All right. Well, good morning, everyone, or good afternoon, depends on whenever you're catching this. Do hope and pray that you have had a great week and building on a wonderful service on Sunday. We had a tremendous time at Calvary. What a blessing that was. Looking forward to that. We had a great service on Wednesday night here at Saron as we finished verse four of our Psalm 23 series. And so today we're getting back into our foundation series, And as you know, over the past several weeks, we've been covering different topics of the fundamentals of the faith, which make up the Christian identity. Where do we have our foundations? What is our fundamentals of belief? And we're not a denomination, okay? We are Christians, according to Acts chapter 11. We have taken and been given the name Baptist. That started by the Reformers, as you know, in the 16th century. When they began to protest against the Catholic institution, the Baptists never were Protestant. We protested nothing. We were around long before the Catholic institution was established. as well as the the Anglican institution if you will and We date back to Acts chapter 11 in Antioch Syria where Paul and Barnabas taught the exact precepts of what we've been teaching as the foundations the fundamentals of the faith Okay, and we looked at the Bible as soul the Bible as a sole authority for faith and practice We looked at the automaty of the church the two ordinances Baptism which is by immersion only for believers those who can make their own profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ And then the Lord's table which shows his death till he comes we looked at the priesthood of the believers We looked at salvation and then we looked at eternal security as well. And so today guys We're gonna get into the two offices of the church. And again, you say well preacher. How is this gonna? How does this help me live? How does this help me establish that Christian identity? what it does is it roots you and grounds you in the teaching of the Word of God and It allows you to turn loose of the rudiments of this world and especially the traditions of men. That has harmed so many people and still do yet today. And so it gives you more of a biblical foundation, allows you to grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, as we can clearly see, guys, in what we're gonna address and what we have addressed in everything, how everything is answered according to the word of God. So the two offices that we're gonna look at today are the only two offices of a church. and that is pastor and that is deacon. We have no record of multiple pastors being placed over one church. That is never ever a case, and we never find a record of the stipulation that a church has to have deacons. We see that here in just a moment when we look in Acts chapter 6, that deacons were formed out of necessity, out of necessity. G. Campbell Morgan reckoned that there were 60,000 members at the church at Jerusalem, so by the time you get to Acts chapter 6, they chose seven men. they chose seven men. A deacon is a servant, and so they chose seven men for 60-some-odd thousand people. So you don't need a deacon unless it is stipulated inside the local New Testament church. So the scripture mentions these two offices, pastor, which is also called an elder, which is also called a bishop. Those all come, are the same teaching, the same position, same office, okay? And then of course deacon. Deacons, are special servants, if you will, of the church whose job it is to serve the church. Okay? To serve the church. We find them in Acts chapter 6, as I just mentioned, and in verse 1 it says, and in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews." Now remember, by the time we're in Acts chapter 6, it was only Jews that were in the church. We find our first Gentile saved in Acts chapter 8, which is the Ethiopian eunuch. And the next record we have is in Acts chapter 10, where Cornelius is saved, who is the man of the Italian band. Of course, Paul is saved in Acts chapter 9. First Gentile church established is in Acts chapter 11, like we mentioned just a moment ago, where they were first called Christians. And so the Grecians, or the Greeks, if you will, were mocking out, if you will, the Hebrews, mocking out the born-again believers, this new church, if you will, because it says, their widows were neglected in daily ministration. And so then the 12, this is the 12 apostles, the 12 called the multitude of the disciples unto them and said, it is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business." Now we find here that they chose these men. They looked out and they chose these seven men. And so in Acts chapter 6, and they were the ones who were going to tend to the daily needs of those outside the church, the widows, and those things that had to be done, they needed to be taken care of, they needed to be ministered unto. But the apostles committed themselves to the Word of God, preparation and teaching and preaching and so on and so on. And so that's what we find. That's what you find a deacon. A deacon is a special servant in the church. And again, you find in here, not only was it the brethren, okay, so it was the local congregation who chose these men. The stipulation we find that they were, you know, honest report. They were full of the Holy Ghost. They were full of faith and power, we find in the later verses there. But it was the apostles who approved them, all