I do have a question i have never understood. Why do we need pastors when we have the bible and exact same words they are suppose to teach from?. There is nothing more to add so they can only either mislead and deceive, or repeat the exact same words. Unless people want to follow some mans interpretation and context rather than praying and asking God for wisdom and understand themselves.
Like, can any pastor today offer me more than the direct words of scripture Jesus says in the same bible they read?, and Paul, can any pastor offer me more than the direct words Paul was speaking when they read Paul themselves?
I see why many people have gone off path and deceived into cults without even knowing it. There pastors have lead them away from scripture and the truth in there own context.
I know this has been discussed at length in other threads, but the short answer is because God commanded it. ("...and gave gifts unto men...And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers" Eph 4:8b and Eph 4:11)
The slightly longer answer is that the part of a pastor's job that you are describing is in reality only a very small part and the reality is that those so called pastors that have led people away into cults really are in a very small minority. It's only because when they are found out they get a lot of public exposure that makes it seem like they are a larger group than they really are.
Now keep in mind that I'm talking about real pastors that have been called by God and given the spiritual gifts of a pastor. I'm not talking about someone like the pastor I mentioned in my OP who (I've since found out from a reputable source) only took the job because he needed full time pay and at the time had an "in" to the job because he was the youth pastor. There's even more to that story, but the point is I'm not talking about someone like him who was not called by God and who was never given the gifts of a pastor.
Most people don't recognize the majority of a real pastor's work because it is more private with individuals or they see the pastor doing things that in reality are part of his job, but think that he is just doing them for the enjoyment of it and don't realize that he is actually doing his job as a pastor. They see him preaching on Sunday morning or teaching a Bible study class and think that's the biggest part of his job, but it's really only one of several tools he is using to accomplish a much bigger task.
The word in the original scriptures that's translated to "pastor" also means "shepherd", and shepherds spend almost all their time taking care of all of the needs of their sheep, and really very little time "teaching" the sheep. It's the same thing with a true pastor who is called by God and given the spiritual gifts of a pastor. The biggest part of his job is taking care of all of the spiritual and even many physical needs of his congregation. A Sunday sermon or Bible study class are only two of many tools that he will use to accomplish the task of caring for the spiritual well being of his congregation. Just as one example, you may see him eating with the congregation at a fellowship potluck. But he's not doing that because he's hungry. He planned the potluck (or had other people plan it) in order to encourage fellowship, because fellowship is spiritually beneficial as well as being a command in scripture. And if he's a proper pastor doing his job, he may look like he's just eating and having fun casual conversations with friends at his church, but in reality his eyes and ears are wide open looking and listening to everyone for hints of spiritual issues that he will be able to help with and watching for or planning opportunities to give the help. He will most likely draw on his experience, Biblical education, and his gifts of wisdom and counseling to help those who he learns need some help or encouragement. Individual Christians, especially when spiritually young and inexperienced, are seldom able to help themselves by simply reading scripture. When they try to do this on their own, they very often misunderstand or simply don't know how to apply what they are reading. A big part of a pastor's job is to help his congregation learn how to apply the principles of scripture that was written thousands of years ago to their lives in today's world. This is why most of them have gotten some sort of post graduate education in scriptures to make sure they understand the scriptures well enough to convey their principles to others without teaching things that are in error. Very few Christians, especially those who are new, can do this consistently on their own. This is why we are told not to forsake fellowship with other Christians!
So yes, there is a definite place for pastors that is given in scripture and we are not to belittle or discount the need for them.
