ASSEMBLY TESTIMONY

Autonomy in Local Churches

Goal: To see that each local assembly is independent and autonomous from other assemblies and is only accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Objectives:

• To see the difference between the local assembly and the universal church.

• To understand the subject of fellowship among local assemblies.

• To see the local autonomy and independence of local assemblies.

Text: Revelation 2 & 3

Memory Verse: 1 Tim 3:14-16

Lesson

1. The Local Assembly as contrasted with the Body of Christ.

There are significant differences between "the Church" (the Body of Christ) and "a church" (the local assembly).

The Universal Church

This is composed solely of true believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. These have been "born again" and form the invisible, indivisible and inviolable company of the redeemed in this present age. The Church’s origin is referred to in Eph 3:3-12; Col 1:24-27. For its inauguration, see Matt 16:18; Acts 2. This was the result of Christ’s finished work on the Cross, His resurrection and ascension. The birth of the Church occurred simultaneously with the personal descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Its completion will be at the personal descent of the Lord Jesus in the air. (1 Thess 4:13-18)

The universal Church, which is His Body, must be viewed in relation to Christ. It is designed by God for the glory of His beloved Son. It was never intended to be an earth-bound institution serving the needs of man and promoting his glory; neither is it meant to seek political world power. Men often speak of "the Church" as if it were a separate entity having special authority in the collection of denominations. This is another misuse of the word.

For the figures of speech used in the NT for the Church, please refer to the article "Introduction to Church Truth".

The Local Assembly

C.I. Scofield has given a concise and useful definition of the local church in his notes to Phil 1:1 (Refer to The New Scofield Study Bible). A longer but very comprehensive description is worded by Norman Crawfurd, in his book, Gathering Unto His Name. It is quoted here in full:

"An assembly is a company of baptised believers (Acts 2:41), gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 18:20, 1 Cor 1:1-9, 5:4) who meet regularly in a particular locality according to the pattern found in the NT in Acts 2:41-42, and developed fully in such epistles such as 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy. Such an assembly is a spiritual fellowship (1 Cor 10:16-17), which is expressed visibly as they meet for the breaking of bread, prayer, collective testimony, the teaching of the Word of God and the preaching of the Gospel. They have been gathered together by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:14); their sole authority is the Word of God (2 Tim 3:16-17), and they have the promise of Christ to be in their midst (Mt 18:20). They are a residence of the Holy Spirit on earth, so they are a holy temple unto the Lord ( 1 Cor 3:15-16). Such an assembly is guided by godly overseers and served by faithful deacons in both a temporal and spiritual ministry (1 Tim 3:1-16). The priesthood of all believers is exercised in worship, praise and prayer, and the gifts, given by the risen Head of the church (Eph 4:7-16) have liberty to function under the control of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 14:23-40). There is a clear line of demarcation between the within and the without of an assembly and purity is maintained by a careful, compassionate and godly exercise of discipline (1 Cor 5:1-13).

There are a number of expressions used to describe an assembly, which help us to understand its order and function.

