Apostolic Traditions Regarding Giving: (Part One)

I am discovering that traditions of men are almost always contrary to apostolic traditions! Traditionally we have been taught that, in Christian ministry, giving should always flow from a large group of people to a small group of people and that the needs of the small group are to be met differently than are the needs of the large group. In this post, I simply ask you to consider some questions I’ve been asking myself as I’ve been seeking answers in the scriptures.  I hope this will spark your interest in searching the scriptures for your own answers and then hopefully we can discuss what we have discovered in future posts!

How are the needs of elders/overseers/pastors to be met? (Acts 20:28-35)

Do apostles, prophets, evangelists or teachers have a right for their needs to be met in a different manner than those of local elders/overseers/pastors?  Yes/No

If so, what scriptures set forth such a right?

If not, what scriptures teach the wisdom of the needs of both being met in the same ways? (Acts 20:33-35; II Thess.3:6-15)

Which apostles demanded or used such rights?  (Acts 6:2,4;  I Cor.9:4-6,12)

Which apostles did not demand or use such rights?  (Acts 20:33-35; I Cor.4:9-17;  I Cor.9:6,12,15,18;  II Cor.11:7-9; II Cor.12:12-19; I Thess.2:1-9; 4:9-12; II Thess.3:6-15)

Are there any good reasons to surrender such rights and not demand them?  (I Cor.9:12,15-18)

Did any apostle, whose needs were met differently than those of elders, teach others to follow his own example? Yes/No

Are apostles. prophets, evangelists, pastors or teachers to be hired, paid and even fired by other believers? Yes/No

If so, what scriptures would teach these things?

If not, who calls, appoints, sends and rewards apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers? (Matthew 10:16; 23;34; John 20:21; Acts 20:28-35; I Peter 5:1-4)

Who gave such men to the Body?  (Ephesians 4:10,11) Who is then responsible to see that they receive their hire or reward for their labour?  (Matthew 16:27; 20:1-16; I Cor.3:18; I Tim.5:18; Rev.22:12)

Are the financial and material needs of widows, orphans, the weak, the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the imprisoned and the poor to be supplied by believers?  Yes/No

If not, what scriptures teach this?

If so, what scriptures teach this? How and by whom are such to be supported? (Matt.25:34-46; Acts 6:1-6; 11:27-30; 20:35; Rom.15:25,26; I Cor.16:1,2;  II Cor.8:13-15; 9:12; Gal.2:9,10;  Eph.4:28; I Tim.5:3-15)

 For what reason should some such not be given anything? (II Thess.3:10-15; I Tim.5:9-14)

What does scripture teach us…

- about “saving” for the future? (Matt.6:19,20;  10:7-12; Luke 10:1-8; I Cor.16:1-3; II Cor.3:13-15)

- about saving for known needs (i.e. storing crops for use in the winter when they won’t grow, for meeting the current known needs of one’s own children, elderly or widowed parents.)  (Prov.6:6-11; II Cor.12:14; I Tim.5:3-16)

-about saving for unknown needs (“for a rainy day”, for possible “emergencies” or catastrophes, for security in old age, for children’s education etc.)

“Saving” is not mentioned in scripture. But the Lord Jesus and the apostles did instruct us regarding “laying up”. Is “laying up” an equivalent to “saving”?  How is “laying up” the same as or different from “saving”?

Is fundraising (the act or occupation of asking, pleading, appealing or making known needs for funds) for ministry scripturally justified? Yes/No    If so, what scriptures teach us …

- how to do it? Acts 11:27-30; Phil.4:6

- to whom such appeals should be made? Matt.7:2,7,8,11,12;  Acts 11:27-30; Phil.4:6

- by whom such appeals should be made? Acts 11:27-3                                                                                    - the reasons for generous response to such appeals? Luke 6:28-38; II Cor.9:6;  Gal.6:7-10.

The reason why the promise of Phil.4:19 was made to  saints at Philippi and not to others is found in Phil.4:14-16! This is entirely in keeping with the teachings of Luke 6:28-38, II Cor.9:6 and Gal.6:7-10!

 - the reasons for which some such appeals should be rejected? Prov.1:22-33; II Thess.3:10

What scriptural commands teach how the needs of the following are to be met:

  -apostles?  -prophets?  -evangelists?  -pastors/elders/overseers?  -teachers?  -the poor?  -the weak?

