Quote:
Originally Posted by Igzy
This view includes their beliefs that apostles:
Have direct authority from God:To hire and fire elders.
To interfere in the affairs of churches.
To define the meaning of scripture in such a way as members of the churches they control have little choice but to agree.
To judge that churches have become "rogue," effectively to "remove their lampstand." It also includes their view that certain special apostles are "the ministers of age. (You forgot about that one. Well, it's part of their belief about apostles, like it or not, which by itself puts them in the fringe.)
|
Thank you for itemizing their belief.
I want to number these to make it easier to discuss them individually:
1. Have direct authority from God:To hire and fire elders.
There is clearly scriptural basis for those who raised up a church to also appoint elders. However, the NT provides the criteria by which appointing should be done. As for firing the NT is very clear that you have to have at least 2 witnesses before you can hear a charge about an elder, hence no "apostle" would be able to fire someone on their own whim.
2. To interfere in the affairs of churches.
I suppose they refer to Paul's charge in 1Corinthians about the sinning man. However, you don't need to be "an apostle" to do that. His "interference" was based on Matthew 18 which does not require anything more than to be in the name of Jesus and to also have at least 2 or three in agreement. Once again, no apostle would have the right to interfere on their own whim.
3. To define the meaning of scripture in such a way as members of the churches they control have little choice but to agree.
Again, there is the scriptural basis that Paul's gift was to bring every thought that sets itself against God into submission. But it seems to me if someone is way off base, as in the MOTA doctrine, all you would need is a good backbone to stand up to them as well as being committed to the truth even if it got you kicked out.
4. To judge that churches have become "rogue," effectively to "remove their lamp stand.
I don't see the basis for this. No doubt if you see sin you are required to speak, as we are doing on this forum. If you are one with the Lord then "what you bind on Earth" will be what is bound in heaven. But again, this would need to be something that 2 or 3 agree on, then you have to tell it to the church (as the Blendeds did with Titus) and then if it doesn't hold water the church can reject it (as we have done on this forum).
5. MOTA -- The only scriptural basis I see for this is Diotrophese who loves the preeminence in the church and refuses those sent by John. This also falls into the category of the false brothers mentioned by Paul, those that came from James that intimidated Peter to not walk according to the truth, and the Judaizers.