Of the principles in the New Testament relative to local churches or assemblies, one of the most important establishment of each on its own basis of dependence on the Lord, in independence of the control of any other church. In the New Testament pattern there is no such thing as the amalgamation or combination of churches even in a district, to form an organization or system. There is no center from which all are governed. Each church of God (a N. T. term for a local church) is itself responsible to the Lord, under the guidance of the Spirit, in accordance with the revealed will of God. Had this been adhered to, sects would not have arisen.

This involves another, namely, the dependence upon the Lord for the provision of spiritual gifts, such as elders, or overseers (called bishops in Philippians 1:1 and Acts 20:8 R.V.). The N. T. presents no such thing as a single “minister” over a church. The temporary work of Timothy at Ephesus was that of a visiting missionary (1 Tim.1:3). He was to see to it that faithful men act as ministers of the Word after he left (2 Tim.2:2). The raising up of elders was the work of the Spirit, and their recognition was on the basis of their manifest qualifications in character and conduct and the existing exercise of their stewardship (Titus 1. v.5-9 R.V. and 1 Thess. V.12). Any overseeing brethren should aim so to engage in his work that if the Lord takes him, the testimony may be carried on efficiently by others in the gathering.

Again, each church was under the guidance of the Holy Spirit for its worship and testimony when the assembly was gathered in its collective capacity (1 Corinthians 14 v. 26-33; Phil. 3:3, 'who worship by the Spirit of God' R.V.). The conduct of such gatherings was not under the control of a single person, or according to pre-arranged order. So with the Lord's Supper, there is an entire absence of any such thing as “the administrating of the sacraments” or the dispensing of the elements by a presiding functionary. The bread is that which “we break” (1 Cor. 10:16). The brother who breaks the loaf or pours out the wine, where such acts are necessary, is simply rendering the service of preparation for his fellow-believers to partake. He is not performing representative acts. Ecclesiasticism in this and other respects sprang up, not as a Spirit-guided development, but as a distinct departure in post-apostolic times, from the teaching of the Scriptures.

Again, each church was designed to be a center of missionary activity in testimony in its own locality and in regions beyond *(1 Thess. 1:8) and missionaries went forth from such in simple dependence on the Lord for guidance as to their service and their supplies (Acts 13. v. 2-3 lit. “they let them go”). They were under no human authority.

In all these matters, as well as those relating to Christian life and conduct, the Word of God was designed to be the all-sufficient guide and rule of conduct. The faith is “the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3. R.V.). No addition was to be made, nor was there to be any deviation from it. The Scriptures were not received from the authority of the Church as such, but from individual writers under the inspiration of the Spirit of God.

Be it ours to adhere to the Scriptures of truth that we may receive the Lord's approving word, “Thou hast kept My Word, and has not denied My Name (Rev.3:8).

By W. E. Vine Nov/Dec. 1981 Assembly Testimony