Introduction by Brother John Phillis, Evangelist of the Northeast church of Christ:] Well, we have come to the day that we have all been looking forward to with great anticipation—that we’ve been praying about. This is beginning of our Gospel Meeting. Brother Woodson got us off to a great start this morning with his lesson regarding the things we learn from Pentecost [Lessons From Pentecost]. And he laid the foundation this morning with four points upon which he is going to build throughout the rest of the meeting this week. It’s off to a good start, and we are really looking forward to what Brother Woodson is going to present to us at this hour regarding the “Three Churches – Then and Now.”
You know, in our brotherhood, in the churches of Christ, we are not in the practice of elevating one man above another. In God’s eyes, we are all equal. But I believe that we are all aware of the fact that there are some in our number who distinguish themselves by their scholarship, by their loyalty to the Word, by their ability to preach the Gospel, and by their tenure in preaching the Gospel. And if we were inclined to rank order individuals within the church, the man that we have with us for this Gospel Meeting would certainly be on the upper tier of those that we would put in that category.
Brother Woodson has been preaching the Gospel since 1950. He’s been involved in local works in both Mississippi and Tennessee, and he spent fourteen years as the pulpit minister of Great Granny White Pike congregation [Granny White church of Christ] in Nashville, Tennessee. He also spent twenty-two years teaching at Freed-Hardeman University, and fourteen of those years he was Head of the Bible Department. He also spent several years teaching at David Lipscomb University.
He has since retired from both teaching and full-time work, and now he spends his retirement holding meetings, speaking on lectureships and the like. He is a published author, and he continues to write for several of our brotherhood publications, including The Spiritual Sword quarterly publication that we receive here and distribute among our members.
He is married to the former Jeanne Creasy , and they have been married for some 47 years [51 years as of September 2, 2004]. They have three children and four grandchildren.
It is a great honor, and I think, a privilege for all of us to have this good man with us. And so at this time I present to you Brother William Woodson from Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.
[Brother Woodson:] Well, John, you did it…just about right. You did, however, leave off two words that should have been added—handsome and debonair. So…now you know. Be a long week at this, won’t it? Fifty million comedians out of work, and I’m telling jokes. [Laughter]
I’m glad to be here, glad to have a part with you in this study. We are considering the broad theme of “The New Testament Church.” In this session, I want to think with you about the topic, “Three Churches – Then and Now.”
In the book of Matthew, chapter 21, there is a very interesting account of events that took place during the last week of the public ministry of Jesus. On what we would call Sunday of that week, Jesus went into the city, and particularly into the courtyard of the temple. There he found the moneychangers and the sellers of sacrificial animals, whatever. This violated the Truth that the temple of God was to be a place of prayer. And so, Jesus turned over the tables of the moneychangers and drove the animals out.
This must have been quite an occasion. I would have liked to witness that. I would have liked to see our Lord doing this. I would have especially enjoyed watching the reaction of the people. Even now, it’s somewhat amazing. This is not the Jesus we know…or is it? This Jesus was not one to put up with the temple of God being misused. He showed it on that occasion.
On Tuesday following, He came again into the temple. Now, we need to know a bit about the ownership, or at least the proprietorship, in the changing of money and the selling of animals, whatever. The chief priests had the market cornered, and they received a percentage, or cut, of every animal that was sold in order to sacrifice. For every coin that was changed from Greek or Roman money into Jewish money, they received a certain amount. This became a very lucrative business for them. Oh, of course, it was all in the name of purity and sanctification. Yes, we know that. So, Jesus had violated not only their understanding of the law of God, but they had been hit in the pocketbook. The most delicate nerve in the body runs from the billfold to the heart. And if you touch the billfold, you automatically are endangering the heart. Well, that happened on this occasion.
So, after a day of getting over the shock, they came to Jesus and said, “By what authority do You do these things? And who gave You the authority?” [Matthew 21:23]. They were saying, “We’re in charge here! You’re not! We didn’t give You the right! Who gave it to You?”
They underestimated Jesus. Generations have underestimated Him. He said, “I will ask you one thing, and when you answer My question, I’ll answer yours” [verse 24]. Seemed fair enough.
