The Difference in the New Testament Ministry

Happy Sabbath once again. On the day of Pentecost, I briefly mentioned the difference between something the Old Covenant ministry did regarding 3,000 people, if you were there on the day of Pentecost, and the New Testament or New Covenant ministry. Today, I thought I would zero in on that. What the difference is between those two ministries in a little more detail. I want to discuss it further. And I also hope to debunk some myths about the New Testament ministry. I hope to clearly explain to you what the purpose is of the New Testament ministry, how it's different from the Levitical priesthood. And I may say some things today that come across as strong. I may say some things to you that come across to you as rather passionate, but I hope that you will take the comments that I have to say in Christian love. So what is the New Testament ministry? What is its purpose? How is it different from the Levitical priesthood? How was it established? Well, obviously, to answer all those questions, we have to begin in the beginning. The beginning, of course, is to understand the Levitical priesthood from the perspective of the Old Covenant. So we'll go there. Let's turn together to Numbers, chapter 1 and verse 45. If you'll turn there with me, Numbers chapter 1 and verse 45. And we'll see the role that the Levitical priesthood had.

The Levitical priesthood was comprised of the members of the tribe of Levi, and then on a more spiritual level, if we can use that phrase, the descendants of Aaron did a lot of the duties in the temple regarding sacrifices and regarding the Aaronic duties inside the temple itself. Numbers, chapter 1 and verse 45. It's all who were numbered of the children of Israel. Moses did a census on everyone. He was told to do a census on everyone except Levi by their father's houses. From 20 years old and above, all who were able to go to war in Israel, all who were numbered were 600 and 3550, but the Levites were not numbered among them by their father's tribe. For the Lord had spoken to Moses, saying, Only the tribe of Levi, you shall not number, nor take a census of them among the children of Israel, but you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, over all its furnishings, and over all things that belong to it. They shall carry the tabernacle in all its furnishings. They shall attend to it and camp around the tabernacle. And when the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down. And when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death. So if someone from another tribe comes in and says, Let me do this, this is my job, they are not going to have a good day. Verse 52, The children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every one by his own camp, every one by his own standard, according to their armies. But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel, and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the testimony. Thus the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they did.

So we see here in this instruction that God chose the Levites to be a form of priesthood. They were to serve in the tabernacle. And remember, that tabernacle had to be taken down, rebuilt every time they moved, every time they camped somewhere else and they traveled, someone had to take all those parts down, set all those parts up, make sure everything was in order, maintain it, maintain the condition of the curtains and the poles and everything that was involved in it. But I think we need to understand something very important. They were not chosen because of character or great dedication. They were chosen because of lineage and genetics.

All right? So I want to emphasize that because there were a lot of problems among the Levites, and a lot of those problems were because they were chosen not because they were righteous, not because of great characteristics, not because they kept God's law, they were chosen because they were related to someone. The duties of the Levites were mostly physical. Again, there were some, if you want to define spiritual as offering sacrifices and doing some of the things that the descendants and sons of Aaron did, that's okay. But the duties of most of the Levites were very physical actions and tasks required under the Old Covenant. And it didn't take long to see, as a generation or two passed, that it became obvious that they were chosen because of lineage and genetics and not because of character. For example, if you were to go to the book of Judges, we don't have time to do that today, but in Judges 17, we find something that's invented by Micah called rent a priest. He purchases his own Levi to be his personal priest. He gives him 10 shekels.

He says, you're now my personal priest for me. And it's kind of interesting the interactions that you find there. And another episode that 40 years later still disturbs me is the story of a Levite who cuts up his dead concubine after something very terrible happened to her all night and sent pieces of her to the tribes of Israel. It is such a disgusting, disturbing story. We have children in this room, and I won't even go to detail about what it is. You can find it in Judges around chapter 20. But again, this is a Levite, and when you study his characteristics, you can come to no conclusion that he is the selfish, brutish, ignorant man.

