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To TopAccording to the Pattern
A Manual for Church Planting by
Edwin Stube
CONTENTS
10. One in the Body “We are all baptized into one Body by the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Our membership in the Body of Christ is a work of the Holy Spirit, just as our conversion and rebirth by water are works of the Spirit. The Body of Christ consists of all people who have been born anew of water and the Spirit. Membership in that Body does not depend on age, nationality, status in society, or church affiliation.
Every church organization consists of people who have been born again of water and the Spirit, those who are in various stages of acceptance of the Lordship of Christ, and those who are totally unconverted. Thus each church has members who are true members of the Body of Christ and members who are not.
I suspect that God attaches less importance to our various church organizations than we do. When He looks at His Church, He sees a company consisting of all people who have been born of the Spirit and have been placed in His Body by the Spirit. We must also be members of church organizations so that we can minister to them, but the most important
thing from God's point of view is that we are aware of our oneness in the Body of Christ.Whether we like it or not, we are members in one Body with every other person who has been born again of water and the Spirit. But we are not one with the unconverted, even though we may attend the same church. There cannot possibly be more than one Body of Christ.
In the Bible, division of the Body was on the basis of place. We read of the church at Ephesus, the church at Jerusalem, etc. The local church congregation is a local manifestation of the universal Church of God. The local congregation is a unit which, according to New Testament practice, must preserve its essential unity. Each local church was essentially autonomous, although they recognized the spiritual authority of the apostles and prophets and the council at Jerusalem.
The Local Congregation
According to New Testament pattern, each local congregation stands on its own, believing the Lord for its own finances and provision, administering its own affairs, and propagating itself. Its members minister to one another, exhort one another, bear one another's burdens, and share each other's joys and sorrows. They minister, as need arises, to the sick, the sorrowful, and those in want.These local congregations are to be in spiritual unity and fellowship with each other, since they are all local manifestations of the one worldwide (catholic) Church. They may ask each other's counsel, visit back and forth, exchange insights, and confer together about matters of mutual concern. But one does not attempt to legislate for the others. One congregation can assist another, but always on a voluntary basis as the Lord directs and supplies. Such assistance should only be occasional, so that the congregation receiving the help will put its trust in God, not in man.
In New Testament times, men with apostolic and prophetic ministries traveled from place to place ministering to the local churches. This greatly contributed to spiritual unity.
Within the local congregation, the members need to learn to live together in unity, with a full awareness of the implications of our oneness in Christ, reluctant to hurt Him by cutting up His Body. We learn to submit ourselves to one another. There is no place in the Body of Christ for those who want to be more highly regarded than others.
Our unity does not depend on organization in the worldly sense. Our bond of unity is a much deeper unity of the Spirit and mutual responsibility.
By comparison with the New Testament pattern, many of our present day churches appear more like clubs for people of similar theological opinions, similar status and background, or similar tastes in liturgy. Actually each of these denominational groups has a part of the truth, and understands a part of God's revelation. After all, what human being or group can hope to understand perfectly all the unfathomable riches of God? Each knows “in part.” If they could get together and learn from each other, one could supplement the other's insights and experiences. But too often they draw lines and limit themselves, saying in effect, “We are right; they are wrong. What we have learned and experienced is the truth and the whole truth. Anyone who has any other insights or experience is a heretic, and we should have nothing to do with him.” These negative attitudes towards things they have not understood or experienced limit fellowship in the Body of Christ and severely curtail mutual understanding. They prevent one group from learning from the other and hinder spiritual growth.
Fortunately, in the last few years the Holy Spirit has instigated several movements of interdenominational character and some outside the established churches, such as home prayer meetings, the charismatic movement, and the Jesus revolution, and now the AD 2000 movement, which have helped to break down some of the barriers and make Christians, both inside and outside the churches, more aware of our essential oneness in the Body of Christ. This is not an organizational unity, nor do we seek that, but rather a unity of fellowship in the Spirit of Jesus.
Sometimes there are people who look at the established churches and they decide, “These churches are sectarian and divisive. Therefore, we will come out from among them and form a new fellowship which will really be established on the New Testament pattern. We will really be the Body of Christ.” But since they say “we” and “they” in that tone of voice, these groups invariably end up becoming just another sect, often more authoritarian and separatist than the churches from which they came.
So when there are existing church groups, we have to stay in among them, being much aware of our oneness with the real Christians in all denominations, identifying ourselves with them, developing a good relationship with them, and entering into fellowship freely with them at home, on the street, in church or office, or wherever we happen to be. When we get the sectarianism out of our own souls, then we can become an influence among the denominational groups. It is not necessary, or even desirable, for all to become one great organization. But it is necessary that we understand and live out the real spiritual unity that exists in the Body of Christ.
