Here’s a clear, Bible-based deep dive into how the First Church handled spiritual accountability, submission, and church community — without creating oppressive legalism or cult-style control.

REALISM: Was the First Church Like the Modern Control-Based Church?

Let’s tackle each point truthfully, biblically, and contextually — comparing the true First Church to today’s “oversight culture”, including authoritarianism, “submission rules,” and fear of so-called “church hoppers.”

1) Did First Church Leaders Keep Tabs on Who Was “Fellowshipping with the Saints”?

Short Answer: No area forced compliance, sin consciousness, shepherding monitoring/ tracking.

• Fellowship was relational and organic, not institutional or mandatory.

• In Acts 2:42, believers devoted themselves to fellowship — it was voluntary, from love and shared faith.

• No record of apostles or leaders keeping attendance records or issuing rebukes for missed meetings.

*** Mighty Relationships: “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house…”
— Acts 2:46

No “church police” checking if people were showing up.

It was about the life of the Spirit, not religious duty.

2) Did Anyone “Officially Join One Church”?

Short Answer: No “church membership” system.

• You became part of the Church by being born again and added to the Body of Christ by the Spirit (1 Cor 12:13).

• No record of signing forms, pledges, or “joining” one specific local church.

• Believers moved freely as missionaries, travelers, or persecuted exiles.

“And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
— Acts 2:47

3) Were Believers Required to “Submit to a Local Pastor”?

Short Answer: Not in the modern, controlling sense.

• Submission was mutual and based on love, service, and shared respect.

• There’s no verse that says you must “submit to the local senior pastor” by title or hierarchy.

• Pastors (Greek: poimēn, shepherds) were servants, not authoritarian rulers.

“Obey them that have the rule over you…” (Heb 13:17)
The word “rule” is hēgeomai, meaning to lead by influence or example, not dictate.

“Submit yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”
— Ephesians 5:21

4) Was Their “Submission Doctrine” Like the Shepherding Movement?

Short Answer: Absolutely not.

The Shepherding Movement (1970s–90s) taught:

• You must have be under submission to “our style of governing” (controlling) authority’ shepherd” (usually all authoritarian LP male)

• women are second class, and by MANY White WELP must be monitored, targeted, kept back, for they are prone to be seductive, witchy, want top control, “like EVE” (worst case like I Samuel 1-2 “Eli and both of his Big Boss Ministry Sons:”they viewed women as either their property ,their willing slave or their potential concubine “Sister T Deepwest recurring subculture study)
• 

• You must get approval from top patriarch can’t change jobs, move cities, or marry without their approval

• Rebellion was equal to witchcraft (1 Sam 15:23 twisted)

The First Church never did this.

• Paul warned against lording over others (2 Cor 1:24).

• He promoted freedom in Christ and personal responsibility (Galatians 5:1).

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free…”
— Galatians 5:1

5) Did The First Church Five Fold Offices Watch Out for “Church Hoppers”?

Short Answer: No record of it. “Church hopping” didn’t exist as a concept.

• Early believers moved city to city for the Gospel, persecution, or to spread the Word (Acts 8:1, Acts 11:19).

• Paul greeted believers across multiple fellowships without rebuke (Romans 16).

• There was no idea of being “unfaithful” for attending different gatherings.

“I commend unto you Phebe our sister… receive her in the Lord…”
— Romans 16:1–2
(Phoebe traveled and ministered between churches.)

The obsession with “church loyalty” today is often about retention and control, not biblical doctrine.

6) What Were the “Submission Rules” in the First Church?

Short Answer: Submission was based on honor, mutuality, and conscience.

• Ephesians 5:21: “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

  • Greek: hypotassō – to yield, to voluntarily place yourself under.

  • Not forced.

  • Not one-way.

  • Not  gender-only. It was ‘offices, elders, lay, married couples” NO SLAVE OWN OFFICES OR WEDDED MAN, leader WOMAN

  • A mutual respect between believers under Christ’s lordship. 

• No checklist, no micromanaging.
  

• BIG POINT There NO  “patriarchy” in the Christian offices, ministry ...back then..later it comes in with the big influences of Roman, hierarchy, orthodoxy after Constantine made “the Church Official” but lost it’s “pure organic” fully ‘free servant,Ephesians 5:21,  mutual submission , EPHESIANS 4″community Jesus left style

POINT: Was Christ, the First Chief Apostles “Patriarchs?”

ChatGPT said:

Short answer: No — Christ and the first apostles were not “patriarchs” in the biblical or cultural sense.
Let’s define the word, walk through what Scripture says, and explain why the First Church government was spiritual and functional, not patriarchal and title-based.

What Is a Patriarch?

Definition:

Patriarch comes from the Greek:
πατριάρχης (patriarchēs) =

• “patēr” (father) + “archē” (chief, ruler)
  = “Father-ruler” or founding father

In the Bible:

• Used rarely and specifically of the Old Testament ancestral fathers:

  “The patriarch Abraham…” — Hebrews 7:4
  “The patriarch David…” — Acts 2:29

• Refers to family lineage and covenantal ancestry, not spiritual office.

WAS JESUS A PATRIARCH?

Understanding Biblical Leadership vs. Modern Christian Patriarchy

MAIN BIG POINT:  Jesus Was Not a Patriarch

• Jesus is not called a patriarch in the Bible.

• He is called:

  • The Son of God (John 1:34)

  • The Lamb of God (John 1:29)

  • The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)

  • The Bridegroom (Matt 9:15)

  • Our Great High Priest (Heb 4:14)

  • The Head of the Church (Eph 5:23)

BIG CHARISMATIC POINT:“Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.”
— Matthew 23:9

• Jesus distanced Himself from hierarchical religious identity.

