Hierarchy (one man ministry) vs. the "Five-Fold" Ministry
As the subtitle suggests, there is a hierarchy in the true born-again Church and Body of Christ that should not be there. Other man-made religions fall in lock-step with this satanic power structure and love to have it so. Howbeit the true Church has long ago fallen prey to this same satanically ordained system that puts one man over hundreds or thousands without the true checks and balances that GOD Himself ordained. Thus, plurality in the Church as taught by Yeshua is something Satan just cannot allow. One reason for this is if the Church were to ever move as one, with all the checks, balances, callings, and submissions in place, he would be a goner! Another reason is because Jesus Himself ordained a "5-fold" ministry order (see Eph 4 below) for the corporate body to function in, not the Romish clergy + laity structure that we see operating today in most every Protestant and Pentecostal denomination.
We must keep in mind, God abolished the Levitical priesthood at Calvary, along with any excuse for the people to follow after or operate in a clergy + laity type structure. This was accomplished once Jesus became our one and only true "High Priest," after which He established the New Testament Church order in Ephesians 4. Therefore, the office of the priest, the laity class, or any other religious order that promotes a one man ministry type of order, has been and should be replaced by the New Testament Church order as shown in places like Ephesians 4 and 1-Corinthians 12. Unity, plurality, and "submitting one to the other" was to be the order; not division, control, and usurping the place of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the congregation. Although in practice, the biblically based "5-fold" body ministry has become quite a stumbling stone for many modern day churches. That is the ones that actually function as such. Many would just as soon have one man, one leader—anybody—to push into God so they won't have to. Meanwhile they themselves sit back in the pew and try not to snooze, and quite frankly, I believe the popularity of this easy-breezy mind-set is exactly why many in the Church have rejected or play dumb when it comes to God's true order for ministry.
"And he [GOD] gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors [shepherds] and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:" Ephesians 4:11-13
"For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body." 1-Corinthians 12:14-20
"Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostle, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues [notice, "pastors"/Shepherd's are not even listed in the top eight ministries, but the church places it first and only]. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way." 1- Corinthians 12:27-31
"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." 1-Peter 5:5
One of the problems mankind inherited from the fall is that people—including Christians—still desperately desire to stay in control of their lives. This spirit of control likes to run with the spirit of respect of persons and manifests when people take onto themselves titles instead of anointings. Titles that belong to GOD alone. Titles like "Father," "Master," "Rabbi"/"Pastor"/"Teacher," (Dr. i.e., Doctor of divinity) Most Holy Father, or one of the most blasphemous of all, "Reverend."
"He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: Holy and Reverend is his name." Psalm 111:9
Many of my protestant brethren have said things like "Look at those stupid Catholics; don't they know the priesthood has ended"? But then they themselves turn right around and throw out all but one of the God ordained five-fold ministries, and that one they change from "shepherd" to "pastor." And wouldn't you know it, this pastor ministry basically runs the whole show, just like the priest ministry does. So in essence the same one man ministry spirit of Babylon is still alive and well on the other side of the aisle. Now God teaches balance and submitting one to another in His body. Yet, anyone who has sat under a clergy + laity religious structure knows that's not what's allowed to operate within those churches. What is worse, if you were a Catholic like I once was, you would already know that those who have obtained onto the office of the Pope, call themselves, and are called by all those in Catholicism, "The Vicar of Christ." This translates into, "Christ on Earth," as the pope's official title. They teach this and proclaim the pope in infallible as Christ on earth. Now, let's us read once again the words of Jesus below.
"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many [266-popes including Frances] shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ [Vicarius Christi: Christ on Earth/the pope]; and shall deceive many." Matthew 24:4- 5
"Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees [the priests] were offended, after they heard this saying? But he [Jesus] answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." Matthew 15:12-14
That's why Satan works so hard to keep proper order out of the Church; it's a whole lot easier to deceive one person or even a few that are leaders or elders of a church, a group, a denomination, or a fellowship, than it is to take on a functioning body that accepts and actually moves in the Spirit led five-fold ministry. Moreover, whenever people call themselves by the tiles "Reverend So-and-so," "Father So-and-so," or even "Dr. (Master) So-and-so," what they are really doing is taking upon themselves names of blasphemy; names given and intended for GOD alone.
