The “priests” of the Catholic “church” held lots of power in their hands, not for the good of the people but so that they could retain power and authority over the people to control and manipulate them. They accomplished this by not allowing the people to read the scriptures and kept them in their ignorance and bondage.

Many (not all) who lead churches today also have taken that same path so that they can retain power and authority over them to control and manipulate the people in their churches for personal gain.

Jesus said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto Me. 

As human beings we are ALL called to submit to His authority and power. He has not given all authority and power to any man but has called those who lead churches to serve the people and feed them as shepherds under the Chief Shepherd Who is Christ Himself.

The Head of the church is Christ Himself and He appointed leaders in churches to serve and feed the sheep who belong to Him not any man, cos it is He bought His people with a great price shedding His blood for them.

SOLUTION

If the believers stay ignorant they will allow themselves to be controlled and manipulated, so get out of this ignorance!

The only answer to this is for everyone to search and study the scriptures and know it just as the Bereans did who searched the scriptures to check if what Paul spoke was right according to scriptures or not. Paul was not upset by this but he commended them as being more noble than others.

If Paul was checked in his time, today also believers need to check the leaders who lead and serve them – no man is infallible and can drift in their ways along the way. Only God and His word is infallible and God has not given all authority and power to any man on earth. 

In the New Covenant, every born-again believer is a priest who has received the Holy Spirit and has the Word of God in his hands, so discern and check those leaders under whose care you are and submit to those leaders who have submitted themselves to God and His Word.