____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ October 19, 1997 ____________________________________________________ Denominationalizing the Church (Part 5) by Roy E. Cogdill The church of the New Testament is undenominational for the reason that it had no denominational or human creed, and no denominational or human organization. When the church anywhere departs from this New Testament pattern either by changing its name, creed (belief and teaching) or organization, it becomes a denomination. Such a departure can characterize either just one congregation or a whole group of churches under the same leadership and influence. Perhaps the reason God in His infinite wisdom gave the church no other organization than the local body or congregation and authorizes no sort of federation of these local churches of Christ was in order to prevent wholesale apostasy. When churches are federated either in work or organization or by the pooling of their resources in some intercongregational project, it always means wholesale apostasy when a departure is made. The simple pattern of New Testament church organization had as its salient features: (1) Christ as its only authority -- ``the head over all things to the church, which is His body'' -- Eph. 1:22-23; (2) Elders over every local church of Christ -- Act 14:23; (3) Deacons as special servants -- Phil. 1:1; (4) and was composed of saints -- Phil 1:1. In the New Testament scriptures no man can find anything smaller, larger, or other than this simple organization. In any community saved people were added ``together'' to work together in Christian fellowship in accomplishing the mission God gave His church on this earth to perform. All that was accomplished in the New Testament day was done by Christians through and in this divine arrangement, unless it was purely individual action. When any other organization is formed, the church apostatizes and becomes a denominational or sectarian organization. The church can be as truly apostate when it departs from the divine pattern of organization as when it corrupts the worship with human innovations, or its teaching and faith with the doctrines and commandments of men. In fact, Satan has always started the people of God on the road to apostasy by corrupting their government. It was true when Israel wanted a ``king'' that they might be like the nations around them. It was true when the churches of the New Testament yielded to the spirit of iniquity already at work in Paul's day and departed from the principles of autonomy, independence, and equality of local churches of Christ. Out of this departure grew the ``man of sin, the son of perdition,'' the Roman Catholic church. The same thing was true when in the later part of the nineteenth century churches of Christ on this continent began to form themselves into ``co-operatives,'' later to merge these into the American Christian Missionary Society and finally to develop the Christian Church denomination. God's plan is elders, bishops, or pastors in every church. This means, as we have already pointed out, that each local church has its own elders or bishops to superintend and direct its work and that no eldership had the oversight of more than one local church either in its worship, work, resources, discipline or membership. The extending of the authority of elders is one sure way to corrupt the government of the church and lead the church into apostasy. It takes two things to make an elder in the church of the Lord. One is for a man to qualify to meet the divine standard required of elders and laid down by divine authority. These qualifications are found in I Timothy, chapter three, and in Titus, chapter one. No man perfectly possesses all of these qualifications, of course, but he must have all of them in a reasonable degree; and there are none of them that can be canceled out by the authority of anyone. The second thing required is appointment. The record says, ``And when they had ordained them elders in every church'' (Acts 14:23). Other translations read ``appointed.'' The apostle Paul and those accompanying him acted ``for'' the church in this appointing. It is implied that the church had some voice or right which was thus respected in this matter. It would be difficult for a man to act as an elder when the church did not approve or regard him as fit and qualified. The New Testament nowhere indicates that men just grew into and assumed this work of being an elder in the Lord's church. This would leave the church at the mercy of a man who considered himself qualified when the church did not so consider. On the other hand the church might consider a man as an elder, thinking that he had sufficiently grown or matured into such, when he did not so consider himself, and would therefore be unwilling to serve. ``Appointment'' is therefore a part of the divine plan. Not the arbitrary appointment of one man's judgment, but one approved by the church over which he is to be a bishop or overseer. This appointment which is a part of the divine plan for the governing of the Lord's church cannot be dispensed with by the authority of man any more than the qualifications set forth by the Lord. When a church tries to operate without elders to oversee its work, it is disorganized, haphazard in its work and is like any other organization without anyone with fixed responsibility in which the business and responsibility of everyone belongs to no one. Only in their immaturity and until they develop qualified men did churches of the New Testament period carry on their work under such a handicap. How does a church operate without elders? God nowhere tells us. If he had, we would have an option or choice to carry on the work of the church either with or without elders. But God's plan calls for elders in ``every church'' and this expression is as definite and mandatory as it can be made. Compare ``kata mien sabbaton,'' ``kata polin,'' and ``kata ecclesian.'' The first expression is found in the Greek New Testament -- I Cor. 16:1. The second expression is found in Titus 1:5. The third expression is found in Acts 14:23. The first means ``every first day of the week.'' The second means ``every city,'' and the third means ``every church.'' Those preachers who try by every kind of sophistry and conniving that can be devised to get rid of the scriptural organization of ``elders in every church'' had just well get rid of the idea of contribution ``every first day,'' for one goes as easy and rightly as the other. It is as scriptural for one eldership to be over many churches as it is for a church to set aside New Testament teaching and operate permanently without an eldership. Both represent a departure from the government ordained by the Lord for His church. In a district court trial in a law suit concerning the elders and the preacher of a local church of Christ a number of years ago, when the preacher on the stand was questioned by the district judge and denied that the church either had any elders or needed any and was directly asked ``who is in authority or has charge of the work of this organization?'', the preacher