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by
Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986)
 ARE
CONFUSED about the nature of the Church founded by Jesus Christ. How
shall we know? WHO or WHAT is the AUTHORITY to give us the right answer?
It was Jesus Christ who said, "I will build my Church." He
is the "WORD" of God (John 1:1-3) in person, the Spokesman.
The Bible is the Word of God in writing, the Maker's Instruction Book
for mankind. The Bible, therefore, is the Authority.
HOW One Becomes
a Member
The first place the word "church" is
used following the inception of that Church (Pentecost, 31 A.D.) is
Acts 2:47: "And the Lord added to the church daily such
as should be saved." This immediately gives insight into the means
by which one enters the Church as a member. God adds each one. It is
God who puts each one into the Church as a member.
Again, "For by one Spirit
are we all baptized into one body" (1 Cor. 12:13). The word "baptized" means
immersed, put into. So, again, it is GOD who puts one into His Church.
And HOW? By His Spirit! When God bestows within one His Holy Spirit,
that puts the believer into the Church.
So note it well! One cannot enter
the true Church by putting himself in by "joining." One may
join a social club, a sports team, or a secular group but NOT the Church
of God. Incidentally, is it not significant that so many of this world's "churches" have
become, virtually, just social clubs?
Notice, too, the Church is here
referred to as "one body." In several passages, the Church
is referred to as "the body of Christ". First Corinthians
12:12 says: "For as the body is one, and hath many members ...." How is the Church "the Body of Christ"?
Few understand. Here is the explanation.
Jesus
Started the Work of God
God sent
Jesus into the world to start the Work of God. When Jesus was twelve
years old, His parents, returning to Nazareth from attending the Passover
at Jerusalem, discovered the child was not among the company. Returning
to Jerusalem, "they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst
of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all
that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers." And
when His parents saw Him, "they were amazed: and his mother said
unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? ... And he said unto
them ... wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke
2:40-49).
What was His father's business
– what is the Work of God?
God sent His Son Jesus into the
world in the human flesh as a Messenger with a Message. He was the
Messenger of the Covenant, the NEW Covenant, as foretold in Malachi
3:1.
And what was that Message? John
the Baptist was to prepare the way before Him (Mal. 3:1). Also His
Message was a NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT of advance GOOD NEWS (gospel means
good news) of the future.
So we read: "The beginning
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in
the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall
prepare thy way before thee .... Now after that John was put in prison,
Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD" (Mark 1:1, 2, 14).
How
Did Jesus Start the Work of God?
1) By proclaiming
the Good News of the coming KINGDOM OF GOD.
2) By calling and teaching His
disciples the same Message.
Notice: "Then he [Jesus] called
his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over
all devils [demons], and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach
the kingdom of God ..." (Luke 9:1-2).
The Divine Commission
What is the PURPOSE of the Church
– its divine Commission? To proclaim this Gospel as a witness to the
world. In other words, to carry on the WORK OF GOD, which Jesus, in
person, started.
After His resurrection, He gave
His disciples this Commission: "Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). The Commission
to the Church, then, is to carry on the Father's business to proclaim
the Message of the NEW Covenant that God sent into the world by His
Son and Messenger, Jesus.
Jesus gave His life for us, but
He ROSE from the dead, and right now, TODAY, He is the living Jesus
Christ. And [Jesus's prophecy of] His Commission being fulfilled in
our day is: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the
end [of this age] come" (Matt. 24:14).
How
the "Body of Christ"
The twelve
disciples became the twelve original apostles. But HOW did they, with
the other disciples, become "the BODY of Christ"?
While Jesus was starting the Work
of God, He said, "I can of mine own self do nothing," and
again, "The Son can do nothing of himself," and again, "...
but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works" (John
5:30, 19; 14:10).
It was the power of God's Holy
Spirit, dwelling in His individual human body, doing THE WORK OF GOD.
Without this same Spirit dwelling
in them, His disciples would be utterly impotent. The very night before
His crucifixion He said to them: "As the branch [of a grapevine]
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches ... without
me ye can do nothing" (John 15:4, 5). It is sap flowing from the
vine into the branch that produces grapes. It is the Spirit of God
and of the living Christ, flowing into the collective Body that is
the Church that produces results.
