Traditional religions, evangelical denominationalism and the increase in numerous isimins are probably contributors to the predicted apostasy as recorded in I Timothy 4:1-5 and II Thess. 2:3-4.
One is faced with the question, is there a true Church on earth today? The answer to that question is yes. Christ said in Matthew. 16:18, “I will build my church and the gates of hell (hades) shall not prevail against it”.
We believe a true Church is characterized by certain core Biblical traits:
The first of these core traits is that a true Church consists of persons who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and have been baptized into the body of Christ. 1 Cor. 12:13.
The second trait of a true Church is that it embraces the word of God as absolute truth and is all sufficient.
The third trait of a true Church is that it engages in God-centered worship.
The fourth trait of a true Church is that it is led by a plurality of spiritual leaders.
In the N.T. these men are called Elders, Bishop or Pastors.
Writing about the organization of the church, Wayne Jackson said:
“In the New Testament times, within local congregations, there were men known as elders. They were also called shepherds, pastors, or bishops (Acts 20:17, 28; I Tim. 3:1ff; Tit. 1:5ff). They supervised the expediency elements of the local congregation.
There was no such thing, in the first century, as a bishop who presided over a number of churches. There was no such officer, in the first century, as a cardinal over churches of the various nations. There was no such creature, In Bible times, as the Papa, the Pope, of all churches. Rather, congregations were organized on the local level with a plurality of men (the elders) who guided them in matters of human judgment (Heb. 13:17).
Does your church have a single pastor with a board of deacons that governs the local congregation? If so, you are in church that is not organized after the Bible pattern. Is your church subject to a “bishop” who exercises authority over a conglomerate of congregation? There is fundamental flaw in that system.”
Paul Jackson (Christiancourier.com)
“There are some churches with the philosophy that one man rules the entire church. We call them monolithic monsters.” (Macarthur)
“How is the pastor-teacher related to the bishop and elder? Pastors are not distinct from bishops and elders. The terms are simply different ways of identifying the same people. The Greek word for pastor (poimén) has the basic meaning of shepherd. The Greek word for bishop is episkopos from which we derive Episcopalian, and its basic meaning is “overseer.” The Greek word for elder is presbuteros from which we get Presbyterian, and denotes an older person.
Textual evidence indicates that all three terms refer to the same office. In the qualifications for a bishop, listed in I Timothy 3:7, and those for an elder in Titus, Paul used both terms to refer to the same man (1:5,7). First Peter 5:1-2 brings all three terms together. Peter instructs the elders to be good bishop as they pastor:
“Therefore I exhort the elders [presbuterous] among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd [poimainò] the flock of God among you exercising oversight [episkopeo] not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God.”Acts 20 also uses all three terms interchangeably. In verse 17, Paul assembles all the elders [presbuteros] of the church to give them his farewell message. In Verse 28, he says, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [episkopos], to shepherd [poimainò] the church of God.”
Elder emphasizes who the man is, bishop speaks of what he does, and pastor deals with his attitude and character. All three terms are used of the same church leaders, and all three identify those who feed and lead the church – yet each term has a unique emphasis.
Episkopos means “overseer,” or “guardian,” and is used five times in the New Testament. In I Peter 2:25, Jesus Christ is called the “guardian [episkopos] of your souls.” That is, He is the one who has the clearest overview of us and who therefore understands us best. The other four uses of episkopos refer to leaders in the church.
Episkopos was the secular Greek culture’s equivalent to the historic Hebrew idea of elder. Overseers, or bishops, were those appointed by the emperors to govern captured or newely-founded city-states. The bishop was responsible to the emperor, but oversight was delegated to him. He functioned as a commissioner, regulating the affairs of the new colony or acquisition. Episkopos therefore suggested two ideas to the first-century Greek mind: responsibility to a superior power, and introduction to a new order of things. Gentile converts would immediately understand those concepts in the term.
It is interesting to trace the bibical uses of episkopos. It appears in the book of Acts only once and near the end (Acts 20:28). At that time there were relatively few Gentiles in the church, and so the term was not commonly used in Christian circles. But as more and more Gentiles were saved and the church began to lose its Jewish orientation, the Greek word episkopos was apparently used more frequently to describe those who functioned as elders (see I Tim.3 :1).
“Poim?n (pastor or shepherd) is used a number of times in the New Testament, but Ephesians 4:11 is the only place in the King James Version where it is translated “pastor.” Every other time it is translated “shepherd.”
Two of the three times it appears in the epistle, poim?n refers to Christ. Hebrews 13:20-21 is a benediction: Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd [poim?n] of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will.” First Peter 2:25 says, “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd [poim?n] and guardian [episkopos] of your souls.”
The Macarthur New Testament Commentary on Ephesians. P. 143-145.
The evangelical denominations in general have operated in perpetual rebellion (I Sam. 15:22-23) to the truth that is clearly taught in God’s word, in relation to the leadership structure of the biblical church. (Acts 14:23).
In Hebrew 13:17, It is said in part, obey those (N.K.V) who rule over you. We read in part in I Thess. 5:12-13, we urge you brethren to recognize those who labour among you, esteem them very highly in love for their work sake. Note the words those, them and their are plural and do not apply to a single person, but to a plurality of leaders.
The pursuit of one man rule of an entire church is weighed in the balance and is found wanting for biblical legitimacy.
“The scripture advocated a shared leadership. A plurality of godly men are to share in the leadership responsibility, though they may differ in their specific function and giftedness. The Bible knows nothing of one-man rule by pastor-kings. Nor does it envision any authority beyond it to which leadership of a local congregation must submit. God’s plan for choosing leaders in His church is simple. From within each congregation, the Holy Spirit gifts and indentifies through their faithfulness a plurality of godly men. After being confirmed by the people, they share the burden of leadership and responsibility together.”
The Macarthur New Testament Commentary I Timothy. P. 216-217.
As we return to the traits of a true Church we point out that it is doctrinally sound and clear. It possesses spiritual discernment, pursues holiness, submits to the divine will, and is characterized by mutual love.
A true Church is passionate about evangelism and discipleship.
In spite of the commotion and delusion, Christ is building His church and the gates of hades (hell) shall not prevail against it. (Matt. 16:18).