right? It was the apostles who approved them. So it was not a congregational-led decision or choice that was made when it came to these seven men, but they did choose these men out who had a good report, who were full of faith and wisdom, full of faith and power, full of the Holy Ghost, meaning they had no room for themselves or other things. But the apostles approved them, so we wanna make sure we clearly understand that. So 1st Timothy chapter 3 verses 8 through 13, we also find these deacons mentioned. In chapter 3 verse 8 in 1st Timothy, the Bible says, likewise must the deacons be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre, holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved Then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderer, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For they that have Use the office of a deacon well-purchased to themselves a good degree and great boldness and faith which is in Christ Jesus Okay, so we find them the stipulations the qualifications of what a deacon is to be and we see that in first Timothy chapter 3 So the responsibility in the treatment of pastors is also found throughout the scripture is found in a multitude of places We're gonna hit these verses. I'm gonna turn as quick as I can to get to the verses guys You're gonna have them on your outline there if you've chosen to download that outline that PDF file off the off the church one app and otherwise if you have not that just write the scriptures down or turn to them as the best of your ability so the responsibility and treatment for pastors is given and found within the scriptures and it's important guys that we obtain our qualifications if you will for these positions by rightly dividing the word of truth as opposed to either popular dividing of the brethren, because there's a few of these clauses, if you will, these positions that pretty much, you know, they divide people. Guys, this is not a decision from a denomination. It's not a decision that should be determined through a certain camp, and definitely not a decision that should be determined through any type of private interpretation, but always through the honest teaching and preaching of the Holy Scriptures. So we find in Acts chapter 20 and in verse 28, here's our first verse that we're looking at is the responsibility and treatment for pastors. Acts 20 verse 28, and we're going to review all this position. We're going to look at the office, we're going to look at the titles in here in just a moment. I'm going to watch my time, and if we only get halfway through this lesson, then we only get halfway through the lesson, and I'll pick it up next week to finish it off. Acts chapter 20 and verse 28, the Bible tells us here, it says, take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. And so the Apostle Paul here and what we're finding in his testimony is very, very clear that we are to take that oversight. We are to take it as overseers, okay? You understand, as pastors, there's a great responsibility. There's a great condemnation that James says in James chapter three, I believe in verse one, there's a great judgment responsibility given for a pastor. Ephesians chapter four, verses 11 through 16, The Bible tells us in chapter 4, verse 11 through 16 of Ephesians, it says, and He gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. Why? 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 into a perfect man, unto a measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." That's verse 13. We can read all the way down to verse 16 if you would like, but it speaks about the whole body being fitly joined together, everybody having their position and their job. But the Lord Jesus Christ gave some churches, He did give some apostles. Not today. We know He gave apostles because Paul was an apostle and he planted a load of churches. We know that Peter pastored. We know that James was a pastor. So we see that some churches in the early, in the first century, were given apostles. Not any longer. When the apostle John died, he was the last apostle to ever live. There was no such thing as apostolic secession. There has not been an apostle living since John, who was exiled on the Isle of Patmos. Secondly, he gave some prophets. We know that by Agabus. We read that Agabus went to churches, and he prophesied, and his prophecy was true, and it came true. But what we know is that there is no prophecy today. Why? There was not a completed word of God during that first century. As a matter of fact, The completed work of God was not done until John received the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Isle of Patmos, and that's when the completed work of God was finished. That is what Paul refers to as, that which is perfect shall come. So anyway, we see that verse there. 1 Thessalonians 5 is another one. 