An addict in anything is a unusual study that reveals plain truth. Many times, they will not change even facing their own mortal death. Christians can have many of the same traits as a drug addict does when stuck in traditions of men. Men and women can be addicted to the ministry, but not a bible way. They won’t leave positions, or change anything from the status quo.
I Corinthians 16:13-18~Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
14 Let all your things be done with charity.
15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)
16 That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth.
17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied.
18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such.
We often hear this phrase, “addicted to the ministry” applied to the joys of the ministry. And how the men in the ministry love it. I can’t even tell you how many times I have heard this sentiment. Men boast of this. This should be alarming. They have to talk about how hard it is to so that we don't see through the game!
"They addicted themselves to the ministry!" This has been roared from the pulpit many times by the preachers in our churches. They rarely reference the text or companion passages, and they rarely finish the verse which states that they “Addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.”
They were helping, and being a fellow laborers in the body. They were giving aid, food, and financial support to the brethren who lacked. This passage is also a perfect example to show dual submission. There is no preeminence. The body submits to each other.
Their is no upper echelon or priesthood. 2 Corinthians has the only 2 places in the bible with the phrase “ministering of the saints”, and it has nothing to do with many things we find to attach it to. They were providing help, specifically to Paul and the Church in Achaia.
Nearly every Fundamental denominational church out there including the Independent Baptist Churches, have literally addicted themselves to the ministry, but not the ministry of the saints.
We no longer edify the body, we send the body out unlearned and full of zeal to accomplish some commission because our time is so short! Those men that we do send out are often malnourished in the faith they themselves. Why are we not ministering of the saints?
We ask the poor to give grudgingly in our shakedowns, but we never give to the poor in our congregations. Yes, simply giving to those without in our own congregations is more Biblically appropriate than OT tithing for us. Any day of the week. In your Bible and mine. Yeah, I said it!
Our ministries have become anything and everything that has to do with some commission, and not the ministering of any saint or the edifying of any members of his body. We could give to every man as he hath need if we didn’t have the gross over head cost of the buildings and land that we build our churches on. Amen amen! Yeah, I said that too.
The ministries that these men are addicted to, in some cases, if any of these men are asked to leave a ministry due to sin, he will find some other church to join to, and will change his ministry title, and just begin charging for the preaching of the gospel in some new place.
They can no longer work in the world because they are actually spoiled in the ministry. They are in fact addicted to it. There is no call whatsoever involved with these bafoons! They change titles and callings with the wind because they can’t see themselves working in the world anymore. Thats is it!
They just found a new ministry, a new calling, a new flock, a new burden. They have just found a new fix. A new drug of choice! They truly are addicted to the ministry. Each week it needs to be fed, the preeminence, and ego. It needs to be stroked, and order must always be maintained throughout so doctrines of men like pastoral authority are invented.
It’s interesting that the hardest obstacle for anyone to overcome in an addiction problem is denial. They see the problem in their hearts. They know what truth is. It’s usually before their face when they look in the mirror, like the Bible reads us (James 1). Still, they won’t change. A man hears what he wants to hear and ignores all the rest.
They won’t uproot their life. They read the Bible through every year with their bible reading plans, but never see a more excellent way, instead, they muddle around in traditions, the prophets, the gospels, and good ideas of man, rejecting the written word, in it’s simplicity.
The won’t give up their job for the treatment they need ever so desperately, a complete systems flush. But they have bills to pay and habits to support. Or should I say traditions to support? "I’ve been doing this for years" some men say. "It's always been like this." "it's just how we do things today." They literally don’t know how to adapt back to the secular system. This way of life has “crept in unawares”, and they ARE indeed “addicted to the ministry”, not in the way they were in 1 Corinthians. They are trapped in their own snares!
Not to the ministry of the saints. We aren’t refreshing, restoring people, encouraging people, reconciling people, we are “stirring” and "inciting" the people with fundamentalist war cries and confusion laced preaching, often bringing another gospel and other ways and OT law and prophet like regulatory dictatorships.
Confusion shows up 3 times in the New Testament, so note them.
Acts 19:29 And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.
30 And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.
31 And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre.
32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused: and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.
1 Corinthians 14:23 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
The first place where confusion shows up is having two different groups of people teaching and crying out 2 different things in Acts. This will always bring confusion. The whole assembly was confused. The whole city was in confusion.
The second, is in the chapter that deals primarily with understanding in 1 Corinthians 14, among a congregation of Christians. And the third is a chapter that deals with the governing of the tongue. Is this coincidence or just another example of the amazing way our Bible is put together? Lets look at James 3 for a moment to show a point.
Confusion is not of God!
James 3:13-18
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
We are addicted to our statements of faith. We are addicted to our ways. We are addicted to our knowledge and stance of the King James. We are saying one thing out of our mouths, and the people in the pews are seeing something entirely different if they are reading and studying the word. This will bring confusion.
This will cause confusion. We are addicted to our Pastors and favorite “revival” preachers. We are addicted to our loyalty out of fear mentality. We are addicted to our shakedown offerings totally disregarding cheerful giving or any thing like it!
You question one of them, or bring up another consideration, opposing the views of the pastors or preachers, you will lose your head, and most likely never be made to feel comfortable around that group again. It won’t be considered a occasion to reason together out of the scriptures, and to search the scriptures to see if these things are so. You will not get to that point with most Baptist popes.
Many have simply inadvertently aligned with Fundamental, and Congregational teachings, “teaching for doctrine the commandments of men”. We are addicted to our Baptist history, Baptist preaching and our Reformative ways. We are so right “in our own eyes”, anyone who disagrees is of the devil, or heretic. It’s a spirit! And it is not the spirit of truth, but the spirit of error.
Addicts will rob from anyone, even our own blood brothers to support our fellow addicts, habits, and traditions. Addicts have learned to preach hard for it, be faithful to solicit it, and to please people to acquire it, lucre that is.
Addicts will often keep people held hostage until they give. Addicts will annoy until they give. Addicts will always press the great need or urgency for money. Addicts will threaten doom and perish if they do not get their funds! Addicts will injure families, drive wedges between friends, to get what they want, and to live how they want. The addict is always seeking the furtherance of his addiction.
These are all the actions of an addict. That is all he cares about. The addict clings to fables, the past, and vivid hallucinations, and delusions of grander. An addict usually has a unchanging schedule, controlled by whatever substance he is abusing.
The Laodicean Age has produced Christians and churches that are diseased, and they need to go to treatment, come apart from the fundamentals and the brethren, the Reformed religion, and learn the way of God more perfectly. An Independent Intervention if you will. Perhaps seeking a more excellent way in Christ, unshackled by traditions of men, and manufactured ministries? You tell me...
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