The question Jesus asked: “The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven, or of men?” Simple question: From heaven…of men? Tied up in that question was a great deal more than appeared on the surface. They began to reason. “Well, now, let me see here. If we say ‘the baptism of John was from heaven,’ we can’t keep Him from asking the next question, “Well, why did you not receive it?” We’re not prepared to answer that second question, either. On the other hand, if we say that the baptism of John was from men, then the crowd will know of it, and they will be most unhappy because they thought it was a prophet. Oh,” they said, “we just can’t answer.”
Now, I want to go back and think about that little question again: “From heaven, or of men?” It is important to observe that the same word is translated in the English text by two different words. Is it FROM heaven, or OF men? The Greek word there means “out of.” Jesus was asking its origin. Did the baptism of John originate OUT OF heaven? AND, this word becomes extremely important. Did John’s baptism originate with God, OR originate with men? J. B. Phillips renders this, “Out of (or from) heaven, or is it purely human?” Purely human?
That is a very interesting thought to think about. In matters religious, what do we say? Is it from heaven, OR of men? In regard to the church, that’s a very important question to ask. As we noted in the earlier session [Lessons From Pentecost], there is a view of the church that views it as “of men.” That is, it originates of men; it arises out of a particular culture or generation, and a subsequent generation can change as it will. If a civic club, for example, has been in existence for a hundred years, and the members of that club want to make some changes, they have processes by which these changes can be proposed, passed, rejected, whatever. AND, if certain changes are proposed in harmony with the bylaws, whatever, changes could be made. It is “of men.” It can be changed “of men.” Is that the church? Is that the way the church is? OR, is the church divine? If it is divine, we are not at liberty to treat it as if it were “of men.”
Now, with that as a kind of entrée, think with me for a moment or two about the promise of Jesus. In Matthew, chapter 16, a lengthy quotation, but it has to do with the promise of Christ, “Upon this rock I…will…build…My church.” The word translated “build” there in the lexicons is said to “build from the foundation; to begin at the foundation; and to construct upon that foundation what Jesus identified as “My church.” It is uniquely and specifically HIS. That is to say, He is the One Whose Words have anticipated its establishment. He is the One Whose death provided the atonement whereby the church could be purchased unto Christ. He is the head of this church, and He is the One Who, at the end of this world, will call the redeemed to live with God eternally. So, He said, “It is MY church.” Divine. I do not know of anyone who would deny that Jesus was talking about a divine church on that occasion…not of men, but OF God.
There are several accounts of the establishing of churches in the book of Acts. I have selected three of these, and I want to think with you about them for a few moments.
The Church in the City of Jerusalem
First of all, the church in the city of Jerusalem : On the Day of Pentecost, as we noted in part earlier, there was the preaching of the Gospel. The inspired Peter and the rest of the apostles were asked, “…what shall we do?” On that occasion, Peter instructed them: They were to repent and be baptized, and they were to do so for the remission of sins in the Name of Jesus Christ. And it is said that some 3,000 of them were baptized. Later on in the book of Acts, chapter 8, we read about the church which was in Jerusalem.
Now, a question: What about that church in Jerusalem: Was it from God, or of men? Was it divine in its origin, or was it of men? Did it arise out of the wishes and thoughts of just Peter, and James, and John and the rest of the apostles, and the hundred twenty [who were in the upper room, Acts 1:12-15]? Did they get together somewhere in the city of Jerusalem, and say, “Oh, well, now, what are we going to do?”
“Well, now, I propose that we establish a church. How many in favor?”
“Well, I am.”
“Okay!”
“What will we call it?”
“Well, we’ll call it this.”
“Well, what will we do in worship?”
“Well, we’ll vote this and that and finally say…”
“Alright.”
Is that what happened? Certainly not!
Now, that church. Was it of God, or of men? So far as I know, there isn’t a person who believes the New Testament who would question that the church in Jerusalem was divine in its origin and nature.
The Church (or Churches) of Samaria
Turn a few pages further in the book of Acts…Acts, chapter 8. We read in Acts 8 of a persecution that arose in the time of Saul in the city of Jerusalem. The disciples were scattered, going here and there, all leaving the city save [except] the apostles.
