Bible Blueprint for the Organization of the Church

Bible Blueprint Decalogue Curriculum

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PART 1: Bible Blueprint for the Organization of the local church

PART 2: Bible blueprint of preacher’s wages

PART 3: Islam is God’s way of punishing Christians for false doctrine, Mariolatry, and idol worship

 

PART 1: Organization of the church and Seven Historic Stages of Corruption

 

Introduction:

1.      Apostolic organization of the Local church:

a.       The Apostolic period where each local assembly is independent and self governing.

b.      A plurality of qualified, equal, autonomous overseers rule the deacons, teachers, members, and evangelists within their local church, but their authority does not extend outside their own local church assembly.

 

2.      Four Organizational Possibilities for Local Churches

a.       Scripturally organized: a church which has a qualified eldership.

b.      Scripturally unorganized: a church without elders because no one qualified: Acts 14:1-3,6,8,21-23.

c.       Unscripturally organized: Pastor system (one man over church), Unqualified men (Position worse than having no elders at all), any organization larger than local church (world headquarters etc.)

d.      Unscripturally unorganized: church has qualified men who are not elders.

 

3.      Seven stages of apostacy of the organization of the local church

a.       Despite apostolic tradition and scripture, the leaders began corrupting the organization of the church for their own benefit around AD 150.

b.      Between AD 150 —1054, of the simple Bible blueprint of the organization was twisted into a hideous, repulsive, and new form where leaders were kings and fatcats, and the people in the pews were irrelevant second-class Christians who blindly obeyed.

 

I. Bible Blueprint of the Apostolic New Testament church

 

II. Bible Blueprint of the Local church

 

 

III. Bible Blueprint of Elders, Shepherds, and Overseers

1.         Bible Qualifications for Overseer/Elder/Shepherd: 1 Tim 3:1-7 & Tit 1:5-9.

a.         Elders must be veteran Christians who are older, spiritually minded, married men with believing children. A young single man is not qualified to be an elder or pastor.

b.        Women are never permitted to be pastors or preach before a mixed audience with men, in a Sunday church service: 1 Tim 2:9–15. Instead, women are commanded to teach other women (Titus 2:3–5) one to tone or in separate classes with women only.

2.         Leaders (preachers, elders) are to be paid: Luke 10:7; 1 Tim 5:17-18; 1 Cor 9:14; 1 Cor 9:6-14; Phil 4:14-19

3.         Leaders must be obeyed by the other members: Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thess 5:12; 1 Cor 16:15-16

4.         Leaders must consider themselves “underrowers” (servants) to the church, not fat cats: 1 Cor 4:1

5.         Overseer/Elder/Shepherd have equal authority limited to one congregation: Acts 20:28; 1 Pet 5:1-3; 1 Pet 5:1

6.         Plurality of Elders: Tit 1:5; Acts 14:23; Jas 5:14; 1 Pe 5:1-3; 1 Ti 4:14; 1 Ti 5:17, Jerusalem: Acts 15:2,4; 15:6; 15:22: 15:23; 16:4; 21:18, Ephesus: Acts 20:17,28; Judea: Acts 11:29,30

7.         Local churches appoint and ordain their own leaders from within:

a.         The Bible is the only law for a local church, not creeds.

b.        A local church is autonomous, not controlled by a Bible college.

c.         A local church appoints their own elders, not a Bible college.

d.        A local church chooses their own evangelist, not a Bible college.

e.        Elders oversee churches and scholars oversee colleges, both are good, but let the church be the church and let colleges be colleges.

8.         True horror stories of unqualified elders:

1.            True Story: The case of the unqualified elder: During classes in Africa with 100 men, all elders were asked to stand. Then, elders over the age of 45 were asked to sit down. Then, elders with baptized children were asked to sit down. Then, married elders were asked to sit down. Six young, single elders remained standing. These men were unqualified to serve as elders and must resign. All qualifications must be met, meaning an elder must be an older married man with believing children or resign. They can continue to preach every Sunday.

2.            True Story: The case of the church with only one elder: During classes, men who served as the sole elder of their church were asked to stand. Four men stood up. These men served as one-man elderships in their church like the denominational pastor system. These men must resign until at least two qualified elders are appointed. They can continue to preach every Sunday.

What to do: Publicly identify how your local church eldership violates the Bible blueprint and resign. Teach your local church the qualifications of an elder and have the members put forth candidates for consideration, then after discussion, appoint at least two qualified men to serve as elders with majority consent. The congregation then submits to these men as leaders.

 

Five terms describing the office of an elder

Term                

Greek word

Definition:

Emphasis

Elder or presbyter

Presbureros

An older man a senior

Experience

Overseer or bishop

Episcopos

A guardian or superintendent

Oversight

Shepherd or pastor

Poimen

Metaphoric term (tending flocks)

Protection

Steward

Oikonomo

Metaphoric term (treasurer)

Trustworthy

Eldership

Presbuterion

Group of older men/elders

Plurality & equality

 

All terms refer to same single office

 

Elder/Presbyter

(Presbureros)

Overseer/bishop

(Episcopos)

Shepherd/pastor

(Poimen)

Steward

(Oikonomo)

Acts 20:17,28

Tit 1:5,7

1 Pe 5:1,2

 

IV. Church leaders are “underrowers” not fatcats!

"Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants (Gr: huperetes — underrower) of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." (1 Corinthians 4:1)

"Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”" (Romans 15:2–3)

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9)

 

 

