Hirelings or shepherds, which?

While I was at Mizpah preparing for Pentecost, on AW blog, I was being reviled by Dennis and Kscribe, in particular, for explaining what the bible teaches about pretended ministers, who are actually hirelings.

Well, I didn't invent the term hireling, it was Jesus. Note what he says: "But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees: and the wolf catches them, and scatters the sheep"(John 10:12). Where are the sheep today, if not scattered, and have become prey for discredited men who have started their own churches? And why have the sheep been scattered? The answer should be obvious to anyone who has not been struck by supernatural blindness. It is because those who were once called ministers were actually hirelings. Again, note what Jesus, not Tom Mahon, says: "the hireling flees, because he is a hireling, and cares not for the sheep"(John 10:13). By definition, the hireling works for money. So when things get difficult in one job, the hireling runs away and finds a new employer. On the other hand, the shepherd sees his calling as a vocation, and is willing to work for nothing on earth because the glory of the Lord is his reward.

Now let us contrast the behaviour of a hireling with that of a shepherd thus: "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep"(John 10:11). The hireling runs away, but the shepherd is willing to die for the sheep. That is what Jesus teaches, and I agree with him. And note what John was also inspired to write: "Hereby we perceive the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we OUGHT to lay down our lives for the brethren"(1 John 3:16). The term ought denotes the duty that love demands from those who claim to possess the nature and character of Christ, who is the good shepherd.

In addition, Paul's admonition to the ministry was this: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit have made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood"(Acts 20:28). But instead of WCG ministry feeding the church, they fed themselves and took a financial package from Mr. Tkach to betray the flock. How despicable can people be? But I shudder to think of the consequences of their treachery!

To be continued as I am very busy...

Psychological babble.

A former hireling by the name of Dennis Diehl, who by stealth climbed up some other way instead of coming through the door, which is Christ, was mistakenly ordained a minister in WCG. Sadly, he never understood or possessed the character of a true minister. In Paul's second Pastoral Epistle to the Corinthians, he reminded the ministry that God is the one who enables them to be ministers thus: "our sufficiency is of God; who also has made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit"(2 Cor. 3:5-6). The word "able" means that they have the knowledge and character to hold such an exalted office, and are capable of teaching the things of the spirit, as their "sufficiency is of God."

Paul then proceeded to outlined four fundamental character traits to be found in true ministers of Christ thus: "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but (1) have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, (2) not walking in craftiness, (3) nor handling the word of God deceitfully, (4) but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God"(2 Cor. 4:1-2).

Well, did Dennis or any of the other hirelings that were "ministers" in WCG, ever "renounced the hidden things of dishonesty?" They spent a lot of time denouncing dishonesty in other people, but as for "renouncing" it in themselves, NEVER! If the widespread merchandising of the deluded people in cog-land is anything to go by, then, dishonesty is the order of the day.

What about "not walking in craftiness?" Anyone who was around the ministry in WCG or in cog-land today could write a book on the "craftiness" of most ministers, including their deceitful misrepresentation of the word of God and their lying to the brethren, either by commission or omission. Their motto was and is, "We reveal things on a need to know basis, and we decide who needs to know." What deceitfulness!

Dennis is now an expert in psychological babble. So his analysis of my exposure of Gavin's 17 pages of drivel, on what Gavin thinks is an intellectual exposition of the authorship of the Pastoral Epistles, is described as "pain body." I suppose when one falls from grace any nonsense appears attractive and alluring.

To be continued

The Pastoral Epistles?

One of the leading scoffers at AW blog has published 17 pages of incoherent nonsense, claiming it is an extract from a 3000 word essay on the Pastoral Epistles of first and second Timothy and Titus. He referenced a long list of so-called scholars, who disagree or are unsure of the date the epistles were written, the author of them or whether the prose is that of the Apostle Paul, or some other unknown author. He no doubt cites these erudite scholars because he presumes or thinks that they are qualified to comment on the veracity of the scriptures. Then again, their names may have been on a university designated reading list, where the dumb sheep are led to be sacrificed on the altar of ignorance.

Well, AW's leading scoffer will be surprised to learn that all the epistles in the NT are pastoral epistles, as they were all written and sent to ministers of the various church congregations, then extant in Greece and Asia. And that the singling out of Timothy and Titus as pastoral epistles, was done by grubby scholars, who were and are hostile to the revelation given to Paul, as it undermines their conception of Christianity as an attack on Judaism.

The internal Evidence

A careful and impartial reading of of the epistles to Timothy and Titus will show that they could not have been written by any other person but Paul. In the opening salutation to first Timothy, the writer addressed him as, "my own son in the faith." This is because Timothy was taught and ordained by Paul. And just before Paul's death, Timothy was appointed as Paul's successor(11 Tim. 4:1-3).

Paul first met Timothy at Lystra, during his second missionary journey. He choose Timothy to travel with him in preaching the gospel(Acts16:1-3).

to be continued...