The New Testament Churches Of God(their History, Order And Conflict)

by J. Drain, Derby | Category: The New Testament Churches Of God(their History, Order And C | Feb 1982

After Christ was raised from the dead He appeared to His disciples from time to time during the course of forty days. They saw Him, they conversed with Him, they looked at His body and saw the solemn evidence of the torturous death He had died when nailed to the tree. All lingering doubts having been removed from the disciples' minds, they received the joyful and powerful assurance that their Lord had indeed been raised from the dead. To the truth of His glorious resurrection, with all its important consequences, the disciples were to bear witness. The Lord, as the One to whom all authority had been given in heaven and on earth, gave to His servants a mandate with world-wide application and commissioned them to go forth to fulfil it.

At the end of the forty days' period the Lord led the apostles to Mount Olivet, and, after giving final instructions, He ascended from their midst and went into heaven. The disciples knew that they must return to Jerusalem. A significant fact which we wish to emphasize is that when they entered the city they did not identify themselves with the beautiful temple that dominated Jerusalem. They went to the upper room of the house. But had not the Lord Jesus on one occasion described the temple as "My Father's house"? Why should the apostles reject the grandeur of the temple for the comparative obscurity of a plain room?

Part of the answer to this question is that the temple was no longer God's house. Israel's rejection of the Messiah whom God sent resulted in the rejection of Israel by God. Though the priests continued in their ritual, the temple building had been vacated. No longer was God to be worshipped there. No longer was the Israeli nation to be regarded as maintaining divine testimony. To the faithful few who had responded to His call to own Him and to follow Him, the Messiah whom Israel refused and crucified revealed that a new era of divine purpose was to be introduced. The disciples were to be the nucleus in the introduction of this purpose, and they were to take the place previously occupied by the Israeli people. And so, in separation from the national religious system, they gathered in a room.

As, therefore, we contemplate the emergence of a new dispensation, our minds are focused on Jerusalem, and, in particular, on an upper room where disciples of the risen Lord Jesus Christ congregated. In total they numbered about one hundred and twenty, and as they waited patiently and expectantly for the fulfilment of their Lord's promise they were held together by a common subjection to the authority of One whom they all loved. Love for their one Lord and obedience to His authority unified the disciples in one heart and soul.

Then came the day of fulfilment. It was the day known as Pentecost. The disciples had gathered in their room. Outside many people thronged the streets of Jerusalem. At the magnificent temple there was the normal activity of religious ritual. The little-known followers of the Lord Jesus Christ waited. Suddenly there came a loud noise like "the rushing of a mighty wind". It was heard not only in the place where the disciples were assembled, but also in the streets of Jerusalem. What had happened? Crowds gathered in the vicinity of the room to find out.

Meantime, inside the room great miracles had taken place. God the Spirit had come as promised. When instructing His disciples about the advent of the Holy Spirit, Christ had said,

I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter that He may be with you for ever ... and (He) shall be in you (John 14: 16, 17).

"With you", "in you" for ever. This was a dramatic new feature of the new era being ushered in. The eternal Spirit was to indwell the mortal bodies of men and women. At Pentecost each of the disciples received the Spirit. Now the Lord had said also, "Ye shall be baptized with (in) the Holy Spirit not many days hence" (Acts. 1:5). This too was fulfilled at Pentecost. In the Spirit the disciples were baptized into the Body, the Church (see 1 Cor. 12:13).

The Lord in His teaching referred to another church (see Matt. 18:

15-20). Such a church was identified by later revelation as a church of God. On the day of Pentecost the one hundred and twenty disciples became the church of God in Jerusalem (compare Acts 8:1 and Gal. 1:13). Thus was established the new expression of divine collective testimony in a new dispensation. He who "established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel" established His testimony in the new nation of which the Church of God in Jerusalem was the first representation. A golden lampstand had been set up and from it would shine out the light of the knowledge of God and His will.

When the power of the Spirit was received the disciples immediately went forth for their public witness. Led by the apostles the disciples faced a multi-national audience which had been amazed by the fact that from the mouths of apparently uneducated Galilaeans they were not only hearing declarations of the mighty works of God, but also hearing them in their native languages (see Acts 2:6, 8, 11).

