30 Minute Radio Sermon - WAVG Radio 1450 AM
Clarksville church of Christ
April 1, 2001
Speaker: Richie Thetford
"The Government and Mission of the Lord's Church"
When Jesus said, "I will build My church, .." (Matthew 16:18) His right of ownership was fully established. With the rights
of ownership come also the right to structure the church according to His own good pleasure. But there are literally
thousands of religious institutions, all claiming some touch with Christ, yet with such a wide variety of governmental forms
that hardly any of them are alike. There is only one religious institution in this world that is governmentally identical to
Christ's original church. Which is it? Today we will see if we can locate it. In addition, How can a church today expect
people to hear what they say in a world where there are problems like hunger, ignorance, poverty, prejudice, and hatred?"
This question is asked with repeated frequency as sincere people seek to learn the role churches should play in our world
today. Please stay tuned as we examine the Government and Mission of the Lord's Church.
Hello, this is Richie Thetford, evangelist for the Clarksville church of Christ welcoming you to another presentation
of"What Is Truth?"The Clarksville church of Christ presents this program every Sunday at this same time. Our purpose is
to teach the truth and nothing but the truth. We always urge you who listen to let us know if you find something taught on
this program that is not true in accordance with God's word. We want to make sure that we are right in our teaching and
you will be doing us a favor if you would let us know if you find anything that is contrary to the gospel of Christ. You are
very warmly invited to visit our services today. At 9:30 A.M. we have Bible classes for all ages followed by our morning
worship assembly at 10:30 A.M. Then this evening at 6 P.M. we will again worship congregationally. We also have Bible
classes for all ages each Wednesday at 7:30 P.M. Our building is located at the corner of Hale Road and Hwy 131 in
Clarksville. We would certainly be delighted to have you come and visit us today.
There is a large variety of church government represented in both protestant and catholic religious circles. Some religious
groups favor the conventional form of government, where local churches within a specific denominational framework
voluntarily band together in a central organization called the convention. Through their representatives, they formulate
policies for that particular denominational body, as well as perform work as an aggregate body. Other denominational
organizations favor a form of church government called a Synod. A Synod is a council or an assembly of local churches,
which forms a particular denomination. Some large denominational bodies are made up of a group of synods. Then there is
a form of church government which may be called "monarchial." This form of church government is patterned after a
monarchy with one man at the top as supreme ruler, various cabinets and consulates under him. This is the form of church
government represented by Roman Catholicism. Some of the religious cults pattern a form of church government after our
own representative form of democracy. Mormonism, for example, is organized from a president at the top, who is also
called prophet and seer, with a group of so-called "apostles" under him, who govern a large number of "stakes" and
"wards." Do any of these kinds of government even resemble the kind Jesus gave His church? If so, which one is it?
Looking for the kind of government Jesus authorized in His church can only be successful when we consult His last will and
Testament. Let us begin with His own words. "All authority, both in heaven and on earth, has been given to me" (This is
Matthew 28:18). Jesus received total authority from the Father and gave His chosen apostles the world wide commission to
preach His gospel, based on that authority. If Jesus has all authority, none is left for any other governing agency or body.
"All authority, both in heaven and on earth, has been given to me. You go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things,
whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus
left no authority for anyone other than Himself. He delegated only responsibility; He never delegated His authority to anyone.
Upon His authority, His disciples were allowed to make disciples through preaching the gospel. Jesus invited the entire
world to "come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of
Me, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:27-30). This great invitation invites people to learn of Him.
There is but one way to learn of Christ today and that is through the word He revealed to the world through the men who
were inspired to write it down. Jesus promised His apostles,"When the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all the
truth"(John 16:13). When the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles they received, not part of the truth, but all of the truth.
There is no truth that pertains to one's relationship to God, through Christ, not revealed to the apostles. Listen to our
Savior. To His disciples, He said, "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me"
(Matthew 10:40). Through His specially chosen apostles, He alone governs His church.
Since Christ rules His church through His apostles, and since they no longer live on earth, how can He govern? Jesus
anticipated this precise matter. He said to the apostles, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of
Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel" (Matthew 19:28). Regeneration means generating something again. God generated (created) the world in the
beginning. That was a physical creation of heaven and earth. Jesus spoke of another generation, in which He would sit on
His throne as supreme monarch, and the apostles would sit on twelve thrones to judge "the twelve tribes of Israel." Judges
do not rule -- they serve under the ruler, Jesus Christ, as His ambassadors. And should we stumble at the fact that they no
longer live among us, therefore cannot judge, we should remember that Jesus still rules, while no longer alive in the flesh.
