The Church: Her Organization and Ordinances
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The body of Christ is just like the human body. Every part relating to one another.
And Each member is not taking into account of itself. Every member is just functioning as the Christ the head leads it to.
Also Each part relates to the other parts and the whole body is being directed by the head.
The universal body of Christ doesn’t need an organization, as its relationship is spiritual and supernatural.
But for the local church theres a great need for an organization.
Out of the reformation in the 1500 three main church polities arose.
Three forms of church government are found in church history
A representative form of government recognizes the authority of duly appointed representatives of local churches, usually grouped geographically, and is illustrated in reformed and Presbyterian churches.
Presbyterianism - means elders. A system of church government consisting of rule by elders, presbyters, originally arising out of the teaching of John Calvin. This form of church government comprises a local session of elected elders from within a congregation, along with a teaching elder, or minister, who is called by the congregation and ordained by the presbytery. ( called by the congregation and recognized by other Pastors ) The presbytery includes the teaching and ruling elders from a group of
a local congregation in a particular region. Over the presbytery is the General Assembly, which has final authority in matters of church ordinance and governance and generally convenes once a year, having representatives from all presbyteries in the country.
If Baltimore GGWO was a Presbyterian church. Pastor Schaller would be the preaching Pastor, Pastor Scibelli would be the missions Pastor/ Elder, Pastor Taggart the financial Elder. Etc. Etc. And there would be a multiplicity of Elders from other assemblies making decisions for each church.
1. Heavy emphasis on predestination,
2. Baby Baptism’s
3. The representative governing style has a plurality of Elders. They all serve in different capacities and different rolls.
4. Theres no head Pastor. Just different functioning Pastors/Elders. That are supervised by a larger governing body. And ultimately by the general assembly.
Episcopalianism - means governance of Bishops. It places authority of the church in a united body of bishops.
The Episcopalian form of government recognizes a bishop, or church leader by some other designation, who has power by virtue of his office of directing a local church.
Bishops are appointed to supervise the activities of the church in a given area.
This kind of government grew and turn into the Roman Catholic church, Episcopalian Church, Methodist Episcopal
Episcopalians believes that infant baptism is the second birth.
They believe during communion or the Eucharist. Its Jesus literal body and His literal blood,
The have a book of common prayer.
They have a heavy emphasis on love.
( You have to be careful if you are apart of a church and they have a heavy emphasis on love. Love bombing )
The congregational form of government is where the seat of authority is in the local congregation.
And important matters are decided by the congregation without respect to authority of other churches or officials
Congregationalism - is a form of ecclesiology that emphasizes the independent governing structures for the local church over authority of denominations.
Those who have this form of government are curtain Baptist churches, United church in Christ, Disciples churches.
The local church has its own autonomy with little to no influence from the outside.
The Congregation elects there own ministry officials.
They determine where the money is going.
Theres a possibility that the majority of a congregation could be immature . So they want a dynamic speaker and completely miss out on a legitimate Pastor/ teacher. Someone who will pray and care for the souls.
The problems with that is that the congregation wanted Saul but God choose David.
David had a heart after God, Saul had a heart after the people and himself.
The Bible had a bit of presyberterism and congregationalism.
Titus was instructed to appoint Elders in every city.
The congregation where instructed to appoint deacons. But within the initiation of the Elders.
Church Leadership
The qualities of an Elder
For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—
if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.
For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,
He didn’t say appoint Apostles in every city. But Elders. This was the end of the apostolic age.
three “key characteristics” of these apostles: 1) “they had been commissioned personally by the risen Jesus in a resurrection appearance”; 2) “they were missionaries and church founders”; and 3) they had “a distinctively and decisively eschatological role.”
Back in Pauls time there wasn’t this huge push to become apostles.
Because apostles where considered to be societies scum.
1 Corinthians 4:9–13 (NKJV)
For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.
We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!
To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless.
And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;
being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
Apostles - condemned to death
spectacle , fools, weak, dishonored, hunger and thirst poorly clothed, beaten and homeless, all the while laboring, working with there own hands, reviled, persecuted, defamed, made filth of the world.
Theres was nothing attractive about Apostles in these days apart from God gifting them and the eschatological reign they will have with Christ.
So a man may have these qualities and be an Elder but not a Bishop.
A Bishop was always an Elder, but an Elder won’t necessarily be a bishop.
He can have the qualities without the office.
We had a gentleman in our church for a whole year operating as an Elder. But he wasn’t ordained in our ministry as a Bishop or Elder.
BTW you could very well be overlooked as a Pastor. Man is fallible and we resist The Holy Spirit.
You could have all the qualities of a Bishop. But just without the recognition. That very well maybe the case.
I know one Pastor who felt like he was being overlooked to be a Pastor and went to the Elders in his church and they ordained him. And he’s an amazing Pastor today and a close friend.
And I know other guys who felt they where overlooked but they didn’t nessarily have the gift. And some of them today aren’t walking with God.
Bishop and Elders are in charge of certain responsibilities.
1. Bishop and Elders are in charge of taking care of the church
one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence
(for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);
Take care- to be concerned about, to look after.
1 Timothy 5:17 (NKJV)
Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
Rule well - means the Elder is properly directing the affairs of the church.
labor in the word- to the point of exhaustion, fatigue. To be worn out, weary, faint
2. The Elders must be able to correct doctrinal theological errors.
holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
3. Elders most be able to superintend, oversee, and shepherd the flock of God .
Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
4. Bishops are to ordain other Bishops.
Acts 14:23 (NKJV)
So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—
5. The Pastor are to designate deacons in the church as well.
We se that in Acts 6:1-6, 1 Tim 3:8-13.
When you say you have an organization you imply you have leadership to govern that organization. You can’t have an organization without leadership.
When a Pastor or a leader fails to operate in there respective position as leaders. The validity of that organization begins to fade.
• Matthias — A disciple of Jesus chosen to take the place of Judas Iscariot.
• Thaddaeus — The brother of James and one of the twelve apostles.
• Bartholomew — One of the twelve disciple of Jesus.
• James (disciple) — Son of Alphaeus, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples.
• Simon (apostle) — An apostle of Jesus called the Zealot.
• Judas (son of James) — Son of James; one of Jesus’ twelve disciples.
• Philip (evangelist) — The evangelist who was one of seven chosen to assist the apostles.
• Matthew — An apostle of Jesus.
• James (brother of Jesus) — A brother of Jesus and an apostle, sometimes called “James the Just”.
• Philip (apostle) — An apostle of Jesus from Bethsaida.
• Thomas — An apostle of Jesus who doubted Jesus’ resurrection.
• Andrew — Who, with his brother Simon, were among the twelve disciples of Jesus.
• Judas Iscariot — One of Jesus’ twelve disciples, the one who betrayed him.
• Silas — Respected leader in the Jerusalem church and a traveling companion of Paul.
• James (son of Zebedee) — Son of Zebedee; brother of John. Both were among the twelve disciples of Jesus.
• Barnabas — A Levite and apostle who sought Paul’s help as his associate in the mission to the Gentiles.
• Twelve Disciples — Twelve men called by Jesus as his followers.
• John (son of Zebedee) — One of the twelve disciples of Jesus, and author of several New Testament books.
• Peter — A fisherman who became an apostle and leader of the early church.
• Paul — Paul the Apostle, also called the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus, and Saint Paul, was one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with his writings forming a considerable portion of the New Testament.