14 9 The First Look at the Model Church
9 The First Look at the Model Church
9. The First Look at the Model Church
INTRODUCTION
In Christ we have the model character for every individual disciple on earth to imitate and strive to mold our own lives more and more into his likeness. That this model should be perfect stands to reason. I think we all agree that we have only one such character after which we should pattern ours.
That our Lord would also give us the model church stands to reason. That this congregation should be the Jerusalem church, the first congregation that ever existed on this earth, also stands to reason.
The circumstances under which it was established justify the above expectations. No congregation has ever had such leadership in its very beginning. Three years at least before this congregation came into existence, our Lord had selected men to be apostles. That he selected from among the Jews the very best men that could be found goes without saying with the exception of Judas Iscariot. A study of Matthew 10:1-4; John 6:10; John 6:71; John 13:2; John 17:12 clearly indicates that our Lord knew, at the time he selected Judas, potentially just what was in him. It would be amazingly strange if one who had the Spirit without measure (John 3:34), knew perfectly what was in man (John 2:24-25), did not know Judas when he selected him as well as each of the other men. He tried just as hard to develop Judas into the kind of character one had to be before being placed in the church as an apostle as he did to develop the others into such characters. But our Lord knew that Judas’ love for money, in the course of time, would allow Satan to enter and tempt him into disobedience. Remember Judas "by transgression fell." (Acts 1:25). Remember Satan "put into the heart of Judas... to betray" our Lord. His love for money made him potentially a child of Satan from the beginning. But forget Judas and think of the men who did go into the very foundation of the church with our Lord. That they were the best that could be found stands to reason. That they were tutored and trained by Jesus for more than three years we know. Ephesians 4:8; Ephesians 4:11 teaches that the apostles were not placed in the church until our Lord’s ascension to heaven. Ephesians 2:20 : declares that they are in the foundation with our Lord as the "chief corner stone." Ephesians 1:4 teaches that they had to be proven to be holy and without blame before him in love before they were placed in. The very time in which God foreordained that our Lord should come to save, then he also ordained that he should have a church through which to function and that this church should have, with him in its foundation, apostles, men first proven to be holy and without blame before they were placed in the church. Study Ephesians 3:10-11. And then, on the day of Pentecost, these men were baptized in the Holy Spirit and made infallible as teachers. Can you think of how it could be possible for a church to be organized under better circumstances and with a better leadership?
This first congregation was organized, taught, disciplined, and developed by Christ in every detail. Think of the following invulnerable facts: (1) The apostles were not to begin preaching until the Spirit came to guide them. (Luke 24:45-53). (2)This Holy Spirit, when he came to guide them, would not "speak of himself," but speak only what he heard from that One who was clothed with all the authority God had in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:16-20; John 16:12-14). The Holy Spirit "glorified" Christ by taking only his words and giving them to the apostles, and these apostles delivered only this to the people, and the church was organized and put to work by our Lord directing every step. Here is the model church. All things were made according to the pattern God had given his Son, just as Moses built the type exactly according to the pattern that was given him in the mount. (Hebrews 8:5).
"Back to Jerusalem’’ has been our battle cry. Let it continue to be, not by word of mouth, but in actuality, by always building according to this model. The departures that came about in the first century came as a result of congregations being established with the pattern not before them. They began to "measure themselves by themselves" and "compare themselves among themselves," a very unwise thing to do, hence drifted from the model. Study 2 Corinthians 10:12-14. Paul had a measure that reached even unto the church at Corinth, for he went to them only with the gospel of Christ.
It is significant that when the church was scattered, all went forth from Jerusalem preaching the word except the apostles. (Acts 8:1; Acts 8:4). our Lord and these apostles, by means of the Holy Spirit, established, organized, and put to work the church just as our Lord wants it to be. Other congregations are established. Or should be, with this church as a pattern. It is difficult, if not almost impossible, to make one exactly like it just as it is difficult, if not almost impossible, to reproduce in ourselves a character as perfect as our Lord. That we must ever strive to grow into the likeness of Christ, becoming more and more like him is clearly taught in the Holy Scripture. Just so it is with this model church. The first two liars that appeared in it were stricken dead and eliminated. We can hardly keep liars out to this degree today; but this certainly teaches we must not knowingly allow them to operate in the church. But enough, so far as these introductory words are concerned. Let us now take:
THE FIRST LOOK AT THE MODEL By "the first look at the model" is simply meant a look at it before the church was scattered by persecution. What do we find?
