Lesson # 9 The Church: Fellowship & Worship (Fundamentals of the Faith by John MacArthur)

The Problem With “Organized Religion”

This is lesson number nine on the church Fellowship and worship. So how many of you have heard someone say I don't like Organized religion or I don't want anything to do with organized religion. I always Wonder to myself did they want, you know disorganized religion or what?

What are they saying? I think what they're saying is they don't want anything to do with the church.

So.

We're gonna look at this lesson the church fellowship and worship Hebrews 10 24 and 25 says and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some.

But encouraging one another in all the more as you see the day. Approaching for the day dawning near so assembling together is something Christians have been doing since Day one and what I what I mean by day one is the day that Jesus was resurrected from the dead the disciples assembled together Christ appeared to them and then the next Sunday the first day of the week.

They assembled together again and Christ appeared to them again and Christians have been gathering on the first day of the week. Ever since and obviously we gather on Sunday morning because Sunday morning is when Jesus rose.

So in this book John MacArthur begins by talking about the Universal Church. That's number one. And then the local church is Number two, but really it's all about The church the church the church the church.

We live in a day and age where the church like I said with that statement I'm I'm spiritual, but I'm not religious or I have no use. I'm not interested in organized religion. And that's just sort of the time that we're living in where people they they say they want Christ.

But they don't want his body now how that makes sense. I don't know. How can you have Christ? But you want nothing to do with his body here on the earth. Larry. You have an idea of what that is. Okay.

This is organized it is yep. It's organized because we well, we'll get into it. He'll he'll explain this. So number one the universal.

Church.

The Universal Church as Christ’s Body

John MacArthur says the church is not a physical building but a group of believers not a denomination sect or association but a spiritual body. The church is not an Organization but a communion. He's not saying it's not organized because there it is organized.

We'll see that in a moment, but it's not a it's not like a club, right? It's not something that you just join it's not gonna not an organization, but a communion a fellowship that includes Believers, so it starts out with Colossians chapter 1 verse 18 along with Ephesians 5 23.

What is Christ's position in the church? So you want to talk about? Organization every body every Communion every organization has a head, right? Every company has a head every home Supposed to have a head.

So who is the head of the church? Christ what is Christ's position in the church? He is the head of the body the church and How is the church described? Just said it His body. So again, if somebody says well, I love Christ but I Dislike his body or I want Christ, but I don't want anything to do with his body.

You know, maybe they've never been taught properly. But but there's some some sort of disconnect and I get it people have been Hurt in churches. Some people have been in bad churches and I get why some people feel that way.

But you know, not all churches are are bad Matter of fact the church we're talking about the Universal Church. The church is good, right? The church is holy. The church is the body of Christ at what this is be at what cost did Christ?

Purchase the church acts 20 verse 28. What was the cost he he bought the church with his his own blood? Actually, I think acts 2028 talks about God Purchasing the church with his own blood if I'm not mistaken.

So And of course Jesus is God in in the flesh. So that tells you how much Jesus loves the church that he is willing to shed his blood for the assembly. So therefore if we are to have that same mind that Christ had How should we view the church?

Same way. You should be willing to. You know, you ought to be willing to put your life ahead of Other people there's been martyrs throughout history that have shed their blood defending the body of Christ if somebody put a gun to my head and said Mike either renounce Christ or I'm gonna pull the trigger.

I'd like to think that I would say hey do do what you got to do. But I'm not renouncing Christ. But when we turn our the point is when we turn our back on the body of Christ. It's the same thing as turning your back on Christ himself.

Because Christ is not present here on the earth except in his body, but this is talking about the Universal Church every true believer from Every fellowship all over the world. How does a person become a member of the body of Christ?

Colossians 3 15 we are what? Okay, we are called into the body first Corinthians 12 13. We are then Baptized into the body now, how is the person called into the church? There's somebody pick up the phone and give him a call and say hey come come on into the church is that what happens.

Marcus.

Right.

So the way it looks the way it appears on the surface is people hear the preaching of the word people hear the gospel. That's the gospel call that goes out. But they come because they're being called or drawn by the Holy Spirit.

So everything happens with the Word of God and the Spirit of God people are called Into the body of Christ and then the visible symbol is baptism, but that just Represents the spiritual reality that God has already Done a work in their heart.

So this is the Universal Church. Does everybody have an understanding of what the Universal Church is? Okay, so Morris Corner Church is not the Universal Church we are a local church. The Universal Church is again that the one body of believers baptized believers from all over the world from The first century up until this point every believer Who had the Holy Spirit is part of the universal body of Christ?

But this is a local church and that's what we're going to get into next. Yes.

