The Equality of ALL Believers

BY Patricia Backora One of my favorite places in our area is a historical theme park which takes you back through time to show you how people lived a couple of centuries ago. One section is a village of farm buildings and cottages typical of the period when mass emigration took place to America. Im only 5 foot 4 in shoes, but my head barely cleared the ceiling rafters of the old cottages. I could sense the sheer hardship of the period as I saw the hard packed dirt floors and my hand felt the hard lumpiness of the crude beds stuffed with hay. I was shocked at the narrowness of one rocking chair, which warned visitors not to sit on the furniture. It reminded me that earlier generations were poorly nourished and much smaller than modern people. In another section of the park a typical American town of the same period was reproduced, and admittedly, it appeared much more prosperous than the Irish village. !ots of anti"ue goods were on display and there was a much more cheery feel to the place. One unforgettable attraction was a replica of a sailing ship bound for the #ew $orld. #o lu%ury cruise was en&oyed by Irish immigrants as they slept below in cramped bunks and subsisted on coarse, meager rations. In the parks museum were many e%hibits depicting the stark misery and poverty suffered by Irish immigrants once their storm tossed voyage finally ended with their arrival in the #ew $orld. 'ven then the lot of the poor Irish was hardly improved. A room in a typical boarding house was depicted, where Irish laborers slept on the floor packed like sardines after their days of toil. In the (Old $orld) village we toured an old church building which resembled many meeting houses in the early American period. I was struck by the grim atmosphere of the place. #arrow, unpadded benches were partitioned into walled off, gated compartments. $orshippers were seated according to their social status. 'ach section had four benches facing each other so a particular family or social cli"ue could face one another and worship together as a separate unit.

I tried to open one pew gate but it wouldnt budge. 'vidently, these could even be locked* I bet many preachers of today wish they could lock their parishioners in their pews to keep them from slipping away to catch a ball game on +,* In the olden days families would sit together in their own pew, literally sectioned off from all other worshippers by low wooden walls. +alk about division in the -ody of .hrist* 'phesians /014 speaks of how .hrist has abolished the wall of partition between 2ebrew and 3entile believers in .hrist. 4id the learned clergymen of that day overlook this vital scriptural principle in their study5 6ore likely, they turned a blind eye to it and simply bowed to social pressure to keep earthly social classes separate in the assembly, contrary to the $ord of 3od. A whole section of the church was walled off to segregate the poorest churchgoers from the rest of the assembly, contrary to 7criptural teaching. 7ort of like keeping wild horses in their own corral. +heir seating consisted of narrow, backless benches with little leg room. 'conomy seating didnt start with modern airlines* 8ames /010 6y brethren, have not the faith of our !ord 8esus .hrist, the !ord of glory, with respect of persons. ,erse /0 9or if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment: ,erse ;0 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, 7it thou here in a good place: and say to the poor, 7tand thou there, or sit here under my footstool0 ,erse 40 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become &udges of evil thoughts5 ,erse 50 2earken, my beloved brethren, 2ath not 3od chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him5 ,erse <0 -ut ye have despised the poor. 4o not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the &udgment seats5 = 4o not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called5 > If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, +hou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well0 ? -ut if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. It is a clear violation of scriptural command, a 7I#, to assign church seating on the basis of wealth or lack of it. It is a violation of the @oyal !aw not to treat your poor neighbor with the same consideration

youd desire for yourself. 'ven today many preachers forget 8esus was born to a AOO@ peasant couple in 3alilee, and his foster dad toiled for a living with his own hands* Im reminded of one particular teacher I had in the fourth grade. 6rs. 7. would have a sudden burst of temper whenever one of her students did something which irked her. 7he wouldnt hit anybody, shed &ust humiliate a kid in front of the whole class to drive home her point. -ack then teachers were insensitive toward (special needs) children and thought they were &ust being laBy for being unable to keep up with the rest of the class. One girl was (poor) in academic ability. O@, she might have been autistic, which meant she was (living in a world of her own), unable to relate to or interact with, the reality of the classroom. 7he got little compassion from 6rs. 7. +he teacher started yelling at the poor girl, who looked sad but confused while she was being scolded. Angrily 6rs. 7. shoved the girls desk to a far corner of the room and told her she was to stay over there, A$AC 9@O6 all the other students who were willing to work. 9allen human nature loves segregation because its &ust another form of self e%altation and reassurance that Im better than the other guy. I remember the segregation of the late 1?5Ds. -uses were segregated. -lacks were barred from most restaurants. 'ven gas station restrooms were segregated. 8ust sitting in the (poor pews) must have made poor parishioners think they were second class citiBens in the Eingdom of 3od. Aerhaps they wondered whether there would also be class division up in heaven, after they died. +he richest parishioners sat in the best section of the church, close to the pulpit. +heir seating was a bit more lu%urious, and they even had nice niches where they could put their hymnbooks and -ibles. 6aybe they were tempted to think their pro%imity to the preacher brought them closer to 3od. $hat stood out the most was the pulpit, highly e%alted above the rest of the furniture. +he parishioners could see the robed parson high and lifted up above everybody else, preaching his elo"uent sermon from his lofty pulpit. 2e would enter a little booth which led to a curving staircase which led up to it. +here he stood, staring down at his flock, separated from ordinary men. $here is this e%emplified in the #ew

