The Local Church

The Church as the Household of God and Pillar of the Truth

Dwight and good afternoon. Welcome to the dividing line today. We are talking about a very unpopular subject. So unpopular I can almost predict right now We'll probably lose ourself one or two supporters in the process at least that's what's happened in the past.

For some strange reason it should not be that way, but it unfortunately is and I'm referring to the subject of the church. I am in the process of Wrapping up finishing up. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel writing a book entitled dangerous airwaves.

It is a refutation of Harold camping's new teaching on The nature of the church. Two of the chapters initially was going to be one but I've divided into two. Now two of the chapters deal with the teaching concerning the nature of the church and membership in The church.

I'd like to start off by reading a couple paragraphs from those. No, the book is not yet available, but it will be as soon as possible. Harold camping's teachings about the church come at an inopportune time that is to say many are already prone to view the church as they do an automobile or a house an Item up for sale something that is bought and sold the highest bidder.

In a day when the church defines itself not by its calling the holiness of her master the privilege and gravity of worship. Or the value and power of the precious precious message entrusted to her. But by the nature of the audience she seeks to draw it is quite easy to convince the shoppers that there is a better show down the road even in solid churches there is a very troubling lack of zeal for the church that manifests itself an Unwillingness to be committed to the ministry of service in the local church.

For many joining The church is a bothersome activity that is not really important to one's spiritual growth or safety and for many It is merely an option not a command. Church hopping is a popular pastime with many fellowships showing a frightening willingness To cater to such attitudes by putting on a show that is guaranteed to keep the crowds coming in the process.

The gospel is muted and moved to the back shelf if Presented at all. And in a previous chapter I had begun this way the Church of Jesus Christ a divinely instituted organization that is central to the purposes of God.

Every follower of Christ is called to serve within her fellowship give his or her life for those who stand alongside in her membership revel in the blessings of God poured upon her from on high and seek to pass from this world into God's presence having promoted her work and standing on earth.

A Man's attitude toward the church says much of his spiritual health and maturity. The one who longs to be amongst God's people in worship in singing in proclamation in the celebration of baptism in the supper.

Has in that longing a sign of grace and the work of the Holy Spirit. For outside of religious hypocrites who do not last long. Where the word is faithfully preached the unregenerate man has no desire for these things and finds them to be utter foolishness.

Do these words sound strange to you. They should not. The scriptures are filled with teaching on the nature purposes mission and perpetuity of the body of Christ. The Bride of Christ the Church of the Living God.

One must be purposefully seeking to avoid exposure to the truths of the Bible to miss the repetitive references to Christ's Bride the church. The teaching about her is often bound up with the very proclamation of the gospel.

For it has always been God's will that every person he calls into fellowship with his son is to take his or her place in the fellowship of that body for which he died that visible entity that proclaims his name and worships in spirit and in truth.

Hence, that is how two of the chapters in the new book begin with a proclamation of the truth. Concerning the church even though these may not be popular things. I remember addressing this issue last year and receiving some very angry emails.

Some people wrote to me and said how dare you say the things you said about the importance of being in the local church. There are no good churches around me. Well, there weren't very many good churches in the days of Jesus too, but he still showed up in the synagogue and he still worshipped God and We'll get into some other issues in regards to what if you can't find a good church near you a little bit later on.

But I would like to invite you to take your Bibles today. I'd like to look at some passages. This is a subject that I think is very very important. And I'd like to begin with a passage that we have discussed many times in the past in the program primarily however in the context of Roman Catholicism and That is a passage very frequently misused by Roman Catholics in regards to the subject of the church and they are the words of Paul to Timothy in first Timothy 3 15.

I Often see for example Roman Catholics, so they'll come into the room and They'll do something like when they'll exit. I think we have one in particular individual who when he exits his Exit line is a quotation of first Timothy 3 15 Understood in a Roman Catholic sense and I have often seen Roman Catholic apologists to simply quote the passage seemingly unaware of any type of interpretation of the words that would not be supportive of a Roman Catholic interpretation Roman Catholic Ecclesiology, but actually when Paul wrote to Timothy he said But in case I am delayed I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God.