If you'd like to get a better sense of that then come to the mold open church tonight.

Is it six o 'clock six o 'clock? Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah, and you're saying that because you'll get a sense. Yeah of other churches for one thing rather than just this church. And you'll get a sense of other parts of the world.

Yep, and.

And I do believe that the Lord is doing something special there on Sunday nights. And if you enjoy being in a place where the Lord is doing things I Am I would encourage you to come?

Yeah, good. Yeah, and whatever five different churches Are represented, you know people from several different churches come and that's that's that's great because we're all part of. We're not all part of the same Local church, but we are all part of the same church as in the universal body of Christ.

Okay, so we're set on the universal church and what that means. Yes.

Okay.

The Local Church in Homes and on the First Day of the Week

Number two the local church. This is a little easier to understand. The New Testament describes how believers came together in small groups to worship Christ receive instruction from the scriptures meet one another's needs pray and evangelize.

A the local church. Illustrated. Where did the believers meet before they had church buildings? Romans 16 5. 1st Corinthians 16 19. Where did believers meet? In homes. Now why did believers meet in homes?

Why didn't they just go and purchase a building? Okay, that's our church building. We're all gonna assemble there. Why didn't they do that? There's a real reason why they didn't do that. Yeah, I mean it would have been illegal.

The Jews wouldn't have allowed that. The Sanhedrin the Romans. And if everybody had a lot of enemies and if they knew where that that church was, you know. Somebody would have just tore it down. It would they would have been an easy mark.

So in the early church, they had to meet in homes.

Yeah for.

For reasons of secrecy and persecution.

Right.

Right in many areas of the world. Yes, people still Christians still meet in homes. Now when people are meeting in homes in Western Mass I have to be a little skeptical about that. I'm not saying there's never a situation.

But.

It's been my experience that when people meet in homes when you have the ability to be out in the open. Sometimes that's where you get into that. We don't like the organized religion thing we don't like authority and we want to just have our group at home around the coffee table talking and.

Again not to say it can't can't happen or that there's ever a situation but here's the thing as soon as believers were able to have a church building they did and There's real reasons why you would would want that but in some places this is still.

Necessary.

All right. On what day of the week did they meet. Acts chapter 20 verse 7.

They met.

The first day of the week now, why not have a church service on Saturday night that way you can sleep in on Sunday. All right. Why not have a church service on? Tuesday night, I mean, why not? Why not?

Because traditions are entered. Yeah. Well, I've that's one answer.

Right.

Yeah.

In theory there could be again like overseas where there's persecution. Maybe you would have to have your church in a home. There might be scenarios where that's necessary. Maybe there are situate. I wouldn't say it's a sin to meet on a Tuesday night or a Saturday night.

There might be times where you have to or that's the only thing that works in a certain context, but Again tradition. Sometimes we think the word tradition is oh, that's bad. You know, the Pharisees were into traditions.

Jesus taught the Word of God. Well, actually the Bible speaks about tradition negatively and positively so there's nothing wrong with traditions. This is a good tradition. Why because it's honoring of Christ in his resurrection.

We're just simply following the pattern of Christ's Apostles. Therefore. I believe it's a good tradition. All right list four things to which the early church was devoted. Acts chapter 2 verse 42. What are they teaching?

Fellowship the breaking of bread and Prayer, so this is maybe the bare necessities of what you need for a church service. The church should be teaching. This is what's happening right now. I'm teaching You and there's with ladies teaching the children.

So we get the teaching part fellowship, right we talk to each other beforehand we talk to each other in between and and after we make friends and connections and we keep in touch during the week and we have Bible studies and Discipleship groups and all sorts of different things to have that fellowship, right?

We need fellowship breaking of bread. What's the breaking of bread? Yeah, it's probably a reference to communion, of course, we do have a fellowship meal, but we do observe the Lord's Supper and then our prayer.

Obvious.

Christians get together and we we pray you noticed anything missing on this list. Yeah, okay. Giving. There are a few examples where Paul and first Corinthians 16 verse 2 I think he talked about gathering together on the first day of the week to set something aside to give.

I was thinking of music. And you know me I listen. I would not want a church service without music. So I don't want you to misunderstand what I'm saying. But from what I gather a lot of church service Services today that the main event is the music like it's basically a concert followed by a motivational speech.

So the music has sort of taken over. And maybe the megachurch movement where yeah, it's a concert. It's I just find it interesting that that's the one thing not mentioned. But you know make of that what you will but I love the music.

Yes, Larry.

Because well the hymns are Just filled with doctrine of which we are taught from the word and a lot of times you know, I'll think of a song and.

And.

