The office of a bishop is one of the most sacred to devolve upon the shoulders of men, for it is fraught with eternal consequences for those who are under their care, and thus the spiritual qualifications and stipulations that are given in the scriptures must be closely followed and adhered to, in order that the cause of Christ may not suffer loss, and so that the sacred office might be a conduit for God’s saving grace to all the church and to the world at large. Furthermore, the Biblical instructions given are not only restricted to bishops and pastors, but they also extend out to all those who have been ordained as preachers and elders, deacons and televangelists, and everyone who is called by God, or otherwise assumes the sacred role of leader in one form or another, for it makes no difference whatsoever.
There are those who are ordained to preach, and then there are those who are permitted to preach, but any which way, the stipulations remain the same, because the eternal destiny of souls depend on the faithful administration of truth and duty in the one who is serving in such a sacred capacity. It is worthy of note that none of the twelve disciples of Christ were ever formally ordained by the religious leaders back then, for they received their calling directly from Christ, and as such they were to also fulfill the recommendations given in the scriptures. As Jesus walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw some fishermen mending their nets, and to them He addressed the words, “Follow me”.
Then in another instance He saw a man working with the IRS, and again He called on him to leave his accounting work to follow where He would lead the way. Yet again, on another occasion, a particular person is not called by Christ, but intrudes himself into the inner circle of disciples, and as with any of the other disciples, he is permitted to preach. And the specific calls continued until there were twelve men from the common walks of life, whom Christ ordained and then sent out to preach. Let’s read:
Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying”….
7 “As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Formal ordination by the church, as Christians are instructed to do in the scriptures, is good, and any person graduating from one of the most prestigious theological seminaries in the land, is quite a great achievement, and should be encouraged whenever, and wherever possible. But The Lord will have us to understand that these certifications, in and of them selves, do not guarantee that the students are now ordained of God, for it is often the case that persons may graduate with a doctorate in theology, whilst they may have a failing grade in the Holy Ghost, yet the requirements as mentioned in the Bible must still apply. A very interesting commentary on this issue is penned by the servant of the Lord, and is worthy of our observation as we move forward with the presentation for today. Let’s read:
(Last day events pp. 204) The Comforter is to reveal Himself, not in any specified, precise way that man may mark out, but in the order of God—in unexpected times and ways that will honor His own name. He will raise up from among the common people men and women to do His work, even as of old He called fishermen to be His disciples. There will soon be an awakening that will surprise many. Those who do not realize the necessity of what is to be done will be passed by, and the heavenly messengers will work with those who are called the common people, fitting them to carry the truth to many places.
Laborers Qualified by the Holy Spirit.
In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged.... God will work a work in our day that but few anticipate. He will raise up and exalt among us those who are taught rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the outward training of scientific institutions. These facilities are not to be despised or condemned; they are ordained of God, but they can furnish only the exterior qualifications. God will manifest that He is not dependent on learned, self-important mortals”.
Thus it is, that to all who assay to handle the sacred truths of God’s word, whether they are formally ordained, or are “Permitted” to preach, the sacred instructions and requirements will apply, and as we read, let us then consider where we are currently in our day, where a plethora of genuinely ordained, and self-proclaimed preachers and televangelists have overspread the land, some of whom specialize in a wide variety of smooth-sounding, tailor-made gospels that are being dispensed to the multitudes. Let’s read:
1st Timothy 3:1 This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given
to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8 Likewise must the deacons 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 use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
A perusal reading of the previous verses tell us that we are in very serious trouble as it is currently, for not only have the sacred instructions been blatantly disregarded in many instances, but many bishops have gone a step further by incorporating political correctness, and secular agendas into the pulpit, and as a result, we have a greatly compromised gospel that has surfaced in our day, in which the sacred truths of God’s word have been substituted for a host of motivational speeches, by which those who sit in darkness are being flattered into a carnal sense of security, and heaven is being offered on terms that are not recognized nor endorsed by God.
In addition to all these discrepancies, we are also being faced with several instances of sexual abuse by prominent religious leaders, to the point where there are now thousands of cases locally and world-wide, where pedophiles and preachers are found to be wearing the same shoes, and the stipulation of “One female wife” as given in the scriptures, has now been interpreted to include two of the same gender. Thus, the sacred truths of God’s word are being handled, or mishandled by those who are walking directly contrary to what the Bible teaches.
It cannot be emphasized enough, that it is of critical importance that the dissemination of God’s word be not mixed with spiritual cool-aid, which will then inevitably cause the spiritual demise of those who espouse and endorse such creeds. Most prominent among these teachings is the doctrine which states that God’s law was nailed to the cross when Jesus died on Calvary. This singular doctrine, more than any other has opened the floodgates of moral
abandon upon our world, for wherever there is no absolute moral standard, we become a law unto ourselves, with variable standards of right and wrong being espoused and cultivated from person to person. Thus, the argument often cited by many Christians, that the L.G.b.T community is harboring unscriptural views, is being signally overturned by the fact that we too have endorsed a day of rest that has no Biblical foundation.
Thus, Christians and gays are often found to be sailing in the same boat, by stating that God’s law is no longer valid. But the same God who wrote with His own finger, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” is the same God who said “Remember The Sabbath day to keep it holy”, and if we are found to be in violation of one of the commandments of God, we will by so doing disqualify ourselves from speaking up against other violations that occur in our society. This odd situation was addressed by Christ, with the hope that all who take the name of Christ may live in harmony with what is written, so that as bishops, elders, deacons, and spiritual leaders, we may be “Blameless”, as is written in the instructions given. Let’s read:
Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 “First cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Similarly, as Christians we can condemn the act of killing, of the two reporters who were shot dead on live T.V recently, by the deranged gunman, yet if we are found to be in violation of another of the same law, then we are in the same boat, for the apostle James addressed this issue directly, by stating that he who offends in one, offends in all, for God is the Author of all Ten commandments. The law against adultery, stealing, covetousness, and murder, also contains the Sabbath commandment, and therefore one cannot be surrendered in favor of the other, without us being held liable. Let’s read:
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
And now ladies and gentlemen, Christians, and fellow believers, straights and gays, seculars and pagans, friends and neighbors, we now present to you the honorable, sacred, and eternal law of Ten commandments, as written by the finger of God, and as we go through them, let us consider that they are given for our best good, and were written down in stone to show their permanence, and will be written in the hearts of all those who choose to be partakers of God’s saving grace, for this is the whole purpose and essence of the plan of salvation, as is written in the book of Hebrews. Let’s read:
Exodus 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying, 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
It is the will of God that every Christian, and every person who desires to be active partakers of God’s mercy and saving grace through Christ, now submit themselves to God, so that the principles of His law be indelibly etched into our consciences. God did not send His Son into the world, to die for our sins, so that we could continue in sin, so that grace may abound, for if that were the case, then it would have been better for us to die in our sins. We therefore end with four passages of scripture which show the purposes, uses, and validity of God’s law of Ten commandments, and it is the will of God that every sincere-hearted person now step up to the plate, and be counted, for God is now wrapping up the process of making up the citizens for His eternal kingdom of glory. Let’s read:
Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make”… “saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments,
that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Isaiah 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
May the Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word.
God bless!