+estament5 +he apostles ministered A6O#3 the flock of 3od, not high above them FI +hes./01D: 501/G. +he old meeting house had a stale, musty smell. +he whole scene looked drab and dark, and there was a chill in the air. 6usty old traditions of men have obscured 3ods original purpose for 2is church, which is to be a close knit e%pression of the life and love of .hrist, with all 2is children relating to one another as humble brethren F6att./;0>G. Instead of the fragrance of the !iving .hrist and the warmth of 2is love, you can spiritually discern in dead, cold churches a dreary darkness and a cold absence of the 7pirit of 3od. $here .hrist wants unity and brotherhood in 2is church, the old flesh nature still craves division and hierarchy, and the devil looks for ways to sneak it in. .arnal believers want a clear cut pecking order with themselves in the (inner circle) and (those on the outside looking in) kept in their place. 6att./;0>0 -ut be not ye called @abbi0 for one is your 6aster, even .hrist: and all ye are brethren. ,erse ?0 And call no man your father upon the earth0 for one is your 9ather, which is in heaven. ,erse 1D0 #either be ye called masters0 for one is your 6aster, even .hrist. ,erse 110 -ut he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. ,erse 1/0 And whosoever shall e%alt himself shall be abased: and he that shall humble himself shall be e%alted. #othing here about .hrist e%alting some in 2is -ody to be called (@everend), (9ather), or (.ardinal). 8esus gave no command concerning elevated pulpits, segregated pews, baptismal robes, offering bags or backwards collars. 6y, but the devil loves religion, plain or fancy. #o matter how religion is packaged, its essentially the same old prideful power struggle. 9or many centuries black robed clergy have terrified 3ods people with threats of hellfire for non tithing or for e%ercising their 3od given right to e%amine manmade traditions in the light of 3ods $ord FI +hes.50/1G. 8ust the act of being positioned in the pulpit A-O,' (pew .hristians) paints a picture of subservience to authority of 6'#. 6any who found they could no longer bear the tyranny of traditional ecclesiastical structures sought the answer in small, informal church gatherings. 7urely friendly folding chairs are less scary than the partitioned pews of long ago* 7urely electric guitars are warmer and fuBBier than musty old organs* 7urely were all on a more level

playing field now, since the pastor has come down to earth a little more* At least hes only doing his climbing e%ercises at home on his 7tairmaster now* 7ure, its much easier to flee a bad sermon from a folding chair than a locked pew booth, but in many congregations there remains a feeling of 7AI@I+HA! imprisonment to the dead doctrines of men. 9ree punch and cookies for the kids doesnt soften the punch to their parents pocket book when the preacher scares money out of them with hair raising sermons out of 6alachi chapter ;. I remember the church where I received the -aptism of the 2oly 7pirit. In the beginning, there were less than ten (regulars). +he (sanctuary) wasnt finished yet, so wed all meet together in the back room, sitting in folding chairs, in a circle. 6y heart was warmed by the close knit feeling. I got a bit wistful when the sanctuary was finished and we sat in a more traditional way, with us on benches and the pastor behind a pulpit at the front. As the church grew, the pastor began to talk about how we should want to be (in the inner circle), and (not on the outside looking in). +he more traditional seating had little, if anything, to do with this about face in attitude. +hats comparing apples with oranges. Over time, our church added a couple of youthful (elders) who wanted their ideas recogniBed. 7ouls out in the community werent being saved fast enough. 6iracles were few and far between. 6aybe the leadership needed to generate more Beal by appealing to the desire of the saints to be like 8ohn, who lay in the bosom of the 6aster. Oh, 8esus had other disciples, but they werent "uite as close as 8ohn. A sermon was preached about the wayward sheep who wandered off. +he 6aster found him and tenderly received him back, but first broke his legs so he couldnt run off again. It was then that the sheep had to be carried by the shepherd and was closer to him than any of the rest of the flock. +here was &oy in that sermon as in others, but it was tinged with a bit of bitterness, so unlike the earliest days when we en&oyed continual &oy and singing in the !ord. +he whole flavor of the church changed, little by little. Input from the /D something (elders) was incorporated into church doctrine, &ust to please them. +2'C decided that our few members would, from here on out, run a /4 hour (prayer chain) Fchains bind*G which changed shifts every hour. +his guilt based giving worked a hardship on young families and strained marriages. Couve heard the old e%pression0 (+oo many cooks spoiling the pot). All eyes should have remained on (.hrist in you, the 2ope of 3lory), rather than thinking the solution to

