Question:
What is the house of God today?
Answer:
THE HOUSE OF GOD
The epistle of First Timothy was written so we know how to behave ourselves in the house of God which is the church of the living God: “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:14, 15).
The house of God aspect of the church has to do with having Godly order when God’s people are gathered together. We are told: “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). We learn God’s order from His Word, and we encourage you to read the Bible to get to know what pleases God. Do you know how much time it takes to read from Genesis to Revelation? Seventy-one hours, or twelve minutes a day. Will you make a New Year’s resolution to read through the Bible this year? New Year’s resolutions should be like crying babies in meeting–they should be carried out!
The compelling force for carrying out God’s order is a sense of His great love for us and His church. How wonderful it is that Christ “loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20), and it is just as wonderful that “Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25). So, if I love the Lord, I’m going to have to love the church.
Ekklesia is a Greek word that is translated “church,” and means “a called out company.” Christ has called out the church from the world to be here for Him.
The church’s headquarters is in heaven where Christ is, who is the Head the church (Ephesians 1:22, 23). No human leader should be accepted as the head of the church. When believers are gathered together they represent the church, the body of Christ (Matthew 18:20). Paul told the Corinthian assembly: “Ye are the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27). They were only part of the body of Christ, but they represented the church in that city. When we say, “There go the Marines” in a parade, we don’t mean that that is all the Marines there are, but that they represent the Marines. One reason we gather together is because we need each other. If part of our body falls asleep (leg, foot) it doesn’t work right. If we are asleep in the body of Christ, we don’t function as we should, others lose out, and above all the Lord loses out. We also gather together to represent the house of God.
There is NEED FOR DISCIPLINE in the house of God because of: (1) false professors who are known by their fruits (Matthew 7:15, 20), (2) wolves may enter in not sparing the flock (Acts 20:29), (3) false leaders (Acts 20:29,30), and (4) the flesh in every believer (especially pride) can have no part in God’s house (Galatians 5:16-21).
THE OBJECT OF DISCIPLINE is: (1) the glory of God’s name (Psalm 93:5; 1 Peter 4:17; 1 Corinthians 5:8), (2) to clear the assembly (2 Corinthians 7:11), and (3) the restoration of the one who has sinned (1 Corinthians 5:5, 2 Corinthians 7:6-11).
PREVENTATIVE DISCIPLINE begins with reception by the assembly to the Lord’s table of all believers whom Scripture would not exclude. Regarding “those within” (1 Corinthians 5:12), we should:
(1) By love serve one another (Galatians 5:13)–one may need a phone call.
(2) The same care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)–one may be hurting.(3) Consider one another (Hebrews 10:24,25)–be careful what we say and do.(4) Teaching and admonishing one another (Colossians 3:16)–by singing.(5) Kind one to another (Ephesians 4:32)–try to avoid cliques that leave others out. If this kind of discipline is carried out, oftentimes more serious discipline can be avoided.
CORRECTIVE DISCIPLINE—(1) warn the unruly (1 Thessalonians 5:14), (2) withdrawal (2 Thessalonians 3:14, 15), (3) public rebuke (1 Timothy 5:20), (4) “Wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14), administered by the spiritual (Galatians 6:1), (5) Go to thy brother alone (Matthew 18:15).
PRESERVATIVE DISCIPLINE—excommunication. Sin, if manifest and unconfessed, must be judged by the assembly (1 Corinthians 5:11). Sin could be moral (1 Corinthians 5), doctrinal (2 John 10, 11), personal trespass (Matthew 18:15-18), or associations (1 Corinthians 15:33). Discipline is not a form of punishment, but in love to bring them back to the Lord and to happy fellowship with the Lord’s people (1 Corinthians 5:2; 2 Corinthians 2:4-8).
The authority for discipline is Christ in the midst of His people (Matthew 18:15-20).
SEVEN DIVINE THINGS in Matthew 18:20.
1. “Where” The Divine Place2. “Two or three” The Divine Provision3. “Are gathered” The Divine Power4. “Together” The Divine Unity5. “Unto My Name” The Divine Object6. “There am I” The Divine Person and Presence7. “In the midst” The Divine Center
Friday Morning Lecture given by John McNeil at the Year-End-Meetings for the young people on December 31, 1993.