After His resurrection, just before
ascending to God's throne in heaven, Jesus commanded these apostles: "...
that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise
of the Father ..." – that is, for the Holy Spirit, the same power
that did the Work of God in Jesus' human body.
On the day of Pentecost, 31 A.D.,
this POWER of God did come and enter into the COLLECTIVE BODY – the
Church – that now was to carry on the Work of God.
The
Head of God's Church
When Jesus
ascended to the throne of God (the Father of the divine creating ruling
governing Family) in heaven, He became the Head of the Church. Notice
Ephesians 1:22, 23: "And 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 CHURCH is composed of those
who are the begotten CHILDREN OF GOD of the FATHER of the divine Family.
One becomes a begotten SON of God upon receiving within him the Holy
Spirit of God.
This Spirit comes from the very
Person of God; it is, first of all, the impregnating LIFE of God – divine, eternal, ever living LIFE. As the physical sperm cell from
the body of a human father begets a human embryo that develops into
a fetus and later is born a human child, so the Spirit of God begets
us into a state by which we are called, even now in this life, sons
of God (1 John 3:2).
Of
What Composed
And thus
it is that the CHURCH is composed of those who are the children of
God. That is why the CHURCH is the Church of GOD, even as the Old Testament
Church was called "the congregation of Israel," the human
children of Israel. (Ex. 12:3.)
That is why, also, one CANNOT PUT
HIMSELF into the Church by "deciding to JOIN". When he becomes
a son of GOD, by having and being led by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:14),
then God has PUT HIM INTO the Church by begetting him as a son of God.
"Joining" a group that
calls itself a church, having one's name on the membership roll of
some group calling itself a church, does not make one in true fact
a member OF the Church Jesus founded. Here is positive proof: "But
ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit
of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,
he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9).
I have shown that it is the living
Christ who puts members into His Church and it is done BY the Holy
Spirit. Notice, now, the conditions for receiving God's Spirit – Acts
2:38: "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." This is speaking of being baptized in water
after which they shall receive the Holy Spirit, which, in turn, baptizes
or puts them into the Church. Those who were so baptized on that day
of Pentecost did receive God's Holy Spirit, and DID thereupon become
the Church, and TO THEM, God "added to the church daily" (Acts
2:47).
The
FOUNDATION of the Church
Notice,
now, the FOUNDATION upon which the Church is built. To the converts
at Ephesus, who had been Gentiles, Paul was inspired to write: "Now
therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
[of a GOVERNMENT] with the saints, and of the household [FAMILY] of
God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Eph. 2:19-20).
Thus you see how the one and only
true CHURCH is NOT an ORGANIZATION OF MEN, but a SPIRITUAL ORGANISM.
Yet, that fact does not preclude organization. But did Christ, the
HEAD of the Church, ORGANIZE that Church? Does it have a definite form
of organization?
Indeed He did and indeed it has!
First of all, the true Church of
God is a spiritual organism. It is NOT a human organization. This spiritual
organism is the "Body of Christ" existing for the PURPOSE
of carrying on the Work of God.
The resurrected, eternally living
Jesus Christ is the HEAD of the Church. The very fact the Church has
a Head implies organization. The living Christ directs, leads, inspires,
and blesses the Church in doing God's Work.
But it is a BIG, WORLDWIDE WORK
[that the Church is involved in]. If every individual in it goes out
alone, independently, trying to carry out the entire divine Commission
in whatever way he sees fit, we shall have confusion, a house divided
against itself.
Even
Nature Is Organized
God is CREATOR.
Everything God has created in nature is ORGANIZED. Take a sturdy, beautiful
oak tree. It has a root system in the ground. It has a main trunk.
It has major branches joining to that trunk, smaller branches joined
to them, still smaller branches joined to each minor branch, and finally
the twigs joined to the smallest branches, but they are all joined
together as a system.
Jesus used the example of the vine.
He is the Vine ... we the branches. Unless we are joined systematically
to the Vine, we can produce NOTHING (John 15:5). In a grape vine, there
is ORDER, SYSTEM organization.
