The Church; Its Organization
Notes
Transcript
Intro; The complexity of God’s creation is truly far beyond our understanding, yet God’s creation is perfectly organized [paradox].
Organize- arrange into a structured whole; order, coordinate efficiently
The universe is filled with stars, planets, galaxies, gases, all moving in specific order and timing to maintain an atmosphere where human life is sustainable on earth. [Seasons, tide, rain, plant life]
The human body is filled with miles of blood vessels that carry oxygen throughout the body that it can live and breathe. Muscle, fat and flesh cover the bones to sustain and protect the organs that function in an organized fashion that our body works as it was created to and to keep it healthy. What an amazing mystery! [Sin is the only reason the body deteriorates]
Just like the universe and the human body that God created is very complex yet is perfectly organized, so the Church is to be! The Church of Jesus Christ is a mystery, yet it has organization. Why?
33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
Tonight as we continue our Christian Life Studies looking at the Church, I want us to understand “Its Organization”
Text; Titus 1:4-5
4 To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
5 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—
Paul is writing to a young preacher boy, a son in the faith, who is given the task of completing the work that Paul had started by bringing organization to a large ministry/church on the Island of Crete. He is to organize the church carefully by appointing qualified elders [1:5-16], preaching sound doctrine and encouraging good works [2:1-10], and rebuking false teachers [3:9-11].
1. Grace, Mercy, and Peace; 4
1. Grace, Mercy, and Peace; 4
Though this is a common greeting from Paul in most of his letters, it is important to look into these three words [Grace, mercy, peace].
Grace- to rejoice, favor
Mercy- pity, compassion
Peace- opposite of war, calm in chaos
All of these originate from God, because as I stated before from the scripture, “God is not the author of confusion but of peace”.
The church must be organized in grace, through mercy, for peace or it will be a body of confusion, malfunctioning and not fulfilling its purpose in Christ.
Each member of the church needs to rejoice in God’s favor of forgiveness in Christ, show mercy towards one another as we have been shown compassion from the Father, and walk in the peace of the Spirit to give calm in our chaotic times.
If the church is not organized with grace, mercy and peace as God requires, then how can it give hope and help to the world?
2. Organization Through Officers; 5
2. Organization Through Officers; 5
Organization- organized body of people with a particular purpose; structure or arrangement of related or connected items
The church has been given officers to organize the particular purpose of the church. Just like the body has a head to guide it, the church has its Head [Jesus], and He guides it through officers in the church.
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
Jesus gave certain men to serve in specific roles of the church to make sure the body functions properly
Apostles refers to the twelve/Paul; there are no apostles today, but the church was built upon the teaching of the apostles.
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
Prophets have no longer been needed since the close of the New Testament Book of Revelation. John was the last prophet that foretells the prophesies of God that are yet to be fulfilled.
Evangelists are witnesses of the Gospel and will serve the church till Jesus comes.
3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
Pastors/Teachers are ministers in local churches. They have been given the responsibility of organizing the church, passed down from the Lord, through the apostles and prophets.
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
The equipping of the saints comes through organized prayer, worship and Bible study.
The reason it is to be organized is because it becomes confusion when it is not.
26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.
27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret.
28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.
29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.
30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent.
31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.
32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
34 Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says.
35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.
36 Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached?
37 If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.
38 But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant.
39 Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
The church is to be an organization that reflects the grace, mercy and peace of Christ as we come together, that we might mature and grow into the fulness of Christ! That responsibility starts with the pastor/elder.
Officer of a Deacon- a deacon is not one who sits on a board nor a group of men who run the church. A deacon is one who assists the pastor by ministering to the saints.
The qualifications for a deacon are found in [1 Tim. 3:8-13]
But the work of a deacon is found in the Book of Acts
1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,
6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
God intends deacons to be people who solve problems, sometimes by involving themselves in intimate matters of a person’s life. Not surprisingly, then, sincerity in a deacon goes a long way in helping to calm distress and resolve issues.
2. Organization By Membership;
2. Organization By Membership;
Membership- belonging to a specific group
The early church kept records to know who belonged to Christ and who didn’t. This was important to keep false teaching out of the church and to see the growth of individuals in the church to select for officers in the body.
Three times in the Book of Acts we see where certain individuals were numbered as the met together [120 in the upper room Acts 1] and those added to the church by being saved [3000 and then 5000 Acts 2-4]
1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
If even half of our church membership ever took Jesus Christ seriously we would start a major revolution!
Havner, Vance
3. Organization In Ordinances;
3. Organization In Ordinances;
Ordinance- an authoritative decree, a prescribed religious rite
There are only two ordinances commanded by Christ in the New Testament church, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Baptism [immersion]. The Lord commands the believer to be baptized. This is the first opportunity for the new convert to obey HIs Savior. Baptism fulfills righteousness and identifies one with the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord.
Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Mark 16:16 (NKJV)
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
Circumcision was the mark of the covenant; it signified membership in the covenant people of Israel, just as baptism signifies membership in the covenant community of the church today.
James Montgomery Boice
Lord’s Supper- Is a memorial in remembrance of what Christ has suffered for sinners.
The bread is symbolic of His body that was broken for us.
The wine/grape juice is symbolic of His blood that was shed for the remission of our sin.
We do this as an act of obedience to Christ and to proclaim the victory in His death and resurrection!
1 Corinthians 11:23–26 (NKJV)
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper in this world, we shouldn’t only look back to Christ’s past accomplishments, but to the future feast that is yet to be fulfilled.
R. C. Sproul
Close;
Everything God does has purpose and order. Whether it be in His Creation or in His Church. As Christians we should be a people of purpose and order.
“God is not going to rewrite the Bible for any generation. Stop trying to change scripture when it’s written to change you!”