So when Men abdicate their spiritual authority God just stops?
No God does not stop, and neither does He contradict Himself. He finds other men to do the job. Many times those men are not acknowledged by those in leadership, but God's work carries on. If men abdicate their responsibilities, their women must also share the blame. A woman can make or break a man by how she supports him.
In any event, what we frequently find is that Christians resort to
humanistic thinking when they are unable to comprehend, or unwilling to submit to, what God says. If evangelical and fundamentalist churches were truly obeying the New Testament pattern of church organization, administration, and constitution, there would never be a shortage of elders from within the assembly. The sad fact is there are very few churches which simply go by what the Bible teaches. What we find in the epistles is this:
1. God is the one who raises up pastor/elders within the churches by giving men the spiritual gifts of evangelist, pastor, teacher, ruler, etc. so that they can function as spiritual leaders.
2. The existing elders must faithfully teach other mean what they have been taught and hand down the things which they have learned.
3. Since the qualifications of elders have been clearly spelled out, the existing elders must constantly be looking out for others who meet those qualifications and who are also "apt to teach", and then appoint (ordain) them as elders in the sight of the assembly.
4. Elders are to labor in the Word and in doctrine, and are to be financially supported by the church. Pastor/elders must "speak as the oracles of God", yet too many today neglect Scripture and concoct their on ideas.
5. Elders have a solemn responsibility to (a) feed the flock, (b) lead and take authority over the flock, (c) protect the flock from spiritual predators, and (e) also feed the lambs. Too many pastors think that preaching a few times during the week is sufficient, and too many fail to minister to individuals (the lambs) one-on-one to determine the spiritual health of the assembly. In other words they are not really doing their job.
6. It is God -- not man -- who has ruled out women from these responsibilities, so those who dispute the matter dispute with God, not man. He has also given us His reasons for doing so, whether they suit human logic or not.
7. The negligence of those who should be proper elders is also revealed in Scripture, and unfortunately churches are generally suffering because of this (Ezekiel 34:1-12):
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
