Series: Fundamental Lessons on the Church. Lesson Eight,

The Local Church And Evangelism

By Bob W. Lovelace

Dear reader from time to time the church I am a member of will get a promotional letter asking us "as a church" to donate to some sponsoring church's project. Since the work they have planned goes beyond their own potential they must ask for other churches to participate by sending contributions to them. By stark contrast each local church was complete in the New Testament. And this completeness is such that a church can function should it be the only one known by its members to exist upon the face of the earth. God gave each local church the necessary organization and tools to do the work! (see Lesson Six, "Local Church Autonomy."). Each worked according to its own potential and ability. Only in the matter of "benevolence to needy saints" do we find church to church contributions in the New Testament patterns. And even then as we have studied no church ever sent to a sponsoring church in charge of collecting from other churches for the purpose of distributing to another church or churches (See "The Local Church And Benevolence").

Consider the following points from this restatement from Lesson Six.

Restatement from Lesson Six:

Question: What do elders oversee?

Dear reader they watch for the souls and oversee all of the work of the local church. That's their function as bishops or overseers (*For specific definitions of elder, bishop, shepherd, pastor, presbyters see Lesson Four). The relationship of the members to their own elders is stated in Hebrews 13:17, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." Elders labor among the members; they will have to admonish members who need it (I Thes. 5:12). No member is exempt from the duty of submitting to the oversight of the elders of the church. They oversee by the authority of the word, the New Testament. Elders are men who know the word and properly apply it (Titus 1:9). Look above now at the chart above, "The Local Church and its Work." Right there are the things elders oversee. There is simply nothing about the church that does not fall under their oversight. Here are the things that they oversee that they do not delegate to the elders of another church!

Elders oversee:

1. The acceptance process of those desiring to place membership with and work with the

church (Acts 9:26-28).

2. The treasury of the church (Acts 4:34-37; I Cor. 16:1-3).

3. The work of edification through worship, teaching, preaching and the discipline of unruly

members (I Cor. 14:26; Acts 20:7; Eph. 5:19-21; Col. 3:16; I Cor. 5; I Th. 5:14; 2 Th. 3:6,14).

4. The support of evangelists at home and abroad (I Thes. 1:8; Phil. 4:15; I Cor. 9:14; 2 Cor.

11:8).

5. The work of benevolence to needy saints, both members and elsewhere (Acts 4:34-35; Acts

6:1-6; Acts 11:27-30; I Cor. 16:1-3; 2 Cor. 8-9; Rom. 15:26-27).

We noted above in points "3." and "4." that elders oversee the work of the church in edification and the support of evangelists at home and abroad. Going on now, here are scriptures in the New Testament that deal with the support of those who teach and preach God's word. This presents the work of the local church in "evangelism."

Scriptures on the work of the church in supporting the teaching and preaching of the Word:

A. The local church's obligation to support its own preacher,

1. The Lord commanded that those who preach the gospel should live of the gospel (1 Cor. 9:14).

a. Thus the obligation of the local church to support their own preacher.

2. A thorough discussion of the "right" to be supported is found in I Cor. 9:3-14.

a. The "have a right to" passages also establish authority for the support of preachers of the Gospel: I Cor. 9:4,5,6,12,14.

B. When the church sends out and supports preachers elsewhere,

1. Jerusalem sent out Barnabas to go to Antioch (Acts 11:22).

2. Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas out on their first journey (Acts 13:3).

