married Linda in 1983. We have three children. For 24 years Linda and I were in our church "inner circle" and doing almost everything you can do in a church without turning "pro".  In 24 years I served as an Assistant Pastor, Youth Leader, licensed minister, Elder, Board member, preacher, teacher,  fund raiser, altar worker, deacon, building maintenance, counselor, home and hospital visitation minister and we were financial pillars to the church in every way via tithing, offerings, fund raisers and more. I guess we were typical, average loyal church supporters.  We also worked closely with all of our pastors and leadership and had many friends in ministry, in the local church scene, and with other fellowship circles. -long before the internet.  Linda was Choir Director for 7 years, a "special" singer, Sunday School teacher, church secretary treasurer, fund-raiser worker, and did many "helps".  We were faithful attendees of almost every service and function of the church. For two decades we were among the first to arrive and were among the very last to leave church services and were often there 2-4 hours on those days, plus staff meetings.  We had 4 meetings per week including 2x on Sunday, Wed., and Friday evening; then as we morphed over the years, two regular services per week.  The decline in church gathering and prayer took place after we incorporated into a 501c3 organization.  As the years went by, we did not notice the progressive decline away from the scriptures and prayer as we stayed busy with church programs, activities, and the routine of church life. This decline occurred as our church transitioned from a denominational Pentecostal church into a non-denominational Evangelical Christian community church.  In 2004 in the wake of two events, a family crisis and the passing of my dad, in my grief and sorrow, I sought the Lord fervently and returned to regular and prayerful study of the Bible. After "praying through" to a spiritual renewal, I asked the Lord for deeper understanding about our tithe doctrine after noticing a verse in Nehemiah 13:5 that said how the "singers" were given tithes! Linda was Choir Leader and therefore shouldn't she be getting tithes? (The Pastor received all tithes in our church). When I showed that to Pastor, he looked at me with a funny expression on his face and mumbled a few words I do not recall. He had no answer. It struck me as strange singers and doorkeepers were to receive tithes. So I asked the Lord to show me the truth about this, and the Lord spoke to me clearly "start reading the New Testament." "OK", and as I did, He began showing me verses overlooked, what tithing was under the law, and that ministers were expected to work and be examples of giving. I kept thinking, "ok, I will surely read verses to confirm our church tithe teachings at some point in reading." A few weeks later it came as a shock when I realized there was no direct instruction to any Christians or churches that they were to pay tithes!  (this was before I later discovered that Biblical tithes were never monetary). I literally thought I was losing my mind. How could everyone I knew be wrong? But I simply could not find monetary tithing given to any church or saint in scripture as New Testament!  Too sensitive a subject to discuss? Mentioning this to a few others about my questions only brought an attempt to "correct" us in the form of a surprise visit from the pastor and other elders one Monday night.  When I attempted to question tithing in front of the elders, the subject was immediately shut down by Pastor and no questioning was permitted in front of us elders. I saw through the deceit and never went back, although we did go visit other churches. (not because God led us to, but it was a 24 year habit). We never dreamed of leaving our church but on Sept. 29, 2004, but after weeks of wrestling with this decision, we walked away from the 501c3 church we helped to start in 1993 as founding members. As typical middle-of-the-road Christian role models of the sincere church going family for 24 years, we realized we now had to leave the church in order to find God all over again. Starting over with Jesus. So after more than 3,500 church services, staff meetings, revivals, and related gatherings, we walked out into the unknown.       It was very difficult, as not once in 24 years had we ever left our church. But The Lord began to confirm these things through others, in a multitude of dreams,  and we were seeing many things in Scripture  we had not noticed or overlooked.  The Lord God became our Shepherd.  As He revealed more of Himself to me, the Lord told me to "Write" and we now minister to far more people through writing and ministering the Word of God -and we are glad to do so gladly and freely.  Writing the book, "The Tithe That Binds"  was the off-shoot of my personal study and questioning the Lord on the subject of tithing. When the book was in the writing stage, at one point I sought the Lord for the title as I wanted HIM to name it.  For three days we prayed for a title and on the third day, He gave us the name of it, and He also provided a Christian publisher who worked and gave of her time to us freely in order to publish it. A second revised edition is forthcoming, expanded and further building on the truths regarding what the scripture does or does not say about monetary tithing. Link:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_QEoDsSUC_N-uwT-2p9lwm-QfXf4sqyY6azRFrJFiog/edit?usp=sharing I have several more books to publish such as "Who are God's Chosen People", The Giants, Nephilium, and Truth", Preterism?, and "WHO ARE YOU LORD?" according to the preaching by the disciples in Acts after they were Spirit filled. At this point, 2022, we are 18 years out of "Institutional" Christianity and enjoying fellowship with other ministers and saints who have also come out of the system.  It took us more than two years of "de-churching" and un-learning what we had  been taught from men, in order to learn and be taught from God's Word.  In order to learn from God we had to be willing to unlearn what we learned from men. -which is what Jesus taught but the churches do not. The Bible is a wonderful and amazing book and has become a beacon of truth to us as we seek to do what it says rather than what others say it says...