The whole WORK OF GOD functions
toward the restoration of what has been taken away from the earth – the GOVERNMENT OF GOD. The Kingdom of God IS that government. That
government is an ORGANIZED government.
God's form of government is government
from the top down. God the Father is the extreme top. Under Him is
the living Christ, administering God's Government as God directs.
Government
in the Church
And Jesus
has set ORGANIZATION – government order in the Church, under Him. God
compares this organized Body of Christ to a BUILDING:
"Now therefore ye ... are
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
Himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly
framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye
also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph. 2:19-22).
The living Christ, Head of the
Church, has PUT the various administrators, officers, and members into
the Church As HE HIMSELF CHOSE. Not as a man chooses for himself.
Administrators
AS GOD CHOSE
"And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
and some, pastors and teachers". Why? For what PURPOSE? "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,
unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ ... speaking
the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the
head, even Christ: from whom the WHOLE BODY FITLY JOINED TOGETHER AND
COMPACTED by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual
working in the measure OF EVERY PART [each individual member], maketh
increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love" (Eph.
4:11-16).
Christ has, indeed, organized His
Church, so fitly joined together as a physical building put together
with the precision of every part of the most expert craftsmen.
He chose the chief administrators,
UNDER Him. God's government is government FROM THE TOP DOWN.
All do not have the same office.
And God has given various members in His Church special TALENTS, as
gifts by and through His Spirit, and aptitudes, each for his part as
CHRIST has chosen, in the ORGANIZED EFFORT of carrying on Christ's
WORK.
God gives these special talents,
aptitudes for certain phases of administration in His Work, as HE wills,
but also according to each one's natural aptitudes.
Notice the parables of the pounds
and of the talents.
First, the parable of the talents. "For
the kingdom of heaven [Matthew uses the term Kingdom of heaven, while
Mark, Luke and John all use the term Kingdom of God. They are the same.
Not a kingdom IN heaven, but "OF" denoting ownership] is
as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants,
and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents,
to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several
ability" (Matt. 25:14-15).
Notice, there was something given
to each. The parable pictures Jesus, of course, going to heaven to
be coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords, after which He will
return to RULE the earth, administering the Government of God over
all nations. His own servants are His converted children of God – His
Body, the Church. What He is giving them is spiritual gifts to equip
each for his individual part in God's WORK.
But notice, please, He gave these
additional spiritual goods, gifts, or tools, "to every man according
to his several ability; that is, according to his natural physical
aptitudes or abilities. On His return as World Ruler, He called each
servant to accounting as to HOW WELL each had done with what Christ
had given him to do.
By comparison of this parable with
that of the pounds in Luke 19:11-27, you will see that God judges us
according to how well we do in proportion to what we have to do with.
These servants were to "occupy" or carry on the Work till
He returns.
Special
Spiritual Gifts
Now notice
more about the spiritual GIFTS God gives those in His Body, doing His
WORK, in 1 Corinthians 12:
"Now concerning spiritual
gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant."
Yet most people are in total ignorance
of these gifts and of their meaning and uses. Continue:
"Now there are diversities
of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations,
but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it
is the same God which worketh all in all" (vv. 4-6). It is
the same God WORKING in the "Body of Christ," the Church.
HE does the Work of God, by the one Spirit of God, IN the collective
Body called out of the world as His instrument doing His Work.
Notice carefully, in this Work
of God, which He WORKS in us by His Spirit, there are different gifts,
BECAUSE there are various and different administrations, in administering
God's Work; different offices, different kinds of jobs. There are various
and different OPERATIONS in carrying on the Work. These require various
and different aptitudes and abilities in various and different members
in the Body.
GOD
Chooses Each Member's Job
We do not
all do the same job!
These special spiritual gifts are
given "to profit withal". That is, to profit THE WORK – [and
the individual, as he/she participates or gets involved in the Work].
These gifts are aptitudes, or spiritual "tools" to
use in doing the Work, not ornaments to embellish the person, as some
have seemed to think, bragging about the least of the gifts.
God Himself decides which gifts
to give each member: "But all these [gifts] worketh that one and
the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as HE will" (v.
11).
