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This study may be freely posted on other bbs' and distributed to others provided this leader remains with the study text at all times. ********************* WHAT IS A TRUE PASTOR? ********************* The study thoughts presented in this book will not cover very much of the picture which the book of Revelation presents. It would require us to write MANY LARGE BOOKS in order to give even a brief coverage of the entirety of Revelation. Therefore, this study is centered around the main THEME of the book, which is revealing "Jesus Christ" in HIS SPIRITUAL "BODY" versus the counterfeit church systems that the DEVIL disguises to LOOK LIKE "Christianity". We have already considered the TRUE MEANS of genuine SALVATION, so we have one more major area to cover in order to help a person who is honest hearted to know how to SPOT the PHONEY CHURCH SYSTEMS. Not only will their teachings on salvation be false, but their PASTORS WILL BE FALSE AS WELL. Let us first look at the absolute general essentials that God requires out of anyone who labors for him as a pastor. 1 Timothy 3: 3:1 This [is] a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. The Greek word translated "BISHOP" means an "overseer". It (as well as the position of "deacon") is one of the two positions of authority in the New Testament church, as is evidenced in Philippians 1:1 and in this context. It is such "overseers" or in other words, BISHOPS, that Paul said had the responsibility to "feed" the church (Acts 20:28). This refers to the position of "pastor" which in the Greek and Hebrew means "shepherd" or one who "pastures the flock". ****************************************************************** (1) 1 Timothy 3 specifies that ANYONE who is even considering the "office of a Bishop" (pastor) MUST meet certain conditions in their life. Just because they meet those conditions is NOT proof that God wants them or calls them to the work. Instead it is a set of ABSOLUTE requirements that must be met by those who might desire to be called of God. They are as follows: (a) "blameless".... This means that they must be above reproach. Biblically that can be proven to mean that their past life cannot be a life of crime and immorality. While such ungodliness CAN be forgiven by God, it makes one unfit for serving the Lord in this capacity. If people would read and study the Bible, they would know that men like JIM BAKER and JIM SWAGGART can be forgiven by God (if they meet HIS conditions), BUT THEY WILL NEVER BE FIT FOR THE GOSPEL MINISTRY. If you will notice in the scriptures, you will NEVER FIND GOD CALLING A MAN WHO HAD LIVED IN IMMORALITY BEFORE HIS CONVERSION (or after for that matter) TO THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY. This requirement of "blamelessness" is not a requirement that began at a certain time in one's life (i.e. not 5 minutes ago, not 5 days ago, and not 5 years ago). IT IS A GENERAL REQUIREMENT AND IS AN ABSOLUTE. IF A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN SAVED BY THE POWER OF GOD CAN BE RIGHTFULLY ACCUSED OF IMMORAL CONDUCT IN THEIR PAST LIFE, THEY ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE TO GOD FOR THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY. This is all a part of one's reaping what they have sown. If you still cannot see that this is true, then notice carefully the 7th verse of the text in 1 Timothy 3. They must be of good report by those outside the church. This characteristic must be taken as a requirement only to the DEGREE that the Bible teaches. For example, the scripture teaches that we are to live at peace with all men AS MUCH AS WE POSSIBLY CAN (Romans 12;18). However, there will always be some people who do not speak well of God's ministry. Therefore we must BALANCE the thought of Paul's words to Timothy with Jesus' words in Luke 6:26 which says "woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you...". Our text then must be taken to mean that people outside the church should not have any GROUNDS or be given any justifiable reason to speak against the ministry. People OUTSIDE the circle of believers even spoke against Jesus, but they did so unjustly. (b) "The husband of one wife".. There are many theories as to Paul's meaning in this statement, and this study is not long enough to allow us the many of pages of material we would have to present to prove his true meaning. Let me just state this for now; Paul realized that God was VERY strict in His requirements as to the MORALS of those who would labor in the office of "bishop" (i.e. pastor). Surely the reader can see that much from the text. (c) "vigilant"....This refers to one of the characteristics of a true pastor which most people who PROFESS to be Christians (but are not TRULY honest hearted) will find to be OBJECTIONABLE. This word comes from a GREEK word which means "watchful"; "on guard"; "cautious". It is the characteristic that prevents a true pastor from always getting excited about people's spiritual experiences which