The Christian Church: Distorted and Deformed

Like a dead corpse rotting away, today’s “organized/institutionalized local church system” bares virtually no likeness or semblance to what was once a living and vibrant community of believers who knew what is was to be set free from the entanglements and the yokes of bondage.


Translators are given a great responsibility in making sure they get it right, especially key words. The changing of one word can literally change the world. Do they get it right, or do they have something to protect?

The word “c-h-u-r-c-h” is one of those words that has impacted the world and has subverted the purpose for which it was intended. Because the translators substituted the word “church,” meaning a building, instead of the Holy Spirits word, ecclesia, a word reflecting a functioning body or a community, it has affected our whole approach to the meaning of the body of Christ. We have been given a word from the translators that has nothing to do with the original Greek word ecclesia.

This may come as a surprise to some people but there is no such thing as a CHURCH (institution) in all of Scripture! Oh yes indeed, the word CHURCH is found therein about 100 times; but the English word CHURCH should NOT be there at all. That word is not a TRANSLATION of the Greek word ecclesia; but it is substituted for a translation of the Greek word ecclesia in every place it appears in the NT Scriptures with the exception of three instances; all three found in Acts 19:32, 39, and 41.

Now dear reader, at this point, you have a choice: either believe what the translators had to say or go to the original language and read what Jesus and the apostles had to say. You will surely find no word coming from Jesus that He called the translators to represent His authority.

Doesn’t it stir your mind and heart enough to move you to really examine why this is true and consider all the error it has brought upon the world? Most people in the church are not aware that some Scriptures have been mistranslated, and then misapplied by human leaders.

How did the Greek word Ecclesia, meaning a called out assembly, congregation or community, come to be translated “church”, a word that is neither Greek or English but is of doubtful Latin origin and implies a building and temple worship? What is a word that is neither Greek NOR English doing in a Greek to English translation?

Read the full and complete article: “The Christian Church: Distorted and Deformed”

to find the very revealing answers to these questions.

Warning: It will not be pretty.

Please click the links highlighted to take you there!

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Biblical Leadership…Then and Now

                                                                                

    1st Century

           #1



          21st Century
                    #2





Which one is a Biblical servant:  # 1  or  # 2?


Many in today’s deceived and darkened “places of worship” will pay lip service to #1, but in reality and in their heart of hearts, these same people will know assuredly that through the teaching that they imbibe week in and week out, #2 will be the first choice for multitudes.



Authority; Fear; Power; Money. It's all about authority, fear, power, and money. Take away these things and much of Christendom will come crashing down. It’s a disgusting, damnable thing what these so-called pastors and preachers are doing to well-meaning people who think they are following Jesus. And what’s worse, many of these sincere and well-meaning people often become just like their leaders. They defend the evil and false teachings with every ounce of their being.


Have you seen it before?


Leaders who impose their own will on those that they think are "under" them? Whose wedding you may attend; what you may or may not wear whenever you come together with God's family; whose and how much advice you can get; who you may or may not befriend. The impositions are endless. These are examples of human leaders (men just like you) who are trying to control you and impose their opinions on you.


Some believe that submission to these men is the godly thing to do, but Jesus seemed to say otherwise. In Matthew 15 "... their teachings are but rules taught by men." Then He said in verse 14, "Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."


You may be thinking, "This does not affect me. I have been able to believe what I want. I just keep it to myself." Perhaps; or perhaps you have deluded yourself (as most of us have at one time or another).


But Christ never intended His people to be treated this way. He wants them to move beyond immaturity and grow up into mature men and women of God who rest confident in the leadership of the Holy Spirit more than upon men or services or listening to one hour monologues concerning their never-ending, incessant droning to sit under their teaching, to submit to their headship and authority, to listen to and follow their counsel.


When poor, deceived Christians follow the pathways of men, they become blinded to their own condition and they fall prey to the danger of actually embracing a worldly mind-set that cleverly creeps in through the guise of spirituality.


Does it bother you that most of what we associate with "church" has little to do with the New Testament?


No thought or study whatsoever is ever given to Scripture on these matters.