1. The Church of God ?it is called "The Church of God" (1 Cor 1:1-2) thirteen times in the NT and it refers only to a local assembly. Each local church forms part of God’s testimony collectively in the world. When Paul said that he persecuted "the church of God" (Gal 1:13), the evidence suggests that no other assembly existed apart from the one at Jerusalem (Acts 8:1); the persecution then scattered the saints so that by the time of Paul’s conversion, other assemblies had been formed (Acts 9:31)
2. Tillage of God ?(1 Cor 3:9) Much labour was put into that field, but God gave the increase. The pattern for the planting of an assembly is that the Gospel was preached (1 Cor 2:1-4), souls were saved (1 Cor 3:5-7), the principles of gathering taught (1 Cor 3:9-10) and the assembly was formed.
3. Building of God ?(1 Cor 3:9) The builders are teachers, whose teaching is to build upon the foundation already laid, and according to the divine pattern already laid.
4. Temple of God ?(1 Cor 3:16-17) The Holy Spirit resides in the assembly; its characteristic is therefore one of holiness.
5. Body of Christ ?(1 Cor 12:27) "Now ye are Christ’s body" (JND). The article "the" is not in the original Greek, for the context here is that the assembly at Corinth is body-like, each member vitally linked to each other member. The provision for an assembly through the spiritual gifts, according to all its spiritual needs is the subject of chapter 12. The assembly is seen as "body of Christ" because each member in it is needed in the same way that each member of the human body is needed for proper function. It is confusing to say that each assembly is "a body of Christ". He does not have many bodies, but only one.
6. Chaste Virgin ?(2 Cor 11:2) The assembly is "espoused ?as a chaste virgin." This brings to mind the single-hearted love and devotion and is a beautiful picture of purity.
7. Little Flock ?(Acts 20:28, 1 Pet 5:1-4) Believers in the assembly follow the Lord Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd, willingly. He cares for, leads, nourishes and protects the flock.
8. House of God ?(1 Tim 3:15) Here the assembly is referred to, not only as the church of God, but also as the house of God. As the "church of God" the emphasis is on being called out, but as the "house of God" the thought is of being brought into the place of divine order and rule.
9. Pillar and Ground of the Truth ?(1Tim 3:15) The assembly holds high the blessed name of Christ and is prepared to defend the truths relating to Him as laid out in v16.
10. Golden Lampstand ?(Rev 1?) Some observations may be made with regards to the vision and letters to the seven churches.

• It was "the seven churches which are in Asia" (1:11), not the "Church of Asia".
• They were represented by seven lampstands, signifying the churches as a testimony in the world.
• There were seven individual lampstands, each representing a local church, not a seven-branched candlestick as in the Tabernacle (Exo 25:31-40)
• There was an angel for each church but none for all the churches
• Each church was individually addressed, commended, censured and counselled. None was held responsible for the actions or condition of any other.

There are many Similarities between the body and an assembly.

The Body An Assembly

The church (Eph 1:22, 23) the church of God (1 Cor 1:2)

The body (Eph 4:12) body (1 Cor 12:27)

A holy temple (Eph 2:21) temple (1 Cor 3:16)

Habitation (Eph 2:22) house (1 Tim 3:15)

The flock (John 10:16) little flock (Acts 20:28)

The fellowship of an assembly is an expression of the wider fellowship. It is in an assembly that the unity of the body is seen in practice.

Significant Distinctions between the body and an assembly

a) The "body" is spiritual and the truths related to it are positional; an assembly is geographical and the truths related to it are practical (Eph 1:22, 23. 1 Cor 1:1, 2)

b) We enter 'the body' at conversion, but the pattern for entering an assembly is that baptism follows conversion and then believers are added to the fellowship (1 Cor. 12:13; Acts 2:41, 42).

c) There is neither male nor female in 'the body' (Gal. 3:28), but in an assembly there are very clear distinctions between them (I Cor. II: I- 1 6; 14:34; 1 Tim 2:12-15).

d) We thank God that no believer can be separated from 'the body' (Rom. 8:38, 39), but it may be necessary to put a person away from an assembly (I Cor. 5:13).

e) 'The body' of the Ephesian letter is called by the Lord Jesus "My church" (Matt. 16:18). Nothing false can enter it, and Satan cannot prevail against it. An assembly can have wolves creep into it (Acts 20:29), and Satan can corrupt it (2 Cor 2: 1-3).

f) There is perfect unity in 'the body' (Eph. 4:4), but an assembly can be rent by schisms (1 Cor. 3:3).

g) The bride will be presented, without fail, in faultless purity on the ground of the sacrifice of Christ (Eph. 5:25-27), but an assembly can be removed in judgment (Rev. 2:5).

h) The bride will be eternally the bride (Rev. 21:1, 2), but an assembly continues 'until He comes' (1 Cor. 11:26; Rev. 2:25).

i) 'The body' is never together at one place and will not be until we meet the Lord in the air (2 Thess. 2: 1), but an assembly should regularly be all together (1 Cor 14:23; Heb. 10:25).

j) The Lord Jesus said, "I will build My Church" (Matt. 16:18), but Paul said that men are builders of an assembly and he himself was a master builder (I Cor. 3:10).

