Of Shepherds and Sheep…
Of Shepherds and Sheep …
Nicolaitanes:
Revelation 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
Revelation2: 14 … So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth
The root of the word Nicolaitanes comes from Greek nikos, to conquer or overcome, and laos, which means people and which the word laity comes from. The laity comprises all persons who are not in the clergy. A good translation of Nicolaitanes would be “those who prevail over the people”.
Priests acting as a separate spiritually elite class, who have special supernatural powers given only to them by God, who alone are His authorized representatives before man, is not biblical. The abuse of this position to rule over people is detested by Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Biblical Leadership
- The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
- Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
- nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
- and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
- Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
- casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Peter exhorted us to
- Shepherd the flock of God,
- Serve as overseers,
- Not because we have to but willingly
- Not for any gain, money or popularity for example, but eagerly
- Not be Lords over those entrusted to us but being examples to the flock.
- Not being controlling, but revealing.
- Submitting ourselves to our elders
- Being submissive to one another, and being clothed with humility.
This comes with a warning: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
The Lord Jesus was very clear in His Word about how He wishes His church on earth to be organized and managed.
- First, Christ is the head of the church and its supreme authority (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18).
- Second, the local church is to be autonomous, free from any external authority or control, with the right of Spirit filled-government and freedom from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations (Titus 1:5).
- Third, the church is to be governed by spiritual leadership, meaning the leaders are led by the Holy Spirit.
What went wrong?
The first three centuries of Christianity were years of persecution by the succession of Roman Emperors – from Nero to Diocletian – that drove it underground. After facing nearly three centuries of hostility by Roman emperors, the persecution and martyrdom of Christians in Rome ended with the reforms of the Emperor Constantine (r. 306-337). Constantine was responsible for legalizing Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.
Constantine’s Edict of Toleration (313 A.D.) granted to “Christians and to all others full liberty of following that religion which each may choose,” thus legalizing Christianity.
And Constantine went even further, favoring Christians in the filling of the chief offices, exempting Christian ministers from taxes and military service, and making Christianity the de facto religion of the court. Thus began the migration from the rags of the caves and catacombs to the silks of the Imperial Court.
On March 7, 321, Constantine introduced the first civil legislation concerning Sunday: “Let all the judges and town people, and the occupation of all trades rest on the venerable day of the sun.”17 In 325 A.D., Constantine issued a general exhortation to all his subjects to embrace Christianity.
Under Constantine, Sunday was declared a day of rest; slavery, gladiatorial fights, killing of unwelcome children (abortion), and crucifixion as a form of execution were also abolished.
It was Constantine’s second successor, Theodosius II (378-398 A.D.) that would declare Christianity the single state religion of the Empire.
In 378 A.D., Damasus, the Bishop of Rome, took on the office of Pontifex Maximus, (high priest) of the Babylonian religion, which had previously been the prerogative of the Roman emperor, thus combining the “Christian” church with pagan religion. The ceremonies, rites, titles, vestments…celibate priests, Mariolatry, image and crucifix worship, veneration of saints, adoration of the host…papal infallibility, transubstantiation, etc…all idolatry thinly veneered by Christian nomenclature.
In 380, the Flavius Theodosius (r. 379-395) made Christianity the official religion of Rome. His legislation in 380 affirmed the dogmas of the Council of Nicaea and made church membership compulsory.
This is the worst calamity that has ever befallen the church because thus began the great apostasy as the church began its pursuit of temporal power.
Theodosius undertook the forcible suppression of all other religions, and in 392 he prohibited paganism. (It was through this fusing of extant paganism with the new Christianity that the December 25 of Sol Invictus became the Christmas of the Christians, etc.)
At the close of the fourth century, the majority of Roman citizens had converted to Christianity. The separation between Church and state was all but extinguished. When the political power of the emperors collapsed with the fall of the Roman Empire, in 410, the Church and its leaders endured as the dominant influence in Roman culture and politics.
From that we see the current form of clergy develop. Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership. The term ultimately comes from the Greekklēros, “a lot”, “that which is assigned by lot” (allotment) or metaphorically, “inheritance”.
The Biblical concept of the five-fold ministry from Ephesians 4:11, “It was he who gave some to be (1) apostles, some to be (2) prophets, some to be (3) evangelists, and some to be (4) pastors and (5) teachers” were all but extinct because those who were in leadership of the Church were not born again and Holy Spirit filled.
The clergy were rulers over the people, often there for their own political ambitions.This clerical system later developed into the papal hierarchy of priests and clergy lording over the flock.
Pope Leo I (440-461), declared himself Lord of the Whole Church, advocated exclusive universal papacy, resistance to his authority was a sure path to Hell, and he advocated the death penalty for heresy. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) declared himself to be “Vicar of Christ,” “Vicar of God,” “Supreme Sovereign over the Church and the World.” “All things on earth and in heaven and in hell are subject to the Vicar of Christ.” He forbade the reading of the Bible in the vernacular. Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303), in his famous Bul, Unam Sanctam, he said, “We declare, affirm, define, and pronounce that it is altogether necessary forsalvation that every creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”
The Council of Trent, the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church stated, “If anyone shall say that there is not in the Catholic Church a hierarchy established by the divine ordination, consisting of bishops, presbyters and ministers, let him be anathema.” banished, exiled, excommunicated.”
Priests or clergy to represent the people before God is wrong. The wrong separation of the clergy from the laity is a great evil in God’s sight and He hates the lust for religious power over others. The Church of Ephesus was commended for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans Rev 2:6. The deeds had become doctrines in the Pergamos Church Rev 2:15.
There is an ungodly spiritual authority in the Church today, which is nothing more than the prideful spirit of control, manipulation, domination and intimidation and a rebellion of the rightful authority of God.
Shepherds serve the sheep but the wolves that clothe themselves with so-called leadership and spiritual authority serve themselves, thinking that they serve God, in essence, this makes them false christs.
Under the plan God has ordained for the church, leadership is a position of humble, loving service. Church leadership is ministry, not management. Those whom God designates as leaders are called not to be governing monarchs, but humble slaves; not slick celebrities, but laboring servants. Those who would lead God’s people must above all exemplify sacrifice, devotion, submission, and lowliness.
Jesus Himself gave us the pattern when He stooped to wash His disciples’ feet, a task that was customarily done by the lowest of slaves (John 13). If the Lord of the universe would do that, no church leader has a right to think of himself as “Lord over his people”
Early church leaders were established as overseers, not a ruling hierarchy.
Jesus Christ alone is the Head of the Church, and the believers the body. We all have direct access to Christ, the Head of the Church.
I personally believe that the Protestant Reformation did not go far enough to demonstrate a New Testament belief in the “priesthood” of all believers who imparts to faithful men what they have learned so that these men shall be able to train others.
SUMMARY
From the day of the Pentecost, till the time that Christianity was made the official religion, a Christian had to pay a price to be identified as one. It was not about power, but about sacrificial service, about hospitality, about Jesus. It was living, vivid and life changing.
Making Christianity official and attendance compulsory had the exact opposite effect. It moved from houses to large independent buildings. As unsaved leadership established Satanic models of leadership, it became something “having a form of godliness but denying its power.” In 2 Timothy 3:5, Paul tells Timothy to “Have nothing to do with them”.
This corrupt idea of leadership was taken over by the Protestants with their own corruption of leadership roles and coverings.
I believe the next move of God in our midst will be to move away from the “Nicolaitanes” style leadership and the resurrection of home churches to spread the message of Jesus Christ at a grass roots level.
Next week, God willing, we will study about what a “church’ was when the New Testament was written.