When we open Christian fellowships in places which do not have any churches, we are freer to follow the New Testament pattern. We need not be in a hurry to build church buildings or schedule services. But when people have been converted, baptized in water and the Spirit, we can begin encouraging them to gather in their homes for fellowship, worship in the Spirit, and breaking of bread together. Let the Spirit bind them together into a community in which the love of Christ and the unity of His Body can be manifested in every aspect of their lives day by day.
When we live in this kind of fellowship, each member has to learn to submit to the others. Members may not act on their own apart from the fellowship. This means that all decisions of importance to the fellowship and even in the life of the individual should be submitted to the community. Let all decisions be by unanimous approval of the community after prayer. If a decision is really of God, He can speak to everyone about it. Everyone can feel a witness of the Spirit or at least feel at peace about the decision. If there is one who doubts or is unfavorable, it is best not to act. We should bear the matter in prayer for a time until all feel a clear guidance from the Lord.
On matters where a difference of opinion arises in the fellowship, it is best to table the decision and await further clear guidance from the Lord. Often the Lord's perfect plan is different from any of the ideas we had considered.
This method of operation works well in communities or congregations where all are soundly converted and committed to knowing and doing the Lord's will. I do think, however, that a word of warning is necessary at this point. This consensus or unanimity rule can only be applied in a fellowship of people who are committed to the Lord and are honestly seeking His guidance. If we try to apply this rule to churches with unconverted members, those unconverted members can cause terrible trouble.The Life and Work of the Christian Community
We need to distinguish clearly between the life of the Christian community and its work or outreach.The life of the community is experienced together. In their living together all members are equal. Their different functions supplement one another as the members of our body work together.
In the fellowship, for instance, as we have explained above, no one person has authority to monopolize the meeting. “Every member has a psalm or lesson or manifestation of the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:26). Anyone can teach, prophesy, heal, or exhort as the Spirit leads. “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man for the common good . . . . The one Spirit distributes the gifts to each one according to His will” (1 Corinthians 12;7, 11).
In the Body of Christ, there is no place for rank. Elders or apostles are not higher than anybody else, they simply have a different function. Jesus said, “He who would rule among you, let him become as a servant” (Matthew 20:26). Paul said, “I think we apostles are the lowest of all” (1 Corinthians 4:9). The leaders rule by serving, not by pulling rank. Remember that Christ reigns from the Cross.
In Christian fellowship, the members care for one another. If my leg is wounded, my hand will bind up the wound. If one is suffering or in want, the others will minister to him and supply his needs. In the early Christian community in Jerusalem, we read that nobody regarded his possessions as his own, but gave freely to those who were in need.
The keynotes of the life of the Body are fellowship, unity, and mutual concern.
Likewise, in our community, each of us is a part of our life together, but each also has his own responsibility for work or outreach. Some are engaged in various kinds of secular work to provide for their living and that of their families. Their place of work also becomes their own particular area of Christian witness. Some will have jobs with a specifically Christian emphasis such as Christian schools, training centers, mission hospitals, Christian radio stations, or Christian literature. Some may be working full-time in one of the ministry gifts such as: apostles, evangelists, teachers, and pastors.
Any of these types of work becomes the responsibility of the individual or group of individuals, not of the whole Body of Christ, just as seeing is the responsibility of the eye, not of the whole body. Each member must do his job well as unto the Lord as an essential part of his witness. Our lives are letters from Christ to be read in the factory, office, marketplace, or kitchen.
Those who receive salaries or honorariums for their work can help those who do not on a voluntary basis, as the Lord directs. But the community as such does not have any direct responsibility for any of these works. For instance, the early church community as a whole did not run such activities as schools or hospitals, though individual members might have been so involved. The community as such did not pay any man a salary for his work, even elders and apostles, but individual members could give help as the Lord directed.
A worker engaged in work outside the fellowship may always request and receive counsel or prayer in the fellowship, but the fellowship should not control or dictate how his work is done. All members are under the authority of Jesus Christ who is the Head of the Body.
In addition to our life together, we each have our own work or areas of responsibility outside. Each of us has a responsibility to the church of his choice in the city. In addition, one is a school teacher and some are responsible for forming and maturing fellowships in the villages to become local manifestations of the Body of Christ. Others are responsible to work among the students in the city. Often teams are sent out to other parts of the country for evangelism or for teaching in the churches. All this work is the direct responsibility of the individual workers who are sent out, though they go with the blessing and prayer support of the whole fellowship. In practice, they frequently make reports on the progress of their work. The rest of the community may give advice or counsel, and will surely pray over any difficulties that are reported. But the community does not attempt to control or dictate how the work is to be carried on.