The largest local congregation that has ever existed on earth,so far as we have any record. Three thousand were added to the number the day it was established. This number, in a few days, grew to be five thousand, not counting the women. (Acts 4:4). It is estimated by some that at the time this church was dispersed their number was around seventy-five or one hundred thousand. It is well that you observe such expressions as "the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly. " I hardly think that multiplying the five thousand mentioned in Acts 4:4 by two would he considered multiplying "exceedingly. " Then consider such Expressions as, "And believers were the more added to the Lord multitudes both OF men and women." (Acts 6 : ]4). The exact number at; the time of the dispersion we do not know, but that this was one of the largest, if not the largest local church we have ever had goes without controversy.
It was a very popular church. We use the word "popular" in its good sense. By "popular" we simply mean that all unprejudiced and thoughtful people in Jerusalem spoke well of that church. You will find, in Acts 2:47, this congregation, in its very beginning, "having favor with all the people." It seems that the idea of some is to get off on a back alley, in a shack about ready to tumble down, and be as cranky as possible in order to be loyal and to present to the world the model. And such is a model for stupidity, foolishness, and quite often meanness. To present the church, exactly as our Lord made it, to the world provokes admiration from the thoughtful and unprejudiced. God’s manifold wisdom is seen in it. (Ephesians 3:10 :
Its unity. "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul." (Acts 4:32). Can you think of a stronger expression for unity? The prayer of our Lord was in them answered. (See John 17:20-21). It should be the desire of every local church to let our Lord’s prayer in them be answered in behalf of unity. The command comes: "Giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:3). The reason for striving to keep this unity is given in verses 4 to 6 that follow—viz., there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and only one God.
Each convert considered himself sold out toourLord. Listen to this: "Not one of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own." (Acts 4:32). They were made to feel keenly that they had been "bought with a price," and that their bodies and all they possessed belonged to the Lord. (1 Corinthians 6:20 : flow do our converts feel today? Well had we better study this question through. This will be studied more fully in another chapter.
They fed their hungry and clothed their naked. There is no better way to learn than to read it: "For neither was there among them any that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto each, according as any one had need." They were taught that they were not their own, but members one of another. (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19).
They had system in their work.StudyActs 6:1-6.The apostles said: "It is not fit [pleasing] that we should forsake the word of God, and serve [minister to] tables." They needed more men to see after the poor, and more men were called for. It is not right for those who are capable of teaching the word to the people to leave such teaching and serve tables; that is, see what the poor need and have their needs supplied. This men can do who are not capable of teaching. How often a preacher will locate with some local congregation and spend the most of his time making social calls among the members and seeing after the needs of the poor! This the modern "pastors" among the denominations do. Preachers of the church of Christ should know better than this. Have men and women appointed to see after the needs of the poor who cannot so well teach. And we should remember that quite often a great teacher will be developed from among even this number as in the cases of Stephen and Philip who were among the first deacons selected in the Jerusalem Church. There are three kinds of sense—viz., revealed sense, common sense, and nonsense. The first two are from our Lord. The revealed sense consists of those things we could not have learned if God had not revealed them unto us. Common sense is that sense we have by nature if our brain is right. When God tells us to do a thing and does not tell us how to do it, he means for us to use common sense. He has told us to go and preach the gospel to every creature, but he did not tell us how to go. This is left for common sense to determine. But how often do we substitute nonsense here where common sense is supposed to have a chance. When we do this, we are in rebellion to God. "Look these men out" is the command, but how look them out? We are not told, hence common sense must lead us here. Certainly it is not by getting brethren to announce for the place and let them run for it, and hold an election and give it to the ones who get the majority vote. But how, you say, should we go about it? Well, suppose you were commanded to look out so many black-headed men in the church. How would you go about this? I presume you would pick out black-headed men and leave the redheaded out, would you not? God gives the qualifications, names the kind of men to look out. We certainly should look for this kind and not some other kind.
