November 1954
By
Principal George Jeffreys
Cleansing and power for all churches
The Sovereignty of the Local Church
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Act 19:8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
Cleansing and power for all churches
The Divine plan for cleansing and empowering local churches is given in Christ’s Charter in Matthew chapter 18 verses 15 to 20
Cleansing through obedience
Matthew 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Power through obedience
Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mat 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Implicit obedience to the commandments of Christ’s Charter would mean churches freed from malice, guile hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking, which stunt spiritual growth and hinder revival.
What a tragedy it is when local churches are deprived of the Divine plan for cleansing and power!
The Sovereignty of the Local Church
Christ’s charter can only function in a church that assures its members the right to a voice and a vote in the business of the church. It authorises the church to sit in judgement upon members that are charged with wrongdoing, and to excommunicate the unrepentant from the church. Our Lord has not placed this serious responsibility upon the shoulders of the Pastor and Church officers only, but upon the whole church. Pastors and Church officers who have the honour of ruling and guidance in local Churches are themselves subject to the discipline of this charter, as well as being sharers with their fellow-members in its benefits.
The sovereignty of the local church is clearly taught by our Lord in His Charter, and all preachers of the Word are commissioned to make this known to all nations.
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Because formal Protestantism has neglected Christ’s Charter for His Churches in Matthew 18: 15 to 20, one of the most powerful promise-texts in the word of God has been surrendered to a false centrally controlled priesthood that has no foundation whatsoever in the New Testament.
An Orderly Church
Christ’s Charter cannot function in a loose disorderly Church. Obedience to its commandment can only be rendered in a properly organised local Church. An up-to-date membership register is therefore essential to determine who has the right to take part in the church business meetings. One way of keeping the membership register up-to-date is to have the names read out, checked, and confirmed by a resolution at a regular Church business meeting.
An up-to-date register will prevent confusion and frustration in a church business meeting by giving the decisive word as to who has the right to be present.
Safeguards for the Local Church
In our country the sovereignty of the local church needs to be protected and safeguarded by:
1 An up-to-date membership register containing the names of the church members.
2 A local church constitution giving the working arrangements of the church.
3 A minute book containing the decisions of the church meetings.
4 A Trust Deed, or a lease, or a contract, to secure the place of worship for the use of the local church.
The system of voting by postal ballot should of course, be above suspicion. Therefore unsigned voting papers enclosed in envelopes containing the names of the voters on the outside should not be addressed to, or be kept in the custody of a person or persons interested in the vote.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2Corinthians 8:21 Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
With the above safeguards the local church can protect itself against a dictatorship that might attempt to take control from within, and against the danger of a central totalitarian organisation taking legal control from without. Once men find themselves in positions of authority over pastors, people, finance and property of the churches it calls for great grace to resist the temptation to do evil in order to retain and extend authority.
Those who wilfully run churches without Christ’s Charter incur great risks to themselves and their fellow men. They need not wonder why they are becoming more bound by fetters that only our merciful Heavenly Father can break.
Proverbs 19:21 There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
Results of obedience
In Christ’s Charter for His Churches the way of humiliation, confession and restitution is seen leading on to a glorious victory. Churches rendering obedience to the commandments of Christ in verses 15 to 17 can invoke His all-powerful name to bind and loosen, with all that is implied in verses 18 to 20 Thus, washed by the water of the Word, they can claim the aid of the supernatural, take the offensive, and break through the Satanic forces that are seeking to destroy Church and Nation.
May Christians of all denominations be impelled to seek the restoration of Christ’s Charter in Mathew 18 to it’s divinely –appointed in all churches throughout our Nation.
