The End Time Church: From the Cathedrals to the Catacombs

By Dan L. White

Copyright ©2018 by Dan L. White, all rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB) which is in the public domain.

Chapter 42

No Pyramid

Cameroon in central Africa is not a large nation but is still very divided. Its main religions are Muslim, spiritism, and Christian. The Christians are further divided between Roman Catholics and Protestants. A Muslim leader in Cameroon had a unique religious requirement. Any woman who entered his palace – religious leaders often live like kings – had to do so with her breasts uncovered. Whether she was coming to him for religious reasons or just to deliver food and supplies, she had to be bare breasted.

When he counseled with those women, what did they talk about?

Undoubtedly, the Muslim imam has what he considers a good spiritual reason for this fleshly requirement. He can personally set his requirements because that religion rules with a pyramid of power, a chain of religious rulers who control the people.

Most religions rule like Rome, including the religion based in Rome. In fact they are a near copy of the Roman government, with an overall emperor, then a pyramid of lower rulers down to the local parish ruler. They have different names for their rulers than Rome had, like cardinals, and monsignors and priests, but the overall pattern is the same.

Christ’s flock is not ruled like Rome. No one man can require women to expose themselves and no one man can set right and wrong. There are no religious kings in God’s church, no popes, archbishops or chief apostles, because Christ is the King.

Instead of exalted positions with ostentatious titles and distinctive garments, Christ’s flock only has service positions. The original descriptors of those positions -– before the terms were religiously inflated — showed their humble status.

For instance, deacon from the Greek diakonos, simply meant servant. When Yeshua turned the water into wine at a wedding, “His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it,” John 2:5. The word servants there is diakonos, which in some places is ecclesiastically translated as deacon instead of servant.

In the earliest days of the flock, when they were all still together, seven men were chosen as table waiters.

WEB Acts 6:1-6

1) Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, a complaint arose from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily service.

2) The twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not appropriate for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables.

3) Therefore select from among you, brothers, seven men of good report, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

4) But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.”

5) These words pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch;

6) whom they set before the apostles. When they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

The word serve is translated from diakoneo, and those seven ‘deacons’ made sure the widows got their daily food. Those were jobs, though, and not ranks because Stephen and Philip also found time to do the job of evangelists. Again, evangelist was not a rank but a function. Church denominations later made both jobs of deacons and evangelists into ranks in a pyramid, and a deacon dare not do the job of an evangelist.

The word minister, as used in this verse in the King James, “And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister,” Acts 13:5, meant attendant or helper. The Greek word for that is huperetes, an assistant. Huperetes is derived from a word meaning “to row,” and literally means “an underoarsman.” So that makes the word ‘minister’ pretty humble — a boat rower, and a second class boat rower at that. With the inflation of the religious title of minister, it seems that most ministers would not be willing to go to the back of the boat.

So with time and religious refurbishing, positions of humility and service get reinterpreted into positions of exaltation and being served.

Notice these listings of functions in Christ’s flock, from the World English Bible.

1Cor 12

28) God has set some in the assembly: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and various kinds of languages.

Eph 4:11

11) He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;

Apostle is one who was sent forth.

Luke 6:13

13) When it was day, he called his disciples, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles:

That seems like an exalted position, to be one of the original twelve apostles, along with a few others afterward like Paul. They were not just televangelists who happened to call themselves apostles. They had the signs of an apostle, as Paul said and did.

2Cor 12:12

12) Truly the signs of an apostle were worked among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty works.

We can deduce then that all apostles had the signs of an apostle, wonders and mighty works. We can further deduce that anyone who does not have those signs of an apostle is not an apostle. Miracle workers also had to have that little qualification — to have some supernatural event happen through them.

Many famous preachers today receive gluttonous salaries, and justify those by saying the pay is comparable to worldly corporations. The original Christians, though, sometimes had to pay just to preach.

Acts 18:2-4

2) He [Paul] found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them,

3) and because he practiced the same trade, he lived with them and worked, for by trade they were tent makers.

4) He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks.

Paul had to pay his own way while he preached the way of giving to the Corinthians.

The job perks of being an apostle were these.

2Cor 11:24-28

24) Five times from the Jews I received forty stripes minus one.

25) Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep.

26) I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brothers;

27) in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness.

28) Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily, anxiety for all the assemblies.

Those were the job perks of being an apostle. The ultimate job perk was giving the ultimate sacrifice. Practically all the apostles were martyred. So when being an apostle would probably cost you your life, although it was kind of an exalted position, that did add a touch of humility to the job.

A prophet or prophetess was not just someone who declared himself or herself to be so. That person received communication directly from God.

Num 12:6

6) He said, “Hear now my words. If there is a prophet among you, I Yahweh will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream.

What the prophet or prophetess said had to come true, or he or she was a lying prophet and was to be ignored. Agabus’ prophecy came true because he was a prophet.

Acts 11:27-28

27) Now in these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28) One of them named Agabus stood up, and indicated by the Spirit that there should be a great famine all over the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius.

Agabus said it would happen and it did. The function of prophet or prophetess is certainly distinctive because it’s so rare, but it carried a high responsibility, which might cost the prophet his life if he or she was presumptuous. That again is a humbling feature.

