My Senior Pastor Is The Lord Jesus Christ
By: Jeremiah Baldizan
“My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.” James 2:1No where in Scripture do we see a church leader who is accountable to no one, and/or is to be accepted as the final authority without question in the local church, denomination, or universal church. The only exception to this rule is The Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is Truth and His Word is to be treated as the final authority in all matters. He alone is the Chief Shepherd of the sheep (John 10:14). He is the only one as Head of the church who cannot be overthrown, impeached, subject to church discipline, etc (Heb 8:1, see also Gal 1:8). He is the only one Anointed, a title a man should tremble before taking on himself.
So lets ask a question, “Is your senior pastor accountable to anyone?” “If he goes astray doctrinally can anyone have him step down unless he repents of his faulty doctrine?” In most cases in this form of Christianity the answer to both questions is an obvious “No” (see 1 Tim 5:20). If you have a problem with something unbiblical being preached, to bad for you, you can just leave. My problem is God did not give anyone in church leadership the right to lord over God’s heritage. That was the way of the Pope. “Who are you to question the authority of the Pope?” That is the question history answered in the reformation and I hope is to be answered again for a much needed reformation 500 years later on October 31 in the year 2009. Some how we ended up in the same boat by disobeying the Scriptures, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons” (Also a word for the wise and mature among us, “But the wisdom that is from above is…without partiality” James 3:17 KJV). According to the Bible, local congregations are to be governed by a group of elders each not above another and the group of elders below the congregation (1 Pet 5:1, see also Matt 23:11). The elders are there only to serve the congregation, so the congregation can fulfill their true purpose of serving God in their families and communities (Eph 4:12). The members of the congregation are not to be mere spectators watching their pastors be spiritual in church services, but to be bold witnesses in their homes, and communities laying down their lives for Christ and the gospel (see Mark 8:35). The congregation according to Scripture are spiritual soldiers on the front lines hand and hand in the war against the forces of hell armed with the Gospel of the Glory of God (Matt 16:18). The true church has lay people like Stephen in Acts chapter 6 who had such boldness, that he laid down his life, preaching the gospel to the very men who crucified Christ Jesus. It is said of him, “And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake” (Acts 6:10). We are only “lay people” because we “lay” down our lives for the Gospel. True shepherds in God’s church will be right along side us leading by example not just leading with mere words. Like Christ our humility must show because in order for Christianity to survive and thrive we must keep each other accountable without respect to rank, privilege, position, notoriety, etc. with fervent love for the brethren.
“At our church our Senior Pastor is the Lord Jesus Christ!” - An anonymous true shepherd