V. The Oldest known church building on earth AD 230:

1.      It featured triclinium perimeter seating

2.      It had no nave, chancel screens, or bema, typical of Byzantine churches where leaders were exalted.

3.      It validates the deity of Christ with an inscription that reads, “God Jesus Christ”.

 

 

PART 2: Five Stages of Apostacy of the Organization of the Church

 

Apostacy Stage 1: Church leaders corrupted the Bible Blueprint of the New Testament church:

 

 

Apostacy Stage 1: Rise of the Head Overseer: AD 150

 

The Autonomous Congregational Board with Chairman: The pulpit minister/preacher/evangelist, was often appointed as a qualified overseer in his local church. His knowledge of scripture generally exceeded his fellow overseers, and he was often looked to as providing valuable insight and direction in congregational matters, but no one until AD 150 dared to claim a higher authority over his fellow overseers.

 

 

Apostacy Stage 2: Rise of the Bishop over the Elders: AD 200

 

Autonomous Congregational Bishop over Presbytery: The Episcopal Presbytery: The pulpit minister/preacher/evangelist (who is also an overseer) begins to exclusively call himself “overseer” as head of the local church over his former colleagues who are no longer called overseers, but they retain the titles of “elders/shepherds” (presbytery). The original church office is now two separate offices consisting of single overseer (Episcopate) who rules over a  body of equal men (Presbytery).

 

 

Apostacy Stage 3: Rise of the Diocesan Bishop over other local churches: AD 250

 

Diocesan Bishop/Priest over many local churches: Stage 3 is marked by 5 major changes:

1.      Total abolition of local church autonomy when diocesan bishops control many local churches.

2.      Local churches are ruled by one man, not a plurality of men, making the presbytery functionally extinct.

3.      The qualifications for an overseer in 1 Timoth 3 are ignored.

4.      The bishop begins exclusively calling himself a priest, stripping all Christians of this previously held status.

5.      The clergy/laity distinction is seen in the architecture of the earliest Byzantine church buildings with a marble chancel screen barriers and raised bema where the priest stands.

 

 

Apostacy Stage 4: Rise of the five capital city Metropolitans: AD 300

 

Metropolitans over Diocesan Bishops: Apostacy stage 4 further concentrated power by putting many diocesan bishops (who themselves ruled over many local bishops) under the control of dozens of Metropolitans living in the largest and most important Roman provincial capital cities. By AD 325 the Nicene creed gave pre-eminence to the four Metropolitan bishops of Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, and Alexandria. These further evolved into Patriarchates and with the addition of Jerusalem in AD 431, the church was divided into 5 geographic autonomous regions. Not until AD 588 would John IV the Faster, Patriarchate of Constantinople be first to seize all power and be first to claim the title of “Universal Bishop” (Pope). Local preachers were called priest but not bishops.

 

 

Apostacy Stage 5: Rise of the five Patriarchates: AD 381

 

Patriarchates over Metropolitans: Apostacy stage 5 divided the world up into 5 geographic zones. In AD 381, the council of Constantinople established 4 cities with equal and autonomous Patriarchates: Rome, Constantinople (new capital of Empire), Antioch (Apostle Paul’s home church), and Alexandria (Academic center of the world). However, Rome was seen as “first among equals” in the western Latin church, and Constantinople was seen as “first among equals” in the eastern Greek church, but second to Rome. This 5-tier organization of Universal Bishop, Patriarchates, Metropolitans, Bishops, and priests is how the Greek Orthodox church is organized from AD 381 to the present. Thus, the Orthodox church was founded in AD 381. The Council of Chalcedon in AD 451 added Jerusalem as the 5th Patriarchates. Local churches are stripped of their biblical “overseers, shepherds, and elders” and the preacher is exclusively called an unbiblical “priest” to the exclusion of members.

 

 

Apostacy Stage 6: Birth of the Greek Orthodox church organization: AD 381-present

 

Unbiblical organization of the Greek Orthodox Church: The current 5-tier organization of the Orthodox church traces its origin to the council of Constantinople in AD 381, which proclaimed Constantinople as “first” over the Patriarchates of Antioch and Alexandria, but “second” to Rome. After the church split fellowship in AD 1054 into Roman Catholic (West/Latin) and Orthodox (East/Greek), Constantinople became the functional Pope with the title of Ecumenical Patriarchate. In contrast to the extreme over/under military command style of the 3-tier Roman Catholic organization, Orthodox emphasises autonomy like King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. Local “parishes” are stripped of all autonomy and their biblical “overseers, shepherds, and elders” and replaced with an unbiblical “priest”, further stripping the common members of their Biblical status of both saints and priests.

  

10 HERESIES OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

1.      Elevates human tradition equal to scripture.

2.      Obeys human tradition when it contradicts scripture.

3.      Inclusion of uninspired books into their Bible canon.

4.      Only ordained priests can infallibly understand scripture.

5.      Unbiblical use of leavened bread for communion.

6.      Unbiblical elevation of Mary to being equal to God as the recipient of prayers.

7.      Unbiblical Infant baptism.

8.      Unbiblical triple baptism.

9.      Unbiblical redefinition of saint and priest from all Christians to leaders.

10.  Unbiblical organization of the global church.

 

Today, the organization of the Orthodox church:

1 Ecumenical Patriarchate (pope)

17 Patriarchates (country)

100’s Metropolitans (province) 1000’s Bishops (city)

100,000 Priests (local assembly)

220 million members

 

 

Unbiblical Orthodox Church Communion is Witchcraft

More Details: Orthodox Communion is Witchcraft

Orthodox Eucharist liturgy is witchcraft with over 50 sequential component stages that include spells, incantations, gestures, actions, and precise recipe ingredients mixed in a special cup to brew a magic potion that mysteriously and spontaneously changes physical form and induces a supernatural effect only when it is drank from a spoon held by a witch. If all the 50 steps of the recipe are not followed precisely the magic potion is a failure. Both Orthodox and Catholic claim their bizarre, nutty, and anti-biblical Eucharist liturgy comes from oral apostolic tradition, yet they differ sharply from each other and none of it is found in scripture, making both liturgies a doctrine of demons and vain worship. Orthodox Eucharist is vain manmade worship because it is 100% different from the Bible pattern of how Jesus and Paul partook of the Lord’s supper. Jesus said, “do communion in remembrance of me”, not in remembrance of Mary, angels, and dead saints as in Orthodox Eucharist. A memorial pinch of bread for each living and dead person for whom prayer has been requested is put on the plate, yet communion bread is not a symbol of supplication prayer for living Christians but of the body of Christ. We do not pray for the dead because they have been judged, are in the hands of God, and we do not know their needs in the spirit world. Local dead members are memorialized through communion for 40 days.

 

More Details: Orthodox Church Communion is Witchcraft

 

 

Apostacy Stage 7: Birth of the Roman Catholic church organization: AD 606-present

 

Unbiblical organization of the Roman Catholic Church: The current 3-tier organization of the Roman Catholic church traces its origin to Pope Boniface III in AD 606, who was the first Bishop of Rome who dared take on the title of Universal Bishop and dethrone Jesus Christ. The contemporary 5-tier organization was reduced to 3-tiers with Pope (also a bishop and priest), Bishops (also priests), and Priests (local parish). The trademark Biblical autonomy of the local church was long extinct. Catholic and Orthodox separated in AD 606 but did not divorce until AD 1054. The Orthodox grounds for divorce were the new Catholic practices of sprinkling instead of immersion, instrumental music, and the claim of Universal Bishop. Historically, it was the Roman Catholics who broke away from the Orthodox in AD 606 and 1054, not the other way around.

 

Historical Pope Wars between Catholic vs. Orthodox: AD 588-606

1.      AD 533: Emperor Justinian I proclaimed the bishop of Rome supreme head of all churches, but the decree was ignored by all the bishops of Rome who never took the title bestowed by the Emperor.

2.      AD 588: Constantinopolitan synod: John IV the Faster, patriarch of Constantinople, is granted the title of Universal Bishop but doesn't start using it till 595 AD.

3.      AD 590: Gregory I, the great, becomes bishop of Rome, but never called himself Universal Bishop and considered it an abomination to do so.

4.      AD 595: John IV the Faster, bishop of Constantinople, starts using the title of "universal bishop".

5.      AD 595: Gregory, bishop of Rome, condemns John with the following:

a.       Apostle Peter never claimed to be Universal Bishop. (Gregory 5.20)

b.      Neither Gregory nor any other bishop of Rome has ever called himself the Universal Bishop. (Gregory 5.43)

c.       Gregory Bishop of Rome, calls “Universal Bishop” a foolish title, an offence, a frivolous name, exceedingly harmful, precursor of Antichrist, sign of the times the antichrist is near. (Gregory 7.33)

d.      Gregory condemns John as Lucifer with Isa 14:12-15 by usurping, dethroning Christ as the only Universal Bishop. (Gregory 5.18; 5.21) AD 595: John dies the same year he claimed to be Universal Bishop.

6.      AD 604: Gregory, the bishop of Rome dies and is replaced by Sabinian, who reigns for two years but never calls himself Universal Bishop and died February AD 606.

7.      AD 606: Boniface III succeeds Sabinian, and Emperor Phocas proclaims Boniface III as Universal Bishop, transferring the title from Constantinople to Rome. Boniface III is the first bishop of Rome in history to wear the title of “Universal Bishop”. AD 607 AD: Boniface III dies on 12 November, shortly after claiming to be Universal Bishop. just like John IV. AD 610: Muhammed founds Islam which decimates 80% of the church.

8.      AD 1054: The Orthodox condemned the Catholic church for claiming that Peter or any bishop of Rome before Boniface III functioned as Universal Bishop. Today: The Roman Catholic church falsifies history by claiming every bishop of Rome back to Peter, was Universal Bishop otherwise known as “the pope”. There is little evidence Peter was ever in Rome and being an elder in the Jerusalem church, it is unlikely.

 

Organization of the Roman Catholic church today:

1 Universal Bishop (pope)

5600 Bishops

400,000 Priests (local parish)

1 billion members

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Typical statue used by Catholics to pray to Mary, who of course, cannot hear them based upon Job 14:20-22 and Eccl 9:5.

 

 

Churches in Malawi:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 2: Bible Blueprint for paying wages to local preachers and elders 

A. Preachers and elders are to be respected: Heb 13:17 1 Thess 5:12-13; “Esteem” Greek: hēgeomai. “Recognize, identify, mark” Greek: oida.

