This 13-part series of classes has been many years in the making. About 25 years ago I began in earnest to examine the features, character and characteristics of the church as it existed in its earliest years. As I sometimes do, I kept my notes all along the way, and this series of classes is to a large extent the product of those years of on-and-off studying the subject. Several things in my experience contributed to my interest in making this 25-year study which I will mention along the way, and those go much further back.
There may be some difficulty in using the individual parts of this series separately, although viewer are free to do so if it serves their purposes. But to those whose interest is in knowing what the church was like in its earliest years, I recommend starting with Part 1 - Introduction to the Church of the New Testament and proceeding through the parts consecutively.
I have prepared some slides that I used in presenting the series in a classroom setting before adapting it to use as sermons. I have left my cues to advance slides or activate animations in the notes as posted on Sermon Central. If anyone is interested in having the PowerPoint files with the slides, I will be happy to send them. Send me an Email at sam@srmccormick.net and specify what part(s) you are requesting. Be sure that the word “slide” appears in the subject line. It may take me several days to respond, but I will respond to all requests.
THE CHURCH OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
OUTLINE OF THE STUDY
I. Introduction
II. The Origin of the Church
III. What is the church?
IV. The First Christians
V. Authority in the First Century Church
VI. Problems in the New Testament Church
VII. How the Church Functioned
A. Introduction to Functions
B. Apostles, Prophets, and Teachers
C. False Apostles, Prophets, and Teachers & Various Gifts and Functions
D. More Gifts and Functions
E. Evangelists, Preachers, and Ministers, Servants and Deacons
F. Pastors, Elders, Bishops, etc.
VIII. How the Church Worshiped
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The preceding part of this series (D. False Apostles, Prophets, and Teachers and Various Gifts and Functions) concluded with an examination of the function of “giving” as identified in Romans 12:8, where Paul says (in the KJV): “he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity.” The NASB says “he who gives, with liberality.”
A question arises, which we did not address earlier:
WIDOWS INDEED--A CHARITY CASE OR A FUNCTION?
Read 1 Tim 5:3-16 – read in KJV
*Advance to Widows indeed slide
“Widows” is from the Greek word chera (kay'-rah), which is defined simply as a widow, a woman deprived of her husband.
Indeed is from the Greek word ontoce (on’ tos), which means truly, or in reality.
What was going on with these aging widows? Was this simply charity for a narrowly defined group of women in a specified condition of life, or were the women supported to perform a function? Is it significant that younger widows were explicitly not to be on the list? If it was charity only, why were they not as needful and deserving of it as those over 60?
In the 21st century do we practice this in a formal way with a “list” as Paul’s detailed instructions specify, or as churches today do we merely practice it on an ad hoc, “as needed” basis?
To me, this appears to be an identified, compensated function; not a mere assortment of charity cases. The services performed by widows indeed are not distinctly stated, any more than those of deacons. Drawing that parallel, it seems reasonable to me to conclude that their tasks were determined according to their capabilities, which they demonstrated by possessing the qualifications for widows indeed. The qualifications were given to Timothy by Paul in 1 Tim 5:9-10; i.e,
*Advance to next Widows Indeed slide
• she has been left alone,
• has fixed her hope on God,
• continues in entreaties and prayers night and day,
• avoids wanton pleasure,
• is at least sixty years old,
• the wife of one man,
• has a reputation for good works,
• has brought up children,
• has shown hospitality to strangers,
• has washed the saints' feet,
• has assisted those in distress,
• has devoted herself to every good work.
What an impressive set of qualifications! They send a signal that there is a work to which these qualifications are very important.
• That doesn’t sound to me like a charity case.
• What, if anything, were these widows on “the list” doing?
• Are they simply “servants” under the wider definition we discussed for diakonos?
If this is not something we do, the question emerges:
• Should we be doing it (if not literally and precisely, then in principle)?
• If the answer is yes, does the 60-year-old minimum still apply as a dictum of New Testament (or are we at liberty to adjust it for increased life expectancy in modern times)?
• If we are taking great care to be the church of the New Testament, are we accordingly following - not mere examples - but specific direction given by the apostle to his hand-picked agent?
*Click for Other Functions slide
*When ready, click to fade all but Leading
10. Leading (Rom 12:8):
Proistemi (pro is’ tay mee) – to stand before, or preside.
In the NASB the word proistemi is translated:
• “have charge” in 1 Thess 5:12 in reference to “those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” (1 Thess 5:12-13)
• “manage” in 1 Tim 3:4,5 of overseers and v12 of deacons, in reference to their families, specifically keeping their children under control with dignity.
• “rule” in 1 Tim 5:17 concerning elders who rule well.
