So you must reject Ephesians 4:11 from Scripture. By doing so you also reject Revelation 22:19.
How do preachers or teachers explain this?
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what you are dealing with is a Christ‑only teacher exclusivism rooted in Gnostic and anti‑ecclesial spiritualism, not Scripture.
It claims that no human can teach heavenly truth and that Jesus alone is the Teacher, even though Scripture explicitly says God gave teachers to the church (Eph 4:11), commands believers to teach one another (Matt 28:19–20), and shows the Spirit working through human teachers (1 Cor 12:28; 2 Tim 2:2). Historically, this system traces back to Gnosticism (2nd century), which taught that only heavenly beings can teach divine truth; Montanism, which rejected human teachers in favor of direct revelation; Quietism, which claimed God teaches the soul without human instruction; and modern anti‑church movements that say “no pastor but Jesus.”
The idea that human teachers cannot teach divine truth is not biblical — it is a post‑biblical spiritualist system that contradicts the very structure Jesus and the apostles established for the church. Thats the system your fighting, not the person. Be patient my friend.
No, that is not what Jesus was saying to James and John. They hadn't asked Him how they could be saved. They asked up for special positions in heaven. Nowhere in the Bible are we told that in order to be saved, we must drink the same cup Christ drank. Certainly we are told that once sinners are saved they will suffer for it, but that is because they have been saved, not in order to be saved. It is just wrong to say that we all have to believe that Jesus told James and John they had to drink the same cup as Him if we are to know the one true God.
We who have come to know the one true God bear witness to the truth of Ecclesiastes 1:9 and Matthew 24:35. Therefore, what the Lord said to James and John concerning what they must do in order to be saved is not limited to them alone. The Lord’s words apply to all people at all times, including those living in our present age. What He commanded them for their salvation is likewise relevant to us today.
MALACHI 3:6
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
If you have a different belief and understanding, I will respect and leave you to your own convictions.
James and John were not asking how to be saved, and Jesus was not giving them a salvation requirement. They asked for positions of authority in the Kingdom (Mark 10:35–37), and Jesus responded by asking whether they were prepared to share in His suffering, not His atonement. The “cup” and “baptism” in this passage always refer to suffering, persecution, and martyrdom — never salvation — and Jesus explicitly says they will drink it (v. 39), yet He also says that granting positions in glory “is not Mine to give” (v. 40). That alone proves the cup is not a salvation condition. The Crucifixion is the unique, once‑for‑all atoning work of the Son (Heb 10:12–14), not something any human must duplicate to be saved. Malachi 3:6 means God’s character does not change; it does not mean every command given to apostles applies universally. Jesus was correcting ambition, not teaching soteriology.
God is just, so He treats all people equally. He is consistent. Whatever command He gives to one person is also a command for all people.
From a human perspective, it may be understandable why different commandments are given to different people. But with God, His commands are given equally to all.
God is just, but He does not give the same command to every person. Scripture shows God giving different commands to different individuals, tribes, prophets, apostles, kings, and nations — and He holds each accountable only for the command given to them. Noah was commanded to build an ark; Abraham was commanded to sacrifice Isaac; Moses was commanded to confront Pharaoh; Jonah was commanded to go to Nineveh; Paul was commanded to go to Macedonia; Ezekiel was commanded to lie on his side for 390 days; Hosea was commanded to marry a harlot. None of these commands apply universally. God’s justice means He judges each person according to the command given to them, not according to commands given to others. Malachi 3:6 means God’s character does not change — not that His commands are identical for all people. Scripture itself proves your claim cannot stand.
You seem to want to set yourself apart as one who has come to know the one true God. All true Christians know the one true God. I too believe the verses you quote. However, I don't necessarily interpret them as you do. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says:
NKJV Ecc 1:9 That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.
You seem to interpret that as meaning that every event recorded in the Bible must still be happening today. But that cannot be correct. There are many events recorded in the Bible that are not happening today. Jesus Christ came to this earth as a Man, with a physical body. That actual body ascended to heaven, so it is no longer here on earth. The apostle Peter preached to Cornelius. He is not preaching to Cornelius now. The Israelites were in captivity for 70 years in Babylon. They are not now. And so I could go on.
Matthew 24:235 says:
NKJV Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
That verse does not say or mean: "Every event recorded in My word will continue happening until the end of time."
But as I said before, you are wrong when you say that Jesus was telling James and John what to do in order to be saved. Being saved was not what the passage is about. James and John requested special positions in heaven. They were not asking Jesus how to be saved.
I am sharing the truth that salvation is not easy for God’s lost sheep.
MATTHEW 7:13-14
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
However, the belief you are teaching people is that salvation is easy, like walking on the broad road. But its end leads to destruction.
