May I rephrase my point: The 'new man' is God
living in us and
us in God. The Church is The Body of Christ:
He is The Head, and we are all members of His body. The Pastors should
not be the head of The Body of Christ,
which is what most every common church format represents (just as the Pope is the visible head of that church).
The modern Sunday church service
promotes and models the pastor(s) as head(s) of the church(s), and the whole assembly is
in subjection to the Pastors leadership. But
this is wrong, Jesus said
"It shall not be so among you".
When we call someone 'The' Pastor they are actually assuming the biblical place of Christ (Shepherd means pastor, The Shepherd is Christ). You can have many pastors in the servant helping / ministering roles, and actually the church's should be
full of many pastors, you just have to reconsider that the biblical pastor / priest / leader / teacher role should apply to any Godly 'mature' believer, that IS The new covenant (we are a kingdom of priests). But this 'one' pastor 'system' stunts everyone's growth, practice and use of their gift and understanding. A simple New Testament review of bible principles should reveal to us that we have stepped into the abyss when we call someone 'The' pastor. We should have 'many' wise Elders, teachers, evangelists and preachers even in a small healthy church. These should not be 'offices' held by very few. But, that is what we have. We find a 'service' is where a 'few' do 'all' the talking and 'all' the 'ministering'. And it is 'all' a great production, where the sermon and Pastor/Preacher is most often
the central 'event' while most everyone sits in the
audience and watches. Or they are serving in the childcare, or collecting monies, or parking cars, etc. (To me it seems like one big childcare center. At least the children often get more interaction with each other, while the adults are pacified by sucking on milk, and the pastors thumb for an hour, like babies).
'Preaching' was meant to announce
new information not known or accessible to the general assembly. Preaching was a general practice
to unbelievers, the unrepentant or
uninformed, this was never meant to be a ritual to replace what some understand and experience as meeting with friends who are believers to
talk and enjoy meeting like friends do, and worship together on Sunday mornings. Although speeches and preaching has its place, a tradition of oratory and rhetoric on Sunday replaced what discipleship, fellowship and being filled with the Spirit was meant to accomplish. The Papal leadership were assumed to have the Holy Spirit and words from God in Catholicism, and the Lutherans and reformers didn't remove this tradition, and turned the ritual liturgy into the ritual sermon time.
Gods Spirit was given to 'every' believer to use and be led of,
even on Sundays! The Spirit unites us all in One Spirit together, that was His prayer. Uniting and oneness does not happen just by sitting in pews. Oneness happens through
conversation with one another. Singing, praying, reading and learning 'together' in the Spirit creates oneness with one another! Every Sunday we let some pastor do all the talking for us, lead us in prayer, then we have a choir or band sing 'for us' (don't believe I am bashing choirs and bands I LOVE the music of worship), but in order to go enjoy the music we get
trapped in our seats, and forced to listen to whatever the Pastor has to say, rather than anyone else. Week after week until no one knows how to teach, disciple and share. Or experience what it is like to be moved to speak, pray, love or comfort another believer. The amount of time and opportunity allowed in church to get to know other believers around Gods Word and in His Spirit on a Sunday, is pathetic. It is supposedly all done for us by the Head Pastor, or professionals of these church institutions.
All we originally needed was a larger building (than our homes) to meet and have fellowship in,
that's all! A place to sing together, congregate, and speak to one another about God, what God was showing and teaching each of us, that's what we needed. Instead we have found church is church, and friendship and fellowship happens elsewhere, dinners, ball games, at card tables, AA meetings, shopping malls, everywhere else, because church is not enjoyable and fun, because it is a duty, and it is a service (not).
Church should be like a great family reunion around God and His Word! With everyone
enjoying and
sharing their share in Gods Spirit. This is still possible! This has been possible ever since the introduction of printed bibles, tables and chairs.