Then Peter stood up to deliver the first proclamation of the gospel of God in this dispensation. The theme of the message was the Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, the long promised and accredited Messiah whom Israel refused and murdered, and who in the triumph of resurrection had ascended to the glory of the Throne of God. Then came the climactic challenge, "Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified" (Acts 2:36).

The results were stupendous. Winged by the Almighty Spirit of God the message reached "the hidden depths of many a heart". Conviction and concern were made manifest. Men cried out for guidance and the Lord's servants were equipped to supply it. The Holy Spirit was working and about three thousand were reached by the message. What a harvest! In one day the about one hundred and twenty became more than three thousand.

God works to pattern. Let us note the seven things mentioned in Acts

2:41, 42 because we believe that the inspired recording of them gives us a

pattern:

1. They received his word. They believed all that Peter said about Christ

the Lord, and in genuine repentance they accepted the promise of forgiveness through faith in Him.

2. They were baptized in water in agreement with the Lord's commandment.

3. They were added by the Lord to the church of God in Jerusalem.

In this relationship with the Lord and with one another:

4.they continued in the teaching of the apostles

5.and (the) fellowship

6.in the breaking of bread

7.and the prayers

If we accept that in Acts 2:41, 42 we have the inspired record of how those convicted sinners found themselves in the church of God in Jerusalem we shall not lightly throw away the obvious pattern of church constitution and practice. By what authority may we delete any of these seven things? It is a beautiful work to lead sinners to Christ the Saviour for the forgiveness of sins, but the will of God involves more than that. Who can authorize the derangement of the order of things presented? This has been done by some so that unbaptized believers may participate in the breaking of bread. Can this be pleasing to the Lord?

Subsequent articles in this series will trace the history, growth and development of what God commenced at Pentecost. Meantime we survey with pleasure the attractive picture of that company of people in Jerusalem,

called out of Judaism and gathered under the authority of the Lord. We see the church of God in Jerusalem. We see disciples displaying the unity for which Christ prayed, one in purpose, one in mind and heart, one in soul and spirit. We see them enjoying the sweetness and support of fellowship, and commending themselves to those who watched. But above all we see a happy, grateful people, worshipping God and witnessing for Him.

But this work of God was soon to run into difficulties. The adversary of God's purposes moved in to attack and to destroy. In particular, he stirred hatred in the hearts of the Jewish leaders, and their opposition soon expressed itself in bitter persecution of the church.

Some of the saints who had possessions sold them and gave the proceeds to the apostles for distribution to the poor as need demanded. Such generous action was entirely voluntary. There was no suggestion of a levy. In the church was a married couple, Ananias and Sapphira. They saw what others were doing, and, as they discussed what they should do, greed and deceit led them into a deadly snare. They agreed to sell their land, retain part of the money and hand over the balance with the untruthful declaration that it was the full amount of: the transaction. The declaration might have deceived the apostles, but Ananias and Sapphira had left out of their reckoning that the God to whose church they belonged could not be deceived. The apostles were alerted by the Lord as to the facts of the situation. In this solemn case exemplary judgement fell. Both husband and wife lied; both husband and wife died. And so the serious message reaches down through the centuries: we may deceive one another but we cannot deceive God.

The problem of distribution of money brought trouble. Some of the Grecian Jews were convinced that discrimination was being practised to their disadvantage. In the recipe for producing dissatisfaction and disunity a powerful ingredient is discrimination. The very suspicion of it will do harm. How was this menace to be handled? It was primarily a matter of material things, but problems in material things often have effects that are devastating to spiritual life and activity. Should the apostles relinquish some of their spiritual commitments to supervise the distribution? Such a course was obviously undesirable. By apostolic direction a committee of spiritually-minded, wise men was appointed to attend to the business. These good men were accountable to the overall authority of the apostles. In community life and service difficulties are sure to emerge. We are persuaded that the gracious Spirit will lead in the way of solution, and that He will give grace for subjection and co-operation.

J. Drain, Derby | Feb 1982
The New Testament Churches Of God(their History, Order And C