Which is the church of the Living God the pillar and support of the truth. Now when we hear about the church as the pillar and support of the truth I am reminded very quickly of the story in surprised by truth of a person who was a member of an Orthodox Presbyterian Church who confessed to amazement when this particular individual encountered the words of Paul the shock that this person had that the Bible would describe the church as the pillar and support the truth the pillar and ground or foundation of The truth and of course, I was shocked That anyone would be shocked anything that the Bible says, especially Someone who is in an Orthodox Presbyterian Church because those OPC churches that I have been in and have ministered in and preached in Would not be places where Paul's writings would not be Understood and would not be recognized in any way shape or form.

So what is Paul talking about? Well something that actually struck me Only as I was working on this book in regards to herald camping. Was the greater context here if you back up into first Timothy chapter 3 You will see that there is a discussion all the way through here in the preceding verses.

You have a discussion of the subject Beginning right at the beginning of the chapter The office of an Episcopal the elder the overseer and there is a discussion of the qualifications of the elder the overseer in the church and then following this there's a discussion of deacons beginning in verse 8 and there's the two offices the church elders and deacons are discussed right in the immediate context and in fact, that is exactly The immediate context of Paul's statement, why is this important?

Well, I have obviously looked at the passage before and and have argued that This passage does not in any way shape or form Substantiate the misuse of it by Roman Catholics. This is not confusing the church with the truth.

It is not saying that the church is infallible that the church has some sort of authority over Scripture. It does not say that the church just stands on equal level or anything like that. It has nothing to do with traditions and and Magisteriums or all the rest of that stuff.

I Have pointed out that the passage says the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. That is it gives the basis to and holds up and presents the truth. It is within the church that the gospel message is Proclaimed is within the church that the person of Jesus Christ who is truth itself is worshipped his sacrificial death is portrayed before us in the proclamation of the gospel the message of the cross we proclaim his death until he comes in the Celebration of the Lord's Supper.

These are all things that are very clearly laid out for us in Scripture. But one of the things that I I pointed out I'm sorry that I I had not made the connection in my own mind is If all the way through verse 13, we're talking about The specific Functioning of elders and deacons.

Well, how do they. How do they function in what context it's the local church. The immediate context is the local church. And so when Paul speaks about how a person is to conduct himself in the household of God.

It's very easy for people to automatically redefine what's being said here remove it from its context and Start saying well, we're talking here about you know, the macro issues. We're we're looking at the church here in the big Picture in the big fuzzy picture where you've got the big fuzzy church that no one ever actually does attend and You never get to hear anybody doing anything in the in the big fuzzy church.

The quote-unquote universal church. You never hear a sermon in the big fuzzy church you never sing in the big fuzzy church and and You can just sort of put the big fuzzy church out there on the horizon and we can talk about it in a very dispassionate way and a very disconnected way.

But you can't do that in this context he's not talking about the big fuzzy church he's talking about the local body of believers with elders and deacons and He says it is that local body. That's how the church is seen in this world.

And it is in this world that the truth needs to be made known. It is in this world that the truth needs to have a pillar and a support and a ground and a basis. It is in this world where there's going to be opposition where the world itself stands in opposition to the truth of Christ.

It is here that there needs to be that solid foundation and that is exactly what Paul is saying. So we need to recognize first and foremost that his words are about the church as she exists in the local congregations.

And it is the local congregations not some church off in Rome someplace. It is the local congregations that are likened to The pillar and foundation of the truth is the local congregations that are described as the household of God.

It is the local congregations of the church of the Living God and of course Timothy. Timothy knowing Paul so well having learned at the feet of Paul Would know that he would be drawing his language his terminology from the pages of the Old Testament the Greek Septuagint and There are many passages in the Greek Septuagint that use the exact same terms that Paul is using here of the church.

For example in first Chronicles 29 3 we read moreover in my delight in my delight in the house of my God the treasure I have of gold and silver I give to the house of my God over and above all that I have already provided for the Holy Temple.

