THE NEED FOR A
By Ronnie Wolfe 1,
"We will consider this topic in
four sections with the following titles: A Church Enclosed, A Church
Fragmented, A Church Estranged, A Church Extended.
"A garden inclosed is my
sister, my spouse" (S.
of S.
The Lord's church is a distinct and
separate organization from any other on the earth. The local church is not
simply a fraction or a part of a larger and similar organization. She is loved
by God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. God purchased the church (local concept)
with his own blood (Acts
As we think of the church's being a
distinct organization unlike any other in the world, let us consider briefly
her authority by example.
Example #1: In Acts chapter 6 we read of a
problem arising in the church regarding the "daily ministration." The
problem was solved by a general agreement [today we think of that as a church
vote] wherein they chose seven men to take care of the "daily
ministration." The church exercised her distinct authority in doing this.
Being members of this church, they voted in agreement to select these seven
men.
Proposition #1: What if ten of the members of this
church met somewhere away from the regular meeting place and voted to do
something about the problem of the "daily ministration"? Would their
agreement together or their vote determine what was or what was not to be done
in regard to this "daily ministration"? The answer is no.
Example #2: In Acts chapter 15 we read of the
disagreement that came to the churches over circumcision and the Mosaic Law. When
the meeting took place, an agreement was made that is recorded in verse
Proposition #2: If there were some in the church
who met on their own and came to some conclusions concerning circumcision,
would it have any validity in the "inclosed" church? The answer is
no. In fact, the sect of the Pharisees (verse 5) did just that; but when it was
considered in the context of the church, their decision was refused. Notice
also that the persuasion of the "sect" was not even considered by the
local church until their influence had caused confusion within the local
church.
So, in saying that the church is
"inclosed" this writer is advocating that each church of the Lord Jesus
is completely independent of all other organizations and that no decisions
pertaining to the work of God through the churches can be made outside this
local establishment.
Keep this in mind as we consider the
next point, which naturally follows.
"That there should be no schism" (I Cor.
This very sect mentioned under our
first point (the sect of the Pharisees, Acts 15:5) shows their true form in
this chapter. First, we must notice that they were believers. These were not lost
sinners who were trying to penetrate the church, but this "sect"
formed right within the church itself.
They had formed their own clique and
had formed their own sub-theology. They were not teaching works for salvation;
they were simply putting the burden of the Law on Christian believers.
The most important aspect of this
example, though, is that this sub-set of believers had separated themselves from the church and had taken authority upon
themselves to carry on the business of the Lord's church. Acts
This is done on a regular and
ongoing basis in Baptist churches around the country. What is wrong with this?
Let us consider it by example.
Example: Bro. and Mrs. Swakley are saved
through the ministry of the
Now, let us say,
that Bro. Swakley moves to a different city and cannot find a Bible-teaching
church to attend; so he decides (on his own) that he will get a few believers
together and start meeting for prayer and fellowship. After some time and
consideration, Bro. and Mrs. Swakley decide that they may as well have a church
in that community; so they take the following action: A preacher called to come
to preach to them on a regular basis. The preacher preaches for awhile and
someone is saved. They determine that the new believer must be baptized, so
they decide that the preacher is to do the baptizing. The new convert is
immersed in water just the way they used to do at the previous church. Now he
is a member of this "church".
At this stage of the drama most
people would automatically and without question call this group of people a
church. But if we follow through with this example logically, we find that some
problems arise. Following are some statements and questions that will, I hope,
show the problems.
1. To what church did this couple
belong when they were first saved and baptized?
2. By what authority did they
perform their privileges in that local church? Local church
authority.
3. When they moved away from the
community of the
4. Was there anything wrong with
meeting with other believers for prayer and fellowship? Absolutely not!
5. Was it wrong for them to call for
a preacher to come and preach to them? Not per se! But a mental attitude is
being formed at this time, an attitude of worshipping and functioning as a
church.
6. What is now the status of the
Swakley's membership at
7. Were they wrong for having the
new convert baptized? Yes. Having their membership back at Shawnee Baptist,
they usurped the authority of
If they had lived around the corner
from the meeting place of
Do you see what is happening? The same thing that happened in Acts chapter
8. Upon baptizing the new convert
the authority for baptism was changed from the church to an individual or a
fragment. Making this decision to baptize, whether it be
made by one person or a few, is usurping the authority of the church; because
it becomes an arbitrary decision. Now, does the authority for baptism, then,
lie in the preacher? Some would say that it does; but if you will notice the
above example, the authority is actually wielded by Mr. and Mrs. Swakley.
