Church Organization and Government

1. As God is the author of nature in all her perfection, and has set the heavenly bodies in their perfect system of order, can we suppose that He has left His people in the earth without any instruction regarding system and order in the church?

“God is not the author of confusion,” I Corinthians 14:33.

“Let all things be done decently and in order,” I Corinthians 14:40.

2. When God set the church in order in the wilderness, what kind of an organization did He form? How many men were at the head of the church?

“There were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, HEADS of thousands in Israel . . . These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers,” Numbers 1:16, 44.

3. Were there not also seventy men given appointment for special work in God’s order for governing His people?

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee,” Numbers 11:16.

4. As the Lord established this system of government for His people through His servant Moses, did Moses prophesy that God would raise up another prophet like unto him?

“This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear,” Acts 7:37.

5. Of whom did Moses speak, and was this fulfilled in Christ’s birth and ministry?

“For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren . . . . Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers,” Acts 23:22. 25.

6. When Jesus came and reorganized the church, what form of government did He also set in order?

“And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called unto Him His disciples: and of them He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles,” Luke 6:12, 13.

7. Did He also choose seventy the same as Moses had done?

“After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, whither He Himself would come,” Luke 10:1.

NOTE: We see from the above scripture that God has twice set His church in order here on the earth, once through Moses, and once through Christ.

In both cases God ordered twelve men placed over the spiritual affairs of his church, and also seventy others to assist in the government. Surely this is the best system of organization. It is divinely given and the only one found in the entire Bible. Instead of having one man as head of the church here on earth, God’s order is to have twelve men, while Jesus is the head over all, and He directs from heaven.

8. How was the church further organized in the days of the apostles?

“Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business,” Acts 6:2, 3; Philippians 4:15.

NOTE: There were also seven business stewards appointed in the Old Testament church organization.

9. Were there also overseers in the church organization under Moses, as well as under Christ?

Old Testament:

“And Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer. . . . and their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of one of the great men . . . The overseer also of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi,” Nehemiah 11:9, 14, 22.

New Testament:

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood,” Acts 20:28.

Paul says, “Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches,” II Corinthians 11:28.

10. When there was a vacancy among the twelve apostles, was there an election held to vote for someone to fill the office, or did they simply cast lots in such cases?

“And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two Thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell,” Acts 1:23-25.

11. In choosing by lot, who is it that makes the choice? Is it the people, or is it the Lord?
“The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord,” Proverbs 16:33.

12. When men are thus chosen by lot instead of by a vote of the people, does it cause contention, or is it given to prevent strife in the church?

“The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty,” Proverbs 18:18.

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By JSD-COG|2016-02-21T23:33:24+03:00February 21st, 2016|The Bible Home Instructor|0 Comments

About the Author: JSD-COG

Terms & Conditions

Introduction: Each group member that joins agrees to abide by and defend the guiding principles shared below. We do this in order to make everyone feel welcome, but in particular, to level the playing field. When the playing field is uneven, the road tends to be bumpy and steep. The group was created specifically to create an environment where everyone can be free to

a) Debate spiritual issues of concern,
b) Share own knowledge
c) Learn from others.

We do this fully aware that some of us do not have such opportunities in the churches or congregations they come from. In fact most churches or congregations avoid teaching the Scriptures and worse, some teach wrong doctrines.

In short, here are the core principles by which members are expected to abide, defend and to promote:
1. Members join in their individual and private capacity, i.e. no one may represent their church or assembly.

2. No member may use his/her title to intimidate/bully or impose views on others – the idea is to share knowledge, not to tell others what to know or think.

3. None of the members claim to be experts on religious or any topic discussed on this platform. We aim to share the little we know for the mutual benefit of everyone.

4. All members are expected to participate actively so that there is joint ownership of the outcomes of the discussions.

5. No member may discriminate against any other member on any grounds, including race, gender, age, religion, nationality, etc.

6. Members have the right to propose a topic or ask questions. However, questions must be relevant to the topic being discussed at the time. New topics should only be proposed when the current topic is formally closed or has become stagnant.

7. Members accept to be addressed as brother or sister without any intention to disrespect anyone. Mutual respect is expected and implied in all interactions in this platform.

8. Membership in this group is open to everyone irrespective of the denomination, race, gender, age, nationality, title, etc.

9. Members accept that, from time-to-time, we may need to call one another to order should members digress from the topic or create other problems. This is necessary so that we maintain order and ensure progress in line with the mandate of the group.

10. Members who deliberately undermine the group principles and show no repentance after attempts to correct them maybe sanctioned by the group administrator by way of suspension or permanent expulsion from the group.

11. Given that this is an international platform, members are requested to use and stick to English as language for the purposes of discussions and questions.

12. From Friday evening until Monday evening, the group takes a break from discussing formal topics. In this time, members are free to share none topical issues of common interest, e.g. messages, warnings, information of common interest, etc.

13. No internal issues that are specific to a particular church or congregation may be shared, e.g. members from a particular church or congregation discussing issues that are not of common interest to the group unless it’s an open invite to everyone the group in general. Otherwise, such issues should be handled offline between the individuals involved.

14. Although not desirable for the group, members are free to peacefully exit the group at any point in time when they feel like doing so.

15. The group principles are subject to review from time-to-time through the group administrator.

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JERUSALEM 7TH DAY CHURCH OF GOD

Church Organization and Government