The membership consisted only of baptized believers."They then that received his word [viz., "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins"] were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls." (See Acts 2:38; Acts 2:41). Verse 47 tells us that the Lord did the adding, that he added them to his church, and that they were added because they became "such as should be saved" or "those that were being saved." Christ tells us in Mark 16:15-16 how to become "such as should be saved" just as Peter does in Acts 2:38. This model church had only baptized believers in it. Where is there room here for the "pious and unimmersed" or for infants?
They continued steadfastly in the right thing. "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers." (See Acts 2:42). Let us remember that the devil is a very busy being and he is ever striving to lead us astray. But if we remain "steadfast in the faith," he can do nothing with us. Study 1 Peter 5:8-9. It is good to be baptized into Christ and thus start 10 heaven; but if we ever get there we must "continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel." (Colossians 1:21-23). "Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith" is the way it is expressed in Colossians 2:7. Study Galatians 1:6-9; 1 Timothy 1:3; 2 John 1:9-11; Ephesians 4:14. Yes, if we are to be like the model church, we must abide in the teaching of our Lord, and believe not and receive not every teacher that comes claiming to be his prophet without first trying him. (See 1 John 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Our Lord exercised in that first church strict discipline. A study of Acts 5:1-11 reveals that the first two liars, as has already been stated in the early part of this lesson, were stricken dead by our Lord. There was no command for anyone to sell all he had and bring the whole price and lay it at the apostles’ feet. Many were doing this, however. (See Acts 4:34-37). Ananias and Sapphira did not want anyone to think someone else was doing more than they were willing to do and were doing. So they sold a possession and brought only a part of the price and placed it at the apostles’ feet, but they tried to make the impression on their fellow members that they had brought the full price. This was the lie. And, of course, anyone can practice this and get away with it today. So would Ananias and Sapphira. They certainly had been taught that you can hide nothing from our God and his Holy Spirit and, knowing this, they tried to put over this deception. Our Lord slew them to impress the great fact that he wants not in his church the local leaders to be liars or to tolerate liars in it; but liars we have in the church today and cannot help it, for we cannot see the heart as our Lord did. I am perfectly sure that our Lord saw that these two would have continued until they died a natural death to be deceitful, allowing themselves to intentionally make others believe that they were what they really were not. Hence, they would have been damned forever in the end, so he killed them then and there to warn others. It says: "Great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things." Doubtless others were afraid that they had sinned and did not know it. God metes out such punishment only to those who knowingly sin. Discipline in the church today is almost forgotten. The church would grow and prosper if our elders in our local churches were such men as they should be and practiced what they are plainly commanded to do in the followingScriptures: 1 Corinthians 5:1-11; 1 Timothy 5:19-20 : Titus 3:10-11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15; Romans 16:17-18; Matthew 18:15-17. After these two liars had been put out by our Lord, it says not only that great fear came upon all that heard of it, but it says: ’And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women." (Acts 5:14).
10:They had converts every day. It says: "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." (Acts 2:47). I can hardly see how the Lord could have done this daily if some were not converted daily. This makes me think of the old country church where I was baptized and that I attended for years each Lord’s day when in my "teens." No thought was ever entertained of anyone’s obeying the gospel except during our annual revival. I remember one Lord’s day a young man expressed his desire to some of the leaders that he might be baptized. They were much embarrassed and seemed to know not how to go about it. Finally it was decided that one of them would read a chapter, make a little talk, and extend the invitation. This was done, the young man made the confession, and this was the only time I ever knew the invitation being extended except in a revival at that place. You can find hundreds of such congregations in existence today. They have never seen the model church. Furthermore, it is all wrong to think that formal invitation has to be extended. When anyone expresses a desire to be baptized, as did this young man, there is nothing to do except take his confession and baptize him. This is the way Philip did when the eunuch expressed a desire for baptism. (See Acts 8:35-39). This the members of that early church were doing daily, as we will learn in our next lesson.