church fruitfulness might lie in some type of segregation of the assembly into (inner circle) and (outer court) members. 7heep follow those they trust. 'ven if their (shepherds) are only grinning faces on +,. 'ven if theyre (pastors) who will never get the chance to know their flock FActs /D0;1: I+hes.501/G. +rusting, naIve sheep are strung along with promises that if they keep (proving 3od) with (vows of faith) your big blowout blessing will eventually come. 6any are sailing through rough, choppy seas of trial, hoping to make it safely to the preachers promised land of financial blessing. +hey see the preacher and his (inner circle) chums already safe on the other shore, living like (kings kids). If only they can hang on and ride out the rough waves of financial adversity &ust a little longer, surely theyll make itJor $I!! they5 #ot only are storm tossed .hristians being gently guided through troubled waters by the (carrot approach), but behind them is the pastors stick, whipping them into submission to (authority) Fwhose5G In the airy fairy fantasyland of (faith theology), confession is possession. In the dark battlefield of spiritual discernment, satans most sinister landmines are covered over with pristine truth. Areachers will present their pitch somewhat like this0 Old +estament scripture is profitable for instruction in righteousness, because many of the O+ characters made terrible mistakes we can all learn from FI .or.1D0< 1/G. +hat much is true. -ut satans subtle trick is to sneak the lie down your throat on the coat tails of the truth &ust "uoted. Im reminded of one lady I knew who had a problem getting her dog to swallow his medicine. 7o she coated the pill with his favorite food. Aresto* 4own went the hated pill and the dog wasnt even aware hed swallowed it* 2ot on the heels of that awesome truth, the preacher will say something like0 (8ust like 3od punished wicked Eing 7aul for disobedience, 2ell surely punish COH for withholding 2is tithe.) Aside from stripping the believer of his righteous standing in .hrist, this statement ignores the fact that not even Eing 7aul owed any tithes, unless he was raising crops or livestock when he sat on his throne. .onveniently ignored is the fact the tithe consisted only of '4I-!' agricultural products F4eut.1/01=G. +he stipulations of the -iblical tithing law were clearly laid out by 3od as to what was to be tithed on and who was to benefit from it* +his law was given O#!C to ancient Israel from 6t. 7inai by 6oses F!ev./=0;D ;4G. If anybody will get punished by 3od in connection with monetary tithing, it wont be the poor widow who withheld fifty cents to buy a loaf of day old bread. It