• He modeled servant leadership, not rulership or title-based covering.

“I am among you as he that serveth.” — Luke 22:27

I. Defining the Term “Patriarch”

Patriarch (from Greek patriarchēs – πατριάρχης):

• “Pater” (πατήρ) = father

• “Archē” (ἀρχή) = beginning, ruler, chief
  = “Father-ruler” or “founding father”

In the Bible:

• The term is used sparingly and specifically:

  “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David...”
  — Acts 2:29 KJV

• Refers to ancestral fathers: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David—not religious titles.

MAIN MEGA LEADER POINT
2. Jesus Disrupted the Human Patriarchal Systems

• He valued women and invited them to follow Him publicly (Luke 8:1–3).

• He included Gentiles, Samaritans, the poor, and sinners—those often excluded by patriarchal religion.

• He corrected the male-dominated temple system, overturning tables and confronting injustice (Matthew 21:12-13).

“The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.”
— Matthew 19:30

POINT The First Apostles Were Not Patriarchs

• Peter, James, John, and Paul never called themselves patriarchs.

• Paul instead said:

  “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.”
  — 2 Corinthians 4:5

Apostles were:

• Sent ones (Greek: apostolos = messenger, ambassador)

• Functioning in mission, not patriarchal control

• Not called “fathers” over churches:

  • Paul referred to himself as a father in the faith only in relational, not authoritative terms

    “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers…” — 1 Cor 4:15

  • 

 

Why the Early Church Was Not Patriarchal

1. Mutual Submission

“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” — Ephesians 5:21

2. Shared Leadership

• Acts 15: Council of apostles and elders

• No “Chief Apostle Patriarch” giving orders

3. Women Functioned Alongside Men

• Priscilla taught Apollos (Acts 18:26)

• Phoebe carried Paul’s letter to Rome (Romans 16:1–2)

• Junia called “outstanding among the apostles” (Romans 16:7)

4. No Hereditary Office or Patriarchal Line

• Leadership was based on calling and gifting, not gender or bloodline

 Modern Misuse: “Christian Patriarchy” vs First Church Reality

First Church (Acts–Epistles)	Modern Patriarchal Culture
Jesus = Servant, Shepherd, Savior	Jesus viewed as General or Boss
Apostles = Sent ones, builders	Apostles seen as rulers or “fathers”
Church = Body of Christ, led by Spirit	Church = Pyramid, ruled by man
Submission = Voluntary, mutual	Submission = Demanded, one-way
No patriarchal succession	Dynastic church families/brands

DEEP DIVE: Apostle Paul’s Government Style (Eph 4 & Eph 5)

Ephesians 4:11–16: Fivefold Ministry as Equip-Not-Control

• Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher = gifts to build up, not titles to dominate

• Purpose:

  “For the perfecting of the saints… that we henceforth be no more children…”
  — Ephesians 4:12–14

• Paul’s leadership was fatherly, not patriarchal authoritarianism

• He modeled empowerment, not surveillance.

Ephesians 5:21–33: Submission in Context

• Verse 21: Mutual submission of all believers

• Verse 22: Wives to husbands – as unto the Lord, not blindly

• Verse 25: Husbands love wives as Christ loved the church = sacrificial, servant leadership

Paul never taught “submission” as a weapon.

III.BETWEEN SAUL AND PAUL

What Was the Role of the Temple Overseer?

The Temple Overseer in Jewish life was:

• Usually a Levite, part of the tribe given religious duties.

• A High Priest or chief elder.

• Operated under the Law of Moses and national religious structure.

By Jesus’ time:

These roles had become corrupt and politically entwined (see Caiaphas, Annas).

Jesus often confronted their legalism and hypocrisy (Matthew 23).

IV. Saul Before He Was Paul: The Legalistic Patriarchal Enforcer

Before becoming Paul:

• Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee of Pharisees (Philippians 3:5–6).

• He was deeply embedded in the male-dominated, hierarchical, law-based system.

• He persecuted the early Christians in the name of tradition and authority.

“…beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it.”
— Galatians 1:13

After encountering Christ:

• He completely rejected external religious prestige.

• He called himself a “servant” and the “least of the apostles.”

V. What Is the “Christian Ministry Patriarchy” Today?

In recent decades, especially in Western evangelicalism and charismatic circles, a Christianized version of patriarchy has emerged. Key features include:

1. Hierarchy by Gender

• ONLY Male leaders at the top 

• Female believers often viewed dependent, guillible, “Jezebel”ttroublemakers, witches time wasters,  “rebellious”

• Also “must be targeted, monitored” by LP charismatic Shepherding WELP false doctrine nouveau riche move

2. “Covering Theology” and Spiritual Chains of Command

• Teaches that every Christian (especially women) must be “under a man’s authority”

• Often abuses 1 Corinthians 11:3 without proper Greek/Hebrew context

3. Man-Centered Ministry Models

• The rise of “Big Boss” culture in church: Senior Apostle, Bishop, Overseer, Founder

• Celebrities replace servant-leaders

• Modern “patriarchs” often control decision-making, doctrine, and direction

4. Exclusion of Women in Fivefold Offices (I give each reader my permission to hear God on this in Philippians 2:12)

• Many churches claim that apostles, prophets, and pastors must be male by divine order

• Yet the New Testament shows women functioned as prophets, apostles, and leaders (Romans 16, Acts 21:9)

VI. Comparing First Church Government to Modern Patriarchal Models

MAIN POINT:  First Church Was Spirit-Led, Not System-Controlled