When a worker accepts or undertakes a new job or ministry, he should do so with a clear direction from the Lord and with definite approval and continuing prayer from the fellowship. If the Lord sets a man in a work, the Lord will give him the ability to do it and supply all his needs. The worker's dependence is fully on the Lord for the progress of the work and for all needs associated with it.
We should not make much distinction between sacred and secular work. All our work should be performed as unto the Lord. Our dependence is on Him, not on ourselves or on other men. In all things let Him receive the credit.
Financial Policy
Our attitude toward finance is very closely related to our attitude toward work, and shows quite clearly whether we really are working for God or for men. If we are working for men, we expect to receive our living from men. Secular employment is given on the basis of ability, education, and experience. The employer provides salary and controls the work.But if we are working for God, we will trust Him to supply all our needs. In the Lord's work, people receive employment on the basis of the Lord's call. The Lord provides the ability and wisdom for carrying out the work. The Lord's worker has to exercise faith to receive the Lord's provision for his own needs and the needs of the work. The Lord provides, and the Lord controls the work.
In the Bible there are two ways in which a worker's needs can be met. He can work with his hands, as Paul did making tents. That is, he can work at a salaried job to support himself. Or he can depend directly on the Lord to supply miraculously or through free will offerings of other Christians. It is not necessary for us to make appeals for money. If we really believe the Lord, we will not tell men of our needs, or do anything in the hope of receiving money from men.
In many intangible things, we can say that we have faith in God. But in this matter of provision, our faith is put to a clear test. Furthermore, if we are trusting the Lord for provision, we can know right away if we get out of His will, because He will cut the supply.
We may only receive donations from believers. We may not receive anything from a person, however well-intentioned, who wants to use his gift to control the Lord's work.
When my family and I first went to the mission field, we still had some money of our own. For the first few years our mission ran mostly on that. During that time, there were just two elderly widows who faithfully gave five dollars a month towards our work. But in 1968, our money ran out and we had to start really trusting the Lord. He began to move other people, both in the United States and Indonesia, to contribute towards the work. In 1971, when we wanted to open a training center, we needed to buy a house large enough to house it. We had long been praying and planning for a training center, but had never had one cent towards realizing the vision. But in April and May of 1971, people suddenly began to send in rather considerable amounts of money for a training center. By the end of May, we were offered a big house with plenty of land, a good location and magnificent view, for a ridiculously low figure. Within ten days we had moved in and were fixing up the place.
We experienced some very lean periods. This was one of the ways the Lord taught us to use what we had wisely and according to His will. Whenever we experienced lack, there was a definite reason for it. One month I forgot to set aside our tithe money. That month our money went like lightning. The next month almost no money came in. We were hungry, and it was a good lesson.
In our times of lack, we examined the Bible to find out God's conditions for supplying our needs, and arrived at the following:
1. Holiness. The Lord insists on complete holiness in His servants. Often one sin unconfessed can hinder or stop the flow of the Lord's help to the whole community.
2. Honesty. This tests our conversion. Christians are justified (made righteous) by faith. Justified means, among other things, being honest. We must not misuse money or spend it carelessly. We must always use money for the purpose for which it is given. Money given for the Lord's work may not be used for personal needs. The Lord's servant learns to distinguish between needs and wants. He will live simply and sacrificially, offering his whole life to the Lord.
3. Obedience. The Lord's servant, in using the money the Lord has given him, will seek the Lord's will in small things as well as big. If we are in doubt about the Lord's will, it is better not to act. If we are faithful in small things, the Lord will entrust great things to us.
4. Sacrifice. “He who sows little, shall also reap little, and he who sows much will also reap much. Let every man give willingly” (2 Corinthians 9:6). In Acts we can read that, in the early church, none of its members counted his possessions as his own, but gave to each other as any had need, with the result that there were no needy among them. Let us not be afraid to distribute the blessings we receive from the Lord. The more we give, the more the Lord will entrust to us.
5. Fellowship. The Christian needs a close fellowship with the Lord and with other Christians. The Lord will always love and help His children who associate with Him as His co-workers. We are children of the King of kings, and we receive an eternal inheritance. He supplies all our needs according to His riches and His love.When God's provision seems to be cut off, we must examine these areas of our lives and let God reveal what may be blocking the flow.
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