1Kgs 13

11) Now there lived an old prophet in Bethel; and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.

12) Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen which way the man of God went, who came from Judah.

13) He said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it.

14) He went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. He said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” He said, “I am.”

15) Then he said to him, “Come home with me, and eat bread.”

16) He said, “I may not return with you, nor go in with you; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place.

17) For it was said to me by the word of Yahweh, ‘You shall eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that you came.’”

18) He said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are; and an angel spoke to me by the word of Yahweh, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” He lied to him.

19) So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.

20) It happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of Yahweh came to the prophet who brought him back;

21) and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you have been disobedient to the mouth of Yahweh, and have not kept the commandment which Yahweh your God commanded you,

22) but came back, and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread, and drink no water;” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’”

23) It happened, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back.

24) When he had gone, a lion met him by the way, and killed him. His body was cast in the way, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the body.

A prophet had a special position, but arrogance put that particular prophet in a prone position.

Evangelist is from evaggelistes. Evaggelion which means good news, so evaggelistes is a bringer of good news – kind of a messenger boy. The apostles were also evaggelistes or evangelists who spread the good word. Again, these were jobs to do, not ranks in a pyramid. Apostles were also evangelists. Deacons were also evangelists.

Delivering the truth about the Messiah naturally brought persecution on the messenger. It always does, which is why so many present day “evangelists” water it down until it’s not the Messiah’s good news at all. If there is no persecution, then there is no real evaggelion.

Elder is from the Greek presbuteros, either an adjective meaning old, or a noun meaning an old man. This term was often used of Jews.

Luke 22:66-67

66) As soon as it was day, the assembly of the elders of the people was gathered together, both chief priests and scribes, and they led him away into their council, saying,

67) “If you are the Christ, tell us…

And it was used of Christians, which was natural since it just meant an old man.

Acts 14:23

23) When they had appointed elders for them in every assembly, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed.

These older men were overseers of local groups. Peter was an apostle but he also described himself as an elder. This position was respected, but presumably old men who were ordained as overseers had gained enough wisdom with their age not to be exalted by their position. Again, throughout most of their history true Christians suffered persecution, even old men. Polycarp was in his eighties when he was martyred by Rome. Such an eventuality always has a humbling effect.

Teachers had the most basic function, but that was not an exalted title like rabbi. And shepherd was what elders did, to help guide and protect the flock.

All those were positions of serving. None were positions of being served. All required giving and sacrifice on the part of the server. Christ had personally taught them to be servants.

WEB Matt 20:25-28

25) But Yeshua summoned them, and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

26) It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.

27) Whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant,

28) even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The jobs of Ephesians 4:11 cited earlier were for service. King James, though, insisted on keeping ecclesiastical power language.

KJV Eph 4:11-12

11) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12) For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

“…for the work of the ministry” sounds churchy. The word translated ministry there is diakonia, related to diakonos discussed earlier, meaning service. World English Bible translates it that way.

Eph 4:11-12

11) He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;

12) for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ;

“…to the work of serving” doesn’t sound so churchy, does it?

Even apostles saw themselves as servants, not only of Christ but of Christ’s people.

As Paul wrote —

WEB 1Cor 3:5

5) Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed; and each as the Lord gave to him?

WEB 2Cor 4:5

5) For we don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake;

And Peter.

WEB 1Pet 5:2-3

2) Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly;

3) neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.

So Christ’s flock had apostles, evangelists, prophets, prophetesses, teachers, shepherds, old men, table waiters and servers. That was not a pyramid. Those were positions of service, different jobs that needed to be done. Apostles were sent forth on the biggest missions. Evangelists spread the word. Prophets received communication directly from God. Teachers, shepherds, old men, table waiters and servers worked directly with the flock, teaching, guiding and helping physically.

There was no instance where one man ruled the flock or any part of the flock like an emperor. All served as servants. Government was from the top down and all around, and that government was Yeshua Himself. Under Him there was no human pyramid, no ladder of power for ambitious self-seekers to climb. All positions were positions of service, without exalting titles or ornamentation or regalia. Some worked without enough reimbursement even for daily living. Many gave their lives in their work. There was no suffocating blanket of human administration. There were no soldiers patrolling to enforce obedience. All Christianos had free choice to control their actions. Everyone in the flock had direct access to the King and everyone was directly responsible to the King, as Ananias and Sapphira were. All servers went directly to God to direct their lives. The deacons or table waiters Stephen and Philip did not have to go to the pope for permission to evangelize. They went directly to Yeshua and He said yes.

Again – there was no pyramid. There was no pope over the whole church, no archbishops under the pope over part of the church, no regional directors under the archbishops, and so on and so forth. Nobody stood between anybody and Christ the King. Nobody kissed anybody’s ring. There was and is only one Lord and Master.

2Cor 1:24

24) Not that we have lordship over your faith, but are fellow workers with you for your joy. For you stand firm in faith.

And hard as it is to believe, following that principle that there was no pyramid of power and no emperors, there weren’t even any pastors ruling over the local churches.