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 12 and 13. He says, And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for the work's sake, and be at peace among yourselves. Okay? So we'll go back to 1 Timothy 3 as well. Now we see these qualifications, if you want to refer to them as that. It's a qualification or stipulations for a pastor. We've already read verses 8 down to, I believe, verse 13. looking at the qualifications for a deacon, and now we're going to look at them for a pastor. Notice there, if you will, in verse 1, verse 10 of the chapter 3, it says, this is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, that is a pastor, he desire the good work. A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior. given to hospitality, apt to teach, not given to wine, no striker, not greedy a filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous, one that ruleth well his own house, having his children, and subjection with all gravity. For if a man knew not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride, he fall into condemnation of the devil. Moreover... All right, now again, verse 7 is clear. Verse seven is the most important of all of them. On top of all these other things, the most important one, moreover, he must have a good rapport of them which are without. That means those that are not even in the church. Lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Okay, so we understand those are the stipulations for a pastor, the calling of a pastor. and he desireth an office of a good work, the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 17 through 19, the Bible says, And the laborer is worthy of his reward. All right, verse 19 says, against an elder, receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. That elder there is not speaking of an elderly man, but rather the office of a bishop known as a pastor. If you have your Bibles, guys, turn to Titus chapter one. This is the other one, Titus chapter one. It's quite amazing how Paul would write to Titus in the manner that he did. Titus, I believe, would have been in Crete when he received this letter. There was a multitude of sinful living, different types of living. Bigamy was a huge, huge crime that occurred there in Crete and sexual promiscuity, if you will, was rampant there. And so it was important for Paul to write to Titus and say, listen, guys, I want you to ordain. I want you to set an order to the churches, ordain elders over the churches there that is located in that area. He goes, but here's what you need to look for. And these are the things that they need to get right. So 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 6 through 9 says, If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless as the steward of God, not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre, but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate, holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught that he may be able to be by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. And so there's what Paul is saying. Hey, look, this is what you need. This is the kind of man that you're going to look for. Find someone who is blameless and you're going to look there for the establishment of pastors. In Hebrews, in chapter 13, verses 7 and 17, we see another treatment, if you will, responsibility of a pastor, but especially how we need to, as believers today, treat our pastors, and look to them, and listen to them. And again, I realize I'm a pastor, but I have a pastor as well. Hebrews 13, verse 7 says, Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation, that's their lifestyle, that's how they conduct their life. Verse 17 says, "...Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourself. For they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief. For that is unprofitable for you." And so, beloved, we need to understand that being in a church, being part of a church, being a born-again believer today and a member of the local New Testament church is God has ordained it. It's not a country club. It's not a country club. God has put men of God there in that church to be an overseer, to pastor, to shepherd that flock. And we as pastors, we have to give an account of what we teach you. We have to be an account of how we teach. We have to be an account to how we warn you, guide you, and direct you. That's what we give an account for. We want to do that with joy, not with grief. And that's what Paul's saying in Hebrews 13, verses 7 and 17, that we may do it with joy, not with grief. Guys, I mean, the greatest evidence of a pastor's teaching and preaching is going to be the congregation obeying it and following it. And that's just how that is, guys. Galatians 6.6 is the last verse we'll look at, and then we'll go on a few verses here to establish a few points that need to be made today concerning this topic. But the Bible says in Galatians 6.6, Okay, so that's the responsibility and the treatment for pastors that is given within our Holy Scripture today and how we begin to look at it. and apply it into our life in a manner that is pleasing to God and is glorified to the Lord Jesus Christ. And we need to be mindful of those things as we live our life today, as we begin to, again, break down these two offices of the local New Testament church, okay? So let's look first, guys. We're going to look first at the office of a pastor. Now those titles of a pastor in the Word of God is that we find a pastor, and that's one who feeds and nourishes. We find the word bishop being used, one who administrates or oversees. And then we find the word elder being used, and it's one who leads and counsels. All three of those are the same office. They are the same person. That is just because different words or titles are used does not dictate the fact that there should be a multiplicity of pastors, elders, and bishops. Now again, there's nothing wrong with the church having an assistant pastor or assistant pastors over different ministries in the church. However, each local New Testament