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Show H RCH OF CHRIST nts The, Truth In Love )ivine Organization Of Christ's Church" ry many people will deny that Jesus els His church on the earth today. Most "Christ has ONE church and all people i part of His ONE church." The major "Which of the many religious organ-the earth is Christ's church?" man Catholics say they are Christ's urch. ptists say they are. sthodists say.they.are., ssbyterians say they are. vehtists claim to be the one true church, tiovah's 'Witnesses say they are. iS people say they are the true church, arch of Christ; of which Bro. Gibbs is a r, says it is. are several other religious orders that his ownership, t IS THE ONE, TRUE CHURCH OF very one needs to answer this , question 5 id truthfully. For if we are not -in" the -hurch, we are lost in sin, and-.0nj.tbe3 road towards hell. The Holy Bible very plainly, irsuaded that a knowledge of the Divine, S l which God put in His Son's church to distinguish the true church from the ' Please open your Bibles with me as ite the structure of the true church of it in the New Testament of Christ. The hrist, of which I am a member, was es-r the Holy Spirit, as He was sent from rist, see John 15:26, to the apostles as Acts 2:1-4. The gospel of Christ was r the first time in Acts 2: 14-40.-Three nners .became believers, turned 'from id were immersed into Jesus to become -t of his spiritual body, the church. Acts.2:47; Gal. 3:27 and Col. 2:12. Holy Spirit, inspired and guided the I prophets of the church of Christ in the y, the gospel of Christ was carried to ire in all the world, under heaven. See 18; Colossians 1:5-6 and 1:23. There-ver end wherever the gospel of Christ' sd, those who became believing, repent-ied people, were added by the Lord to IUE Church of Christ. IS THE DIVINE ORGANIZATION FOR ,CH. OF CHRIST? Unfortunately, many 1 never read and studied the New Test-lirlst. Therefore they do not know first organization the original church of given by, God. Please examine thsfol-ages: irlnthlans 12:28 . . . And God hath set s church, first apostles, secondarily pro - m - " phets, thirdly teachers, after that .miracles, then gifts of, healings, helps, governments, diversities of, tongues: y 2. Ephesians 4:11-13 . . . And 'He gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; arid some. pastors and teachers: For the, per-, fecting of the saints,, for the, work of the. ministry, for the.edifymg1of.ihe.bodyofChrist'i Till ,we,jillfr come in the unity of- the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a; perfect man, unto the measure of the. stature of the fullness of Christ. ' 3. Ephesians 2:19-22 . . . Now. therefore ye are no more strangers-and foreigners but fellow ci'ti-dens with the saints, and of the household of. God; And are built upon .the foundation cf the aposties and prophets,. Jesus Christ being the, chief corner-, stone: In whom all the building fitly framed together growth unto an hoV temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. In the above 3 Bible passages we, learn of the, foundation of the Lord's church. From, ail 3 scrip-, tures we notice several parts in the functioning pf t the-foundation of the one, great, universal church 'of Christ. NOW, please follow me' very carefully. ' Not all the parts. which God puts in, the foundation ' were necessarily presentence organization and functioning of a local' congregation, of. Christians.. . For example, a local church of, ChrlsMs started, made ..up .of, or composed of, any-number of lm-' mersed believers in Christ and His' message. There may not be any apostles, prophets, pastors, or In-, spired teachers in the membership 1 of this: said lo-; cal church of Christ. BUT ... the original apostles,-prophets and ALL other Divine helps- mentioned in I Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11-13; and'2rl9-22 are In the Divine foundation of every local church of Christ. Please look 'at the following diagram: ELDERS ELDERS j ELDERS ( DEACONS j DEACONS DEACONS MEMBERS MEMBERS MEMBERS Miracles Governments (Diversities of Tongues Gifts of Healing (Apostles ( Prophets ( pastors ' Helps ( Teachers ( Evangelists "Jesus Christ, the' Chief Corner-stone" THE DIVINE FOUNDATION OF THEiTRUE: CHURCH OF CHRIST IN THE BIBLE The above crude illustration will visibly show the Divine structure of the orignal church of Christ as taught in the message of Christ: Let the two lines in, capital letters serve as the foundation of 1 . A "-( V- ' ,1 the entire church. Then in your mind, visualize the top three lines -representing different, locaL functioning churches of Christ. Each",localfchurchsbe- comes a part-Of the foundation.