Though it says there in Judges 20, he was a Levite. So quickly, we see because they were chosen for lineage and not because of character, not because of moral fiber, not for the right reasons that they, along with the entire nation, quickly degenerated. Let's go to 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 22. 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 22, we'll see the example of Eli and his sons. 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 22 says, Now Eli was very old, and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. They were abusing their privilege. They were abusing their authority as priests, abusing people. So he said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. Know my sons, for it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord's people transgress. If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him? Nevertheless, they did not heed the voice of their father, because the Lord desired to kill them. And Eli himself did not have a very good ending, because he didn't do what he should have done as a father. He should have removed them from their duties, and he didn't do it. Well, in a short time, many of the Levites, as I mentioned, became corrupt, as is indicated in the book of Judges, and the people lost confidence in them. As a matter of fact, the reason Israel wanted a king to be like other nations is because they lost respect and confidence in the Levites and in the Judges within their community. In a few generations, the Levites were in disarray, and Judges would try to provide leadership. And what did the Judges do? The time of the Judges is when Israel wasn't even one nation. The Judges were regional authorities, regional leaders over different parts of Israel, all doing their own thing. Israel wasn't even a real nation during the time of the Judges. They provided a weak leadership system, and again, in most cases, why did it fail? Because the Judges were often replaced by their own children, not chosen because of character, not chosen because of reputation, not chosen because of ability, but because they were related to someone. In the case of the Levites, they served as priests until they either died or they were retired from service. So that is the state of Israel that we find during the time of the Judges. Well, obviously, Israel was in disarray. This system isn't working. It isn't working at all. So what was the next step? What did the people want? Because they lost confidence and faith in the Levites. They lost confidence and faith in the Judges. 1 Samuel 7.15.

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, Mispah, and he judged Israel in those places. But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the Lord. Now it came to pass on old that he made his sons judges over Israel. Interesting. But the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of the second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways, and they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. Then all of the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. So they had had enough.

The elders of all the tribes got together and said this, passing it on this lineage, this descent from father to son. Father to son doesn't work. We've got to do something different.

So they said to him, look you are old and your sons should not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the other nations. So they're going to go from the proverbial frying pan into the fire. Because what do you think you're going to get with a king?

Well, you're going to get the king's son, then you're going to get the king's grandson ruling you, right? Nothing's really going to change. The sad part is, is they had become so disillusioned. They said, we no longer want to be a treasured people. We no longer want to be a special nation.

We want to be just like everyone else.

Brethren, is that what we want to be in the Church of God? Do we want to be a treasured people? Do we want to be a special spiritual nation? Are we allowing the influences of this world to make us want to be just like everyone else? Let's continue, verse 5. And said to them, look, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel when they saw the king.

When they said, give us a king to judge us. So Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said to Samuel, heat the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me. God is saying, I have always wanted to be their king. They don't need a physical king. They never needed a physical king. I never gave them a physical king. I expected them to look to me as their king. And yes, I would appoint humans below me to guide and direct the nation, but I am their king. So don't take it personally, Samuel. They're rejecting me. They're not rejecting you. Verse 8, according to all the works that they have done since I brought them out of the land of Egypt, even to this day which they have forsaken me and served other gods, so they are doing to you also. He says they've been rebellious and they have rejected me since the second they came out of the land of Egypt. Pretty profound. Samuel was not only a judge, but he was also a Levite, and he served as a priest. So why didn't the leaders of Israel want Samuel's sons, the rule of judges? Because they were corrupt. They felt a king couldn't be any worse. Well, as they'll find out the hard way, oh yes, they can. As a matter of fact, I'm going to do a little sidebar and tell you exactly why the democracies have come to control the major economies on the earth, why the so-called democracies have become the great nations on the earth. And this is one of the things I learned in my leadership studies when I was taking a college program is I read a biography on every king of England who ever existed, going back to Anglo-Saxon time, the kings of Scotland, the kings of Wales. I read a biography on every one of them, and here is the problem with kingship. The problem with kingship is that when you get a bad king, you have to wait until he dies.