so many people claim to have. A true pastor will be very hesitant to believe in something IF it is possible for SATAN to counterfeit it. He will be on guard to the extent that he will occasionally have to caution people about their beliefs or their experiences. This will not make him at all popular with people who are not honest hearts and who WANT to believe in the "signs" that SATAN often sends. Genuine honest hearts will WANT to be kept on their guard and will appreciate the pastor's "vigilance" or watchfulness in their behalf. (d) "sober".... This comes from a Greek word which means "sound minded". It refers to a person who has good self control and is not easily provoked to anger or wrath. Preachers who easily get mad at people and say or do things that they should not do (out of control) do not fulfill this requirement. Titus 1:7 says that a pastor must not be easily angered. I am not implying that a God called preacher will never get upset or make a statement that they should not have made. It is possible for anyone to misunderstand something or else to make a wrong judgement in a matter. However, I am referring to people saying or doing things that they should not because they have lost control of their temper. That is something that the Lord will not put up with in the work of the ministry. They may have been guilty of such in their past life (before becoming a pastor), but it is not allowed after they begin to pastor. They definitely cannot have a habitually bad temper and be called of God to pastor. (e) "good behavior"....This is translated from a Greek word which means "proper arrangement of life" and especially is applicable to the fact that a minister MUST PUT THE LORD'S WORK FIRST PLACE (BEFORE EVERYTHING ELSE) AT ALL TIMES. This is proven by many other scriptural examples. In God's sight the only well arranged life is the one that makes the WORD OF GOD the most important reason for living. (f) "given to hospitality"....This comes from a Greek word which spells out the admonition that Paul gave to ALL Christians in Hebrews 13:2. This means that one is to be "friendly to strangers". God realizes that everyone can easily be friendly to those they know well and love. However, God's people are to also be friendly to those they do not know. This is true of pastors as well. The meaning of the Greek text here is best rendered "lovers of strangers". (G) "apt to teach".... This is ONE of the requirements that other scriptures show to be EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. We will therefore take time to look at this characteristic more closely. We have covered this subject in another Bible Study Booklet, but we will review some of the main points here for clarity. Many people today think that there are FIVE instead of FOUR different forms of PREACHING MINISTRY listed in Ephesians 4. They feel that the "pastor" and the "teacher" are two different God-given tasks. The main reason that it is so important that we know the truth of the matter is because it is such an important characteristic for us to look for in finding a TRUE GOD CALLED PASTOR. Here are a few thoughts from our other Bible study on "PASTORS" which will help us to see that the "pastors and teachers" in Ephesians 4:11 refers to the same calling or "office". Please notice the following: Ephesians 4:11-12: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: This may seem a small point to some people and if you are one, I ask that you please forgive my great concern in this direction. I would like to point out the fact that the text in Ephesians 4:11 does NOT read as follows: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors; AND SOME, teachers;..... The reason that I am stressing this point is because GOD DEFINITELY CALLED me to be a PASTOR-TEACHER. Yet I have spoken to literally hundreds of pastors through the years who say they are called to "preach but not to teach". I do not mean to be unkind but I will have to be honest. I HAVE GREAT DOUBTS ABOUT THEIR CALLING TO BE A PASTOR. OK, now that I have half of the country (or more) mad at me for that statement, I will give those of you who continue to read the SCRIPTURAL REASONS that I believe what I just stated. (a) It is a fairly well known and accepted fact among Bible history students that Timothy was the first pastor at the church at Ephesus. Paul wrote to him in First and Second Timothy and stated the following: Timothy was to read and study the scriptures, and he was to teach DOCTRINE in order to save himself and those that heard him (1 Timothy 4:11-16 and 2 Timothy 2:15). This agrees with what Paul wrote to the church at Rome in Romans 10:13-17, where he stated that salvation was by FAITH which comes by "HEARING" (some people think that it means READING) of the "WORD OF GOD". He went on to explain that they could not hear without a PREACHER and the preacher could not TRULY bring the WORD OF GOD "except he be sent". Paul told Timothy that the elders who labored in the word and doctrine were "worthy of double honour" and the bishops (pastors) must be "apt to teach". ( 1 Tim. 3:2 & 5:17). (b) As we have already begun to point out, the wording of our text in Ephesians 4:11 is such that points to a SINGULAR office as that of pastor-teacher. I could quote from multitudes of texts which state the same as these two well recognized Greek scholars: M. R. Vincent's WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT says about this text, "the omission of the article from 'teachers' seems to indicate that pastors and teachers are included under one class. The two belong together." WUEST'S WORD STUDIES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT has this to say about this verse. "The words 'pastors and teachers' are in a construction called 'Granvill Sharp's rule' which indicates that they refer to one individual". Many analytical commentaries that deal with the meanings of the Greek and Hebrew state the same as above. (c) Jeremiah 3:15 is speaking of God gathering His people as spiritual Israel in the NEW COVENANT and He says He will give them pastors (i.e. shepherds) "according to mine (HIS) heart which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding". Checking for verification of this in the writings during the New Testament period we find the following: Acts 20:28 Paul tells the pastors (shepherds) to "feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood". We KNOW that he means to "feed" with SPIRITUAL "knowledge and understanding". 1 Peter 5:1-3 tells us that the shepherds (pastors) were to "feed the flock of God......taking the oversight thereof". Again, the responsibility of "feeding" with SPIRITUAL FOOD. The very meaning of the word "pastor" is that of a shepherd or a pasture. Spiritual "sheep" need spiritual food. Many people think it is spiritual "food" when a preacher stands for 20 or 30 minutes, tells a little Bible story, and exhorts lost people to "get saved". There are also people who think it is spiritual "food" when a preacher spends all of his preaching time telling people how they should live. However, it should be obvious that WORKING IS NOT EATING. Moral and righteous living are a part of the will of God for the lives of His people, but THOSE THINGS ARE WORKS; NOT THE MEAL FROM WHICH ONE SHOULD GET SPIRITUAL STRENGTH TO ACCOMPLISH THOSE WORKS. FAITH IS SPIRITUAL "ENERGY", AND WE MUST "EAT" TO HAVE ENERGY TO SERVE GOD. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him" (Hebrews 11:6). That means without "feeding" on good spiritual "food" to enrich our spirits and to provide spiritual energy ("faith"), we CANNOT PLEASE GOD. According to the Bible, there are things that the "natural man" (i.e. the lost or spiritually dead person) cannot receive or understand. Those things are spiritual "mysteries" (1 Corinthians 2:7-14 and Matthew 13:10-17, etc.). Those things are spiritual food for God's true children who truly love and serve Him (John 6:53-63). Those are the teachings of the spiritual types and shadows (allegories) such as Jesus, Paul, and the apostles commonly used in their speaking and writing. Those are the things that every God called pastor will teach his congregation to the best of his ability. To summarize, I would like to especially emphasize that ALL TRUE GOD CALLED AND SENT PASTORS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE THE SPIRITUAL MANNA (FOOD) FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD. I realize that it is God who really provides it, but the pastor has the responsibility to be a good messenger and deliver it as well as possible. That means that a pastor's number one responsibility is to STUDY THE BIBLE and seek the Lord for understanding and spiritual application of ALL OF THE SCRIPTURES; NOT JUST THE GOSPELS, ETC. If the pastor fulfills the will of God, he will TEACH (feed) God's people with "knowledge and understanding". He will not concern himself with great "showmanship" or high charged emotional displays (which cause people to give the preacher the glory and honor), BUT HE WILL CONCERN HIMSELF WITH TEACHING THE WORD IN ITS GREAT DEPTHS AND BRINGING ENLIGHTENMENT AND UNDERSTANDING WHICH WILL THRILL THE HEARTS OF GOD'S TRUE PEOPLE. Many people believe that the "teachers" in Ephesians 4:11 are "sunday school" teachers, etc. However, MOST sunday school teachers that I have known in the 41 years I have been in churches all over the country DO NOT have the understanding necessary to teach people enough to fulfill the requirements of Ephesians 4:12 to 15. It takes a special calling and gift from God to have the knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures so as to be able to expound them in a manner to feed God's people. Certainly NO MAN has a right to glory in the knowledge that God has given him in order that he might use it and declare it to others. However, IT WILL BE VERY EVIDENT to others that God has given such revelation to him (if that is the case) and those who love the Lord will give God the glory for His provisions for His people. I do not believe that Paul had "sunday school" teachers in mind when