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Location:Worcester Study Day (1985)

Topic:The Ecclesia

Title:The Old Testament Ecclesia

Speaker:Pearce, Harry

Download:19851116-1 the old testament ecclesia.mp3

Source: archive.moorestownchristadelphians.org |

Transcript

Location:Worcester Study Day (1985)

Topic:The Ecclesia

Title:The New Testament Ecclesia

Speaker:Pearce, Harry

Download:19851116-2 the new testament ecclesia.mp3

Transcript

we had attempted to define the old testament ecclesia

under the hand of moses

and moses took upon himself the power of god's presence and tried to translate this into a presence with israel

found himself unable to do it personally and therefore brigaded as it were the 70

elders who would be those who might amplify and extend the consciousness of god amongst the congregation

and moses i think for the whole of his life must have been a terribly frustrated man

moses was never able to come to grips with his people

they were never able to retain the vision of god in their presence

when the writer to the hebrews in the 12th chapter

comes to the subject he says

so terrible was the sight in the 21st verse of the 12th chapter that moses said i exceedingly fear and quake

as i said i don't think moses ever recovered from that feeling

inadequacy

he might have preferred at one stage to be destroyed so that the people would be saved

but that wasn't in the nature of god's dealings anyway

more likely that moses would be made into a separate nation bringing forth the fruits thereof then that the people would be elevated to a position that they couldn't hold

the writer to the hebrews goes on to say moses said i exceedingly fear and shake but you he says

i come unto mount zion

and under the city of the living god

the heavenly jerusalem and to an innumerable company of angels

and to the general assembly in the church of the firstborn

who are written in heaven

and to god the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect

and to jesus the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of the sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of abel

so there was a progress in the revelation of god to mankind

there had now come a man who was able to reveal god to him to the people

in a way that only jesus could do it

he was one who brought the consciousness of god present to them and lived it out in his life before

i have to say a word about that in excitation tomorrow morning

but these people now were in an ecclesia

they were

that word as we very well know eck out of calio i call

an assembly of called out ones

having an identity that we can more easily

accommodate in our thinking because we are part of an ecclesia and we know what it means

how much we know as to what it means of course is a matter for continual introspection sometimes called the assembly

sometimes it's called the congregation

on our definition we have two

two words two understandings of the word that come to mind there is the church or the ecclesia universal the whole company of regenerate people in all times and ages those that are spoken of in that 12th chapter of hebrews that i just read

the body of christ universal the organization to which he has given and does give spiritual life

and through and in which he manifests the fullness of his power and grace

in ephesians chapter one there is the passage which we know very well

but it's appropriate in chapter 1 and

verse 22 and verse 23

and he hath put all things under his feet

and gave him to be the head over all things to the church

which is his body

the fullness of him

just see if you can grip what those words mean the fullness of him that filleth all in all

the place of residence

for god

it is an ample fulfillment in this first century church then that was ever possible with the defective eldership of the israel of old

it was now to be a place in which god's residence would be extended

and the understanding of the basis upon which this would happen would be in the risen christ he who had been manifest amongst them and they had seen his glory as of the only begotten son of god

excuse me so this is the great company the great company of persons who christ saves in whom he dwells

to whom and through through whom he reveals god and that's what it's all about the whole of human existence is about the revelation of god to his to his creation

the means by which he might call

people into fellowship with him

that's the purpose of creation it lasts from pentecost to parousia

it lasts from the beginning of spiritual life until death supervenes and then resurrection will take over well that's the universal church it's that body of people that are hidden and only god knows who they are

god and that is each individual knows for himself whether he is attempting to fulfill the visitation of god in his life on a 24-hour basis you know about yourself if you examine yourself properly and i know about myself but nobody else knows about us because the veneer that we put on is often sufficient to obscure the real identity of what is underneath the skin

unless the universal chest then was the local church the local the smaller company of regenerate people who in any given community unite themselves together in accordance with christ's laws that is

a

the supreme authority of the scriptures

be

personal accountability to god

see union with christ

in a real and meaningful way d a new life has evidence of that union

distinguishing one from the world around us with all of its moods and fancies and delicate ways of life

and finally a new life of unqualified obedience to christ

the ability to transfer

and to abrogate to ourselves

as a rule of living that which christ showed forth in his own life

the historical foundation of the church i think needs a little explanation

it commenced by our lord in matthew 16.

i won't turn it up but in the 16th to the 18th verse

he defined its power and his authority

he showed it to be worldwide mission

promising to be with it until the consummation of the age

and the historical origins of that church are in jerusalem and we've read of it in the second chapter of acts this morning

there are several matters of interest i'd like to

make precedent to this establishment of the church

in acts one and eight

is the start of it

one and verse eight but you shall receive power after the holy spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me both in jerusalem and in all judea and in samaria and unto the outermost parts of the earth

so it was the power to witness worldwide and the promise was that they would be given the equipment that would be enable them to make a worldwide witness for our lord

and in the 15th to the 26th verse we have a series of happenings which

are written again for our edification i think and this concerns the first election in the new church and it was an election

because the supreme body of the church to whom

christ had given the power to redeem or remit or to retain in sin was now no longer complete

judas iscariot had defected

he'd been destroyed and therefore the number had been left incomplete

and so that there was this first election in the new church and these verses from the 15th to the 26th describe that election it simply says that it was necessary that there should be a replacement because it had said been said in the psalms let his habitation be desolate and let no man dwell therein and his bishopric let another take

and so that they looked to see who they could find that had the qualifications to join this body and to make it up to 12 again and they found two

two men who had the qualifications that had companied with the lord during his his life and were and were personal witnesses of his resurrection and they found two

and the two are named

there's uh there's barcibus called justice and there's matthias

so what did they do well they did what we're well accustomed to

these two having been nominated

there was the process of nomination and then there was the process of election they didn't draw straws they cast lots

and the they even give you they can give you the number of the constituent assembly of the number of people that were there in that gathering who cast their lots

so the important thing that had happened here was that the church had now been established under the control of a board of management

a body of bishops had been created overseers 12 apostles

and they were presided over by a man who was not an apostle the president of that board of people was james the lord's brother

so what we have is something which anybody in business will well recognised there was a board of people and they were had their chairman of directors and they were in charge of the church

and now that you had as it were the

the

resurrection of jesus the the commission to form the church to be witnesses of jesus

we now have the first board of directors and there they were established for

and in 2

we have then the induction

we have then the gathering of those who would make up the number of the membership of the church

and that is expressed in very succinct language in the in the second uh chapter of acts there is the speech which was made with the help of the holy spirit so that all men these jews from all over the country from all over the then known world are heard in their own language

and then they said

in this second chapter of acts men and brethren what shall we do they were pricked in their hearts their conscience had been had been touched they had realized that he whom they had put to an open shame was their lord and redeemer they said what can we do about it and that's about one of the most generous and and and complete things and acceptable things one can do before god is to say i have heard what can i do about it

