In the New Testament the word
applies to two interrelated but different things.
a. The Universal Church comprising the redeemed of every nation and
generation. (Ephesians 5:25)
b. A local expression of that church (1 Corinthians 14:28). In Scripture only
the context enables us to distinguish between these two concepts for it always
refers to the church; thus there is no such thing as a church,
only the church, of which every redeemed man and woman, boy and girl,
is a part.
The New Testament describes the church in two other ways:
a. Whose it is. Predominately, scripture designates the company of believers as ‘the church of God’. (e.g. Acts 20:28) The church belongs to God, it cannot therefore belong to organisations, boards or denominations.
b. Where it is. Other than defining the church as the redeemed community that belongs to God, the only other description in the New Testament is that of Geography. This can be focused as minutely as a home (e.g. Philemon 1:3), expanded to a city (e.g. Acts 8:1), a region (Acts 9:31), a province (1 Corinthians 16:19; Note that there are churches in Asia, but only the church in Ephesus, Smyrna etc. Revelation 1:4; 2:1; 2:8), nations (Galatians 1:22), and internationally (Romans 16:4).
The Bible is full of metaphors for the church, each one emphasising different aspects of its multi-faceted life. Predominantly the church is the body of Christ, which highlights the dynamic of its life and diversity of its function. But Paul’s letter to the Ephesians alone adds to that picture by describing the church as the Building of God and the Bride of Christ. (Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 5:25-27) Furthermore the church is both God’s field in which the harvest matures (1 Corinthians 3:9) and one loaf which is the end product of harvest (1 Corinthians 10:7). It is a flock, a fellowship and a family; a mountain, a city, and a nation. It is a household of faith and the army of the Lord. The salt of the earth and light of the world.
Restoration (Acts 3:21)
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Restoration is the work of the Spirit to bring us personally, the church
corporately and finally the world universally back to its original
condition of purity and forward to the purpose, announced by the prophets,
for which it was created. |
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Restoration removes all that is not made by the Master’s hand - sin,
sickness, religion and anything that denies the lordship of Christ. It
re-establishes Christ’s order, government, plan and will. Restoration
resets every man and woman in his or her divinely appointed place of
usefulness and fulfilment in the family, church and world. |
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Restoration is achieved by God’s people responding to the voice of the Spirit, thus carrying his purpose forward towards completion and the return of Christ. |
Authority is God’s greatest idea – not for our suppression but for our blessing.
What do we mean by authority? In the kingdom of God all authority is spiritual, not legal. It cannot be enforced upon reluctant or unwilling subjects. For its effective exercise there must always be relationship. Knowledge of those who are over me must become the basis of love and trust. Then I will be glad to honour them and submit to their counsel and oversight. Where this relationship is lacking the authority principle we are talking about breaks down. For their part, overseers can only care for a people who are submitted to them. Even God cannot shepherd those who are determined to rebel (Hos.4:16).
How does submission to authority help us?
1. It is Protective
God’s prohibitions and positive directions point us away from dangerous roads and fruitless paths. When Dad says, ‘Don’t touch the cooker’, he’s not trying to be heavy, throw his weight around or be the only one privileged enough to touch it. He’s simply protecting the child from hurt.
The fool and the child always think they know best. The wise man is the man who learns by instruction, not by always getting burnt. In the family and in the church we need protection – in making decisions, handling hurts, building a church. Welcoming instruction and correction from those set over us by God will be protective for ourselves and others. The self-willed person is like an arrow shot at random – a danger to all.
2. It is for Our Development
The old saying, ‘Children should be seen but not heard’, is Victorian, not Christian. Authority is not to produce passive puppets but to build us up! Paul says that his own authority in the Corinthian church was an authority ‘which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you’ (2 Cor.10:8).
God
restricts us to teach us how a job should be done. ‘Do it this way’, helps us
to do it properly.
God
restricts our area of function in the church so that we can be secure and
excel in the areas in which we are truly gifted and called. Attempting to be
and do everything will destroy us – and those who have to endure our
strivings.
God
has chosen us to give us a place in the church, not just to bless us with a
gift. Thus a vital part of our training is learning how to work in
contented relationship with those who are directing the strategy. We’ll
never develop unless we learn to fit, and we’ll never fit if we don’t submit
and truly recognise ourselves as those under authority.
3. It is Supportive
Authority doesn’t simply stand and tell me what to do; it comes alongside to help. It takes the strain.
The man’s authority over his wife is to save her, not to slave her. He’s there to take responsibility, to carry the can, to protect her from the angry neighbour. The man is thus to establish his wife’s authority in the home, not hide when he’s needed.
4. It is Corrective
Those over us are to help us change, to enable us to eliminate areas of character weakness. Sure, few of us jump for joy when we are disciplined, but it does yield fruit if we respond.
I remember a few years ago being handed a piece of paper with five things written on it, plus the words, ‘I’ve been praying for you and I believe you need to pull your socks up in these areas’. Pull my socks up! Surely I was doing well! As I read the five points I did agree with one; two others I felt were grossly exaggerated and the other two unfair, a complete misjudgement.
Then I heard God whisper in my ear, ‘Son, don’t react. Even if you think they’re only partly true, get to work and do it in good grace’. So, instead of letting off steam when I got home, I put the paper in the back of my wallet and began to seek God about becoming the exact opposite of what was written. The more I took action, the more convicted I was of the correctness of all five items and the more thankful I was for a brother who loved me enough to wound.
5. It is co-ordinating
If we are ever to see the church of God become a significant force in the world we need men with authority to assess people’s gift, set them in their place, define their area of responsibility and know the strategy.
These are the apostles and the prophets. God’s master plan requires master builders to give direction to the task of world evangelism and church building.
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. (Romans 13:1-3)
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