he wrote the letter to the Ephesians. History shows that the "sunday school" is something that was added to the form of religion many years after the apostle Paul was long gone from this life. Roman Catholicism seems to have been the ones who brought in the "sunday school" system as a means of indoctrinating the children from the time they were very young so the "church" could keep its control over their lives. I read one time where they used to say, "give us your children during the first few years of their lives and we will make them Catholics for life". For many multitudes this has proved to be very true, and today the Protestantism systems are making use of the same methods and accomplishing the same thing. (H) "not given to wine".... This expression is translated from the Greek word which means to not come NEAR wine. Proverbs 23:31 teaches we are not to even "look upon" wine that is alcoholic in content (i.e. "moveth in the cup" and "turneth the eye red"). (I) "no striker".... This means that a pastor is not to strike back at people who oppose him. That does not mean that he is not to strive to use the sword of truth against their wicked ways, but means that he is not to take personal vengeance or hold a grudge in anyway against anyone for anything. He should stand firmly for the truth and strive to help everyone involved to do the right thing. However, he should not "strike out" at anyone for personal feelings or reasons. He should only react to adverse circumstances in such a manner as to protect the TRUTH and THE PEOPLE OF GOD. (J) "not greedy of filthy lucre".... This is translated from a Greek word which means to desire monetary gain or income from evil practices. It would include such common practices as preachers begging for money (such as is common on radio and television), raising money for themselves or their churches through methods that are illegal or that God would not condone, tricking people out of their money, raising money by holding church sales, bazaars, carnivals, fairs, or other practices which attempt to take in money from the world to support the work of God, etc. God also does not approve of the practice of preachers giving "pitches" or in other words, SOLICITING for money. If God does not deal with the person's heart and inspire them to give, then GOD DOES NOT WANT THEIR MONEY. The reason false preachers ask for money is because GOD is not asking people to give to support them. (K) "patient".... The Greek word means "mild mannered" or of a balanced nature. Willing to give people time to come to understand God's will and to measure to that will. (L) "not a brawler".... Not a person who likes fights or arguments and therefore is prone to start arguments, or keep them going if someone else starts them. This would also eliminate people who have a generally NEGATIVE attitude. They tend to inspire VERBAL "brawls". (M) "not covetous".... This means that a true pastor will not use the ministry as simply a means of employment or income. He will do the work to serve God, and will work just as hard whether he receives much or nothing in the way of monetary assistance. The amount of his efforts will not be determined by his salary. (N) "one that ruleth well his own house".... This does not teach that a true pastor is to be a tyrant, but tells us that his family must be kept under the BIBLE rules for the home. The text continues on this line by telling us that the pastor must have his children (WHO ARE STILL IN HIS HOME) under subjection to his authority with a definite "gravity" (honor or majesty). In other words, his children must respect him and his position so that they will live in such a way so as NOT to bring reproach on his labors for God. This does not say that his children will not act like children, as NO CHILD HAS EVER BEEN ENTIRELY PERFECT IN THIS WORLD. Paul shows us here that if a man cannot keep the respect and authority over his own children, he certainly will not make a good leader for the children of God (notice the text). (O) "not a novice".... This means that a pastor must not be a new convert who is not well taught in the faith. He must be "old enough" in spiritual growth to understand that no matter how much God uses him, in himself he is STILL NOTHING (even as the apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 12:11). ****************************************************************** (2) There is a statement in Titus 1:9-13 that mentions one more thing about the qualifications for a Bishop that we should notice very carefully. 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; 1:8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. 1:10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: 1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. 1:12 One of themselves, [even] a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians [are] alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. 