and they're the sort of people we like to deal with people who are honest enough to say i have sinned what can i do and the statement as to what they should do was a very clear one

in the 38th verse of this chapter we've read repent and be baptized

every one of you in the name of jesus christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the holy spirit who every one of those three thousand

not only so not only the three thousand for the promises to you

and to your children and to all that are far off as many as the lord our god shall call

everyone who repents and is baptized is promised the gift of the holy spirit

well we gotta go pretty hard haven't we and think well now what's that mean regarding you and me

and i think the understanding of this needs to be

understood needs to come into our consciousness

obviously they couldn't all do

works of miracle very few of them could matter of fact none of them could

because it says in the further verses down it says in the 43rd verse and fear came upon every soul

and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles

so it is perfectly obvious is it not that the gift of the holy spirit didn't

give the power to do miraculous things to the rank and file

and when we look and study the operation of the holy spirit we can readily see the answer in the new testament as to what in fact had happened

the answer the particular and immediate answer uh is um

that the word gift of the holy spirit in this you shall all receive the gift was not charisma at all it had nothing to do with the doing of miracles the word here if you look it up in the greek is the word doria the word doria there is not concerned with miracle working at all

it is that kind of gift which cannot be bought it is the gift of grace

it is the willingness of god to participate in the life of the one who

who gives himself to the lord

in the old testament we saw it that the lord hath visited and redeemed his people the lord was present with them and the word doria as it is now called the gift of the holy spirit was the means by which god was prepared to come to them in the absence of the of the corporal presence of christ amongst them and he was willing to be with them and to participate with them to be in their number so that they could grow as a temple of the holy spirit

and so that to me anyway and you may have a different opinion but it seems to me that the charisma gift in the 43rd verse where the apostles did mighty works

it was a particular thing for a particular purpose and just as in the old testament in the case we looked at around the camp of israel

that this

that this gift came in a transient way to the seventy so they prophesied and then ceased

it was therefore the particular purpose it was there in those days for the confirmation of god's presence amongst the people and then it left them

but the gifts of eldership the gifts of direction didn't leave them they were left without responsibility without the holy spirit

and so we'll see in the development of this narrative of the growth of the new testament church that the same thing was present

the holy spirit had been promised to all who would come within relationship to god's truth if god had visited us if god had come with us he would bring his holy spirit and that was to be to you and to your children to as many as the lord would call all that are far off

well now

in the forty first to the forty seventh thirst this culminates in the lord adding to the church daily such as should be saved

i want to enlarge for a moment upon the dynamism of that group

you look and see what they did

46th person they continuing daily with one accord in the temple

breaking bread from house to house delete their food with gladness and singleness of heart praising god and having favor with all the people and the lord added to the church daily such as should be saved

imagine the impact of that upon the life the religious life of the synagogue

in jerusalem at the temple

imagine these people coming in a great body

three thousand and then adding daily coming daily to the temple to praise god in a newfound presence of god god had indeed visited and redeemed his people

and when they came they were unable of course to fulfill the sacraments of the church there

they had been told that they must eat bread and drink wine in remembrance of their lord they've been told that they must act as a body of people imminent and vital and dynamic in the work of the lord for witness and for self-nourishment in the truth

and so they met from house to house they had no alternative

they were a harassed people they weren't able to practice themselves and their religion in the way that we can

[Music] and there was this infant church which was growing fast

i wonder whether the audience on that pentecostal day would have been as big if there had been no gift of tongues

but note the liberality and the enthusiasm

note the intense sense of purpose the gladsomeness and the aliveness and the activity of this group of people day by day

witnessing to a generation who were stiff nick as israel had always been stiff-necked

now there were two areas of focus in the church

there was uh the work of peter

as it is recorded in the acts 1 and 12

with jerusalem as the governing center it's quite evident that the policy of the church the establishment of its spiritual pattern

was currently managed and organized from jerusalem it was in fact in the hands of the apostles with

with

james as its chairman and they gave themselves to the word of god and a prayer

and the policy of a christian church of course would have to be in the hands of people who give themselves to the word of god and to prayer they would be a praying people seeking to preserve god's presence among them

so this was the nature of the gathering in jerusalem and they would have their regular meetings daily meetings in which they would give themselves to this new

body that had been created by the grace of god but there was another center

another center in antioch and this had as its focus a different kind of work if we go over to the 13th chapter of the acts of the apostles we'll read of it there

rather remarkable group of men too if you think of it in the 13th chapter of the acts of the apostles and

and reading in the first verse

now there were in the church that was at antioch

certain prophets and teachers as barnabas

well we know barnabas was a very distinguished member of the of the first church he was one who having land sold it the man from cyprus who came and brought his his gifts to the for the relief of the poverty of the church simeon who is called niger lucius of cyrene and manaya manon is a very interesting man because he was very closely related to um to herod herod the tetrarch he was probably a foster brother brought up in the household and i feel able to observe the doings of the court of herod in very great detail

now he was a member of this group in in antioch and saul that is saul of tarsus pearl the apostle

and this group of people were responsible with a particular kind of responsibility because the church as it was in jerusalem was concerned with the preaching to the to the jews and it was it was responsible for establishing the basis upon which the church would develop but there were new needs new needs there was the need to preach to gentiles

and antioch was the center of it that was the place from which the paul and barnabas went forth on the first crusade and then later on uh there was the second and third it all commenced in antioch that was the nerve center and we can see therefore as a matter of organization

to note that when the work directed from antioch came into conflict with the jerusalem initiative

in the matter of the confirmation of gentile believers or conformation of gentile believers to the law of moses the dispute then was brought back

to the central authority in jerusalem to be determined so it was an area matter which had been arisen it had arisen in antioch because of the experience of paul in preaching the gospel to the gentiles to the gentiles to the greeks

and and having to be brought back to see how that could be accommodated to the

authority of the church as a whole under the apostles so it came back for discussion you know very well that that

that it had to be a judgment had to be pronounced and the judgment was made by james on behalf of the central organization that there would be

that they would be required to do no more than to refrain from fornication and they wouldn't be required to be circumcised and

apart from that they would learn of the grace of god but not through the judaistic method so that we've got an organization now we've got a supreme secretariat if you like or supreme directing body we've got another group in antioch who are responsible for the preaching to the gentiles

something we can very easily understand but now there was another kind of problem there's another kind of problem the attention had to be paid to the day-to-day problems the day-to-day management of the body there are matters of policy that didn't touch the overall

foundations upon which the christian church rested but which one nevertheless policy matters as you would have policy matters here that would be peculiar in particular to the city of worcester or in boston or wherever else you liked in sydney if you like there'd be problems which are dissimilar and which have to be ruled upon in those centers well the method was done it was quite easy

the next phase was this attention to the day-to-day management the rapid growth of the church meant that the control mechanisms mechanisms for its regulation were create creaking and groaning

and there were murmurings amongst its members

and so that two things happened the two things happened almost side by side the first was

that the apostle said look we can't manage this day-to-day business it's mechanical the rules are there but they've got to be administered the the gentile the greek women