How can we claim to take the New Testament seriously as our "rule of faith and practice," and yet turn a deaf ear to clear, undeniable patterns of servanthood and ministry which marked the early apostolic churches?


If our current practice contradicts the New Testament, why do we keep affirming it as our infallible guide? Why don't we just admit that we do not really care what the New Testament says, and that we prefer our inherited way of doing things? What are YOU prepared to do about this?


In many churches, we can see the Biblical injunction, "we ought to obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29) actually used to encourage the very thing that the verse forbids! The principle is twisted and tossed, and twisted again and again until the poor church members' conscience is bound to the authority of men instead of to Christ Himself, and as said earlier, the more sincere the poor church member is that believes this Roman Catholic indoctrination, the more they will allow the so-called "God-ordained elder" to rule their conscience.


Men by nature seek and enjoy positions of power and leadership. Jesus' early disciples had this same attitude.


The mother of James and John came to Jesus seeking power for her two sons. She asked that "these my two sons may sit, one on thy right hand, and one on thy left hand, in thy Kingdom" (Matt. 20:21). The ten, when they heard this request "were moved to indignation" (Matt. 20:24). The ten were no different than the two; they also wanted the "position of leadership."


Jesus' view of power was made clear in Matthew:


"But Jesus called them to him, and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Not so shall it be among you: but whosoever would become great among you shall be your servant: even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:25-27).


We are living in a day where the Kingdom of God and kingdoms of churches are opposites.


In the kingdoms of churches, "great ones exercise authority over them." This is true regardless of the kind of men the "great ones" are...they have so-called “positions of office.” (A “position” NEVER ONCE found in Scripture!)


The Kingdom of God is the opposite of what we see in many local churches. Jesus' statement about the great ones "who exercise authority over them is: "NOT SO SHALL IT BE AMONG YOU."


There are no positions of authority. There is no man whose word has power over another. No one has the right in God's kingdom to "lord it over them" (exercise authority).


Jesus has spoken and said "NOT SO!"


Jesus' emphasis was not on LEADERSHIP or POWER, it was on SERVICE. Jesus' teaching was "whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister (servant)." "Minister" is not another word for "Preacher" but rather the idea is that of a domestic servant who ministers (serves) to the household by the performance of menial tasks like cooking and cleaning.


Jesus further taught "whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant" (slave). The servant or slave of the first century had no rights. They were property and they lived or died based on the whims of their masters. Jesus thus advised those who desire to be great or chief in God's Kingdom to serve like a domestic servant or slave.


Jesus illustrated the lesson of service in his own life. He "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). Jesus, to whom God gave "all authority," led only by his Godly example. Jesus did the most menial of tasks in washing his disciples' feet. He ate with publicans and sinners. He loved people and finally "gave his life a ransom for many!"


Did Jesus "Lord it over" the disciples?


Did Jesus "exercise authority" over his disciples? NEVER! Why? He "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister."


Jesus led men by his example, not by occupying a position of authority over others.


While Jesus, the Son of God, led only by example, many preachers, teachers and elders believe God has given them “OFFICES” to occupy or "POSITIONS" of leadership and power. Many preachers state it this way: "I have authority derived from Christ and when I exercise this oversight, I am not acting as a mere man; I am acting as a man who stands in an office, an office appointed by Christ and enclothed with the authority of Christ..."

Sounds just like what my Roman Catholic priest used to tell me! The only difference was that the priest wasn't dressed up in a business suit!


Whenever a "church leader" claims authority or exercises power merely on official grounds, he is essentially a pope and claims the prerogatives of papacy as fully as does he of Rome. He may be a smaller one; his sphere of action may be more limited, but the principle is the same. All the evils of the papacy arise out of the claim of the Pope and his council that they are “specially chosen” and are “clothed with authority” by virtue of official position.


The so-called "eldership" is ascribing and assuming to themselves "authority" and "rulership" that even the Apostles would not dream of doing!


Jesus refused to grant the request of the mother of James and John for positions of power. Modern preachers place themselves ahead of the apostles and believe God has granted to them what Jesus said he COULD NOT grant.


