God has a pattern for his church. He has given us this pattern through his apostles in the New Testament. In order to fulfill God’s purpose for his church, we must understand and follow this plan.
Church is not a building. The apostles never built church building. Jesus never told anyone to build a church building. Church buildings were first built 3 centuries after the apostles died.
Ekklesia is the word for church in Greek. Ekklesia is an ancient Greek word thatoriginally referred to a governing body of people over a city. God used the word ekklesia throughout the New Testament to refer to his people. God’s ekklesia is comprised of everyone he has called out of the world to represent his eternal kingdom upon the earth.
In the New Testament, the word churchis used in three ways. Churchrefers to a gathering or group of believers, whether in a house, in a city, or all over the world.
In the New Testament, there was one church all over the world. All believers in Jesus were part of the worldwide church of God.
This worldwide church was separated geographically into city churches. There was one church in each city. There was one church in Rome, a church in Corinth, a church in Ephesus, etc. There may have been hundreds or thousands of believers in a city, and all of them were part of the church in that city.
There were no denominations in the New Testament. Denominations arose later because Christians followed contradictory teachings or various leaders. Jesus prayed that all his people would be one (John 17:21). Jesus doesn’t want his people divided separated into different sects by following opposing leaders or contradictory teachings (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). We need to unite by the Holy Spirit under the authority of the word of God. As we submit to God’s word, we will automatically come into unity with each other.
In the New Testament, each city church was comprised of various house churches. For example, in Jerusalem there were many house churches. The believers broke bread in houses, which means they took communion together and had church meetings in their homes (Acts 2:46). In his letter to the church in Rome Paul greets at least 3 different house churches in (Romans 16:5,14,15).
Over the centuries people have changed their understanding of church, but God has not changed. His word is eternal. His pattern and plan for church remains the same. We must strive to attain this apostolic standard.
Everyone Should Minister
Every Christian has received a spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 1 Peter 4:10). These spiritual gifts are manifestations of the grace of God. They are supernatural operations of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual gifts are not based on natural abilities, but on the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual gifts operate within a local Biblical church. A Christian will often discover his spiritual gifts within the context of fellowship in the church, for these gifts are given to build up the body of Christ.
Since each believer has at least one spiritual gift, each one is called to minister. Ministry is not just for Sunday morning, but it’s for throughout the week. In a New Testament church community, there will be many ministry opportunities.
Not Everyone is a Church Leader
Not every Christian is called to be a church leader. Even though each Christian has a spiritual gift, some have received special grace or callings from God in order to be church leaders.
There are two common misconceptions regarding church leadership.
The first error exalts leadership too high. It says that only leaders can do ministry, and everyone else should sit and watch. This belief develops a clergy/laity distinction. It renders many believers inactive. This belief is false, for the Bible says that each believer is called to minister because each one has a spiritual gift.
The second error is the opposite, and it downplays leadership too low. It says that since everyone is supposed to minister, then everyone is automatically a church leader. However, if everyone considers himself a leader, then no one is a leader. In a situation like this, it becomes like it was in Judges, in which “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” This leads to confusion, lack of vision, weakness, and inability to move forward.
Every believer should minister, but not every believer is called to be a church leader.
“And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord andadmonish you,and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).
We must recognize who our leaders are. When we know them, we can measure their lives and teachings by the word of God. Then we can confidently follow them.
There are responsibilities that we have to our church leaders.
“Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow”(Hebrews 13:7).
“Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive” (Hebrews 13:17).
We have an obligation to submit to church leaders. But we must first recognize whether the leader is true or false. We will know this as we discern their lives and teachings by the word of God. When we discern who is a true leader, and we understand that God has placed that person in our life, then we can fulfill our obligations to that leader.
Church leaders are not qualified not by natural things. Seminary degrees, relationships with influential people, money, power, and personality do not qualify a person to be a church leader. Instead, church leaders are qualified by spiritual gifts. They must be recognized spiritually.
In Ephesians 4:11 Paul lists 5 different spiritual leaders: apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. These leaders have received spiritual gifts that enable them to fulfill their ministries.
These leadership gifts are given to “perfect the saints” (Ephesians 4:12). Leaders are to disciple believers so they can grow in God and operate in their own spiritual gifts and minister to the body.
The believers are being perfected so they can “do the work of the ministry” (Ephesians 4:12). Again, we see that each believer is called to minister.
Believers do the “work of the ministry” for the “edification of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). Edification means building. The body of Christ is currently being built up in the earth. The body is built by “that which every joint supplies” (Ephesians 4:16).
The body of Christ is being built “until we come to the unity of the faith, of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).
This is a grand goal of the church – to be built up together, all over the world, into the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Spiritual leadership is given by God to spur the church onward to attain this goal. Until this goal is reached, spiritual leadership is needed to mature the saints so that they can minister so the body of Christ can be built.
Jesus Was a Perfect Leader
These five ministry gifts are gifts of the Holy Spirit. They operate by spiritual power.
Jesus had all of these five gifts within himself.
Jesus is an apostle (Hebrews 3:1).
Jesus is a prophet (Acts 3:22).
Jesus is an evangelist, for wherever he went he preached the gospel (evangelized in Greek (Luke 4:18)).
Jesus is a shepherd (John 10:11).
Jesus is a teacher (John 13:13).
Out of all these spiritual riches that Jesus has within himself, he poured out these gifts upon people through the Holy Spirit.
There are other positions of church leadership within the New Testament like elders, and we will look at those positions later.
Conclusion
Church is to be defined by God. Church leadership also must be understood by the word of God. As we study the New Testament, we understand what the church is to look like and how church leadership is to function. We learn that every believer is called and gifted to minister. We learn that church leadership is to disciple the believers so they can minister to build the body. And we learn that the great goal of the church can only be achieved as this process happens.
May our minds be renewed to understand church and church leadership according to Bible.
Lincoln House Churches 