the

widows are not getting a fair share of the daily ministrations we need a group of men who are rich in the spirit

who are men who are seasoned and prepared to take on the responsibility to look to this business but we will give ourselves to to prayer and to the word and so they created those seven men who were the first deacons

in the church they were not men who made policy they were the men who followed the policy out

and they followed it out under the control of the central body that was one thing that happened

but then on the other side there were the there were the bodies the the separate

bodies of the church that i mentioned in each of the cities

that have to have their policy matters determined on the spot it was impossible that they could be managed from jerusalem and so they set up their own leadership

now as an aside when leadership is not adequate

and alive to the spiritual and material needs

of the brotherhood

morale always suffers

there is a loss of morale

well one attempt to

fix that was the creation of this body in the sixth chapter of acts these men were in no way inferior to any other men in the service of god they were powerful men they had to be and there were also women appointed we find women deaconesses were appointed you'll find a reference to them in in romans 16 1 but i won't turn to that these who carried out the the activities in the ecclesia under the direction of the eldership were called deacons and sometimes they were deaconesses they were women who were given particular things to be done and i take it that the same thing applies in the modern ecclesia we have women who are called upon to act in committees to do various things

but they don't form policy the policies in the hands of eldership

now the next phase in management was this local this local problem and we have two references to it

the first one is in first timothy chapter three

and the second one is in titus chapter one

where we have laid down the qualifications that would be for those who would seek to have area responsibility for policy in the brotherhood and of course it's this qualification that provides the very nubbins of eldership in the church

first timothy chapter 3

and the record is if any shall desire where is it

first timothy

chapter three in the wrong

verse one this is a true saying if a man desire the office of a bishop

now this word bishop

is a word which simply means overseer

one ordained or appointed to oversee or to direct the affairs of the church a bishop then must be blameless

husband of one wife temperate and saber-minded of good behavior given to hospitality up to teach not given the wine not violent not greedy a filthy lucra but patient not a brawler not covetous one that ruleth well his own house having his children in subjection with all gravity for if a man know not to have how to rule his own house how shall he take care of the church of god good question

the devil moreover he must have a good report of them who are outside lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil

and isn't there something left out

of that list of qualifications where's the gift of the holy spirit

it isn't there

surprise surprise it isn't there

so it's possible to have eldership

without the holy spirit

it's possible to depend upon a series of qualifications which doesn't involve the gift of the holy spirit to do miracles

how then could we possibly argue that we couldn't choose from amongst our number a group of people who had the qualifications every one of them

that applied here and why would we not have a group of people who would aspire

to the leadership of the church in its area basis

by gathering to themselves the qualifications of holiness and goodness that were required to fulfill it

when it comes to the titus record

we get one other valuable insight into it because in in titus chapter

in chapter one

he is told in the fifth verse for this cause left i thee in crete

this place of the terrible slow bellies and you know the people that were hard to manage who were always difficult

that they should set in order the things that were wanting and there were many things that were wanting upon the island of crete and ordained elders in every city as i had appointed thee if anyone be blameless the husband of one wife you know same old thing

having faithful children not accused of profligacy or unruly or a bishop must be blameless as the steward of god

not self-willed not soon angry not given to wine not violent not given to filthy luca

never a bishop who would seek to enrich himself just for the sake of enrichment

not given to filthy luke sober-minded where are we

a lover of hospitality a lover of good men sober-minded just holy temperate holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to confuse the opposes

well

there are two things that come out of that one is a repetition of these good qualifications for leading the household of god

and secondly the principle that they were to be elders not an elder not in the manner of the church to set up one who is their minister and pastor and they take everything that he's given to them but but a group of people having the qualifications for leadership

and by the nature of their qualifications being fit

to continue the visitation of god amongst the people

although the charismatic gifts of the spirit were not required for service either as bishops or deacons it would have been impossible for either group to occupy without having received the gift of grace the doria gift of the spirit which had been promised to all who would be baptized

it was promised to all who resolving the repentance and regeneration had been baptized so peter is able to say in the first chapter of his first book in verse 5 we who are kept by the power of god through faith

unto salvation

ready to be revealed in the last time

and in the 17th verse that we are required to judge every man's work

it's a leadership quality that is called for in those who are preserving the truth in its faith

just a word about bishops

it's variously translated it's called elder in acts 14 and 23

it's called an overseer in acts 20 and 28

it's called a pastor in ephesians 4 and 11.

it's called a shepherd you know hacking back to the ezekiel passage that we didn't have time really to to come to but this pastor see this ability to lead by by constant contact

by imminence in the life of the church in knowing its strength and its weaknesses upon an individual basis the pastor is pastors he is able to be exercised and so that it's all the same it comes from the same word it's the same idea the elder is the person the bishop is the office which he holds

now these men in the area position were

all the things by dedication that paul saw

in his list of qualifications that they needed to be

perhaps the prime requirement was that they should be apt teachers of the word

the repositories of the essential truths of god's visitation to his people

you know it was a wise man who wrote these words the true bishop inspires

but he does not drive

he's like a trusty mountain guide

who carries a load three times as heavy as the man he serves

who leads in safe paths

and points out the dangers but who neither shouts nor

that might also be said to be the the prescription or the prescription for a born leader

one who leads by doing more than anybody else could do

jesus said you call me master and lord you do well for so i am

in what respect did they say well of him they called him master and lord because he was willing to do ten times what any one of them was willing to do that was the true nature of leadership

the individual christians should be taught one

to realize the privilege of ecclesial membership

two to prepare himself to use that privilege

three to exercise his privileges as a member of christ's body

for to feel secure in the new testament system of ecclesial decision making and to defend and propagate it

and that involves

being prepared to be led

by men who have the qualities of leadership in the word

there is no record in the new testament as far as i know

that either bishops or deacons were elected for a time period

it would seem to be impossible to me and i'd be glad to have discussion with you if you feel this to be a point seems to be impossible that any person could continue continuing to hold the qualifications for eldership would ever lose that appointment

how could they

how could one being an elder exercising what i've been talking about how could he ever step down from illinois

there could be changes in the composition of those who carry out the policy of eldership in the preservation of decent order in the church but how could who do you think an elder could ever step down from his eldership

he would work whatever he could work he would bring his maturity and his knowledge of the word into the problems of the ecclesia whenever they occurred and his word would be honored because he had shown himself to have

the power of leadership in the church

so paul addresses the church in philippi

in the first chapter and at the first verse

paul and timothy the servants of jesus christ to all the saints in christ jesus who are at philippi with the bishops and the deacons

grace be unto you and peace from god our father and from the lord jesus christ i thank my god upon every remembrance of you

if i were to put that in modern language i would say that paul is writing to the church at philippi and he's saying that i recognize that in that church there are those who are directing you from the position of eldership there are those who are maintaining daily the activities of the church

as deacons

and i recognize that there will be for you grace and peace from god the father and from the lord jesus christ