Flattering Titles, Sacred Cows, High Horses

Flattering Titles, Sacred Cows, High Horses and by-passing sacred scripture By rory moore, a brother "Good morning and welcome everyone one, God bless you! I am  Senior Pastor, Dr. V.A. Nity.   We are honored and privileged today to have as our special guest speaker, Bishop C.M. Proud,  D.D./PhD, Chief Apostle and President of the Worldwide Association of Mainstream Ministries."   -"Thank you Dr. Nity, it is a great honor to be with you, your staff, and the congregation today .... Your Music Pastor Ken Olie and Choral Director Bobbie-Jo, did a wonderful job in the Song Service and we want to compliment Deacon Jones who worked to provide us with such generous hospitality."  What you just read takes place in an unlimited number of variations, depending upon who the players are, in pulpits around the world every Sunday morning.  How quickly and easily these typical flowery introductions go in one ear and out the other of the typical congregant. Incredibly, that nice introduction and response by-passed the very words of the Bible those eloquent men desire to represent. We mind-numbed church goers just smiled, clapped, and nodded at smiling men in suits up there on the platform, some wishing deep inside they could be up there getting the accolades too. We all watched with anticipation what stirring words of profound wisdom might be forthcoming from our Titled speaker.  Little did we or anyone in the auditorium realize we had just steam-rolled some admonishments of scripture!  1.  Job 32:21 Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person,                      neither let me give flattering titles unto man. 2.  Job 32:22 For I know not to give flattering titles                      in so doing my maker would soon take me away.  Now that is a waker-upper to the Doctor of Divinity Bible College mills, Para-Church Ministries, card-carrying "Apostles", Senior Pastors, Bishops, and Denominational hierarchies.  Do you think a man like the apostle Paul may have had those scripture verses in mind when he wrote in 1 Thessalonians 2:5?  "For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness".     As we searched for the meaning of "flattering", we found in the Hebrew, kânâh; to address by an additional name;  hence, to eulogize: - give flattering titles, surname (himself).  According to scripture, in lauding and titling ourselves and others, we have brought harm and hurt to the Body of Christ. Prov. 29:5 says  A man that flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his steps.  This simply means that the lifting up of men (and women) with Titles (surnames and additions to their name) causes them to be snared by exaltation. Have you seen how Jesus taught on this same subject in Matt. 23? Rather than seeking to please the crowds, inflate their own ego, or feed their own self-esteem, both Jesus and the disciples utterly forsook the ego-centric outward appearances of success so common in today's church world.  Not only did we toss honorific flattering titles and positions around our churches, but we had our  own well-paid prophets come around call forth great "visions" for our future to go with them.  "But we must "HONOR them that labor" among us, the Bible says...... "  Are you ready once again to have your mind changed and your theology tweaked?  "Honor" is used in several forms often in the New Testament, none of which legitimatize the use of flattering titles which tend to inflate egos and enhance the perception carnal authority:  Here is a little word study from the Lexicon. G1784    valued,: - dear, more honorable, precious, in reputation. G5091   fix the value   to honor, to have in honor, to revere, venerate G5092    a value, that is, money paid, valuables; by analogy esteem (especially of the highest degree), or the dignity itself: - honor, precious, price, some. to prize, that is, fix a valuation upon;  by implication to revere: - honor, value  Now you can "plug-in" the actual meaning with the general term "honor" in the verses below.   Eph 6:2  Honor g5091 thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise),  Phil 2:29  Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy; and hold such in honor: g1784  1Thes 4:4   that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, g5092  1Timothy 1:17   Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor g5092 and glory forever and ever. Amen.  1Tim 5:3   Honor  g5091 widows that are widows indeed.  To "honor"  has everything to do with "to prize, value, consider precious, dear", etc. in the context of Christian love, than it does to flattering titles and flowery speeches and financial reward!  If your Bible is to be believed and followed, "flattering titles" have a role in causing God's people to stumble. The fact that New Testament writers and Jesus Himself never sought "glory from men", or had "respect of persons" testifies to yet another area where visible Christianity has fallen away from the humility of the Gospel.  