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The Maturation of the Church by Richard Wayne Fry, Overseer
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1989 by Richard Wayne Fry, Overseer. Published by POLITIC. Printed in the United States Of America. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system or database, or translated into any human or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, photocopying, recording, manual, or otherwise, or disclosed to third parties without the express written consent of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Making copies of any part of this publication for any purpose other than your own personal use is a violation of United States copyright laws.
There can be little doubt that obedience and unity were the two elements held in common among the believers that God used to establish the Church Age. This article will examine those two aspects of Christian life and faith and see how they pertain to the concept of maturing the Church. UNITY Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10 This is a powerful verse of scripture, revealing one of the essentials found in the book of Acts, unity And not just unity in the passive sense of no divisions, but unity for the active purpose of perfection. It is not enough to be merely united. Scripture declares that we are to be perfectly united. We will now look at some of the different aspects of unity as disclosed in God's word. PRIMEVAL DOCTRINE That there is power in unity is made known to us in the first chapter of Genesis, "And God blessed them and God gave them dominion..." Not the man alone; not the woman independent of the man Adam had power to name all of the animals. Man and woman had power to replenish the earth and to subdue every living creature in the realm under their domain. As long as they remained united to God's plan they continued to walk in their God-given dominion. They were enjoying the fullness of God's blessing because they were in unity with their God. God's plan for fellowship was being satisfied by the unity shared between God and man and the obedience that man and woman exhibited toward God's command. Yet there is another aspect of unity that the Lord has revealed to us REBELLION OR RIGHTEOUSNESS Man can either be united in rebellion or in righteousness. Genesis 11:1-9 tells the story of unity in rebellion. The whole earth was in unity i.e., `one language and one speech. We might well deny that this actually constituted unity, were it not for the declaration of God in verse 6, And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. The people were united and had power available to them that was limited only by their imagination. But unity apart from righteousness is destined to be short lived. God himself brings it to an end his original program for unity between himself and man has not changed; he is never going to anoint our rebellion. UNITY THROUGH DIVISION The first step to unity is division. That is a basic principle taught in both the Old and New Testaments. The serpent was able to unite the woman to himself by dividing or separating her from God's word, purpose and command. This division produced unity in rebellion. Similarly, Jesus declares in Luke 12:49-53(51), "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, nay, but rather division." The idea here is that unity with God demands division or separation from worldly elements, just as unity with Satan demands division or separation from righteousness and holiness. Jesus did not come merely to unite men unto God, but first to separate them from the works of darkness. Only then is he able to unite them to the Father in true righteousness and holiness. Jesus told the apostles in Acts 1:4 not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father That statement is, itself, a call to division. Obviously they are to stay in Jerusalem. Therefore they must separate themselves from outlying communities. But they were not merely forbidden to depart from Jerusalem; they were told to wait for the promise. Just what did the Lord have in mind when he said to wait? It seems unmistakable that the main intention was for them to curtail their activities. Wait; do not go. Wait; do not act. Wait; do not begin. WAIT! And Jesus knew exactly what result that waiting was going to have; they would be baptized in the Holy Ghost. Many sermons have been preached proclaiming the need to ask for the Holy Ghost, and that is a valid point. Luke 11:13b states, "...how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" Yet asking is not the only factor involved in receiving the Holy Ghost, nor is it the most important. Acts 5:32 gives us the key ingredient for receiving the Holy Spirit, And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. Obedience is the primary factor. OBEDIENCE THE UPPER ROOM From the moment of Jesus’ arrest, his apostles and disciples began to feel very much alone. After spending their days together with him in his ministry the only real fellowship left to them would be among those of their own number. No one else understood the love, the joy, or the teachings of Christ. There was no one else to turn to except themselves. If they were going to remain and wait, then they would do so as a group. So we see them obediently gathering into an upper room to wait for the promise of the Father. They had no idea how long they would have to wait there in that room. It would have been very easy, even preferred, to be busy with some type of activity. But they continued to sit and pray and wait, just as Jesus had told them to do. Therefore, even before the coming of the day of Pentecost, we see obedience and unity in the hearts of the 120 people of the upper room. As a result of their unity, we find them gathered together in the upper room; and this unity was demonstrated in the kind of obedience that results in righteousness. At this particular point, the 120 are in a position to be transfigured into the Church, the Body of Christ. It is pointless to conjecture about their individual state of mind. Of much greater significance is the fact that these 120 people are gathered in prayer. One group of 120 people awaiting the promise of God in unpretentious prayer. Not 10 groups of 12. Not 4 groups of 30. ONE group of 120. It was upon this one group, gathered together in the unity of righteousness, that the Holy Spirit descended on the Day of Pentecost. THE TOWER OF BABEL Note the interesting similarities and contrasts between the day of Pentecost and the account of the tower of Babel. The tower of Babel was built by people united in rebellion against God. They were determined to build a city and tower whose top would reach to heaven. By contrast, on the day of Pentecost, God began to build