Ministers of God in the New Testament

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

What did the ministers in the NT call themselves?

Peter

I Peter 1:1   Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, 

II Peter 1   Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

Paul

Romans 1:1   Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

I Corinthians 1:1   Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

II Corinthians 1:1   Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:

Galatians 1:1    Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

Ephesians 1:1    Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Philippians 1:1   Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

Colossians 1:1   Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,

I Thessalonians 1:1    Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

II Thessalonians 1:1    Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I Timothy 1:1    Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;

II Timothy 1:1   Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

Titus 1:1    Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

Philemon  v.1   Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,

James

James 1:1   James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

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There is no place in the Bible where any man called himself "Reverend", "pope", "cardinal" ...

An elder and a bishop are the same thing, the word is used interchangeably.


Titus 1:5-9    For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:

 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

(Notice neither elder nor bishop is capitalized in Bible.)

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Peter identified himself as an elder.

This means Peter had one wife and was a father of faithful children.

Also in gospels, reference was made to Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law.

Luke 4:38-39    And HE arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought Him for her. And HE stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

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Paul could not be an elder for Paul was not married and had no children which an elder/bishop must have to qualify as such.

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And what about ministers dressing up in long robes or wearing "collars" to identify themselves as ministers?

There is no example of any minister in NT doing such a thing as this to identify himself as minister in the sight of the people.

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Jesus rebuked the OT priests for their desire to make themselves special by their garments.

Matthew 23

Concerning the scribes and Pharisees:

5-10    But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

13-15     But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

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We have no example in the Bible of Jesus making Himself recognizable to men by that which HE wore, nor by a title.

They even looked for Jesus at feasts and could not identify HIM.

Judas had to lead them to Jesus.  Jesus did not make Himself special in the eyes of the people by wearing large hats or by robes.  He looked like the common men of the time.

But when Jesus spoke the people recognized HE was different by the way HE spoke.  HIS words had power and authority.

Luke 4:31-32    (Jesus) came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.  And they were astonished at his doctrine: for His word was with power.

They did not refer to Jesus as "Reverend Jesus" even though Jesus was the Son of God.


Isaiah 53:2-3   HE hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see HIM, there is no beauty that we should desire HIM.

HE is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from HIM; HE was despised, and we esteemed HIM not.

We are not drawn to Jesus by the flesh but rather by the Spirit.

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The evil done by ministers who glorify themselves in today's churches by allowing people to call them "Reverend" and such is beyond understanding..

Jesus gave to the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the work of the ministry and the edifying of the body of Christ in the NT church.  Ephesians 4:11-12

Therefore it is proper for a minister to call himself apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher.

There is no such thing in Bible as "minister of music."  This title was added by men.

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A church should go by Bible without adding or taking away from the Bible.

If you want to build your house of a firm foundation of the Word of God, you cannot accept that which is added to church by men.

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