We are brought into 'the body' as totally unworthy sinners, whose only rights are eternal judgment from a holy God, but a believer is brought into the fellowship of an assembly when he gives evidence of a new life in Christ. An assembly receives a fellow-believer and that believer receives the assembly.

1. Autonomy in Local Assemblies.

Each local assembly is autonomous. To be autonomous is to be self-governing, and this is believed to be the teaching of the New Testament. Each local assembly is governed solely by the elders in the congregation, and is in no way subject to outside legislation or leadership. There is nothing in Scripture to warrant the development of a religious hierarchy of ecclesiastical officials with supervisory authority over a union of churches. Popes, cardinals, archbishops, presidents, or district superintendents are quite unknown to the New Testament. And the bishop of today's Christendom is a far cry from the simple bishop of the first century church. In the apostolic church there was a plurality of bishops in one local assembly, rather than one bishop over a plurality of churches as today, Phil. 1:1.

When Paul, enroute to Jerusalem, stopped at Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the assembly there, Acts 20:17. When these elders arrived, he addressed them as "overseers," v.28. The word here for "elders" is presbuteros, translated "presbytery" in I Timothy 4:14. The word for "overseers" is episkopos, translated "bishops" in Philippians 1:1. Thus, in the early church the elder was an overseer, a presbyter, a bishop. And, as we have already noted, there was a plurality of these in the local assembly. Not only so, but they were to "feed" the church of God. This is poimainein - "to feed as a shepherd" and is the verb form of the word "pastors" in Ephesians 4:11 and "shepherd" in Hebrews 13:20. These, then, were the spiritual guides of the autonomous local assembly.

Based upon these facts, the assemblies reject all outside interference with the internal affairs of the local assembly. The Scriptures provide all necessary instruction on matters of doctrine and practice, and are accepted as being absolutely authoritative.

The absence in the New Testament record of any church officials with jurisdictional authority extending beyond the local assembly militates against the notion of an organizational union of churches. And the fact that the Apostle Paul always employs the plural form "churches" in referring to a number of assemblies in a given area emphasizes the independent character of each local assembly, cf. "churches of Galatia," I Cor. 16:1; "of Asia," 1 Cor. 16:19; "of Macedonia," 2 Cor. 8:1; "of Judaea," Gal. 1:22.

2. Fellowship between Local Assemblies.

It seems clear from a study of the pertinent passages of Scripture that the link between the churches of the first century was not one of organizational union, such as exists today in the various denominations, but rather a spiritual affinity based on the possession of a common salvation, Jude 3; the acknowledgement of one Lord, Eph. 4:5, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. 12:7-13, the instructions of the inspired Scriptures, and the sharing of one purpose-the proclamation of the gospel and the disseminating of the truth of God, I Th. 1:8; Phil. 2:15-16.

This link of spiritual fellowship is expressed in:

1. The receiving of all those whom Christ has received, Rom. 15:7.

b) The acceptance and support of gifted servants of Christ, 1 Cor. 16:9-12; 2 Cor. 11:8,9; Phil. 4:15,16; 3 John 5-8.

c) Letters of commendation for travelling Christians unknown at their destination, Rom. 16:1, 2; 2 Cor. 3:1.

The formation of the universal Church, the Body of Christ, is strictly a divine work and therefore perfect. Christ has declared, "I will build My church." The formation of a local assembly is a human work (albeit empowered by the Spirit), and is therefore imperfect. Paul wrote to the Corinthians,

While these words undoubtedly have a wide application to the works of all believers, their primary interpretation has to do with the building of a local church, as at Corinth. Here too caution is required. We quote Mr R.E. Harlow:

Questions

1. Reflect on the various names given to the local assembly. Discuss what the testimony of the assembly ought to be in light of these names.
2. What is meant by the reception of a believer into the fellowship of an assembly?
3. What qualities characterise the leaders of a local assembly? Discuss the relationship within an assembly between the "shepherds" and the flock.
4. In what ways do different assemblies fellowship with each other?

Bibliography

AP Gibbs, Introduction to a Study of Church Truth

HG MacKay Assembly Distinctives

Arthur Clarke, New Testament Church Principles

Heading J and Hocking C (editors) Church Doctrine and Practice

Norman Crawfurd Gathering Unto His Name

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