THE CHURCH AND THE CHURCH’S ADMINISTRATION
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans: Die kerk en die kerk se bestuur
Translator: Lynda Botha
Someone asked me if I would write about the church, and especially what the leadership should look like and whether the church really is Biblical?
I want to start by saying that the church is definitely Biblical.
In my explanation to you, I considered it necessary to use two Bible translations, because I personally think that the New Living Bible is the best, but I usually use the older translation simply because the older translation is more consumer friendly in the program that I use.
I will also quote the older translation every time I use the New Living Translation that I love so much.
Now then, the first time we heard about the church is when Jesus spoke about it:
MAT 16:17-18
17 “Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.”
18 “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means rock) and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
17 " Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”
18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
Just another example of where in the Word of the Lord they first spoke of the Church:
ACTS 8:3 “But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison."
ACTS 8:3 “As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.”
Now someone can ask: "Why should I go to church?"
To me the simplest answer is: "Because the Word of the Lord says so."
HEB 10:25 “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”
HEB 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.”
For myself, I use the following example to demonstrate the danger of not going to church:
You stand at a braai/barbeque. Now take the coal out that has the brightest glow from the fire and put it next to the fire. Immediately its glow dims, while the other coals inside the fire still glows brightly. The reason is this:
When all the coals are together, they can resist the cold wind together because they warm each other up just as we encourage each other in the congregation – but the coal outside the fire is unable to withstand the cold wind by itself, and remember –
EPH 6:12 “For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
EPH 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
People also asked me: "Why do the Christians have so many different denominations?"
I always explain this as follows and I am grateful that I can use myself and my wife as an example:
I am a very placid person. I like what I will call a sedate service, but my wife likes an enlivening service. Also, there are denominations where my wife would feel much more at home than I would and then again there are denominations where I would feel much more at home.
The Christian's God and Saviour knows his creations so well, and remember alsow that He became human. He knows all our whims and fusses.
For example, my wife loves cabbage with a nice white sauce and I'm shivering when I just have to write the word "cabbage".
Fortunately, our Lord is the best Spiritual Catering Manager in the universe and He "caters" with great compassion and love for all our whims. Therefore, we also need to take into account His instructions of what the composition of the church should consist of.
So, let's have a look because our Lord was very clear about how His church should be composed. I'm going to give just one or two examples each time, but I could’ve given a lot more examples:
First, Jesus is the Head of the Church.
EPH 1:22 “God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him Head over all things for the benefit of the church.”
EPH 1:23 “And the church is His body, it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with Himself.”EPH 1:22 “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,”
EPH 1:23 “which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”COL 1:18 “Christ is also the Head of the church, which is His body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So He is first in everything.”
COL 1:18 “And He is the Head of the Body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
I know there are going to be people who will disagree with me, especially the so-called pastors etc. who rule like dictators, but later I will say something more regarding this matter. According to what I understand in the Lord’s Word, a congregation forms part of the church who are being led or managed by spiritual leaders, which consists of deacons and elders and usually the presiding officer, or pastor etc, who is just like one of the elders, nothing more and nothing less.
TIT 1:5 “I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you.”
TIT 1:5 “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you.”
JAM 5:14 “Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.”
JAM 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
Of course, the elder who takes the lead, such as the pastor etc. should be treated with respect.
I quote the Living Bible more fully because I think what follows is very important:
1 TIM 5:17-20
17 “Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.”
18 “For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”
19 “Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses.”
20 “Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church, this will serve as a strong warning to others.”
As you have seen, there is usually more than one elder, but the one who is leading should examine himself thoroughly and make sure he meets the following requirements:
TIT 1:7-9
7 “A church leader is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not e arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money.”
8 “Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life.”
9 “He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.”
If anyone thinks I am confusing the elders and leader of the congregation, I just want to
point out the following scripture:
1PET 5:1 “And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in His glory when He is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you:”
1PET 5:2 “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly – not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.”
This then concludes the elders.
I just want to mention:
If it should seem to you that I have something against pastors etc., you are mistaken. I am against people who start their own thing and then act like dictators while “leading their congregation”. This is, according to what I have already shown you, completely against the Word of the Lord and evil.
It is then that you often find, I almost wrote “always”, that they get on the wrong track completely. This is when corruption and a second or even a third marriage etc., like what we’ve already seen, is not excluded.
As for the deacons, the next group leading the church:
1 TIM 3:8-13
8 “In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money.”
9 “They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.”
10 “Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons.”
11 “In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.”
12 “A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well.”
13 “Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.”
Greetings,
Sakkie