Chapter Two - The Crisis: Leadership

The church today is facing a crisis. It is a crisis of leadership. A group of people will not rise above their leadership. Human nature being what it is, God has always seen fit to provide the proper guidance for his people. The patriarch of the family originally was the one through whom this direction was given. The good, God-fearing leaders kept the people close to the Lord and to his will. Those who chose to follow their own ways led the people into idolatry and ruin.

God has not left the church without a design for leader­ship. When a congregation is functioning according to the divine pattern, it will be a dynamic, growing body leading people to heaven. But if the divine pattern becomes perverted by incor­porating into the church the organization and traditions of men, people will then be led away from God. Let us learn a lesson from history.

No sooner was the church established than men began to follow their own logic and figure out better ways to do things. Leader­ship is so susceptible to such temptation. In Acts 20:30 the apostle Paul warned the Ephesian elders, “Even from among your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw disciples away after them.”

We find in the later writings of the New Testament this very thing happening. Among the leaders in Ephesus who turned away from the true gospel and led people after them were Hymenaeus, Alexander, Phygelus, Hermogenes and Philetus. These men, if not some of the very men Paul was speaking to in Acts 20, were certainly the beginning of the fulfillment of what he warned would happen. Many scholars believe Diotrephes also lived in Ephesus. From among the elders of the churches, apostasy began.

We also know from the early first and second century writings many churches began to experience problems with the leader­ship within the congregations. Looking at these writings, we can easily see not only the changes in basic doctrine, but also the not so gradual change in the government of the church. Men began teaching others to follow “after them” rather than just following the teachings of Jesus.

In a letter written by Clement of Rome around A.D. 95, he addresses a problem in the church in Corinth where evidently some of the “presbyters” had been put out of their “office.” While this is used by some people today to substantiate the claim of “elder authority,” it should be noted that Clement was not simply one of the elders of the church in Rome. He was the bishop of Rome. He goes on to point out that the church has a “bishop’s office,” and the bishop succeeds the apostles in authority and work (S. Clement 44). One can clearly see even from this early manuscript the departure from scripture by men who would distort the truth in order to draw disciples away after them.

During the early years of the second century Ignatius wrote seven letters to seven different churches. In his letter to the church in Ephesus he says, “…seeing then that in God’s name I have received your whole multitude in the person of Onesimus, whose love passeth utterance and who is moreover your bishop.” (Epistle to the Ephesians I) He goes on to say, “Plainly therefore we ought to regard the bishop as the Lord Himself.” (Epistle to the Ephesians 6).

Consider the following statements in Ignatius’ second letter to the Magnesians. “I was permitted to see you in the person of Demas your godly bishop and your worthy presbyters Bassus and Apollonius and my fellow-servant the deacon of Zotion, of whom I would fain have joy, for that he is subject to the bishop as unto the grace of God and to the presbytery as unto the law of Jesus Christ: Yea, and it becometh you also not to presume upon the youth of your bishop, but according to the power of God the Father to render unto him all reverence, even as I have learned that the holy presbyters also have not taken advantage of his outwardly youthful estate, but give place to him as to one pru­dent of God” (Magnesians 2,3).

In the third letter to the Trallians, Ignatius says, “In like manner let all men respect the deacons as Jesus Christ, even as they should respect the bishop as being a type of the Father and the presbyters as the council of God and as the college of the Apostles. Apart from these there is not even the name of a church” (Trallians 3).

In the fifth letter to the church of God in Philadelphia, Ignatius wrote, “Be ye careful therefore to observe one eucharist (for there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ and one cup unto union in His blood; there is one altar, as there is one bishop, together with the presbytery and the deacons my fellow-servants), that whatsoever ye do, ye may do it after God” (Philadelphians 4), Compare this with Paul’s plea for unity in Ephesians 4:3-6 and one can clearly see the shift from “one in Christ” to “one in agreement with church doctrine.”

Letter six was addressed to the church at Smyrna of Asia. Ig­natius writes, “Do ye all follow your bishop, as Jesus Christ followed the Father, and the presbytery as the Apostles; and to the deacons pay respect, as to God’s commandment. Let no man do aught of things pertaining to the Church apart from the bishop. Let that be held a valid eucharist which is under the bishop or one to whom he shall have committed it. Wheresoever the bishop shall appear, there let the people be; even as where Jesus may be, there is the universal Church. It is not lawful apart from the bishop either to baptize or to hold a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve, this is well-pleasing also to God; that everything which ye do may be sure and valid.”

“It is good to recognize God and the bishop. He that honoureth the bishop is honoured of God; he that doeth aught without the knowledge of the bishop rendereth service to the devil” (Smyrnaeans 8,9).

Finally, in the seventh letter addressed to Polycarp, the bishop of the church in Smyrna, Ignatius writes, “After the Lord, be thou their protector. Let nothing be done without thy consent...” (Polycarp 4).

“It becometh men and women too, when they marry, to unite themselves with the consent of the bishop that the marriage may be after the Lord and not after concupiscence” (Polycarp 5).

“Give ye heed to the bishop, that God also may give heed to you. I am devoted to those who are subject to the bishop, the presbyters, the deacons” (Polycarp 6).

Another ancient manuscript entitled, “The Teachings of the Lord to the Gentiles by the Twelve Apostles,” written during the second century has the following to say about baptism: “But concerning baptism, thus shall ye baptize. Having first recited all these things, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit in living (running) water. But if thou hast not living water, then baptize in other water; and if thou art not able in cold, then in warm. But if thou hast neither, then pour water on the head thrice in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Teachings of the Apostles 7).

One can clearly see the development of apostasy in each of these ancient writings. That apostasy came by perverting the Biblical concept of leadership within the church. This assumption of authority, first by the presbyters, then by a single bishop, paved the way for the departure from God’s design to one of human origin. As Paul warned, this corruption began with bishops who elevated themselves over others, usurping the authority of Jesus Christ, and led away disciples after them.

CAUTION...EVIL AT WORK!

The divine pattern for the church is always under attack. Men are constantly trying to take control of and govern God’s church. But this is not being done by “radicals” or “liberals” who are out to openly destroy the church. It is done because too many Christians today are not studying the book, but are satisfied simply drifting with the tide. We need to step back and examine our leadership concept within the church today. We want to believe what we are doing is totally correct and yet are reluctant to openly examine ourselves in light of the scriptures. We some­times resent one who wants to challenge what we do and teach. In fact we may not be acting in accord with the New Testament teachings in the area of church government and or­ganization. It reminds one of Paul’s words to Timothy concern­ing some of his day who wanted to teach but did not know what they were talking about. “They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm” (1 Timothy 1:7). We have men in the church today who are very confidently affirming the present practices of the church concerning organization and government but have little, if any, scriptural basis on which to stand.

Too many Christian people discount the influence of sin in the church today. The Lord’s church will always be a battleground for the proponents of good and evil. It was almost destroyed during the dark ages and is still under attack today. The most success in destroying the influence of the church has come through corrupting its government. It is happening again. We are striving to make an earthly form of church government out of what God has designed, and the plan grows more complete with each passing year. The...