will be those who E#'$ monetary tithing is a false doctrine but preached it anyway to scare 3ods people. 3od isnt impressed by the smoke and mirror tricks preachers pull to confuse the issue. 2e outranks every imposter on the face of the earth. All greedy liars, whether in the (pews) or the (pulpit) must answer to 3od for sin and rebellion if they refuse to consider their ways and repent* 7adly, very few ever reach the promised land of huge financial blessings earned through tithing or generous donations to rich preachers. Instead of safely landing in their desired harbor, their ship sinks. -roken bits of it wash ashore on the (other side) in the form of ruined lives, dashed hopes, strained marriages, and families driven deeper into poverty. And instead of tender hearted concern and sharing from the (kings kids) who have strung them along, they get only cold shouldering and rebukes like (Cour faith isnt working because theres sin in your life) and (Its not 3ods fault, its COH@ fault* 7ure its not 3ods fault, but its 7O6'-O4C7 fault* !ike the disillusioned Irish immigrants who discovered that the streets of the #ew $orld werent paved with gold, many in the Arosperity 6ovement have gotten a rude awakening. +hings didnt work out because they labored under a curse. Only at your peril do you change the terms of your relationship with 3od from (grace through faith in 8esus .hrist) to a slick slot machine theology whereby ten dollars in donations gets you a hundred. +he very idea of trying to earn 3ods blessings by pampering preachers sickens 2im. 3od has promised only poverty to those who give to the rich FArov.//01<G. -elieve me, I found out thats true after falling for the pitch preachers made in &unk mail I received many years ago* I believe that people who are persuaded by preachers to make (faith covenants) with 3od are gambling with their own salvation. $hy5 -ecause making a works based covenant with 3od displaces the #ew .ovenant of grace through faith in 8esus. 2e is the O#!C door through which we can enter in to 3ods favor F8ohn 1D0=,?G. $hen we spend hours, days, weeks, obsessing on (I gave 3od a hundred bucks, hallelu&ah, I e%pect ten thousand*), then 8esus and 2is finished work on .alvary is no longer our focus. 2uman effort and works for wages takes center stage until very little else of our relationship with 3od remains. 3od $ord warns that the best of our works done in the flesh are as filthy rags in 2is sight FIsa.<40<G. 3iving out of the love of .hrist to +@H' #''47 merits a reward from 3od, but being brainwashed into giving as a result of flawed doctrine is a work of the flesh 3od cannot honor. 2e cannot violate 2is own $ord by

endorsing slot machine theology with a big reward. 3oing back to the !aw or any part of it carries a curse, not a blessing F3al.;01DG. 9ar from ordaining lu%ury for (pulpit ministries) and poverty for pew .hristians, it is 3ods desire to bring about an 'KHA!I+C of well being in the -ody of .hrist Fsounds a bit socialist, doesnt itG5. 8esus wants church members to share loving concern one for another F/ .or.>014G. I have #','@ heard the following scripture preached at any (prosperity church). / .or.>01/09or if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.L L L7o much for (borrow the rent money and make a vow of faith to prove 3od.) -aloney* ,erse 1;0 9or I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened0 ,erse 140 -ut by an e"uality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want0 that there may be e"uality0L L L7ounds too (liberal) for a lot of conservative preachers who want to conserve their hold on your pocket book* ,erse 150 As it is written, 2e that had gathered much had nothing over: and he that had gathered little had no lack.L L L7ome would shout (that aint fair* I need to have a bunch left over so I can show others how my cup is overflowing* 7ome .hristians feel they can no longer afford to stay in a money oriented church, but are afraid to leave an abusive church for fear of losing social contacts or falling under 3ods &udgment. +hey are warned that if they get out from under the (covering) Fa doctrine found nowhere in the #+G of (3ods anointed shepherds) the big bad wolf will gobble them up. -ut my, what big teeth those hungry (shepherds) have* .hristians who stay in an abusive church situation are A!@'A4C being gobbled up and are similar to wives afraid to leave abusive husbands who are destroying them. 8esus calls 2imself the 3ood 7hepherd F8ohn 1D011G. +he 2oly 7pirit brings people together to fellowship, but no man should come between the individual believer and 2is !ord. 7ome preachers dictate every iota of a believers lifestyle, at least they control all his ma&or decisions. +hats cultism and the usurping of the 2oly 7pirits position as being the guide of the believer F8ohn 1<01;G.

$hen believers learn to love one another as .hrist loved them F8ohn 1;0;5G, the world around them will finally awaken to an awareness of .hrists reality. +he love of .hrist e%presses itself in humility. +he elder must become as the younger F!uke //0/<G. +odays so called (super apostles) would do well to remember that the greatest in .hrists Eingdom serve, they dont sit on thrones of &udgment FyetG. +he true servant of .hrist feeds 2is flock FI Aet.50/G. A true minister of .hrist is humble and doesnt heap honors on himself F!uke 140> 11G. +hose (in the ministry) should remember that A!! true believers have a ministry, however humble it may be FI .or.140/<G. Areachers should remember that A!! believers in .hrist are priests FI Aet./05,?: @ev.50? 1DG. +hey should remember that A!! overcomers, not &ust (ordained) preachers, are promised a place seated in .hrists own +hrone F@ev.;0/1G. LLLLL http0MMkingdomage.tripod.com http0MMbanpreachergreed.tripod.com