He might live 30 or 40 years and be destroying your life. He might be destroying the nation.

And odds are, when he dies, who's going to take over? You're going to get a moron 2.0 version.

The reason democracies have come so far is because, depending on their constitution, every two or four years, there's a mini-revolution in a democracy. The leader has changed, and if he's good, he's reaffirmed. If he's a bum, he's replaced. And because of that, democracies, overall, get far better leadership, not perfect, but far better leadership than nations that continue to pass on through lineage, father, son, grandson, the great-grandson, da-da-da-da-da.

That's why democracies have been so successful, a much more efficient, a much more productive form of governance because you can get rid of poor leaders.

With kingships, you're stuck with them until the day that they die.

So, having said that, I believe you get the point about the Levites. The Levites became corrupt. There are numerous scriptures we could go to, and we could go to the minor prophets to show you that the Levites were corrupt from the very beginning to the very end and the collapse of the nation of Judah. When the temple had been built later on, David reorganized their duties, but the corruption continued. But through all that, you know, God doesn't do anything without a lesson for us, does He? And here's the lesson that God hoped they would get, that they would learn through the process. The lesson was that the Lord wanted the people to have faith in God and look to Him for salvation and guidance in spite of the imperfections of the men He chose to lead them. That was the lesson of all of that. God wanted the people to know, in spite of the imperfections of men, in spite of the flaws of people, I have chosen to lead you. Look to God. That's where our faith belongs. That's where we should be looking towards. So, can we compare the Levites with the New Testament ministry? Let's take a look at a few more scriptures here. Hebrews 7 and 11, and we'll see here, perhaps written by the Apostle Paul, Hebrews 7 and 11, that the Church has instructed that the form of priesthood changes dramatically because of Jesus Christ. We spent a whole series of sermons talking about comparing the Old Covenant with the New Covenant, and this is yet another very significant change. Hebrews 7, verse 11, says, Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law, what further need was there that another priest should arise according to the order of Melchizedek. After you go to Genesis 14, you'll see that Melchizedek was the king of righteousness, the king of Salem. He was a Christ-like figure, may very well have been to the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ before he came to earth to walk as Jesus, and Abraham acknowledged him as king. Abraham gave him tithes of very significant character in biblical history, so that another priest should arise according to the order of Melchizedek and not be called according to the order of Aaron. For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change in the law. So he's saying very boldly that there's been a change in priesthood. The Levitical priesthood is not effective anymore. It didn't work. It's being abolished. It's ending.

And that is requiring a change in a lot of the laws that were regarding rituals and things that you were to do in the temple. And there's a new covenant that's taking place here. Verse 13, For he of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, of which no man has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning the priesthood. So Jesus Christ wasn't even a Levite. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come not according to the law of fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.

So he's saying in the Levitical priesthood, you would have priests, they would die. The high priest would live for a while, he would die. But Jesus Christ, bringing in a new priesthood under the order of Melchizedek, he lives forever. He's a high priest forever. Verse 17, For he testifies, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. So here Paul speaks of the new ministry that made the Levitical priesthood obsolete. The priesthood was changed from that of the Levitical order to that of the order of Melchizedek. Now, what does that mean? Well, it means a lot. Actually, it means everything. We'll go to Acts chapter 6 and see very early on in the history of the church how dramatic this change is. Very early on in the history of the church in Acts chapter 6, if you'll turn there with me, Acts chapter 6 and verse 1.

A little event occurs into the church. It could have been a problem.

