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Assembling the Saints Part 4 of a six-part series on the Church by Dick York Because of this physical as well as spiritual relationship, the Bible teaches us that there are local assemblies of believers. The letters of the apostles were addressed to such churches in various locations, such as the church at Corinth, at Ephesus or Colosse. Paul wrote to the churches in the province of Galatia and to the church at Rome. All of these were local clusters of people who were members of the whole Church. As they met together and obeyed the leading of the Spirit, God coordinated their gifts and they functioned as a unit to accomplish His purpose where they lived. Remember that the redeemed people are the image of God. They are a visible representation of He who is invisible. They are the body of Christ. The gifts of the Spirit are coordinated as each member obeys the Lord. That presents, from the human perspective, a rather disturbing problem because we know that the probability of disobedience––which must be potential if, in fact, there is obedience––is very real. So the churches may not seamlessly represent the life of the Father, as did the Lord Jesus. That being true, there is a unique problem in the Church that is dealt with extensively in New Testament Scripture. The problem is addressed in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other.” 1 Spiritual growth is maturing toward the point of consistently walking according to the leading of the Spirit: if we walk in the Spirit, we shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. 2 Within the churches, therefore, there is the problem of spiritual immaturity, for which cause God placed within the ranks of the believers overseers to give guidance and correction. These are not a hierarchy usurping the leading of the Spirit as in the Roman church and in the reformers’ effort to reform it, but simply mature examples with authority to guide and correct. (We will have more to say about the oversight of elders later on.) We have already considered Ephesians 3:20,21, which reads, Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. The context in which these verses are set flows into the next chapter, where Paul’s exhortation continues I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 3 The power that works in us is the Spirit of Christ 4 who, throughout every age, is the One who is at work in the Church bringing glory to the Father. Ideally, if there were no conflict between the flesh and the Spirit, the exhortation Paul gives in these verses would be unnecessary because the Spirit would be unopposed. However, from the time we are saved until we see Jesus, there will be the process of maturing, growing up into the fullness of the measure of His stature. We have come from many backgrounds, with varying points of view, many of them religious. And we bring many of our preconceptions with us, sincerely believing, initially, that they are true. Some of them may be; but if that is not the case, they will be modified by the ministry of the other members. But He has called us with one calling, and placed us together in one body, and that body has one vocation. The work of the body of Christ is a vocation , not a profession . The difference in these two words is significant. According to Webster’s English Dictionary, a profession is something requiring academic preparation, such as the legal profession or the medical profession, and Webster includes the “religious” profession. Law, medicine and religion are the three main professions he cites. The calling of the Church is neither a religion nor a profession; it is a vocation, which, according to Webster, is a calling, a work to which one is dedicated. According to the Word of God, the equipping for that calling is by the gift of the Spirit. Four words in Paul’s exhortation stand out: lowliness, meekness, forbearance and longsuffering. The antonyms of lowliness and meekness are pride, arrogance, belligerence, aggressiveness and self-promotion, all of which are contrary to the Spirit of Christ and would hinder, if not prohibit, in individuals possessing these traits, a positive influence by other members of the body. The need for forbearance and longsuffering would seem to indicate less than perfect agreement among the members of the body. Otherwise there would be no need to exercise forbearance or patience with one another. The perfection of the Church is in the Spirit of Christ that inhabits it, not in the vessel of humanity in which He resides. Christ is perfect, but the people that make up the body are fallible, immature and growing to a goal, which is the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, a perfect man, the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. 5 The goal to grow to is the unity of the faith, the time when, because we shall have all knowledge and understanding, we will agree perfectly. Isaiah prophesied of that future day. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that sayeth unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion…so shall He sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at Him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. 6 In that day when we shall see eye to eye, we shall agree perfectly because we shall see perfectly. In the meantime, we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit. Here are more important words. Endeavor means to try, to make an effort, to expend energy to the end that we might keep––not create, but keep––the unity of the Spirit. When we walk in the Spirit, there can only be unity. This is not unity based on agreement or understanding or identical philosophy; this is unity in spite of a possible difference in all of these things. It is the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And where does the peace come from? Is Christ not the Prince of Peace? 7 In Him we have peace with God, 8 and, as a consequence, we enjoy the peace of God, 9 which creates and preserves the unity that we share in the Spirit. A common error among the saints is to reverse the order of Scripture: that is, to try to create spiritual unity by forcing a unity of the faith. By insisting on adherence to what is sometimes an excessively narrow doctrinal statement, it is thought that we can make or keep our “church” pristine. Sometimes, however, in our efforts to protect the saints from error, we isolate them from truth. And trying to unify them in doctrine we divide them in spirit from the larger body. A properly functioning assembly of believers is more of an attitude than an order of service. It is how we perceive ourselves in relation to our Head, and how readily we respond individually and collectively to the leading of the Spirit. The local assembly is not the body, it is a part of the body; just as your hand is not your body, it is a part of your body. Whether or not we understand that will govern how we perceive other local assemblies and how we relate to them. We often hear the expression, “In our body…” meaning in our church or our assembly. That is not correct. It may seem insignificant, but it reveals a misunderstanding of what the Scriptures teach, and may encourage the mistaken view that there is more than one body and thereby foster division and even competition between the members. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. There is one Lord. The apostle Peter made that very clear in his first epistle, when he said that the elders of the assemblies were not lords over God’s heritage. There is one faith. Although there are many views about specifics in the faith, and obviously they cannot all be correct, there is, nevertheless, only one faith. There is one baptism. This has to be a reference to the baptism of the Spirit, which placed us into the body of Christ. There is only one God. But it seems that even truly born-again believers have different perceptions about God and how He responds to His children. None of these differences, true or false, makes any change in who God is or what He is like. He said of Himself, “I am God, I change not.” 10 But as relates to the Church, He is the Father of all. He is above all. That is His place of absolute authority over the whole body. He is through all. Like the string in a priceless pearl necklace, He is the One that makes the members of the body one body. If the string were to break, that pearl necklace would be simply a number of independent beads, rolling under the sofa, lost in the grass, representing a problem to the one that had to find them and gather them up. Together they are a priceless and beautiful ornament to the wearer. Independently they are without function. And He is in you all. He is the very life of the Church, the power that works in us to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. “Christ in you,” Paul said, “is your hope of glory.” 11 And what’s more, every member of the body is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. The assembly, the local church, is a microcosm of the whole body. If you were to carry an empty bucket to the ocean and immerse it in the deep, the ocean would represent the Church, the body of Christ, and that portion of the ocean that filled your sunken bucket would represent the local assembly. For those who are not born of the Spirit, the nature of the Church is incomprehensible. In our generation, even many of the saints have difficulty understanding the biblical concept of the Church. They would define the Church as something one attends once or twice a week. Perhaps they would perceive it to be something one would join, or perhaps a building that some might call a house of God. We have already made the point that it is none of these things. As a matter of fact, at the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon all flesh, 12 those who witnessed it were mystified. They heard Galilaeans, simple country folk, speaking in foreign languages they had never learned, and prophesying of the wonderful works of God. Marvelous things began to happen as literally thousands of people were saved and added to the body of Christ. As the move of God continued, many signs and wonders were done among the people by the apostles. And they (the believers) were all of one accord in Solomon’s porch (a public square attached to the temple), and of the rest dared no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. 13 No one joined this church––in fact, we are told that no one would dare join himself to them––but people were added to the Lord. That is the only way one can “join” the church. When one is saved, he becomes a member of the body of Christ. He is baptized by the Spirit into the body. 14 Only when we are added to the Lord are we added to the Church. As you may imagine, the days immediately following the feast of Pentecost must have been both exciting and chaotic. The tiny band of Jesus’ disciples had suddenly become an animated throng of thousands. Three thousand had been saved the first day, and within a few more days five thousand more were added to their number. Some of those who made up that growing contingent of new believers were needy people. There were the poor and the widowed. As well as the noble, there were those in poverty. The realization of these existing needs was immediate among these newly Spirit-filled converts. The compassionate reaction of those who had wealth and property was immediate. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 15 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 16 Suddenly there were administrative responsibilities. People were giving of their possessions to meet the needs of those who were without. Unforeseen obligations lay, literally, at the feet of the apostles. It became necessary to organize the chaos so that the material blessings were distributed in an even and orderly manner. The time had come for some organization and the distribution of responsibilities. But it is important to note that the Church did not become an organization. Within the congregation of saints there was a need to organize in the same sense that it is necessary to organize a family gathering at Thanksgiving time, simply for the sake of decorum. But in so doing, we do not transform the family into an organization. So it was in the Church, organization was introduced when it became necessary to serve the well-being of the body. 17 But the Church was not subservient to organization. (More about this later.) In the world great importance is attached to rank. In almost every facet of society, there is a discernable hierarchy. In the military, it flows from the Commander-in-Chief down through the generals, the commissioned officers, the NCOs, the specialists to the enlisted men. The integrity of the system is maintained by the conferring of titles, which designate the level of authority ascribed to each individual. The authority resides in the title, not necessarily in the caliber of the man that bears it. This is equally true in the religious world. However, it is not true in the Church because Jesus, who is the Head of the body, forbade it. This is a much-ignored fact because to acknowledge it would fly in the face of seventeen centuries of religious tradition. But Jesus commanded his disciples, “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called master: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” 18 As we continue, in future articles, to pursue the matter of organization and authority within the local church assembly, we will consider what first Jesus, and then the apostles, taught us. 10 Malachi 3:6 |
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