So here David is using this in the context of the temple the place of worship the house of my God. It's the very same term that's translated in first Timothy 315 as the household of God this is what the church is in the perspective of the Apostle Paul and the the very God of the Old Testament is over and over again described as The living God in Jeremiah 10 10 Deuteronomy 5 26 Psalm 42 to my soul thirst for God for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God. And again in Psalm 42? When shall I come and appear before God is in the place of worship. And so there's all these connections to the the language that is being used by the Apostle Paul in regards to the church and It is very exalted language, but it is language about the church as it exists with elders and with deacons and yes that means With the elder that you may not like a whole lot With the the deacons that you might not think do the best job in the world.

But that has been God's purpose to build his church and the church is seen Within the context of the local bodies where the worship of God takes place and Where the singing of hymns takes place and the prayers and the reading of Scripture this all takes place within the context of? the local church.

And so when we look at first Timothy 315 it should be something that we obviously embrace very Very carefully we embrace the the truth that this the scriptures are the pillar and foundation. I'm sorry the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth and Hence the attitudes that are so so often displayed in regards to the church the attitudes in regards to The the very the very ease that we have in moving from one to another in Abandoning the fellowship of one because well I don't like such and such a person or I you know I I don't like the way that the pastor has his hair.

And I don't you know the the choir sings too loud for me. And you might say someone would actually leave a church over something you better believe it. I cannot begin to To even note the number of reasons that I have heard From individuals for leaving a church well the pastor was too loud or the there's someone in the alto section.

It doesn't sing on tune it drives me crazy. And and I don't like the color of the of the pews because it it you know doesn't go with my eyes. I mean you might think that sounds somewhat silly but there are people who really the only reason they go to a church is because it's convenient and they they like the the program that is provided or something along those lines and Yet, there is nothing in any way shape or form in the New Testament concerning this kind of behavior in the church and the church is described in in Very very different ways when we come to the text of the Bible now God's concern his ongoing concern For the the health of the church the continuation of the church is seen in the fact that he has organized the church.

It I was having a discussion with someone just recently and I was I was pointing out you know. Don't you think it would be probably a wise thing to allow Christ to define how the church is to? Worship and the organization of the church don't you think Christ probably has the best idea about that?

It seems that for so many today the church is such an amorphous unorganized thing that we have to come up with the mission of the church and the the form of the church and the worship of the church and we're supposed to have some ability to sort of look around us and and determine What people are going to like and what people are going to want to embrace and so on so forth?

Rather than looking to the scriptures for guidance as to how the church is to function. So one of the things that immediately strikes us as we look at the history of the church is for example acts 14 23.

When they had appointed elders for them in every church having prayed with fasting. They commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Here are the Apostles they have gone. Paul has gone on a missionary journey there has been a Proclamation of the gospel as a result God has blessed the preaching of the message.

The church has been founded and notice what happens when they had appointed elders for them in every church. Not just some of the churches not just places where surveys showed that the seeker friendly individuals in the in the congregation Would like to have Elders.

And a certain number of elders and a certain age of elders know in every single church. They appointed elders for them and So the Apostles begin the ministry of the church they appoint elders and those elders then are to give direction they are to To give teaching they are to be involved in protecting the flock of Christ as we see in Acts chapter 20.

But notice it says in Every church there was no place where these elders were not to be. Indeed as we think about it the Apostles obedient to the Lord's will for them appointed elders not in some churches but in every church this was part of their work in establishing these churches in the truth and Even after Paul had departed from places like like Ephesus the Eldership continued on for as Paul traveled toward Jerusalem remember in Acts chapter 20 He called the elders of the church to him these would be the men that are found faithful and Trustworthy to whom Timothy was to pass on Paul's teaching and to whom the care of the church was to be entrusted you can see That in 2nd Timothy 2 2 and Paul spoke these men in 1st Timothy 5 17.

And he said the elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching and So there is a need to give honor to those who work hard at preaching and teaching the elders those who have been entrusted with this task are to be given great respect and they are to be honored and they are to be involved in the working of of preaching and teaching and Instructing the people of God.

This is clearly what they are to do and this is to be done in every church. When Paul wrote to Titus for example, he said for this reason I left you in Crete. This is Titus 1 5 for this reason. I left you in Crete that you would set in order What remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you?