1.            Preachers must submit to the authority of the elders within their local church and have no authority outside their local church. However, preachers are in a headship relationship with a submissive local congregation. Preachers do not have any authority independent of the overseers. There is a pattern of 12 different headship/submission relationships in the Bible. The rules for any one pattern of headship/submission can be applied to the other 11. The husband as head must look across to his wife as an equal and the wife must look up to the husband as her lord. It is a sin for a husband to treat his wife as inferior and it is a double sin for the wife to treat her husband as an inferior. Since Christ, who is creator God, is in submission to God the Father, it is rebellion against God for wives to refuse to submit to their husbands. Indeed, Christ will never ask a wife to do anything He has not already done himself. If Christ submits to God, the wife cannot complain about submitting to her husband. This principle that submitters look up to superiors, and heads look across to submitters as equals applies to all 12 patterns of headship and submission and is demonstrated by Paul, "Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father [look up as superior], to the younger men as brothers [look across equals]" (1 Timothy 5:1). Gospel preachers do not look down over the congregations or lord their authority over them. Instead, the local evangelist looks across to each member of their local church as an equal, while the congregation looks up to them as a superior. Preachers are to esteem the members of their congregations, the same way a husband is to esteem his wife as an equal: "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard [Gr: hēgeomai] one another as more important than yourselves." (Phil 2:3) This follows the example of Jesus our creator who did not esteem himself even though he was God: “Although Jesus existed in the form of God, did not regard [Gr: hēgeomai] equality with God a thing to be grasped" (Phil 2:6). In the same way preachers esteem those they lead to Christ higher than themselves, “Remember those who led/esteemed [Gr: hēgeomai] you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith” (Heb 13:7). Preachers do not have any authority independent of the overseers. Instead, preachers look up to their elders as superiors and the elders look across to them as equals. Just as Christians submit to each other, preachers are to submit to the church, and local members are to submit to the preachers. The role of a preacher is to present teaching and guidance to his audience, and then it is entirely up to them to either accept or reject it. Just as a husband CANNOT force his wife to submit to him in obedience, so too a preacher CANNOT force the local church to accept his teaching or advice.

2.            The two Greek words (hēgeomai, oida) establish the headship of church leaders over members:

a.             Local church members appoint and ordain their own elders and preachers and have the power to remove them from their ordained positions. Bible Schools violated local church autonomy when they appoint or fire preachers for local churches. However, just as a wife puts herself in submission to the husband of her choice, so too a congregation must submit to her chosen leaders.

b.             "But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate/see/mark/identify [Gr: oida] those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem [Gr: hēgeomai] them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another." (1 Thess 5:12–13)

c.              "Obey your leaders/esteemed [Gr: hēgeomai] and submit to them, they keep watch over your souls who will give account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you." (Heb 13:17)

B. Examples of wages in the Bible:

1.            God paid Nebuchadnezzar wages by giving him Egypt:

a.             "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre; every head was made bald and every shoulder was rubbed bare. But he and his army had no wages from Tyre for the labor that he had performed against it.” Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will carry off her wealth and capture her spoil and seize her plunder; and it will be wages for his army. “I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor which he performed, because they acted for Me,” declares the Lord God." (Ezekiel 29:18–20)

2.            Heaven and hell are wages due: Salvation is a free gift, but our wages are proportional to our work:

a.             "“Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your wage is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets." (Luke 6:23)

b.             "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus." (Rom 6:23)

c.              "Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together." (John 4:36)

d.             "Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own wages according to his own labor." (1 Corinthians 3:8)

e.             "If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive wages." (1 Corinthians 3:14)

f.               "Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but receive a full wage." (2 Jn 8)

g.             "My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." (Rev 22:12)

C. Preachers and elders are to be paid wages.

1.            Christians are obligated to generously support preachers: Lk 10:5-7; 1 Cor 9:6-14; 1 Tim 5:18; Gal 6:5-7

2.            Physical vs. spiritual debt:

a.             New converts indebted to pay preacher’s wages: "If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?" (1 Cor 9:11)

b.             Gentiles indebted to Jews for benevolence: "Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to Jerusalem Hebrew Christians. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things." (Rom 15:27)

3.            Preachers can be paid wages from the church treasury: Acts 15:3, Rom 15:24; 2 Cor 11:8-9; 12:13; Phil 4:14-19

4.            Genuine preachers will support themselves to keep preaching:

a.             Paul was a tentmaker when Corinth did not support him: Acts 18:1–3; 1 Cor 9:17–18

b.             Wicked preachers do it only for the money: Balaam’s wages of unrighteousness: Jude 11

5.            “Send them on their way” with money and/or provisions:

a.             Slaves not “sent away” emptyhanded when set free: Deut 15:13

b.             Preachers “sent away” with provisions in peace, not emptyhanded and despised, 1 Cor 16:6,11, lacking nothing, Tit 3:13, a manner worthy of God, 3 John 6, from the church treasury, Acts 15:3, Rom 15:24.