- Yef .the; ONE foundation serves the entire super : structure, re- gardless of how many local congregations of the church there may be. From a study of the. New Testmentwe- shall .learn that the, super-structure of. each local congregation consist of Elders,' Dea--cons and Members. ONE OUTSTANDING; FACT about Chrirt'! church as revealed in the New Testament-is that r IT has NO central, earthly headquarters or central, eathly oganization; 'This is unique of Itself. But Christ: being the ONE head, His divine message, the. faith and guide, we have the unity. and likeness of all true 1 believers in Christ wherever they gather throughout' the world. Let us open our Bibles to Acts chapters 13 and 14. This is, the. apostle Paul's first missionary jour- ney.. He and Barnabas -served as missionaries for the church of Christ in Cyprus, Pamphylla, Pisidia, Lycaonia, Phyrgia1 and Lycia. Their1 message was the word of God, or the gospel of Christ as taught to. us in the 27: book of the New Testament In many., cities, the. Lord's' church was established. Whenever and wherever you have immersed be-llevers-in'.Christ for. the, remission of telr.sins, you. have the Lord's church. In Acts 14:21 they preached the gospel of Christ in Jerbe.;This lsihe turning point of their!, trip. They start homeward, home being oyer in An-tioch of Syria. See Acts 13:1 and 74:26-28. But there is another Antioch .'mentioned In the 13th chapter of Acts, in verse 14. This is Antioch of Pisidia. A church of Christ, was started in this city .on their first-missionary trip,. NOW when: Paul and Barnabas .started .homeward: Acts. 14:23 says a . . "And when'they had ordained them elders in every church and had prayed .with fasting, they commended them to the Lod, on .whom they .believed."' ' This was done by the direction of God. In that each local congregation of Christians is independent from others, it was necessary for each local group, to have its own, oversight,. supervision and organization. The apostles saw that each, local church , of Christ was organized In, harmony with . God'svwill. From a study of the New Testament we learn there are 6 words that refer to the local spiritual leaders of each: congregation of the church of ChristrThey are: elders Acts 14:23? Pastors Eph." 4:11; overseers Acts' 20:28! presbyters 1 lTim; 4:14; shepherds; coming from their relationship to the floct according to 1 iPeter5:l-4. By1 studying the. meaning of each term, it is plain to see they re-ff r to the same.men, but in different areas of th'Ur spiritual work and oversight The term bishop as found In 1 Tin. 3:1-2 and Titus 1:7 is the 8th term by which older Christians, qualified men who have lOBBIBBBIIHBBBBBBiBBBHBBBi been chosen and appointed as elders in a local con- I gregation of the church of Christ may be called. I WHO CAN BE ELDERS IN CHRIST'S I CHURCH? In that the eldership is .the leading, guiding,, governing ..office of ! men, in the Lord's I x church, God will not let just any person serve In i ' I that office. God has been very specific in giving H ,f the qualifications which men. must have; before--w,j4-1. they can be appointed to the office of eldership in I Christ's church. 1 Timothy 3:i-7- and Titus ,1:5-9 ' v v I gives God's requirements. Please open your'BibleS; '1 and read those Divine requirements for yourselves. H In 1 Timothy the word bishop is used. In Titus, ' H 1 : 5-7 both words elders- and bishops are used, inter-' I changeably. Titus 1:5-6' tells us that an elder be B blameless, the husband of, one wife.s having', faithf I ful children not accused-of. roit: or unruly. These, I are some of God's .requirements. The rest are equal-, I ; ly. as important , But God plainly says, HUSBAND .1: of one wife having fathful CHILDREN. I know of I ' r, women elders. I know of little boy elders or young I men elders. From a reading of 1 Timothy 5:1-7 and Titus 1:5-6 can women and unmarried boys '' meet God's requirements for the eldership?.. Cer-. tainly not. Churches that have women and unmar Hv ried boy elders prove by their unscriptural actF I that they are no part of the church of, Christ. Eld- H era in the Lord's church must be Christian men, ' married men, men with children. They must be ?B able to serve in the capacity of a father and hus- ;l ; band before they . can care for the house, of God;' I see 1 Tun. 3:4-5. Churches of Chrtet follow God's . Wk pattern in choosing elders. But God has one. more II office in the local church of Christ. 1 Timothy 3:10 H! mentions the office of deacon. But God has given, B exact qualifications t or men before they can be ,B' deacons. Please read 1 Tim. 3:8-13. Verse 12 says, '';'Hr Let the deacons be the .husbands of. brie wife, nil- !:Hi ing their children and their own houses well. . HI Friends, how can women and unmarried boys fill 'H I: these God given requirements? Honesty leUi us i I they CANT. . Ml In conclusion,, the Lord'sxhurch has, a; Divines '' I! foundation. Each local congregation is built upon HI that one vast, lasting divine foundation. By .God's II instructions each local thurch of Christ is' guided ''If by qualified elders,, served by qualified deacons ,BB. and supported by voluntary support by active Chris-' tian men and women that have been born of the , H. water and of the Spirit. In the Lord's church there. Hi are NO popes, Presiding bishops, Presidents, vie- 'Hi! ars, special priesthoods and a number of other man- HI ' ' made offices. The organization of Christ's church Hl 4 is simple, effective and. Divine. We have the apos- k ties and prophets in the, foundation, but In accord- s ance wth the Ne Testament of Christ we, the rljN church of Christ, have God qualified elders and lm J" deacons. These are the two offices God put in the ... jSjL v local church. They are enough.. They are all that ' Hw I ' God desires. We should be happy and satisfied! Hsl " with . God's plan. f H. f By Johnnie B. Gibbs. r 5 ti n |