and in second corinthians chapter 13

there is that very powerful doxology as it were that paul gives in writing to a

a church place in which we clara and i visited not many weeks ago this place that was

distinguished for its inability to live good moral sensible lives through a continual thorn in his side because they couldn't behave themselves

fornication and adultery and all sorts of things being found amongst them

and he writes to them eventually and says finally brethren in the 13th in the 11th verse of the second corinthians 13

finally brethren farewell

be perfect he says perfect

well not not as our heavenly father is perfect although that was the call it isn't likely that any of us are ever going to be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect in its fullness in its ultimate but perfection here is fulfillment fulfillment in our profession of faith be perfect be of good comfort

be of one mind

live in peace and the god of love and peace shall be with you greet one another with a holy kiss let all the saints greet you the grace of the lord jesus christ and the love of god and the communion of the holy spirit be with you all

not only those of you that can raise the dead or heal the sick

but the gift of the holy spirit would be present amongst them and the communion of the spirit would continue to be with them and so they would be knit together as a body

being led

and leading

as qualification would sort out the position in that local area

i'd like to look at just three passages if i might have couple more minutes by the chairman the first one is

is in first peter chapter two

[Music]

first peter chapter 2

and verse 9

receiving the end of your faith

even the salvation of your souls

he goes on to speak about the prophets who spoke of it but in the 17th verse 16th verse because it is written be ye holy for i am holy

and if you call on the father who without respect of persons

judgeth according to every man's work

past the time of yours adjourning here in fear

in fear

recognizing that god will have regard to us according to

every man's work

whether leading or being led

and in the second chapter

and at the ninth verse

but you are a chosen generation a royal priesthood and holy nation a people of his own

that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light

and the 17th verse again

honor all men

love the brotherhood

fear god

honour the king

a royal priesthood a people of his own

titus you get a repetition of this a people of his own it's a very interesting and intimate statement that we are known to be a people of his own those whom he has visited in titus chapter 2

and verse 14

who gave himself this is jesus christ our savior for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a people of his own zealous of good works

and in second corinthians again chapter 6

which as it were twists the knife around in all of our consciousness as we seek to fulfill the best traditions of that that was given in the pentecostal church

in second corinthians 6 and verse 16

and what agreement hath the temple of god with idols

for you are the temple of the living god as god hath said i will dwell in them and walk in them and i will be their god

and they shall be my people therefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the lord and touch not the unclean thing and i will receive you and i will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the lord almighty this is again the doctrine of the visitation of god amongst his people they shall be my people

there's a very interesting passage just in closing in first corinthians chapter 10

and verse 32

you have no offense neither do the jews

this is probably good advice it was certainly good advice to the pentecostal church don't seek to give offence to the jews nor to the greeks nor to the church of god

only three kinds of people in the world jews

greeks

and the church of god

so the

this church of the living god the pentecostal church

was born to be

separate

conforming neither to jews nor gentiles

constituted as a separate place where god could visit and if we could use the phrase and feel at home

sabrina sisters that seems to me to be the constitution of the first century church and the remaining consideration that we hope to have after lunch is how does that fit us

Location:Worcester Study Day (1985)

Topic:The Ecclesia

Title:The 20th Century Ecclesia

Speaker:Pearce, Harry

Download:19851116-3 the 20th century ecclesia.mp3

Transcript

i'd like to now think of the present day

as it is affected by the two other periods that we've considered this morning

the pattern now set forth very clearly in the old testament the pattern which i think can be clearly demonstrated as in the new testament the pentecostal church church of the pentecost

but now the 20th century and

what about the 20th century church

should should it be any different in form or outlook from its predecessors

are things any different now to what they were in the time of old testament times or or the times of the new testament church

human nature any different

is there any greater proclivity for wanting to obey the words of god

and to fight against the temptations of the world in which we live is it any different now to what it was then

circumstances are different of course we travel the shade faster

we

we have a shade more

class independence than we used to have in the in the west but

you know even if you go into the other parts of the world places like india which we've got to know fairly well over the past few years i don't know that the position is any different than there was in the days of these are poor like persecution against the church is still there

very difficult to get a visa to get anybody in to do work there because they resent the christian gospel

they want you to be hindu or muslim or something else may well be that the church is in for some harassment in this country eventually as the anti-discrimination laws gather bite and so on so i started by asking the question is it any different or or should we define

the present day church in terms of the history of mankind

the things that were written before were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the earth have come and therefore we are open to receive instruction

from those times well now

should the church be any different now to what it was in the days of the first century church

should the concept of eldership be any different now than it was either in the old

the old

history times when when the elders were called upon to be the center around which the life of the nation pivoted

or in the days of the pentecostal church whether there should be anything different than a directing body who would take upon themselves the leadership of the church and show by their conduct that they were capable of doing it or alternatively of maintaining the preaching of the gospel to

develop the kind of mechanisms that could be interpreted within the rules by which the church was being administered is it any different or should it be any different now than what it was then well now

i'm here for the next 10 minutes or so i'm going to say some things that

that will be different to anything you've heard before and you know i don't press them upon you as as uh fundamentally right i bring them forward in the spirit of study so that you can give your minds to what i'm going to say and decide whether there is in fact any merit

in continuing the same kind of leadership in the church that we were encouraged to expect both in the old testament and in the new testament times

robert roberts for example evidently thought that there should be changes from the apostolic church

because of the because the patterns of tradition that have come down to us in the christadelphian body are completely different in their form and operation than they were in the days of the first century church there's very little about our present organization which accords

with the organization that we've read off in the new testament

there seems to be no distinction between the bishop and the deacon functions

we have a new function which we call depending on where we are whether we call management managing brethren arranging brethren you know call it what you like stewards some places call them but rarely is there any distinction drawn between the office of the overseer the bishop and the doctrine of the deacon as the carrier out of the of the policies laid down

it seems that brother robert's reason that without the guidance of the holy spirit

endowed elders

you know endowed by the holy spirit that human motivations would become the ruling passion

it is to be realized that in the new testament he clears that spirit endowed apostles withstood each other

to the face because they were wrong we've got you know a couple of cases of that we've got the controversy between paul and barnabas we've got the contributed controversy the very hot controversy between paul and peter

both of whom were endowed with the holy spirit gifts they were permitted to work miracles in the name of the holy spirit and yet paul peter says regarding peter i withstood him to the face because he was wrong

is it possible to conceive the two men of the holy spirit they could act against each other in such a hot climate as is evident in that in those two great men men who were pillars of the church and who whose um you know whose motivation of selflessness and and devotion to the will of god were complete and yet the holy spirit didn't protect them from being at odds with each other odds with each other to the point where they were calling each other wrong

being withstanding each other

when it came to that point of course the the judgment on the particular matter between paul and peter the judgment on that was not given by peter but but by james on behalf of the the ruling group of the christian church as it was then established

the fact is

brothers and sisters that the spirit endowment

were to be used as a seal of authority upon the preaching of the word

and it was not for the self-development

of those who took upon themselves the management or the direction of the church

the the qualification for for governing the church of the living god and acting as leaders counsellors