Now notice that Titus is to set in order what remains and How does he do this part of the setting in order is to appoint? Elders in every city as I directed you. The church is unorganized. It is out of order if it does not have elders Functioning within that fellowship.

That is Christ's will for his church. That is what is found in the pages of Scripture and of course even Peter who was himself an apostle says in 1st Peter chapter 5 verses 1 through 4 therefore I exhort the elders among you as Your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed Shepherd the flock of God among you exercising oversight not under compulsion But voluntarily according to the will of God and not for sordid gain but with eagerness Nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge but proving to be examples to the flock and when the chief shepherd appears you will receive the unfading crown of glory and so it is Self evident just from this brief review of just some of the passages that God Determined that this local church this pillar and foundation of the truth would be organized it would have offices of elders and deacons and for Just in case people Are confused about it bishop elder Overseer these are all synonymous terms the qualifications for each office are the same Bishop elder overseer and they are used interchangeably by the Apostle Paul and so the Development that took place later.

It's seen very clearly in Ignatius where you have a Singular Bishop with presbyters underneath and This hierarchy developing that takes place later on you don't see that Functioning in that way. I do not believe in the New Testament.

There are those who would say well You know when Paul writes to Timothy He says do not receive a a charge against an elder except on the word of two or three witnesses and therefore somehow Timothy has is sort of an archbishop.

He's a arch elder An arch overseer and he has some sort of special authority or something like that. I don't think that that's the case at all. I don't think that when Paul writes to Timothy any more than he wrote wrote to Titus along the same lines that that somehow sets up some core some kind of a Special office or something along those lines at all.

In fact, I was just thinking there is an address. So there is a discussion of this on our website right now the main page article discusses this and I'm trying to remember the name of the article off the top of my head.

Because it's I think it's called Oh presbyters dot HTML for those of you who are listening to this archived and do not have the opportunity of Seeing it as the main page article. There is a discussion about some of those things on the website right now.

So those of you who would like to take a look at that. So the church is organized the church has has a discernible outline. It has a discernible organization. There is worship that takes place in the administration of baptism and the Lord's Supper.

So on and so forth and then as we then go beyond this we then ask some more questions about the church and we find that we can turn in the scriptures to Paul's epistle to the Ephesians for a tremendously full discussion of the nature of the church full in the sense that there is a tremendous amount of Revelation giving not given not full in the sense of exhaustive.

You don't have the discussion for example the the discussion you have in first Timothy or in Titus concerning the nature of the offices and and the Qualifications in Ephesians that you have or in those books that you have, you know, don't have that in Ephesians, but full in a sense of having a tremendous amount of Theological relevance to us and in the first three chapters of Ephesians.

We have this discussion of God's overarching plan and it's it's struck me yet again, I had seen this before but it has Been a somewhat of a reminder to me. That the Apostle Paul moves back and forth. Not as if he and it's I guess that's even a bad terminology use he in his speaking speaks both of the gospel and our personal Embracing of Jesus Christ and and the the gospel of grace and the church.

Without any sense of moving from topic to topic in other words, they are intertwined. The the gospel is so closely connected with the church with what God is doing in the church. He adds to the church daily those who are being saved.

It is his purpose to bring together Jew and Gentile into one body in the church and so he can be talking about the cross and he can be talking about the blood of Christ and then Talking about the church all the same time.

For many evangelicals that sounds strange because the church and the gospel are two completely different things. There are many people who would say I know much about the gospel, but honestly don't know a lot about the church but that's very difficult to understand in fact.

Look at for example Ephesians 2 13 through 16. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall.

By abolishing in his flesh the enmity which is the law of commandments contained in ordinances. So in himself, he might make the two into one new man. Thus establishing peace and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross.

By it having put to death the enmity. Now there might be someone who would say ah, well that one body is the body of Jesus but the church is called the body of Christ and he's saying that the enmity that the middle wall of Partition that separated Jew from Gentile that wall that existed in the temple that said if you're not a Jew you cannot go beyond here that's been done away with and How well by the blood of Christ now what when we talk about the blood of Christ, what subject are we addressing?

