The Primacy of the Local Church
in this Age
By Rick Shrader
We
premillennialists understand the two comings of Jesus Christ. The first, as the
suffering Lamb of God, has already taken place, and the second, as the Lion of
the tribe of Judah, is yet to take place. There have always been those who
claim that Jesus Christ has returned in some other way, or that He is alive and
hiding somewhere on the earth right now. The Scripture gives no such
indication. But did you ever wonder what would happen if Jesus Christ did come
to earth, sometime between His first and second comings, and do something that
the world really needed done? What would He do? Would the world or His own
people respond? Actually, these are not questions for which there is no
answer. The biblical fact is, Jesus Christ did come back to earth between His
two comings—to a single man on a lonely island in the Mediterranean Sea! He
came briefly to this earth and appeared to the last living Apostle, John, and
commanded him to write down all that was revealed to him, which he faithfully
did. The message contains specific detail of how the present age will end and
what men will have to do if they are to escape the coming wrath of an Almighty
God.
I might have
imagined that Christ would come back to Caesar’s throne room. He could have
changed the sin and wickedness of the whole empire (the fact that Constantine
claimed that this happened, and that the Roman Church is the result, is
refutation enough to that supposed event). I might have imagined an end to
slavery, homosexuality and martyrdoms, and success in the evangelization of the
world due to the return of Jesus to the Mediterranean world in A.D. 95. But,
no! His appearance to John would be for a much more earth-shaking reason. His
appearance to John was for the expressed purpose of identifying, examining and
charging the local churches, during this interim age of grace, to be faithful in
their mighty and divine commission! These were not large or famous churches.
The persecution that they had already endured and that was yet to come would
keep them from becoming Roman Empire mega-churches. Their mission seemed
insignificant to the mighty and the wise of their day. Their prayer meetings
were deemed powerless next to the incense-burning services of the
amphitheaters. Their preaching of cross-bearing was foolishness to the freedom
and carnality of the Roman world. But Jesus Christ’s only concern was the
fitness and faithfulness of these congregations.
The local
churches were not without their problems. Five out of the seven letters contain
scathing rebuke for sin and error that were allowed to remain unchecked within
the churches. There was fear and doubt that their meager resources could
accomplish the great task that had been given them. It was obvious that the
Lord’s promise of blessing was not to everyone who resided in the churches, but
to those who would overcome and follow His Word. Though the letters to these
churches differ in significant ways, there are many common ingredients in the
charges to all seven churches.
Each letter is addressed to
the pastor of the church
In chapter
one, John sees Christ with seven stars in His right hand. He is told
specifically, “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches” (1:20).
The pastors are called “angels” because they are the messengers of God to the
congregations. Paul reminded the Galatian Christians, “And my temptation which
was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of
God, even as Jesus Christ” (Gal 4:14). Christ has the pastors in His right hand
and He is about to take them for a walk through their churches. No door will
remain unlocked, no file unopened, no secret activity will be left behind closed
doors. Every letter begins with Christ addressing “the angel of the church of .
. .” and He says “I know
your
(second person singular) works!”
How local
churches need pastors who can walk with God without fear or shame! Martyn-Lloyd
Jones said, “The preacher's first, and most important, task is to prepare
himself, not his sermon.”1
R.A. Torrey said, “Many of us who are professedly orthodox ministers are
practically infidels.”2
Dr. Clearwaters used to tell us students, “More of you will fail in
administration than in preaching.” But I would have to say today, more of us
have failed in preaching than in administration. We are information and
administration gurus! But have we prepared ourselves to walk with God among the
candlesticks?
Each letter is signed from
the Holy Spirit to the churches
At the end of
each letter we read, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith
unto the churches.” The Holy Spirit is the divine Administrator of the church.
“The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given
unto us” (Rom 5:5). These small bands of believers possessed more power within
their midst than the whole Roman army could muster in ten life-times. There was
no jail cell in the empire that had been able to hold an apostle when the church
prayed. He is still in the business of restraining the sin and evil of an
entire world (2 Thes 2:7) as well as convicting the entire world of sin,
righteousness and judgment to come (Jn 16:8). What could be more important to
these churches than the conviction and guiding of this Holy Overseerer?