We are not making "sin" out of the wearing of church titles. We are pointing out some scriptures that address the Titles and the motives for them. Again, read what Jesus taught about them in Matthew 23 in addition to what is here, and you will understand why some have chosen not to take titles as we minister.  The apostles forsook the trappings and Titles of the religious crowd. Paul called himself “AN apostle” in all of his epistles. Peter the same. In Acts there was no salutations made using Titles because they obeyed Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 20 and 23. When Luke wrote Acts, he did not use Titles for any of the apostles, prophets, teachers, or brethren that are mentioned there.  And that is the simple truth. What people do with it is between them and the Lord.

Who Is Qualified To Oversee A Church?

Who is qualified? -by rory moore 1Timothy 3:1 Faithful is the saying, If a man seeks the office of a bishop, he desires a good work. A "bishop" is defined by the scriptures as an "overseer", and is one who watches over the "called out ones". The modern church has perverted the term "bishop" into a titled position in an ecclesiastical structure unknown in scripture. The apostles never ordained solo pastors or a priest over the churches. There is no "office". A "bishop" is not a pastor overseeing other pastors in a pyramid shaped organizational structure. He was an elder and most often supported himself as he ministered..   We will look at who and how God calls and qualifies with the responsibility of an overseer; that is, to watch over and tend the flock of God.  1Tim. 3:1-7       1  Faithful is the saying, If a man desires the *office of a bishop, he desires a good work.     (bishop means simply  "overseer" and is not a pastor over pastors, nor is the word "office" in the correct text. The KJV is incorrect on that. )  2  The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3   no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money 4   one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5   (but if a man knows not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) (ouch) 6   not a novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the condemnation of the devil.  7   Moreover he must have good testimony from them that are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.  In Titus 1, he wrote a second time regarding elders:  Titus 1:5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are lacking, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed you:  Here are the qualifications for those elders that are to be "overseers" of the churches:       6)  if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children that believe, who are not accused of riot or unruly. 7) For the bishop must be blameless, as God`s steward; not self-willed, not soon angry, no brawler, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; 8)) but given to hospitality, as lover of good, sober-minded, just,holy, self-controlled; 9)  holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict the opposers. Did you notice the ordained "elders" in "every city" are called "bishops"?  1Peter 5 1)   The elders among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2)   *Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;  (*tend means "feed") 3)   neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.  "lording": means subjugating, domineering, controlling) Although this may upset a few people, the most often repeated qualification use the nouns "man" and "he", a total of 14 times. 11 in 1Timothy and 3 more in Titus.   Masculine nouns are used repeatedly in multiple verses. The first qualification specified and is referenced 14x times. The office itself "bishop", Greek "episkopos", is also a masculine noun. (Strongs 1985).   When the Scriptures speak in terms of an overseer and the elders that rule, it always does so with men. Even the word "pastor" (poimen in Greek), is a masculine noun, and there is no such thing as a wife being "co-pastor" or "pastor" over an assembly. Having seen that, let us now look at the points Paul gave in 1Timothy 3. In our 24 years of church involvement and leadership, we never heard these taught or reviewed in regard to the people who were appointed or put in places of leadership. Church leaders are usually those who demonstrate loyalty, financial support, natural gifts for speaking, or a willingness to support and volunteer. We also see that among the scriptural elders that ministered, no one office such as the pastor, prophet, or apostle, is given pre-eminence above the rest.  Nor are Formal Titles are assigned for those exercising oversight of the churches in these qualifications which apply equally to all ministries and the elders. In 1Timothy 3 1.   