|
|
                                
|
The Identity of the Church By Its OrganizationIntroduction:
I. Need to identify the New Testament Church.
II. Can do so by noting the organization.
III. Any church or religious organization today which does
not have the same organization that the church of the
New Testament had is not the church of Christ.
Body:
I. The Organization of the New Testament Church Was
Simple. Today Some Are Complex.
A. Christ was head.
1. Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18
2. There was no earthly head. (No vicar of Christ
on earth).
3. Any church with an earthly head is not the
church over which Christ is Head.
B. Plurality of Elders in Every Church.
1. Acts 14:23
2. Titus 1:5
3. Acts 20:17; 20:28
4. Qualifications:
a. 1 Timothy 3:1-7
b. Titus 1;5-7
C. Deacons
1. Acts 6:1-6
2. Philippians 1:1
3. Appointed by the Apostles to meet a need.
4. Apostles had power to bind and loose. Matthew
16:19
5. We do not have the power to bind and loose.
6. Anything not already bound is not to be bound.
Anything bound is not to be loosed.
D. Members
1. Penitent Baptized Believers.
a. Mark 16:16
b. Acts 2:41; 2:47
c. Galatians 3:27
E. Here New Testament Legislation Stops.
1. No room for one pastor or elder and Board of
Deacons.
2. No room for only one or no elders or pastor and
a Board of Stewards.
3. No societies to do the work of the work other
local congregation.
II. There is No Inter-Congregational Organization
A. Each congregation was a local autonomy.
B. No State or district conventions to legislate
doctrine or policy.
C. No National Board of Missions.
1. Work of Local Congregation.
D. No Board to legislate where and when each preacher
was to go to a new work.
E. Question: “Where does it say not to have these
things?”
1. They are condemned by the law of exclusion.
2. God has specified what was to do be done and how
it was to be done. All else was therefore
necessarily excluded.
3. Example of Nadab and Abihu. Leviticus 10:1-3
4. Example of Noah building ark of gopher wood.
III. The Church MUST be Built According to the Divine
Pattern.
A. God has given us the pattern.
B. Tabernacle – a type of the church – to be built
according to the pattern.
1. Exodus 25:8-9; 25:40
2. Hebrews 8:4-6
a. Had to be built by pattern.
(1) to be pleasing to God.
(2) to be his dwelling place.
(3) that it might adequately serves as
pattern for heavenly – church.
C. Not to go beyond things which are written. 1
Corinthians 4:16 (RSV)
D. 2 John 9
E. Not to add to nor to subtract from: Revelation
22:18-19.
F. The Divine pattern is sufficient.
1. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
2. 2 Peter 1:3
G. Seed of Kingdom [the gospel]
1. Seed of Kingdom is sown to produce the right
material for church.
2. When seed of Kingdom is sown, we will have the
church as God has given it; as it pleases Him,
anything else does not constitute the church of
God.
3. The church will be organized as God gave it,
worshipping, and working as God ordained.
IV. Some ask, “Can you trace the church of Christ Back
through the centuries to the New Testament.
A. Some denominations make much ado about tracing a
lineage to the New Testament.
1. Consequently they claim groups back through the
ages as being the same as that particular
denomination, when history clearly reveals that
those groups taught things which were
diametrically opposed to the things taught by
the denominations claiming them.
B. No need to make so much ado about nothing.
C. No need to trace the Church back through the
centuries to be the New Testament.
1. Paul prophesied of a falling away. 2
Thessalonians 2:1-7; 1 Timothy 4:1-3
2. John prophesied that the Church would go into
hiding. Revelation 12:13-17
D. “The Word of God Is the Seed of the Kingdom.” Luke
8:11
1. This seed produced Christians when first
planted.
2. If we plant the same seed today, we will reap
the same product.
3. The life is in the seed.
4. If there were not a Christian on earth today,
you might become one by believing, repenting,
confessing your faith in Christ and being
baptized.
5. If there were not a church of Christ on earth we
might start one by obeying the gospel the
apostles preached.
a. Paul went to Corinth and preached the gospel.
b. “Many of the Corinthians hearing, believed,
and were baptized.”
c. Paul later addressed them as the “church of
God” and “the body of Christ.” 1 Corinthians
1:2; 1 Corinthians 12:27
Conclusion: 1. Nineteen centuries have passed since the beginning of the church, but we still have the same truth. 2. We have the same church unchanged in name, doctrine, organization, faith, and practice. 3. We dare not use any creed except the New Testament. 2 John 9 4. We must not add to our worship, any doctrine or commandment of men. Matthew 15:9 5. Our plea is for unity – not during a so-called union meeting – but for all time on the platform given in God’s Word. Ephesians 4:4-6 6. We plead no merit of our own – only the merit of Christ’s shed blood and of his holy Word. 7. The New Testament is the Word of God. 8. It is inspired of God and is superior to any human confession of faith. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 9. Will you not join with us in standing on the solid rock of God’s word, and will you not come today in obedience to that simple Gospel, while we stand and sing. Howard I. See
|