Continue: "For the body [of
Christ, the Church] is not one member, but many. If the foot shall
say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore
not of the body?" (vv. 14-15.)
If one young man has been given
special aptitude for a certain more or less routine office job, that
is actually a big help in the whole organized Work, he is doing HIS
PART in the Work. But is each one free to decide whether he will be
the apostle, or the pastor, or a teacher, or a routine office worker
making it possible for them to do their jobs?
Here is your answer: "But
now hath GOD set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath
pleased HIM" (v. 18).
But what if one is placed, by those
God has set over him, in an office that this individual considers very
unimportant, not honorable enough to suit his vanity?
Here's the answer: "Nay, much
more those members of the body, which seem [to us] to be more feeble,
are necessary: and those members of the body, which we think to be
less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor and our uncomely
parts have more abundant comeliness ... but GOD hath tempered the body
together ... THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO SCHISM [division] IN THE
BODY .... Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
And GOD hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets,
thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps,
governments, diversities of languages. Are all apostles? are all prophets?
are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? ... but covet earnestly
the best gifts ..." (vv. 22-31).
We might mention at this point
that in local churches during the first century, local elders were
ordained. It is evident that some of these were ministers, that is,
preachers and some evidently were not preachers, but merely leaders
or teachers.
New
Testament Officials in Order of Rank
In the New
Testament there are three terms used for preachers or ministers: elders,
bishops, overseers. All three mean the same. Yet some elders were apostles
or evangelists, but most elders were NOT apostles or evangelists. Putting
all New Testament passages together, the ADMINISTRATIVE offices, in
turn, communicated to the apostles. Today God's instruction to the
Church is complete, in the written Scriptures; pastors; preaching elders;
and local non-preaching elders and teachers. There also were deacons
and deaconesses, appointed to take care of physical duties.
Now I have shown that the true
Church of God is NOT a human organization or corporation, but a spiritual
organism, composed of all who have and are being led by the Holy Spirit
of God abiding in them. Yet the Church is ORGANIZED.
Is
It Wrong to Incorporate?
What about
incorporating according to the civil laws of man? The answer is: God
instructs His Church to be subject to the powers of man's government
over him.
When in our time the Work of God
was small there was no need of being incorporated. This Work was NOT
incorporated until it became necessary in order to deal with the world
in carrying out the Commission to go to the world with Christ's Gospel.
The Work [had] grown worldwide and very large, and human governmental
laws would not allow it to function without incorporating.
But is the corporation the Church?
IT IS NOT! The Church existed as a spiritual organism, organized as
CHRIST organized it (NOT organized on any human plan), and it carried
on the SAME Work of God, with the SAME divinely directed organization
BEFORE it incorporated as it does today. It is organized according
to GOD'S pattern, not man's legal corporate pattern.
Now some questions naturally emerge.
Can one who does not know of the
true organized Body doing God's Work, and therefore is outside of it,
be a member of the true Church which Christ built? The answer is yes,
for it is possible for one to have truly repented, believed, and received
God's Spirit and be following that Spirit as far as he sees and understands
who does not know of the organized Work Christ is using today. But
surely God's Spirit in him would lead one, in due time, into his part
in the organized Body [that] the living Christ is directing.
Is it possible that one who has
joined a sect, church, or denomination NOT doing God's Work, might
be truly converted, and led by God's Spirit in him? The answer is YES
– I have known of a few. But in every case, either they came INTO the
organized spiritual organism Christ is using in the real Work of God
or, when their eyes were opened to further light and truth, they rejected
it and LOST the Spirit of God. And this was amply demonstrated by the
fruits.
If other questions present themselves to readers, we shall be glad to answer privately if you will write the questions and send them to us via our contact page, Contact Us.htm.
Through His Holy Spirit God gives
His children "light" – TRUTH to walk in the light, "lest
darkness come upon you."
I have not been called to sit in
judgment of others, but to follow Christ as He leads and directs, and
witness to the true light. Hundreds of millions have now HEARD, SEEN,
or READ. Jesus said that His sheep do hear and RECOGNIZE His voice
and His truth, and that they will follow Him!
Every year, now, added thousands
are hearing, RECOGNIZING His truth, and following Him where He is working! bƒ
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