A Closer Walk With God
The Church And You
As we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, as we continue in our service and walk with God, we do not do so alone. A wonderful blessing we have in Christ is being members of His body, the church. When we properly understand what the church is, both in its universal and local sense and what our responsibilities are toward the church -- then we can better utilize this blessing to help us remain faithful in our lives as disciples of Christ.
What is the church? The word "church" refers to people who have been saved. As we are saved, the Lord in heaven Himself "adds" us to His church - Ac 2:47 "praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." As His "church" (a word meaning "assembly" or "congregation"), we are members of God's "household" or "family" - 1 Ti 3:15 "if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth."
The word "church" is used primarily in two senses. The universal sense: all the saved throughout the world. It is used in this way in passages like Mt 16:18 "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."; Ep 5:23 "For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior."; Co 1:18 "And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent." In the "universal" sense there is only ONE church - Ep 4:4 "There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call--"; compare with Ep 1:22-23 "And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." Christ is the head; individual Christians are members of His body - 1 Co 12:27 "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." There is no earthly organization; what organization there may be is spiritual in nature - Ep 2:19-20 "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,". The universal church never meets as such; it has no "officers" except Jesus Christ and the original apostles and prophets.
In the local sense: the saved in one particular locality. It is used in this way in passages like 1 Co 1:2 "To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:"; Re 1:11 "saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."'; Ro 16:16 "Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you." In the "local" sense there are MANY churches - see for example Ga 1:2 "and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:" There is to be an earthly organization within each local church. Ideally, each church has elders (also know as bishops, pastors) and deacons - Ph 1:1 (described more fully later in this lesson) "Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:" But churches may exist temporarily until such men can be appointed - as in Ac 14:21-23 "When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed." Local churches meet regularly; and Christians have responsibilities in connection with their brethren in the local church.
Let's now look at some of the responsibilities in the local church. We should "join ourselves" to a local church. Only Christ "adds" one to the church universal; but one can and should "join" themselves to a local church - Ac 9:26-28 "And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord." This enables you to benefit by the association of other Christians, and provides you an opportunity to be of service to them - He 3:12-14 "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end." ; 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." There are some responsibilities Christ has given you that you cannot fulfill on your own; for example, the Lord's Supper - Ac 20:7 "On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight." So we need to find and join a local faithful congregation of the Lord (a careful study of the New Testament can help you to identify such today; perhaps a subject for future study?)
We should cooperate with the leaders. In a fully developed local church, there will be elders to oversee the people of God. The terms "elder, pastor, bishop, shepherd, overseer" are often used interchangeably, referring to the same position - Ac 20:17 "On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.", 28 "Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood."; Ti 1:5-7 "This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you-- if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined."; 1 Pe 5:1-2 "So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;" . Their qualifications are found in 1 Ti 3:1-7; Ti 1:5-9. Our responsibilities to them are as follows:
1) To recognize and respect them - 1 Th 5:12-13 "We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves."; 1 Ti 5:17-20 "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages." Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear."
2) To obey and be submissive when they lead scripturally - He 13:17 "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you."; 1 Pe 5:2-3 "shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock."
Think of them as your "spiritual advisors", as "shepherds"; they are mature, experienced Christian men who are charged by God to "watch out for your souls"!
In a fully developed local church, there will also be deacons to serve the people of God. These are "servants" who assist the elders in the work of the church. Their qualifications are found in 1 Ti 3:8-13. The work they do is a very noble one - 1 Ti 3:13 "For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus." There may also be those who serve as evangelists and teachers - Ep 4:11 "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,". The "evangelists" concentrate their attention on teaching the gospel to the lost. "Teachers" concentrate attention upon edifying the members. Those commonly referred to as "preachers" or "ministers" may do both the work of evangelist and teacher. But whether they serve as evangelist, teacher, preacher, or minister, within the local church they likewise submit to the leadership of the elders.
We should contribute regularly to the work of the church. When we continue this lesson we will look at some ways we can contribute to it's work.