replied, ``no one.'' Upon being given this answer the judge remarked, ``This is the first thing that claims to be an organic body that I have heard of without any organization or without either head or tail to its organization.'' Unscrupulous men of ambition are left free to promote and direct the affairs of the Lord's church to their own satisfaction when there are no elders. Often -- far too often these unscrupulous men are preachers who simply do not want the restrictions of working under an eldership. Such men are anarchists and spiritual bolsheviks at heart no matter how sound they may be otherwise. -- January 6, 1966 ___________________________________________ WHAT IT MEANS TO PREACH JESUS by Dee Bowman Jesus Christ is the central theme of all gospel preaching (Acts 5:42; 8:35; 17:3; I Cor. 1:23, etc.). Without Him there is no gospel, no message of salvation. What exactly does it mean to preach Christ? It means to preach Jesus as Savior. Some say, ``we need to preach the man more than the plan.'' Such is impossible; and such thinking is erroneous. The man is the plan and the plan is the man. You cannot separate the two. And you cannot preach one without the other. The same one who is our Lord is also our Savior (from a word which meant a deliverer, a preserver). The angelic annunciation is the declaration for all the ages, ``For unto is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord'' (Luke 2:11). It means to preach Jesus as Lord. Certainly Christ is Savior; but He cannot be Savior and not be Lord. All that He commands is bound up in His lordship. The term ``Lord'' indicates a need for respect and obedience; it is from a Greek term kurios which was first an adjective used to describe one with power or authority. If you accept Him as Savior it means you accept all He says as Lord. That means you accept His authority just as you accept His grace. In Acts 2:36 as the first gospel sermon was being brought to a final climax, Peter said, ``Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made this same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.'' It means to preach Jesus as our guide. ``All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way'' (Isa. 53:6). In order for us to return to the right way a guide is necessary. He is that guide. There is none other; only He is qualified to be our guide, for only He can sympathize with our needs (Heb. 4:15-16). John, in his vision on Patmos, said ``For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them and shall lead them unto living waters...'' We certainly are in need of such favor. And He is there to be of such service. (I Cor. 15:19-22) It means to preach Jesus as our hope. ``Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Savior, Jesus Christ'' is what keeps us afloat in the turbulent sea of life. It's what keeps us aloof from the squalor and filth in which we must exist while here in this world. It's the means of our sustenance in the middle of a desert which offers almost nothing at all to sustain us. Hope is the confident expectation that we shall be someday at home with Him. How sad that some have such shallow hope on account of such small faith. How sad that some cannot know the peace of God on account of their own sins. ``If in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.'' What a blessed hope! It means to preach Jesus as our example. Jesus lived among us and was subjected to every human feeling. He is our example of every good thing, our sample of every virtue, every grace, every noble inclination. Without Him we have no way to know for sure how life is to be lived. As the song says, ``He the great example is, and pattern for me.'' It means to preach Jesus as our judge. Those who see only the grace and mercy of Jesus have greatly misjudged His essential nature. In order to be God He must not only abhor all that is evil, but He must pronounce judgment on evil doers. Jesus came as our Savior; He came as our Lord; He is our great hope. But the final work of Jesus, this Son of God, will be to ``judge the world in righteousness...'' Let us be impressed with His love and mercy; but let us not forget that ``it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.'' -- Via Online Southside Reminder (August 9, 1995) ___________________________________________ TIME by Frank Chesser From out of the bosom of eternity came time. God ``inhabiteth eternity'' (Isa. 57:15), while man dwells in time. Eternity gave birth to time as a temporary arrangement for transient humanity. ``One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day'' (2 Pet. 3:8) is Peter's way of saying that time means nothing to God. God was not younger when time began, nor will he be older when time ends. ``In the beginning'' marks the commencement of time, the universe, and man (Gen. 1:1). At time's inception, there was no backward look, for back of time is eternity. Everything material is limited by time, as is time itself, for time's final sunset was planned in eternity. Time is not eternity's, for eternity is beginningless and endless. If time's duration is a billion years, it will only be a microscopic speck on the unending shores of eternity. When eternity bids good-bye to time, time will not be missed. There will be no void to fill. Man's body is born for time; his time for eternity. The moment he enters the door marked ``Life,'' he commences a hasty exit toward the door marked ``Death.'' His days on earth pass with more swiftness than a ``weaver's shuttle'' (Job 7:6), a fleeing ``shadow'' (Job 14:2), or a dissipating ``vapor'' (James 4:14). Time marks him at birth and claims him at death. Time rushes on, unchecked, unaltered, carrying every material object to its inevitable end. Rust, decay, and death are its perpetual companions. We are all running out of time. The only thing that matters is: Are you prepared to meet God? Are the books of your life balanced? Are you ready to go? When time is swallowed up in eternity, where will you be? ``Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation'' (2 Cor. 6:2). ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES Let us be praying for the following people: Angie Pitman, who is still in the local hospital. Ada May Perry, who recently had a stroke and is hospitalized at Cabel-Huntington. (Ada has visited with us several times.) Christine Stambaugh, who also was back in the hospital recently, but now back at home. She still, however, needs our prayers to regain her health and strength. Ernest Hamm, who has been very sickly for some time now. I was sorry to hear that Orville Mower of the Wheelersburg church of Christ recently passed away. I will remember him for his gentle and pleasant disposition; his positive outlook on life, even when undergoing adversities; his good-natured humor; and for his outgoing personality and warm friendliness. We welcome each of you who are here as visitors today. Please come again! Free Bible courses are available upon request. Why not ask for one today? We also have Bible film slides to show in the homes of those of you in our area. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________