The Pharisees of Jesus' day had the same attitude. They held positions of power and authority. They made the rules and forced everyone else to follow them. Neither their attitude nor their rules impressed Jesus. Jesus violated these "rules" every chance he had. Neither Jesus nor his disciples kept these rules. They deliberately violated them to the amazement of the Pharisees and ultimately to the death of Jesus Himself.


The Pharisees wished to justify themselves and degrade others including the Son of God. Jesus told the Pharisees: "You are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knows your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15).


Men love money, power, authority and to be feared. These things have no value to the true disciple of the simple Galilean. The Pharisees "scoffed" at the Son of God because His teaching directly contradicted their precious traditions.


Church leaders are no different in our own time. They still seek power and authority and justify their use of it. Perhaps the most twisted verse in all of the New Testament by those who seek power is Hebrews 13:17: "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them: for they watch in behalf of your souls, as they that shall give account."


Many modern leaders assert that "THEM" is "HIM"! They say that when the writer said "obey THEM;" that means you must obey HIM - today's person in a position of leadership; i.e., preacher, teacher, elder, etc.


(Read the article, “Do Elders Rule?” to see how this verse is twisted.)


Peter taught that leadership in the Kingdom of God is by "making yourselves examples to the flock" (I Peter 5:3).


Jesus illustrated this with a life of service and ministry. Jesus lived the perfect example and was therefore the perfect leader. Jesus' only exercise of power was the life that he lived. Jesus was a doer out in the highways and byways - with the poor and rich - with prostitutes and sinners - telling the Good News! This is true leadership.


Whenever a man or set of men assume to exercise authority in a church by virtue of some official appointment, or to assert they have rights and authority as officers above others and assume to exert their rights, they should be resisted even to the disruption of the body.


They are lording it over God's heritage, and are exalting their authority at the expense of the authority of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.


It is a shameful tragedy that men will exert such authoritarian rule over the saints of God and brazenly assert that such is in harmony, even the requirement of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a blessing to this generation that there are some brethren who have stood against this insidious evil. We owe these brethren a debt of gratitude for their gallant opposition to this outrageous claim of papal power by those who "lord it over" the church.
 
 
Biblical Leadership - Then and Now
 
 
wickedshepherds.com

The Pastor Chasers

Christians, even though with innocent and good hearted intentions, are pastor chasers. Pastors are not Jesus Christ; they only give the pretense of being God. This would be denied by pastors, but nevertheless they want personal followers, and lots of them. Christians chase pastors all over the country and into pastors "camp meetings", "revivals", "purpose driven churches" "seminars", and into the church buildings, cathedrals, and temples of "worship". For millions of Christians, life revolves around pastors. Christians seem to be unable to function in life without pastors doing their thinking. Pastors are idols in the lives of countless millions. Christians are addicted to pastors, because even though they would deny it, they think pastors are the key to salvation, the way to eternal life.

Click the following link to read the full article:

www.wickedshepherds.com/thepastorchasers.html

What Does The Bible Say About Membership In A Local Church?

Most, if not all of professing Christians proudly and loudly quote the verse – “All Scripture is inspired of God and is also profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, instruction, etc.”


We all say that Scripture is our only rule for faith and practice.

We claim that the New Testament documents provide God-inspired direction for the New Covenant people of God, just as the Old Testament Scriptures structured life for Israel.

But where do these writings ever reveal the notion of placing your membership in a local congregation? Where is “local church membership” emphasized?

If “placing your membership in a local church” cannot be found in the Bible, how in the world do all the churches end up with one, and why do we get our feathers so ruffled when it is questioned?

Why do we elevate that which has no foundation in Scripture?

The sad fact of the matter is that nobody really submits himself/herself to the Scripture.

But all of us, to one degree or another, submit ourselves quite well to the traditions of men.

But even our so-called church traditions are not above constructive and corrective criticism. Are they? Should this concern us? The idea of changing cherished traditions takes us out of our comfort zone and leaves us with the stark reality that we have been deceived and misled. Who likes to discover that their belief systems are wrong?


These are vital questions that need to be addressed.