a city, ZION, spiritual Jerusalem, whose top (head) was in heaven. God came down and confounded the speech of those of Babel, at which point they were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth. Yet when the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 people in the upper room, and they began to speak with other tongues, it was not the speakers who were confounded, for they were united to God by the power of the Holy Ghost. Rather, it was the hearers who were confounded. That is not too surprising, since those hearers were still in rebellion against God, as were those of early Babel. Following Peter's sermon, they were pricked in their hearts and sought to know how to proceed toward God. It was then that 3,000 souls were added to the kingdom. THE YOUNG CHURCH Thus far we have seen a small group of 120 people, gathered together, bonded with each other in the unity of righteousness, and miraculously transfigured into the Body of Christ. Then, almost immediately, the disciples reproduce themselves nearly thirty fold. At that point the Church is young and strong, yet notwithstanding, immature. So the emphasis now shifts from the creation or formation of the Church to the maturation of the Body of Christ. Indeed, there were rather serious difficulties that had to be confronted and dealt with. Ananias & Sapphira Acts chapter 5 gives us the account of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. Just how did they come to lie to the Holy Ghost? The Bible omits anything said by them up to Acts 5:3. But we have been given information that might be seen as part of their background. Thus we read, in the last six verses of chapter 4, that those who had possessions were selling them and giving the proceeds to the apostles, to help in meeting the needs of all of the people. The disciples who gave, trusted that God would also meet their needs, and they would want for nothing. But Ananias kept back a portion of the money in order to take care of himself. Yet, before the entire assembly, he claimed to have given sacrificially, as others had. he was seeking the praises of men and the blessing of God, without denying the flesh. Since he had not given all, as he had boasted, he was guilty of stealing (Leviticus 22:21 ff). A vow is just as sacredly binding as an oath; the vow must be performed. A New Dilemma It is largely supposed that God killed Ananias and Sapphira, but Malachi 1:14 gives a different view. Ananias and Sapphira had cursed themselves by not fulfilling their vow. To make matters worse, they had made their corrupt vow and gift before both God and his representatives, seeking their approval. So, in the presence of God and the assembly, they forfeited their lives. It was only too obvious that discipline was called for, but how could the early Church hope to bring about disciplinary oversight to the entire Body of Christ? The problem probably seemed too enormous to attempt. Yet God has made provision, through Jesus, for this essential ingredient. Without discipline there can be no growth. MATURITY THROUGH DISCIPLINE SUBMISSION TO AUTHORITY After all is said and done, after all arguments have been aired, the only way the members of the Church are going to come to maturity is through submission to the disciplinary leadership of the leaders of the Church. The Ministry Gifts Ephesians 4:11 ff speaks of the gifts that Christ gave to the Church. These are gifts of people, of calling, and of purpose i.e., the five-fold ministry. The purpose of these gifts, as stated in verse 12, is for the perfecting (or maturation) of the saints (the individual members of the Body of Christ). With the tragedy involving Ananias and Sapphira we see a definite move of God's Spirit toward establishing these gifts in the Body of Christ. It also becomes clear that the primary focus of these gifts is that of leadership and direction. The Seven Deacons In Acts 6:3 the apostles tell the people to choose seven men, filled with the Holy Ghost and wisdom. The seven men were deacons i.e., servers, waiters upon tables, etc., not leaders. They did mighty works, signs and miracles; they gave powerful testimonies; but they were not leaders, and they did not work toward the maturation of the Church. Throughout the book of Acts, spiritual maturity and separation from worldly elements always came through the ascension gift ministries. Philip, The Deacon Acts chapter 8 tells about Simon the sorcerer and Philip, a deacon, who is there in Samaria preaching. Men and women believing Philip's words are born again and water baptized. Peter and John come to lay hands on these new believers that they might receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. At this point Simon the sorcerer tries to buy the power of the Holy Ghost. Peter does not turn to Philip and say, "You had better handle this." Again, Philip was only a deacon, which is not a position of authority or leadership. The Apostle Peter Peter, operating in the office of apostle, one of the ascension gifts for the maturation of the Church, takes immediate disciplinary action, the outcome of which I will not comment upon at this time. Peter knew he was called and anointed to administer discipline; Philip knew he was not so called. [NOTICE THAT THE JERUSALEM COUNCIL WAS HEADED UP BY APOSTLES AND ELDERS (PASTORS), MEN OF LEADERSHIP AND AUTHORITY]. THE WHOLE CHURCH This issue of discipline, for the purpose of perfecting or maturing the Body of Christ, is not limited to perfecting the laity of the Church. Galatians 2:11-14 shows us that Paul took the discipline of God's word to the Church elders, also. No one in the Body of Christ is exempt from godly discipline. Perfected By Discipline Peter In Acts chapter three, Peter censures the crowd for having denied the Holy One and the Just. He seems to have forgotten completely his own denial of Jesus approximately sixty days ago; and for good reason. Peter had already repented for his wrong and received God's forgiveness on the matter. But because he had let God deal with his heart, he was more mature in this area and able, therefore, with no sense of personal guilt, to admonish the crowd for the evil they had done. And the proof of his work is in the fruit, 5,000 born again. Paul Another instance is that of the bitter quarrel between Paul and Barnabus (mentioned in Acts chapter 15). Paul was entirely out of line with respect to his conduct and attitude. Mark was just a young boy; probably scared stiff. he had neither the experience nor the revelation Paul had, and yet Paul ridiculed Mark for his lack of commitment. Later, however, Paul allowed God to deal with his heart on the matter and he was brought to a place of repentance and greater maturity. |
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