The Organization of the Church
The Organization of the Church
Jesus said, "Upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates
of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). Anything Jesus
promised is important, anything Jesus built is important and anything He
has anything to do with must be impregnable. Nothing above or beneath
this earth life will prevail against Christ's great project, the
building of His church. In our study so far, we have seen its nature,
and what being a member of it involves. Today, our study turns to the
organic form Jesus gave His church. With the numerous and varied
organic structures one sees through the entire religious spectrum, you
will truly be surprised to find that the organization of Christ's church
is the paragon of simplicity. Please stay tuned.
But first, the West End Church of Christ presents these fifteen
minute sermons each Sunday. We have only one reason for doing it -- we
want to preach the truth of God's word without being restricted by human
doctrines, creeds, and wisdom. That is why we repeatedly ask anyone who
listens to communicate with us if you do not agree with what we teach on
this program. This is not done out of a spirit of dare, or challenge,
but in sincerity and in the interest of being absolutely right about the
most important issue of this life and of eternity.
We also want to invite you to attend our services. Bible study
begins at 9 a.m. Sunday morning followed at 10 a.m. for worship -- we
honor God in the reading and teaching of His word, several prayers,
gospel songs, giving of our means, and partaking of the sacred memorial
feast of the Lord's Supper. Sunday evening we assemble for worship at 6
p.m. and mid-week Bible study is each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Our
meeting house is located at the corner of Parkside Drive and Old
Morgantown Road, just across from Lampkin Park and Tapp’s Drive-in.
Please be our guest today.
Just think for a moment of the different forms of church
government you either know about directly, or have read about, or heard
about. Consider the highly intricate organic form of Catholicism. From
a book entitled, "The Visible Church," by John F. Sullivan, which is
called "A Text-book for Catholic Schools," consider the following
description of the organic form of that religious institution.
"The Catholic Church is a society instituted by Jesus Christ to
teach God's truth to men. Like other societies, it has a government.
This is known as the hierarchy, from the Greek, meaning priestly rule.
"All the grades of the hierarchy form the clergy, meaning 'the
chosen ones.'
"Through the sacrament of Holy Orders the hierarchy receives its
power of offering public worship, of administering most of the
sacraments, and of instructing the faithful; and it is therefore known
as the Hierarchy of Order . It possesses also the power of making laws
and of ruling the faithful; and it is therefore known as the Hierarchy
of Jurisdiction.
"Two parts of the Church's government were instituted by our Lord
-- the papacy (the office of Pope) and the episcopacy (the office of
bishop). A bishop is one who has received all the powers of the
priesthood. A priest is one who has received these powers incompletely;
for some religious acts, such as ordination, can be performed only by a
bishop." (page 1).
Reading further, the book tells us more of the office of the Pope.
"The Pope. The supreme ruler of the Church on earth is the Pope, who is
the Bishop of Rome, the successor of St. Peter in that see. He has
authority over all Catholics. None of his power is derived from anyone
but God, and he is responsible to no human being.
"The Pope's Powers.
1. He may make laws for the whole Church and for any part of it.
2. He can inflict censures (such as excommunication) on any one.
3. He can reserve to himself the power of absolving from sins.
4. He alone can make, suppress and divide dioceses, and approve new
religious orders.
5. He can dispense from any vow.
"His Infallibility. The Pope is infallible in matters of faith
and morals; that is, when he defines a doctrine of faith or morals to be
held by the whole Church, he speaks without error or the possibility of
error." (Ibid., page 2). This book has the official Nihil Obstat by
Arthurus J. Scanlan, and the Imprimatur: by Patritius J. Hayes, both
formerly part of the official Catholic board of censors.
The form of government just described is based on two fallacious
assumptions, namely, that Jesus made Peter the first in a long line of
Popes, and that those who became "Bishops of Rome" were selected to
succeed Peter. Neither assumption can possibly be proved. The simple
fact that Jesus called the church His own, and that it would rest on the
deity of Christ, not the person of Peter, is ample proof that the
Catholic assumption is totally unwarranted. No, dear friends, Jesus
didn't build that kind of organization for His church.
Another form of church government very popular is called "The
General Conference" form. The Methodist Church is organized under this
kind of church government. And the General Conference has the power of
administration in that denominational body. Baptist Churches, though
divided into different kinds, generally follow the Convention kind of
church government, where delegates from the various local Baptist
churches are chosen and authorized to vote in the Convention, the wishes
of the local or district group they represent. And our question must be
at this point, is this the kind of government Jesus gave His church? If
so, we ought to be able to find some semblance of this in the Bible.
