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| [[File:Jesusfeeds.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[Abraham]], [[Moses]], John the [[Baptism|Baptist]] and [[Jesus]] and the [[early Church]] advocated a [[Daily ministration]] for the needy of the Christian community that was dependent on [[Charity]] only and it was not like the system of [[Corban]] of the [[Pharisees]] nor the [[Bread and circuses|free bread]] of [[Rome]]. It was their [[Pure Religion]] that brought them into a [[Christian conflict]] with [[Public religion]] and the [[Covetous Practices]] of the [[World]].]] | | [[File:Jesusfeeds.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[Abraham]], [[Moses]], John the [[Baptism|Baptist]] and [[Jesus]] were all appointed tasks and positions.<Br>When Jesus [[appoint]]ed a kingdom to His [[little flock]] He was delegating a responsibility upon them. When He required them to "sell all they had" and follow Him there was no such command to the general population.<Br>While the minister sold their property and owned [[all things common]] the purpose of the [[Messiah]] was to set the [[captive]] free while returning everyman to his [[family]] and to his [[possessions]]. <Br>Those [[called out]] minister could be called a form of ''[[clergy]]'' but their duties, responsibilities, and limiting criteria were defined by Christ and may not resemble modern forms [[clergy]]. The engine that drives the [[kingdom of God]], which is [[faith]], is found in the [[heart and mind]] of the individual and it is fueled by the [[Holy Spirit]].<Br>Terms like [[clergy]], [[laity]], [[elder]], [[father]], wife, son, or daughter have there place when properly defined but neither God nor the [[Holy Spirit]] are a [[respecter of persons]].<Br>Like the "[[Church in the wilderness]]", which consisted of those ministers of a "[[Peculiar people]]" who were "[[called out]]" of the ''camp of the [[golden calf]]'' by [[Moses]]. Those who were "[[called out]]" by [[Jesus]] played a pivotal role in serving the people of the [[early Christian]] community through the free practice of "[[Pure religion]]".<Br>Certainly the [[early Church]] advocated a [[Daily ministration]] for the needy of the Christian community that was dependent on [[Charity]] only and it was not like the system of [[Corban]] of the [[Pharisees]] nor the [[Bread and circuses|free bread]] of [[Rome]] which compels the offerings of the people. It was their practice of [[Pure Religion]] that brought them into a [[Christian conflict]] with [[Public religion]] and the [[Covetous Practices]] of the [[World]]. To understand the [[#clergy of Christ|clergy of Christ]] it may be important to distinguish it from the [[clergyism]] of the [[Modern Church]] and the [[Clergyism#clergy of the world|clergy of the world]].]] |
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| == Clergy defined ==
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| : CLERGY. "the body of all people ordained for religious duties, especially in the Christian Church." All who are attached to the ecclesiastical ministry are called the clergy; a clergyman is therefore an ecclesiastical minister.
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| : 2. Clergymen were exempted by the emperor Constantine from all civil burdens. Baronius ad ann. 319, 30. Lord
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| : Coke says, 2 Inst. 3, ecclesiastical persons have more and greater liberties than other of the king's subjects, wherein to set down all, would take up a whole volume of itself.
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| : 3. In the United States the clergy is not established by law, but each congregation or church may choose its own clergyman. [http://www.republicsg.info/dictionaries/1856_bouvier_6.pdf Bouvier's Law Dictionary Revised Sixth Edition, 1856]
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| To understand who or what is clergy you would have to understand who the "body" is, the requirements to be counted as "ordained", and what would a list consist of to include as "religious duties". If you are going to limit those characteristics to the "Christian Church" as legally defined you would have to look to Jesus Christ for what qualifies as His "ecclesiastical minister" and not to [[Constantine]] and his "exempted" ministers.
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| The "ecclesiastical ministers" are those [[called out]] by Christ to be in the [[world]] but not of the [[world]].
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| : CHRISTIANITY. The [[religion]] established by Jesus Christ.
