Crossroads At the Way and Churchianity

by Jesse Steele

apostles. That’s convenient… You know how many of those characters are just self-proclaimed “apostles” who are in it for the money?

  Paul: And it’s plain to see, isn’t it?

  Hank: Sure is, that’s why I don’t like it.

  Paul: That’s what they call a “fake apostle”. It’s why I wouldn’t take money from the treasury, like the apostle whom Mathis replaced always did. He was also the one who didn’t like Jesus’ appreciation for expensive perfume. False leaders almost always end up talking about money—one way or another. They are easy to spot.

  Hank: So, how can you say that apostles are “chosen by God” with all the phoniness?

  Paul: That’s exactly why.

  Hank: Huh?

  Paul: You already know the phonies are phonies. You get all worked up about it. So, you know them by their fruit. It’s no problem.

  Hank: But false apostles mislead so many people.

  Paul: Come on. Take some responsibility for yourself. Let others take responsibility for themselves. You’re not as responsible for others in the Body of Christ as you said you were when this conversation first began.

  Hank: You remember what I said?

  Paul: Of course. I listen when you talk. You should also listen to yourself talk when you talk to yourself… you don’t answer yourself, do you?

  Hank: [shyly] …well, no…

  Paul: Either way, just remember that you don’t answer for the decisions of other people. They are very capable of seeing the truth if they want to. People are only deceived by a false apostle if they want to be deceived. So don’t stress so much. And don’t use self-deceived people as an excuse to give yourself more power. Your role as a shepherd-style teacher is to guide them through the process as much as they want to go with you. God Himself will deal with false apostles. He may raise up His own apostles to do it. But you are a shepherd. So don’t get in His way when God does deal with them. Keep leading the sheep. That’s what Jesus did and that’s what it seems like you’re called to do.

  Hank: How do you know what I’m called to?

  Paul: Because I read the dictionary, silly. It’s plain.

  Hank: It is?

  Paul: Well, yeah. Who else would be so torn-up inside about turmoil in God’s flock? A shepherd of course.

  Hank: So, I really am called to this?

  Paul: So it would seem.

  Hank: But some of the elders on my board don’t seem to think so.

  Paul: That’s not their decision. They don’t vote on the passions and callings God places in your heart.

  Hank: But what if they fire me!?

  Paul: They can’t.

  Hank: What? I have a contract, you know.

  Paul: You have a contract as a president who calls himself a “pastor”. But they can’t fire you from being a shepherd-at-heart any more than you or I could vote to decide that a rock is no longer a rock.

  Hank: But if they fire me, I’ll lose everything.

  Paul: Losing everything isn’t that bad. It might cause you to know the all surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. But, even then, I don’t think you would lose anything that matters. Christ is the true rock and on Him we build what we want. Jesus will fire it up and whatever remains is what remains. On that day, you’ll always have your passion for people, to lead them as the Teacher-Shepherd did. That’s something no one can take from you. That, itself, is your everlasting reward, and, as a shepherd-style teacher yourself, helping others in the manner Jesus did is more valuable to you than gold.

  Hank: Yes. Helping people is more valuable to me than gold. But if I can’t preach and lead meetings, then I no longer have the opportunity to lead people in any way, especially in the way Jesus did as the Good Shepherd.

  Paul: Actually, you’re wrong. Jesus didn’t have a board, nor an office, nor meetings, nor a first-morning of the week 40 minute monologue. Those things would have made His earthly ministry a disaster. If Jesus had led like “pastor-presidents” do today, we Pharisees wouldn’t have seen Him as such a threat.

  Hank: From how you sound, you seem to think that this was all Satan’s idea.

  Paul: Setting-up a single leader—other than God—within God’s government was always Satan’s idea from before he got boosted from his own office in Heaven. The angels voted with their swords. They deposed Satan because God was their King and they need no other. You’re a good guy and all, and you certainly have a shepherd-teacher calling on your life, but doing it through a position that clearly resembles that of a “prime minister” or “president” is, also, obviously a design of Satan. You don’t want to do that, young man. Presidents and emperors are great—in secular government. And that’s where they should stay. Life doesn’t fit into our man-made hierarchies. I learned that as a Pharisee when Jesus knocked me off my donkey and showed me how blind I truly was.