6.            Preachers and elders receive honor = money = honorarium

a.             "The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor (twice the money for twice the work), especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages."" 1 Timothy 5:17-18

b.             Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness: Balak to Balaam: “I will indeed honor you richly if you curse Israel” (2 Pe 2:15; Num 22:15–18)

c.              Corban: “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God (Corban),” he is not to honor his father or his mother [with that money]." (Mt 15:4–6)

d.             Church benevolence list: "Honor widows who are widows indeed" (1 Timothy 5:3)

e.             "They also honored us with many honors of respect; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all we needed." (Acts 28:10)

f.               Judas’ 30 shekels: "it is the honor/price of blood.”" (Matthew 27:6)

g.             Ananias and Sapphira "kept back some of the honor/price" (Acts 5:2)

h.             "You are bought with a price/honor: therefore glorify God in your body." (1 Cor 6:20)

7.            Preacher’s wages are paid on basis of what is owed, not out of need or benevolence. We do not support preachers out of benevolence, we pay them wages that are owed. We support widows through benevolence which is not “owed”. Preachers have the same needs as any employee, but factory workers are not paid based on their needs, but on the basis of the work they do. Preachers must work hard to earn their wages just like any employee:

a.             "Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due." (Romans 4:4)

b.             "“Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness And his upper rooms without justice, Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay And does not give him his wages," (Jeremiah 22:13)

c.              "Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord." (Jas 5:4)

d.             "“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’" (Matthew 20:8)

e.             "Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense [wages]? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?" (1 Corinthians 9:7)

f.               "Soldiers questioned him, saying, “What about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”" (Lk 3:14)

8.            Examples of preachers receiving wages:

a.             The 70: "“Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house." (Luke 10:7)

b.             "I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you;" (2 Cor 11:8)

c.              "Therefore, being sent on their way by the church” (Acts 15:3)

d.             “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”" (1 Tim 5:18)

e.             "For if I do this voluntarily, I have a wage; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. What then is my wage? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel." (1 Corinthians 9:17–18)

9.            Preachers are “under-rowers”, not rich fat cats living like kings far above the average member:

a.             Always remember, Paul used the Greek word, “hupēretēs” to describe both himself as an apostle, and Sosthenes the preacher, "Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants [Gr: hupēretēs] of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor 4:1). The word “underrower” refers to the man who is positioned on the bottom of three rows of oars of an ancient Greek ship known as a Trireme, pictured right. This was the hottest, stinkiest, and dirtiest place to work on the boat. Always have this low esteem of yourself.

b.             Typology from Mosaic tithing suggests preachers should enjoy the best quality of produce and livestock the church can give, at a median standard of living of the members. Levites enjoyed the best first fruits of the oil, wine, grain, fruit, but they were not categorically richer with more overall wealth than the average Hebrew: Numbers 18:12-14; Ex 23:19; Lev 2:14. So preachers do not get more produce and livestock than the church members, they should get the best quality.

c.              Abuses can occur when preachers live far above the average church member. Denominational preachers live like rich fat cats who encourage and motivate their local church members to selfishly desire power, influence, favors, and praise from the preacher through their servitude. Serving the preacher for return benefit is sin. Yes, members need to voluntarily provide preachers with the best they can give, but preachers must not encourage and relish in their positions of esteem but follow the example of Jesus.

d.             Abuses of excessive wealth occurred in the first century with the high priests. Eleazar son of Annas was likely “the rich man who habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day" (Luke 16:19). Jesus directly targeted the wealth of the wicked high priests by identifying the rich man with 5 brothers as Eleazar son of Annas, and the rich man’s father as Annas. “Now the report goes, that this elder Annas proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons, who had all performed the office of a high priest to God, and he had himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly, which had never happened to any other of our high priests.” (Josephus Antiquities 20.198). Scripture, Josephus, and Eusebius discussed the succession of high priests (Eus., Hist. Eccl. 1.10). Annas had 5 sons and was appointed high priest by Quirinius in AD 6 and deposed in AD 15 by the Judean Governor Valerius Gratus, who appointed Ismael, the son of Phabi AD 15-16. Then Eleazar son of Annas, AD 16–17 (Ant. 18.33–35). Then Caiaphas, AD 18–36 (son-in-law of Annas). Then Jonathan son of Annas, AD 36–37 (Ant. 19.313; 20.162). Then Theophilus son of Annas, AD 37–41 (Ant. 19.297). Later Matthias son of Annas, AD 43 (Ant. 19.312–316). Finally, Annas son of Annas who beheaded Annas son of Annas who beheaded James, brother of Jesus Christ, AD 63, (Ant. 20.196–203). Jesus endured 6 trials, three Jewish wherein he was condemned to death by deposed high priest Annas, and his son-in-law Caiaphas, who was acting high priest AD 18-36, and three Roman where he was proclaimed innocent. The rich man was likely one of the 5 sons of Annas who had died. When the rich man in Hades said he had a living father and 5 living brothers, he counted his 4 brothers plus his brother-in-law, Caiaphas (John 18:13-14). The only possible candidate for the “rich man” is Eleazar son of Annas, who served as high priest for one year AD 16–17, after which almost nothing is known (Ant. 18.33–35).

D. Bible Blueprint on missionary preacher wages

  1. Local churches sent preachers on missions:

a.       Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch: Acts 11:22

b.       Antioch sent Barnabas and Saul to missionary journey: Acts 13:1–4

c.       Jerusalem sent Paul and Barnabas, Judas, Silas to Antioch Acts 15:22–31

  1. Many churches sent support directly to preacher: “support such men”: 3 John 4

a.       Philippians sent support to Paul: Philippians 1:3–5; 4:14–18

b.       Macedonian churches (Berea, Thessalonica) supported Paul: 2 Cor 11:8–9

 

PART 3: Islam is monotheistic moon worship, Muhammad was a deluded epileptic warlord businessman