1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; 1:14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. As you can see this text tells us that a bishop (pastor) MUST rebuke ("sharply") and teach against the fables and commandments of men. He must declare the truth and know it well enough to be able to stand up against the "gainsayers", or those who speak against the TRUTH. This means that he MUST KNOW HIS BIBLE and WHAT IT MEANS EXTREMELY WELL so that he can disprove all opposing views by making use of the scriptures, and NOT by simply calling names or making accusing statements. ****************************************************************** (3) 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal (Greek says "for the benefit of all)". This statement is based on a principle which prevails throughout the Bible. GOD DOES NOT GIVE ANY SPIRITUAL GIFT OR BLESSING TO BENEFIT JUST ONE INDIVIDUAL. EVERY SPIRITUAL GIFT IS GIVEN FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL OF GOD'S PEOPLE WHO COME INTO CONTACT WITH THAT INDIVIDUAL. THEREFORE, IF GOD GIVES THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD OF GOD TO SOMEONE SO THEY MIGHT FULFILL THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PASTORAL MINISTRY, THEN WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN THEM IS NOT FOR THEM ALONE TO BE A BLESSING ONLY TO THEM. INSTEAD, GOD HAS GIVEN IT TO THEM FOR THE "BENEFIT OF ALL" OF THE TRUE PEOPLE OF GOD. ****************************************************************** IF WE SUMMARIZE THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE MENTIONED SO FAR, we see that a TRUE, GOD CALLED PASTOR WILL: a. Live a very careful, moral, dedicated, and spiritual life. b. Spend most of their time studying the Bible prayerfully in order to gain understanding of the TRUTH, and therefore through the truth be able to bring people to salvation AND TO HELP THEM TO ATTAIN GREAT DEGREES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. c. Be matured spiritually so as to be prevented from taking personal pride in any of the works God may bring to pass through one's ministry. d. Teach the true WORD OF GOD without fear of those who may rise up against the truth, having sufficient knowledge to be able to withstand any attacks on that which God gives them to preach. e. Must have a definite CALLING from God to fulfill that particular responsibility (i.e. pastoral), and direction from God as to how to fulfill that calling. This is probably the MOST misunderstood area of Christian service. There are multitudes of preachers today who think that they were called to preach just because they had a burden to tell others about the Lord and the things of God. All Christians are given THAT burden by the Lord. It is a DANGEROUS thing to TRY to be a pastor if God has not truly COMMISSIONED a person to do so. PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING THOUGHTS: (1) We cannot look (LITERALLY) at the calling of the apostle Paul as an example of a pastoral calling, because that event took place in the transition period between the covenants during which God was still bringing to pass things in such a way as to portray "types". Paul's calling and conversion is a "TYPE" for us today. (2) We cannot look at the calling of the disciples as an example, as that also took place in the Old Covenant when the Lord was doing things in such a way as to picture New Covenant truth in "type" or symbolic form. We would be just as mixed up as someone who tries to fulfill Deuteronomy 22:10,11, and 12 LITERALLY today. While those "laws" are STILL in effect in the spiritual sense, God never was concerned about their fulfillment LITERALLY except as a "type" of the spiritual things which they portray. That is TRUE of course with ALL of the ceremonial LAWS. (3) Some of the men in the Old Covenant (such as Moses, Noah, Jacob, Job, etc.) are "types" of the pastoral ministry, but we must study them as we do all other "types", realizing that those events must be seen as SYMBOLIC of spiritual principles. (4) Careful study of the scriptures will reveal that there are NO DIRECT COMMANDS OR DOCTRINES which definitely declare how that a pastor will be called of God. There is a good reason for this. If a person thinks that God may be calling them to such a ministry, then they MUST be able to understand the scriptures enough to learn from the "types" the principles by which they must determine the certainty of their POSSIBLE calling. If they are not grown enough spiritually to understand such "types", then they are not spiritually "mature" enough to fulfill the command that they must not be a "novice" in the faith. They also will not have enough understanding to TRULY "FEED" the people of God. Since many of the spiritual "types" or symbolic pictures of the pastoral calling are very DEEP TRUTHS (for the very reason that we have mentioned), then the Lord will not allow me to cover them in a study such as this which is intended to be understood by those who are "younger" in the Truth. However, I will give you a simple "type" which will hopefully help each person who reads this to at least see that there are means by which