There's something in that song that just you know puts in my Just lifts me up because the truth from God's Word that is written in the lyrics right. And and then. The music as well and then, you know for me it creates fellowship because I Don't talk to somebody about it.

You know, yeah, it's just encouraging right. Good.

Lenny.

Even.

Right most people find it easier to memorize things when they hear it set to music like there's song lyrics that you just know and That that's helpful music is very important It helps it's part.

Yeah.

It can be part of the teaching because the hymns are all. Music does teach you something. This is why you know as I've grown in Christ Listening to secular music, you know, I used to like it and I still like.

The way it sounds in some way, but the lyrics man. I just can't it burdens my. You know the feeling it's like it's teaching you to go out and Fornicate and sin and do all sorts of evil. That's that's secular music.

Now I'm not making too many friends this morning with that comment probably but I'm just talking about me. I find it harder to listen to but anyways moving on Marcus.

Communion being one. One of the things About this is the Lord wants us, you know. Because we are his body and he is a head that means he's doing the thinking but we're supposed to be doing the doing.

And.

When we sing we are in essence. We are in communion with each other. When we think of communion we think of our closeness with the Lord our relationship with him and prayer and and worship. But music we're all singing the same words.

Yeah, and the words are Coming out in something more beautiful than our spoken words.

Oh.

It's communion. It's fellowship and it's it's an exercise in unity. Yeah, it's just a strong strong teaching of the whole the whole church. The Lord wants us to function as a Unit as a wreck and it's an efficient unit and this is why that person that said oh, I love Jesus me and him.

Well.

He's not he's not all members of the body. He might be a hand or he might be a foot or he might be something. But to be a body.

Who listened to the The sermon. Because you're supposed to memorize the verse and listen to the sermon. Okay, I won't ask for a raise of hands, but if you listen to the sermon. You heard John MacArthur talk about the people.

They say why I love that person. But I love them in Christ and that's like a way of saying I don't really love them. But I have to so I love them in Christ. Is that something that happens. Yeah, so I well I know I have to love this person.

I'm supposed to have fellowship with this person, but I really can't stand that but so I love them in Christ I love them in the Lord. And he was making the point that no you just need to love them.

So.

I'm not sure what that has to do with what I was talking about, but I remembered it. So I see a hand.

Well, I guess I was just gonna add or maybe ask. The question is how that relates to Love the person not the deed. So how does that relate? Well, I'm not. I don't know. I'm not really sure.

Yeah, love. Love the sinner hate the sin type of a thing.

The problem.

Right.

Yeah, the problem the problem with that is it's the person committing the sin and it's kind of hard to separate the two sometimes but when when we talk about love. Love has a definition in Scripture and it's tied to the commandments and how we are to treat one another.

So if you really have someone's best in mind and you really want what's best for them That means that there's going to be some behavior you find objectionable or you're not going to Tolerate or affirm certain things.

You're not going to affirm the sin, but you want what's best for them. So maybe that's what they were saying, but.

Marcus.

Because Christ in dwells us. Yeah, we have our own Individual souls and our own individual identities and so forth, but we also have Christ inside us and of course We want so much for him to have a greater heart and what the rest of us do.

But God will give you a love for an unlovely person. I have one and I have one specific one in mind right now, you know, yeah.

Yeah Yeah.

Yeah, but this is why we need the church. We can't just sit Home on the couch and expect God to kind of zap us to where we know and we'll do the right thing. We're always learning and we learn from the teaching of God's Word.

We learn from the hymns. We learn from one another. So even our behavior, I don't have it all figured out. I can learn from other people. So there's some real challenges and how to apply some of these things.

That's why we need each other. That's why we need a group. Because you're you by yourself with Jesus, whatever that means. That's not the way God intended It to be. So we need to learn. Learn from each other.

Have you learned something from other people in this? Fellowship. Okay, so these were the four things that the early church was devoted to the teaching fellowship. Breaking of bread and.

Prayer.

How the Local Church Is Organized

Next it talks about the local church.

Organized.

Okay, so how is the local church organized number one with gifted? Men. According to Ephesians 4 11 and 12 God gave four types of gifted men to the church. List them. Who are they? Apostles prophets evangelists and Pastors and teachers.

God gave these gifted men to the church to equip the Saints. For what purpose. Verse 12. Equipping of the Saints for the work of service or ministry to the building up of the body of Christ. So God gave four types of gifted men.

Do we yes Marcus?

This because it seems to me apostles and prophets those who and those that subscribe to the cessation.

Yeah.

Spiritual gifts would say the apostles. There are no more fossils There are no more prophets and yet we have within Christianity I believe I would like to think true Christianity. We have those who claim That we have apostles and prophets now, yeah.

