The Church Part 9

IX. The local church is basically part of a monarchy, but no man on earth is its king. The Head or King of the church is Jesus Christ, who rules from a throne in heaven. A. Christ is the head of the church which is His kingdom. Head = king. EPH 1:22 c/w 1SAM 15:17. 1. His royal sceptre is righteousness. HEB 1:8. 2. His crown is glory and honor. HEB 2:9. 3. His throne is of grace. HEB 4:16. 4. His authority is universal. MAT 28:18. 5. He alone is the Lawgiver and His law is immutable. MAT 28:19-20; REV 22:18-19. 6. He is Judge of all. ACT 10:42; 17:31. 7. King (executive), Lawgiver (legislative), Judge (judicial): the three offices of God’s government safely in One, Jesus Christ. c/w ISA 33:22. 8. He is a King-Priest Who makes intercession for His own citizens. HEB 6:20-7:2, 25. B. The church is governed through a written constitution: Scripture, especially the scriptures of the apostles who witnessed the resurrected Christ. ACT 1:1-3; 2TI 3:15-17; REV 1:11. 1. The scriptures are the perfect (full, complete) law of liberty: amendments are not only not needed, they diminish liberty. JAM 1:25 c/w COL 2:8, 20-23. 2. The scriptures rule over all, even high ministers of Christ. ACT 17:11. The Church 6-9-24 Page 18  3. All citizens of Christ’s kingdom may appeal to their constitution. 1CO 4:6. 4. Even the unwritten things which Jesus did are subordinate to the recorded ones. JOH 20:30-31. 5. The local church is not a democracy whereby rule and law are determined by a majority. The church’s democratic exercises are limited to the timely application of existing law revealed in Scripture, as in the punishment of a known sinner. 2CO 2:6. C. Within the church were given specific offices by Christ. 1CO 12:28; EPH 4:11-12. 1. Mind that the perfecting of the saints is owing to those entrusted with gospel instruction. Saints can be perfected without miracles, healings, tongues, etc. 2. The office of apostle is closed now because of its qualifications. ACT 1:21-22. 3. The office of prophet is closed since the revelation is complete. REV 22:18-19. 4. The apostles established the office of deacon for the business of caring for widows. ACT 6:1-6 c/w 1TI 3:10. a. Nowhere are deacons given rule in the church or given authority to perform church ordinances. b. Philip was an evangelist-deacon (ACT 21:8) and an evangelist is, by definition, an itinerant (traveling) gospel-preacher, which work is part of being an ordained minister of Christ. 2TI 4:5. 5. “...and some, pastors and teachers...” (EPH 4:11), sometimes called elders. a. This class leads and feeds the flock. c/w 1PE 5:1-2. b. pastor: ad. L. pastōr-em shepherd, lit. ‘feeder, giver of pasture.’ A shepherd of souls; one who has the spiritual oversight over a company or body of Christians, as bishop, priest, minister, etc.; spec. the minister in charge of a church or congregation, with particular reference to the spiritual care of his ‘flock’. 6. There remain two offices granted only by ordination (The action of ordaining, or conferring holy orders; appointment or admission to the ministry of the Church; the fact of being ordained), typically by the laying on of hands by ordained ministers of the gospel: elders/bishops and deacons. TIT 1:5; 1TI 4:14; ACT 6:6. a. Both of these offices have proving qualifications. 1TI 3:1-13. b. Both of these offices are positions of trust: the elder/bishop is entrusted with the gospel, and the deacon entrusted with widows’ care at the advisement of an elder. 1TH 2:4; 1TI 5:3, 16. D. The church is ruled by King Jesus through appointed administrators of His law: elders/bishops whose work is that of pastors. The pastor rules the church through teaching and exemplifying the word of God. HEB 13:7, 17; 1TI 4:12. E. Consider the terms that apply to Christ’s ordained ministers to His churches. 1. elder: In ecclesiastical use. A literal rendering of Gr. πρεσβύτερος, the title given to a certain order or class of office-bearers in the early Christian Church. 2. bishop: A spiritual superintendent or overseer in the Christian Church. 3. overseer: One who oversees or superintends, a supervisor; esp. one whose business it is to superintend a piece of work, or a body of workmen; a superintendent (of workmen, slaves, convicts, etc.). 4. superintendent: An officer or official who has the chief charge, oversight, control, or direction of some business, institution, or works; an overseer. 5. The elder who feeds/pastors the flock is its overseer. ACT 20:17, 28; 1PE 5:1-2. 6. Elders are also called bishops (TIT 1:5-7), these being two terms for the same office of oversight. The Church 6-9-24 Page 19  a. Elders/bishops are to rule the church as the stewards of God. TIT 1:7; 1CO 4:1-2. b. steward: An official who controls the domestic affairs of a household; supervising the service of his master's table, directing the domestics, and regulating household expenditure; a major-domo. c. major-domo: Chief of the house. 7. Scripture knows nothing of a hierarchy that is over the elder/bishop of a local church. The Holy Ghost by the order of Scripture makes him an overseer and the church receives him as such. ACT 20:28 c/w HEB 13:17. a. God’s ministers are such as labor over and among the local church. 1TH 5:12-13. b. The term “archbishop” (chief bishop) is not a scriptural term and the only reasonable application of its concept is a case where a large local church had multiple elders but one had the chief oversight, as at Ephesus. 1TI 5:17-21. c. An archbishop who wields authority over an elder/bishop not of the same local church is an invention of men. d. Ever remember that one local church of itself is “...the body of Christ...” (1CO 12:27). It does not answer to a superstructure but to Jesus Christ. F. Elders/bishops/pastors are not to be lords over God's heritage. 1PE 5:1-3. 1. heritage: That which has been or may be inherited; any property, and esp. land, which devolves by right of inheritance. 2. The church does not belong to the servant to whom has been given authority (MAR 13:34). It belongs to Jesus Christ, Who purchased it with His own blood. ACT 20:28. 3. A man becomes a lord over God's heritage when he treats the church as if he owns it and can run it any way he pleases, regardless of what God says. 3JO 1:9-10; MAT 24:45-51. The Church 6-9-24 Page 20