____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ June 4, 2000 ____________________________________________________ The Right of "Self Rule" by Jim R. Everett There are three basic concepts among religions about organization. The first is that church organization is worldwide in its structure. The second is that a particular body of religion is composed of a ``brotherhood'' of churches. And the third is ``congregational autonomy''; that is, that congregations of Christians established by apostolic teaching were independent and ruled themselves. Universal organization is seen in Roman Catholicism where all Catholic Churches are under the control of Rome and the Pope. In the Lutheran Missouri Synod and the United Methodist Conference there is evidence of a ``brotherhood of churches'' ruled by a group of men. In the Southern Baptist Convention, there is a looser structure; however, all Baptist Churches that belong must be agreeable to the platform and dictates of the Convention. Both the ``universal'' and ``brotherhood'' structures activate groups of people belonging to the organization both by oversight and by treasury. Among churches of Christ, ``congregational autonomy and independence'' have been the norm -- at least in what is affirmed, if not in actual practice. Historically, among disciples in America, the controversy about a ``brotherhood'' organization was the major cause of the division in the middle and latter 1800's that resulted in ``The Christian Church.'' The ``United Christian Missionary Society'' was formed under the auspices that local congregations could not do ``missionary work'' effectively and, since the Bible did not specifically forbid other organization, it was, therefore permissible. It is admitted by most Bible students that the only organization you can read about in the Bible begins and ends with the congregation (Acts 14:23; 20:22-28; Philippians 1:1-2; 1 Peter 5:1-ff). In the first century each congregation had its own elders and deacons, and, within itself, made its own decisions. Though most admit that organization was congregation in N.T. times, they do not believe that the scriptures are exclusive and limiting on the subject. However, when God has specified, that is all we know about what He wants. Specifics limit. They are both inclusive and exclusive -- they include everything God wants and exclude everything He does not want. The Sponsoring Church Arrangement -- Substitute For a Different Kind of Organization At the close of WWII, men came back from the war on fire to take the gospel to European countries (that's good!). But their belief was that it could not be done by ``local congregations'' working independently. They believed there was a need for some structure by which congregations could work together; hence the birth of the ``sponsoring church'' arrangement. (Note Robert Turner's article, PT, Vol. 2, No. 2, p. 4, March 1965 - ``History of Current 'Sponsoring Church'''.) You see, brethren had been through the division caused by the ``extra organization'' and believed that to be wrong -- most brethren would not accept another ``missionary society'' even if it was our own brand, because of the inherit prejudice caused by the division in the 1800's. But they were going to accomplish the same thing by putting it under the ``oversight'' of a ``sponsoring church'' -- while they mouthed ``congregational autonomy and independence,'' they began to practice the activation of a brotherhood of churches. In the ``sponsoring church arrangement'' several churches would send funds to one church that would select the ``missionary'' and send him to do the work. It was the same kind of effort to activate the brotherhood of churches as was the missionary society -- the differences is that it activates churches through one church and not through another organization. Attempts at Finding Bible Authority for the ``Sponsoring Church'' Some simply said that it was all right, because the scripture did not condemn it but they were met by their own objections to the ``missionary society'' and ``instrumental music in worship.'' Others sought to find scriptural justification, so they dug around in the N.T. to find something that would give symbolic authority for the practice. Finding authority is admirable, because it should be the desire of every individual to turn to scripture for approval from God for every religious practice (Col. 3:16-17 -- ``...in his name'' means ``by His authority''). One attempt to justify the ``sponsoring church'' concept was the use of Acts 11:27-30 as compared to 12:24-25. The argument made was that the relief was sent from Antioch to Judea by Paul and Barnabas who delivered it to the hands of the Jerusalem elders. Then the Jerusalem elders distributed it to the Judean churches. That was said to be true, because Paul and Barnabas returned ``from Jerusalem,'' and not Judea which proved that the Jerusalem church must have ``sponsored'' the distribution of the funds to other churches. Such an argument is a fabrication of several assumptions -- the least of which is that since Paul and Barnabas returned from Jerusalem that that was the only church they visited. It is one giant leap in reasoning to see from those two passages authority for a ``sponsoring church'' arrangement. There is no simpler way of putting a truth than to affirm that God-given organization begins and ends with congregations being independent and ruling themselves. Let us be content with doing God's work in God's way. ___________________________________________ Praying with the Confidence of Christ by Steve Klein In so many ways I stand in awe of my Lord Jesus Christ. What a challenge it is to attempt to pattern one's life after Him. As a person who overcame every temptation He faced (Hebrews 4:15), who always did the will of His Father (John 8:29) and who loved unworthy humans to the point of making the ultimate sacrifice for them (Romans 5:6-8), Jesus stands without peer. Equally remarkable and unparalleled is the way Jesus communicated with His Father in prayer. Jesus' prayer life is notable on several counts. First, it was a persistent prayer life. Luke 5:16 says that He ``often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.'' The gospels record a number of examples