The Churches Of God

by L.M. Ross, Aberdeen, Scotland | Category: A Centenary Review Of Major Themes | Aug 1988

Some things don't really change, do they? A quick scan of the early volumes of Needed Truth shows that writers then were expressing concern over the spiritual condition of those in churches of God.

The very first pages of Volume 1 challenged disciples: "are not the days in which our lot is cast more perilous than any of the past?" Disciples have responsibility individually, "because it is the business of the man of God to be a contender for the Faith", collectively, "because the part of the assembly of God is to be 'pillar and ground of the Truth' " "Condition" and "position", words well worn down the years - times don't change!

Concluding the major series on churches of God in 1951, T.M. Hyland wrote, "Perhaps the most heart-rending experiences are those which arise when faithfulness to divine truth demands separation even from those who are loved and longed for because they are fellow members of the Body of Christ". He asked then, as we do now,

Is the Struggle Worthwhile?

"What struggle?" the reader may enquire. In Acts, the struggle of the churches of God was against persecution. Today, it may be against the apathy shown towards divine principles which demand the separating of disciples "to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered" (Rom. 6:17). Much stress is placed today on the need for the disciple to be "right with God". This is scriptural and, of course, essential, but it is a pity if the disciple is not also encouraged to work out his salvation within the clearly defined sphere of the will of God. The Scriptures do not envisage a variety of Christian groups striving for this closer fellowship with God yet practising widely differing things. Consistently over 100 years, Needed Truth has expounded the scriptural basis of churches of God and if, as the following extracts show, they are according to the will of God, then most certainly any struggle to maintain their testimony is worthwhile.

In 1883, before the churches of God in united fellowship as we know them today were in existence, a pamphlet by F.A. Banks was published (reproduced in Needed Truth 1967). In it he writes of the church of God being used in Scripture to "designate a company of believers acting together in local

accountability upon the earth". Some might conclude this gives licence for autonomous churches, but it is clear as he proceeds that this is not so. "The assemblies of God" he suggests "are not places where persons may do as they like, one Christ is Lord over all, one Spirit operates in each, and the Scriptures alone contain their creed.

F.A. Banks highlighted two important and distinguishing features of churches of God. First, that they are "of God" and so have divine origin, second, that they are seen in the Scriptures as linked together in a Fellowship. Inter-dependent, not independent. But,

What is a Church of God?

In 1900, J.A. Boswell wrote "a church of God is not a church of God because it professes to be such, but because it has ... divine origin". He further argues that, as there is a point at which the individual (believer) became a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). He noted the danger of saying that the Church is in ruins and that we can never have things as God would have them be, for this might result in setting up something of our own imagination and not according to the will of God.

In 1982 T.M. Hyland showed very clearly that the term "church of God" is not simply a synonym for the Church the Body of Christ. Rather, it is applied to a group of persons in a particular locality (e.g. Corinth) who meet together for worship and who serve together under the care and government of elders, or overseers. Moreover, "there is one Body" (Eph. 4:4), whereas many churches of God were founded as a result of apostolic labours. He proposed: "God's will is that members of the Church, the Body of Christ should ... accept the obligations of discipleship and be added to a church of God. There, in association with other disciples, they have opportunity to give practical effect to their affinity in the Body of Christ".

The second important feature relates to the fellowship of churches. In the 1903 series' "Doctrines of the Holy Scriptures" it was taught that the churches of God in apostolic times were clearly linked together, for assemblies very near were firstly linked in service and testimony (e.g. Col. 4:15-17); churches of God in a country or in a province of the Roman Empire form a definite group for administration and joint responsibility (e.g. Macedonia and Achaia in 2 Cor. 8-9); groups of assemblies in contiguous provinces are further linked together (e.g. 1 Pet. 1); all assemblies of God were recognized as forming one united whole; the Fellowship and the Little Hock.