When Muhammad founded Islam in AD 610, the Christians initially named them, Hagarians, Ishmaelites or Saracens, and some misguided Jews thought he was the Messiah until they saw him eat camel meat (Chronicle of Theophanes, year AD 629). All Arab tribes are “Semite” (descended from Shem) as children of Abraham through Hagar (Ishmael = Ishmaelites) and Ketura (Midian = Midianites). Before Muhammad was born, his family tribe (Quraish) at Mecca had worshipped the moon in a temple (Kaaba) since AD 400, along with 360 pagan gods including Hubal and Mary. Archaeology has demonstrated that before Muhammad, the Arabs universally worshipped the moon god “Sîn” as their supreme deity, symbolized by the crescent moon, called "al-Ilah", shortened to “Allah” today. This explains the pagan origin of the crescent moon mounted on the top of all mosques. Although Muhammad condemned moon worship, he redefined the moon god “Sîn” as almighty “Allah” but retained all the pagan moon god rituals of Sîn practiced by his family at Mecca. It can be demonstrated that the Arab nations of Ishmael and Midian worshipped the moon god Sîn because they decorated their camels with crescent moon shaped gold ornaments (Judges 8:21-26), and the during the exodus, the Wilderness of Sîn and Mt. Sînai (Mt. Lawz) are both named after the moon god Sîn, both located in located in north Saudi Arabia.

 

Both Muhammad and Pharaoh Akhenaton (1358 BC) converted from pagan polytheism and established new pagan monotheistic religions, wherein Akhenaton chose the sun god as “almighty god”, and Muhammad chose the moon god as “almighty god”. Around AD 400 a meteor fell from heaven, which Muhammad’s Quraish family tribe believed came from the moon, like the meteor in Acts 19:35 which the Greeks worshipped as Dianna/Artemis. They built the Kaaba and embedded the meteor in the corner, known today as the Black Stone meteorite, which they kiss, and Muslims continue to kiss today. Islamic myth says that the Kaaba was built by Abraham, but archaeology and the silence of ancient literary sources date it no older than AD 400. Many Arabic tribes had similar Kaaba temples at the time of Muhammad. Historically, Islam is one of the youngest new pagan religions on Earth, not some ancient divinely instituted religion practiced by Adam and Abraham, that suffered apostacy, then restored by Muhammad, as Muslims deceptively teach today. Muslims exist in an information vacuum with a total disregard for all recorded world history, archaeology and of course, the Bible. To suggest Mother Teresa was a Buddhist, or that the Holocaust never happened, or that Abraham and Jesus were Muslims are all historically absurd statements to any honest person. Allah is not the same god as the God of Jews and Christians because Allah is never called a “Father” in the Koran (Ps 89:26; 1 Jn 3:1).

 

Muhammad was a wealthy, idol worshipping businessman who invented Islam to make more money by uniting the warring Arab tribes through a common monotheistic pagan religion with a 30-day peace time (Ramadan) that allowed trading of goods without killing each other. Like Pentecostal preachers today, Muhammad claimed to be a prophet of God, and his new monotheistic movement grew rapidly. Several ancient sources record that Muhammad suffered from epilepsy, which the Arabs confused for divine inspiration and visions. Like Muhammad, the epileptic fits of Ellen White of the Seventh-day Adventists were mistaken for visions in AD 1844. In a stroke of good luck for Muhammad, Polytheism was out of fashion in Arabia. The Jews had already given up idolatry after the Babylonian captivity in 600 BC and Christians practiced monotheism in AD 33, Arabs were the late “monotheistic bloomers” who continued to worship idols until AD 610. Muhammad’s new religion appealed widely because it was more rational to worship one almighty invisible pagan god rather than many stone idols. After several military campaigns, the Arabs adopted Islam with the promise of economic prosperity during the 30-day Ramadan and as a bonus, the spoils of military looting as they conquer the entire world and bring all into submission to Muhammed and his successors.

 

Before the birth of Muhammed each Arabian tribe had annual Hajj pilgrimages to their respective pagan temples. Muhammed created something new when he combined his family tribal Hajj to the pagan Mecca temple with Ramadan to create a new one month long “no fighting time zone of peace” between warring tribes to facilitate commerce and trade. Muhammed became rich! Islam, therefore, is not a true religion, it is a political control system for economic and territorial domination masquerading as a religion. Islam is an earthly, fleshly, worldly religion that promises faithful Muslim men unlimited sex, money, and power in heaven. In the Koran, Muslim women are only promised they will be “happy” in heaven. Muslim women in heaven will be eternally submissive “happy” sex slaves and “happy” servants to men. In Christianity, women are equal to men in spiritual status on earth and husbands who do not treat their wives as equals will have their prayers ignored by God (Gal 3:28–29; 1 Pet 3:7). In heaven, Jesus promised the “last will be first”, meaning the greatest servants on earth will have the highest status in heaven (Mt 19:30; 20:25–28). This predicts that wives who submit to their bossy and harsh husbands on earth (1 Pet 2:18; 3:1) the way Christ submitted to us, will rule over their husbands in heaven. Morally, Muhammad’s shocking and repulsive instruction for husbands to beat their unsubmissive wives (Koran 4:34) is a doctrine of Satan clearly condemned in the Christian Bible.