Well, we are addressing. Of course the subject of the gospel itself. We're talking about the atoning work of Christ and He's saying the Gentiles you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ and He is our peace.

Now again shalom is used right here in Ephesians 2 13 the the shalom Concept that we have talked about so many times before in Romans chapter 5 verse 1. That we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, that is that is personal peace that because of the removal of the of the Problem of sin and the punishment of sin we have been justified by faith. Therefore we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Well here the very same term is used. Where he says for he himself is our peace who made both groups into one one what? One body that is the church and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall by abolishing in his flesh the enmity.

Which is the law of commandments contained in ordinances so that in himself He might make the two into one new man thus establishing peace. We cannot avoid seeing that that he's really talking about the effect of the atoning work of Christ.

The the fact that the work of Christ brings peace between the individual and God and yet It's also the very same basis that then brings into existence The one body of the redeemed and that is the church.

Well, there's much more to look at in the book of Ephesians. And we're going to continue looking at that when we come back from this break right here on the dividing line. The history of the Christian Church pivots on the doctrine of justification by faith.

Once the core of the Reformation the church today often ignores or misunderstands this foundational doctrine in his book the God who justifies theologian James White calls believers to a fresh appreciation of Understanding of and dedication to the great doctrine of justification and then provides an exegesis of the key scripture texts on this theme.

Justification is the heart of the gospel in today's culture where tolerance is the new absolute. James White proclaims with passion the truth and centrality of the doctrine of justification by faith. Dr. J. Adams says I lost sleep over this book.

I simply couldn't put it down. James White writes the way an exegetically and theologically oriented pastor appreciates. This is no book for casual reading. There is solid meat throughout an outstanding contribution in every sense of the words.

The God who justifies by dr. James White get your copy today at a omen org.

More than any time in the past Roman Catholics and evangelicals are working together. They are standing shoulder-to-shoulder against social evils. They are joining across denominational boundaries in renewal movements and many Evangelicals are finding the history tradition and grandeur of the Roman Catholic Church appealing.

This newfound rapport has caused many evangelical leaders and laypeople to question the age-old disagreements that have divided Protestants and Catholics. Aren't we all saying the same thing in a different language?

James White's book the Roman Catholic controversy is an absorbing. Look at current views of tradition. You can call for.

Church History, Ephesians, and the Perpetuity of the Church

About the nature of the church today and let me just mention real briefly before we get back to our examination the scriptures. It's always a good idea to check out the web page, you know, at least once a week or so sometimes new things up here and I This week posted I think was fairly early this week posted a new main page article and it is a response to a Roman Catholic apologist and Some assertions regarding the monarchical episcopate.

So it deals a little bit with church history a little bit with the New Testament some of the subjects we've been addressing today in fact and So that is on the main page as well. And again, I will not hear the end of it if I do not mention the need for you to let Mr. Michael Fallon know if you are considering pondering the subject of going with us to Alaska at the end of August August 31st and The apologetics crews we're going to be doing up there having a grand old time.

I'm very much looking forward to it by the time I get to that point I am going to need a vacation a big time and I've got so much between now and then that's Do be praying for us and I suppose the fellow on the other side of the wall would not mind my mentioning that we have a tremendous amount of work to be doing over the next couple of months and that Results in two things that is there are a cost associated with Getting presses working.

There are costs associated with Traveling. I know that there are caught there's going to be a cost associated pretty soon. With the fact that as I sit here doing this webcast It is very nice that I'm able to be in the chat channel I'm able to have my Bible materials in front of me and book files in front of me.

But unfortunately the no-name. I think the term that used to be used rice rocket Monitor that I've been using for a number of years now. Which I thought was gonna die last year, but it was healed. Maybe I tuned in TBN or something like that, and it was healed.

I'm not sure I mean, it's had the situation where the guns would go out the various color guns. And so everything would like turn yellow or turn green and turn blue, so I figured it was going out. Then it stopped doing that it was healed don't ask me why but it was healed well now It's doing the watusi and for those of you who aren't old enough to remember that it's sort of like It's sort of like the hokey pokey.