  -widows?  -orphans?  -saints/believers?  All of the above are instructed by Matt.6:3,4 & 19,20;  Matt.7:2,7,8,11,12;  Luke 6:30,31,38; Acts 20:33-35;

What scriptural examples show (right or wrong) how the needs of the following have been met?

  -apostles?  -prophets?  -evangelists?  -pastors/elders/overseers?  -teachers?  -the poor?  -the weak?

  -widows?  -orphans?  -saints/believers?

Does any historical event or practice recorded in scripture establish an apostolic tradition which is incumbent on believers today, or must such responsibilities be established by an apostolic command?

What kinds of people are scripturally entitled to receive financial assistance? Poor saints Romans 15:25-27; those who preach the Gospel I Cor.9:9-14; those who teach Galatians 6:6;  faithful widows                        I Tim.5:3-14; elders who labour in the word and doctrine  I Tim.5:17,18

What apostolic traditions (commands of the Lord through the apostles) give us guidance in these matters? (the texts immediately above)

Who serves the Lord? Who are “the servants of the Lord”? (Col.1:1,2 with 3:24;  Romans 12:1,11)

Who is to “live of the Gospel”?  Who are those who “preach the Gospel”? (Evangelists?, Sunday school teachers?, parents who teach their children their need of a Saviour? Christians who are faithful witnesses to co-workers etc?)

What does “living of the Gospel” mean?  Does it mean -charging for preaching? - receiving a salary or wage for preaching?  - being hired to preach? - looking for one’s reward from the hand of the One who appointed the preacher? - something else?   If so, what does it mean?

What does the negative command “muzzle not the ox that treadeth out the corn” mean for us? 

-Does it mean positive commands such as: “Pay the apostle.” -“Pay those who preach the Gospel.”or -“Pay the elders who labour in the word and doctrine” ?  If so, how are they to be paid, how much and by whom? 

Or does a negative command teach us there is something we are NOT to do?  If so, what are we NOT to do regarding apostles, those who preach the Gospel, or elders who labour in the Word and doctrine?  What does this mean in practical ways….how will this affect our care for such? 

   -When one literally muzzles an ox, what does one do and why?

   -When a believer or an ekklesia “muzzles” an apostle, a Gospel preacher, a teacher or an elder who labours in the word and doctrine? What do they do? Why do they do it?

Specifically, what are we NOT to do in this matter regarding apostles, Gospel preachers, teachers or elders?

As you have considered these questions in light of what scripture says, have you been surprised? Have you had any long-standing ideas challenged by the scriptures?  If so, share your thoughts in the comments below or send me an email at bwood4d@gmail.com

Are tongues speaking, daily conversions and self-sacrifice marks of a Biblical Church?

My last post got way too long before I addressed all of Lem’s comments from a few days ago. So here are the rest of Lem’s remarks (in black) and my response to them (in blue)….

“The book of Acts has many references to speaking in tongues. There are counterfeit ones and genuine ones. In other words, we would truly see God's glory a lot more in such a church.”

Lem, am I right to assume from your comment above that you feel that, if the genuine gift of tongues was being exercised in a church, people would see God’s glory a lot more?   I’m wondering….why would you think that the exercise of the gift of tongues would manifest the glory of the Lord more than the exercise of any other gift of the Spirit?

Consider with me the wide array of spiritual gifts that God has given to the Body of Christ…

In Ephesians 4 we have 5 kinds of people who are given as gifts to the church: (1)apostles or sent ones, (2)prophets, (3)evangelists or Gospel preachers, (4) pastors or shepherds and (5)teachers.

Then in Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12 we have a list of 15 abilities which are given by God for the edifying of the Body of Christ: prophecy, ministry or service, teaching, exhorting, giving, ruling, showing mercy, the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, discerning of spirits, tongues and interpretation of tongues.

Does the exercise of one gift bring more glory to God than that of any other? Or is it not God’s purpose and desire to be glorified in all that we do all the time (I Cor.10:31)?