one can receive definite scriptural leadership from God in such matters as this. ****************************************************************** Paul's conversion was (as I am sure you will agree) a very special and miraculous event. It was NOT like ordinary conversions, but was used by God for the purpose of illustrating spiritual principles in a allegorical (symbolic) hidden form. We will not go into the deeper details in this study, but let us look at the simple lessons that the Lord was portraying for us: (A) Paul (then called Saul) was living a very RIGHTEOUS outward life (morally speaking, Phillipians 3). (B) Paul was VERY BUSY attempting to serve God, even though his lack of understanding caused him to actually work against God. Paul was MORE "ZEALOUS" than most people in his attempts to serve God, but because of such he also caused more harm to God's people than most (1 Timothy 1:12-13 and Galatians 1:11-16). (C) Paul had one BIG problem that prevented him from serving God in a TRUE manner. HE WAS SPIRITUALLY BLIND. He only understood the RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE LAW OF GOD, and did not understand what it meant to "feed" the people of God (as he would later instruct the ministry to do...Acts 20:28). (D) Anyone who is spiritually blind is in "darkness" spiritually and needs to see the "LIGHT". God used Paul's literal experience to portray to us the SPIRITUAL picture of what we need for the ministry today. There are those today who are living GOOD CHRISTIAN lives. They are "zealous" of the things of God and want to serve Him. The problem is that UNTIL GOD SHINES THE LIGHT ON THEM, they do not have a TRUE message to preach, but can only declare (as Paul did) the TRADITIONS OF MEN. (E) God shown down HIS light upon Paul through Jesus Christ. Since Jesus is symbolically called the "WORD" in John 1, we can see that the light of Christ shining upon Paul was a picture of the "sun of righteousness" (Jesus as the WORD) prophesied by Malachi (Malachi 4:2). Jesus is of course brighter than the noonday sun (Acts 26:13, etc.) when we think in terms of SPIRITUAL LIGHT. (F) When Jesus' LIGHT IS POURED OUT IN FULL BRILLIANCE ON ANYONE, they will always find that they have been struck with BLINDNESS spiritually. I am not saying that God is still doing this LITERALLY today. The incident that happened to Paul took place in the transition period (see our study on the Old and New Testaments) during which the Lord was STILL working in such a manner as to present "TYPES" for us today. This shows us that if God sends the LIGHT in such a manner that it is poured out in TREMENDOUS BRILLIANCE, and allows the person seeing the light to "hear" from God, then one must expect that the Lord has a special job for them to do. God does not give anyone TREMENDOUS light just for themselves. The particular calling will depend on the amount of light. In other words, the more LIGHT or TRUTH that God reveals to an individual, the greater will be the responsibility that God gives them. (G) Paul's experience caused him to be blinded for three days. During that time he could not SEE, and he did not EAT or DRINK. When God deals with a person to call them to the ministry of His word, the first step He performs is to demonstrate to them HOW BLIND THAT THEY REALLY ARE in their own FLESHLY attempts to serve Him. In the Bible, THREE is always connected with the FLESH life or fleshly ways and thoughts. Three is the number which represents this THREE DIMENSIONAL life in the flesh which we now live. The THREE days represent the period during which the FLESHLY mind and its thoughts ("sight") are put aside so that one can GAIN TRUE SPIRITUAL VISION and SEE things differently. Their OWN IDEAS AND THOUGHTS are replaced by GOD'S thoughts and ideas. THEY WILL FORGET ABOUT THE TEACHINGS OF THEIR DENOMINATION OR GROUP AND BEGIN TO LOOK INTO "THUS SAITH THE LORD". This is THE ABSOLUTE PROOF that God is calling one to declare His WORD. I WILL REPEAT AGAIN THAT THE LORD MAY NOT BE CALLING THEM TO THE PASTORAL MINISTRY (THAT IS DETERMINED BY HOW MUCH LIGHT THAT HE GIVES THEM AND WHAT HE TELLS THEM TO DO WITH IT. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO USE THE WORD OF GOD IN HIS SERVICE BESIDES BEING A PASTOR. During this time of preparation one cannot be concerned with eating and drinking the things that they have been used to receiving (spiritually), as they are about to CHANGE DIETS. Ask any dietician if anything takes place during a three day fast. They will tell you that a process takes place where the body goes through a cleansing process. What happened to Paul is (I repeat), a literal event to typify the spiritual. We must CEASE to "eat" the doctrines and creeds of men in order for God to prepare our "spiritual system" for the GOOD FOOD OF HIS WORD WHICH HE WILL SEND. Until Paul had his experience of BLINDNESS, he had never been able to "SEE" the truth of GOD'S word. After his experience he constantly referred back to it in preaching to people AS PROOF of his DIVINE CALLING. Anyone