Doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans
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Denominations, the physical body is not what Yeshua the Messiah established. This includes those who claim they are non-denominational. They still fall into this category. Yeshua came to build an invisible, spiritual body. They were known as the Ekklesia, the sold out ones.
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Balaam was a prophet who worked for money. His preaching and his teaching became a job. When you are a member of a denomination, they are your head. The leaders elevate themselves above the laity. When you are employed by a denomination or any ministry, they are your boss. Denominations that are incorporated and hold a 501C3 are under control of the government since they are considered a business. This gives the government the preeminence over the denomination instead of Yeshua. This is the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which Yeshua hates.
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The lead Pastor/Rabbi is a fundamental figure within the “church or modern day synagogue” who is met with praise, accolades, and reliance upon to deliver the Word of Elohim to the congregation. Most often, he is on the top of the hierarchical ladder, or status as the main focal figure to render out theological interpretations within the “church.” He is often trained and graduated with a degree from a seminary or other school who has met the criteria, or qualifications to maintain their position as a professional.
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The practice of one man running the show is condemned in scripture:
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I wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the first among them, does not receive us. So if I come, I shall call to mind his works which he does, babbling against us with wicked words. And not satisfied with that, he himself does not receive the brothers, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the assembly.
3 John 1:9,10 TS2009
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The role of Pastor among the early Ekklesia is quite different than the office of the head Pastor in the modern “churches” today. Unlike the body in most churches of today, the early Ekklesia were a participatory body. We are not told in scripture that it is the pastor who will teach us, but rather the anointing of Yeshua HaMashiach.
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The dichotomy between what is “sacred” and what is “worldly” is a pagan conception and not the mindset of the Ekklesia. In the Kingdom of Elohim, ordained spiritual elitism has no foundation since every believer has the discernment from God to recognize those who have particular giftings that God has given them. Among the early Ekklesia, the word “ordain” did not mean to be put into an official title, but rather it was an affirmation of the gifting and character of an individual that is recognized.
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The office of Pastor or Rabbi is commonly a magnet for Narcissistic types who view the role as the “head of the church.” Scripturally, the word Pastor is used in plural form. What this means is, there is no Scriptural evidence that there was a singular senior head pastoral practice among the early Ekklesia. Pastor, as many know, is the Latin word for shepherd, and the Greek word for pastors is rendered as poimenas, which also means shepherds. Therefore, a pastor is not a professional title, but a metaphor for one of the various functions of the Ekklesia. A shepherd is a person who cares for and nurtures the people of Elohim, but not within the context of a professional hierarchical title.
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Only Yeshua the Messiah has the preeminence, not the denomination:
He is the head of the body, His community. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead—so that He might come to have first place in all things. Colossians 1:18 TLV
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Don’t lord it over those apportioned to you, but become examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:3 TLV
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But Yeshua called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones play the tyrant over them. It shall not be this way among you. But whoever wants to be great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you shall be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:25-28 TLV
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Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, through the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose. For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers and sisters, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are rivalries among you. I say this because you are each saying, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Kefa,” or “I follow Messiah.” Has Messiah been divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he? Or were you immersed into the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 TLV
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Rabbi means master among other things. All of which belong only to Yeshua the Messiah.
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But you are not to be called rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man on earth your father; for One is your Father, who is in heaven. Nor are you to be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Messiah. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
Matthew 23:8-12 TLV
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Therefore I appeal to the elders among you—as a fellow elder and witness of Messiah’s sufferings, and a partaker also of the glory about to be revealed— shepherd God’s flock among you. Watch over it not under compulsion but willingly before God, not for dishonest gain but eagerly. Don’t lord it over those apportioned to you, but become examples to the flock. When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
1 Peter 5:1-4 TLV
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Yeshua came to serve. He is the living Torah. Torah is Elohim’s life style for us. Yeshua showed us clearly and yet so many start denominations and Lord it over the assembly. They are not spiritually minded and don’t understand the truth of scripture. These folks are labeled as goats in scripture. The term Narcissist is also valid to describe some of these leaders as well. My studies in psychology as I correlated what I learned with scripture, have opened my eyes a lot to the behavior of these types and others. Narcissists are not qualified for the role of pastor and yet the denominations ordain them blindly.
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Read more at https://blog.messiahslove.com/2022/02/25/denominationalism-incorporated/