One of these men that left was Philip, later called “Philip the evangelist” [“On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him”Acts 21:8.]. He went to Samaria. In Samaria, verse 5 says that he “preached Christ.” Verse 12 says of the people of Samaria, “…when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the Name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”
Then, in Acts 9, and verse 31, we read of the church (or some translations say “churches”) of Samaria [“Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.”]. They had churches in Samaria! AND these churches came out of this work done by Philip, AND the church, thereby, was established.
Was it divine in its origin? Or, was it of men?
The Church in the City of Corinth
One more instance, this time in Acts, chapter 18. In Acts 18, there is the account of Paul preaching in the city of Corinth—a very interesting account, the background of it. But, in verse 8, we read, “…many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.”
Paul said later in 1 Corinthians 4, and verse 15, “…in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel.” He had brought about the “new birth.” Then, in as what we know as 1 Corinthians 1, and verse 1, he wrote “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth.”
Now, that church at Corinth: Was it divine, or was it of men? Was it purely human? How did it originate? Was it divine in its origin, and in its nature? Again, I rather doubt that anyone would deny that the church in Corinth, with all of its problems, was not divine in origin and nature.
Now, these three churches before us can be looked at from two or three standpoints:
Number One: What was the ROLE OF MEN in the originating of these churches? Well, let’s ask the question, “Would it have been right to call the church in Jerusalem “the Peterite church”? Peter would have said, “NO! You’re not to call the church mine! I’m not the head of this church! Don’t call the church after me!”
Philip would have said, “No! Don’t do that! Don’t name the church for me! Don’t say that I’m the cause of it!”
Paul addressed this question, 1 Corinthians 1. He said, “I wasn’t crucified for you! You weren’t baptized into my name! Why do you try to wear my name as a leader of your life of religion? No!”
It did not, then, fit the apostles to have the church understood as being theirs. What was their role? Their role was ONLY to preach the Gospel. That’s all they did. Now, the Gospel, when it was believed and obeyed, brought into being in Samaria, and in Corinth, the very same church, as to origin and nature, that was established on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem.
HOW did that occur? How is it possible that this would be?
There’s a very interesting study of the parables of Jesus, and particularly the first one. In the first parable that we call “The Parable of the Sower,” there are two references, one in Matthew 13 and the other in Luke 8. In Luke 8:11, Jesus said, “The seed IS the Word of God.” The seed. The seed is what was planted by the sower. So, it refers to the planting of the Word of God.
In Matthew 13, and verse 19, Jesus refers to “the Word of the kingdom.” The Word of the kingdom—the Word which has to do with, and which relates to, the kingdom of God.
We have, then, in Luke 8:11 and Matthew 13:19, an insight into how Jesus wanted His cause to be established in the world. “You take this Word, and you proclaim it to the people. Now, some will hear and pay no attention. Some will hear and, after a while, will grow weary and leave. Some will hear and begin to make progress, and the cares and riches and pleasures of this life will choke the Word, and they become unfruitful. But, there are others—those who, in honest and good heart, receive this Word; they keep this Word; they understand this Word; they submit to it. And that Word in their heart and life issues [results] in the kingdom of God. Now, that’s the KEY.
Think for a moment about three dimensions in these three churches:
One dimension was the matter of time. Some twenty or twenty-five years passed between the establishing of the work in Jerusalem and the work in Corinth. Now, how would it be possible, over a twenty to twenty-five year period, to establish in one city, and in another city, the same church?
A second dimension was the matter of geography. However many miles it is from Jerusalem to Corinth, there was some means whereby the Word that established the church in Jerusalem would also establish in Corinth.
But, perhaps, the most interesting of all is a third dimension, what we term culture. Now, the idea is, the native customs, dress, food, housing, whatever, there were three different cultures involved—the Jewish, the Samaritan and the Corinthian.
Now, the Jewish people in Jerusalem were very, very different in many ways from those in Samaria and Corinth. These Jewish people had been believers in God all of their lives. Many of them, no doubt, had many, many passages treasured in their minds. They attended synagogue regularly. They attended the temple services as opportunity arose. They were devout Jewish believers.