church decides to administrate and minister unto their congregation is solely up to them. We talked about that under the topic of the autonomy of the church. However, There is one pastor who is the head pastor, if you will, of the local New Testament church, and there may be others who fill in as assistants. Now, one of the things that I want to make sure that we cover real quick is that we understand that all three of these guys, all three of these titles are referring to the same office, as I've already mentioned. We see that in 1 Peter chapter 5, First Peter in chapter five, we'll look here real quick and then we're going to cover a bit of a topic that needs to be addressed, would be amiss this morning if I did not cover it. First Peter chapter five, verses one through four, the Bible says, the elders which are among you, I exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Verse two says, feed the flock of God. That's that responsibility for pastor, which is among you, taking the oversight thereof. There's the responsibility. And he says, not by constraint, but willingly, all right? A pastor should not have to be forced to take the oversight thereof and to make sure that the church is administrated to properly and biblically. It is the pastor's responsibility. to oversee every aspect of the church. He may delegate into different positions, such as secretaries and treasuries and things like that. There's nothing wrong with that, but he better know what's going on behind the scenes, because Peter's telling us very clearly, taking the oversight thereof, that's not just preaching. My soul, man, if pastoring the church was only preaching, it'd be a heyday, but it's not. And we understand that, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Neither being lords over God's heritage, but it being his samples to the flock and with the chief shepherds That's why I said that we're the under shepherd when the chief shepherd shall appear He shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away And then of course, we know Titus chapter 1 verses 5 through 7. We've already read it. We're not going to do that again So we are saying this we understand elders bishops and pastors are all referring to the same office now one thing that I want you to notice what word is not in there concerning the pastor, two words if you will, is vicar and priest. The word vicar is not in the Bible. It is not an office that's in the Bible. It's not a position that is biblical. It is not anything that has anything to do with the Holy Word of God. Now that may rub some people wrong. That may mess your traditions up a little bit. But if you can answer it with scripture today and show me where that position by way of that title is appropriate, then I'll change my position. But you're not going to. But you're more than happy to look. So what does the word vicar mean? Well, the word vicar comes from a Greek word vicar, which means, which we give the English word vicarious. The word vicar or vicar, if you will, it means by definition. anyone acting in the person of. That's what vicar means. It means substitute, go-between, or mediator. This is where the Holy Scripture shoots this down in ways very easily to be seen. You say, preacher, do you have a problem with the title of vicar? I have a problem with it because the Bible doesn't use it, number one, and by definition, we, as a pastor or any individual, we are not a substitute, number one, for the Lord Jesus Christ. You're gonna see the origin of that here in just a moment. Number two, we're not a mediator, okay? It's not the Old Testament. We'll see that here in a second as well. A pastor is an under-shepherd, not a substitute. Not a substitute, and not a go-between. 1 Timothy chapter 2, real quick, and you write this down, guys, because this, again, you may want to get upset with me, you may want to lose your cool with me, and you're more than welcome to do that. You're more than welcome to be upset. You're more than welcome to lose your cool. You're more than welcome to email me, message me, call me names. That's fine. But keep in mind, I'm giving you scripture tonight or today. I'm not giving you my opinion. I'm basing this on the precious Word of God, the inerrant, inspired, preserved, perfect Word of God. And if you base it on anything else, guys, then you're going to be found wanting. So 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 5, the Bible says, for there is one God. All right. That throws out pluralism, pantheism, panentheism, throws all that out. OK. So there is one God. Now watch this. One mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. So guys, there's only one God. Mediator. There's only one go-between. There are no substitutes whatsoever. So there is no one standing in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ because there's only one God and there's only one Jesus Christ who gave his life once and for all and it is he that is our mediator between God and man. Do you understand that? So that's number one, that Jesus Christ is our only mediator. He is our only go-between, not some man wearing a robe, all right? Or woman, for that matter. So a pastor, number two, by the way, Pope is not in the Bible either. And I understand, I'm probably upsetting a lot of people here, but that's fine. I'm still gonna stand on the word of God. Pope is not in the Bible. Peter was never a pope. The Catholic institution was not started until the