without reproach:       not open to censure, irreproachable. He is honest and his word and motive is good. He is not hiding or practicing any sin.   2.   Husband of one wife:        He is a "husband" of one wife. He does not divorce and remarry another, unless the first wife committed adultery,  or she died. 3.   temperate;        sober, not given to alcoholic drinks and not a food glutton. 4.   sober-minded:        curbing one's desires and impulses, self-controlled, temperate, prudent , sensible 5    orderly:         well arranged, modest. This speaks of his life not being disorderly or out of control.   6.   given to hospitality:         He is hospitable and generous to guests. Their home is made comfortable to others and they are made to feel welcome. 7.   able to teach:        He is ready and skilled in teaching in order to benefit and spiritually mature others in the Scriptures. 8.   not a brawler:        Not ready for a blow, not a pugnacious, contentious, or quarrelsome person. "Not" means not. Contentious means argumentative. He is peaceable. 9.   no striker: He does not hit others, nor his wife, nor his children. seemingly, suitable equitable, fair, mild, gentle 10.  gentle:          He is reasonable, listens and considers the words of others. He is equitable, fair, mild, and gentle. He is not over-powering, a bully, overbearing, stubborn, or hard.    11. not contentious:        Right after "gentle" comes not contentious again. That is posturing as not to be withstood, acting as invincible, and abstaining from fighting whether it be with WORDS or ACTIONS. 12. not greedy of money:        He is free from the love of money, and not given to deals and scams. He does not give to get. 13.  one that rules well his own house:        He manages over, superintends, presides over, provides for, and is a protector or guardian 14. children in subjection with all gravity:        His (not adult) children  are under control, obedient, in subjection, submissive.   With dignity: the characteristic of a thing or person which entitles to reverence and respect, dignity, majesty, sanctity, honor, purity. 15. not a novice:       He is not newly planted, a new convert, or neophyte (one who has recently become a Christian. -No matter how gifted they are, sincere, or giving of financial support. Maturity in FAITH, spiritual fruits, knowledge of God's Word and wisdom take time. 16. Lest he be puffed up.        An immature man can fall into taking satisfaction to his ego through the church. He may imagine himself to be above others, he will think those who disagree are going over his head, he will feel threatened by questions or disagreement.  He will see himself as being something he is not and entitled to things by reason of his position or title.  17. having a good testimony from outsiders:      His bills are paid, his word is known to be good, he has a good name and reputation for honesty.  In Titus 1: 18. blameless:       He cannot be called into account, unreproveable, unaccused, blameless. What if he sins? If he is walking in repentence and forgiveness, he is blameless.  Except from the devil. 19. husband of one wife:         He is once married unless widowed, and did not divorce for any cause other than adultery by his ex-wife. 20. children that believe and are not riotous:        His children believe in the Lord and are not those that cannot be subjected to control, disobedient, unruly. His children are not in rebellion. 21. not self-willed:      He is not self-pleasing, self-willed, arrogant. 22. not quickly angry:       He is not prone to anger, irascible, hot-headed, fiery, hot tempered.  23. not given to wine:        He is not a drunkard, given to wine, or drunken. 24. no striker:       Not ready for a blow, not a pugnacious, contentious, or quarrelsome person. "Not" means not. Contentious means argumentative. He is peacable. 25. not greedy of lucre:        He is free from the love of gain, desire for wealth and substance, eager for base gain, or greedy for money.    26. given to hospitality:       He is hospitable and generous to guests. 27.  as lover of good,        He is of a sound mind, sane, in one's senses, curbing one's desires and impulses, self-controlled, temperate.  28. sober-minded:        He is safe (sound) in mind, that is, self controlled (moderate as to opinion or passion): - discreet, sober, temperate. 29.  just:        In a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God of those who seem to themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves in their virtues, whether real or imagined innocent, faultless, guiltless 30. holy: undefiled by sin, free from wickedness, religiously observing every moral obligation, pure holy, pious. 30.self-controlled: strong, robust, having power over, possessed of (a thing) mastering, controlling, curbing, restraining, controlling one's self, temperate. He can control his apetite. 31. holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching:  He cleaves hard to the Word, the sayings of God, not just in head knowledge, but in action. He speaks as an oracle of God. 32. able to exhort in the sound doctrine:  To refute, comfort, establish, correct, reprove, to console, to encourage and strengthen by consolation, to comfort In 1Peter 5:1 "The elders among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder",  the elders are to: 33. tend the flock: to feed, to tend a flock, to rule, govern, shepherd of rulers (overseers) to furnish pasture for food to nourish to cherish one's body, to serve the body to supply the requisites for the soul's need 34. exercising the oversight: to look upon, inspect, oversee, look after, take care of the church which rested upon the elders, to look carefully after, beware in regard to protect  35. not by constraint:       not to shepherd and tend by using compulsion or force of title or position. (carnal authority) 36. willingly:        of one's own accord, voluntarily. -not as a hireling, but as a volunteer. 37. according to the will of God.       As a man sent from God, according to and from the Will of God, not by men or a Bible College Certificate. 38. nor yet for filthy lucre.       To do so NOT for gain, i.e. money. How plain that is. No tithes or salary 39. of a ready mind.       eagerness, willingly. Ready to help, work, and of the faith, fully persuaded. 40. neither as lording it.        Not as to lord against, that is, control,subjugate: - exercise dominion over (lordship), be lord over, overcome. 41. ensamples to the flock       an example to be imitated, of men worthy of imitation.  In 1Tim 3, Paul also brings up deacon qualifications and likens them to those of the elders. 8 Deacons in like manner must be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not      greedy of filthy lucre; 9   holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.10  And let these also first be proved; then let them serve as deacons, if they be blameless.11  Women in like manner must be grave, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.12  Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13  For they that have served well as deacons gain to themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.  Can you imagine the typical church reading these scriptures from the pulpit? Deacons were not the titled, name tagged folks with offering plates in the original church. They were more typically the hosts of the people who met in their homes and they were servants to the church.  Do you want to see a deacon's role model?  You have the church selecting seven of them in Acts 6, one of whom was Stephen. "seven men of good report, full of the Spirit and of wisdom", And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus a proselyte of Antioch; And Stephen, full of grace and power, wrought great wonders and signs among the people. -Now there's some real deacons, full of FAITH and the Holy Ghost. No wonder the early church did not go to doctors.   In Summary: we have given the direct instructions and meanings from the scriptures for those holding "positions" in the church. It is very convicting to realize how far our old churches had departed from God's Word on this. Do you realize a pastor is not above correction? Pastors were only one ministry among God's people, they were never singled out as the head of the church. What is presented here should make it obvious that the church structure around us is hopelessly departed from the Word of God. It is as it was at the time of Christ when Jesus called His disciples to follow him, as He exposed the false shepherds..  Does this list sound like what any elders do that you know? This is not a life of managing, giving orders, adjusting the thermostat, making announcements, CEO'ing ... as many of our brothers practice today. If we set aside the traditions we learned and look just at scripture, we can see an elder as a self-sacrificing, humble, giving, working servant of the flock. He might be an apostle, he might be a prophet, he might be a teacher, he might be a pastor. He might just be an older seasoned  veteran in life and spiritual experience. These older ones should recognize a wolf even when it looked like another shepherd. These older ones knew how to love, to care for and to feed God's sheep. It was not a job for the power-hungry or for those who like to manage others nor those who crave the pre-eminence. The church at Ephesus Paul spoke to in Acts 20, was overseen by elders, not men ruling as "kings". Elders-bishops who were told to work and help the weak and needy.  The pre-eminent pastors and Nicolaitanes Paul warned about would come later. He called them "wolves", and they would do the very things Paul and Jesus told them not to do in regard to Titles and position. They would seek to have followers. In contrast, spiritual "fathers"  are to lovingly and sacrificially oversee the fellowship as they set an example, teach, and ministry gifts they are given.