Some people, because of their race, they were Gentiles, or because they were Jews of Gentile ethnicity, they felt neglected. Things weren't being taken care of, and that could have split the church in two. Now, in those days when the number of disciples were multiplying, there rose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists. Hellenists were people who had a Greek education, who spoke Greek, and had a Greek view of the world, and they had been converted, but they didn't have a Jewish view of the world, and they were feeling isolated. They were feeling prejudiced against. Because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution, we can only assume this meant food and some other things, they felt their widows were getting the short end of the stick. Then the 12 summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, it is not desirable that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables. They were saying, look, we are the ones Jesus Christ appointed to be missionaries. We've got to go out and do our job. We can't be tied in here serving tables and taking care of the physical duties of food and other things. Verse 3, therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of... doesn't say seven men who are related to somebody. Seven men of Levitical descent. No, doesn't say that. Seven men who know someone who knows you. No, doesn't say that. Seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer into the ministry of the Word and the saying, please the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip Procurus, Nicanor, Tymond, Parmenis, and Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch. So, Nicholas isn't even Hebrew by lineage.

Right? He's a proselyte, meaning he was a Greek who converted to the Jewish faith. So that's quite remarkable. But he's there. He's one of them, whom, verse 6, they set before the apostles, and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. And one of the reasons in the annual survey that we send out, we ask one of the questions is, who's serving you? Because I have a responsibility to Jesus Christ, and when I pray and seek someone to be a deacon or an elder, not to do it because they grow roses, but if they're going to be ordained to do it because the congregation says, hey, these people serve me. These people serve the congregation. They love God's people. And that's one reason we do that. So it's said that they set them before the apostles, and when they prayed, they laid hands on them. Then the word of God spread, and the number of the apostles multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and the great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. Very powerful scripture. It's showing the difference in the ministries, and the change that's taking place. These seven aren't called deacons in the Bible. It's assumed they were deacons because they had the same qualifications that Paul later stipulates in 1 Timothy 3. But I want to notice this important change. They were not chosen by heredity, but by recommendation and by good works. They were people of character, people who were filled with God's Spirit, people who served. They were Hellenized Jews, except for Nicholas, who wasn't even Jewish by descent, chosen to take care of the Hellenized widows. In other words, they found people who could relate to the widows, who were like them, and they chose them to serve. They didn't force their own ethnicity on them. They said, no, we'll have people who are Hellenized to be able to take care of the Hellenized widows. They'll be comfortable with them, and that's exactly what they did. It's the same reason that most the people that Paul took with him were either Gentiles or half-Gentile, because when he went out to the Gentile work, he wanted people with him who could relate to the Gentiles, who were also of Gentile descent. So let's dig into this further. We see it's not by heritage. We see it's not by ethnicity. Let's go to 1 Timothy 3 and verse 1, and see what Paul tells Timothy are the qualifications of being a bishop or a deacon.

I might add that these qualities we should all have, whether we will someday be a deacon or an elder or have any other position in God's church. These are qualities that we should all be striving for. 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 1, this is the faithful saying, if a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. In other words, if you desire to be in the ministry of some type because you love people, because you enjoy serving, because you enjoy giving, that's wonderful. That's great. That's a good thing. 2 verse 2, a bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine. Now, it doesn't say they don't drink wine. It's not given over the original, in other words, he doesn't drink too much.

Not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, or not covetous. 1. One who rules his own house well, having children in submission with all reverence, for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the Church of God? Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride, he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are on the outside. In other words, people who work with them outside of church, what do their co-workers say? Oh, this guy, he's such a scoundrel, no one trusts him. Why would you want someone like that to have a leadership position in the Church? What do your neighbors say? The person who lives to the right of you or left of you. So he also has to have a good testimony among those in the community who work with and know that person on a different level than we see them in church, every Sabbath.

