The dangers of not having a Pastor in your Life...

[Withdrawn]

Originally Posted by My Own Eyes

I guess this is a big reason why I am reluctant to belong to any kind of assembly. I don't necessarily want someone to speak in the place of Jesus in my life.

I don't say that with scorn or arrogance or anything. It's simply that I fought for so long to have faith of my own, to follow as I believe God is leading me, that I don't believe that I could give up that independence.

And neither should we! It is ERROR (false-doctrine, heresy) to insinuate that pastors are put in our lives to "hear from God for us." They do NOT speak for Jesus to us. Jesus speaks DIRECTLY to us through His Word and His Spirit. The notion that the upper class "ministry" is somehow in a more direct channel with God that the lower class "laity" is unscriptural. You'd have to bend and murder a lot of scripture to find that in the Bible.

This abominable doctrine asserts that "pastors" are those who sit in "Moses' seat," with Moses as the giver of the law (the first covenant). In the church, it is actually JESUS who sits in "Moses' seat" as the giver of the law (the NEW covenant, the law of the Spirit). For a pastor to say he sits in Moses' seat, he is actually dethroning Jesus and usurping His power.

The church DOES need pastors. YOU need a pastor. You just need to be careful who you choose as your pastor. The sins of some don't negate the value of others who are aligned with the Word and Spirit of God.