A question was possed to me this morning, "what is an armor bearer, and should a pastor be telling a person in his congregation they are 'their armor-bearer'?"
Here is the definition of "armor bearer":
"One who carried the large shield and perhaps other weapons for a king (1 Samuel 31:4), commander-in-chief (2 Samuel 23:37), captain (1 Samuel 14:7) or champion (1 Samuel 17:7). All warriors of distinction had such an attendant.
Rather than perish by the hand of a woman, Abimelech called upon his armor-bearer to give him the finishing stroke (Judges 9:54), and when King Saul's armor-bearer refused to do this office for him that he might not become the prisoner of the Philistines, he took a sword himself and fell upon it (1 Samuel 31:4).
David became Saul's armor-bearer for a time, and Jonathan's armor-bearer was a man of resource and courage (1 Samuel 14:7). The shield-bearer was a figure well known in the chariots of Egypt and Assyria and the Hittites, his business being to protect his fighting companion during the engagement.
O.K. Here is my take on this matter of a pastor calling a person in their congregation "their armor-bearer." Armer bearers were people who did the bidding, toting, and carrying of the armor for prominent people, for the commander of the army. There is no mention of such a person within the Christian church.
First the leaders of the church are elders and they are not commanders of a real army or have need of someone who carries weapons.
When I hear a pastor speaking these kinds of words to one person in his congregation I get the impression that the pastor wants absolute power over the person to do his bidding.
This is frightening because the pastor is counting on one person to uphold him and be for him whatever he wants. This is not Biblical, it is a pastor misusing his power to control someone.
God calls for leaders in the church to depend on Christ, not on any particular congregant.
The issue here really is the false "one man pastor" system that perverts the model of the commands of Christ for the gathering of the believers.
God told each gathering to appoint elders, several men who would lead. They led by preaching and example, but they were not the ultimate authority over the gathering. Everyone in the gathering was to be led by the Holy Spirit.
The modern meaning of "pastor" has been perverted to mean "lording it over" those they consider to be under them. This is not Biblical and leads to perversions within leadership.
Matthew 20:25-26 "25 But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,…"
Matthew 20:27-28
27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Acts 14:22-23 "…22 strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed. "
"Pastoring" is a gift and a calling it is not a title or a position. There are several pastors called for in every gathering, no one of them has power over the others or over the congregation. They are teachers, preachers, and examples to the flock, not kings or priests dictating to the congregation. They make decisions together prayerfully seeking God for their decisions.
When a "pastor" acts like "the authority" over the members of a congregation, even expecting to be served by them, this pastor is abusing his calling.
There is NO model of an "armor bearer" in the new testament church. This term had to do with a man who did the bidding of the commander in an army carrying out orders by that commander. The armor-bearer provided the armor while helping to carry the weapons for the commander.
If a pastor users this term in reference to a person in the congregation he is using it out of context while spiritualizing a term that was meant for battle in the Old Testament.
There is no such person in the context of the church. No one carries weapons for others. Everyone must gain their power from the Holy Spirit. If anyone is depending on someone else to prop them up then they are not depending on the Holy Spirit.
Armor bearers who carry weapons for a commander do not exist in the church. This concept is not only grossly out of context it is the misuse of God's Word.
2 Timothy 2:15
"15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."
When a leader takes scripture out of context as a means of exerting power over others or even to flatter them, they are abusing the Word and the person to whom they are speaking. We are free to reject the pressure as well as decline the expectations of a power monger.
There are many people now who take scripture out fo context to make it say what they want, but leads to a wrong and even sinful conclusion.
Never allow one of these scripture twisters to tell you what you must do. Christ will tell us what He wants and it will never be out of context with the truth of the Bible.
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