• “engage” in Titus 3:8, which says that “those who have believed in God will be careful to engage in good deeds.”
• Proistemi is used similarly in Titus 3:14, with Paul writing of “our people” learning to engage in good deeds.
The proistemi is sometimes used in reference
• to those in a recognized capacity of leadership in the church,
• sometimes in reference to a family,
• and sometimes simply believers, or our people.
We will discuss the formally recognized positions in the church later; but the reference in Romans 12 doesn’t appear to necessarily depend on official recognition like that Paul referred to in a letter to Timothy (if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do), but could as easily, and Paul elsewhere uses proistemi to describe anyone who leads in any endeavor in the church.
There are different kinds of leading:
• In a crisis, it is not unusual for someone to emerge as a leader, and often the person who is looked to by others for leadership is not the one who craves it and tries to assert it.
• Certain animals like the lions, sea lions, and some game animals gain the lead over their herd or other group by defeating the prevailing leader in a fight. Sometimes those fights are little more than a show, with an intimidating, belligerent attitude being enough for an existing leader to relinquish his leadership to another. Other times the fights are fierce and barbaric, and result in permanent injury or death of a combatant.
In such a system, capability to lead is measured by the ability to fight and defeat an opponent. That seems to work for some animals, where the ability to defend a herd in fact depends on the leader’s abilities in combat. Sometimes humans who want to rise to pre-eminence in any group try to gain it like those animals do.
I can tell you from bitter personal experience that—metaphorically--it is the method of choice for many in the Washington scene, who believe that is the way to get ahead. One is a little taller standing on the corpse of his opponent. It’s a very animalistic culture.
Too often it succeeds.
• My observation is that politics is fraught with that mentality on all levels. A leader is established by destroying an opponent.
• One is never secure in leadership gained that way. There will always be a little meaner bull.
• Leading is not exercised by someone saying, “I’m your leader; follow me and do what I tell you to do.”
• But in the church, a true leader is a leader only because people willingly follow by reason of the qualities the true leader exhibits.
Paul instructs that those who lead do so “with diligence,” without putting into any particular context the matter in which leading is done.
*Click for Other Functions slide
*When ready, click to fade all but Showing Mercy
11. Showing Mercy (v8)
Greek” eleeo (el-eh-eh’-o) Strong – “have compassion”
Vines – “to show kindness, by beneficence or assistance”
This is one of the gifts Paul refers to in v6:
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them
About showing mercy, little comment is needed. Sufficient is our notice of the living testimony of the godly people who are endowed with the wonderful gift of showing mercy.
Mercy is the opposite of justice. They meet but once in the whole realm of human existence, in the death of God's Son.
Whereas justice can be deserved, mercy cannot. Human nature steers us to a predisposition toward justice – by producing the feeling that a sinner should pay for his sin, and not get off scot-free after committing sin against God and harmful to others.
• But justice is God’s business, not ours. The requirement was met by God himself, giving his Son to meet those rigorous demands of divine justice.
• Our business is showing mercy. Mercy was the hard part for God, and it’s the hard part for us.
• So a gift of meting out justice is not mentioned here. There is no need for a Christian to possess such a gift.
• God does not call upon the church to exact justice upon offenders, even in cases requiring discipline. Discipline is applied to meet a quite different requirement than justice.
• Here Paul cites the Godlike quality of showing mercy as a gift, or a grace. It is a charisma, which treats grace and gift equally, both being undeserved. You cannot show mercy to a deserving person. What a person deserves can never be given as a gift.
• Rather, Jesus calls upon us to show mercy by saying, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." (Matt. 5:7)
This appears to be another of those gifts everyone can and should possess by the influence of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling.
Mercy – showing compassion – is part of the character of the New Testament church, and every Christian then and now.
We said in the beginning of the series that we would not be inspecting the New Testament church only for forms and procedures – “how to do church,” but would look at the values and character of those who first came to Christ for living water and everlasting life.
Who has not watched children “playing church?” They gather around, set up something resembling an auditorium, and then there is preaching, singing, communion, praying, maybe a parody of contributing.
Children don’t usually “play church” by:
• showing mercy
• helps
• consoling the grieving
• In general, practicing what Paul describes in 1 Cor 13 as “the more excellent way.”
• Children’s focus in on the machinations of our assemblies.
Those actions that reveal the Christian character that are borne of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling are not part of “playing church.”
We ought to ask ourselves: When we seek to be the church of the New Testament, did we ever grow up, and begin to recognize that the deeper meaning of the church is in the Christian character?
Or are we thinking we are the New Testament church because we conform to our impressions of what the first Christians did when they were assembled?