and pastors was not the gift of the holy spirit at all and that's why i said this morning that it was excluded from the list of qualifications for those important tasks

the seal of the spirit in its charismatic form was given so that a seal should be set upon the preaching of the gospel and nobody could withstand

the power and the force of the preaching of the gospel

when it was accompanied by such wonderful things as we see recorded in the first

in the first century

um let me give you an example and

of

what my researchers have brought to me

i came apart across an article which was very surprising to me

it was an article written by robert roberts

in the year or two immediately preceding his death

and as you know most of you will know that at that time he was still the editor of the christadelphian magazine in england

and was by this time the undoubted authority speaking on behalf of the christadelphian movement

in very many centers and quite rightly so robert roberts is venerated as the preserver of the of the truths which we have taken into our time the truths which make us distinct from the christian world outside

well i'm going to quote some words from an article which robert roberts wrote in the krista delfin magazine the year before he died

and this came as a great shock to me

it's under the heading it's in the december 1897 ecclesial visitor which is the editorial section of the christodolphine magazine of those days

and the heading of the article is the management of ecclesial business

written by robert roberts he says the object of collegial existence is to keep its members under the power of the truth in its faith and practice all business should be strictly subordinated to this sometimes this position of things is reversed and business kills spiritual life

methods have a great deal to do with this and we also aim into that i mean if the spirit of christ is not present in the deliberations of an ecclesia then the ecclesia will get into a wilderness because it won't be directed according to the principles of love joy and peace that christ has laid down for his church

god's way of doing this in the first century was to appoint men to attend the business without troubling the ecclesia

in the absence of the spirit's nomination we cannot have this privilege

and uh you know i take leave to question that statement because i've already shown i think quite clearly

that the existence of the holy spirit didn't do anything to promote unity

what it did was to promote profound differences between good men who sought who were given the power in order to do

set do things which would set a seal upon their preaching

so it says

it will be regarded by recognized by every discerning brother and sister that the object of aeroclassial experience is the development of the fruits of the spirit in love comfort peace and joy and the great truth that bind us together in god

business arrangements are wholly secondary to this and to be kept in strict subjection to it like the washing day or the chimney sweeping at home which are very necessary but to be kept in the background

let the family have the comfort of it without the nuisance of it if we can

and we'd say amen to that i mean why allow the daily mechanisms of

of life to interfere in the peace the love and the joy and the fellowship of the children of god

and then

it was therefore arranged by robert roberts that there would be the delegation of the matters of business into the hands of a group called arranging brethren

and he said uh regarding that the proposed alteration

um i'll go back a little further then the ecclesia would always have it in their power to change the arranging brethren had a new election if they didn't like what was doing then they'd simply change them

the proposed alteration did not originate with me though i helped to put it in that form

as i remarked in a circular at that time our present system is too democratic that is the system under which under which everything was divided decided by the rank and file and where in the interminable kinds of discussions that arise as we very well know in those situations it'd be very hard to come to a sensible decision anyway it is more democratic than the most democratic system of this democratic age we think the british government democratic but the british government does not bring its executive acts of parliament for sanction before they're valid in other words it's it's decided by the representatives and therefore robert roberts came down very firmly on the grounds of having an election from time to time of a ranging brethren who would carry on the management of the ecclesia in lieu of having everything submitted to the congregation for determination

now this is the part that that i find extremely interesting

our present system

was disapproved of by dr thomas

who thought we ought to aim at a nearer conformity to the apostolic system of perpetual elders with authority

he was afraid that the constant appeal for the ecclesia sanction by vote would open the door for turbulent spirits and put in their power to interfere with ecclesial peace

so it's quite clear what dr thomas's view of it was he disapproved of the system that robert roberts had set up

i heard he says robert roberts in confessing this i heard from too greater confidence in human nature

on the side of too great a conformity to the republican spirit of the age

experience has proved dr thomas right in this matter

and my own views at the beginning crude and unsuitable

an electoral system that reduces aeroclesia ecclesias it does in many cases to the level to a level with a political constituency or a money club ought to be modified in harmony with the divine model of the first century so far as we can

we can only hope that there is not time enough for further experiment and that the lord of all will shortly with his powerful arm and end the chaos that prevails both in the world and amongst the few and scattered bodies developed in these latter days by the revival of the gospel

there's nearly a hundred years ago

a hundred years ago since doc since robert roberts confessed

that he was in agreement with dr thomas who disapproved

of the present method of occlusion management

now i found that to be quite a shock and it it

you know it

destroyed for me

that which i had always accepted without question

on the other hand

i realized that that because we are a body that has its traditions extending over such a long period of time

that there is no way

that we could ever change the christadelphian movement its traditions that is as a whole

you have had enough experience as i have in modern christian life

to to realize that the things that we operate under our traditions of life which have become very valuable to us

as a stabilizing influence in our work for the truth

be very difficult to change them

i can only say that robert roberts hoped for jesus to come shortly in 1897

it puts a glass on his

self-confessed error of judgment

which the ecclesiastes have endured for almost 100 years and which in this latter stage we would find it completely impossible to alter

john thomas's view as to the

as to the creation of a permanent set of eldership

is a very interesting concept

it accords very very closely with that that was done in the days of the first century church

and i've already proved i think quite conclusively that that the qualifications for that kind of eldership

did not depend upon the possession of the holy spirit at all

it did was to put the output the eldership in the hands of those who had the qualifications for it those qualifications which are laid down very very clearly indeed

the basis for management the basis for eldership is laid down so that none of us can possibly just agree with it we get for example the qualification like

husband of one life what's that mean we might say

well it means what it says doesn't it i don't i can't define a statement that's as simple as that

why is uh

an elder to be the husband of one wife well i can find several very satisfactory reasons for it myself

i can see for example that in the pastoral work of the church

there is a great need for personal problems to be able to be brought in confidence

and in anonymity in con

without anybody getting to know about it

in such a way that it can be dealt with and useful advice given how can a man

receive a woman into his home if he hasn't got a wife how can he provide that kind of pastoral service if he's unable to receive a woman into his house

and to hear her complaint her difficulty and in comfort with his wife and her find a solution to her find a guidance and a a and a means by which she can be restored to some sort of equilibrium in the lord the pastoracy is very much a private thing ah but you say the apostle paul wasn't married

and to that i think i would have to answer

and again this is a matter for each one of you to think about i'd have to say that that the apostle paul was not a bishop

he didn't take to himself the work of a bishop

paul was the apostle to the gentiles his calling was a very supremely important one but when it came to managing the affairs of the epclesia

he said to timothy and to titus go and ordain bishops in every center so that the needs for pastoral care

within the wisdom of christ's counsel it could be offered you know with kindness compassion friendship and above all things wisdom

in the ways of god by those who by their application to have have accepted

have qualified to be able to provide that kind of service

so that [Music]

