There is an old and cheesy joke that goes something like this: “How do you know there was a car in the Bible?” Answer: “Because, the disciples were ‘all in one accord'”… HA HA HA!
The KJV uses the phrase “in one accord” in Acts 2:1 on the day of Pentecost to describe how the disciples were together and unified on that day, but soon after, Acts 10:44 to be exact, it’s more than just the disciples partaking in this unity:
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.”
If the scriptures would have left it at Acts 2:1, then it would be easy enough to point out that the disciples “were” “leaders” of the church. They were “clergy” per-se, and they were an exclusive group. Which is exactly why Acts 10 confuses even the disciples. It doesn’t just confuse them, but it completely changes Peter’s perspective. By Acts 11 Peter is on the defensive explaining that God Himself has proven to Peter that the Holy Spirit is available and being poured out on EVERYONE, not just “leaders” and not just Jews.
If you’ve been around Rev2 for long you’ll know we are determined to bring attention to Jesus’ words as the priority, words like:
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must 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
If that’s not enough, there’s: “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant.” – Matthew 23:8-11
The very point of the creation of this site, despite the topics not always being clearly to this point, is that Luther’s Reformation was insufficient. In fact Luther’s Reformation only succeeded because of how much he was willing to compromise with the Roman Catholic tyranny of the time. Much of the Protestant structure came from the exact structure that Luther set out to protest against. In fact, many Lutheran churches still refer to their leaders as “Priests” as though we are not all Priests, and some never even gave up calling those Priests “Father” in direct defiance of Christ Himself.
In his superb book “The Pilgrim Church” (1931) E.H. Broadbent tackles this topic on page 167 under the heading: “Forming the Lutheran Church.” I recommend reading the whole book, as it describes what we refer to as “The Remnant” and even faults Luther for some of the persecution that fell upon us, since his reformation only acted to further dilute the Apostolic Church of Jesus into a state church institution of authoritarianism.
Broadbent writes: “Luther emphasized the teachings of the Apostle Paul more, those of the Gospels less, than the old churches of believers; he pressed the doctrine of justification by faith, without a sufficiency of the balancing truth of the following of Christ which was so prominent in their preaching. His teaching as to the absence of any freedom of will or choice in man, and of salvation as being solely by the grace of God, went so far as to lead to the neglect of right conduct as a part of the Gospel…
…Luther did not go on to accept the New Testament teaching as to the churches, separate from the world… he adopted the Roman Catholic system of parishes, with their clerical administration of a world considered as Christianized. Having a number of rulers on his side, he maintained the principle of the union of Church and State, and accepted the sword of the State as the proper means of converting or punishing those who dissented from the new ecclesiastical authority.”
Luther was corrupted, and as such his reformation was corrupted with contextualization of both the Roman Catholicism and the politics of his day. It’s really no wonder his reformation was so popular. If the evil one must allow “the laity” to receive the scriptures, it was critical that the “lordship of men” that Jesus warned against above, have a head start.
Today’s churches consist of “two accords” one being the clergy, and the other being the laity. This structure ensures that everyone being in “one accord” is very rare. Even the smallest churches, even a tiny bible study is not immune to this. A tiny bit of yeast works through the whole dough:
“Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” – Matthew 16:6
It is difficult, even without human hierarchies, to avoid this authoritarianism. There are large groups of people that hunger for someone else to be responsible for them, and large groups of people willing to feign acceptance of said responsibility for the power that comes with it. When Jesus said above that the greatest will be a servant, we believe He meant that. Power, control, prestige, and authority cannot be a part of any Remnant fellowship. The appearance of such needs to be rejected, no matter who demonstrates it. The Remnant is not of the world, it is only in the world. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Remnant Christians don’t make mistakes. I’m saying that Remnant fellowship must scorn human authoritarianism within its fellowship the same way as an authoritarian fellowship would scorn its list of carnal improprieties. We are a body, we all have talents and abilities, but we’re also “all brothers.”
So as you seek and find true Remnant Fellowship, or as you navigate the skewed images of it among the authoritarian denominations, encourage the functioning of the body under the headship of Christ. When Jesus warned: “For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” – Matthew 24:5 are you sure he wasn’t talking about every authority that establishes itself above the flock in defiance of Matthew 23 above? I’m not so sure.
When was the last time you experienced the power of the Holy Spirit among believers in “one accord?” True unity, each doing what God made them for, no more, no less? Can one speak and another listen? Of course! Yet if one serves as “the mouth” of the body, they shouldn’t confuse that with being “the head.” In fact, any that serve as the mouth too often should always be looking for another to replace them, or at least to cooperate and share the duties. As it stands, far too often, these people are deluded into believing that no others have their “gift.” Even the best orator, guitarist, or counselor should be looking to others to fill the role too. If any can be called “greatest” they simply must be servants to everyone else, and NOT in the semantically deceptive way that a “leader” supposedly “serves” those he lords over. Instead, in a way that grows the body of Christ. In a way that ensures he will never function outside of God’s will for them. In a way that shows utter humility to the point of self-deprecation.
Self-deprecation, what a wonderful thing. Another word for it is discipleship. Jesus Himself said it best when He said:
“it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” – John 16:7
The above statement is self-deprecating, in that Jesus was helping His disciples understand how they would continue after He left. If the servants of worldly power and authority, if those who accepted satan’s offer of “kingdoms and power”, were to always be looking for a way to surrender it to another, could they be deceived for long? What pastor on a power trip is going to surrender his podium, regularly, and willingly?
Dear Remnant, please carry the talents you are given with a loose grip. Especially if there is even a hint of corruptibility involved. When God brings you to a church or a pastor that seems to know the good he ought to do, but is afraid, bear with them very gently. If you are not gentle don’t be surprised when they become defensive. Wherever we are we must teach Christ alone. Christ who didn’t even defend His own life being handed over to suffering. While you may not win the pastor, or any elder, God may have you there for someone else. This is how the Remnant has functioned since Jesus. The narrow road has few on it. Few, and far between. So seek them out, but don’t be picky about where you expect to find them. Those with servant hearts, those who are “greatest” are not usually the ones that everyone stands in line to take selfies with.