The pastor
has no fear of church business when the members are Spirit-filled. The voting
of the congregations that we see in the New Testament were mere expressions of
the Holy Spirit’s will when the majority of Spirit-filled members voted their
Spirit-led consciences. But when the Nicolaitans were writing the curriculum
(2:6, 15), and Jezebel was doing the counseling (2:20), and Balaam was
scheduling Balak to hold special meetings (2:14), no marquee in the empire could
promise “Revival begins next week!” God gave us one mouth and two ears so we
could “hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
Each letter has reference to
the description of the resurrected Christ
Paul had
written to the Corinthians, “yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh,
yet now henceforth know we him no more” (2 Cor 5:16). The earthly ministry of
Christ’s first coming is done. If we want a glimpse of Christ today or in the
future, we need to read Revelation chapter one. With pieces from that picture
of Christ with His head and hairs like wool, His eyes like flames of fire, His
feet like burning brass and His voice like many waters, He begins each letter to
the churches. To Ephesus, who left their first love, He walks among the
candlesticks; to Smyrna, who was suffering persecution unto death, He is the
first and the last, who was dead and is alive; to Pergamos and Thyatira, who had
not dealt with doctrinal error, He has a sharp sword and feet like brass.
On the
Damascus road Paul learned that when he had persecuted the body of Christ on the
earth, he had persecuted the Head in heaven. From that we should learn that our
attitude or action toward the local churches on earth is taken personally by our
Head who is in heaven. It ought to give us pause. A.J. Gordon wrote, “A noble
head, lofty-browed and intellectual, upon a deformed and stunted body is a
pitiable sight. Even so, an unsanctified church dishonours the Lord by its
incongruity. To the angels and principalities who gaze evermore upon the face
of Jesus, what must be the sight of an unholy and misshapen church on earth,
standing in that place of honour called 'His body.”3
Each letter contains the
words of Christ: “I know thy works”
Whether it is
to the five sinning churches or to the two churches who receive no rebuke,
Christ declares that He knows what they do. The good works, labor and patience
is noted even when the church had serious problems. Service done to God never
goes unnoticed. He even took note of Cornelius’ good works before he became a
believer (Acts 10:4). But neither does God disregard the sin in the church just
because there is a lot of spiritual activity going on. Ephesus was in danger of
losing their standing among the candlesticks (2:5) even though Christ knew their
works, labor and patience (2:3). Christ was ready to fight against the church
at Pergamos (2:16) even though He knew their good works and that they had not
denied His name (2:13). When Christ looks at our busy churches and still says,
“Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee,” we are in present danger of
losing His blessing!
In the days
of American revivalism, local churches found it easy to neglect the important
day by day necessities of the church. “Revivalism's tendency toward spiritual
individualism had led evangelists 'in a great measure to neglect the church.'
But it was in life within the church that believers could find 'the truths of
the gospel that constitute the food of Christians' that was 'essential to their
sanctification.”4
There are no important and unimportant sins within the church.
Each letter leaves room for
the individual Christian to do right
To the
sinning churches, Christ’s simple command is to “repent.” It is not necessary
to give God excuses and reasons why we have gone astray. He sees every detail
immediately and goes straight to the heart of the matter. He is also ready to
forgive at the moment our repentance and confession comes! (1 John 1:9). The
Holy Spirit’s invitation to each church is “He that hath an ear to hear.”
Regardless of what the rest of the church is doing, an individual believer is
responsible for himself to God and always has the ability to do right.
When God was
ready to throw Thyatira into a bed of fornication with Jezebel, He said, “But
unto you and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and
which have not known the depths of Satan . . .” (2:24). When Sardis was caught
in her carnal showiness that lacked any spiritual depth (3:1), the Lord said,
“Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and
they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy” (3:4). When God was
ready to spew Laodicea out of His mouth for their lukewarmness, He gives the
great invitation, “If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in
to him and sup with him, and he with me” (3:20). None of us will be able to
plead individual ignorance when we stand before God.
And so . . . .
Local
churches are to Christianity what families are to a nation. When they are
redefined, broken down, and lose their authority, the whole will be weakened by
the parts. When the government merely uses families to gain and keep political
control, that nation is in trouble. When denominations and movements lose sight
of the primacy of the local church, and merely use them to keep control, those
movements will be in trouble as well. May we remain faithful, vigilant and
undaunted in this great business of the local church on earth!
Notes:
1. Quoted
by Tony Sargent,
The Sacred Anointing: The Preaching of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
(Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1994) 126.
2. R.A.
Torrey,
How To Pray
(Chicago: Moody Press, nd) 101.
3. Quoted
by J. Sidlow Baxter,
Our High Calling
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1977) 91.
4. Charles
Hambrick-Stowe,
Charles G. Finney and the Spirit of American Evangelicalism
(Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1966) 180.
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