i don't think we could contemplate a change in structure to come close to the first century pattern

which was and just let me recapitulate it for you we had a central eldership board determining overall policy for the body

there are matters which scream for policy direction not included in the statement of faith right now that ought to be put there except that we'd never get agreement in the christadelphian movement as to what it should be things for example like

what should be the policy of the church regarding divorce and remarriage this scourge of modern society which threatens to destroy

the church of the living god

there's no mention of it in our statement of faith or in the ecclesial guide

it's a matter of policy that ought to be determined but you know i failed to see any means by which for christodelphia as a whole one could ever find the definition of that particular problem

we got the the doctrine of the holy spirit for example how would we set about finding a common understanding

regarding the holy spirit to build it into our statement of faith you'd never get it there are so many differing points of view in the brotherhood regarding this doctrine

that it isn't likely that for the body as a whole that could ever be done

but there is no reason might i say at all why individual ecclesials cannot move in the direction of that which dr thomas favored

having perceived the need all that remains is for ecclesiastic to have a body of eldership which on the one hand have the qualifications of knowledge wisdom and devotion and a reputation for it and then to get behind them in the manner

of the partnership revealed in the two passages that i now want to direct your attention to

the first one is in hebrews 13.

hebrews chapter 13 and verse 7.

remember them who have the rule over you

who have spoken unto you the word of god

whose faith follow considering the end of their manner of life

the words manner of life is the newer way of the the archaic

thing that's written in the ordinary king james version

jesus christ the same yesterday today and forever

be not carried about with various and strange doctrines for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace not with foods which have not profited them that have been occupied with them

the words seem to me to ring out of that passage

remember them who have the rule over you more modern way to express that just obey your leaders leaders who have by their conduct and by their application by their renunciation of the world and all of its beguilements

have determined that they will give their life to the nourishment of the church

and having accepted them in that role

then it is quite clearly

the requirement of hebrews chapter

chapter 12 here that they would obey those rulers the other passage is in first peter five

first peter chapter five and verses one to five

the elders who are among you i exhort who am also an elder

and a witness of the sufferings of christ

and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed

feed the flock of god which is among you taking the oversight of it not by constraint

but willingly not for filthy luca but of a ready mind neither as being lords over god's heritage but being examples to the flock

and when the chief shepherd shall appear you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away in like manner ye younger submit yourselves unto the elder yea all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility for god resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble you know that's a very precise statement about the attitude that should be present in the church of god

on the one hand in hebrews there is the requirement to obey the teacher

by the leader obey the bishop by the eldership that has proved itself by its demeanor and by its application to the word and to prayer

on the other hand

there is the requirement that these who take that to themselves

shall not be lords over god's heritage by imposing a quick sonic or demanding leadership that is not in conformity with the will of god but that they should not be lords but servants

servants who would take three times the load upon themselves

it would ever be expected to be carried by the rank and file and for those men i say again what i said before lunch it would seem to me that it is impossible that having taken up that load that those individuals could ever laid down

i know many equations in which the experienced leaders now growing older have either been voted out of the arranging body

to make room for younger more vigorous men

who find themselves without a voice in the leadership

and you must have that same experience because in a an ecclesia which has enough people to fill all of the offices of the clesia which and more despair inevitably get to the situation where so-and-so ought to be allowed to have a go because you know it's time he had a share

and very often we come up as we do in our own ecclesia we come up against the problem that there's only room for seven according to our constitution and therefore it is i somebody's got to stand down

i don't see anything in the word of god about anybody standing down from the office of eldership who have exercised it according to the way that first peter and hebrews define it

if dr thomas's advice were followed they would still be in the body of eldership giving themselves to the word of god into prayer as their pentecost forebears did

then there would be an ecclesial business group

you know as i get older there's anything more less tolerable to me sitting in a meeting arguing about the color of the new runner that we're going to put down the middle of the hall i just hate discussions about the color of carpet or the color of walls

or the strength of the globe in the

you know or any of those sort of things i have lost the patience for that and it's normal i suppose that at my ancient

age that i would lose interest in those things

but i would still hope and i would hope to carry them up for my death

the vision of the fact that god has visited his people

and to feel an extension of love and compassion to the brotherhood so that i would wish that they prospered in the spirit not caring whether they had red green or masourine striped carpets

you see there's a difference but under our system there is a tendency

to exclude by reason of the limitation on numbers

and younger men who have fire in their belly if i can use that word men who are anxious to prove themselves will come to the fore and they will demand

that they be given a say in the management and i think that the god-given method of management in the ecclesia is described in the first in that record that i've given you in first timothy makes good allowance because the only different the only real difference between the bishop

and the deacon in the list of qualifications given

is the ability to be a teacher the ability to be a teacher comes with seasoned practice with seasoned application to the word of god

it may well be that amongst our group the younger more vigorous men who are business trained and who can do things far better than we old fogies can do or to be given a fuller reign as possible in the management of those aspects of the ecclesial affairs but there must be in the background

besides the love of god

the compassion which is born of age

the love which comes as a result of one's own

chastening by life

that makes them an indispensable part

of the life of the church

this business group the deacons and the deaconesses who would carry out the policy of the elders they were not only they're not owned not be only businessmen but they would satisfy the apostolic definition of fitness being grace of undoubted fidelity not given to wine not greedy for money

not in the modern sense of setting store by it one of the afflictions of the present age is the setting store of money and the working our fingers to the bone to make the last dollar holding the mystery of the faith in pure conscience and having first been proved their wives being concerned and grave

not given to gossip faithful supporting a secure domestic establishment they're the qualifications even of a deacon in the work of the lord

so paul says in this task they will purchase to themselves a good standing

in the faith of jesus christ

these will faithfully follow the direction of the elders and the body of christ will be transformed

their appointment discipline and dismissal will be in the hands of the congregation it must be so

or even the bishops will sometimes fall from grace

sometimes even the most unblemished career in the work of the truth will suddenly be thrown away in some quick sonic urge of the moment which destroys men and we've seen it happen haven't we and so that the eventual the ultimate aim must be in the hands of the constituent majority

as it was

when matthias was chosen in favor

before barcelos

and so that it's got to be in the hands of the congregation but not in the republican practice of short-term complete competitive elections such as become the ordinary order of our of our lives and the truth well you know i've made a great mouthful about all that and i don't want you to take it too seriously i i firmly believe it to be so i don't lay it upon you as being as being the gospel truth you have to decide that for yourself but i put it as a point of view and i put it from a point of view not from the ultimate particular organization that you would adopt

but i certainly put it to you in the in the hope that the concept of leadership

in the christian church must be elevated to the point where those who have proved themselves as having the qualifications of separation from the world of being apt to teach and efficient and and practiced in the use of the word she'll eventually emerge as the leaders of the body so the body's position in christ will be preserved and made secure

what we can readily agree together

is that we would wish to accord recognition of the ecclesia as a complete and divinely appointed body of people devoted to three particular things