The apostle Peter, in 1 Peter 4:10&11 teaches the following about God’s purpose to be glorified in the exercise of every believer’s spiritual gift:  “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

So there are a variety of ways in which God may be robbed of His glory and believers may be robbed of the edification that God intends relative to the exercise of spiritual gifts:

(1)if we acknowledge a distinction between clergy and laity and thus place all the

   responsibility for ministry upon one member, rather than many (Romans 12:3-5)

(2) if we forbid the exercise of a particular spiritual gift (i.e. tongues I Cor.14:39)

(3) if we seek preeminence for ourselves and lack consideration for others (Philippians 2:3-5)

(4)if we are not good stewards of the grace of God and refuse to minister to others what God has entrusted to us. (I Peter 4:10,11)

(5) if we seek to exercise any spiritual gift in violation of specific scriptural instructions given to the apostles through the Spirit of God Himself!  (I Cor.14:23-40)

So, in churches whose practices and traditions are truly biblical, the people of God will vigilantly guard against all of the above. They will seek to practice apostolic traditions which bring glory to God and edify His people!

Lem continued: “The book of Acts also says, numbers of believers were added daily. Can you imagine that..DAILY! Some churches only get one every year.”

You are right, brother, and glorious days those were. Keep in mind that “the church” referred to in Acts 2 was the church in the city of Jerusalem. (It was not a church in a steeple house.) On the Day of Pentecost, that church numbered well over 3,000 people and by Acts 4:4 (likely within a few days or weeks) there were about 5,000 males in the Jerusalem church. So if women were also included it would have easily numbered over 10,000! But none of that adding of believers to the church was done by the efforts of men. Adding believers to the church is always the work of the Lord! It is simply our responsibility to preach the Gospel to those around us, to obey what the Lord has commanded us and to leave the results to Him.  I would also suggest that, in very many cities today, the Lord is daily adding believers to His church! We don’t see the extent of that for we don’t see the extent of Gospel work and testimony that is being done by all the saints in our cities! But may we seek God’s face that we might have a far greater compassion for the lost and be more diligent in bearing testimony for Him!

“Finally there is the self-sacrificing spirit of the people, willing to consecrate their entire lives, life savings and possessions for sole purpose of reaching the poor and needy, and spreading the gospel.

Lem, (while  there is no apostolic traditions that says we must have tongues speaking or tongues speakers in every church and there is no apostolic tradition that says we must be seeing people saved every day) you are absolutely right here… believers and churches which are seeking to obey apostolic traditions are not seeking to amass earthly wealth, possessions or property! Rather they are marked by sacrifice and generous giving to meet the temporal and eternal needs of those around them. BTW, the very common tradition of men known as “saving” is soundly forbidden by the Lord Jesus and the apostles!  The scriptural equivalent of “saving” is described in the words of the Lord Jesus as, “laying up treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupts and where thieves break through and steal”! (See Matthew 6:19-21)

In the words of the apostles it is taught in these words:

1 Corinthians 16:1,2  Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as  God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

2 Corinthians 8:13-15)  For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.

2 Corinthians 9:6-9)  But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

May the Lord search our hearts and may we be willing to abandon any and all traditions of men which are contrary to commands of the Lord Jesus passed down to us by the apostles!

(I’ve been planning for some time to discuss apostolic traditions relative to finances and giving. Consider the above as a brief intro to that subject to be considered more fully in blogs to come.)

Lem concluded his comments with these words:

Otherwise, if none of these fruits exist (signs and wonders, tongues speaking and daily conversions), I'll have a hard time believing that God is with such an ekklesia.

Lemuel”

Dear brother Lem,  whether or not the Lord’s presence is with a particular ekklesia has never been the question!  Where ever there are believers in the Lord Jesus and where ever believers gather, the Lord is with them!  He has guaranteed that by His promise in Hebrews 13:5.  Our discussions here have not been for the purpose of determining whether or not God is present in our gatherings. Rather, the purpose of our discussions has been to consider whether or not our practices are biblical or unbiblical, i.e. are they obedient to apostolic traditions or disobedient to such,  in other words how much do we love the Lord?  The acid test of our love for Him is our answer to this question: “Are we obedient to His commands given to us through the apostles?”  (See John 14:15,21;  15:10; I John 5:2,3 and II John 1:6)

I hope this answers the questions you have posted so far, brother.  And I hope you’ll continue to join in the discussions of these important matters!

Your brother in Christ,  Bruce

Should Biblical Churches Be Marked by Signs & Wonders?

A good friend and brother in the Lord has recently asked some great questions which I’ve tried to answer in previous posts. Lem has just made the following comments and I’m adding my responses to his in blue…..