Lest he fall into reproach and to snare the devil. Likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. Meaning it should be just an absolute delight to serve. Service shouldn't be a burden. Service shouldn't be something you dread. It should be done in a pure conscience. I just love people and I love to serve and help people. Verse 10, but let these also first be tested. Then let them serve as deacons being found blameless. And I can assure you that if you're in God's church for a period of time, you will be tested in some way. Either people will offend you and that'll be a test. Or you might get problem with your employer because you need a holy day off or something. That'll be a test. How will you respond to that test? You may have a health problem and you may pray and God doesn't heal you immediately. You know what that is? That's a test. That's your being forged in the fire. So what Paul is telling Timothy is let people be in the church for a number of years. Let them grow. Let them mature. Let them experience the challenges. Let them be tested. And then you'll know what the real metal is like. So Paul explains the qualifications of the ministry that they're based on character and reputation and a desire to care for others. Remember that Paul himself is writing to Timothy, a young evangelist who himself was a half-Gentile in lineage. So common sense should tell us that if a man is given the office of a New Testament minister because of character, reputation, and good works, what can happen if he no longer shows that reputation, that character, and good works? Well, he can be removed from his office. You see, a minister, as we saw in the case of the book of Acts, they are ordained into a position. They are given that position because of certain qualities and certain characteristics. And if they get to the point where they are not exhibiting those qualities and characteristics, unlike a Levite who served until they dropped, it is possible and has occurred that ministers have their ordination removed and no longer can serve within the New Covenant ministry. So let's compare the two offices just for a minute and make sure we clearly understand the difference. Starting with the Levites. The Levites were there because of lineage and heredity. In contrast, the New Covenant ministry are there because of their reputation, because of the character that they display in difficult situations, and because of good works. They do good things. They serve God's people. They serve their communities. Number two, within the Levites, it was a lifetime position regardless of their character. They served for a lifetime until they died. The New Covenant ministry, someone is ordained with the laying out of hands into that office. And if they don't fulfill the requirements of that office, they can and probably should be removed from that office of responsibility and accountability. The Levites, they had minute details of what their responsibilities are. Chapters, books in the Bible, detail for the Levites, how sacrifices were to be done, every step along the way, all the information they needed. In great detail, the book of Leviticus, then chapters in Exodus, chapters in Deuteronomy, detail, detail, detail.

On the other hand, the New Covenant ministry is told to rely on the guidance of God's Holy Spirit for wisdom and for decision-making. You know all the instruction that New Testament, New Covenant ministers are given in the New Testament? Very few. I mean, there's instructions for all of us, but you'll find mere sentences where it says, and to you ministers, you should do this and this and this and this. So, incredible detail for the Levites for the New Covenant ministry. You have God's Spirit. Pray about it. Think about it. Figure it out. A big contrast before the two.

So, can we compare the Levitical priesthood with the New Testament ministry? Well, frankly, that's like comparing apples with oranges, and it should never be done. I often have heard in the past ministers drawing parallels between the ministry and the Levites, usually, and try to demonstrate some sort of unquestionable authority by drawing a parallel between themselves and the Levites, and that should not ever be done.

The difference between the priesthood of the Levites and the New Testament ministry is the difference between day and night, and there should be no comparison. Ministers should not draw parallels between the two. Okay, now let's go to Ephesians 4 and verse 11. If you turn there with me. Ephesians 4 and verse 11. Another Scripture many people use, and they've created a myth out of what this Scripture actually says. Many people turn to this and they say, well, here is God's approved hierarchy, because they're in the kingship.

Right? They like to liken themselves to Levites or kings because they're trying to lord it over everyone. They are trying to control people. So they look for a hierarchy in everything because it's all about authority. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 11. And he himself, speaking of Jesus Christ, gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

So what Paul is saying here is Jesus Christ gave specific roles within the Church of God to equip the saints so they can be better disciples, so they can be more faithful, more godly, so they can develop the mind of Christ. He also gave them the edify. That means to build, to build the church. He also gave them to come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man. So a minister's job in any of those offices that were described there is to grow and build people. Build the church, build people.

Jesus Christ himself was a builder. He was a carpenter. We've been called to be builders. Builders of each other. Builders of our own lives, builders of ourselves. To a perfect man to measure the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness and deceitful plotting.

But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things to him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body joined and knit together by whatever he joins supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. So, again, the ministry serves to build the church, grow the church in love. A couple of important points need to be emphasized when we read this scripture. First of all, rather than looking at these offices as some hierarchy, the apostles are greatest. Then are prophets. You know anybody who's seen a prophet lately? I haven't. Then evangelists, then pastors, then teachers, and looking at it as some type of hierarchical layered position.