This regeneration is the New Testament age, when Jesus promised His church would come into existence. That is the age in
which we live and will continue to live until time ends. Thus, Jesus is now reigning over God's people and the apostles,
through their inspired words, continue to be judges. The fact that Jesus called His church "the twelve tribes of Israel" is in
accord with other statements in the New Testament. The short book of James was written to "the twelve tribes which are
scattered abroad" (James 1:1). The church was made up in part of converted Jews, who still retained their tribal identities,
but not their former religious views and practices. In fact, the whole church, both Jew and Gentile, were referred to
figuratively as "the Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16).
The apostles, through preaching Christ's gospel, made disciples in every nation on earth. They did this through preaching
His gospel. Then, they taught them to "observe all that" Christ commanded the apostles. As time came for them to "go the
way of all flesh," they followed Christ's authority and set up a system by which the church would be governed after their
departure. First, they made sure Christ's gospel would continue to be preached. Paul wrote a young evangelist,"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" (2 Timothy 2:2). Anticipating the claim that even angels might bring another revelation, he wrote to the churches of
Galatia, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let
him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8). So sure was this made, that the anathema of God rests even on an angel who would
preach anything other than what the apostles, under Christ's authority, preached in the first century.
Those who were made disciples by apostolic preaching were formed into local groups called "churches of Christ." Paul used
this very expression in Romans 16:16 where he said, "The churches of Christ salute you." Churches here refers to a number
of local churches, all following the apostolic order. Within each of these local groups, by Christ's authority, the apostles
ordained men who were called "elders"to superintend the group. A very plain statement of this is found in Acts 14. Luke
tells us of Paul's travels which led him to the Asian cities of Lystra, Derbe, and Iconium. After having made many disciples
in each city, he and Barnabas returned and, verse 23 reads: "So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed
with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed." These elders are also called bishops, pastors,
or shepherds. There is no distinction between elders, pastors or bishops. And that is the only body of men who have
oversight of anything in the church today, by Christ's authority. Men who were called "deacons," or "ministers" were also
chosen to serve with and under the elders of each local church (Philippians 1:1).
Each of these local groups were organized autonomously and independently of each other. Peter wrote to elders, "Shepherd
(or pastor) the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by constraint but willingly, not for dishonest
gain, but eagerly" (1 Peter 5:2). The oversight of a single group of elders was (and always should be) limited to the flock of
God which is among them. It may interest you to know that the first step away from the Christ's authority in the
government of His church occurred when a group of elders assumed the oversight of several other local churches. This
gradually led to what historians call "a monarchial form of church government."
The government of Christ's church may be summarized as follows.
1) Christ is the supreme governor of His church.
2) His government is administered through the apostolic office of making disciples through preaching His gospel.
3) The apostles, under Christ's authority, organized the church into local fellowships and appointed certain men to function
as elders or overseers.
4) These elders were limited in their oversight to the congregation where they served.
5) And that is it -- there is no more government to Christ's church.
That is why the convention, the synod, the monarchial, or even the democratic forms of church government must be
rejected. The only church that duplicates the kind of government Christ gave His church in the first century, is the one that
has elders in every church, and which operates completely under apostolic teaching, and limits their oversight to their own
congregation.
As we continue our study this morning, now let's discuss the mission of the Lord's church. Dr. Donald A. McGavran, Dean
of the Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California and Dr. Win Arn, Executive Director and President of the Institute for
American Church Growth, collaborated on a book entitled, How To Grow A Church. It was published by Regal Books in
1979. In response to how a church can get people to listen to the gospel where there are so many social problems that seem
to be more important than salvation from sin. Dr. McGavran made an interesting point when he said, "Furthermore, we must
never forget that in evangelism we're not telling people how good we are. We preach Christ, not ourselves. If we start
preaching ourselves, we're done for; I don't care how good we are." (page 167).
The church Jesus promised to build is truly one body, a spiritual body, and is sent into the world on a very pointed spiritual
mission -- saving the lost through preaching the word. Churches that lose sight of that one goal Christ has commissioned
become side tracked into many unauthorized social, political, domestic, and economic endeavors. There is only one way for
any group of people who think they have even a relative relationship to the church Jesus built to avoid drifting away into the
never, never land of secularism in religion. By maintaining an unwavering loyalty to what Jesus said, to His authority, and to
His principles of right and wrong, can any of us remain unspotted from the world we are here to save from sin.
Let us all be warned. A church today cannot be the same one Jesus built if it does not actively engage in the fulfillment of
the mission He sent His church to accomplish. If Jesus sent the church into the world to remove poverty, ignorance, hunger,
hatred, and the like, then those who do not energetically engage in that cannot be His church. On the other hand, if Jesus
sent His church into this world to make men know the joy and way of salvation from sin, those who focus their chief
concern on eradication of poverty and ignorance rather than proclaiming the gospel of Christ, cannot be His church today.
So, it is extremely important to get a clear view of that mission. And, it is equally important to be unbiased about it -- may I
add also to not allow our feelings and emotions to override our respect for the Christ who built His church.