You've presented the picture of an ekklesia clear enough for me to understand. As I mentioned, I would love to visit one, not so much to see the people, but to see God's work among the people. There is another consideration I wish to address. Since you refer to the Book of Acts for an example of ekklesia, it would therefore follow that if such a church existed today, we would see the fruits of such a church. I'm specifically referring to the miracles (signs and wonders) that "follow them that believe".

Many have told me not to focus on miracles because even the devil can counterfeit them or miracles don't change a person's heart, or some other excuse like that. However if we are to believe the Word of God, then it specifically says that "these signs will follow them that believe" (casting out demons, healing the sick,...etc), not the counterfeit ones, but the genuine ones.

Lem, do you remember that we observed before that apostolic traditions are not established by practices or events among first century Christians but rather by apostolic teachings – i.e. commands of the Lord Jesus to the apostles which have been passed down to us to be obeyed? It is very true that the Lord Jesus gave the apostles a command and a number of promises in Mark 16:15-18. Let’s take a look at His words.  Verse 15 is his command which establishes the tradition which is passed down to us by the apostles…”And he said unto them,  Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” This was the responsibility of the apostles and is still our responsibility today. Biblical Churches will be actively involved in the proclamation of the Gospel at home and abroad!

Then the next three verses (16-18) are the promises of the Lord Jesus, that is, these are His responsibilities.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.(v.16)  Is the Lord Jesus fulfilling His responsibilities here?  Have  all who have believed to date been saved? Have all those who have not believed been damned?    Yes! This is very clear in John 3:16-18… For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

A number of important questions might well be asked and answered as we consider the Lord Jesus’ promises in verses 17 and 18:

Q. Is He the same faithful God who made the promises in verse 16?  A. Yes! Absolutely!

Q. Did He place any conditions upon these promises?  i.e. Would any unfaithfulness on man’s part nullify or disqualify these promises of His?  A. None whatsoever!         

(Here is the general promise.)And these signs shall follow them that believe;

(Then the following are the five specific signs which He promised would follow them that believe.)  

(1) In my name shall they cast out devils; 

      The Lord kept His promise and on at least 3 occasions evil spirits were cast out by the hands of the apostles who had seen the resurrected Christ and had been personally sent out by Him.  (a) by the hands of the apostles Acts 5:12-16; (b) by the apostle Philip 8:5-8  ; (c) by the hands of the apostle Paul 19:11,12

  

(2) they shall speak with new tongues; (The Lord kept His promise and there are 4 recorded examples of the genuine article and one example of counterfeit tongues.)

       (a) the 120 disciples gathered on the Day of Pentecost, including the apostles Acts 2:4-11 (these were all believers and followers of the Lord Jesus BEFORE that day.)

       (b) The members of Cornelius’ household (new converts who had just been listening to the apostle Peter preach the Gospel), Acts 10:44-47

       (c) about 12 disciples of John the baptizer spoke in tongues after they had believed on the Lord Jesus, had been baptized and Paul had laid his hands on them. Acts 19:1-7 

        (d) The apostle Paul spoke in tongues more than all the Corinthian saints, I Cor.14:18

        (e) The Corinthians had been speaking in tongues in ways that were not guided by the Spirit of God and thus were not edifying. Paul reproved and instructed them that if tongues were spoken in the ekklesia it had to be done in an orderly manner: i.e. one speaker at a time so all could hear and be edified, thus no tongues speaking in the ekklesia unless what was spoken was interpreted, and no more than 2 or 3 tongues speakers.  I Cor.14 

  

(3) They shall take up serpents;  The Lord kept His promise. There is just one recorded instance of this, Paul’s experience on the island of Malta in Acts 28:1-10

        

(4) if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;  As far as I know there is no scriptural record of a believer being protected from this sort of harm, but there are many accounts in our own time of believers being persecuted and poisoned by their own families and being miraculously preserved by God. I might add that there are also many accounts of believers who were faithful to God who have been killed by poisoning! This is no reflection on their faith or their obedience to God. Hebrews 11 is clear that through faith many have conquered and been victorious over persecution (11:1-35a) but the same chapter is just as clear that others with the very same faith have been vanquished! (11:35b-40)

(5) they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.  There are two recorded instances in scripture after the promise of Mark 16 in which people were healed through the laying on of someone’s hands. In the first instance, Saul (later called Paul) is the recipient of that healing and in the second instance he is the one through whom healing comes to another.

