CHURCH ORDER by J. B. Frisbie

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 10, 1856

CHURCH ORDER.

By J. B. Frisbie

BY J. B. FRISBIE.

(Concluded.)

Rom. xiii, 1-10. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God; the powers that be, are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: for he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For, for this cause pay ye tribute also; for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

2 Cor. xii, 20, 21; xiii, 1, 2. For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strife, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: and lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness, and fornication, and lasciviousness, which they have committed. This is the third time I am coming to you: in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare.

1 Cor. v; vi, 1-11. "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote unto you in an epistle, not to company with fornicators: yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters: for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now have I written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner: with such a one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more, things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."

The higher power is God's power. The powers that be ordained of God are God's ministers who bear rule in the church by the authority of God's law; who bear the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, a "revenger of all disobedience," according to law in the mouth of two or three witnesses. Paul says, "I have judged already"—when ye are gathered together—deliver such an one to Satan. Therefore put away from yourselves that wicked person. Then he condemns the idea of brethren going to law to settle their difficulties before the unjust. But that all matters of differences should be brought before one in the church competent to judge, or before the church or saints, or before the ministers of God who bear the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, and should be ready on all points to give the Bible testimony.

2 Thess. iii, 1-6, 11-15. Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified even as it is with you: and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

It is the duty of the church then to obey and to execute discipline in all cases according to the word. It is further the duty of the church to pray for their ministers. Eph. vi, 19; Col. iv, 3; 1 Thess. v, 25. In all these places the apostle makes request for the prayers of the brethren, that he might be assisted of God to preach the word, &c. Why not now just as important as ever? Then, brethren, pray often for the messengers of the Lord.

In the close of this lengthy article we will notice one more point with extreme caution. That is, giving and receiving. Hirelings work for wages. But God's ministers work for God, and not for wages in this world. A number who have labored in the Office, and in the wide-spread harvest field, have already fallen victims to disease and death. Theirs is a life of toil, care, anxiety, deprivations, that we fear sometimes the brethren do not realize in its proper light. We all give our time, believing with all our hearts that this is the Lord's work, the Third Angel's Message, the last message to this fallen world. And ere long the plagues of God are to fall on the guilty heads of the wicked, and sweep them all away with the besom of destruction. And then what will houses and lands be worth? And Israel can never be gathered unless the church obeys Luke xii, 29-36:

And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after; and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms: provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

And even so hath the Lord ordained, that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. 1 Cor. ix, 14. Those who spend all their time in spreading the truth, and many having little or no means of their own, must look to the church to have their expenses borne, or they must be under the necessity of laboring in some other employment. Is it not the duty of the church to see to this, and make some inquiries after these matters? The Lord Jesus said it was more blessed to give than to receive. Acts xx, 35. "And God loveth a cheerful giver." 2 Cor. ix, 7.

We make it understood that this cause is of the Lord, and is to be taken care of by free gifts, free-will offerings; and that the Lord will bless the cheerful giver. What does look worse than duns in a religious paper? And why is it that those who have the Review should be backward to send in the sum of one dollar in six months? It may be thought that the paper is high priced. But look at the original matter in its columns every week, then consider the extra help it needs to prepare and set it up, with those weekly chaff papers whose columns are filled with advertisements and selected matter; papers that we should feel it would be lost time to read.