one the preaching of the gospel

and that is a function which is not confined

to our activities on a sunday afternoon or a sunday night in this meeting or any other meeting house

but that the witnessing for the gospel might become so part of our individual

life in the body that no contact that we ever make will be exempt from being witnessed to in our business life we will witness to the truth every opportunity will be taken to talk about the truth so that we are known as one of god we won't always be honored at least not by men but we'll be honored by god

so there is firstly this need for the preaching of the gospel to preach the gospel you've got to know it and you've got to be sufficiently practiced to be able to demonstrate it from the word of god secondly

there is the promotion of the spiritual welfare of its members

including the faithful maintenance of the two christian sacraments namely the remembrance of the lord in bread and wine

and the induction of new converts into the number for remission of sins by baptism

the two sacraments that are laid upon us to preserve inviolation in our worship of god so that there will never be a question but that we will have preserved

the truth as it is in christ jesus and thirdly to provide an environment for fellowship

separate from the world not contaminated by the world

in which a substantial life in the spirit can be lived

in which we can find joy in each other

if we can find joy in each other then we have a church that lives

if we can't find joy in each other and we move aside into other pursuits

then we haven't esteemed our brethren we haven't submitted ourselves unto each other

and to these ends every member would seek would sink all personal striving to the will of the ecclesia in all of its arrangements in all of its constitutions and appointments

look at philippians if you will philippians one

i don't think i'm asking anything very hard in all this you know i i really think it's simple all it needs all this needs is a redirection of our of our values all it means is that we if we're on if we're going in the wrong direction we simply turn around go in the right direction and find happiness and live happily together until christ comes it's as simple as that if we so esteem him if we can believe

that god has visited his people

and that his residency is amongst us by his spirit

philippians 1 verses 1 to 6 paul and timothy

the servants of jesus christ to all the saints at christ jesus who are at philippi with the bishops and deacons grace be unto you and peace from god our father and from the lord jesus christ i thank my god upon every remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine for you all making requests with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now

being confident of this very thing that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of jesus christ clara and i sat on the bank of the river in philippi and we we think we might have been at the very spot where where lydia was baptized

and there was the commencement of that fellowship in philippi

we thrilled to feel

even at this distance of of age

the motivation of the spirit of paul which took him to that place and where that band of faithful women were formed

a place where eventually he was to be drummed out of the city for the hope of the gospel that he had leaving behind a group of people who realized that this was all in life that really mattered

and in ephesians chapter 2

and these passages are not not not new to you but you know in this context i think they become so powerful is to be

of the greatest possible importance

19th verse of the second chapter of ephesians now therefore you're no more strangers and sojourners there's nothing worse than being a stranger and a surgeon you find yourself in a strange pub in venice we haven't got a soul in the world that knows you or cares about you

every morning you get up and you have your continental breakfast and you go out on the town and try to see some of the sights of venice as we did

you can do that in a holiday period but you can't make your life like that

your life has got to be amongst people where you are in a meaningful fellowship

and what paul's talking about here is the most meaningful fellowship it is possible to contemplate

19 you're no more strangers than sojourners

but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of god

built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets jesus christ himself being the chief cornerstone

in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the lord

in whom ye are built together for inhabitation of god through the spirit

surely that can't mean

the spirit which is continually speaking in tongues and healing the sick and raising the dead that's not the spirit that's being talked about here

it's the same spirit that was to come to all who would receive him

and where that spirit of christ should be so rich amongst them that whoever looked at them would see the face of christ one of the things we try to do in india in preaching the gospel is to show the face of christ because it's quite absurd to be preaching doctrine in a country as poor as india and not to be able to show the face of christ in compassion to those we speak to

hence the orphanage of the baby's home

hence the attempt to show that we have learned what the love of christ means

that's what the habitation of god through the spirit is the spirit of god visiting people and bringing his grace and favor to them

this only happens

if the life and the operation of the ecclesia is put upon the pedestal which the word claims for it

disputes well there's going to be disputes

disputes have a profound effect upon our estimation of the importance of the church

and i quote for you here first corinthians chapter six

i think there's an important principle here in the life of the modern church which needs to be born in mind

we've seen some aberrations of it in australia recently and i'm very sad about it

dare any of you having a matter against another go to law before the unjust and not before the saints

do you not know that the saints will judge the world and if the world shall be judged by you are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters

now you not that we shall judge angels how much more things that pertain to this life

if then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life do ye set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church i speak to your shame the drift of that passage is very easy to understand it's talking about an ecclesiastical court it means that brethren who have a dispute against each other would bring their dispute before the church to be settled that's the pedestal upon which the church would be sent

not to drag each other through the courts of the land in order to get a judgment by an unjust judge

but i fear

as i know in certain areas that they'd say oh well you know there isn't anybody in that particular body who'd be capable of judging a matter of equity between brethren well the fault

are the leaders that have been put there

and the fault is that the church has not been able to be elevated to the level which is claimed there it should be

we talk of course only between only of differences between the brethren because obviously an unbeliever would not submit to ecclesial judgment however jesus himself is quite unequivocal and his law is quoted

in verse seven of this first corinthians six

where in the seventh verse it says now therefore there is utterly a fault among you because you go to law one with another why do you not rather take wrong why do you not rather allow yourself to be defrauded [Music]

so lightly esteeming

the wealth of this world that we're not concerned with it

look at two complementary passages about the practical working of the ecclesia if you will

ephesians 4 is the first one

ephesians chapter 4 and verse 11.

and he gave some apostles

haven't got any of those anymore

some prophets we've got some of those those who are able to speak out on behalf of the who'll be able to claim on behalf of the body some evangelists we've got those we've got those who go forth into places like india and take the evangel of the gospel with them some pastors well we've got people whether we so esteemed them or not who act as pastors and who are able to give sound advice and care and loving experience in the alleviation of the problems of the flock

some teachers we've got teachers we've got men who are quite mighty in the word who are able to divide for us the truth and preserve for us the structure of our faith

for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of christ

till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of god unto a perfect man under the measure of the stature of the fullness of christ

but we should henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slate of men and cunning craftiness by which they lie in way to deceive but speaking the truth in love may grow up unto him in all things who is the head even christ from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies

now that which which compacts together by all the joints providing are the outworking of the gifts that are available to those who are able to give of their time and their wisdom and their substance to the working of the church

apart from the apostles therefore who having done their work of establishing the occlusal structure have now gone the remainder is still in place still available to us prophets force tellers of the gospel evangelists pastors teachers for the perfecting and the edifying of the body until we all come to perfection that's the leadership which brings us into the perfection of the spirit now the passage is in romans chapter 12

romans chapter 12

and if we read there from the fourth verse

for as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office

so we being many are one body in christ and everyone remembers one of another having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us whether prophecy let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith or ministry

let us wait on our ministering you know what weight on our ministering means that means exhaust yourself in it

not just take it up occasionally when the women takes you

wait on your ministry or him that teaches on teaching studies thyself to thyself approved of god or he that exhorteth on exhortation or he that giveth let him do so with liberality he that ruleth with diligence he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness none of those things are absent from us we have incipiently in the body of god throughout the world men who can bring all those gifts to bear

perhaps the hardest gift of all might be the latter one which is mercifulness

and cheerfulness

now we cannot leave this aspect without attention to first corinthians chapter 12.

