Leave Your Pastor - Андрей Викторович Шибанов

from the above Scripture, an apostle, prophet, and teacher are the top three gifts. These three gifts are about teaching because God wants people to know Him and worship Him in spirit and truth:

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. – John 4:24

When a church leader divides believers into groups and appoints a head over each group, it means that a church leader is domineering over you. Do not give away your freedom which was given to you by Christ. Let no one lord over you:

You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. -1 Corinthians 7:23

Disciples of Jesus Christ must teach each other, encourage each other, and take care of each other with love. This is the godly way to build up the church:

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Small groups

The church leaders argue that the practice of dividing believers into small groups derived from Moses who divided Israelites into groups and appointed a judge over them. They refer to the below Scripture:

So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country. – Exodus 18:24-27

If you look who gave Moses this advice, you will realize that this was Moses’ father-in-law by the name Jethro, the pagan priest who knew very little about God:

Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. – Exodus 18:1

Jethro was not supposed to give any advice about The Lord whom he did not know and Moses was not supposed to listen to the advice of his pagan father-in-law. Even though God did not say anything against it, the same type of hierarchy is not acceptable with Christ who is much greater than Moses. Christ detested any sort of hierarchy, but church leaders claim that early church always had small group leaders when they gathered at homes. This is not true. Apostles never requested believers to appoint any sort of small group leaders, so why would disciples have them?

Sheep of Christ

Do not be misled by church leaders, pastors and priests, who claim to be the ones appointed by Christ to take care of believers. They assume to be shepherds and they call other believers their flock. They use words of Christ to Peter as a basis to support their false doctrine:

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me." – John 21:15-19

From the above Scripture, Jesus instructed Peter to feed and tend His sheep. Jesus Christ did not give away His sheep to Peter. He said, “Feed my sheep”. You are the sheep of Christ and He did not pass you over to anyone. Jesus appointed Peter to be a shepherd, to serve the needs of His sheep. Church leaders, pastors and priests have erroneously assumed that they have a given by God right to rule over the believers, forcing people to follow the traditions of their organizations, as well as obey their own commands. True elders of the church will never force people to obey them but convince them with the words of wisdom, just like apostle Peter used to convince others:

So, I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. – 1 Peter 5:1-4

Church “leader”

Don’t call anyone apart from Christ a leader of the church! Do not be confused about the terms leader of the church and leader in the church. The Leader and the Head of the church is Christ, but any believer can be a leader in the church.

God exalted him [Christ] at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. -Acts 5:31

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. – Colossians 1:18

The church does not require any other head apart from Christ. Don’t be misled, whoever named a leader of the church or church leader