While many “church leaders” will often pay lip service to the idea that the members should examine what is being taught in light of the scriptures, church members are rarely given the freedom to actually do so without serious repercussions. That is, unless the member’s conclusions are the same as the leaders. The question is not "is my teaching elder right or wrong"; rather it is "do you have the right to study the Bible for yourself and do you really have the freedom to come to your own conclusions?"

What Does The Bible Say About Membership In A Local Church?

Are God's people "church members?”

During the New Testament and the times of the Apostles, believers did not, (at least in the sense we today use the phrase “become members of the church”), become members of anything! They did not have to “become a member” of what they were automatically a part of by conversion to Christ.


The events of church history: i.e. – the incorporation of confessions, and creeds, and catechisms, and other traditions of men, have changed that situation.

Two thousand years of corruption has changed everything.

To read the remainder of this article in full, click the link below:

www.wickedshepherds.com/churchmembership.html

Remember, God does indeed have a membership, but that membership is UNTO HIM, not to a place where you go once a week to attend a so-called “worship service!”


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There's No Place Like Home:

How the Institutional Church destroys families

God oftentimes uses many signs and illustrations in the Scriptures in driving home a point on an issue that He wants to emphasize. One such use is His relationship to the nation of Israel. God uses this as an allegory to show His love and mercy for his unfaithful wife, Israel. 

There are a few examples of this particular allegory. One example of God's unconditional love is in the Old Testament book of Hosea.

Hosea was one of the minor prophets, sent by God to preach to Israel. Hosea married Gomer, and they had numerous children. Gomer, being allured and seduced, turned to others gods. She then turns her back on her husband and abandons Hosea to go live in the sin of whoredom and adultery. Hosea was devastated, for he loved Gomer; but she was a whore.

At the end of the book of Hosea, after Gomer had lived a life of sin, Hosea finds her being sold at a slave market. Hosea buys Gomer back, thus expressing his unconditional love and forgiveness.

This whole incident is a reminder of the evil dichotomy currently existing between “church rulers” and the God-instituted rule in the family. How?

It’s a sad story but nevertheless, all too true….and even perhaps going on right now as we speak in many marriages.

How can a faithful spouse (wife) turn into an unfaithful spouse (wife)?...

"....But sadly, she became an unfaithful wife...slowly being beguiled by the church and its leaders, she began to forsake her husband in her heart.....She was ever so lured by their seductive charm; their incessant and never ending call to sit under THEIR teaching and to submit to THEIR headship and to listen to and follow THEIR counsel;

...Through the passing of time, many of her "friends" entered into the scene and now, along with the "elders", encouraged her more and more in the departure from her husband and from the Truth...."

...She in turn was fully and finally seduced by the church and its leaders; seduced by her "friends" and she now became an adulteress, prostituting herself with the "eldership"

...She began to completely forsake her husband and trampled on the marriage covenant by constantly being in rebellion to his direction and leadership. She now no longer saw her husband as her God-given head but had replaced him, not in heart only but in actuality, with her new lover and head, her church leaders.

...She had become indeed a whore; whoring after the “eldership”. She had committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord and his Word; she has sought out and found other counselors and made them her idols; for the evil spirit of whoredom's has made her to err as they seek out more whores to commandeer and control.”

…In spite of this, her husband was patient with her; suffering in silence; enduring her cruel mocking's and slander; laying down his life daily for her; and gave her numerous opportunities to repent and return to him, her true husband and lover.”

.....Though the story doesn't end there.....he has not given up on his unfaithful wife.......

...By the mercy of the Lord, he at last, rescued her from their poisonous fangs, and she returned to him and truly submitted to him and to his God-given headship in everything.

...She lived with him once again, as he lovingly soothed her wounds that she encountered from her abusers........anointing them with oil......she was eventually brought back to her senses;

...She was faithful to him; and gradually her heart was won over by his love and mercy, to truly become his wife; and this was now her care all the days of her life; never to desert him again."

See also: A Word To The Wives
 
Wicked Shepherds and http://www.wickedshepherds.com/ is exposing these men and their dastardly deeds which have corrupted, contaminated, and disfigured the church; turning it into an enslaving institutional system, which was not founded by Jesus Christ, but by men who love to feed upon and control other human beings.