To make a rational conclusion on any subject, one must first examine all the evidence and then make a conclusion based on that evidence. Many people today have placed the proverbial cart before the horse. In matters of a spiritual nature, some have fallen into the realm of pre-established supposition, and, when this happens, facts are frequently ignored or the wrong conclusions drawn. Some modern presuppositions include: 1. All religions are alike; 2. the Bible is full of errors; 3. miracles are impossible; and, 4. God does not exist. If we begin a factual search of any of these issues, without prejudice, the conclusions that we draw are quite different from those attained by preconception. Much mysticism surrounds the story of Jesus Christ. Many people have difficulty rationalizing what they have heard about Jesus because much does not fit with their own personal experiences. They have not seen anyone turn water into wine, wither a fig tree with a word or make the lame walk by faith, thus they perceive it as impossible and incomprehensible. Probably the most significant element of the Christian faith is the most physically, scientifically, logically impossible event that could have ever occurred: the resurrection of Jesus from the dead! Nothing in our life experience could prepare us for such a metaphysical event! Oh, we have heard of those who have been brought back to life shortly after being pronounced dead by a physician, but this does not begin to compare with the Gospel accounts of

What does the expression “tell it to the church” in Matthew 18:17 refer to? Does it mean the corporate assembly or merely to elders, or the men if elders are not ordained? The word “church” is used in the New Testament of the divine organization for which Jesus died and over which he is head in three distinct senses. First, it may refer to the universal church, spanning not only the globe and including every congregation, but also such congregations in the past and the future (Acts 2:47; Ephesians 1:22). Second, it may refer to a particular congregation meeting in some locality (1 Corinthians 1:2) or a collective reference to such local congregations (Romans 16:16). Third, it may refer to the worship assembly of a local congregation (1 Corinthians 14:23). Therefore, the context, as often is the case respecting many biblical words, is essential to determine the way in which the word “church” is used in a certain verse of Scripture. Obviously, the reference to “church” in Matthew 18:17 is to a local congregation. However, what constitutes telling it to the church when lodging a complaint against an impenitent brother who has sinned against one, and who is impervious to overtures by even several brethren to prompt him to repent of sin? Fully organized congregations are served by biblically qualified elders, part of whose responsibilities is to exercise church discipline (the subject of Matthew 18:15-18) (Titus 1:9-11) and who are otherwise to shepherd (Acts 20:28) or rule (Hebrews 13:17) the flock or church

“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” (Ephesians 4:11-12). When I was in the United States Air Force, I was taught that the sergeant was the “backbone” of the military. In the same sense, the teacher is the “backbone” of the church. He is the “line supervisor” in the work of edification of the body. James 3:1 (ASV) reads, “Be not many of you teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment.” Wait a minute! Did James really say that? And what about Hebrews 5:12, “For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food.” Is this a contradiction? The simple answer is: Of course not! One need only look into context to see what James is telling us. He is not saying that we should not teach, but that we need to be careful what we teach. There are entirely too many passages that speak to us as teachers to deny that every Christian has some teaching responsibility. The apostles and prophets recognized their teaching responsibilities. Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 14:19, “howbeit in the church I had rather speak five words

Any discussion of the “pastor,” as it is used in Ephesians 4:11, must first begin with a basic understanding of how the word is used in Scripture. Many today believe the “pastor” is the “evangelist,” but the verse in question clearly defines it differently. As we see in Acts 20:17-28, the “elder” (vs. 17) is to be an “overseer” (bishop, vs. 28) and to “shepherd” (pastor) the church of God. Just as the “evangelist” is also to “preach” and to “minister” (2 Timothy 4:2-5), the “elder” is to be a “bishop” and to “pastor.” These are simply different aspects of the same office. There is a great deal of difference between an “office” and the “work” of that office. Many who do not hold a particular office are still involved in doing the kind of work that men holding the office participate in. This is how men in business are promoted; they do enough of the kind of work done by their superiors in order to demonstrate their abilities to hold the higher position. This is also true of the pastor. Much has been said in recent years about the qualifications of elders (pastors), as spelled out in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. Probably the most important thing to remember about these prerequisites is that they are minimum qualifications for the position. Just as a company advertising to fill a position will give the minimum qualifications, any resume that doesn’t contain them will go from the in basket to the wastebasket. Some

Most people think of the evangelist as the head salesman in “My Father’s business.” Though promoting the church to the world is what evangelism is all about, this is not the only function that is designated for the evangelist. In Ephesians 4:11-12, the apostle Paul wrote, “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:” This demonstrates an internal role for the evangelist. “Evangelist” is a difficult office to identify today. For some reason, churches today are more concerned with a “ministry” than with having an “evangelist.” It gets even more confusing when you look at all the different kinds of “ministers” there are. Some of the larger congregations have a “pulpit minister” as well as one or more  “associate ministers,” while turning the young over to a “youth minister,” the weak to an “involvement minister” and everyone who is not being served by some other minister can see their “family life minister.” Even more disturbing is when one sees women being described in a  “minister’s” office. One congregation is currently advertising for a “female youth minister.” Timothy was told by his mentor, Paul, in 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” He went on in verse 5, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work

The mission statement of the church is in Ephesians 3:10, “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” One stated goal in the mission of the church is that of edification of the body. This is done, according to God’s business plan, with the aid of men. These men are described in Ephesians 4:11-12, “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. ”The “prophet” is one who is not often understood, nor given his proper due. The prophet, in the New Testament, is one who has been given a measure of the Holy Spirit which allows him special ability to expound the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is one who is divinely inspired. This differs greatly from those who are inspired in an earthly way, such as William Shakespeare or Michael Crichton. Divine inspiration is that which is literally “theopneustos” or God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). Second Samuel 23:2 puts it this way; “The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.” Peter expands by saying, in 2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” In other words,

A businesslike approach to the work of the church should result in the same kind of success experienced in the corporate world.  As we set out, as Jesus did, to do our “Father’s business,” we can learn a lot from the success of those businesses who practice “strategic management.” Beginning with a “business plan,” a successful company first formulates a mission statement.  The mission statement of the church is in Ephesians 3:10, “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” Once a mission statement is devised, goals and objectives are established to accomplish the mission of the company.  The Bible has set these goals and objectives for us.  In Ephesians 4:11-16, we can see all three of the main objectives of the church.  In verse 12, we read of the “work of ministry,” as well as the “edifying of the body of Christ,” and in verse 16, “increase of the body.”  These are the main objectives to making known the manifold wisdom of God: ministry (or good works), edification of the body (or the church) and growth (evangelism).  This list is not given, however, in the order of first importance. Without internal strength, the work becomes weak and ineffectual; thus, edification of the body must be the first priority.  When Paul penned the letter to the Ephesians, he stipulated that this work was placed in the hands of various men: Ephesians 4:11-12, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,

Successful companies in the business world use strategic management to plan for success. The church should also plan for success by using God’s “business plan.” From a managerial view, businesses develop a business plan containing the following elements: a mission statement, an assessment of the outside environment, a company profile, goals and objectives, and a five year plan to implement those goals. The church need not create such a plan because this plan has already been developed by the Chairman of the Board, God. The church’s mission statement can be found in Ephesians 3:10, “To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” The church’s primary responsibility is the preaching of the Gospel and the doing of good works. It says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” God has assessed the outside environment for us. Ephesians 2:12 reads, “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” The preaching of the Gospel is, by design, that which gives hope and places one in a right relationship with God. A true company profile of the church can be obtained by a study of the New Testament church. We need only compare the