Understanding the mission Christ gave His church is made easier by considering the New Testament teaching about its basic
nature. The nature of His church manifests the work it is to accomplish. The nature of Christ's church may be known first
by the different descriptions inspired men gave to it. Consider this:
It is called His Body. Paul wrote, "And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:18). As the head, Christ directs the body in all of its
activities. But also, the body under the control of its head is but an extension of the head. From a purely physiological point
of view, the church, as Christ's body, is but an extension of Christ Himself. Going into the world as His body means that
those who make up the church engage in the work Jesus came to accomplish.
No mere man can accomplish the one work Jesus accomplished in His atonement for man's sin. However, Jesus said, "For
the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Seeking the lost, bringing them into the fold
of safety, through salvation was His primary concern. It should be the primary concern of His body, the church, in every generation.
Second, the church is called a temple. Peter wrote, "You also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5). As a spiritual house, the
church is concerned in the first place with spiritual work, saving souls through gospel preaching. The offering up of the
sacrifices in the church today is not from the smoke of animal sacrifices, nor is it from the so-called "fellowship halls" or
kitchens that so many churches have. Someone once wrote, "If the Lord allows time to continue, one wonders if
archaeologists of the future will not wonder what sort of gods this generation served, as they dig up the remains of our
steam kitchens." The sacrifices we offer to God consist of our own service as His disciples, preserving and perpetuating His
own personal mission, preaching the saving message of truth to the lost.
It is interesting that in the next verse, Peter said, "Because I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious and he that
believeth on Him shall not be put to shame." The temple of God, the church Jesus built, rests on the solid footing of His
deity. And the word "because" is significant. Because the church is His spiritual temple, to engage in the offering up of
spiritual services, He has laid the foundation here on earth. From that solid rock of truth, the church of Christ must
continually be active and energetic in spreading nothing but the truth of the gospel of Christ.
The church Jesus promised to build is called "the pillar and ground of the truth." Paul wrote, "But if I tarry long, that you
may know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
ground of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:16). The truth is the one means of spiritual freedom. Jesus said, "And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free"(John 8:32). Truth is the sanctifying power of God. Jesus prayed,"Sanctify them
through Thy truth; Thy word is truth" (John 17:17). Truth is the one path in which the church must walk. John wrote to an
individual named Gaius. "Beloved, I pray that in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul
prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and bare witness unto thy truth, even as thou walkest in truth.
Greater joy have I none than this to hear of my children walking in truth" (3 John 2-4). Only those who walk in the confines
of truth follow Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). To walk in the ways of social reform, political
activism, and worldly entertainment, is to abandon the path Jesus blazed for His church to follow.
But how is the work to be done? The church of Christ is to support the preaching of nothing other than the gospel as
revealed in the New Testament. Paul said of the Philippians, "Do all things without murmurings and questionings; that ye
may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation
among whom ye are seen as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life; that I may have whereof to glory in the day of
Christ that I did not run in vain neither labor in vain" (Philippians 2:14-16). If the church bogs down with a social emphasis,
it will soon engage in bickering and strife. We don't have time for such as that. If every one who claims to believe the Bible,
were to restrict both teaching and activity to only what can be found in the Bible, there would not be enough time to be side
tracked into unauthorized activities.
Churches of Christ in the first century give us a clear view of how that work is to be done. Churches sent preachers into a
field of work to preach. Luke tells us, "And the report concerning them came to the ears of the church which was in
Jerusalem; and they sent forth Barnabas as far as Antioch, who when he was come, and had seen the grace of God, was
glad, and he exhorted them all that with purpose of heart, they would cleave unto the Lord" (Acts 11:22-23). Other times,
churches sent financial contributions to preachers. Paul spoke kindly of the Philippians who had sent "once and again to" his
necessities (Philippians 45:15-16). Notice that it was to relieve his needs -- not to make him wealthy.
This, then is the essential mission of Christ's church. It is tragic that churches of our generation are moving farther and
farther away from this simplicity and fundamentalism into realms where social concerns are more important than going to
heaven. Truly, modern day religion is focused on this world rather than that which is to come. But, that is not so of all
churches. We of the Clarksville church of Christ are seeking to be only what Christ promised to build. And, we invite your
most careful examination of all that we teach, preach, and practice. I hope you have listened this morning with an open mind.
If you have any questions at all about this topic, or if you would like extra study materials on this subject, please contact us.
If you would like to receive a transcript or an audio tape of today's lesson or any past lesson that has been presented on
"What Is Truth?", you may call or write the Clarksville church of Christ, 407 W. Hwy 131, Clarksville, IN 47129.
This is Richie Thetford, evangelist for the Clarksville church of Christ thanking each of you for listening to this morning's
broadcast and invite you to listen again next Sunday morning at 8:30 A.M. for another presentation of "What Is Truth?"