But first, please note that if the Catholic form of government is
really that which Christ gave His church, The Conference Method, The
Convention Method, or any other form that does not recognize the
Catholic Hierarchy cannot be right. On the other hand, if the
Convention and Conference methods are right, the Hierarchical form is
wrong. Surely, we would not imagine that Jesus would have build His own
church, and allowed those who would claim to be His followers, to form
it into whatever form of Church government and administration that
suited their fancies. No, dear friends, Jesus settled the organized
form of His church through His apostles, and through no other body of
men.
In a previous study, the fact that the term church is used both in
a wide and comprehensive sense as well as a local sense was established.
In the widest sense, the church may be considered a universal body,
without any organic form at all. There are no officers over it, no work
for it to perform, and no organic form through which it may function.
It is a relationship that exists between every saved person on earth and
Christ Jesus, the Savior.
The church in the more common sense is a local group of baptized
believers who function together as a single unit. The Bible speaks of
numerous of these local groups. One reads of "the church at Jerusalem"
(Acts 11:22) or "the church of God at Corinth" (I Corinthians 1:1) or
sometimes of "the churches of Galatia (Galatians 1:2). Paul wrote the
church at Rome and sent greetings from "the churches of Christ" (Romans
16:16) from other churches of Christ. And these local groups were all
alike. Whatever would identify one of them would identify any or all of
them. Paul established the majority of these groups through preaching
the gospel of Christ. He could say to the Corinthians, "I planted ..."
(I Corinthians 3:6) and mean that he started that group. And then to
the same group later, as he gave specific instructions to them say, "And
so ordain I in all churches" (I Corinthians 7:17). If all churches
received the same divine mandates from Paul, they would all be organized
alike. "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the
churches of the saints" (I Corinthians 14:33).
What then was this form of government ordained in all the
churches? Paul, and his faithful companion Barnabas, went through the
region of southern Asia, preaching Christ and Him crucified. Those who
became believers through being baptized into Christ and into His body,
remained together. We are clearly informed that Paul and Barnabas
confirmed "the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the
faith...and when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had
prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they
believed" (Acts 14:22-23). The elders were ordained in each local
church as those who would supervise, or superintend the work and
activity of the group.
To the Philippians, Paul wrote: "to all the saints in Christ
Jesus, which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons" (Philippians
1:1). The term bishop is applied to one who has the responsibility of
oversight. It comes from a Greek term, episkopos, made up of epi, (a
preposition meaning over or upon), and skopos, (a verb meaning to look).
The word means one who looks on, and is applied in the sense of tending
to or overseeing. That this is the same office known as under the term
elder is seen from Acts chapter 20. In verse 20 of that chapter, Luke
tells us that Paul, from Miletus, "sent to Ephesus and called the elders
of the church." In verse 28, he addressed them as the overseers or
bishops of the church. Bishop and elder refer to one and the very same
office.
Then there were "deacons" as part of the organic form of the local
church. The term means simply, "minister," or "one who serves others."
They were those who served, under the oversight of the elders and within
the confines of apostolic authority. They were not given oversight of
anything, nor were they put in charge of something not under the elders'
oversight. Elders were to "tend the flock of God which is among you,
taking the oversight thereof" (I Peter 5:2). This not only gives elders
complete oversight of all that has to do with the local church, it also
limits their oversight to the congregation where they serve as elders.
The Bible knows nothing of universal elders, brotherhood wide bishops,
or any such designation.
There is a very simple maxim with which we bring this study to a
conclusion. The only organic form found in the New Testament which was
given the church Christ built is the local church under elders and
deacons, with members and evangelists to serve. Anything larger,
smaller, or other than that falls outside the realm of what is divinely
sanctioned and authorized. Today, we strive to be that New Testament
church, apart from the intricate and complex organic structures men have
devised. We seek to be nothing larger, smaller, or other than the
church Jesus built.
If you have any question at all about this topic, or if you would
like extra study materials on it, contact us. You can write us at
West End Church of Christ, 1609 Parkside Dr., Bowling Green, KY. 42101.
Until the next time we have this opportunity to be with you by radio,
may God richly bless you and yours. Good bye.
Radio Program No. 61
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