It's much more biblical to look at these as individual roles and gifts that God has given to the church through different elders. For example, some elders have the ability to manage very well, but they can't speak well. Some have the ability to motivate others, but they couldn't organize a lemonade stand. It's just not their gift. Some are gifted to teach, and they're very good teachers, but they can't motivate and inspire. Some have the gift of nurturing, and they're just outstanding with counseling, but they give very poor sermons.

You see, different gifts are granted to different ministers. So this isn't a scripture to reinforce who's in charge, who's number one, where are ministers in a pecking order. It's a scripture that wants to reinforce the fact that different gifts are given to different people to serve the needs of the church.

That's what this scripture is about. The second point is that the New Testament ministry is given to provide leadership and stability and guidance to the church. A minister's role is not to control you, it is to console you. Not to control you, it's to console you. A minister is to provide spiritual counsel and loving correction when it's needed. The New Testament ministry is not interested in controlling your life. It's not interested in telling you everything that you need to do. It's not interested in providing you a log in which you need to fill out every day how long you prayed and how long you studied and turn it into the next tablet so we can look at it.

That's not what the ministry is about. We are to be helpers in your joy.

We are to be your servant. We are to console you, to comfort you, to encourage you, to offer you advice through the years of experience. Most ministers have been around for a while, have just about seen it all, have just about seen every kind of circumstance and human problem and human dysfunction that exists sometimes 10 times over. But we're here to serve you and to care for you.

And during those times, this is something I say to each baptism class as we get near the end, there may come a time when I feel compelled because of the responsibility that I have laid on me that I need to be harsh and corrective with the congregation. I don't do that because I get any particular glee out of it. I do it because I feel it's something that needs to be said. And if I come to you personally and say, hey, can we talk for a few minutes? Can we have a little time? I need to talk to you about something. And I say something corrective to you. If I say something that's strong to you, it's not easy for me to do. I wouldn't do that because I get some particular pleasure in doing that. I do it because I'm concerned with your soul. I'm concerned that you're going off track in some area of your life. And I'm trying to advise you. You're going to make the decision.

You're a free moral agent. You're ultimately going to make whatever difficult and easy decisions you have to make in your own life. And occasionally the ministry will try to provide for you some guidance when we see you going in the direction that you shouldn't be going in. We are all responsible for our own salvation. I'm responsible for mine. And at the end of the day, I have to make the decisions regarding myself. You're responsible for your own salvation. And after you get the advice and counsel and whatever, you ultimately have to make the decision for yourself. We should never look to a man for salvation. We should never look to a person of any type and idolize them. We should only look to Jesus Christ. Here's an important point that Jesus made in Matthew 7 and verse 15. Matthew 7 and verse 15.

Jesus said, Beware of false prophets, those who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. They want your money, or they want to control you, or they want you to idolize them and put them up on a pedestal. They want you to make more of them than they really are. But Jesus says you will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

If someone is tradition of being cruel and harsh and uncaring, those are their fruits. That should tell us something. A good tree, continuing, cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father. And, brethren, we need to discern and make that decision. Some minister ever comes to you and says, well, me and my cronies, we're going to start our own church. And the result of that is we're going to break up lots of families who have worshipped together for decades. Those ministers are frauds. Jesus Christ will say to them, what did you say your name was again? Who do you think you are? You're a fraud! You broke up families so that you and your cronies could start your own church. Or, another situation I experienced in my lifetime, you and your cronies wanted to introduce a new covenant. You destroyed thousands of lives. You drove people into being agnostics. You tore apart families that had worshiped for decades. He will say to them, there's a special reward for you. He'll say, I don't know you.

I don't know who you are. You certainly didn't serve my people. You only served yourself.

So, when referring to good fruits, Christ isn't talking about how many television stations a minister is on, or how many magazines with his picture in it were mailed last week. When he speaks of good fruits, he's talking about an individual's personal character and the attitude that reflects having the mind of Jesus Christ. Good fruits do not include people who are power-hungry, status-oriented, control freaks, or feel a need to be in charge of everything.