J. Miller, another erudite teacher of these earlier times, wrote in 1928 about the persecution of the Church of God in Jerusalem, "the result of this outflow of saints and of the word of God ... was that churches of God (came) into being, so we read of the churches of God in Judea (1 Thes. 2:14; Gal. 1:22)... the churches of Asia (1 Cor. 16:19; Rev. 1:20) and the churches of Macedonia (2 Cor.8:1)... We also read of the churches of Galatia (Gal. 1:2; 1 Cor. 16:1)". He noted eight different uses of the word "church", one of which he taught is the word used to describe the 'house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth' (1 Tim. 3:15). As we do not read of houses of God, so we never read of churches of the living God. This view of the word church, shows us God's people together, builded together as His house (cf. Heb. 3:6; 1 Pet. 2:5; 4:17)".

Other Distinguishing Features

It was also J. Miller who in 1921 highlighted certain other features of a

church of God, e.g.

it requires overseers to care for it, (1 Tim. 3-5);

it requires to be fed (Acts 20:28);

it can be edified (1 Cor. 14:4);

it can be laid waste and made havoc of (Acts 8:3; Gal. 1:13);

it may cease to exist, in the

lampstand being removed (Rev. 2:5);

it can carry out God's will in putting out sinning persons and again receiving such persons as are restored (1 Cor. 5:13; 2 Cor. 2:5-11).

These scriptures and others, writes Mr. Miller, show that the church of God is always associated with locality and is composed of all who have responded to the call of God in that locality and find themselves together forming a visible unity. It is not the birthplace of children of God. Those who are in it are there through their obedience to the call of God, and from such a position it is possible to fall away through disobedience.

In another series in 1967 J.D. Terrell suggested that in the history of the Church in Ephesus we see four basic requirements "for the preservation and progress of churches of God". These are:

(1)a foundation of personal love and devotion to the Lord on the part of the children of God;

(2)an unswerving adherence to the entire New Testament doctrine of the Lord;

(3)a constant vigilance against the perils of persons of unsound teaching, or undue personal prominence; and

(4)a truly pastoral care on the part of a godly, united leadership amongst a tender-hearted willing flock".

An earlier article in that series expanded the latter point. The concept

of government by elders is not new, for it was the mode of rule established among God's people in Old Testament times. "The principle of the united elderhood... was carried into the New Testament and is seen in operation in the churches of God in those days". The writer, R.T.H. Horne emphasized that:

elders were made by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28) and elders (plural) were appointed in each of the churches (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5);

1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 define their expected character;

their work was to tend and feed the church of God, to shepherd the lambs and sheep of the flock (John 21:15-17), to be an example to it (1 Pet. 5:2,3), to admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, and be longsuffering towards all, instruct and guide in matters of discipline within the church (2 Thes. 3:6-15), rule with diligence (Rom. 12:8), and labour in the word and in teaching (1 Tim. 5:17).

Various articles have dealt with the important function of the churches of God in worship, the prayers, giving, and witness. Of the latter G. Prasher in 1967 wrote:

There is no suggestion in the New Testament record that churches of

God were loose-knit associations of believers in a locality with the

limited aim of preaching the gospel for the salvation of sinners. Vital as this aspect of their witness must always be, it was nevertheless the prelude to teaching converts further truth which would separate them from the world and gather them into a divine unity ... churches ... to which seekers after truth could be drawn.

The 1980's have seen a remarkable increase in the extent of gospel outreach through radio, by literature and in gospel campaigns, and this is a healthy spiritual exercise. It is prudent, however, to remind ourselves of the commission of Matthew 28 to "make disciples" and so to work to this end, for without this, the churches cannot continue.

In Conclusion

In 1982 J.L. Ferguson concluded the series of that year by considering the relevance in our own day of the word of authority in Matthew 28:18-20. He asked, "Was the form in which the New Testament churches were established based on an authority which ought still to prevail today", and continued, "We answer, YES... to keep within the counsel of His will and be well-pleasing to Him, we have no alternative in our late day but still to adhere strictly to what the Lord commanded".

Some things don't change!

L.M. Ross, Aberdeen, Scotland | Aug 1988
A Centenary Review Of Major Themes