There is another aspect of God’s mechanisms to sanctify us other than simply reading Scripture. I concur that individual study of Scripture is important, ... homework, if you will, but His Plan and body contains far much more.
Those with the actual spiritual gift of pastor-teacher actually have spiritual life in them revealing or providing them a perception different than rationalism or bodily senses by which they may perceive how to teach their flock.
The spiritual gift of pastor-teacher is indeed a spiritual gift from God. It isn’t a soulish talent or skill acquired by academic study resulting in a soulish work. Quite the contrary, those who attempt to substitute their personal work for the work of the Holy Spirit, simply scar their thinking processes such that they are less likely to rest in faith through Christ and allow their spiritual perception to respond as they had been gifted. Instead, there becomes a tendency to fall onto our past scarred thinking as a crutch or substitute for a walk through faith with Him.
With this stated, I concur that many man made substitutes might exist, but I must also emphasize that simply reading Scripture alone void of the body of Christ also isn’t fully living per His Plan. It might include study from a pastor teacher, or via various electronic modes of communication, but there is significance in the communication also being inspired by the spiritual gifts of the pastor-teacher.
It is amazing how much our sins will still be manifest and not remain hidden. Within the body of Christ, even when intentionally hidden in physical and soulish senses, there frequently remains many spiritually gifted who perceive the hidden violation of His Will by others. This is a glaring weakness in the worldly perspective. For those who are in tune with Him, its an amazingly wonderful journey, regardless the circumstances in which we are placed. Thank You Lord.
I agree in parts with hesitation.
I am not saying reading scripture alone is the answer. There, of course, is far more. The Holy Spirit is at work. When involved in a congregation we use our talents to form the whole.
Yes, those that teach and preach are given those talents. But, again, there are many false teachers and people with ulterior motives. We cannot just follow man’s teachings without checking the “truth” of what is being taught. Man can drift, can further his ego, his own goals. Which is why the elders are in a congregation (picked by the biblical criteria). These elders have sound basis of biblical knowledge and are there to oversee that what the preacher teaches is scriptural - if not, they are tasked to handle the situation.
Now elders are men also, but with several of them meeting the criteria of elders and picked as worthy men, you have a council of men “watching” the direction of the church.
Now, if the church drifts and the elders do not correct it, members will leave and find a church that is based on biblical teachings. The problem is in how long members will stay before they leave.
Again, I am not doubting your view at all, just pointing out that we cannot just trust in man because man is man.
We all see things in church we question and a lot of that is based on the fear that our church is following man’s wishes other than God’s wishes. We often get stuck on believing a traditional practice is scriptural when in reality it is just traditional. This is an ongoing problem.
I’ve noticed that our church changes the pattern of service weekly and I suspect it is to prevent us thinking that you have to have two hymns, sit down, pray, another hymn, then the sermon to be scriptural.