 

Muhammad’s religion of Jihad was identical to the ancient religion of Assyrian kings who claimed to be agents of the pagan gods and cited their military success in plundering the world as proof. “The god Assur called me in my youth and gave me a kingdom without a rival from sea to sea and stood behind me as I conquered all nations and brought them into submission under my mighty kingship.” (Threshold Stone of Adad-Nirari III, 804 BC). The praise of the pagan god Nebo sounds exactly like the 5 daily calls to prayer from the minaret (the Adhan) which is addressed to Allah. “To the god Nebo (Isa 46:1) who is heroic, exalted, surpassing in wisdom, mighty prince whose command is supreme, master of the arts, guardian of all heaven and earth, all knowing, whose ear is open [ie. to prayer] who writes the book of man's life and destiny, merciful, approachable, who depopulates and repopulates the land [determines the boundaries of man's habitation.] lord of lords, whose might has no equal, without whom no counsel is given in heaven, merciful, compassionate, kindly forgiving. Trust in the god Nebo! Do not trust in another god.” (Nebo Temple Statue of Adad-nardi III, King of Assyria, 804 BC) Islam resurrects and duplicates the ancient Assyrian religion, except Muhammed chose to worship only one of the many pagan gods so he could claim it was monotheism. Muslim Imam’s are masters at erasing real history and fabricating their own false history.

Muhammad retained all the pagan rituals that his pagan ancestors had practiced for 200 years in Mecca before he was born, except now they were worshipping almighty god Allah. Using the Black Stone meteorite as a marker (which Muslims touch and kiss), Muhammad adopted the ancient pagan practice of walking 7 times around the Kaaba (Tawaf), one circle for each planet known in 610 AD. This is another error, because today we know there are 8 or 9 planets. He retained the throw (the Rummy), where Muslims throw 7 stones at stone pillars which represent the devil as a reenactment ritual based upon a mythical event in the life of Abraham. He retained the Run (the Sai), where Muslims make several fast walks between the two hills (Safa, Marwat) as a reenactment ritual based upon a mythical event in the life of Hagar and Ishmael. All these pagan rituals predated Muhammad. When Muhammed invented his new religion of Islam, he removed the 360 pagan idols and retained all the pagan rituals, but created new mythical meanings associated with the life of Abraham. In Islam, they continued to practice the same pagan origin “throw” and “walk”, but for new and different reasons invented by Muhammad. In AD 335 Christians wrongly spiritualizing the popular pagan festival of Saturnalia that concluded in the December 25th celebration of the birthday of Mithra, the Iranian god of light, by changing it into the celebration of Jesus, the light of the world. Christmas is not part of true Christianity because scripture never instructed us to celebrate the birth of Christ, but his death, and not once a year on Easter, but every Sunday through communion. Church leaders wrongly reassigned the meaning of December 25 from Mithra to Christ, but deleted all the pagan ritual associated with Mythra, whereas in Islam, the meaning of the Hajj, The Walk, The Run, is reassigned from paganism to Abraham, but all the pagan rituals are retained under the banner of monotheism. This appealed to the Arabs who knew they descended from Abraham.

Islam, therefore, is derived from 1/3 from Arabic polytheism, 1/3 from Judaism, and 1/3 from Christianity.

Islam is paganism in monotheistic wrapping paper. Islam is polytheism repackaged with a monotheistic veil. Islam accepts most of the Old Testament Hebrew stories, but they are corrupted. Abraham’s promised son is Ishmael not Isaac. Muhammed borrowed Daniel’s Jewish practice of praying three times a day towards Solomon’s temple, except he made it 5 times a day towards Mecca. Islam accepts many New Testament stories, but again, corrupts them. The foundation of Christianity is that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins, who rose the third day, and there is salvation in no other. Muhammad taught that when Jesus was about to be crucified, Allah performed a miracle to make Judas the betrayer, look like Jesus, so that he, not Jesus was arrested and crucified (Koran 4:156). Muslims laugh at Christians who rely upon the blood of wicked Judas for salvation, since Jesus escaped crucifixion, married, and had a family then ascended like Elijah into heaven. Muslims believe that Jesus was sinless and in the second coming of Christ like Christians. However, the Shi'a sect of Muslims in Iran embrace the “9th Imam Theology”, which says Jesus will not return until the rise of the 9th Imam, who will not rise until Israel is removed from the face of the earth. This is why the Islamic death cult in Iran is determined to build and drop nuclear weapons on Israel, knowing Iran will be destroyed in the Israeli and American retaliatory nuclear counterstrikes. The Iranians would become dead heroes who each get 72 virgins, but now that Israel is destroyed, it paves the way for rise of the 9th Imam, and the second coming of Christ when the entire world is force-converted to Islam. Jihad combines the Jewish concept of land inheritance of Canaan, with the Christian concept of evangelizing the entire world to create a global caliphate. Islam has nothing original like Christianity, but borrows and steals from Jewish, Christian, and pagan religions to create a patched-together Frankenstein type of religion, like assembling a car from the junk yard parts of many cars.

 

Christians evangelize with words of love, grace, and forgiveness but Muslims evangelize with the sword of death and threats of terror, as a summary of 40 Koran verses prove: “Do not befriend Christians or Jews who are unbelievers, in the name of Allah fight and kill all unbelievers, cut off their heads and fingertips, do not show mercy, lie in wait for them, ambush them, catch and kill them, never turn your backs to them, fight to the death and Allah will reward you greatly, if they submit to you make them pay you the Jizya tax.” All this for sex, money, and power. Islam means “submission” not “peace”. Innocent Christians have always suffered persecution for their faith. "All who live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim 3:12). In April 2025, USA media Fox News reported, “Christians in Nigeria are being ‘wiped out' by Muslims” intent on creating a Muslim caliphate who have “butchered 100,000 Christians” and evicted “3.5 million Christians from their family farms”, in a “massive and long-running stealth jihad." This is nothing new because starting in AD 610, Muhammad and his followers killed, and mass converted 80% of the Greek speaking church to Arabic speaking Muslims within 60 years. In AD 700, John of Damascus recorded that the “Collyridians” were a Christian sect of female devotees known in Arabia, who offered cakes (Latin: collyrida = cake) once a year to worship Mary, mirroring the Jews in 586 BC (Jer 44:19) who also baked cakes that were impressed with an image of the “queen of heaven”, known as the goddess of fertility named, Eostre (Easter), Ishtar, Inana, and Astarte. The practice of baking cakes to Mary continues today when the Orthodox Eucharist bakes a pyramid-shaped cake that is stamped with “M” for “Mary” and eaten for communion.