     (a) Ananias lays hands on Saul and he is healed of blindness (Acts 9:17,18)

     (b) Paul laid hands on the father of Publius and he was healed of a fever and a bloody flux (Acts 28:8)

There are many misconceptions which have been derived from the Lord Jesus’ promises in Mark 16. So I would like to point out a couple of things which He  did NOT say…

The Lord Jesus did NOT say “All these signs shall follow them that believe.” 

-There is not one person nor any ekklesia mentioned in the historical accounts of the early church which was marked by  all of these signs! So it is a false assumption to think that the lack of any these signs in any Christian’s life is clear evidence of unbelief or disobedience!  Scripture never teaches that any obedient Christian or any ekklesia, can expect to be marked by all these signs!

-Secondly, the Lord Jesus never promised,  “These signs shall follow ALL them that believe.” Nowhere in scripture do we find any basis for the assumption that every obedient, Spirit-filled believer or ekklesia would be followed by some of these signs and therefore if the signs are lacking the believer or the ekklesia is at fault! But many who have been taught this idea have been brought under false guilt by such erroneous teaching!

What the Lord Jesus did promise, (“These signs shall follow them that believe.”) has been faithfully and entirely fulfilled and nothing is lacking! He has kept His promise for He has been absolutely faithful to His Word!

To judge any believer or any ekklesia who lacks any or all of these signs in their own experience is to make such a judgment entirely apart from any scriptural authority!

The words of the Lord Jesus, Himself, and the writings of the apostles make very clear that such signs were never guaranteed to any or to all believers if they met some standard or requirement of God!

Rather such are given and distributed according to the will of God:

1 Corinthians 12:11)  But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

1 Corinthians 12:18)  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

1 Corinthians 12:27-30)  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?  (The obvious answer to all the above questions is “No!”  Not all believers are given these gifts. They are given according to the will of God.)

Lem, Thank you so much for sharing your questions and comments. Your sharing has certainly addressed questions that others have considered but have not asked.  I’ve not addressed all of your comments in this post but this is already too long! I’ll stop for now and continue in the next post.

To all: like Lem, you too are encouraged to comment, question or challenge anything I write here. Lets exhort one another and search for answers in the Word of God!

Churches According to the Traditions of Men vs. Apostolic Traditions:

As the word “church” is used and understood by most Christians today, it is something that men can build, something that anyone can attend if they wish to or something to which you can belong if you meet the proper criteria and hold to the right doctrines!

But the churches (ekklesias) of which we read throughout the NT scriptures are vastly different from those which have become so encumbered with the traditions of men!

Think with me on the three main ways in which the word “church” is commonly used and understood today:

1. A building to which you can go for religious services–such a building is designed and constructed by the hands of men.  “Where did you go to church last Sunday?”

2. A service or meeting  which you can attend– such a service is convened and controlled by men.   “I’m sorry I wasn’t home when you called. I was at church.”

3. A denomination/fellowship to which you can belong –such churches extend membership/fellowship  privileges based on terms determined by men. Men are fallible so they inevitably include some who are not saints at all. But because men desire control and will not give Christ His rightful place as Head, they also exclude many saints of God whom Christ has received!  “To what church do you belong?”

But the church which the Lord Jesus is building and the churches which the apostles established were quite different from those which are bound to our religious traditions. Churches which God owns are not made with hands. The Lord Jesus builds his church (the church which is His body). While men are involved in the building up of churches in houses and churches in cities, these churches are also not made with hands but are called out companies of saints (people who have been set apart/made holy by God).

If you trace the word “ekklesia” (translated “church”) through the NT, as it is used in connection with believers and their gatherings, you will find that this word:

(1) as used by the Lord Jesus,

(2) as used in historical accounts and references in Acts and the epistles and

(3) as used in the actual teachings of the apostles ….is always used to designate a called out company of saints and is not used even once of a building of brick and stained glass windows,  of a “worship service”, or of a denomination/ fellowship! 

But don’t take my word for it!