MATTHEW 7:13
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
It is truly unfortunate that many are being misled by the teaching that salvation is simple and easy.
That is why God has given a warning to His lost sheep about those who teach that salvation is merely simple and easy.
God has exposed them and described them in His Word.
MATTHEW 7:15
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
I do not reject Ephesians 4:11, because those words come from God. What I reject is the human interpretation and understanding of Ephesians 4:11. The problem is not with God’s Word, but with the way people understand and interpret it. When that understanding is wrong, it can lead people toward destruction rather than salvation.
That is why your clear understanding of Ephesians 4:11 is not in accordance with the truth.
OLD TESTAMENT:
ECCLESIASTES 1:9
9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
NEW TESTAMENT:
MATTHEW 24:35
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
MALACHI 3:6
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Yes, Jesus taught that there are difficulties in the way for people becoming Christians, and persecutions once we are Christians.. However, we need to balance that with other things He said. For example:
NKJV Mat 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Mat 11:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Jhn 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
He dies for His sheep. He doesn't leave them to die for themselves.
He has done the work of saving sinners. He bore the sins of His sheep on the cross.
If you tell one friend, "Could you please hold my drink?" and tell another friend, "Could you please pass me the salt?" does that mean you have changed? No.
God giving one command to one person and a completely different command to another does not mean He has changed. Your understanding of this matter is deeply flawed.
I get what you’re saying—you’re not rejecting Ephesians 4:11 itself, you’re rejecting what you see as a distorted human system built on it. I’m with you on this much: the danger is never the text; it’s always the interpretation. Where I stand, is that Ephesians 4:11 is describing Christ’s gifts to the church—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—given “for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12). It is not a salvation formula, not a hierarchy of worth, and not a control mechanism; it’s a functional description of how Christ builds up His people. If someone uses Ephesians 4:11 to create a system that makes salvation depend on submission to human offices, that’s abuse of the text, and I reject that as much as you do. My aim is to let the passage say what it actually says: Christ gives different roles for the sake of the whole body, while salvation itself remains grounded in Him alone, by grace through faith, not by office or title.
Where did I teach anyone that salvation is "easy"? Please quote me, and don't accuse me of anything unless you provide the direct quotations of my exact words as evidence.
No, they are not. You do not understand what the text is saying.
I understand why you quote Ecclesiastes 1:9, Matthew 24:35, and Malachi 3:6, but those verses do not overturn what I said.
When I read Ecclesiastes 1:9, I see Solomon describing the repetition of human patterns, not the repetition of God’s specific commands to individuals; otherwise every unique command in Scripture would have to be repeated forever, which is impossible.
Matthew 24:35 tells me Jesus’ words never expire, not that every event or every command continues unchanged in every era.
And Malachi 3:6 affirms God’s unchanging nature, not uniformity of commands across all people and all covenants. So when you uses those verses to argue that God must give the same command to everyone, you are applying a hyper‑literal, universalizing hermeneutic—a system that treats every command as timeless and identical for all people, even when Scripture itself shows God giving different instructions to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jonah, Ezekiel, Hosea, and Paul.
My position remains simple: God’s character never changes, but His commands vary according to calling, covenant, and purpose, exactly as Scripture demonstrates.
That just is not correct. God commanded Noah to build an ark. He commanded Moses to speak to Pharaoh, He commanded Saul/Paul to go into Damascus where he would be told what to do. Is God commanding you to build an ark, to speak to Pharaoh or to go into Damascus? Of course not!
EPHESIANS 4:11
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
The Lord clearly declared that He Himself would give apostles, evangelists, prophets, pastors, and teachers. Yet, it is people who appoint or elect them, rather than God.
According to human understanding, the Lord can no longer make these appointments because He is no longer physically present on earth. Therefore, people take it upon themselves to choose and appoint those who will hold these offices. Consequently, such appointments are not necessarily in accordance with the truth or with the will of God.
Why do people fail to understand what the apostles actually did, even though they can clearly read the account? Because Judas had fallen, they chose someone to take his place. There is no doubt that the apostles belonged to God. They even prayed to the Lord, asking Him to guide them in choosing the person who would replace Judas. Yet they ultimately chose Matthias as Judas’s replacement.
However, if the Lord alone is the One who appoints, and no human being has the authority to appoint, then even though these men were apostles, the one they appointed to replace Judas was rejected by the Lord.
ACTS 1:20-26
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
How much more, then, would this apply to those who make such appointments today, when they are not even confirmed apostles of the Lord like the eleven apostles were? Surely, the Lord would not acknowledge or accept such appointments.
Therefore, just as there were false prophets during the time of the New Testament, there are likewise pseudo-Christians today—people who may profess to follow Christ but whose teachings and practices are not truly in accordance with the truth.