Presented
August 20, 2006
Note: This is a lengthy outline. I was presented in
2 parts
and well received. TATJR
HAVE WE RESTORED THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH?
We regularly stress in our lessons the importance of following the Biblical pattern for the church. With the hundreds of different churches in America and throughout the world it can be a challenge to find that church. But I am persuaded that we CAN identify the church of the first century. And the way to do that is to go to God’s word and apply its teachings – that is its commands, examples and necessary conclusions – thereby restoring the church to the one we KNOW our Lord Jesus built as He promised to Peter in Matthew 16:18. I believe that when it comes to the pattern we find within God’s word concerning the church that we here at Rose Ave. have done our best to worship God as they did in the 1st century, to maintain the assigned work God gave her to do back then and to not ad anything to that work, to be organized in a scriptural fashion – with local elders and deacons that do not overstep their boundaries of authority, and to respect the authority and teachings of God’s word – not adding other creeds to it, taking away that which we do not like or changing it to cater to society with compromise.
As you study history concerning the development of the Lord’s church it is clear that the true church has not always be at the forefront. In fact, apostasy was warned about in the New Testament continually (1 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, etc.). Church history shows how the church slowly left the pattern of autonomy and independence God established and in time totally apostatized into what is now known as the Catholic church. After centuries of influence, knowledgeable men began to question the corruption and unauthorized practices the Catholic church was engaged in. But for many men, rather than restoring the first century church, they simply set out to REFORM the Catholic church. This led to the protestant or denominational movement. Over the course of the next several centuries many denominations were established each with its own creeds, philosophies, organizations and founders. AS time progressed, and education became more common, men began to take a closer look at the word of God. In the 1800’s, some determined that what was being taught in these denominations as well as the Catholic church was not found in the New Testament. So they determined to reject all creeds of men, open their Bible and simply speak where the Bible speaks and remain silent where the Bible is silent. Their goal was not simply to establish ANOTHER denomination, but instead to RESTORE the church you read about in the New Testament. In time they were successful in this effort, though they certainly did not persuade all to change. It is this attitude that we strive to follow in all that we do. NOT because someone thought of it about 150 years ago, but because it makes sense Biblically.
Have you ever thought about why there is so much religious division in America and the world today? I will tell you it is not based upon what God’s word says – but rather what His word does NOT say. In other words, men would rather follow the teachings of other men than open their Bible and determine for themselves what is truth. Paul challenged brethren to do this in 1 Corinthians 4:6 saying, “Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you being puffed up on behalf of one against the other.” He told Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15). Truly we can see that if we are to be pleasing to God, we need to follow the pattern He has established. WE HAVE tried to do this.
But in my lesson today, I want to ask, ARE WE FINISHED? WE may have restored the external aspects of the New Testament pattern, but what about the attitude they had back then? Today I want us to take a look at ourselves and ask if the job of restoring the New Testament church is complete.
I. Have we restored the love?
a.
If you are to be the Christian you ought to be you
need to understand Biblical love. In the English language it can mean many
things - from the emotions that exist between a husband and his wife, or a
parent and their child, or that of a friend, to something we love like
chocolate or a certain television show, etc.
Biblical love has reference to an attitude. The most prevalent word used is
agape, which means, “to be full of good will and exhibit the same.”
(Thayer) “To esteem, love, indicating a direction of the will and finding
one’s joy in something or someone.” (WS Dictionary)
WE commonly define the word as, “caring enough to sacrifice for what is
best”
b. Without love we cannot be pleasing to God – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 2 Peter 1:7 (the pinnacle of the Christian graces). Paul said, “But above all these things, which is the bond of perfection” (Colossians 3:14). It is to be in every relationship we are engaged in as Christians – God, Jesus, our brethren, our neighbors and even our enemies.
c.
The church of the first century had this love. It is
seen in the way brethren treated each other as the church grew from its infancy.
It is seen in the way the acted toward God and His word. It is seen in the
way godly brethren treated Paul. It is seen in their concern for others, both
brethren and the lost. It is seen in the way they defended her when threatened,
etc.
1 Thessalonians 1:9 notes how Paul thanked God because of their “labor of love”
as well as their faith. Note also 4:9-10 which describes the church in that
city and how they practiced brotherly love.
The book of Ephesians commends these brethren and all the saints (Ephesians
1:15)
Ephesians 4:2, calls for them to walk worthy, “bearing with one another in love”
Ephesians 4:15-16, they were to be “speaking the truth in love.” The result of
this is “growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Revelation 2:4 speaks of this church a number of years later. While they still
have many good things to be commended for, their sin was that they had left
their first love.
d. What about us? Do we have the love we ought to have? Do we have the love for the Lord we USED TO have? Do we love each other as brethren the way we are commanded to do? Do we truly love God and His word? Or are we seeking our own will where the church is concerned? When it comes to the welfare of the church – how much do we really care?
II. Have we restored the zeal they had?
a.
The word zeal means, “Excitement of mind, ardor,
fervor of spirit.” (Thayer) When we see the word we think of one who is “on
fire.”
