Replies

Christ is head of the ekklesia and has no stand in.

Of course, Christ is Head of the Church! And as for "stand-in", it depends on what you mean by that flippant-sounding phrase. Are you saying that the kings in the Davidic Kingdom never had prime ministers? Scripture disagrees with you (cf. Isaiah 22... and did you ever notice the eerie similarity between that and Matthew 16:18-20?)

There are no such things as priests in the New Testament church other then the priesthood of all believers.

Yes, there were, and there are; look for the Greek word "presbyteros" and "presbyteroi". There were also bishops (episkopos/oi) and deacons (diakonos/oi).

The Catholic Church priests, Bishops, and pope don’t even qualify in the New Testament church per Paul.

You'll have to explain your reasoning for that one; I'm not even sure what that means, as worded. And as for length of endurance you don’t give the Catholic Church near enough credit. The Babylonian religion which the Catholic Church incorporated has lasted much longer than that.

:) Don't eat cucumbers before going to bed; some say that it gives very strange dreams such as the one you describe, here. That, or an overdose of Vitamin B6 could have brought it on...

>>Yes, there were, and there are; look for the Greek word "presbyteros" and "presbyteroi". There were also bishops (episkopos/oi) and deacons (diakonos/oi).<<

No priest found in any of those. presbýteros – properly, a mature man having seasoned judgment (experience); an elder. [http://biblehub.com/greek/4245.htm]

The Greek word for priest is hiereus and is never used for New Testament church authority or leadership. It is used for all believers.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Written by Peter no less!

>>You'll have to explain your reasoning for that one; I'm not even sure what that means, as worded.<<

1 Timothy 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),