Could you speak? Scripturally about the cessation. I know it says that there is one that says there are gifts and they will cease.

Okay, let me approach it this way. Because we want unity. He's going to go on to talk about the importance of unity. So can we all? Agree that within the church today there are Evangelists. Yes. Okay.

I think every believer can agree. There are evangelists. There are those who preach the gospel. That's what an evangelist is. There are pastors and teachers. Again, if you do if you want the disorganized religion, you don't want a church organization.

Then you're not gonna have any use for pastors and teachers, but I you know, these people are on the you know, the fringe at best. So we all agree every believer and a local church is going to agree we have evangelists.

We have pastors and teachers, right? And I think even the non cessationist would agree that we have pastors and teachers. So we agree. All together with this, right?

Okay.

Now we get to apostles and prophets and you made the statement I know what you mean, but you said we believe we don't have apostles and prophets today. I Believe we do have unity and that yes, we do have Apostles today.

Their names are Peter.

James.

John Paul, these are the Apostles of the church that everybody disagree. All right, everybody agrees and we have prophets.

Isaiah.

Jeremiah Ezekiel so the church has Prophets and apostles that we all agree on. There you go. We have unity. Now if you're gonna tell me that I need to accept Benny Hinn as a prophet Then we're gonna run into some disunity or that Bill Johnson and read in California is an apostle or something like that.

The church doesn't recognize that those men are not recognized by Probably the majority of professing Christians on earth. So hey, let's let's have unity. Let's stick with Peter James and John and not Benny Hinn Kenneth Copeland and whoever else is claiming to be prophets and a man.

Can we agree on that? Well, okay. Yes Marcus.

Okay deal.

And.

Yeah, Barnabas is called an apostle. I think there's a couple others. They were from what I understand. They were Apostles. You've heard me describe it an apostle with a lowercase a like Paul is a capital a Apostle Barnabas would be a lowercase a Apostle.

But really Barnabas and those men were Apostles of the church. They were sent by the church. They were not ordained as Apostles by Christ. So in that sense, there are men today who are sent. That's what apostle means one who is sent a missionary in that sense.

Or someone who is sent by the church can be rightly called an apostle. We just don't use that term because it confuses people. But as far as apostle as in an apostle of Jesus Christ We know who the twelve were and Paul but the others are not Apostles of Jesus they're Apostles of the church.

They were sent by the church. That's how I would answer that.

Okay.

All right, so We have the gifted men the Apostles prophets evangelists pastors and teachers.

Number two.

The local church organized. We have elders slash overseers. Overseer would be the word for.

Bishop.

Says the qualifications of an elder or Overseer are stated in 1st Timothy 3 1 through 7 and Titus 1 6 through 9. What are the two major? responsibilities of an elder according to 1st Peter 5 1 and 2. Elders are to Shepherd the flock.

That's number one number two they are to exercise oversight. What is the responsibility of believers to the elders Hebrews 13 verse 17? Obey your leaders and submit to them. Why you see this is why people don't like organized religion.

I'm not gonna submit to anybody, you know, I'm just I'm gonna do my thing. Of course the scripture says we are to all submit to one another, right?

But.

Obey your elders submit to them. Why. For they keep watch over your souls. And those? Who will give an account or as those who will give an account let them do this with joy and not with grief. For this would be unprofitable.

To you.

Now.

Who who am I to disagree with John MacArthur, but in this church, we don't have elders we have pastors. Technically the word is bishop. So I don't want to like get too technical here, but we recognize two offices in a local church Bishop and deacon.

Or pastor and deacon. Sometimes those words elder pastor bishop overseer they're all used synonymously, but I don't personally believe that elder is an office in the New Testament Church. But if other churches, that's how they have it.

It's not something we're gonna fight about. Any questions on that. Okay, does that mean you agree or you're just not sure.

Okay.

Yeah.

The the office if you look at first Timothy 3 the office is bishop and deacon in Titus. Paul told Titus to appoint elders and What is the word elder mean. It means a man who's older. So I believe that he appointed men in the church.

Remember the church was newly founded. There was no structure. There was really no leadership so he appointed older men who are mature and They were to set things in in order. But anyways, that's a that's a side trail.

Deacons.

What are deacons the word deacon means? Servant the deacons are to minister to the needs of the flock under the direction of the elders of the church or the pastors. Or the qualifications of deacons are stated in first Timothy 3 8 through 13.

Let's turn their first Timothy 3 8 through 13 First Timothy 3 so you see there's. Again, these terms are used synonymously. So elder and pastor. Typically most Christians would see that those terms are interchangeable and that's fine.

