In Ephesians 4 we find the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Ephesus and reminding her that when Jesus Christ ascended up to heaven following the establishment of His church on the Day of Pentecost 31 A.D., He left behind an energetic, spiritual body designed to spread the light of His Gospel throughout the world. Though this church was destined to spread throughout the earth, it was designed to consist of “one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all ….” (vss 4-6). There were to be no divisions, no varieties of Truth, no deviations from the Ten Commandment Law the Lord had given to His people from atop of Mt. Sinai.

Knowing that man himself was not spiritually equipped to choose his own leaders, JESUS, AND ONLY JESUS would assign men to leadership positions within the church (Eph. 4:11-16). The jobs of these men would be to “feed the Church of God which He (Jesus) had purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28/1 Pet. 5:2). In order to “feed” His tiny flock Jesus created different, though interdependent offices (positions) within the church that HE would fill in each location where a segment of the Body of Christ would be found throughout the world.

Upon ascending to heaven the Lord arranged for His church system to have apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. The question that must be asked is: WHY DID JESUS CREATE THOSE DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN HIS CHURCH AND FILL THEM WITH THOSE WHOM HE WOULD CHOOSE FOR EACH POSITION? WHAT WAS THE POINT IN HIS BEING SO SPECIFIC? He answers the question in verses 12-16 where we find that He would appoint men chosen by Him to occupy those offices, “FOR THE PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS, FOR THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY, FOR THE EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST SO THAT WE ALL COME TO THE UNITY OF THE FAITH AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SON OF GOD, TO A PERFECT MAN, TO THE MEASURE OF THE STATURE OF THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST.” These Christ-assigned positions were designed to bring all people in the world-wide church together into “one body which is fitly joined and compacted together by that which every part supplies which would result in the effectual working of every part ….” Note that in every church in every part of the world would be the same in name, structure, leadership and message. Scripturally, God’s church has only one name: “The Church of God” which He uses 12 times in the New Testament. Everywhere His true church is found throughout the world, all bodies have the same name, structure, leadership type and message. The foundation of that message is God’s Ten Commandment Law. This is the same law that the counterfeit church nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ.

However, as Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:17,18, something had already gone terribly wrong in the first generation of the New Testament Church. Some in the church had gone the way of the Gentiles (heathen). These people had darkened their understanding of the ways of the Lord, thereby alienating themselves from the life He had commanded them to live (“walk”–1 Jn. 2:6). They had become spiritually blinded by Satan who had caused them to embrace “lasciviousness.” The religious infirmity persists unto this day.

Through his false prophets, Satan has convinced the church masses that, because of God’s grace, he (man) now has a license to sin. Because of Adam’s sin-transferal miracle, man has no choice but to sin. Knowing this, Jesus came to earth and died so that man could then sin and get away with it. Those who have adopted this so-called “Bible Truth” today call themselves “sinners saved by grace.” Such false Christians now comprise approximately 99.99% of professing Christendom. The Apostle Jude perfectly describes how this deadly error had entered the church. In verse four he explains that certain ungodly men have slipped into God’s sheepfold, gained leadership positions and have “turned the grace of God into lasciviousness.” In so doing they, “deny the Lord God and the Lord Jesus Christ,” meaning that they no longer allowed the Godhead to rule their lives. This abomination, which God calls idolatry, runs rampant throughout professing Christendom and is rapidly gaining followers. This has resulted in a near-universal “come as you are; stay as you are” mentality within that which calls itself “the church.” Read “My People Who Are Called by My Name. Key word–Called.

Which brings us to the subject of this series–SELF-CALLED, SATAN-DIRECTED CHURCH LEADERS WHO HAVE LED THE CHURCH AWAY FROM GOD BY HEATHENIZING EVERY ASPECT OF CHURCH LIFE. Jesus warned believers about this future problem in Matthew 24:4,5. For this reason Jesus promised to assign specific men to church offices who would prevent this from happening. Ephesians 4 tells us in no uncertain terms that church leaders are 1) to be assigned by Jesus Christ and 2) are to lead (feed) the people in such a way that Satan and his minions could not lead them away from God. However, because man is a free moral agent, he has been given the power to choose whom he will follow. Recall that even the angels had free moral agency, and that 1/3 of them chose to follow Lucifer in rebellion against God. Recall also that Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel were free to choose whom they would follow. Of the original four members of the first family, only “righteous Abel” chose to follow God. Recall that there was a time when, of all the people on earth, only Noah followed God. Relative to the percentage of God-followers and God-rejecters, little has changed.

In the final segment of this series we will journey back to the Old Testament where we will find that the problems experienced by the nation of Israel and the result of the Israelite’s failure to correct the problem are being mirrored by America as well as the other so-called Christian nations located in Northwestern Europe. What is even more disturbing is God’s warning that, what He did to ancient Israel He will do to modern Israel and for the same reason–rejection of His Law. Modern Israel (specifically America) serves as the primary example of national apostasy. As goes the church, so goes the nation. America is following the pattern of apostasy set by what is known as “Christianity.” What we see taking place within her borders is a portend of what is soon to overtake her if she does not come to her moral senses, reverse course and embrace the Gospel of the living God. In the next posting we will allow the Lord to reveal to us whom He blames for this catastrophe. In the meantime, read Who and Where is Israel Today? Key word–Who. L.J.