fourth century under Constantine the Emperor. Before that, they were pagan Rome, and they converted to papal Rome. That's history, okay? So Peter was never in Rome, he wasn't the first pope, that's a big lie. And so we understand this, that we find that the pope, if you will, is referred to the potentate. Well, where'd he get that name? Well, the Bible says 1 Timothy 6 and verse 15. All right, so number one, we've shown very clearly, vicar is not in the Bible. It is an anti-biblical title, anti-biblical title, because mankind is not a go-between to God, okay? There's one God and one man, I'm sorry, one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. So that's eliminated, all right? Vicar's thrown out the window, all right? Vicarious, nothing, no go-between. Now what about this word potentate that the Pope has taken on as a title for himself? Now guys keep in mind, I'm not just picking on the Catholic institution. Anyone who uses the word vicar are wrong about everything. Anyone who uses the Pope and potentate, and we're going to get to priest here in just a moment, are completely illiterate scripturally. So let's keep on. 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 15, the Bible says, which in his times he shall show who is the blessed and only potentate, capital P, the king of kings and the Lord of lords. All right? And it goes on to say, who only hath immortality, dwell in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen, nor can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting, amen. Now, who in the world is he talking about? Well, we know the verse 14 says that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, unto the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, colon means pause, when in his time, who? Jesus Christ. Who is he? The only immortal, dwelling in the light. Who is he? The only potentate. So anyone wanting to take on the title or name potentate, they're anti-scriptural, anti-biblical, they're not even in the same ballpark of where God wants people to be. Now, what about the title of priest? title of priest. Again, this go-between. Now in the Old Testament there was one high priest and then there were other priests. There were Levites and whatnot. And that high priest would present the sins of Israel. He was the go-between between Israel and God. He would go into the Holies of Holy once a year, present the sacrifice there if you will, and He would bear those sins if you will, and it was a representation of who Jesus Christ will once be. But that was done every year, and sacrifices were done daily for different sins. Those sins in the Old Testament were covered by the blood of goats and bulls. But when Jesus Christ came, He didn't cover our sins. He cleansed them. He put them into the sea of God's forgetfulness, separated them as far as the East and the West, that He remembers them no more. Why? Because they're cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. And therefore, when that happens, we as born-again individuals, if you are saved and born again, then you, my friend, or every born-again believer, are considered a royal priesthood. We cover this in the Priesthood of Believers. I'm gonna re-read the verse that we use to make it very crystal clear. 1 Peter chapter two and verse nine. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. What does that mean? That means you and I have access to God 24 hours a day. Why? Because we have one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. We have access to God the Father through the mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, by way of transaction of the Holy Spirit of God. Paul tells us that sometimes we know not of what even to pray for. And there's utterings in the spirit. We don't even know what to pray for. And we just plead. And the Holy Spirit makes the will of God known to the Son. And the Son goes before us to the Father. Does that make sense to you this morning? Make sense to you today? It should make sense to you. So how in the world can we wrap it around our head? Well then, biblically I've already showed you that the pastor of a church, the head of a church, is one pastor. He also can be called an elder or he can be called a bishop. Clear as day. He can be called elder, pastor, bishop. Nowhere in scripture is he called vicar, and if he is called vicar, that's high treason against the Word of God, because we are not a substitute between God and man. That's only Jesus Christ, okay? Number two, every born-again believer is a priest. You do not have to come to a pastor or the head of a church or in some wooden box to have your prayers be known, made known unto God the Father. You don't have to do that. Jesus Christ gave us the model prayer by saying, our Father who art in heaven. When we pray, we pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus Christ through the power and might of the Holy Spirit of God. Each, every individual. So we see that priest is not a title for a pastor, elder, or bishop. We see that vicar is not a title for a pastor, elder, or bishop, or anyone for that matter, okay? But where does this come from? Where in the world do you think today Where in the world would we get this, okay? Well, who do you think wants to take the place of Jesus Christ? I wanna take you to scriptures, guys, and again, I'm gonna allow the scripture to answer the scriptures. And again, I understand by teaching something along this line that I risk the chance