Maybe that's something you'd recognize. It's um it do be dying is what it says what's happening and It was a lay hands on it. Yeah, well That's not a good thing to do it was a generic I mean, this is a no-name thingy, and we have gotten a lot of work out of it.

It's gonna die soon. That's all I know of and I sort of need to continue to see what I'm doing so We've got things like that coming up. There are some things that you know just extra costs and so if you Appreciate what we're doing and you recognize the need to be heading up to Salt Lake City going out to Mesa doing the debates We're doing and you want to remember us, so please do that in a monetary fashion because that's just simply what it takes unless one of you owns a Electronic store would like to send us a new 19 or 20 inch monitor.

That would be fine. That works. Well. I don't care, but you got to see these things to be able to type these books up and Also, if you know we try to make sure it doesn't happen. But if you could show a little bit of grace and patience with with poor brother rich and filling the orders We are asking our volunteers to step up to the to the plate.

We're doing everything we can we're running the poor little tape machines until they're screaming at us, but there's just so many hours in the day and so Please please keep in mind the fact that there's a very few of us involved the ministry and So if you would you know give rich a call and just say hey, man I appreciate you actually you don't want to do that because he doesn't have time for that kind of thing, but Actually, probably wouldn't mind that I don't know but just keep that Yes, someone just just gave a donation.

We appreciate that. So I guess you don't want my 15-inch Trinitron. Thank you very much MDH. Why don't you go back and open up a few cans of ravioli while you're at it? And you can use that little 15-inch Trinitron.

No. I can't see that anymore. That's the problem remember my my eyes. We're not exactly Up to up to perfect speed so the bigger the screen the better as far as that's concerned But anyhow, so there's some needs there just to keep in mind That we've got a lot going on especially starting the end of this month.

We have the workout in Mesa at the Easter pageant and We need tracks printed desperately and so there's lots of stuff going on so pray for health and For time to get it all done. I am attempting to finish up the camping book I have an article to write I have tremendous a number of school Issues I need to deal with teaching at various schools, and so things are just moving along at a very very very high rate of Speed and if you'd like to remember us before the Lord We would appreciate that now going back to the subject that we are looking at today and if you have some questions about this subject you are most welcome to to get involved with the program and We'll start taking your phone calls if you would like at eight six six eight five four sixty seven sixty three eight six six eight five four sixty seven sixty three oh That's really nice someone just suggested to quit buying EAS products for a month, and you'll have the money to do that well.

Thank you very very much actually. I don't buy much in the way of EAS. I do iso pure. So take that anyways. We're going back to the subject of the church and We had looked at Ephesians chapter 2 verses 13 through 16 and the the intertwining between the discussion that Paul is is presenting of the work of Christ and how the work of Christ creates a body of redeemed people and we I think again probably because of a Negative Overreaction Against Rome and against the perversion of these passages Type water down what they're saying and I I don't think we want to do this, but there's always this little voice in the back of your mind That says you know if you talk about how the cross of Christ creates the church.

Then people are gonna somehow think that you're a crypto Catholic or something no, we need to allow the scriptures to say what the scriptures say and that specifically is To allow it to say that by his in Christ that in himself He might make the two into one new man.

That's a Paul said establishing peace and Might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross by it having put to death the enmity. Those are his words we need to allow those words to have the kind of effect that they need to have and So we need to listen to everything that the scripture has to say about these things including for example We continue in Ephesians.

Ephesians chapter 2 verses 19 through 22. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens. But you are fellow citizens with the Saints and are of God's household there it is again same term used first Timothy 3.

And are of God's household having been built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole building Being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together.

Into a dwelling of God in the spirit. Well again tremendously exalted language use the church. There is this one body That is being built upon the foundation the Apostles and prophets Christ Jesus himself as a chief cornerstone and That whole building is fitted together, and it's growing into a holy temple only in the Lord.

And it's a holy temple that is the dwelling place of God in the spirit. This is the church, and I'll admit. I don't understand how a person could be a Christian could read Passages like this and be lackadaisical and apathetic about the church.