Yure and I were discussing Matthew 28. Why does God say not to be called “Father?” Why does it say not to be called “teacher?”
It seems that in most of Christianity, we use terms like “pastor” and “priest” to ultimately mean, “the dude in charge of the local laity/congregation.” Yet in 1 Corinthians and Acts, we see various people—and I emphasize the next word—involved rather than one superstar running the program. In 1 Corinthians, God says that “each one” has a contribution to the church that BUILDS others up.
Although our assemblies these days don’t feature much more than a bunch of people listening to one “smart lecturer,” early Christians “each had a psalm, a teaching, a revelation.” (1 Cor 14:26) I imagine that this really did help Christians become fully trained in the faith. Such training (in a non-hostile environment with spiritual family) probably helped them much more effectively spread the gospel.
Now it is common for us to see that there is “Saint X,” “pastor Y,” etc. While we may be used to giving saints some special status in our culture, ultimately God addresses every person who is clothed in Christ as a saint. He gives gifts (and thus roles) to people, including preachers, pastors, and more (Eph 4), yet He says to all Christians,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
No one person in our Christianity today exists for your veneration, but YOU are a saint. What does that mean to you? And if you agree that you are, what does that mean for how you handle your faith?
