[Sons to Glory!]

From today's Witness/Watchman Wednesday (Nee)

The system of fathers of the world church, the clergy system of the state church, and the pastoral system of the independent churches are all the same in nature. They are all Nicolaitans. In the Bible there are only brothers. There is the gift of a pastor, but no system of pastors. The pastoral system is man's tradition. If the children of God are not willing to return to the position of that in the beginning, no matter what they do, it will not be right.

Reminds me a little of something else I recently saw (sent to me by an old Baptist minister):

Many Pastors function like CEOs
■ Members are turned into customers
■ Other churches are seen as competitors
■ Evangelism is reduced to marketing
■ Church planting looks more like franchising
■ Numbers are primary measure of success
■ Prayer and Word study are replaced by formulas
■ Revival is reduced to a few days fund-raising program
■ Preaching sounds more like motivational speech. All the people do is shout "I receive, Amen," throughout the concert. I mean the "service"
■ Praise and Worship is turned into a performance. The best actors are made the worship and praise leaders
■ THE SPIRIT OF GOD is reduced to "emotionalism". No real power of GOD other than hypnosis and sensationalism.
■ The saints are entertained instead of equipped
■ Disciples of CHRIST have become puppets
■ The Church, once a living Body has now become a lifeless body
■ A leader's empire is built instead of THE KINGDOM OF GOD advanced
■ The pastor becomes the super man and JESUS CHRIST reduced to just another religious figure