of offending people. The Bible says that there is an offense in the cross, okay? If I was giving you my opinion and I was trying to be snarky about it or whatever, that would be a different story, and I'm not trying to be snarky at all. I'm just giving you the word of God, and you have to decide on yourself what you're gonna believe, whether you're going to hold to the rudiments of this world and traditions of men, Or if you're gonna take the Word of God as the inspired Word of God and remove yourself from any organization or institution that teaches and preaches otherwise. You say, well, preacher, I can't do that. My family's been involved for 50, 60, 70, 100 years. That doesn't matter. If the traditions are wrong, and they are, in any institution that uses vicar, or priest, thumbs over, you know, being a Lord of God's heritage. We're commanded not to do that, yet we find in these institutions. Again, don't get upset with me. Take the scripture for what it is, the truth. Isaiah chapter 14, all right, Isaiah chapter 14. Again, guys, I understand. I want you to understand something here. What are the roots these replacements. And guys, don't just say, oh, it's just nomenclature, it's just words. You know, Jesus, God blessed his word. He didn't bless his thoughts. He didn't bless his opinions. He blessed his word. Words are important. Every single word, every jot, every tittle, all right? Very clear about the words. Matter of fact, he said, you know, the grass and the flower fadeth and all that. My words are shall never fade away, shall never pass, all right? Every word of God is gonna come true, you follow? So his words are important. Titles are important, proper titles. Isaiah 14, verse 12 says, how thou art fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning, how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations. For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, that's number one. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, that's number two. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, the sides of the north, that's number three. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, that's number four. And then number five, the number of death, I will be like the Most High. This is what Lucifer said. when he was in the heavens, when he was really the second most powerful being in all of creation. He said, I will be like the Most High. Well, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit was there in creation. It was there when he was there, you understand. So it was Satan's desire, it was Lucifer's desire from the beginning to be like Jesus Christ. This is one of the reasons that the modern translations, the incorrect translations that comes from the Alexandrian cult, the Codex Vaticanus and the Codex Sinaiticus, the Westcott and Hort, two communists who didn't even believe in the eternal God, okay? Those perverted manuscripts which produced every single modern translation. This is one of the reasons that many of them will change, in Isaiah 14, son of the morning, to day star. to Daystar. So I ask you this question, who's the Daystar? Well, 2 Peter in chapter 1, in verse 19, the Bible says, we have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the Daystar arise in your heart." That's a coveted name of God. That's a coveted name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the desire. So I think it's quite simple now for us to clearly understand when you look at the two offices of the church, when you look at these offices and why we have so much of a confusion in the world today, because from the very beginning, Lucifer was working behind the scenes to try to replace Jesus Christ, to try to be like Jesus Christ. And when he was cast out of heaven and cast into this world and became Satan, which means adversary, now he walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, do you understand? It's funny, even that verse right there, as a roaring lion, and Jesus Christ is called the lion of the tribe of Judah. He's always trying to duplicate Jesus Christ. In the tribulation period, the Antichrist will duplicate everything that Jesus Christ, where does he get his power? Gets his power from Satan. That's what's happening. So when you look at the root and why we find that there's a mix-up and a confusion with these titles in the world today, vicar, okay, which is very, guys, that is plain as day. If you argue that point right there, when you can look up in a simple dictionary and you can find out that vicar means standing in the place of someone, nowhere in the Holy Scriptures are you gonna find. a man of God in the New Testament church to stand in the place of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. And even the title of priest, guys. I'm a priest because I'm a born-again believer, but by title, I'm a pastor. By office, I'm a pastor. So that's what we need to understand today, guys. And you say, well, preacher, why did you want to hammer that down? Because, guys, we need to know the truth. And we need to quit walking around being deceived and thinking it's okay to have these particular titles, to have these particular titles and use them because of what they represent. These people that use these titles, their institutions, I'm not gonna call them a church, their institutions and their ideologies teach exactly what title they've been given. That's why the Catholics will go and sit in a wooden box and make their confession unto their priest because he's considered the go-between. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I'll even go a step further. The Bible says, call no man on earth father, okay? And the Bible even speaks about those that walk around in long black robes. I mean, so guys, I'm not trying to bash anyone here. I'm just calling out the truth and you have to make the decision yourself of whether or not you're gonna obey scripture or you are gonna obey the traditions of men, okay? Guys, you can't argue with Scripture and win. I'm gonna go ahead and tell you that today. And it should cause you, at the very least, to rethink your position, and I hope and pray forsake those traditions that are taking you down a road that is anti-Scriptural, it's anti-Biblical. All right, so real quick today, guys, just real quick, I wanna go over the qualifications, if you will, of a pastor. And this is according to Titus 1, verses five through nine, and 1 Timothy 3, verses one through seven. We're not gonna read all the verses, but we're gonna go over these different positions that is being given, what we should be as pastors. Number one, we find that a pastor must be blameless. That simply means he needs to be above reproach, above reproach, okay? There's things that we as pastors have to do. We have to bite our tongue. There's things that we want to say at times, and I understand I say some pretty forward things, if you will, but they're not to be froward, if that makes any sense to you today. So a pastor is to be blameless. That doesn't mean sinless. but blameless, above reproach. He's to be the husband of one wife. That means he should be fully devoted to one wife, one woman. The Bible and Baptists historically continue to reject the teaching of polygamy and or bigamy by all accounts. One wife, all right, for life. He's to be vigilant. He's to be vigilant, meaning to be alert and watchful. A pastor needs to know what's going on in the world. Now, having said that point, I want to make it very clear, I don't believe that the pastor needs to be locked into the telly and watching news 24 hours a day, find out what's going on. That's not what it is. But he does need to be alert and watchful as to what's going around in his community, in his village, in his country, but especially within the local church and that which may come in and harm the sheep. He needs to be vigilant. He needs to be alert and watchful. Secondly, in 2 Timothy 3, verse 2, it says, given to hospitality, a pastor needs to be warm and kind to guests and to others. Warm and kind to guests and to others. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be warm and kind to his church members either. As a matter of fact, Jesus Christ says, by this, the world, you know, they'll know that you're my disciples, that you have love one for another. And so that's a Christian application. That's for all of us. But a pastor especially needs to be given to hospitality. The Bible says apt to teach. A pastor needs to have the ability to teach. It doesn't mean he has to have an IQ of 185. It doesn't mean he has to be able to read, you know, 735 words a minute. That does not mean what, but he needs to be studious. He needs to have the ability to convey the biblical thoughts to those at the level that they may be able to receive. Not given to wine now this does not a pastor is not to partake in fermented beverage alcoholic beverage at all He is to never take that We're probably going to get into it next week We're going to get into the difference between a pastor and deacon and what that word biblically means in wine not given to wine that word right there cut wine and Dealing with a pastor in 1st Timothy 3.3 comes from a Greek word para oinus, which oinus means grape juice or fruit juice. Para means something added there unto. That is the fermentation process and on and on. But we'll get into that next week. I'm gonna finish these qualifications today and then we'll call it and we'll get into the deacon next week and his qualifications. The Bible says that he's not to be a striker, no striker. It means he's not easily moved to fight. Okay, not easily moved to fight. That's in verse three as well, chapter three of 1st Timothy. You know, There may be the desire to fight, but a pastor has to fight that desire and reject it. Not greedy of filthy lucre. It means he does not desire or seek dishonest gain. Dishonest gain. Filthy lucre is dishonest gain. We understand the lucre is monetary. A pastor, a biblical God called a man of God does not need to have this position as pastor for the sake of the money. He's not to be a hireling, if you will. God will bless in a mighty way. He's to be patient, okay? In today's world, guys, if you're gonna take a stand on the word of God, if you're gonna take a stand as we do on biblical perfection, and you're gonna take a stand and you're gonna hold your church to the status of the word of God and have a biblical New Testament church, you're gonna have to be patient. You're gonna have to be patient. Because people are not gonna be where you want them to be as quick as you want them to be. That's just the way it is. Neither were we. Neither were we. We were not where God wanted us to be in the time frame either. And we need to understand that. We see in 1 Timothy 3 again, not a brawler. Not a brawler means reluctant to fight. That doesn't mean that a pastor can't defend himself, his home, his family, or his church members. I'm