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SEARCHING FOR A CHURCH MODEL

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Should the purpose determine the church model, or the church model the purpose?

By Ken Blue

Attempting to discover the purpose or model for a church from other pastors is like trying to find out from a lost man the plan of salvation. Each one has a different answer of what is to be done, and how to do it.

The obvious place to search for a church model would be in the writings of Paul, since he is the apostle who wrote the church epistles. We discover that churches ordained pastors to lead them, and that deacons were added when necessary. One will search in vain for the structure and order of the services.

The primary purpose of the church is found in Ephesians 4:11-13. “ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:” Soul-winning, pastoring, and teaching are all within the text.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Perhaps the greatest error being perpetrated today is that the church building is only for the saved.[/pullquote]

Perhaps the greatest error being perpetrated today is that the church building is only for the saved.  It is suggested that sinners should not be invited to church, but be led to Christ first and then brought into the building. This is total nonsense. What on earth could Paul have in mind when he said, “And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:20-22. If you don’t want sinners mixed in with the saints, why are you giving an invitation to them every Sunday? Does it bother you that these sinners got past your ushers?
Of course, we don’t allow the unsaved to become members of the church. But you do everything within your power to get the saints out to the lost, and get the lost to come to church.

You will search in vain for the structure of the local church or for proof that lost people should not be invited and encouraged to come. I am fully aware of the parable of the “great supper.” Everyone was invited “that My house might be full.”

  1. Get the lost to come to church
  2. Preach the gospel and get them saved
  3. Take them through a membership class and get them to become members of the church.
  4. Teach them how to study the Bible
  5. Get them involved in a ministry
  6. Get them on the mission field.
    If you do these, you will do well.
    If you have a better plan, please let us know.

A CONSERVATIVE CHURCH IN A LIBERAL WORLD

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HOW TO HAVE A CONSERVATIVE CHURCH TODAY

churchBy Ken Blue

Societies and cultures are not static. Some countries continue to live in the Stone Age; others are still living in the culture of the Old Testament, while much of the world continues to move into the space age of satellite technology. Is progress really good? If it is bad or good, how do we choose between the two?

It is relatively easy to find a Bible verse to defend, or defy any position we take concerning the church. Each person believes his views are biblically based, and yet each may be light years from each other. For example, there are pastors who use Old Testament Scripture to prove that women should only wear dresses. “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” Deuteronomy 22:5. To them, all women who wear pants are an abomination to God!

A good friend of mine teaches that women must keep silent in the church, thus no testimonies or special music by women. Women are not allowed to cut their hair. Pre-recorded background music is not permitted.

Some churches believe Sunday has replaced the Sabbath. It is the Lord’s Day and must be kept holy. They honor Sunday by not washing their car on Sunday, playing sports, or watching television. I have also met Christians who believe it is a sin to serve meals in the church anytime.

Some pastors will not allow guest speakers to sell their books after a service, while others allow t-shirts, CD’s, and jelly beans to be sold.

I know a godly pastor who is opposed to cowboy boots, wire-rimmed glasses, and jewelry. I know an evangelist who rails on PowerPoint but continues to use the overhead projector. (?)

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]We are under grace, and we should never allow others to bring us under their bondage.[/perfectpullquote]

Some pastors are petrified of the brethren. It is their fear that controls them. They will only use musical instruments they believe their cronies will approve. Everyone pretends that everything else is too progressive. They do not realize the absurdity of their view.

It is not the form or formality believers should be fighting over. These differ and change. No one should be rejected because his or her service differs from yours. It is biblical truth for this dispensation we should be conserving and defending. There’s not one church in a thousand that adheres to the conservative views held a hundred years ago. Paul never made an issue over days, diets, dress, facial hair, or sideburns. We are under grace, and we should never allow others to bring us under their bondage. Grace is not a license to sin. However, it is not a sin for others to differ from you. Neither is it wise to carry money through a neighborhood of thieves just because you have traveled that path for years.

We must adjust our convictions to those of the dispensation of grace as taught by Paul, the Apostle to the church. If we fail to adjust to this dispensation, we can make the Bible teach anything we choose. You can have a conservative church in a liberal world if you know what to conserve, and what to change.