  Hank: But, where’s the accountability?

  Paul: Who holds’ Billy Graham accountable?

  Hank: Uhh, his ministry does…

  Paul: And who holds them accountable?

  Hank: Well, they hold each other accountable.

  Paul: That’s not an answer. You’ve spent too much time in Sunday school. Why does their leadership system have anything to do with your ability to respect Billy Graham? Can you name his accountability partners? Do you respect him because you’ve seen the accreditation from his board? What would you do if Graham went loopy and started preaching that Jesus was an alien or that people ought pray to His mother, Mary, instead of the Lord Himself?

  Hank: There’s no way I’d ever care what he did again if that all happened.

  Paul: Don’t you think other people are smart enough to think the same thing?

  Hank: Well, yeah. If he self-destructed it would be obvious.

  Paul: So then, you’re not responsible for those others. People don’t need you to spell-out what’s obvious. The sheep can eat on their own. Good shepherds merely lead them to green pastures and still waters.

  Hank: And now you’re going to tell me that the Lord won’t ask me to answer for the decisions of other people and that I should focus on my own personal life in terms of what I am a steward of.

  Paul: Only Satan wants people to think that the obvious needs to be spelled-out for people. This is so that he can convince them of whatever he wants. Be honest with yourself: No one voted that Billy Graham would be an Evangelist. He just is one. Who do you think gave him that calling?

  Hank: Well, God did.

  Paul: How do you know? Were you there when God did it?

  Hank: No, it’s just obvious, dude. Billy Graham’s an Evangelist. Anyone who can’t see that is smoking rocks.

  Paul: That’s because being an “evangelist” is not an “office”. It’s a “function”. It’s a calling given by God and it’s obvious to everyone.

  Hank: So, what about self-proclaimed “apostles”.

  Paul: What about self-proclaimed “evangelists”?

  Hank: There is no such thing!

  Paul: Is there such a thing?

  Hank: Sure there is. There are a lot of self-proclaimed apostles.

  Paul: Yeah, but they are obviously fake. No one calls himself an “evangelist” anymore than a rock claims to be a rock. That’s a term other people use to describe him. A true evangelist doesn’t need to use mere words to describe what is obvious. His function, the definition of “evangelist”, is clearly written all over everything he does. Just as “president” is written all over your daily schedule. You’d be much better as a pastor.

  Hank: I am a pastor.

  Paul: You have a pastor calling, but you’re so distracted with the opinions of your board of directors…

  Hank: …board of elders…

  Paul: …they function like directors. Call it what you want. A sweater without sleeves is still a vest. This imperial government mentality has you concerned about the opinion of men more than the opinion of God. If you were an elder or a deacon working under their direction, that would be another story. But
your pastor-calling is one of the heart. It came from God.

  Hank: I can’t just run through my life without accountability. I need to listen to the board of elders.

  Paul: Render to God what is God’s and render to man what is mans. A deacon’s work is under the leadership of the elders. But a shepherd-teacher’s heart is purely given by God. Listen to God in regards to your calling. Cooperate with the elder’s decisions, just like all the other pastors God has in your local fellowship. Many are pastors and don’t know it. Man didn’t give that to you and man can’t tell you what to do with it.

  Hank: So, I should just do whatever I want?

  Paul: Follow the leadership of whatever house you are in. If it’s a government, a business, a friend’s family… follow their decision making, but be a shepherd-teacher wherever you go.

  Hank: But what about those people who say that “God” holds them accountable? They resist human authority.

  Paul: Well, okay now… one issue at a time… God does hold all of us accountable. But, just as God will hold Billy Graham accountable, he also has two other layers of accountability.

  Hank: Two?

  Paul: First, there’s society in general—if he went loopy and started burning Bibles, we’d stop listening to him. That’s one layer of accountability. But, second, everywhere Billy Graham goes, he works with local Christians. Several ministries and groups of people set things up and he cooperates with them, let’s them run the show, he just preaches and works with his team, and, after, the new Christians connect with other local Christians. He doesn’t just do whatever he wants. He follows the administrative office of each house