of this (Matthew 14:23; 26:36-46; Mark 1:35; Luke 9:18); they also reveal that, at times, Jesus would ``continue all night in prayer to God'' (Luke 6:12). It is impressive that the only begotten Son of God felt the need to devote so much of His time and energy to prayer. From our perspective we might wonder, ``Why would the all powerful Son of God need to pray at all?'' From His perspective there must have been little question that, as God's Son come to earth, reliance upon the Father was imperative. Second, Jesus prayed passionately. In Hebrews 5:7 the inspired writer indicates that ``in the days of His flesh,'' Jesus ``offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears....'' His prayers were not memorized speeches, rattled off unthinkingly when it was ``time to pray.'' They were impassioned pleadings from a heart aflame with righteous needs and desires. Third, Jesus prayed confidently. There is a tremendous example of this found in Luke 22:31-32. There, on the night of His betrayal, the Lord told Simon Peter, ``Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.'' Do you see the confidence the Lord had in the effectiveness of His prayer? He had prayed that Simon Peter's faith would not fail and He was certain that Peter would return and be in a position to strengthen his brethren. Later on that same evening, after Peter had tried to defend Jesus by attacking the servant of the high priest with a sword, Jesus told him, ``Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?'' (Matthew 26:52-53; cf. John 18:10). Again, Jesus was certain of what would happen in response to His prayer -- if He prayed for twelve legions of angels the Father would provide them. You see, when Jesus prayed, He knew that His prayers were being heard and answered. His followers knew it too. After her brother Lazarus died Martha said to Jesus, ``I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You'' (John 11:22). Jesus' disciples were so impressed with His ability to pray effectively that they begged Him, ``Lord teach us to pray'' (Luke 11:1). Don't we also want to be able to pray with the power and confidence of the Christ? By example and doctrine Jesus instructs us how to pray with the assurance that our prayers will be effective. 1. We are to pray in Faith. God is all-powerful and He will help His children. We must believe this. On one occasion recorded in Matthew 21:19, Jesus cursed a barren fig tree and it withered away. The disciples were amazed, but Jesus told them, ``If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, `Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive'' (Matthew 21:21-22). 2. We are to pray with concern for God's will. Even facing death, Jesus prayed, ``not My will, but Yours, be done'' (Luke 22:42). The apostle John wrote, ``Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us'' (1 John 5:14). 3. We are to pray persistently. The parable Jesus told of the insistent widow in Luke 18:1-8 was told to make the point that ``men always ought to pray and not lose heart.'' 4. We are to pray with godly fear. The Bible says that Jesus ``was heard because of His godly fear'' (Hebrews 5:7). 5. We are to keep God's commandments and do the things which please Him. Jesus knew the Father was with Him because He always did what was pleasing to the Father (John 8:29). Even so, we are assured that, ``Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight'' (1 John 3:22). This is the formula Jesus followed which resulted in such confidence and power in His prayers. As our High Priest, Jesus will help us come confidently before God's throne with our requests. And so, ``Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need'' (Hebrews 4:16). - Via The Exhorter, January 3, 1999 ___________________________________________ If I Had But One Sermon.... by Robert F. Turner One Saturday night in the dim past some unknown preacher strove desperately for a sermon idea. He tore his hair and beat the desk with his fist, and said, ``Oh, if I had but one sermon to preach tomorrow -- if I had....'' Then, he ``saw the light'' and next day he presented a masterful oration on fleeting time and opportunity, on the vital themes that would be preached if this sermon were his last. And since then, thousands of sermons have sprung from this imagined situation. I have built a few of my own on this theme -- usually emphasizing man's lost condition, the redemption in Christ, and closing with, ``If this were your last opportunity to obey, what then?'' It will lather! But in recent years I have re-examined this subject. The great final sermon, from the preacher's point of view, may present a summation of his finest thoughts, emphasizing the very heart of the gospel of Christ, and yet fail to make the application most needed by those who are hearing their last sermon. Now my question becomes, If Have But One Sermon To Preach -- will I strive for a preacher masterpiece, or will I go for the lost souls that are before me? The finest sermon is not necessarily the most pleasant to hear, or the most complimented. If I am covetous, mistreating my brethren, allowing the cares of this world to overshadow my service to God; the truly great sermon for me is one that makes me see my ungodly ways and brings me to repentance. The preacher has done me no favor if he is content to tickle my ears when he might have saved my soul. Nor has he done the job his noble calling demands of him. This is not to say browbeating or harangue make the best sermons. The best is that which meets the spiritual and eternal needs of the hearers. Nathan's masterpiece was a simple parable that ended, ``Thou art the man'' (2 Sam. 12:7). If you have but one sermon for me, seek me where I am; and find me with a message that touches my heart and causes me to say, ``I will arise, and go to my Father... (Lu. 15:18). -- Via Plain Talk, February 1980 ________________________________________ Avondale CHURCH OF CHRIST P.O. Box 421 1606 Glen Willow Rd., Avondale, PA 19311 (610) 268-2088 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 11:00 A.M. Worship 6:00 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:00 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (610) 925-3567 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________