Many Christians try to attend church every week or two. Others attend only occasionally or just at Easter and Christmas. Some are so turned-off with religion and churchianity…they just stay home.
Many atheists, Jewish anti-missionaries, Muslims, and other non-believers are opposed to people becoming believers in Jesus as Savior. The institution of church and our assembling together provides a measure of protection for our belief in God and the truths of the Bible. This topic is about church fundamentals and believer functions, from the New Testament (NT).
The saints of the early church assembled together. Originally the NT church was a gathering of people…not the building where they met! The Greek term for church is ekklésia, Strongs g1577, occurring 118 times in the NT.
Lk.4:16 it was Jesus’ custom to attend the formal style of service of His day at synagogue (g4864) on the sabbath (g4521). This custom resulted from the instruction God gave to Moses/Israel in Le.23:3. “On the 7th day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. It is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings.” Jewish synagogues were lay institutions with unpaid elders (h2205 zaqén, Hebrew). see the topic “Synagogue Influence on the Church”.
Mt.18:15-20 Jesus authorized His own future assemblies or messianic Beit Din (‘House of Judgment’) with zaqen/elders overseeing decisions…to “bind and loose” (forbid and permit), Mt.16:19. Two or three local elders helped resolve internal disputes and made legal decisions for each local congregation (ref Mt.18:15-18, 1Co.6:1-5).
But Jesus said church leaders aren’t to be lords (Mt.20:25-28). Jesus is Lord (Ro.10:9). He is the only Head of the church (Ep.5:23)! He died and rose again…and His church was launched in Acts 2, ca 30 AD.
In the early church of the 1st century, a group of believers usually met in a large room or courtyard of a believer’s house. See Ro.16:5, Col.4:15, Philemon 1:2, 2Jn.1:10 for evidence of house churches.
The apostle Paul planted churches on his missionary journeys. The churches Paul started were structured (similar to the synagogue pattern). As Paul departed a city on his journey, a few local elders would emerge to lead & guide that new church group.
In Ac.20:17, 28 Paul instructed the elders [g4245 presbúteros] of Ephesus, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [g1985 epískopos, bishops], to shepherd the church of God.” Church overseers/bishops care for the figurative ‘sheep’. Often one elder was the householder where that church met.
Ti.1:5 Paul instructed the church planter Titus to appoint elders who’d emerged in cities on the island of Crete. After a period of time, Paul or another church planter (e.g. Peter, Timothy, Titus) would revisit the local group. Churches grew & spread as believers shared the gospel with family, friends, associates.
Apostles/church planters had spiritual authority. The Holy Spirit (HS) confirmed them.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in 1Co.4:21. “Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?” Later in 2Co.7:13-16, “He [Titus] remembers your obedience, how you received him [Titus] with fear and trembling”. Also ref Philemon 1:8-9 and 1Ti.5:19-21 regarding authority.
By the time the 1Timothy letter was written, ca 63 AD, many churches were being established throughout the Roman Empire.
Guidelines were to be observed for each local NT assembly. Although leading men should be honorable, the NT doesn’t indicate that local elders were imbued with the same degree of spiritual authority the apostles/church planters had.
Ti.1:5-9 and 1Ti.3:1-7 distinguish the characteristics of elders & overseers. 1Ti.3:8-13 distinguishes the characteristics of deacons (g1249 diákonos). Dr. Spiros Zódiates “Deacons in this sense were helpers or servants of the bishops or elders.” Php.1:1 Paul addressed this letter to the saints, overseers/bishops (plural) and deacons at Phílippi.
It appears the NT church government was more like an oligarchy, not a hierarchy. Ga.2:7-9 Paul indicated that Peter, John, James apostled mostly physically circumcised Jews; whereas Barnábas & Paul went more to uncircumcised gentiles.
There was no Pope! The HS is the ‘vicar of Christ’, so to speak. The apostolic church wasn’t an immoral, indolent, corrupt monopoly.
The Lord gave Jewish and gentile Christians various spiritual gifts & functions via the HS. Ep.4:11-13 “He gave some apostles, and prophets, and evangelists, and shepherds/pastors, and teachers; for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ. ‘Til we all come into the unity of the faith.” Many of the functions indicated in Ep.4:11-13 are performed by elders.
In addition to the NT model eldership structure, the HS has also blessed and gifted the church. Anointing with oil while praying for the sick to be healed is an example of a local function done by elders, Ja.5:14-16.
Yet, in a sense, all Christians are priests in God’s holy royal priesthood (1Pe.2:5, 9)!
