Robert said:
Hey Melody,
Thanks for your interest. To clarify my statements lets start at the beginning. At the beginning the church was a divine institution, and it can not cease to be divine and still be the church of Christ, for God does not begin with the divine and end with the human. A divine institution must have for its organization and essential features divine authority, for the world can not make an ordinance or an institution divine ( Psalm 127:1 ; Matt. 15:13 ; 1 Cor.3:11).
Concerning church government , at the beginning the church was governed wholly by divine authority. Just as certainly therefore, as Christ will own and accept his church when he comes again , so certainly will it be governed by his authority. Christ' church may well be described as a monarchy. Other than Jesus, the absolute monarch and head of the church (Eph. 1:20-23), who possesses all legislative authority ( Matt. 28:18 ) , the New Testament authorizes no organization for the universal church. In the absence of any Biblical authority for organizing the church universal, any assumption of authority beyond the local congregation constitutes a government not sanctioned by the scriptures. Gods Plan for the organization of the local church is written in the scriptures. God commands the selection of a plurality of men in each congregation to serve as shepherds of the flock. These men are scripturally described as elders ( 1 Peter 5:1 ), bishops (Phil.1:1 ; 1 Tim. 3:1), the presbytery ( 1 Tim. 4:14) , overseers ( Acts 20:28 ) , or pastors (Eph. 4:11). Each local church is self-governing under Christ , having their own leaders. A Plurality of men qualified by character and experience ( 1 Tim. 3:1-7).
Being under the divine authority of Christ the church is given various names in the New Testament. All these names have their significance , for the Holy Spirit never used them by accident. In Romans 16:16 Paul refers to them all as "the churches of Christ". This also indicates a divine unity of the church. There should be no doubt that Christ's prayer for the unity of his people can now be fulfilled as it was at the beginning ( John 17). Thanks again Melody for your interest. Looking forward to your response.
Robert
http:
www.theBible.net
Hi Robert, how are you, Here is what I see when I look at the Church In the New Testament, I see its organization, First we will see a Church with Christ as its Head, Paul wrote " And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head of all things to the church, Which is His Body, The fullness of Him that filleth all in all..." [ Eph, 1:22-23 ] He also wrote " And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beguining, the first born from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminenece" [ Col 1:18 ] Notice how many heads the Church has, Paul is very specific in using the singular -- " THE HEAD" There are not two heads of the Church--one on earth [ The pope of the Roman Catholic church ] and one in Heaven [Jesus ]..Jesus is The Head --there is only one...
What does the head do? It gives direction to the body. Our bodies obey the direction of our heads. Christ gives direction to HIS BODY - Which Paul says is the Church. The Church follows no-one elses direction, there is no-one else who has the Authority to give direction to the body or the church - but Christ..And that direction is given through the written word of Christ, The New Testament. When we look at the Church of the New Testament, we will see no Human head or earthly head quarters for the Church that Jesus built. Anytime you see a Church that has an earthly head quarters, one can mark it down that it is not the Church you read about in the New Testament. Jesus' Church has its head quarters where the Head is and that is in heaven, that is where its head quarters is.
We see no Organization of the Church larger than each Local congregation. There are no General assemblies, No synods, no state or national governing boards. Instead each local congregation is overseen in its work by the plurity of men who are appointed by the Holy Spirit [ see acts 20:28 ] These men are selected because they posess certain Characteristics that qualify them in the eyes of the Lord to be overseers of His Flock. These Qualifications are set forth in 1 Tim 3, Titus 1, and first Peter 5.
Several different terms are used in referring to this group of men and each term suggests a different aspect of thier work.
They are reffered to as PASTORS [ Ephesians 4:11 ] a term which underscores their work as shepherds of Gods Flock, there is nowhere in the New testament that uses the term pastor in refference to the work of a preacher. It uses it in refference to the the work of the Elders.
Theses men are also called Elders [ Acts 20:17 ] Suggesting that those who would possess the characteristics these men must have been Elderly or older men, in the bible we never read of 16, 17, or 18 year old Elders. Any church that has Elders this young cannot be the Church that Jesus built.
These men are aslo called Bishops [ Phillipians1:1 ] A term that calls the attention to the fact that they are overseers of the congrgation. in fact the word should be translated overseers as in Acts 20:28..
In 1Timothy 4:14 the group as a whole is reffered to as the PRESBYTERY,, a word which suggests a group of Elders, [ Note Berry's interliner translates this word as " Elderhood" Other translations translate the word as Elders ] These men where selected from within the congragation itself for Peter writes " The Elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an Elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the Glory that shall be reveled.." [1peter 5:1 ] These Elders where among the congregation. The Congregation did not go outside and hire someone from outside the congregation to serve as an Elder, the Elders are to " Know the flock" --" Know the congregation" and thus it would be nessesary for them to come from within the congregation they were selected to oversee.
There was always a plurity of Elders [ pastors, shepherds, overseers, bishops ] in each Local Congregation. if we can note the following verses, "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 14:23 ] And from Miletushe sent to Ephesus and called the Elders of the Church [ Acts 20:17] For this cause Left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordaine Elders in every City, as I appointed thee [ Titus 1:5 ]...
There is another Group of men who were part of its organization and that was the Deacons, The Deacons were not and are not to serve over the congregation. They are not junior elders, The word Deacon itself means " a minister, or a servent. These men were servants of the church. We have a good example of their work in Acts 6. were seven men where chosen to serve "seven tables" or to see to the beneovlent work of the Church, They were chosen because that work was being neglected, and because it was not desirable for the apostles to leave the Word of God and serve tables [ Acts 6:2 ] . The lesson is that the Elders ought to be concentrating on the Spiritual oversight of the Local Congregations for the most part. leaving the deacons, under the direction of the elders. to see that the physical things that must be done. The deacons serve under and at the direction of the elders in all matters..The Elders are responsible for the oversight of the whole congregation and anything done must be approved by the Elders..
How foreign this organization is to modern day denominationalism and Roman Catholicism..We need to get back to the simple organization as God planned it to be......Blessings...