STRIVING ABOUT WORDS

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STRIVING INSTEAD OF GETTING OUT THE GOSPEL

By Ken Blue

 

“Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. 2 Timothy 2:14.

 One way to discredit an individual is to give a word an alternate meaning from its intended context. There are several such words; and the brethren who use them have been segregated into a class of their own. I am reminded of the man who said, “Thou art stubborn; he is obstinate, and I am persistent.” Each word has much in common, but who wants to be thought of as stubborn or obstinate? “Persistent” always sounds more acceptable.

One word that has fallen into ill repute among the brethren is the word fundamentalist. The reason is its connotation and use. Fundamentalist have been associated with terrorist, fanatics and Kooks. This is unfair and unfortunate, but it is the way it is. Thus, many Bible believers, who embrace the fundamentals of the faith, are reluctant to be associated with some who call themselves fundamentalist. The fundamentals must be embraced, some fundamentalist need the boot.

Another word is the word share. One argument is that it isn’t a Bible word. Are we going to confine our vocabulary to words found only in Scripture? I don’t think so. We know the words rapture and trinity are not found in the Bible, yet we use them constantly because we know those truths are taught. The same principle is found in the word share. This truth and example is found from Genesis to Revelation. Perhaps a dictionary definition will help some. “share: A part or portion belonging to, distributed to, contributed by, or owed by a person or group. To accord a share in (something) to another or others: shared her chocolate bar with a friend. To have a share or part: shared in the profits.” This attack is another nail in the coffin of unity between believers.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Be careful when preaching to the Pharisees! To stay out of trouble, you must be political![/pullquote]

A young college student criticized his pastor because he used the word Philosophy. The pastor had pastored for about 15 years; the student had been out of college about six months. Below is a list of synonyms from the American Heritage Dictionary on the word, philosophy: “A system of belief, principles, or opinions:  • creed • dogma • faith • religion • doctrine • credo • canons • gospel.” All these words are used by pastors and no one complains. But if you say the word philosophy, you are related to the Antichrist. This is nonsense. It is the world’s philosophy one must reject, not the word!

The word Liberal is anathema among Bible believers. However, the word does not always have a negative connotation.  “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” Proverbs 11:25. “Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;” 2 Corinthians 9:13. Wouldn’t you like to have these liberals in your church? Our objection should be against those who take liberty with the Word of God and deny its teachings and Truth. Again, the word liberal is not a negative word, like all words, it depends on how it is used.

 Do you know what a fag is? Let me give you a dictionary definition. “1.a. A student at a British public school who is required to perform menial tasks for a student in a higher class. b. A drudge. 2. Chiefly British. Fatiguing or tedious work; drudgery. 1. To work to exhaustion; toil. 2. To function as the servant of another student in a British public school. –tr. To exhaust; weary: Four hours on the tennis court fagged me out.” American Heritage Dictionary.  Sodomy is the sickest sin on earth. So call it what it is, and stop trying to be “cute.”

The word Contemporary is another word that we must abhor. How contemporary are you? Some time ago I visited an Amish village in Illinois. All tools were of wood, carts were pulled by horses, and electricity was rejected. Are the Amish more in line with Scripture than you, since you are more contemporary? There was a time when all musical instruments were rejected by the church, and most of the music in your hymnal was rejected because it was contemporary at the time.  This is not a suggestion that you throw all caution to the wind. However, we need to stop acting like a donkey when it comes to words and methods.

The final word under fire is the word Entertainment. When used in relation to the church, it means that you must not have certain musical interments, Power Point, quartets, solos, songs under 100 years old, and more than one special.

Pastor, if you don’t entertain your congregation, you will lose it. All speakers and singers are trying to entertain and edify their listeners. That is why they use the style, words, and methods when presenting their message. I am aware that prayer, the power of God, the Word of God, the love of God, and the grace of God must be present. But, let’s stop hiding behind these, while pretending that the human element is not important. Many pastors need never worry about entertaining church members. Even the Devil would sleep through their service; everyone else is.