today who claims to have a LITERAL experience as Paul did is (without realizing it) telling us that they are being deceived by the DEVIL. The Scriptures make very clear the fact that the period of time when God was working in such a manner to present to us the "types" is PAST since THE TIME THAT Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. However, any preacher today who claims that God has called them to pastor and yet they have not had such an experience (SPIRITUALLY) is fooling themselves as to what God has actually called them to do. The way that people can tell who are TRUE, GOD CALLED preachers is by the fact that they will fulfill the requirements that Paul detailed in his letter to Timothy, AND they will have TREMENDOUS LIGHT (understanding) from the WORD OF GOD which will enable them to DETAIL THE DEEP TRUTHS FROM THE SCRIPTURES. Notice what Paul said about what God showed Him. 1 Corinthians 2: 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 2:10 But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. Paul had revealed to him (by the Lord) the "DEEP THINGS OF GOD". That was great SPIRITUAL light, even as the Lord had illustrated for us by blinding him temporarily with LITERAL LIGHT. Paul WAS a true pastor, and God gave him the responsibility of the "care of all the churches" (2 Corinthians 11:28). He used the light that God gave him to try to help honest hearts everywhere he found them, no matter how deeply they may have seemed to be enslaved to FALSE RELIGION. ****************************************************************** SO HOW CAN A PERSON FIND OUT IF THEIR PASTOR HAS TRULY "SEEN THE LIGHT" FOR THIS DAY IN WHICH WE LIVE??? HOW CAN WE DETERMINE IF GOD HAS REALLY CALLED THEM TO BE A PASTOR??? (1) We can get to know them enough to determine if they fulfill the requirements that we have detailed from the writings of the apostle Paul. (2) In listening to their preaching, we can take notice if they are just preaching different ways of saying "GET SAVED AND LIVE FOR GOD", or are we truly gaining new understanding of truth which will enable us to GROW up and MOVE up spiritually? Are they just scaring people with GRAPHIC pictures of DEATH AND HELL, or are they able to motivate people to serve God by teaching the BIBLICAL "TYPES" which help us to truly come to KNOW GOD PERSONALLY? Do they HOLLER and SHOUT and speak emotionally charged words over and over in order to play on the FLESHLY emotions, or do they "feed" the "DEEP THINGS OF THE WORD OF GOD" which THRILL the SPIRIT and NOT the FLESH? If you don't see the picture that I am painting then consider these things... IF YOU ARE HUNGRY (PHYSICALLY) : (a) Then I don't think you would continue to go to eat at a restaurant where all they ever did was TELL YOU THAT YOU OUGHT TO BE HUNGRY AND THAT YOU OUGHT TO EAT RIGHT AND MIND YOUR MANNERS. If they didn't bring you any food, I don't think you would stay. (b) THEN YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE SCARED IN ORDER TO GET YOU TO "EAT" OR TO GET YOU TO STRIVE TO STAY ALIVE.. (c) Then you will be rather BOTHERED if you go to a restaurant to eat, and all the WAITER wants to do IS JUMP AND HOLLER AND PUT ON A SHOW. If he NEVER brings your food I believe that you would GET UP AND LEAVE. Look at the comparison between the physical and the spiritual that we have just pictured. Think about it. IS THE PHYSICAL "MEAL" MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE SPIRITUAL??? Absolutely NOT, but you know as well as I do that people would do something about their "EATING PLACE" if they were faced with such problems LITERALLY. Since most people are SPIRITUALLY DEAD, THEY ARE NOT BOTHERED BY SUCH CONDITIONS SPIRITUALLY. HOWEVER, THOSE WHO DO HAVE SPIRITUAL LIFE ARE BOTHERED BY SUCH THINGS, AND GOD'S WORDS TO THEM ARE "COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE" (REVELATION 18:4). Many who read this will need to FIND a different SPIRITUAL "restaurant" (church). (3) We can go to our pastor and ask him some questions that will help us to know if he has seen the "great light". If he tries to tell us that understanding the WORD OF GOD and its depths is not necessary for a pastor, then we should kindly ask him to read the writings of Paul to Timothy as a pastor in 1 Timothy 4:11-16. We should point out to him that our spiritual life is dependent upon him (or at least a TRUE PASTOR) studying the WORD and bringing it to us to feed us spiritually. Some possible questions that we could ask him (all SCRIPTURES are very important) are as follows: (a) What are the hidden SPIRITUAL meanings of the ceremonial laws of the old covenant (such as those pertaining to not eating unclean meats and not sowing different kinds of seed in the same field). We should ask him what the "wool" and the "linen" symbolize in Deuteronomy 22:11, and what that text means SPIRITUALLY in the NEW TESTAMENT AGE today. We should ask him what are the spiritual pictures portrayed by the fact that the CLEAN BEASTS (under the ceremonial or "typical" law of the old testament) WERE