Celebrity Preachers.
Modern day preachers are gifted at giving metaphorical expressions as to their role in the “church”, but their role according to Ephesians 4:12 is to equip God’s people so God can do His work through them, encourage and uplift His church, the body of Christ. Pastor’s chief responsibility is to point believers to Christ as their spiritual growth source not to themselves or to their particular religious affiliation.
In reading Ephesians and Timothy, I understand the premise to be that Paul is letting the “Church” know that it’s OK to be a leader within the Body of Christ. However, religion has made being a pastor a coveted position of the seminary graduate appointed by man, rather than a spiritual function of believers, appointed by God. Being gifted to preach is like winning the lotto. Some leave promising careers to become preachers with the hope that they will reach the status of being a superstar pastor. Celebrity status begets influence and influence breeds celebriosity...(I know, it is not a word, but you get the point). In modern society, celebrity status breeds popularity and a massive income stream potential.
Pastoral celebrity comes with the added bonus of being untouchable and less scrutinized by their followers and even the government because of their tax free status. This becomes a haven for the type of personalities with the gift of gab that like exaggerated forms of attention and the accolades of the masses.
The benefits are incredible too. Expensive vehicles, mansions; tailor made clothes, airplanes and parishioners that are willing to bow to their every whim, as they fleece the people to finance their CELEBRI-OSITY in RELIG-IOSITY that is a MONSTROSITY of the PHILOSOPHY of man.
If we look at the pastor role in the early church, the goal of pastors was not to develop followers of themselves or denominations, but to develop followers of Christ who would go out and develop followers of Christ...who would go out and develop followers of Christ, instead of trying to develop followers of Christ at Sunday-programmed meetings.
I wonder if we as believers practiced the art of one-anothering rather than the smothering by the one-man-pipeline through which flows God’s desire for the people to the people, would we have more followers of Christ and less followers of religion?
In reading Ephesians and Timothy, I understand the premise to be that Paul is letting the “Church” know that it’s OK to be a leader within the Body of Christ. However, religion has made being a pastor a coveted position of the seminary graduate appointed by man, rather than a spiritual function of believers, appointed by God. Being gifted to preach is like winning the lotto. Some leave promising careers to become preachers with the hope that they will reach the status of being a superstar pastor. Celebrity status begets influence and influence breeds celebriosity...(I know, it is not a word, but you get the point). In modern society, celebrity status breeds popularity and a massive income stream potential.
Pastoral celebrity comes with the added bonus of being untouchable and less scrutinized by their followers and even the government because of their tax free status. This becomes a haven for the type of personalities with the gift of gab that like exaggerated forms of attention and the accolades of the masses.
The benefits are incredible too. Expensive vehicles, mansions; tailor made clothes, airplanes and parishioners that are willing to bow to their every whim, as they fleece the people to finance their CELEBRI-OSITY in RELIG-IOSITY that is a MONSTROSITY of the PHILOSOPHY of man.
If we look at the pastor role in the early church, the goal of pastors was not to develop followers of themselves or denominations, but to develop followers of Christ who would go out and develop followers of Christ...who would go out and develop followers of Christ, instead of trying to develop followers of Christ at Sunday-programmed meetings.
I wonder if we as believers practiced the art of one-anothering rather than the smothering by the one-man-pipeline through which flows God’s desire for the people to the people, would we have more followers of Christ and less followers of religion?
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