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| : 2. Christianity has been judicially declared to be a part of the common law of Pennsylvania; 11 Serg. & Rawle, 394; 5 Binn. R.555; of New York, 8 Johns. R. 291; of Connecticut, 2 Swift's System, 321; of Massachusetts, Dane's Ab. vol. 7, c. 219, a. 2, 19. To write or speak contemptuously and maliciously against it, is an indictable offence. Vide Cooper on the Law of Libel, 59 and 114, et seq.; and generally, 1 Russ. on Cr. 217; 1 Hawk, c. 5; 1 Vent. 293; 3 Keb. 607; 1 Barn. & Cress. 26. S. C. 8 Eng. Com. Law R. 14; Barnard. 162; Fitzgib. 66; Roscoe, Cr. Ev. 524; 2 Str. 834; 3 Barn. & Ald. 161; S. C. 5 Eng. Com. Law R. 249 Jeff. Rep. Appx. See 1 Cro. Jac. 421 Vent. 293; 3 Keb. 607; Cooke on Def. 74; 2 How. S. C. 11-ep. 127, 197 to 201.
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| == Clergyism ==
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| "Clergyism" is a view of church and and its ministers that puts the ''ordained clergy'' in the center. It could minimizes the importance of the people of God and their potential for ministering to each other. It weakens the the body of the people by implying that what really matters is what the pastors, priests, and preachers do, say or think.
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| This is not a serious problem until we redefine words like [[Religion]], [[Elder]], [[Deacon]], or even [[ordain]]ed.
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| There is a term of clergyism used to reject any kind of clergy citing their existence as ''dangerous'' and in opposition to the teachings of Christ and even the apostles who were a form of [[clergy]]. This sometimes is a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bath water. Their points may be examined for learning purposes because there are forms of clergy that would not measure up to the directives of Christ. Learning to distinguish those types can be important. But anyone who claims there is no clergy of the Church is often relying on the "[[Clergy#Clergy_of_the_world|clergy of the State]]" for those duties and provisions once provided exclusively by the [[early Church]].
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| '''Here are five claims of the anti clergy protestors:''' | |
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| * 1. There are churches that "'''hold to elevated titles'''" but that would be a rejection of Christ's statement in [[Matthew 23]]:8 "But be not ye called Rabbi<Ref>{{4461}}</Ref>: for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren."
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| : In [[Matthew 23]]:9 "And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven." When Jesus made this statement everyone in the crowd understood who the [[Fathers]] of the earth were and should have understood why He said it. The Fathers of the earth were like the [[Patronus]] of [[Rome]] and other states of the earth who provided [[welfare]] and [[free bread]] for the people. Those [[Fathers]] provided [[benefits]] through their state run [[temples]] because they had an exercising authority where they took from some to give to others. The [[Clergy#Clergy_of_Christ|Clergy of Christ]] were not to be like the "[[Clergy#Clergy_of_the_world|clergy of the State]]" who worked for the governments of the gentiles who [[exercise authority]]. Any Church or individuals who depend upon men who call themselves [[benefactors]] but [[exercise authority]] to provide [[welfare]] for the people are not followers of Christ.
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| : [[Matthew 23]]:10-11 states "Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, [even] Christ. 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." The "[[Clergy#Clergy_of_the_world|clergy of the State]]" do exercise authority to administer their systems of welfare much like the [[Pharisees]] and their system of [[Corban]] which we know makes the word of God to none effect. When Jesus [[appoint]]ed or [[ordain]]ed His [[little flock]] He specifically told them not to exercise authority or hold positions that made them greater.<Ref>Matthew 20:25 But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
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| : Mark 10:42 But Jesus called them [to him], and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
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| : Luke 22:25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But ye [shall] not [be] so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
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| 27 For whether [is] greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? [is] not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.
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| 28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.
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| 29 And I [[1303|appoint]] unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;</Ref>
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| : 2. '''Claims exclusive offices''' of authority - reserve ministries for only themselves. Rejects Jesus [[Luke 6]]:40 "The disciple<Ref>{{3101}}</Ref> is not above his master<Ref>{{1320}}</Ref>: but every one that is perfect<Ref>{{2675}}</Ref> shall be as his master."
