Understanding the structure of the early church government through the comparison of the new testame

In andthe U. Supreme Court banned state-sponsored prayer in schools. I could go down the entire list of these communistic goals and show how each one has been accomplished—completely or in part—inside of one generation.

Doctrine of the Church 1. Origin The church began on the day of Pentecost, with the coming of the Holy Spirit in its new work of sealing and permanently indwelling believers. The church is built by Jesus Christ; it is not a purely human organization.

Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Purpose The purpose of the church is clear, from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ himself: Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. The modern church's focus on self-help programs and programs for building healthy families, healthy kids, and healthy finances and the popularity of such books and videos in the stores and catalogues of Christendom is an indication of a severe lack of health in the body of Christ.

Certainly, the body comes together to be built up in the faith, but the purpose for all the teaching, the training and the fellowship is to empower and aid in the mission goal: A church that forgets its prime purpose, that focuses all efforts on fortress here and now and us against the world, group hug time, has one foot in the grave.

All activities of the church should be evaluated in the light of whether they aid or fail to aid or perhaps even hinder the work of spreading the gospel. Church Government Although it has lead to heated and even violent confrontations in the history of the church, one would be foolish not to admit that the text of Scripture is not entirely clear on just how the church was supposed to organize and structure itself.

Good arguments, frankly, can be made for each form and in the history of the church and even in the current church one will find all three organizations used. Each form seems to have strengths and weaknesses. As a Baptist, my favor falls with the last of the three: But lets examine each of these three in turn, and discuss how each works in practice.

From the SparkNotes Blog

Hierarchical or Episcopal Form of Government This is the form of organization used by the Roman Catholic church; one also finds it in the Eastern Orthodox churches and for that matter in several Protestant churches, as for instance the Anglican Church or Episcopal Church in the United Statesand the Methodist Episcopal church.

Some non-denominational churches essentially have this framework; a somewhat well-known example would be Grace Community Church, pastored by John McCarther. Such a church recognizes a bishop or church leader by some other designation, who has power by virtue of his office of directing the local church.

Representative or Presbyterian form of government Obviously this is the organizational style used by the Presbyterian and Reform churches; it recognizes the authority of duly appointed representatives of local churches, usually grouped geographically.

Often representatives of a local group called a presbytery of churches come under the supervision and direction of a larger body, or synod, and in turn the synod comes under the larger body of a general assembly.

While rules and extent of power vary, the idea is that duly appointed representatives constitute the authority of the church. Congregational Form of Government. The Baptists, the Disciples Churches, and the Congregationalists practice this style of organization, where each local church governs itself by means of democratic structures.

The authority remains with the local congregation, and important matters are decided by the congregation without respect to authority of other churches or officials. While local churches may be subject to some degree to higher bodies, committees, or officials, the concept of a congregational church is that a local congregation determines its own affairs, elects and ordains its own ministers, and directs the use of its own treasury.

Historical Overview of the Church It is a valuable thing, and useful to coming to a better understanding of the church, if we examine its history, the rise of the various sects, the various heretical movements, and the growth of denominationalism.

In this light, we must ask the question and attempt to find an answer to whether the splintering of the church, especially over the last five hundred years is a good thing or a very bad thing. And furthermore, how does it relate to the question of Jesus' prayer in John I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you.

Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name-the name you gave me-so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.

May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.The Facts About Islam Search this Site! Total Pageviews. Followers. Topics. Abdal Hakim Murad (10) 'Scholars confident on over 90% of the New Testame Authenticity of the Gospel of Judas - Dan Wallace; This is an interesting comparison brought to my attention by Nadir Ahmed between a teaching from s Bible verse and a hadith concerning.

We will then see how the precepts of the law apply within the historical narratives of the Old Testament. Their native tendency toward corrupt worship was early shown, while they waited for Moses to return from Mt.

Sinai. with unsanctioned means. The comparison here between Jeroboam and Jehu illustrates that Jeroboam's original crime.

It would be a grave mistake, however, to infer from this that the early Church had no definite structure or patterns of worship. The New Testament does not give a detailed plan of Church government, because the Church already existed when the books of the New Testament were written.

As we pointed out above, the epistles were not written to be. 1 Kings 18″21–21 And Elijah came unto all the people (when they all had gathered at Mount Carmel), and said, How long halt you between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follo w Him: but if Baal, then follow him.

And the people answered him not a word (the objective of . Context. The New Testament is the second, shorter part of the Christian Bible. Unlike the Old Testament, which covers hundreds of years of history, the New Testament only covers several decades, and is a collection of the religious teachings and beliefs of Christianity.

First one went through an extensive period of preparation as a "catechumen." This lasted as long as three years, involving close scrutiny of the catechumen's behavior. The church would only admit those who proved to be sincere in seeking a totally new life within the Christian community.