The system of man that created this religious beast - under Satan's guidance - can best be described as a pyramid structured organization that actually came out of the old Babylonian cultic religion first founded by Nimrod. Later on we see that Rome adopted much of Babylon's rituals and structure, including the dividing of God's people into clergy & laity classes. One where the clergy always rules and the laity always submits, and it's never the other way around. Rome likes to have power; power to rule the people, and so do all the "daughters of harlotry": denominations and religions that have rode that beast throughout the centuries. We must also include natural Israel in this horde of rebellers because she too has the blood of the saints on her hands:
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:" Matthew 23:29- 3
As I stated at the beginning of this word, the reason this system is so readily accepted by most is because there's a nature in many of us that would rather have someone else pay the price to hear God's voice. Unfortunately, most of these revered folks are more than willing to do the ruling.
"And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was." Exodus 20:18-21
"So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate." Revelation 2:15
The doctrine of the Nicolaitanes can best be described by the name itself using "Strong's" Greek dictionary.
G3532: Nikolaos nik-ol'-ah-os From G3534 and G2004; victorious over the people; Nicolaus, a heretic:—Nicolaus (to rule over the people).
Simply put, the Nicolaitanes loved to rule over the people as is the case with any hierarchical (pyramid) structured (church) system. However, God says He hates this practice where people rule over other people to coerce, bend, or break their wills altogether. In fact Yeshua preached just the opposite.
"But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister [G1249: servant]; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant [G1401: slave]: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Matthew 20:25-28
We know Jesus set an example of leadership for His followers by washing the disciples feet. This was not an act of humility, but the real thing. How is it then that the Pope, or any other would-be antichrist (:a person who stands in place of Christ/the Holy Spirit) would have you kiss their feet or call them by such self-imposed titles as, Dr., Pastor, Master, Most Holy Father, The Vicar of Christ, etc.? It seems once again man has fallen for the old Babylonian cultic religion. Once again people are making their own gods, their own religions, and have successfully succeeded in reversing God's order in these last-days by making wrong things right, while condemning those that are following on to know the LORD.
The structure God ordained on the earth was for His children to submit one to another while yielding to the anointing in the midst that God gives for the edification of the Body. This "submitting one to another" should have created an order within the Church that is laid out in what could best be described as a horizontal unity of authority and order. Actually the way Jesus taught it was that if you wanted to be the greatest then you must become a servant or slave to all. In other words, Jesus taught an over-all inverted pyramid structure, one where true power and authority could only come from GOD Himself and was then delegated to those who had no opinion of their own other than to willingly obey the move of the Holy Spirit as it was revealed and confirmed in His Word. This is the very thing that put Jesus at odds with the leaders of His day: MAN WANTS TO RETAIN CONTROL AND POWER AT ALL COST!
"Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not." James 4:2
If you have understood this teaching thus far, then there should be no great mystery as to why God's people are so divided. The answer to this problem is never going to be found in the ecumenicalism that has as of late encompassed the world, since the end result of that thing will be submission to "the False Prophet": the 2nd beast with two horns: Revelation 13:11, who again will be the reigning pope at that time. No, God's "Way" is not found through compromise; it's not a way of give and take; it's definitely not a way of changing the Bible (i.e., the NIV) just because somebody doesn't think the KJV is modern enough or "politically correct" enough. Only those who are willing to "follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth" are going to pull free from this "Mother of Harlots" religious system and the influence she has brought into the true Church. Many nominal Christians are well on their way to receiving the mark in their foreheads (the mind of man: 666: the number of man to the fullness) and on their hands (the works of the flesh). The Bible tells us there shall come a "falling away" (G646: apostasia from their first love) and that the outer-court "and the sanctuary" of God's temple shall be given over to the gentiles (Gog) during the great tribulation. Satan's boast was no lie; he has truly corrupted much of the Church, but there remainth yet a remnant.
"And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." Luke 4:5-8