WHO'S THE BOSS?

The truth is, either God and his Word are the final authority, or we are. But it cannot be both. Either God calls the shots, or we do. We seek to usurp the role of God, and pronounce our own version of events to be the inspired and authoritative one if we replace the teachings and revelation of scripture with our own.

Most Protestants assume that the evangelical church follows scripture and the Catholic Church doesn’t. They are probably right about the second point (Pope Pius XII said in a letter that and I quote “We Catholics do not accept the Bible as the only rule of faith”) but the fact remains that they are wrong about the first in too many cases.

Take for instance, where do you find in scripture anything that remotely says that a church has to employ a person to take up the position of a pastor who is brought in from some town on the other side of the country?

Or, where do you find anything that authorises a clergy/laity divide?

Where do you find that the communion in scripture is some mystical ritual that only a priest or minister can officiate at?

Where do you find in scripture anything remotely like the average evangelical Sunday morning service, even if it is a Pentecostal one?

Where do you find in scripture a set programme where a few of the congregation perform in front of the rest of the congregation?

Where do you find in scripture that one person is called on to preach 104 times a year?

Where do you find in scripture that prayer is something that we can do if we feel like it?

Where do you find in scripture that elders are no longer necessary to oversee the local congregation?

Where do you find in scripture that women are elders of the local congregation?

Where do you find in scripture any reference to a ‘senior pastor?’

Where do you find in scripture approval for denominations?

If you cannot find any of the above in scripture, and you can’t, then we have made ourselves the final authority even though we are evangelicals and we say that the Bible is the inspired word of God and is final for faith and practice. Is it any wonder that God is not blessing us with his manifest presence?

The word of God is our road map. If we intend to move forward in our journey we have to consult the road map if we are not going to be guilty of making ourselves the final authority.

If we do not intend to move forward, rather choosing to make camp and hold a religious jamboree, we are saying to Jesus that we do not believe that he did mean us to go into all the world and make disciples.

Jesus said, “Whosoever is not with me is against me.” How do we know we are for Jesus? Let me use an illustration to answer that one.

A young man joins the Army and says to his commanding officer on day one “I have joined the army but I am not going to do anything you tell me to do.” What do you think the commanding officer’s response will be?

I think it will be something like this. “You will do what your told when you are told and if you don’t like it you can get a dishonourable discharge now.”

Unfortunately the church is full of people who have had a dishonourable discharge but they don’t realise it. That is why they live powerless lives.