Mr. & Mrs. Swakley have now
decided to vote without consent of the church to which they belong. Remember,
distance makes no difference in authority. Mr. and Mrs. Swakley have now fragmented
the
If these same ten men decided to
carry on church business by themselves and simply stay away from the
1. They are wrong for not attending
their church (Heb.
2. They are wrong for not giving to
their church (I Cor. 16:1).
3. They are wrong for not visiting
for their church (2 Cor.
You may ask why they cannot simply
ask for their names to be removed from the church roll of
Not only that, but if your name is
removed from a roll by request, you are still submitting to the authority of
the church and are considered a disciplined member.
Too, if your name were removed from
In our example, the person simply places
himself in the new church, and others are added according to his agreement;
therefore, the first person to begin the work becomes the authority for all the
actions of the church. The authority rests completely upon that one person.
You do no become a member of any
local church simply by declaring that you are such. We have many people in the
So we see how innocently that a
church can be fragmented. Christ is against a church schism, and this is what
develops under the example given.
A "CHURCH" ESTRANGED
"Certain which went out from
us" (Acts
When the foregoing example has been
developed completely, we find a fine-looking building sitting on the corner of
some city somewhere having people attend regularly and being baptized regularly
and functioning in the same manner as the
But remember that the authority for
all this church business comes from one person, the person who got the ball
rolling. They will tell you perhaps that the preacher has the authority to
baptize, but you tell me who asked the preacher to come and do the baptizing
and I will tell you that it was Mr. and/or Mrs. Swakley. So the authority for
baptism, church business, the Lord's Supper, church discipline, etc. came from
the Swakleys.
This church, instead of being just
another Baptist church on another corner in another city is an estranged
church, not a true church at all. At what time did the
"Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations"
(Matt. 28:19)
The Bible offers a proper way for
extending the church of the Lord Jesus Christ to spread throughout the world with
her influence and her Gospel. This in modern times is called the "mother
church" method. You will not find this phrase in the Scriptures, but the
principle is definitely presented by example especially in the book of Acts.
Please refer to Deuteronomy chapter
12. This chapter shows an ancient principle that was practiced by
Verse 5: But unto the place which
the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there,
even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come.
Verse 8: Ye shall not do after all
the things that we do here this day, every man
whatsoever is right in his own eyes.
Verse 13: Take heed to thyself that
thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest.
This same authority is found in the
New Testament beginning with the preaching of John the Baptist and continuing
throughout what is commonly called the church age. John was a man "sent
from God" (John
This authority continues to our
present age. The authority of John was given to the church by Christ in Matt.
28:18-20:
18 And Jesus came and spake unto
them, saying, All power [authority] is given unto me
in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen.
Neither Jesus nor any of the
apostles did anything regarding the church until they were baptized by John, so
John's baptism carried a very powerful authority. Even the Pharisees demanded
to know by what authority Christ did the things that he did (See Matt.
The church at
When Saul of Tarsus was saved he was
taken to
When Paul and Silas were to begin
their first missionary journey, they were sent out by the church at
So down through the ages a continual
line of authoritative baptisms has existed even unto our day.
If a person, then, begins a ministry
without the express authority of an existing church of the Lord Jesus Christ,
then he is a ministry to himself and has divided the church of the Lord and
caused a schism, which the Lord hates. He has become a "denomination"
of his own, and his ministry is not approved of God. He has taken authority
unto himself despite the pattern that God has laid down in Scripture over and
over.
May God bless us as we spread the
Gospel by way of the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He promised that no matter how long the world stands the gates of Hell will not
prevail against the church of the Lord. So the authority of God continues
throughout history form the time of Christ. Every spiritual worker should be
very careful to be sure that this authority is taken with responsibility in
order not to usurp the authority of Christ's churches. (Eph. 3:21)"
1. Baptist elder
Ronnie Wolfe graciously gave permission to include this excellent article as an
appendix to this volume.
2. Whether Ananias
was a member of the
Remarks on the Use of the Term "
by Curtis Pugh
Some Brethren object to the use of
the term "
Furthermore, the false church-system
is given the name "Mother of Harlots." While we would disassociate
ourselves completely from her, nevertheless, the concept of motherhood in
relation to churches, although false ones, is set forth clearly in this
instance. It seems clear that the concept of each church being or having the
capability of being a "mother" is Biblical even if the term itself is
not used. The reader will note that churches are likened to a
"bride." Certainly the Biblical pattern is that no church was ever
established without previous "church connection" or authority from an
already existing church - a "mother church."