A good example would be boiling water - because of the its heat it cannot stay
still and it quickly reaches a point where it is bubbling everywhere.
b. When it comes to serving God there needs to be some fire and life. WE ought to be excited at the prospect of serving God – worshipping Him, telling others about Him, and serving Him.
c.
Christians are expected to be zealous. God demands
that we be “zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14.)
Galatians 4:18 says, “it is good to be zealous in a good thing always.”
Romans 12:11 says that as Christians we are to be, “not lagging in diligence,
fervent in spirit serving the Lord.”
d.
One of the greatest dangers facing the church today is
a lack of zeal. Have we reached a point where we don’t care the way we ought
to? If we were to sit down and honestly examine our lives could what Romans
12:11 says apply to us?
Have we become like the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3:15-16 which disgusted
God so much that He wanted to vomit or spew them out of His mouth?
When it comes to worshipping God, is it something we put our hearts into or do
we simply go through the motions? How often are we willing to assemble with the
saint?
I find it interesting the inconveniences we will put ourselves through to do
something we want to do where the world is concerned – but when it comes to
worshipping God we will let ANY and every little excuse get in our way – either
the bench is too hard or too soft, it is too hot or too cold, brother so and so
- whom I don’t like is preaching, we have a little aches and pains, we are too
tired, etc. Excuses we would NEVER allow to keep us from our jobs IF our
paycheck depended on it OR from doing something we REALLY WANT TO DO!
BTW, do we REALLY WANT to be here?
When we are associating with those of the world, do we ever give consideration
to the condition of their souls?
As the Lord’s church, what are we doing to promote the purity and unity
we find commanded in scripture? What are we doing to make the worship services
as meaningful as possible? Do we as the leaders of worship – conduct the
services with a proper attitude and diligence – or is it lackluster and mere
rituals?
What are we doing to spread the gospel? What are we doing to enhance the works
God has given His church to do? Have we restored these things?
e. There is an area where I see great zeal in the lives of some – when it comes to complaining about everyone else or criticizing every little thing that is not done the way we want it to be done. We are quick to meddle in the affairs of others and sweep our own faults under the carpet. We are zealous when it comes to repeating a matter that we ought to keep to ourselves.
III. Have we restored the evangelistic fervor they had back then?
a.
One of the distinguishing features of the 1st
century church was their concern for the lost. It is interesting to remind
ourselves of the conditions they faced back then. They lived in a materialistic
and immoral world like we do. But in addition to that there was open idolatry,
a zealous religion that opposed her at every point and a government that
eventually outlawed being a part of her and persecuted Christians to the death.
But in spite of this, the church grew. Christians found ways to take the gospel
with them wherever they went (Acts 8:4). The book of Acts records the spreading
of the gospel beginning in a single city and eventually we read that it had been
preached to “every creature under heaven” (Colossians 1:23). We see the
success of their efforts as we read letters written to churches throughout the
empire including the regions of Galatia (several churches) and Asia Minor (at
least 7 churches), as well as in numerous other cities throughout the empire –
including Rome, Corinth and Philippi itself. And all this happened because
reaching the lost was important.
How could the gospel spread in such an environment? One reason is seen in their
love and zeal as already mentioned. It spread because Jesus and the church
were important in their lives. Everything centered on that fact. And they
realized that the only way the church would grow was by word of mouth – that is
- each individual doing its share thereby promoting growth (Ephesians 4:16)
Note Philippians 1:14 where Paul speaks of their confidence because of his
chains. Note that he says, “and most of the brethren (not just the
elders and preacher - tatjr) in the Lord, having become confident in my
chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
b.
What about us? Are we growing the way we ought to?
How much effort are we putting into reaching the lost here? While we might have
restored true worship and her organization, have we restored the great
commission (Mark 16:15)? WE give lip service to the importance of reaching the
lost – but is it really a priority?
The challenge is in the fact that what the church can do collectively is
limited. Basically the church as a whole SUPPORTS efforts to preach and teach.
The bulk of success depends on each and every member
doing our share.
WE have multitudes of examples of individuals teaching others – Aquilla &
Priscilla taught Apollos (Ac. 18:24-28), Philip went to Samaria and later taught
the Eunuch (Acts 8:26-29). NOTE: God commanded Philip to go and he did. He
EXPECTS us to go. BUT are we? Have we restored the evangelistic fervor of the
first century?
IV. Have we restored godly fellowship?
a.
The word “fellowship” is defined as, “communion,…,sharing
in common” (Vine’s)
Thayer defines the word as, “fellowship, association, community, communion,
joint participation, contact. 1. The share which one has in anything,
participation.”
It is a word that describes a relationship in which there sharing between all
parties involved.
b.
Many today have relegated this word to physical events
such as sharing meals together, getting together to have fun and other such
things. While such things certainly involve fellowship in its broadest
definition (especially in the English language) (i.e. Hebrews 13:16), the word
is mostly used in scripture in a spiritual sense and related to our spiritual
relationship as brethren and with our Lord Himself.
1 Corinthians 1:9 speaks of being “called unto the fellowship of his Son
Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1 Corinthians 10:16, when we partake of the Lord’s Supper, it is a fellowship or
communion with the blood and body of Christ.
Philippians 1:5 speaks of the brethren in that city supporting Paul in his
evangelism. Paul refers to it as, “your fellowship in the gospel from the
first day until now.”
Philippians 2:1 – there is to be “fellowship of the Spirit”
1 John 1:3 says, “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that
you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the
Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
When we put all these passages together and examine the relationship godly
brethren had toward one another, we see a bond that formed in them. They had all
things in common and they preferred being around each other. When faced with a
choice of their spiritual family and their physical family – they chose their
brethren in Christ. That is what true fellowship involves.
c.
There is a concern I am seeing in many churches today.
Do we
have this same relationship with one another as they did in the first century? Have
we restored preference for our brethren over our worldly friends and family as
we find in the New Testament? What are we really willing to do for our
brethren? Do we strive to show ALL of our brethren the mutual love we read
about within scripture?
If I may be blunt: Far too often I hear of grumblings between
brethren within a congregation. There are some who believe they are excluded
from certain “groups” and they see such as unfair and wrong. They call
these groups cliques. I have given much consideration to this
subject and while in some instances there is room for some concern I am not
convinced that it is as bad as some believe it is. Some call any gathering
or conversation that they are not invited into a clique.
I do know that humans we all have a tendency to gravitate toward those
with whom we have like interests and personalities. And I do not believe that
is wrong provided we don’t alienate the rest of our brethren. Even among the
12, Jesus had an inner circle of 3-4 apostles that He seemed to be closer to
than the others. That does not mean the others were less important, but some
were around Him more (for reasons not given). Paul was closer to Timothy and
Luke than some other brethren, but that does not mean they were not important or
a concern to him. The fact is YOU CANNOT BE AROUND
EVERYONE all the time.
I have also observed that there are some brethren who will not put forth enough
effort to develop relationships either with all the brethren or with certain
ones. If that be the case, it is something they need to work on.
HOWEVER, in this I often see a big problem that gets
in the way. It has to do with way some brethren act. There are
some who act as if they don’t really want to be close to anyone else. I see
those who can’t wait to get out of the building as quick as possible following
services and therefore they DENY others the opportunity to speak and develop
relationships with them.
And another concern I have is when
brethren make themselves unapproachable.
Some have personalities which repel well wishers. There are some who when you
go to speak with them all they do is complain about everyone else and what is
wrong. There are some who are arrogant or act in a condescending way toward you
when you speak to them. There are some who don’t know what it means to be
tactful and to speak with “seasoned” words. Still there are others who leave
the impression that you are bothering them by coming up to them. And when
attitudes like these prevail, right or wrong, they cause people to
think twice before approaching them. MY POINT: If you
are being avoided by someone, could it be that you are at least part of the
problem?
There are some that if you
go to them with a concern their response is not godly. They become angry, turn
against you or threaten to leave if they don’t get their way. True fellowship
will ALLOW brethren to approach one another no matter what the concerns might
be. But when people act like this, they are hindering true fellowship.
And what I find most remarkable is that many of these are the same brethren
who will find their own group of sympathizers
that they prefer to be around (but let us not DARE call them a clique) and
complain about how bad things are.
d.
One might ask, what does this
have to do with fellowship? Actually, it has everything to do with
it. When brethren misbehave toward one another they remove or damage opportunities to have true, godly fellowship.
Instead of working toward that brethren are biting and devouring one another
(Galatians 5:15). Such attitudes are strongly and often condemned in the
New Testament. In the movie, Remember the Titans, a story about the
fight to integrate a school where there was great resistance by everyone.
Coach Boone took extreme measures to bring his racially diverse team together.
On one occasion in football camp, he awoke the team very early and they went on
a long run. About day break they ended up at the place where the battle of
Gettysburg was fought. A place where there were many graves of soldiers.
He noted to his team that this was a place where brother fought against brother
killing one another with malice and hatred in their hearts. It was a sacred
place of remembrance. Then Coach Boone said, "If we don't come together right
now on this hollow ground, we too will be destroyed..." That challenge
needs to ring in the ears of some of our brethren. Instead of looking for
reasons to criticize and complain, we need to look for ways to come together.
In so doing, here is another consideration: Because the word
involves sharing it means there is to be a mutual exchange. That
means that while you receive benefits from the relationship, you are also
expected to contribute to it. There are some who
are takers in all things. They expect everyone to cater to their
desires and give everything to them and when you don’t they accuse you of not
demonstrating proper fellowship. However they don’t give anything back
themselves. I contend that if you have one way
communication it is not true fellowship. And it is not the
fellowship we read about in the New Testament!
Thus we can see that while we may have restored elements of the true church, there is still room to improve. That is why we should continually study God’s word and where we see need to change, be it in our own lives or as the body of Christ, we zealously repent (Revelation 3:19, 2 Corinthians 7:11) and strive to do better in the near future. And IT HAS TO STOP! We cannot begin to try and reach those outside until we resolve our differences from within.
The lesson is yours.