HE Gave Us Everything
Greetings,
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1: 3-4
In Christ we are made totally complete and we lack nothing we need for life and godliness. His divine power equips us to face life head on and grow in grace and knowledge during the process. Knowing Jesus is all we really need in this life. He builds on this knowledge and makes us whole, complete and mature. This knowing is not just a simple head knowledge; it is intimate and deep. It is to know Him as in touching and experiencing Him in all His fullness and glory. His sheep literally hear His voice and obey.
Everything we need is found in Him. We do not need a Pastor or anyone else to lead or teach us. Christ Himself via the Holy Spirit will disciple and train us to become whatever He desires us to be. Sure it is great when brothers or sisters come alongside us to encourage us in our walk and faith, but only He is our source and fulfillment. Having healthy peer relationships is awesome, but make sure that no person ever takes a place over us; because that position is for Christ and Christ alone.
If Christ is our only Head and Leader…. He will reveal to us and in us the totality of His great and precious promises and by these promises we are able to participate in the Divine nature. How awesome is that? Christ in us…The Hope of Glory! Surrender to His Leading and pursue Him in His fullness and all things shall be revealed for and in us. Being in Christ is all we ever need. However, even in Him sometimes I struggle, but when I stumble He always picks me up. Today and always I shall seek His Face.
Love and…..
Kirk Out !
notesfromthebridge 
Chris, How wonderful to resonate with our Father’s Spirit within you. God’s fullness fills all and all.
“We do not need a Pastor or anyone else to lead or teach us.”
Yeah- I guess all those passages that talk about pastors and teachers are superfluous now…
1 Tim. 3:1-2; Titus 1:5-7; Acts_15:23; Acts 16:4; Acts20:17,28; Actss 21:18; Heb 13:17; 1Tim. 4:14;
1Tim. 5:17; 1Pet. 5:1-5.
Yes- we need pastors just like we need eveything and everyone that God ordaianed for our great blessing and benefit. If you don’t have a pastor, and you refuse to have one, then you are in disobedience to King Jesus.
“If you don’t have a pastor, and you refuse to have one, then you are in disobedience to King Jesus.”
Seriously? SERIOUSLY????????????
I don’t even know what to say to that. I do have a question, though?
Who is the final “pastor’s” pastor? Where exactly does the buck stop?
What a load of batshit.
Hi, Tim. I re-read all of the verses you referenced and have to honestly say I didn’t find any of them saying “If you don’t have a pastor…..”. You haven’t answered my last questions but I’ll still comment on a couple of the verses you had down. First, in I Pet. 5 I think it is important to notice Peter ends with, “Yea, all of you be subject one to another,”. The message there as I see it is the Body of Christ being subject to each member, not an elite group called pastors. Just as Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ”, so it is with each member….when we see or hear Christ within them then we follow Him. I have inserted some of the Greek definition to clarify the Hebrews verses of “obey”… Heb. 13:7 “Obey [consent to evidence] them that have the rule [leaders, guides] over you, considering the end [origin] of their conversation [walk].” Again, we are not talking domination here. We are hearing good admonishment to take a look at the FRUIT, or EVIDENCE, in someone’s walk that’s been at it a long time and if it bears witness to the “origin” [Christ], then give assent. Follow them as they follow HIM. I think it is fair to say that when people here say “You don’t have to follow any man, just the Spirit” they include in that when the Spirit is found speaking through an individual at any given time, then we listen to the Spirit in them. Does that make sense? “BK”
Tim, Just where did King Jesus tell us that we “needed” a Pastor? I am glad that you wrote pastor with a small p though. It is a blessing to have folks with pastoral gifts in our lives, if those folks are willing to come alongside us and not be OVER us. I have many people in my life that teach and help me out, but I don’t need or want a Capital P Pastor.
i dont really see any different in th OT ways and th whole ‘five-fold ministry’ or whatever its bein called today…i think anytime we turn to ppl –whatever title they carry–instead of restin in th Lord and bein led into all truth by th Spirit of God, we gonna end up in religion…its a detour fa real…i mean…its really 2 different camps isnt it? either we are led by the Spirit of God, which is how Christ say it is, and that we have no need fa any man to teach us, and His sheep hear His voice and dont listen to the stranger’s voice…OR we have this heirarchy of leaders who ‘feed’ the flock…
there were those in israel (most of em) who followed and did whatever mose said or aaron or whatever and didnt wanna hear from th Lord fa theyself…and then there was those who was called out…mose, david, solomon, abraham, th prophets, etc…th called out ones had a whole different relationship wit th Lord than the others did…and who is the ekklessia (sp)? th called out ones…
multitudes followed Christ but only those who heard His voice got th revelation from every parable, and He gathered His…not th multitudes…to Him…and spoke to them privately…i mean…who was paul’s pastor? where did peter fellowship and get a word from? who was in charge of john on th isle of patmos…was there any book or pastor there he could turn to to make sure he was actually hearin from the Lord and not some other spirit? i mean…who did mose turn to when he heard a voice outta a burning bush and was ther some book somweher or some human who could clarify it fa him? nah…only God..and if anyone think God cant make Himeself known to His ppl without translators and books and ppl who decide whats God and whats not…then these same ppl need to toss out all th books by th prophets…bc they followed God and not any ppl….and of course anythin paul wrote cuz while he was in prison or bein stoned or bein beat wit rods, there wasnt a pastor there to decide if he was really hearin from th Lord…and lets see…anyone else? oh yah…john th baptizer…he grew up solitary in th desert…eatin locust and honey…how theres somebody who probly needed a pastor to give him a word from th Lord…
Christ walked wit His disciples…actually was there wit em, not settin up meeting dates and times; they left they jobs and followed Him…why dont we understand, this is exactly how it is today…He calls us out and into Him and abides in us and walks in us by th indwelling Holy Spirit of God…Christ in us is th hope of glory…so…. then??? Christ is in us but without any real power to conform, transform, edify and lead us to still waters and green pastures? i dont get how outta one side they can claim that Christ in us is the hope of glory, and outta th other side declare we need pastors…so…Christ is impotent? the work of the Father isnt really finished/? what? Jesus Christ is the last man, th second adam…none comin after Him …no more books,rituals, organizations, whatever…only what Christ is building (edifying th saints and gather em in Him by th Spirit of God) on th revelation [rock] from the Father that He is th Messiah, the Son of the Living God..He is sufficient to finish th Father’s work, to have all authority , to be King and Lord, and He is sufficient to lead me and all of His ppl…
my keyboard seems to be workin bettertoday…well almost…at least not as many typos…lolol
Gianna, Excellent comment. I see things much the way that you do. We need to follow only Jesus!
Debi, you need to read today’s blog….”Seriously” !
Tim’s comment is indicative of the Western Christianity mindset that reads into scripture what he already believes is there. The pastoral gift (GIFT, not office) is mentioned ONCE in the NT. The other scriptures Tim references are not specifically related to that gift. And the “pastoral epistles” were called that by men. No where are they ever referred to by that description. In fact, Paul was writing to a fellow apostle, so what we should call them — if we feel the need to call them anything — is “apostolic epistles.” I wish more believers of the Western Christianity tradition had the courage and honesty to lay aside all their preconceived notions/training/understanding and read the NT in context and with an openness to hear what the Spirit is really saying.
Hi, Catherine. You said, ” I wish more believers of the Western Christianity tradition had the courage and honesty to lay aside all their preconceived notions/training/understanding and read the NT in context and with an openness to hear what the Spirit is really saying.” I would just like to say that I don’t think it is always not being courageous or honest that one doesn’t see, but an honest belief they are right. Having been a pastor in the traditional sense that the Lord has brought down and out, I can say I fought honestly for what I THOUGHT the scriptures said. People would tell me I wasn’t open, I was in bondage, etc but I just ‘quoted the scriptures” back at them 🙂
I appreciate Tim’s continued reading as we thresh out this subject, and know if there is any truth at all in what we say or belief, seeds are going into his Spirit and they’ll sprout! For me it just took one ‘click’ from the Spirit of ‘seeing’ one simple little thing that opened my closed heart to more consideration. Until then I didn’t even know it was closed! “BK”