The cure for Presbyterianism

I read this letter of resignation from the Hollywood Presbyterian Church (via Hugh Hewitt) and was reminded of these statements:

We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

The Catholics have a point when they claim that their authority came by a direct line from Peter. Authority is passed by the laying on of hands according to scriptures, and it has to come from one who already holds it. And it has to be under the direction of prophecy, i.e. a righteous leader who is given the "keys" or directing power over the Church. These keys are given to the president or prophet of the Church, i.e. Peter, but they are also given to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. When the prophet dies or is removed, the Apostles meet and select the next prophet, according to revelation and acting unanimously. In the modern church, the prophet is always the most senior Apostle, i.e. he who has been an apostle longer than all the others. He picks two counselors who are also apostles. Any vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve are filled by prophecy through the prophet who calls and ordains and sets apart new Apostles. All apostles are witnesses to the world of Jesus Christ who guides and directs his church through the Holy Ghost to the Prophet and the Quorum.

Now, if and when the church hierarchy becomes corrupt, as it did following the death of the Apostles and the contests among various bishops for preeminence. The Pope, who was the bishop of Rome, but not an Apostle, eventually acquired more worldly authority and asserted his own authority through his military and political power over the rest of the church. After a time, only the two major branches, the Roman Catholic and the Greek Orthodox survived in any numbers.

When Martin Luther visited Rome and saw the way things were being run in the Church, he recognized that this couldn't be the way God would operate, for filthy lucre. He decided that the Papacy had become corrupt and decide to reject the authority of the Church.

Luther's problem was that if the Church was no longer divine, what authority did he have to reform it? He concluded that since the authority had been cut off from above, it would come up from the bottom through councils of elders or presbyters selected by the members of the congregation.

That is a better way to govern the churches given the atrocious behavior of the Catholic Church, but it is not the way Christ set it up, with Apostles guided by revelation, which by Luther's time the church no longer claimed to have. Paul wrote those lines " And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." How was Aaron called? By God, through Moses, who laid hands upon his head and ordained him the High Priest.

Revelation is the indispensable part of the true church of Jesus Christ. If your church doesn't teach it you need to pray for guidance.