 

 

Mariolatry was widely practiced in the church since AD 325 and God’s grace ran out with the birth of pagan Muhammad, whom God used like pagan Assyria and Babylon to punish and chasten His disobedient people. This serves as a warning to Catholics and Orthodox who pray to their “sinless Mary, Mother of God” today. When Muhammed first conquered Jerusalem, Christians speculated God was behind the destruction of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox church whose morality and worship had become corrupt and paganized. In AD 634, Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem said in a Christmas sermon: “The godless Saracens (Muslims) entered Jerusalem with the permission of God and in punishment for our negligence, which is considerable, and immediately built that cursed thing, intended for their prayer and which they call a mosque. For if we had lived in a way that was pleasing to God, we might laugh at the fall of our adversaries the Saracens (Muslims) and see their final destruction.” If God had twice destroyed the Jews for paganism, first by the Assyrians in 723 BC and second by the Babylonians in 605 BC, he surely would not spare Christians who prayed to, and worshiped Mary as the mother of God.

 

Muslims have a difficult time explaining how both Moses and Christ performed miracles, but not Muhammad, so Muslims came up with what they call, "the miracle of the Koran". Despite claims the Koran is unchanged from an original perfect version, without variants or errors, the truth shows these claims to be Satanic lies. In AD 632, the Bukhari Hadith recorded the words of Abu Bakr (Muhammad’s successor), “I started locating Qur'anic material and collected it from parchments, scapula (shoulder bones), leafstalks of date palms and from the memories of men”. In AD 653, the Bukhari Hadith records that Uthman, (Abu Bakr’s successor), attempted to compile and edit all the different versions of the Koran, select one official version, then order all differing copies burned at the threat of death. But then more lost sections of Muhammad’s words were found, and the official version had to be updated. The final version of the Koran in use today was not compiled before AD 700. So much for a miracle of divine inspiration! This proves that today’s Koran did not exist until after the death of Muhammed, Abu Bakr, and Uthman. The myth of the “perfect Koran” came from a lot of editing, death threats, shed blood, and burned Korans. The Koran is from Satan not from God or the Holy Spirit. Notably, the Koran wrongly defined the Trinity as Father, Son, and Mary (Koran 4:171; 5:116). While Christians never included Mary in the Trinity, Muhammad demonstrated himself to be a false prophet devoid of inspiration by recording this massive theological blunder in the Koran and proves he was relying on what he learned from others (like the heretical Collyridians), not God. This alone exposes the Koran and Islam as a false man-made religion and Muhammad as a prophet of Satan, which sacrifices animals (Qurbani) to demons (1 Cor 10:20; 1 Tim 4:1; Jas 3:15). But it gets worse, Muslim's reject the doctrine of inherited sin of Adam but teach the Immaculate Conception of Mary. It hasn't dawned on them, that if you reject inherited sin, the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is not needed because all men are born without sin. Islam has all the earmarks of a flawed man-made religion.

 

A simple side by side comparison of the earliest known manuscripts of the Koran (Samarqand, Topkapı, Birmingham, Sana’a, etc.) demonstrate over 3500 variants in script compared to modern Korans, including additions, deletions, opposite meaning, different chapter orders, different numbering of chapters and verses. There is no known ancient complete standardized text of the Koran that exists before AD 700 and the Koran was still provably incomplete in AD 653. The Koran copies numerous mythical folk stories already in wide distribution before Muhammad was born. The Koran contains many scientific and historical errors, and wrongly claims Mary was part of the trinity. The Koran is not a miracle, it is not eternal, it was not sent down by God, because it contains thousands of known changes, despite Muslim lies to the contrary. As literature, the Koran is jumbled, chaotic, and disordered, and as incoherent as selecting one random page from 114 different books, throwing them in the air, and assembled them from largest to smallest. The moral content of the Koran is worldly, boring, uninspiring, and superficial. The literary, moral, and historical content of the Bible outshines the Koran for its unity of theme being written over 1600 years with 40 different authors in three languages, without contradiction.

 

For those who convert to Islam, be warned: "When Christians fall away after they have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify Jesus again to themselves and publicly shame Him." (Hebrews 6:4–6) "How much severer punishment do you think a Christian will deserve who tramples Jesus underfoot, and regards the blood of Jesus as unclean?" (Hebrews 10:29) Don’t risk your eternal salvation on an illiterate and sinful epileptic Arab warlord named Muhammad, who is responsible for the murder of millions of innocent Christians. Instead, put your trust in the sinless Jesus Christ, son of God and saviour! The animal sacrificial system of Moses to atone for the sins of Hebrews, was to prepare the way for God to sacrifice his own son Jesus Christ on the cross, as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the entire world. (Jn 1:29; 1 Jn 2:2)

 

March 2026

 

  

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