DESCRIBED BY GOD AS BEING THOSE WHO HAD A "CLOVEN" OR SEPARATED HOOF, AND ALSO WERE BEASTS WHO "CHEWED" THE CUD. If the reader is not familiar with this type, we do cover it in detail in one of our other Bible Studies, but we will give you the answer here and let you study our other literature in order to learn how this is proven scripturally. The "clean and unclean beast" laws in the old covenant were "types" (as were all of the details of the old testament period of time) to teach us spiritual TRUTH in these days of the NEW TESTAMENT time period. Old Testament LITERAL Israel were the chosen people of God in that day, whereas "spiritual Jews" (Romans 2:28-29, Galatians 3, 1 Peter 2:1-10, etc.) or TRUE CHRISTIANS are God's chosen people today. Literal Israel were not allowed to feed upon UNCLEAN BEASTS. Even so, SPIRITUAL ISRAEL or truly saved people today are not suppose to "feed" spiritually upon what those "beasts" symbolized. It may be easier for the reader to see what we are talking about if we present this subject in the form of a CHART as follows: ******* OLD TESTAMENT TIME *********** NEW TESTAMENT TIME ******* * Eating unclean beasts forbidden * Spiritually unclean "beasts" for God's people (LITERAL * forbidden for us to "feed" on Israel) to eat literally. * as spiritual "Israel" today. * A typical CLEAN BEAST was the * TRUE PASTOR is SPIRITUAL OX... ox. * study 1 Corinthians 9:7-11. * A CLEAN BEAST had cloven feet * True pastors who provide "food" and chewed the cud (essential). * for God's people today must have Numbers 11. * SEPARATED WALK (double walk---in * the world but not OF the world). * They must also "chew the cud" * spiritually, which means that * they must do much chewing on * SPIRITUAL FOOD if they are to * grow spiritually so they are * nourishing to God's people. * A beast could only LACK one of * A pastor can LIVE a separated the characteristics mentioned * and holy life, yet STILL not be and that caused it to STILL be * a fit vessel to "feed" upon UNCLEAN. * spiritually. He can study the * Bible, but if he is not separate * from the world, he is UNCLEAN. To help the reader a little more in CHECKING their pastor we will present one more simple TRUTH which is so basic the Lord would surely reveal it to EVERY TRUE PASTOR. It details briefly the thought that we have already mentioned. ******** Old Testament Time *********** New Testament Time ******* * God's people forbidden to wear * God's people today must not diverse (different) materials * wear (spiritually) WHAT THOSE at the same time (such as WOOL * things symbolize. "Fine linen" and LINEN together) Deut. 22:11. * symbolizes the righteousness of Linen does not "grow" naturally. * God's true people, which is the * righteousness of Jesus Christ * (Revelation 19:8, etc.). * Wool is the NATURAL PRODUCT of a * Spiritual "wool" is the natural sheep literally. * outward "righteousness" of a * SPIRITUAL "sheep" (John 10:11). * We must not attempt to MIX the * TWO materials. Though we DO * have outward righteousness as * God's people ("wool"), we are * "covered" spiritually by the * righteousness of Jesus (linen). * We must not trust in our own * "wool", but instead REST IN * "JESUS BLOOD AND RIGHTEOUSNESS". (b) Other things that we can ask our pastor to "check and see if he has seen great light" (and the examples I have given so far are basic truths and NOT EVEN GREAT LIGHT) are such areas of the Scriptures as the Book of Revelation, Song of Solomon, Zachariah, Esther, etc. The LIGHT from the LORD is GREAT today to reveal VERY DEEP things that are hidden in these and ALL of the other BOOKS in the BIBLE. In fact, there are NO areas of the Scriptures that are not revealed in GREAT DEPTHS in this present seventh period of the spiritual kingdom of our Lord. Stories from the Old Testament writings such as the story of Joseph and the story of Jephthae should require many hundreds of hours of prophetic teaching to reveal the DEEP and glorious truths that God has hidden within those texts. In fact, any true preacher will HAVE to preach in continual series since every subject in the Bible is far too IMMENSE to teach in one message no matter how long you might get people to stay for services. (c) Since this entire book on Revelation only covers the BASICS, all true God called pastors have a responsibility to hear from God and to know at least these simple truths which are contained here. Therefore, it would be a good idea to take some of the things that you learned from this study and are certain of their being TRUTH (i.e. the Lord has witnessed to your heart so you know for certain), and ask your pastor to explain those Scriptures and those truths to you. I know that this may not be to your liking, but friend, your ETERNAL DESTINY and ETERNAL REWARDS depends on your following the TRUE WORD OF GOD. Don't you believe that is important enough to warrant some extra effort on your part to CHECK OUT WHAT YOU ARE "FEEDING" ON???????? Jesus said in John 6 that we must "feed" on HIM. We only do that if we feed on TRUTH.