I have also discovered that you may quote certain leaders and get a course of “amen’s.” Just don’t mention the names of the men you quote. You may use their words, but you must know your crowd, or they will treat you like the Jews at Jerusalem treated Paul when he mentioned the word Gentile. So, be careful when preaching to the Pharisees! To stay out of trouble, you must be political!

TRIMMING THE CHURCH BUDGET

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By Ken Blue

church budget“There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.” Proverbs 21:20.

Recently, a pastor friend asks if I would write something about trimming the church budget. He then laughed and said, “Maybe the answer is to just run it through the shredder.” That would be an easy way to get rid of the budget, but it will not eliminate the problem.

The first thing is to make a list of every known expense you have. Once you have done that, separate between the fixed expenses and the variable or non fixed expenses. Fixed expenses are easy to identify. However, it may be necessary to keep a diary of all other expenses so you will know where non-designated monies go. You will discover that these differ from day to day.

See where you spend your money, and decide what you could do without. Some expenses are one-time events. But there are also expenses that you’ll regularly see in the diary. Monitoring your spending this way helps alert you to the expenses that add up quickly and really don’t significantly improve your ministry. Eliminate as many of these as you can.

As you consider expenses, there may be ways to reduce the overhead. I will list a few things to consider.

1. You might be able to cut down on the number of phones you have, or the plan.

2. Turn the water heater down. Check to see that toilets are not running 24/7. You can work out a fixed yearly budget with the city or county concerning utilities.

3. Put lower wattage and fewer light bulbs in fixtures.

4. Install motion sensor switches in each room so lights will go off when there’s no activity.

5. Make sure the heat and air conditioner are off when the building is not in use.

6. See that windows are closed.

7. Set heat a couple of degrees lower.

8. Look for signs of waste and eliminate it.

9. If required, talk to the bank about refinancing to lower your payments.

10.  Do not add missionaries or building projects that you can’t pay for.

11. Cut back or eliminate special meetings and guest speakers; they do not build your church attendance or budget.

12. If necessary, have the midweek service in a smaller room and save on heat.

13. Double your outreach efforts. When Jesus wanted Peter to pay the taxes, He sent him to catch a fish!

14.  If none of these solve the problem, you may need to lay off some staff.

15. Take special offerings occasionally to meet a need.

16. In some cases, the pastor may be required to seek additional employment.

Pastor, there’s only so much you can do. However, I am convinced that there are some things you could do that might ease the financial burden a little.

GOD’S TWO PROGRAMS

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THE PROGRAMS OF PROPHECY AND THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH

PROGRAMSBy Ken Blue

“ These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 10:5-7.

“But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:24.

“Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:” Romans 15:8.

“ Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” Colossians 1:25-27.

“And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:” Ephesians 3:9.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The church is never the subject of prophecy.[/perfectpullquote]

These are just a few of the many passages that explain that there are two programs in the Word of God. One is the program of prophecy and concerns Israel, and the other is the program of the mystery and concerns the church, the body of Christ. The church is never the subject of prophecy. Prophecy concerning Israel, their King, their land, and their kingdom; the subject of prophecy is from the very beginning.

But, the fact that there would be a body consisting of Jew and Gentile; where each is saved by grace alone, without Israel or the Law, was unknown until revealed to and by the Apostle Paul. This mystery church was unknown in every dispensation. This is why it is called a “mystery.”

The ministry of Peter and the Twelve concerned the fulfillment of prophecy and is called the gospel of the circumcision. “But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;” Galatians 2:7. The gospel preached by Paul was all grace and is the gospel of the un-circumcision. Some assume that Paul and Peter had the same gospel message, but that is not what the text says. It does not say to the circumcision; that would be contrary to the commissions in the gospels and early Acts.

Peter made it clear that Israel was living in the last days of prophecy for them, if they would repent. “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: Acts 2:16-20. Since they did not repent, the finalization of Joel’s last days of prophecy will be after the rapture of the body of Christ.

The two programs are crystal clear once we understand the purpose of Paul’s ministry. The two programs of God concern prophecy and the mystery. The unseen and unrevealed mystery of the church, the body of Christ, was hid from the foundation of the world until made known to and through Paul.