[We will be publishing a ten part series by our brother Adam Wells on the Christian Ministry - ed]
The ministry holds a crucial and authoritative role in the body of Christ. Ministers are not merely volunteers or religious leaders; they are officials with delegated authority and responsibility directly from God and Christ (II Timothy 2:3-4).
Jesus Christ Himself chooses them to be His personal representatives, ambassadors of the King of kings (II Corinthians 5:20). God's presence and teaching dwell among His people through His ministers (Psalm 68:18). The inspired scriptures are not given primarily to individual believers for personal interpretation. Rather, they are given to the minister as the man of God to equip him for his God-given duties (II Timothy 3:16-17). The very inspiration and profitability of scripture is to thoroughly furnish the man of God for his work.
Ministers are commanded to study doctrine, reprove, correct, and instruct (I Timothy 4:11, 13; II Timothy 4:2; Titus 1:13). God gave ministers for the perfection of the saints, not personal Bibles (Ephesians 4:11-14). It is God's messengers who are entrusted with the knowledge of God's word and will (Nehemiah 8:7-9; Malachi 2:5-9; Jeremiah 3:15). Christ's ministers are stewards of the mysteries of God, entrusted with the God-given responsibility of proclaiming His truth (I Corinthians 4:1-2; Titus 1:7; I Peter 4:10-11). Since the time of Paul, Christ has been making His ambassadors ministers of the New Testament (II Corinthians 3:6).
The riches of the gospel do not spread further than God's ministers carry it (Romans 10:15; 15:16). The kingdom of God in Christ's local churches is furthered and built up by means of His ministers. Ministers labor together with God as His co-workers to build God's house (I Corinthians 3:9; Ephesians 4:12). A minister's spiritual gift and labor will undoubtedly bring growth to the church (Proverbs 4:14; I Corinthians 15:10; I Timothy 4:15). In recognition of their importance, God even moved pagan kings like Artaxerxes of Persia to exempt His ministers from all taxation (Ezra 7:24).
Ministers should actively encourage the people to covet the best spiritual gifts that build up the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:31; 14:1, 39; Galatians 4:18). The impact of one good minister can be immense. He can save and preserve the Lord's congregation (Hosea 12:13; Ezekiel 22:30). Therefore, the importance of the ministry must be recognized and respected. Believers should desire to support and encourage their ministers in their God-given work. The ministry is not optional or secondary; it is essential to the life and health of the church. To neglect or devalue the ministry is to neglect and devalue the church itself.
Hmmm....sounds like Reformed or Catholic Priestcraft to me. His people are directly taught by God and know Him and hear Him and follow Him if they are His. (John 10:5, Heb 8:11,Rom 8:14, 1 John 2:27, Jer 31:34 and many others).
ReplyDeleteHebrews 8:11
“And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.”
1 John 2:27
“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”
Adam Wells claims that only ordained ministers, chosen by Christ, have the authority to interpret and dispense God’s Word—essentially making them exclusive representatives of divine revelation. However, this view misappropriates Scripture and encroaches on the work of the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is the true revealer of truth: convicting hearts, comforting believers, and illuminating the way of salvation (John 16). Ministers are meant to serve as humble servants and ambassadors of Christ, not as co-equal partners or dispensers of salvation. Wells’s argument, reminiscent of outdated clerical hierarchies, wrongly confines divine truth to a select few rather than affirming every believer’s personal access to God’s Word.
ReplyDeleteWe agree with a lot of the sentiments of our anonymous commentator and provide this link for the edification of all https://welshtractpublications.blogspot.com/2025/02/co-laborers-with-god.html
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