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| : Of course a ''disciple'' is merely a ''student'' and the word ''master'' here is the word ''teacher''. It is the word perfect that may be causing some confusion. When Jesus uses this Greek term it is more often translated "mending" as in mending nets. Jesus says we should "strive", "persevere", and "[[seek]]" the [[kingdom of God]] and His [[righteousness]]. We are also told that the [[Holy Spirit]] is to be our [[comforter]] and write His laws upon our hearts and minds.<Ref>Proverbs 3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
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| : Proverbs 7:3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
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| : Jeremiah 31:33 But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
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| : Hebrews 8:10 For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
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| : Hebrews 10:16 This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;</Ref>
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| * 3. '''Expect a paycheck''' - False claim marketplace work is "secular". They will claim that a salary is a rejects Jesus because of [[Matthew 10]]::8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." This of course is a misapplication because the power to "cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils" is given by God and should be given freely. Any other work done should be compensated for because a laborer is worthy of his hire as we see in [[Luke 10]]:7 "And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house." The [[daily ministration]] of the early Church was often a full time job for the clergy of the [[early Church]] who took care of the needy of their society through [[Pure Religion]] by that [[faith]], [[hope]], and [[charity]] of the people, by the people and for the people. Most of the people who claim the Church has no need of ''Clergy of the Church'' depend upon the ''[[Clergy#Clergy_of_the_world|clergy of the State]]'' for their daily welfare and the care of the needy even in their congregations. They look to men who exercise authority and take from their neighbor in those covetous practices where people bite one another to obtain what the Bible calls the [[wages of unrighteousness]].
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| : [[Colossians 3]]:23<Ref>[[Colossians 3]]:23 And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. </Ref>... is actually instructions to the people who may be servants or even slaves of others. The [[Clergy#Clergy_of_Christ|Clergy of Christ]] are the bond servants of Christ and are not servants to other men.<Ref>1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the [[1850|power]] of any.</Ref> At that time most of the people were subjects of governments of the world bu the ministers called out by Christ to serve the people who sought [[the way]] of Christ were ''not of the [[world]]'' and did contrary to the decrees of [[Caesar]] because they had another king.<Ref>[[Acts 17]]:7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, [one] Jesus.</Ref> All Christians could not separate because of some of their entanglements with [[bondage]].
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| : It is true that ministers did not take a salary nor were they employees of local congregations or even the whole body of clergy. Paul makes it clear that he had every write to eat and be supported by the contributions of the people as he performed the religious duties of caring for the needy. He explains this in1 [[Corinthians 9]] where he who plants eats of the crop and he who is a shepherd takes the milk of the flock. Even Moses said "Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn".
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| : Paul did accept help from those in Phillipi but not from Corinth but did point out that they did not give as much as other churches for the needs of the whole body. The vanity of [[Modern Christians]] causes them to think they are [[already saved]] while most of the needs of the people are met by the governments who exercise authority one over the other contrary to the teachings of the [[Bible]], Christ and all the [[prophets]]. They actually imagine that [[religion]] is ''what you think about God'' and that you can save yourself by what you say you believe. In their imagination they have [[Polybius|become accustomed to living at the expense of others and depending for their livelihood on the property of others]] with no interest in practicing [[Pure Religion]].
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| : 4. '''"Preach the word..."''' becomes lecture the word in perpetual dependency. While many ministers and pastor have become ''ear ticklers'' and ''comforters'' of the people they are not preaching "the word" according to Christ. They have replaced the [[Holy Spirit]] with emotion bringing the people under a [[strong delusion]] that they are [[already saved]] when they are actually [[workers of iniquity]] and lovers of those [[wages of unrighteousness]].
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| : 5. '''Claim power to "rule".''' Reject Jesus [[Matthew 20]]:24-27. Of course they are right that the [[Clergy#Clergy_of_Christ|Clergy of Christ]] do not have the power to rule over the people nor force them to contribute to their daily administration like the "[[Clergy#Clergy_of_the_world|clergy of the State]]" which cares for the needy of their [[society]]. Their gatherings are just about feelings of righteousness rather than doing righteously by one another. The [[early Church]] had a [[daily ministration]] provided by an [[appoint]]ed clergy of Christ that met the criteria of Christ and provided real services of [[welfare]] for an international community of Christians<Ref> Paul and Barnabas and others are seen provided financial relief all over the Roman Empire through charity instead of depending on the [[free bread]] of [[Rome]] as the [[modern Christians]] do.</Ref>
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| : The common denominator of all Christians was Christ and his sound doctrines and there was no need for thousands of [[denominations]].
