Ideas about the Kingdom of the Heavens around us and the unity of believers in Christ within it
En Juan 9 y 10, Jesús, tras sanar a un ciego y confrontar a los fariseos, les acusa de hipocresía espiritual al afirmar que pueden ver mientras rechazan la verdad. Jesús usa la parábola del buen pastor para contrastar entre el verdadero guía y los falsos líderes, cuestionando la legitimidad de los fariseos. La primera parte de ls serie.
Addresses the subject of the roles of the people said in Ephesians 4 to be “given” to the Church by Christ and the qualifications and roles of church officers mentioned in the New Testament–overseers, officially recognized elders, and church servants (deacons). Also discusses the role of elders–older people in the church–even when not formally recognized as leaders, with application to me, the author of this presentation.
Pastors are shepherds of flocks of people. Their main function is to guide, guard, tend, and care for the needs of their flock, not to command it. They should not be expected to exercise all of the gifts of the Spirit, to be competent to do every job in the Church, or to do the whole “work of the ministry” in place of the members of their flock.
Ephesians 4:11 identifies five groups of people given to the Church by Christ to equip its members to do the work of the ministry–apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. These five groups are best viewed based on their functions, and not as fixed “offices” of authority. The common Protestant emphasis on the pastor as the “boss” of the local church is unjustified.