3. Antioch sent men to Jerusalem (Acts 15:3).

4. The church at Philippi supported Paul while he was in Thessalonica (Phil. 4:15-16).

5. While at Corinth other churches supported Paul (2 Cor. 11:8-9).

C. Elders may be supported by the local church (I Tim. 5:17-18).

Some explanations of "A," "B" and "C" Above,

"A" The Local Church obligation to support its own preacher (I Cor. 9:14),

The Lord himself "ordained" that those who preach the gospel should live of the Gospel (I Cor. 9:14). That ought to settle the matter once and for all. Many brethren have abused what Paul said about his not taking support while in Corinth. The restraint was Paul's not Corinth's (I Cor. 9:15). Paul said others "had" partaken of this right over Corinth thus they knew what it was like to support preachers (I Cor. 9:12). The apostle Paul had reasons for not taking support from Corinth while he was at Corinth (I Cor. 9:18; 2 Cor. 11:7-10, *an advantage over false teachers and false accusations, vss.11-21). When we read Acts 18 we find him working with Aquila and Priscilla in the trade of tent making (Acts 18:3). Brethen who can't accept what the Lord ordained (see I Cor. 9:14 above) need to realize Paul was inspired. His lessons came by inspiration when needed. Preachers today have to read constantly and study to make the necessary arrangement of thought. The scriptures say a preacher has "a right to refrain from working" (I Cor. 9:6) thus it isn't done for free! Moreover, it seems that some who take great delight in Paul working "some" while at Corinth seem to ignore the fact that other churches supported him while he was there. Just because Corinth did not support Paul that does not mean other churches didn't support him while he was at Corinth. In fact other churches did support Paul and help to meet his needs (read 2 Cor. 11:8-9). The Lord ordained that preachers be supported. As one brother put it there are three reasons why Christians would not want to support a man who preaches the word faithfully: 1. Ignorance. However, when any Christian reads I Corinthans chapter nine that's taken care of. 2. Covetousness (See I Cor. 5:11). 3. Envy. There are some brethren who would like to preach but don't. And then they deprive the one who does of rightful support. Such things as the right to a wife and family will mean support past basic needs for the man (I Cor. 9:5). Beloved that's what the following verses in I Cor. 9:7-11 are all about. The man serves the church by ministering spiritual things and they give him material support in return. Many churches "do" understand their obligation to support those who preach both at home and abroad. Hear Paul, "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel" (1 Cor. 9:14). God's word should "stand" in the hearts of all of His children (Col. 2:7; Eph. 3:17).

 Each local church worked according to its own potential,

We have already discussed the autonomy of the local church (Lesson Six). Local churches in the first century did not come up with a work that was greater than their ability and potential could sustain. With this important point something needs to be said about the so called "created need." From time to time the church where I preach will get a "Promotional Letter" from some large church. The letter will present some "brotherhood project" that church has decided it will take upon itself. They often state that church's desire to "go into all the nation" or to "go into al the world" to spread the Word. That's followed with explaining how their church's own resources and potential falls short of their goal. They explain that they can "only" provide "X" amount and that is simply not enough to get this great work done! Usually their financial wizard has already zealously worked up a financial statement listing all expenses along with necessary income to get the job done. Goal setting with dates and times when each stage will be complete are given thus making the project feasible and attractive. And then comes the kicker. The sponsoring church now asks the other churches receiving the promotional letter to pledge and send by a certain date in order that they might participate. It is now asking the other churches to send to them so they can do the work they've planned to do with the other churches money! One such letter we received even gave Acts 4:34-37 as their scripture for this very thing. And I'm setting here reading this letter and thinking why can't these over zealous individuals see that Acts 4:34-37 does not present what they are trying to promote? If you haven't studied about the generosity among members of the church in Jerusalem in Lesson Four, Part One then you need to do so. Here the simple pattern is presented of the local church receiving its funds from the contributions of its own members. And that's what Acts 4:34-27 does teach! There is nothing in Acts 4:34-37 that has several local churches sending to a big sponsoring church so that church could perform a task greater than its own potential and ability is capable of! If you have not yet studied the lessons on "Local Church Autonomy" then please do. See Lesson Four, Part One and Two of this series.

Individuals do strange things when it comes to money,

Here's a point concerning individuals and their inordinate use of a local church just to get a tax credit. In the New Testament individuals did not send funds to a church to be "ear marked" and given to the preacher. This is what some will do to get a tax credit. A brother called me one day and asked for my thoughts on this very thing. Someone elsewhere (Not being a member where he was.) desired to send him money that he could have used. But the individual did not want to send it to him directly. He wanted to send it to the local church where he preached and then let the church funnel it on to him. That way the sender could get his tax deduction. That's not a pattern in the scriptures. And that is not a local church as a church supporting its own preacher. What is it? I'll tell you what it is. It is an individual who has taken it upon himself to instruct a local church he is not even a member of to receive his funds to be ear marked for a particular preacher. Where is that pattern? It’s not there. Oops! He just lost his money. My thinking was that particular person ought to want to help him without using a local church as funneling agency. He agreed and was glad to hear someone agree with him. I’ve had that happen to me. The person didn’t send the money when they found out they couldn’t send it to the church. What they wanted was to send it to the church to be put in the treasury but "ear marked" to be given to me. That way they too could get their tax deduction. I concluded the person didn’t really care about my needs. If you help your parents because they don’t have much you don’t get a tax deduction for doing so. Now, do you not send them money just because you don’t get the deduction? If so then you don’t care about your parents! Why does everything have to revolve around money? Brethren want to do strange things when it comes to money. Local churches are not funneling agents for other churches, human societies or ambitious brethren desiring to send money to a preacher but preferring it be deposited in a church treasury first; then asking that the church send it on for them to the person.