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| : [[Persecution]] of those [[early Christians]] was because of the [[Christian conflict]] between the [[public religion]] of the welfare state and the [[private religion]] provided for through the ''clergy of Christ'' and the [[elders]] of families in congregations in [[free assemblies]].
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| : Even in [[1 Timothy 5]]:17-18 we see, "Let the [[elder]]s<Ref>{{4245}}</Ref> that rule <Ref>{{4291}}</Ref> well <Ref>{{2573}}</Ref> be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer [is] worthy of his reward." This again should be clear once we understand that an [[elder]] is the head of their family and ministers should only be chosen and appointed for the real work of the Church when they have proved they could rule their families well. Of course these words ''rule well'' are not about the normal word for rule which would be from "archo" but is the Greek word ''proistemi'' meaning ''place or set before''. These workers of Christ were providing for all the needy of the Christian community which was no small task at times and was certainly worthy of his hire.
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| The [[modern Christians]] and anti-clergy protestants as well as deluded Catholics have a hard time understanding the simplicity of the [[gospel of the kingdom]]. It may be harder for them than it was for the Emperors. Certainly [[Justin the Martyr]] around 150 AD gave it a good try when he wrote his Apology to Antonius Pius the emperor to explain how Christians took care of their [[free bread]] since they did not apply to the Emperor for his [[Bread and circuses|free bread or wine or cheese]] or anything else they distributed in their [[welfare]] system... in defense of the Christian faith and allegiance to Christ he wrote:
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| * “And the wealthy among us help the needy ... and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need.” "[[Justin the Martyr]]'s Apology" to the Emperor Antonius Pius in 150 AD, (Ch. 65-67)<Ref> alternate translation:
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| : “And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need.” Chapter LXVII</Ref>
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| If you understand the [[gospel of the kingdom]] and the mission of the [[Little flock]] which was ordained by Christ for His purposes and who they were, along with the restrictions imposed by Christ, then ''clergyism'' becomes less of a threat. The Church is spirit driven and no leaders in the Church have the right to [[exercise authority]] one over the other. The [[Holy Spirit]] is to dwell within every man writing upon his heart and mind. Since an [[elder]] is an office of the family and not of the Church it is the [[Holy Spirit]] living in the hearts and minds of the people that is the driving force of the whole body of the people in [[free assemblies and amongst those who might be called the [[Clergy]] of the [[Church]].
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| == Clergy of Christ ==
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| If the clergy is "the body of all people ordained for religious duties" then Christ's clergy would be the body of ministers [[ordain]]ed by [[Jesus]]. That would be first the Apostles and their successors or at least those who are fulfilling the "duties of religion". So we need to know what was [[religion]] and what '''[[Pure Religion]]''' would be and the instructions to the apostles given by Jesus to know what those duties were.
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| Jesus clearly [[called out]] His [[little flock]] to serve the people without ''[[exercise authority|exercising authority]] one over the other.'' They were to be separate from the [[world]] with [[vow of poverty|no personal estate]] owning [[all things common]] like the [[Levites]] before them. The oversaw a [[daily ministration]] that served the needs of their [[society]] rightly ''dividing bread and supplies from house to house'' and across borders of nations during economic [[dearth]]s and famines.
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| [[Elder]]s of the [[early Church]] were first of the [[laity]] and functioned as free souls according to the [[Perfect law of liberty]]. They could become a part of the [[clergy]] of Christ who like Christ only came to serve, not rule over the people.
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| Is the '''[[modern Church]]''' doing what the '''[[early Church]]''' did?
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| Without the [[Church in general]] which we may call the [[laity]] gathering in [[free assemblies]] or [[congregations]] of [[Tens]] and the ''Church specific'' which consists of the offices of [[Deacon]], [[Bishop]] and [[Priest]], There will be the temptations of [[Balaam]] and the [[Nicolaitan]].
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| == Clergy of the world ==
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| Who is the ''Clergy of the [[world]]''? Are those who provide the services in modern government which was once the exclusive province of the Christian community in fact the "clergy of the State " providing the administration of [[welfare]] to the needy? That would be what is sometimes called "'''[[public religion]]'''" which is often doing what the [[early Church]] used to do. They are the administrators of your social [[welfare]] by the governments of the [[world]].
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