(1) How did the Lord Jesus use the word? (You decide from the 4 meanings we have considered above…)

Matthew 16:18)  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church (my church building), (my church service/meeting), (my denomination/fellowship) or (my called out company of saints); and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

(2) How is the word used in the historical records in the Book of Acts? (You decide from the 4 meanings we have considered above…)

Acts 13:1)  Now there were in the church (in the church building), (in the church service/meeting), (in the denomination/fellowship)  or (in the called out company of saints) that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

(3) How is the word used in the teachings of the apostles? (You decide from the 4 meanings we have considered above…)

(a) In the teachings of the apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 4:17)  For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church (in every church building), (in every church service/meeting), (in every denomination/fellowship), or (in every called out company of saints).

(b) In the teachings of the apostle James:

James 5:14)  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church (the elders of the church building), (the elders of the church service/meeting), (the elders of the denomination/fellowship) or (the elders of the called out company of saints); and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

(c) In the teachings of the apostle Peter:

1 Peter 5:13)  The church that is at Babylon (the church building that is at Babylon), (the church service/meeting that is at Babylon), (the denomination/fellowship that is at Babylon) or (the called out company of saints that is at Babylon), elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

(d) In the teachings of the apostle John:

Revelation 3:1)  And unto the angel of the church in Sardis (the church building in Sardis), (the church service/meeting in Sardis), (the denomination/ fellowship in Sardis) or (the called out company of saints in Sardis) write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

I have listed only 6 out of 112)  texts which use the words “church” or “churches” in the NT.  Are you aware of even one such text which uses the word “ekklesia/church”  in any of the three ways that the word is commonly understood in the current religious world? 

In what ways do you think your relationship with the church would change if you recognized “your church”  simply as the “called out company of saints”  who live near you? 

-What if you stopped “going to a church building” (for which there is no scriptural warrant)?

-What if you stopped attending “church services” (events unknown to first century Christians)?

-What if you withdrew your “membership” from your denomination or fellowship (institutions foreign to the New Covenant scriptures)?  and

-What if you started having company with the called out saints in your community who share the same desire to return to the original church practices which the Lord Jesus and the apostles taught?

Your answers to the above questions or any comments relating to this post are welcomed in the comments section below or by way of a personal email to me at bwood4d@gmail.com

Lem asks some more great questions!

My good friend, Lem just posted a few more great questions on an earlier post and I'd like to address them here as a great practical way to "flesh out" how biblical apostolic traditions can be applied and really do work even when the people who compose the ekklesia are far from perfect!

Lem wrote:
I'm getting a clearer picture of what you mean. Thinking over it more, I realize now that the biblical model for ekklesia would be ideal, because in this way, everyone is accountable to God. This would lead to less blame or accusation.

You are absolutely right, brother!  Every believer is accountable to God (i.e gets their assignments from Him and also receives from Him the evaluation of their tasks.)  We have messed up so often by seeking to get our assignments and evaluation from someone other than our real Master!  Worse though, is when we seek to make others accountable to ourselves and thus we assign tasks to others which the Head has never assigned and seek to usurp the place of the Head (Christ) by giving our (supposedly superior!) evaluation of some other Christian's service!  Scripture says, "To his own master he stands or falls!"

What happens if there are differences? I think the dynamics of communication between saints coming from all different sorts of backgrounds, cultures, temperaments,...etc. is much more complex than what you have described.

This question gets right down to where "the rubber meets the road", Lem! But if simple divinely given instructions do not work practically, they are of no value whatsoever!  Truly, it seems, if we had no differences and everyone was amiable and agreeable and everyone thought the same we might just get along without too many problems!  (If only everyone thought like me!!!)  But that is NOT the way that God made us! He has made us of different genders (male and female), different ethnic backgrounds (Jews and Gentiles), has placed us in different families, where we have learned different perspectives, embraced different values, have widely differing needs (physical, emotional, financial, spiritual etc).  All of those differences were designed by God NOT the enemy!!!  But God has placed believers (every one of us unique and thus different from all of our brothers and sisters) all together in one Body!   Even in small gatherings of saints in homes, all six. sixteen or twenty six will all be different from the rest!  So God did not design His ekklesias to function well in situations where all are the same, agree on everything and have no difference of opinion!  he designed the Body of Christ with an infinite variety of different members who are vitally linked to Christ, our Head.  It is the vital (life-giving) nature of that union which makes it possible for a wide variety of body members to work together in unity and to be of one mind!  (It is NOT a matter of you "caving in" and having MY mind, or me unhappily conforming to YOUR mind because MOST of the others also think that way. Rather it is a matter of each member of the body having the mind of the Head, i.e the mind of Christ!

