Leave Your Pastor - Андрей Викторович Шибанов

challenged them. They sometimes call the police and charge their opponent with trespassing the private territory of their organization. Another tactic is to charge a person with a social media violation if a believer teaches publicly against the church doctrine and its leaders. They prefer not to involve other believers in problem resolution contrary to the teaching of Paul:

When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? -1 Corinthians 6:1

Sharing a message instead of teaching

Your sharing of Scriptures is not good. Instead, you must teach people ways of God, rationalizing how this or that Scripture can be relevant to your hearers:

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." – Matthew 28:20

When you are merely sharing or expressing yourself, you do not achieve what Christ demands from you, for sharing or expressing yourself has less influence on the people compare to teaching them. You must explain the meaning of the Scriptures for believers to understand it as well as teach them how exactly they can apply wisdom of God to their life.

You must teach people because God wants them to know and understand Him, not just read or hear about Him.

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. – 1 Corinthians 14:1

Take the challenge of teaching people seriously. Discover your gifts and use it in full force:

For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. – 1 Corinthians 12:8-11

Meeting of church leaders

The meetings of church leaders behind closed doors away from other believers is another demonic practice which you must not tolerate. On this picture below, Presbytery clerks met in a hotel in the year 2015.

You must neither join church leaders nor accept their decisions without open discussion with other disciples. I have observed that church leaders do not even tell people what is their discussion behind closed doors is about. This practice derived from Catholic organization when their priests and cardinals used to meet behind closed doors to govern people under them. On the following picture, the Council of Trent (1545–63) sitting in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. The Roman Inquisition suspected Galileo of violating the decrees of the Council (Museo Diocesano Tridentino, Trento).

This practice is erroneously justified by the Scripture when apostles and elders met together in Jerusalem to correct the false teaching related to the law of Moses which originated in the same city. These Scriptures do not anyhow support the current practice of regular meetings of church leaders behind closed doors.

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." – Acts 15:1

The meeting of apostles and elders occurred as a response to contradiction between two parties, so the apostles and elders had to resolve the conflict:

But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses. The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. – Acts 15:5-6

Peter stood up and concluded:

…But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will. – Acts 15:11

James also agreed:

…Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God… – Acts 15:19

After the meeting, the apostles and elders, with the whole church sent a letter to the church in Antioch:

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers… – Acts 15:22

So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. – Acts 15:30

As you can see from above, apostles and elders in Jerusalem did not initiate any regular meetings but just gathered together once to correct the false teaching.

In our days, regular meetings of church leaders, pastors and priests behind closed doors have a hidden purpose to show the believers who are the authority, the decision-makers, the head. By conducting those meetings, they demonstrate their pride and arrogance. This practice divides believers into classes and setting up a hierarchy just like in any other human-made organization. What can your church leaders discuss that other disciples are restricted to hear? The truth is that nothing is covered that will not be revealed:

Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. – Luke 12:2-3

By tolerating this practice, you reject Jesus as the head over you and the church. You must meet, make decisions and discuss important issues on a common assembly, this what fellowship of believers is for.

To appoint a church leader

You must not appoint anyone on any position except the position of an elder, because this is the only position which is approved by God. Appointing of elders must be done by respected disciples of Christ from another town, the way Timothy and Titus used to appoint elders:

This is why I left you in Crete so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed