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THE TRUE CHURCH - (STRUCTURE)
In this page we will look
at how the church is supposed to be organized
and the promote from within plan of God. It is God's
church, and he knows
what is best.
Nothing he has set in order is
being adhered to so no wonder things
are out of harmony.
The apostles
spoke and preached to the lost everywhere and started
churches. They
then put bishops like
Tim and
Titus in place to watch over
these assemblies.
The bishops were to set
pastors (elders)
over each of them
and watch for false doctrines to enter in.
The apostles then
wrote to these
bodies and their bishops. The Bible is
written to the church, not
to the lost. This is evident by the greeting
of the letters written. The church
is to be
strengthened to be able to
reach the lost for Jesus Christ.
ORIGINATION OF THE TRUE CHURCH
INFORMATION
Gen
12:3 In thee (Abraham)
shall all families of the earth be blessed
(Jesus was a
Hebrew, a Jew, an Israelite of Judah of the
seed of David.)
God’s center of the world is Jerusalem.
Mica 4:2 The word shall go forth from
Jerusalem
Mica
4:2 The law shall go forth from Zion (the spiritual capital of
Israel)
(It is
interesting to note that chapter 5 is prophesy of Christ.)
THE CHURCH CENTER IS JERUSALEM
Rom
11:17 Some of the branches of the olive tree were broken off and
we
(a wild olive tree) were grafted in
Rom 11:18 The root bears us
Rom 1:7 Paul writes to all the called in Rome
Rom 1:11 Paul desires to impart unto them
some spiritual gift
that they may be
established
(The church
is in Rome, yet Peter has not been there yet.)
Rom 15:19 FROM JERUSALEM and round about unto
Illyricum,
Paul has preached
Rom 15:20 Paul did strive to preach where
Christ had not
been named
Rom 15:22 For this cause he hadn’t made it to
Rome
Rom 15:24 He will stop by Rome on his way to
Spain
Rom 15:25 First Paul must go to Jerusalem
Rom 15:26 The new churches that Paul
established around
have contributed to the poor saints of Jerusalem
Rom
15:27 It pleased these churches very much, and Paul says that
these
churches are indebted to the saints at Jerusalem. If these
gentiles have been partakers of Jerusalem’s spiritual gifts,
then it is
right for them to minister back in the carnal
things to Jerusalem.
(This is not saying the center of Israel is
Jerusalem, Israel lost the
kingdom while
Jesus was still in the flesh. It happened when Jesus spoke it.
They shall have another go at it at the end of time, which is where we are.)
This outlilne shows God's hierarchy of his
church. Everyone in the church has
someone over
them. Each is to submit to, and be taught by the one over them.
Promotion comes from
within, but because this is not adhered to, there
is more religion in
the church today than truth. God never told his chosen and appointed to
attend school. He
said the Holy Spirit would teach them.
1Jn 2:27 one needs not that any man
teach them, because the anointing will teach them. God spoke to Jesus and then Jesus
spoke only those
things he heard from the Father. He appointed apostles and disciples to go
forth. The apostles
started churches and appointed Bishops over them. These bishops were
taught by the apostles
as were the ones in the churches they started. The apostles wrote letters
to them when they were
off starting another church. The bishops were those who the apostles knew
had the truth and
were strong in the lord. The apostles also wrote to the bishops they
appointed to make sure
they stayed on course. As these bishops taught in the churches, they saw
others who were
present that were strong in the lord. The bishop then appointed these
elders as pastors. They
saw the anointing on some, as the apostle saw it on the bishop. They then
appointed those who
were elders in the lord, not physical age. These pastors then took over
the teaching of the body
of believers. The body went out and brought in others who wanted to be
saved. The husbands
were to teach their wives and the wives were to teach the children. The
young women were
under the pastor to hear, but under Christ as their head. The elder women,
in the lord, were
to teach the younger women. It was not the pastor or men to teach them
because of the very
thing that happens today. If this course had remained, the church would
not have so many
different styles of religion. It would have been the word that taught
through the Holy Spirit.
In essence it went like this: Babe to child to young
man/young woman to elder man/elder
woman to Pastor/teacher of young women to bishop if male. This is not to
put down women,
but rather to have them in a position that a man could not do. The men
don't have the patience
to teach children and teaching young women is opening dangerous doors of
potential immorality.
Teaching the children is the most important job there is in the church. It
is the next generation
of believers. When women decide to take the role of a man, they lose the
blessing of the duty and
the reward of the duty God entrusted to them. (see
God's World)
HIERARCHY OF THE TRUE CHURCH
THE GENERAL ORDER
I Cor 11:1 Be ye
followers of me even as I am of Christ
(note: Follow
Christ as Paul follows him, and preaches it.)
I Cor 11:2 Paul
praises them for keeping the ordinances as he
delivered them
I Cor 11:3 God to
Christ through Paul to man to the woman
As you study the following, be aware
that Paul, as an apostle, was also the bishop
and the elder/pastor to the churches that he started. In time he promoted
from within, delegating those positions to others as he saw them mature in the
lord. Because he
considered these new churches his children; even after he had passed the mantel,
he
continued to write to the elders to keep them on the true course.
THE DETAILED ORDER (an example in Ephesus)
1. GOD
I Cor 11:3 The
head of Christ is God
2. CHRIST
I Cor 11:3 The
head of every man is Christ
-- MAN --
(NOTE:
From Paul to Tim and Titus, both #4)
APOSTLE
3. PAUL –APOSTLE
(note: This
position is basically gone since the world has been
evangelized
The closest thing today would be a missionary. The section above
on
foundations implies that the apostles laid the foundation and other men built
upon the foundation already laid. Ephesians
4:11-13 shows that the five
gifts will
not end until the entire body of Christ, the church, is perfect;
but
the indication
remains that the apostles of the lord did the main laying of
the foundation.)
I Cor 11:1 Be ye
followers of me, as I am of Christ
I Tim 1:3 Paul besought Tim to stay at
Ephesus
BISHOP #1
4.
TIMOTHY --BISHOP (see
Glossary – appoint, bishop)
HIS DUTIES – "TRAINING"
I Tim 3:1 If
a man desire the office of a bishop, he desires a good
work
I Tim 3:2-16 Paul reveals the requirements of offices
I Tim 4:6 Remind the brethren of the things
that Paul taught about false
teaching
I Tim 1:3 Command them to teach no other
doctrine
I Tim 4:7 Refuse profane and old wives’
fables, and exercise
himself unto
godliness
I Tim 4:11 These things command and teach
I Tim 4:12 Be a good example of believers, in
word, conversation,
charity,
spirit, faith, and purity; and stand in leadership
I Tim 4:13 Give attendance to reading,
exhortation, and doctrine
I Tim 4:1-25 Paul teaches Tim how to
discipline the church
I Tim 5:22 Lay hands suddenly on no man,
neither be partaker of
other
men’s sins: keep thyself pure.
(Lay hands refers to
giving recognition. If one ordains
another, who is not
solid in the doctrine of Christ, that man will teach false
doctrine. The
one who put him in authority will ultimately be responsible. The
word says, I
Thes 5:12, to know those that labor among you.)
I Tim 6:20 Tim, KEEP that which is committed
to thy trust
(It appears that this entire book is written to
Timothy to
guide, strengthen and teach him; preparing him for some bigger thing. Many of
the things
that Paul is teaching are in the requirements of a bishop. This thing is
the
thing prophesied over him. This letter says that the office of a bishop
is a
good work; but Paul’s next letter has Timothy doing the office of a bishop.)
HIS DUTIES –
"THE OFFICE"
II Tim 1:6 Paul reminds Tim to stir up the
gift of God in him
II Tim 1:7 Paul strengthens Tim to overcome
fear by reminding
him of the power of God, and that suffering is not necessarily
a bad thing.
II Tim 2:1 Be strong in the grace that is in
Christ
5. ELDER/PASTOR
II Tim 2:2 The things that thou hast heard of
me, the same
COMMIT thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach
others also.
(Paul has just passed the mantel of bishop to Tim.
He has
been trained and
is now ready. The last thing Paul told Tim in his first letter
was to
KEEP
the things committed to him. This was for him personally, as
well as not
to
pass the authority on. Lay hands suddenly on no man. Lay
hands ITim 5:22 means
give recognition.)
II
Tim 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness as
a good soldier
of Christ.
II Tim 2:4 No
man that wars, entangles himself with the affairs
of this
life; that he may please God who has chosen him to
be
a soldier.
II Tim 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God
and the Lord
Jesus Christ
II Tim 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season and out of season;
reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
(Paul has faith in Tim by now, though he still presses him to do the
things of
God; and begins teaching him of the things prophesied. It has always
been important to Paul, but the gospel had priority.)
(For further understanding and breakdown, I will start again with bishop;
but
will go to Titus for the information. This section is level
with Tim; it doesn’t
continue under it. So here we
pick up with bishop again.)
BISHOP #2
4. TITUS – BISHOP
(see
Glossary – appoint, ordain,
bishop, elder)
Tit 1:5 Paul left Titus in Crete, and
appointed him to: Set in order
the things that are wanting:
Ordain
elders in every city
5. ELDER /PASTOR
THE MEN
Tit 1:6 The requirements of an ordained elder
Tit 1:7-9 The requirements of a bishop
(These two verses follow up vs. 5, the ordained and
the appointed)
Tit 1:10-11 Why the strict requirements
Tit 2:1 Speak thou, Titus, the things which
become sound doctrine
Tit 2:2 That the aged men (elders) be sober,
grave, temperate,
sound in
faith, in charity, in patience.
(We have followed the hierarchy from God down to pastor
going through Tim and
Titus. Now we pick up from there and continue.)
6. DEACONS – SERVANTS (see Glossary
deacon)
I Tim 3:8 Like the bishops, the deacons must
be grave, not double
tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre
I Tim 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in
a pure conscience
I Tim 3:10 Let them first be proved and found
blameless, and
then let them use the office of a deacon
I Tim 3:11 Their wives also, must be faithful
in all things
I Tim 3:12 The deacons must be the husband of
one wife
and rule their own house well
I Tim 3:13 For they that HAVE used the office
of a deacon well,
purchase
to themselves a good degree and great boldness in
the faith which is
in Christ
(This shows that the deacon is the lowest level of
the offices in the church.
He starts here and then gains the authority
to hold a higher position. One can’t
even hold this position if he
doesn’t have himself and his house in order as the
lord demands. A
deacon is only a helper, not one of any authority. Tim went
through this
process, as it is shown. Titus, though it is not shown in scripture,
went through it too; it is required in scripture. When this, ordained
order of
God, is bypassed; it reeks havoc on the church. To a true
follower of Christ,
trained up in the word, studied to be shown approved, it
is extremely evident
in today’s church, to use the word church loosely.)
7.
THE FLOCK
a. YOUNG MEN
b. THE WOMEN
Tit 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be
in behavior as
becomes holiness
Tit 2:4 That they may teach the young women
to be sober, to love
their husbands, to love their children
Tit 2:5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at
home, good, obedient to
their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed
COMMENTARY ON
THE HIERARCHY
I
feel like a bishop. I see the church today and it is sadly in need of
the
things that are wanting to be set in order.
I Cor 12:4-6 says that there
are
diversities of
gifts, but the same Spirit; diversities of administrations, but
the same
Lord;
and diversities of operations, but the same God which works
all in all.
I
guess this is apropos today also; but there is so much lacking
because of
the
non-biblical order of things. I could take the position of an
apostle, but time is to
short for that. The church of the world today is
too
set in it’s ways to accept
change. What
does one do? The answer
is to trust God; he is still in
charge. So I do what I can and pass on
what He has shown me and leave
His
church in His hands. I must, however,
pass on what I see or I have
failed in the
small part that I am to play.
The order revealed above requires promotion from within. It also
says
that God sets the positions and who is to fill them. How is it then,
that
the church today thinks that Bible colleges are the divine appointer of
pastors? They are
pumping out young men called pastors when the bible is
clear that it is to be
elders. This doesn’t mean physical, but
spiritual, age;
one that is solidly grounded
in sound doctrine. No
wonder that the church
today is so full of false doctrine.
No wonder there are
so many teachings
today that are in direct conflict with the
word of God.
Everyone thinks that
he is a man of God and that what he feels,
rather than
knows through
scripture is truth. The people are satisfied with what
their pastor tells them
so they don’t search the word on their own. If
the pastor doesn’t hold to
the same belief as them, they move to a church that
does. The
word says
that they seek teachers that tickle their ears.
This is the very reason
so
many believers will one day stand before the King
of kings and Lord of
lords
saying what they did for the lord and he is going
to say to depart from
him
because he never knew them. This is speaking
about believers, because
only they
would dare to stand before the thrown and
declare such a thing.
That will not be
some social gathering. It
is going to be a day of fear and
awesomeness. Think
of it. The
throne is set outside the gates of heaven.
The bible says that the true pastor would lay down his life for his flock.
All the rest are hirelings. It is obvious to me that there are few of
the former.
Most pastors today are more interested in the numbers
than the strengths
of their congregation. This breaks down to money.
The larger number brings
greater income from it. If the truth was
preached, the number would decline
for reasons already mentioned, yet the income generated would increase because
there would be more strong in faith.
If one finds that their leader is teaching false
doctrine, II Tim 6:11
says to
flee from it. If one knows what true
doctrine is, he is to approach the speaker
and reveal it to them. If the
current pastors could be shown truth, they could
reach more sheep than one
starting new churches. It would have to start with
a flock willing to
hear truth. I believe this is coming because the Spirit will be
poured
out in the last days, and we are obviously there.
My intention is not to judge or condemn but to bring a sword, and the
lord
controls it. This sword is the word of God.
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