this um

equates

with our

comment on ephesians 4 with one important extension of thought

you go to first corinthians 12

verse 28 to 31

and god hath set some in the church first apostles that's been done and has passed second prophets third teachers after that miracles then gifts of healing helps governments diversities of tongues

are all apostles are all prophets are all teachers are all workers and miracles have all the gifts of healing to all speak with tongues to all interpret

and

what that's saying in the 31st verse is covet earnestly the best gifts

the best gifts that are available are the ones that you ought to be seeking to prepare yourself for that we all should be speaking

striving to to fit ourselves for covet earnestly the best gifts

is it any use coveting the gift of tongues in these days you and i know it isn't worthwhile

is it any use trying to covet the gift of healing or the healing or the raising of the dead well you know we're we're flying in the face of the wind if we try to cover those gifts but there are gifts which are equally important which can be made available to us and then there is this excellent way

but what are the gifts again apostles no chance profits yes still open teacher yes if you'll undertake the discipline of learning so that you can teach

miracles not now available

helps

yes always open to and in short supply in any domestic crystaldelphian situation there are always vacancies for those who can provide helps governments

well i'm going to say that from my point of view let's have an eldership which can provide government and deacons who can as energetic people carry out that policy tongues

low on the list

and not as far as we know available

but there is a more excellent way

without the above

of course not without the above

you don't have an excellent way of love and neglect all the other gifts which are available to us

i think not because after the dissertation on love in the 13th chapter which which passage you know very well which describes the more excellent way paul returns to the theme in the 12th verse of the 14th chapter when he says even so ye

for as much as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts seek that ye may excel what for to the edifying of the church

becomes a prime motivation the edifying of the church [Music]

now as regards to unity in the ecclesia

there are some very practical pieces of advice available

first there is the dictum in romans 12 and 16

that there has to be a relationship of unity

which comes only if we are persuaded of the necessity for unity and without unity there is no strength

and therefore the ecclesia of god should get busy to make sure that the path of unity is prof pro

procured as far as it is possible to do so

and then that's the dictum then there's the means

first corinthians 1 and 10 no dissensions united in mind and in judgment how do you get to that position do you think in the modern church how do you get to a common mind it's only going to be by some who give in isn't it if each presses their point of view you'll never have agreement

and so there is a grace and a love and a compassion

which is able to find consensus

in discussion in a kindly way

around the world and this is strongly promoted in the scripture then was the endeavor

in the fourth chapter of ephesians and i won't refer to it time is going

there is this key word of eagerness

you know

when i look at some of the classical problems with which i have been confronted the only eagerness i've found is the eagerness to get one's own point of view

not the eagerness to find the consensus and to move on in a united form and so there's a strong inculcation in the new testament that those who are known by the name of god might seek to find and endeavor in eagerness

and then there's the posture

philippians 1 27 speaks about a manner of life befitting the faith of the gospel of christ

a manner of life

and i've talked about a manner of life i think sufficiently without having to

spell that out

all of the foregoing shall be administered upon the authority of the scripture alone if we depart from that code we do not use them as the first test of truth we couldn't hear even if god shouted from heaven at us and he did shout to his people from horror and they didn't listen

so there is any use god shouting at us he's given us the prescription for love joy and peace in the christian calling and we have to find it now and apply it for ourselves

there's one other matter which needs a word or two

how shall we think of the ecclesia

and there's an important principle here which i'd like you to think a little bit about in the days ahead there's a body of men and women

with their sins obvious and the aberrations of their behavior controlled by collegial leadership that's one concept of the church that it will be a heterogeneous group of people who are controlled you know by a heavy weight of the hand of management upon them

or as a holy enclave

in which no revealed irregularity of behavior is permitted now let me illustrate what i mean by this

when the church was first established in its on the day of pentecost it was an ideal church they had all things common there was a great joy in the newly created church but as time went on the church became subject to the world around it and suffered very great persecution

also the church of rome which was at this time being established also was suffering its reverses because the roman empire couldn't make up its mind whether to adopt the christian faith or whether to go back to worshiping idols and so that both the true church and the incipient roman catholic church had exactly the same problems and the characters involved were in the case of

in the case of the roman catholic church the the main character was augustine augustine was the bishop of hippo which was a town in north africa and he was trying desperately to establish the hierarchy of the church

with himself of course as the director hoping that he might have become the pope might have become the principal executive of the church

as he would wish in succession to peter so that was the roman catholic side on the other side there were the donatists and you would have heard of the damages who were the primitive church fathers who were forced to flee to north africa to get away from the persecutions both of the jews and also of the romans for the true christian faith and they also were in north africa and there was a conflict therefore between augustine and the donatists

and there was this difference of approach

as to what the church ought to be thought of as being augustine said we are hungry for souls come in warts and all and we will control

what you do by a system of penances

and we'll you know we'll eventually consign you to a place of limbo and there will keep you there until your parent your relatives have paid sufficient to get you out of there and into heaven they didn't care what people did so long as what they did was come was to come within the authority of the priesthood of the church

now that's one concept and it's still the concept of the roman catholic church roman catholic church make no call upon righteousness

but they do call upon you to submit to the authority of the church so that any wrongdoing can prosper amongst its members so long as they come every sunday with their confessional now as against that the donatists held a different view their view was

that if there was an obvious sin it would have to be either expiated by by repentance or else the church would have to withdraw

from the wrongdoer and it's that tradition that has come down to us

and so that when we begin to reason the question of what the attitude of the church should be

to those unrepented sins

we have to make a judgment which is based upon two things

one is what is good for the people the sinner

and the scripture says hand over to satan to be corrected have that sort of approach but secondly there is the desire

in the hearts and minds of the ecclesia to preserve in violet

the impeccable position which the church has as the body of christ upon the earth preserved in the face of any attempt to lower its standards

and i think that the management of the 20th century church

if it had that as its guiding light and if it preserved its position by on the one hand the exercise of mercy to the sinner but on the other hand preserving the standards

of the church so that christ could continue to be the center of its activities and that men might come to perfection through it

then

we would we would have embraced a principle which would make some of our more difficult decisions just a little bit easier

well now

the church is not a mutual insurance company

whose object is to protect and shield its individual members

it is an organism whose aim is to represent christ in the world

to establish his truth and righteousness

the offender who is only anxious to escape judgment

and who wants only forgiveness on the instant often shows

that he cares little for the course of christ but has as the center of his concern his own comfort

and

reputation the truly repentant sinner

will accept the judgment of the ecclesia

and continue to love those who have uttered judgment

and will continue to attend its worship until in good time full restoration is achieved and in that way

the structure of the ecclesia will be preserved