going to defend my family. I'm going to defend my church members. I'm going to defend my local church. I'm going to defend my friends if I need to. It won't be the first thing that I do. I won't be reluctant to fight. But I can promise you this, I'm gonna stand my ground against the enemy who may come in to harm my family, my church, my people, my friends. I'm gonna stand my ground. I don't have a problem with that whatsoever, and I don't believe the Bible ever called us to be pacifists. That may be the teaching today in this effeminate world that we're living in, but I'm telling you, we're not called to be pacifists. But nevertheless, we should be reluctant to fight. Not covetous, not covetous. Free from the love of money, and that is a blessing, free from the love of money. One who rules his home well. This means that he manages his house and keeps it in order. That's 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 4. One of the points that may be made of this, where does that home begin and end? It means that that home begins and ends under your roof. That's where it is. And we need to make sure we rule our home well, that we lead by example, that we lead by love and grace, but we make sure that those that are under our roof are living godly and living the right way that they should. And if they don't, we are to take that into account and take measures into our own hands to biblically address the situation. Having his children in subjection with all gravity that means they have obedient children again This is relating to the what's under your roof first Timothy 3 for not a novice that means not a new convert guys Again, that's there in verse 6 of chapter 3 not a new convert And there's a big reason for that. The Bible talks about, as we mentioned, lest he fall into the snare of the devil. A new convert should not be pastoring. They cannot handle the position. They don't have, number one, the biblical knowledge. They don't have the experience. They have no experience in dealing with certain situations that is required in the office of a pastor. So that needs to be without a shed. Here's the deal. Let me back up just a little bit on that. A novice, somebody that's newly saved, and I say newly saved, it doesn't matter if it's a year or two years, they could be called to preach. God could call them to preach straight away. That's God, but it doesn't mean He's called them to pastor. There's various calls to preach and to be obedient in that preaching, and I believe that a man needs to be proven, and the scripture is very clear about that. We read that in Titus chapter 1, that he must be proved, okay, he must be proven. And, you know, so when it comes to that as a new convert, a man needs to spend his test and he needs to spend his time learning and growing in grace and the knowledge of the Word of God and understand lest he fall into the snare of the devil or the trap of the devil. Now again, I mentioned this before when you look at these qualifications, having a good report of them that are without. That's a good reputation outside of the church. That's 1 Timothy 3, 7. Now, beloved, if a pastor is someone who's not known for paying his bills in the community, if he's not known for being someone that reaches all these areas, he shouldn't be in the position. That's just the way it is. You know, for some reason, I don't know why we, in our collective circle, emphasize these other qualifications, if you will, especially one of them, above and beyond, when the scripture says, moreover, having a good rapport with them that are without. It's more important for us to be known as a godly man, having a good reputation outside of the church. Because if we have a bad reputation of those that are out, I'm not talking about what somebody may create or say or lie about the man of God, but I'm just talking about having a good reputation of those that are outside the church. It's going to bring a bad testimony to the local New Testament church, to the word of God, to the Bible, to the Lord Jesus Christ, to the gospel and everyone that's in there. So this is the most important one if you want to just to be straight up honest about it. This is having a good report of those or them that are without. So that's the qualification. So quickly, I tell you what, I'm going to stop it here, guys. I'm going to stop it here. We'll pick up in this section next week because time has really kind of failed us today. And this is enough meat for you to chew on. As my pastor used to say, he goes, I've loaded your wagon up. And so what we'll get into tomorrow, next week, We'll get into next Thursday is we'll get into the responsibilities of the pastor, which are to preach, teach, rule, work, pray, train, and evangelize. We'll get into those, we'll cover the scriptures of what that pertains to, and then we're gonna get into the office of deacon. We'll get into that title of what a deacon is, what a deacon is not, and then we'll get into those responsibilities and we'll close for this section of the two offices of the Local New Testament Church and the fundamentals of the faith, the Christian identity, which are our foundation. So thank you so much, guys, for being with us today. I hope and pray that you have a blessed rest of your day. And again, any questions whatsoever that you may have, please feel free to reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you all. God bless you all. We'll see you in church on Sunday.