About foundations and human organizations sending to local churches of Christ,

Once again prior lessons in this series are important. If you have not studied Lesson Four, Part One & Two then we believe you would benefit in doing so. In that lesson we gave a complete picture of the local church as God ordained it with the components that make it an "organization." The members pooled their resources into a common treasury in order that the church might accomplish God's work. Each church was autonomous and independent functioning according to its own potential and ability. Churches in the New Testament did not attach themselves to human societies in order to be able to do their work. They sent no contributions to human societies and received no donations from human societies. Moreover there were no human societies or foundations set up by brethren for the support of churches of Christ! Remember, where the money comes from is part of the New Testament pattern. And local churches of Christ were not agents through which ear marked funds were funneled from human societies on to churches or to individuals. Local congregations must never allow powerful men exercising political influence through human societies and foundations to convince them to become agents through which funds are funneled to co-hearts elsewhere. If such should happen things have gone awfully wrong among God's people and churches of Christ. Beloved, God's simple pattern of local church organization and autonomy should put to rest the very thought and suggestion of such before it is ever brought to fruition.

"B" The local church sending to a preacher elsewhere,

1. The church sent directly to the preacher, Phil. 2:25; 4:10, 14, 15-16, 17.

When a church sent to a preacher elsewhere it sent directly to the preacher. That is the pattern. There is no sponsoring church arrangement in the scriptures. No church in the New Testament ever sent to another church in the matter of evangelism. To Philippi Paul says, "your care for me has flourished again" (Phil. 4:10, 14). Philippi had been active in the past with regard to supplying Paul's needs (2 Cor. 11:9). Reminding them of his departure from Macedonia he says, "When I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only." Paul said "no church …but" Philippi. There is no sponsoring church arrangement here! Philippi gave to Paul. And Paul received from Philippi. That's plain enough! This was the collective work of the local church at Philippi. Paul did not say "I received from individuals of the church at Philippi." Moreover, the "profit" of Philippi's care for him was being put to their account (Phil. 4:17). The Lord knows the work of the His churches (Rev. 2:2, 9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8, 15).

2. Other churches supporting Paul at Corinth, 2 Cor. 11:8.

To Corinth Paul said, "I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service." Nowhere in the scriptures did a sending church collect wages for Paul from other churches. Paul said "I" took wages. And no local church anywhere ever received wages sent for an evangelist to be put into their church's treasury! Dear reader the church at Corinth did not receive Paul's wages. The church at Corinth never touched his wages! Paul's wages went to Paul and not to the treasury of the church at Corinth. If a church wanted to support an evangelist they did. And they sent the money right to him! Moreover, the church sent by "brethren" and not through another church (2 Cor. 11:9). Beloved when other churches sent Paul wages and needs at Corinth not one of them interfered with Corinth's work as a local church! By following God's divine pattern of sending directly to the preacher himself, and not to the church, they were able to assist Paul in his needs without interfering in Corinth's work as a local church. This is God's pattern today in evangelism. The divine organization that God gave for the support of evangelists is the local church. Christians in the first century built no human society for the support of evangelists. And no churches of Christ or individual Christians contributed to a human society built by Christians for the support of evangelists.

C. The local church and the support of elders who labor in the word,

1. Elders may be supported by the local church (I Tim. 5:17-18).

2. Preachers may serve as elders when meeting the qualifications in I Tim. 3:1-7; Titus1:5-9.

Here Paul said elders who rule well should be counted worthy of double honor. He used the same scripture for proof that he used in I Cor. 9:9. Moreover he quotes from the Lord himself in saying, "The laborer is worthy of his hire" (Lk. 10:7). "Elders" are the ones here who labor in the word and in doctrine. One of the qualifications for an elder is that he must be capable in teaching the word. Thus it is not uncommon to find a preacher serving in a local church as one of the elders. Peter was a preacher and an elder (I Pet. 5:1). It's perfectly scriptural for a preacher to be an elder when he meets the qualifications God gave for elders (I Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).

The patterns for the local church in evangelism,

1. Each local church worked according to its own potential (ability), Acts 14:23; I Pet. 5:2.

2. The obligation to support the preacher, I Cor. 9:14.

3. The local church sent preachers, Acts 11:22; 13:3.

4. The local church sent directly to the preacher in the matter of his wages and needs

elsewhere, 2 Cor. 11:8-9; Phil. 4:15-16.

Dear reader this concludes this series of lessons on the church. We hope that these lessons have persuaded you to investigate the church of Christ.

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