Several believer functions are listed in 1Co.12:27-31. These functions and gifts are distributed by the HS among the saints (in local areas). 1Co.12:27-31 “God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, gifts of healings, admins, tongues.” Yes, miracles & healings are for the church (Ja.5:14-16). see “Spiritual Gifts and ‘Tongues”.
Also Ro.12:4-8, 13 is in regards to believer functions. “Just as we have many members in one body and all the members don’t have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.” Here Paul includes serving, exhorting, giving, contributing to the needs of others, hospitality, etc. also see “Female Roles in the Early Church.”
1Co.12:29-30 not all Christians are apostles, or prophets, or teachers, etc.; all aren’t pastors; all don’t speak in tongues. All haven’t been given evangelistic gifts or talk about Jesus well one-on-one. Those who don’t speak in tongues or evangelize well, for example, shouldn’t be made to feel inadequate.
Paul’s summation in 1Co.14:1, “Pursue love, yet desire spiritual gifts”. It’s not one or the other. It’s spiritual gifts and love…both. The various gifts and love from the HS enables those so gifted to spread the gospel and knit the church together in godly love. Personal evangelism (by those who have that gift) is key to a living and growing church. Of note, it wasn’t the apostles who evangelized in Ac.8:1-4. also see “Evangelism in the Apostolic Church”.
Gentile peoples come from backgrounds of different cultures, customs and beliefs. Even the Jews had their own sects. (see “Jewish Sects of the 1st Century”.) As the gospel went to the nations, the result was a much diverse group coming into the church at large. And differing customs can cause some disunity. Also see “Doctrinal Disunity Impacts Evangelism”.
Jesus prayed there would be unity. Jn.17:11 “Holy Father, keep them in Your name, that they may be one.” Continuing in Jn.17:22-23, “That they may be one, just as We are one, that they may be perfected in unity”. Jesus prayed that all Christians would become unified, as one in Spirit with God.
Paul didn’t charge money for the gospel. Nor did he cause division for the church in regards to points of Levitical ceremonial laws or Judaism’s oral traditions from his background. 1Co.9:18-23 “When I preach the gospel I offer the gospel without charge. To the Jews I became as a Jew, though not being myself under [man-made oral?] law; to those [gentiles] without law as without [oral?] law, though not being without the [written] law of God….that I may by all means save some.” Paul was willing to set aside Jewish oral traditions (but not the Lord’s written principles) to help grow God’s Kingdom.
Our Christian journey is a process of personal growth and learning. There were big differences and some problems, for example, among the seven churches of western Turkey (Rev.2–3)! Yet they were all still Christ’s churches (Rev.1:13, 20), though some desperately needed to repent more fully.
All Christian churches today lay claim to the Bible as the written word of God. This written word, as inspired by the HS, is the universal standard and unifying instruction guide for the Body of Christ. As Jesus & Paul affirmed when referring to the Old Testament…“It is written!” (e.g. Mt.4:4, Ro.3:10.)
But to fully obey God’s word, we must be willing to lay aside traditional (and nationalistic) differences which contradict His word. see “Governmental Loyalty for Christians”. Also we should be willing to de-emphasize any differences regarding non-salvation issues so-called, and speculations.
Jesus said in Jn.13:34-35, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another”. What is godly love? 1Jn.5:3 provides a definition of true godly love. “This is the love of God, that you keep His commandments.” As we obey God while loving each other, and do our part to spread the gospel…the Kingdom of God will be expressed more and more. The church has been called the Kingdom of God in miniature. (see “Kingdom of God” and “Love – Godly Love”.)
Although there are apostles, elders, etc., the bottom line is…all believers are necessary parts of the Body of Christ…whether they’re an eye or a hand or a part less noticeable (1Co.12:20-25). As our body parts come to the aid and defense of our physical body; the church provides protection from false teaching, and from those who reject Jesus as Savior. Our local assembly is part of our spiritual immune system.
God’s people are exhorted to maintain the habit of gathering together regularly in an approved manner, based upon what we see in the NT. Individually a believing member may be a figurative hand, or finger, foot, toe, ear, lung, etc., of the Body of Christ. (Christ is the Head.) But no body part can exist alone! Each group or congregation is a local body where believers are to function in sync with each other.
The writer to the Hebrews urged believers to meet & commune together. He.10:24-25 “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together.”
We’re to share in a unified local body. Through the HS within us, we can be living examples of God’s written principles in our thoughts, words, actions, conduct and habits. Then our purpose and destiny will be…we ourselves unified together with God for all eternity! What a glorious future we have!
So let’s look to spread the gospel as the opportunity arises…and carry-on the church practice of meeting together, as did the New Testament saints who went before us.
Bible Topic Exposition 