So you have the elders and then they're in charge of shepherding the flock and then the deacons. First Timothy 3 8 through 13 Says likewise the deacons must be reverent. Not double-tongued not given too much wine not greedy for money.

Holding the mystery of the faith with the pure conscience. Let these also first be tested. Then let them serve as deacons being found blameless. Likewise their wives Must be reverent not slanderers. Temperate faithful in all things.

And let the deacons be the husband of one wife. Ruling their children and their own houses.

Well.

For those who have served well as deacons obtained for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith. Which is in Christ Jesus if you remember when the first deacons were ordained in Acts chapter 6 the Apostles were the shepherds in the early church and they had this issue of Distributing the food and it turned into this big fiasco and they just didn't have time for it.

So they appointed the deacons to take care of of those tasks. Why that would give the Apostles all the time they needed for the ministry of the word and then the deacons would take care of of the other things.

But since I read the qualifications for a deacon, let's go back and read the qualifications for a Bishop or a pastor is what the term we use today first Timothy 3 starting in verse 1. This is a faithful saying if a man desires the position of a what? Bishop he desires a good work.

I kind of wish in our church constitution the the office said bishop instead of pastor be more it would be more biblically accurate. But you remember. Many of you who remember our last pastor pastor riddle, what did he?

Call him. He'd refer to himself or people would call him what? Yeah, the bishop was one of the one of the things the mayor of Morse Corner, but that that's not a religious title. But the first qualification the first thing you need is the desire like if you don't want to do it if you don't have the desire then a Bishop must be blameless the husband of one wife temperate sober-minded of good behavior hospitable able to teach.

I would recognize this would be the the main difference between a pastor and.

A deacon.

The pastor has to be apt to teach like deacons are not necessarily required to teach. But if someone's going to be a pastor or an elder They have to be able to teach or preach otherwise. They're not meeting that qualification.

Not given to wine not violent not greedy for money. I mean if your pastor is Violent and he's greedy like this is this is not gonna work out. Well, but gentle not quarrelsome. Not covetous one who rules his own house.

Well having his children and submission with all reverence. For if a man does not know how to rule his own house How will he take care of the Church of God? Like if somebody says hey this, you know John Smith, he's the pastor that guy's the pastor.

Do you know what his kids are out doing? You know, they just got he's letting them run wild. It's sort of like Samuel the Prophet right? This was Samuel's Samuel's problem. He let his kids just kind of run wild and never did anything about it.

Not a novice. So you can't just be a recent convert. Hey, I came to Christ three months ago. Now. I'm the pastor. That's not the way it works less being puffed up with pride. He fall into the same condemnation of the devil.

Anyways, I'm getting off track. So let's get back Into the study here. So deacons. We're deacon means servant. The deacons are to minister to the flock. Under the direction of the elders of the church the qualifications of deacons stated at first Timothy 3 8 through 13 Number four members of the body.

What does Hebrews 10 25 warn believers not to neglect? We already read this. Yeah, the forsaking of the assembly and then it already was brought up Marcus with the spiritual gifts. We're gonna talk about the spiritual gifts.

Soon.

If you can get every believer in a local church and get every believer. Serving in some capacity. Man, we would win the world to Christ probably by the end of the year. So we need organization in Hebrews 13 verse 7 Instructs us concerning those who teach us God's Word.

What should be our response? So did you select the correct answer? We should observe their godly lives and follow their example of faith. Is that the one the third one? Is that what you chose? Okay good any questions so far?

We kind of took a rabbit trail there reading the quality. You know, it's in line with what we're talking about. But any questions at all comments from what you've heard? This is gonna be a two or three parter I think and that's okay.

We're not we're not in a rush right Larry. Amen. All right. So this is see. How should we act toward other members of the body first. Corinthians 12 verse 25. There be there may be no division in the body.

But that the members may have the same care for one another. Okay, another translation says that there may be no schism in the body so schism and division. Another term for this is the word heresy. Some of you have heard the word Heresy and some people they know it's bad.

They're not really sure what it means. Heresy is something that creates a schism. So if somebody preaches heresy in a church. That teaching is going to do what? It's gonna divide the church and then you're gonna have one side angry at the other side and that's where you get church splits.

You know why there's so many denominations. Because of false doctrine people preach things Might not reach the level of heresy denying the person work of Christ. But they teach things that are divisive and then it causes the church to divide.

So.

Division schism, this is heresy oftentimes though when churches divide or when there's division in a church. It's not usually because of what's being preached. Usually it's because of what. Yeah, it's it's it's people just not getting along over ridiculous things or maybe it is something serious that'll happen.