If anything, if you see these traits exhibited in a minister, they should be a red-letter warning sign to you that something is drastically wrong. And I'll tell you why that occurs.

Leadership studies show that there's something wired within human nature that people have a tendency to want to idolize another human being. Look at our politicians. Look at the rally. And I'll give you everything! Just look at what we've done to celebrities today. Every time a celebrity dies now, they changed the music world forever. They changed fashion. They couldn't all have changed the music world forever. They couldn't all have changed fashion forever. Every time a celebrity dies, we have an all-day worship event on their life. It's crazy.

And the reason you see stadiums packed with people, watching politicians promise them everything they can't deliver, and stadiums filled with people watching a televangelist telling them how much God loves them, it's because that something is wired within the human psyche to want to vicariously live through that individual and just follow them. And we have to be very careful of that. There is someone that we should follow with all of our heart and mind, and that is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, our Savior.

That's the only person that we should ever follow.

Let's go to John chapter 21 and verse 14.

This should be the creed of every minister, every deacon, every elder, anyone who serves in the Church of God.

It's the mission that Jesus gave to Peter and by extension gives to his New Covenant ministry.

John chapter 21 and verse 14. This is now the third time Jesus showed himself to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, Son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? Do you really love me more than anyone else?

And he said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And he said to him, feed my lamps.

In other words, care for them. Nurture them. Love them. Protect them. Sometimes, when necessary, provide a little bit of discipline to get them back in the path with the other lambs.

He doesn't say control them. He doesn't say manipulate them. He doesn't say lie to them. He doesn't say use them for your own benefit. He says, feed my lamps. Then he said to him a second time, Simon, Son of Jonah, do you love me? By this time, Peter's wondering what's going on. He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And he said to him, tend my sheep. Be tender to my sheep.

Care for my sheep. Be a good shepherd. Be concerned about them. Pray for them. Help them. Encourage them.

Then he said to him a third time, by now, Peter is losing a little bit of patience, because Jesus has already asked this twice. Simon, Son of Jonah, do you love me? Do you really, really love me? And Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, Peter saying, you know my heart. You're the Christ. You can view right inside my heart and know what my thoughts are, what my attitude is. Why are you asking me? You know that I love you.

He said to him a third time, Simon, Son of Jonah, do you love me? And Peter was grieved because he said to him a third time, do you love me? And he said to him, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, feed my sheep. So that's the commission that anyone serving in the church has, because they're not my flock. They're not any minister's flock. I don't have the right to take you and move you somewhere else. You belong to Jesus Christ. You are his flock. He is the Master Shepherd. An elder is simply a tool, simply a servant used for a period of time to edify you and help you to grow. So in conclusion, brethren, the ministry wants to share in your joy. We want to encourage you and be your partners in the faith. We want to point you to the way to go to have a deeper relationship with God. We are imperfect. Each and every minister in God's church is imperfect. And at the same time, we also have a great responsibility on our shoulders. We not only have to deal with our own stresses and problems, we also grieve for others. Every one of you who's sick, we think about you. We grieve for you. Every one of you comes and says, hey, Mr. Thomas, I've got this issue going on. This is really a problem. Any of you share that with me? I share that grief with you. It's a burden to me, too. So again, if I have to say something to you to correct you, to point you in the right direction, hopefully I'll do it in a loving and patient way. But take it and understand that I say those things, not because I enjoy saying it, not because I get any particular pleasure out of saying it, but because I love you and I want you to be in God's kingdom. And I want you to be successful in this way of life and this journey that you started out on the day that you were baptized.

So the ministry is here not to control. The ministry is here not to be served, but to serve you.

We are here to console you. We are here to correct you. We are here to teach you. We are here to advise you. We are here to lead you in one direction and one direction only. And that direction is the kingdom of God and its King, Jesus Christ. Have a great Sabbath.