A couple of practical first century "church problems/potential church splits" to consider:
(1) In Acts 6, the Grecian believers were upset that their widows were being neglected in the daily ministration.  Ethnic, religious, cultural and financial differences were all involved in this situation. But read the account there and see how it was dealt with openly (before the whole church), lead by the apostles who voiced the problem and made a suggestion for a solution, but not monopolized by leaders (the actual decisions were made by the whole church as to who would be appointed to deal with the situation) and the resolution was by consensus (not by majority rule which always leaves a silent but fuming minority!!!)

(2) In Acts 15 a far more volatile problem was faced squarely and resolved happily even though there was tremendous potential for alienation and division to occur!  Jewish believers, who had been divinely instructed as God's chosen people to practie circumcision of all their males for ever.  Now Gentile believers (uncircumcised!!!!) were coming into the church, the Body of Christ  (shameful!!!)  Many of the Jewish believers, not yet fully appreciating the grace of God, felt that such Gentile believers should be required to be circumcised. So a "church split" was inevitable..Right?  WRONG! 

Again the apostles and elders met with the whole church to hash out the problem openly. Paul and Barnabas addressed the gathering telling how God had worked among many Gentiles who had believed even as the Jews had. James addressed the gathering and suggested a solution and suggested that the church at Jerusalem write a letter to the Gentile believers in other cities. Again, the decision was reached by consensus, the letter was written by the church and all, both Jews and Gentiles were happy with the outcome!   Such solutions are made abolutely impossible when you begin with the mindset that the church is a democracy!!!   (World politics has gone wrong ever since Israel rejected THEOCRACY(rule by God) and substituted a monarchy, like all the nations!

Monarchy (thinking that one man, like us, will be a better king than God) was rooted in man's rebellion against God.  But democracy (thinking that the majority of us knows better than God) is far worse!!!  The majority is almost always wrong!  But the ekklesia, the Body of Christ is neither a monarchy nor a democracy. It is a theocracy, for Christ is the Head, He is the Lord, He is the King. We are the members in His Body, we are the servants of our Lord and we are the subjects of the King!   So do you see how our learned traditions have all mitgated against a proper understanding of how God has designed for relationships to function in His ekklesia?

I'm not saying such a ekklesia cannot exist. It's just that I cannot see it happening, unless every member is surrendered to God (which I find rare in my opinion). You are right again brother! And that's where it comes back to each bel;iever's accountability to God! But think of the alternatives which we have so commonly adopted....we assume it is not "normal" for each believer to hear God's voice and be guided by Him, and have thus appointed our own rulers, on our terms, so this whole system can work quite fine without anyone hearing from God. The result is a corporate church which functions just like any other corporation like "Bell",  "Mc Donalds" or "The Bay". We have asked for what we wanted and God has granted us our desire (just as God granted Israel's request for a king to judge them like all the nations) and we have suffered "leanness in our souls" as a direct result!

But what I am appealing for is a direct parallel to the time in Israel's history when Israel was reaping what they had sown in asking for a King....they had gotten Saul. Saul was hunting down David, (God's appointed King).  The true King was rejected by the majority while the nation had their king like all the nations but was suffering the sad consequences of their choice!  In the midst of that situation we read of David who was hiding out in a cave at Adullam, and a little band of "nobodies"..."Everyone that was in distress and every one that was in debt and everyone that was discontented gathered themselves unto him and He became a captain over them."

I believe that that is a prophectis description of what God is doing today as He gathers out a little remnant of nobodies (distressed, indebted, discontents!) who will gather around God's appointed KING, the Lord Jesus, and make Him their captain!   You can't have Him as Captain and still retain a democracy! I can't have Him as King and still have it "my way"!

 However, you said that you know of a few in S. Ontario. You got me curious now. I would at least like to personally attend a few of these churches. Lemuel

Lem, as noted above, all such gatherings will have lots of "warts and bumps and blemishes. But the central One is the One who has won our hearts, the Lord Jesus. If you drop me an e at bwood4d@gmail.com I'd be happy to give you contact info for a few such simple gatherings here in S Ontario with which I am familiar.  May their Lord and His simple gatherings increase! To enjoy His increase, I must be willing to decrease!