Quote:
Originally Posted by TakingDominion
You need some form of spiritual authority in your life. If you have no pastor or elder or teacher or whatever you want to call the spiritual authority, who will give an account for your soul?
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I imagine each of us will give an account for our soul.
Teachers and shepherds must give an account for others because they are responsible for teaching and guiding those others. So when they admonish you, you are supposed to consider it as coming from someone who will give account to God for how much Bible Truth and godly wisdom they imparted to you (or failed to).
A person who is a Christian is a part of a community (the church), and that community has (or is supposed to have) elders, shepherds, those who serve as examples to everyone else.
America is so infatuated with individualism that people think joining a church is an optional thing that occurs after you get "saved". When the truth is salvation means being added by the Lord to the church. There's a lot of people who want to be BOSS of their life, and can't stomache the idea of submitting to others. And some of those ego driven people happen to be preachers, who demand others submit to their authority, and want to make sure everyone they meet gets under their thumb. Why? Cause muh tithe monies.
Consider yourself blessed if you have elders in your life who actually SERVE as servants to the Body. There's too many extremes out there, going both directions. Remember, every bowling lane has TWO gutters...