The people in Samaria had resulted from the mixing of Jews with Gentiles after the capture of Samaria by the Syrians. And over the years, this group had developed. They were not Jews; they were not Gentiles. They were of a mixed origin. They were different. In fact, they did not have the same Bible that the Jews had. The Samaritans only had five books, the first five of the Old Testament. The rest of the books? They had nothing to do with them! The Jews believed in the entire Old Testament.
Now, the people in Corinth were predominately idolaters, pagans, grossly immoral—the last place on earth you’d think about going to start a church!
Now, how in the world could you overcome time and distance and culture? The amazing thing and answer is that God placed within the Word a SEED, a POWER. If, for example, an individual were growing a good type of wheat down in Jerusalem, another man might come by and say, “I would like some of that wheat in Samaria.”
“Oh, it can’t be done!”
“What do you mean it can’t be done?!?”
“Well, this wheat only grows in Jerusalem.”
“Well, now, why is that so?”
“Well, because the seed won’t work.”
“Well, let me get some from you and plant it and see!”
“Oh, no! We can’t do that! It would be a waste of your time!”
You know, as well as I, nobody would have thought that way.
“What about planting wheat up in Corinth?”
“Well, okay. How would you do it?”
You would take the seed that was growing in and around Jerusalem, carry it up to Corinth, plant it, and you’d have the same seed. If you kept the same seed from Jerusalem, to Samaria, to Corinth, to anywhere else, you’d have the same product—the same wheat! Now, if you mixed and mingled that by what we would now think of as “cross fertilization,” whatever, you would change the wheat. But, so long as you kept the pure seed there would be the SAME wheat grown, wherever it was.
Now, Jesus put into the Word of God a power that rises above the ability of man’s mind to fully understand. We don’t even understand, in every detail, precisely what it is that causes the seed to bring forth after its kind, other than the fact that God said it is so.
Now, in establishing the church, here we are in touch with a most vital Truth. The Truth of it is that, the church is established by the Word of God. Somebody comes into a town, preaches the Gospel, and those of an honest and good heart hear that Word. They respond to it from the heart in obedience to the Gospel. The become Christians. They become members of the church of which Christ is the head. That is brought about, not by the approval of men, not by the act of men other than their preaching of the Word of God. And when these individuals—Christians—when they begin meeting together in order to glorify God in the CHRUCH, in harmony with His Will, that becomes a particular congregation of the entire brotherhood of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Here is how it happened in Jerusalem, in Samaria and in Corinth. And this is how it has happened in Albuquerque, in Lawrenceburg, or wherever.
If you were to take the Gospel to a group of people who had never heard it before (or, if they had heard it before, they had no interest in it), and on this occasion, they hear preached precisely the same Message as was preached on Pentecost, and they were taught to believe and obey that Message today, and they did so, this group of people would be the church of Christ in that particular place. And by “the church of Christ” I do not refer to the building. I refer to the men and women who, out of a true and honest heart, have submitted and continue to submit themselves to the headship of Jesus in the church.
I’d like to say more, but I know about timeframes. Won’t it be something when all of us get to heaven, and some of those old preachers who preached so long will never know when to quit! [The congregation laughs at Brother Woodson’s teasing. He responds,] Well, we won’t have anywhere to go! Might as well preach! John [Brother Woodson addresses John Phillis in the audience], I don’t know where you and I’ll be, but I know a few fellas way ahead of us that are going to be up there clamoring for first place. But, I’ll enjoy hearing some of them preach. Wish I could hear some of them today.
In a moment, we’ll be singing an invitation hymn. In the New Testament, we read of God “calling” people, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14. The “call” is in the Gospel. And that Gospel call is an invitation…an invitation to a person who is not obedient to Christ to become obedient. In order to be obedient to Christ to become a Christian, the New Testament tells that one is to believe in Jesus, God’s Son; is to repent of sin; is to confess his faith in Christ; and is to be baptized in water for the remission of sins, that his sins may be forgiven, he may be added to the church, and arise to walk in newness of life. That is what has happened in the lives of most of us here today. But, there may be one or more who need today to render due obedience to the Gospel to be saved.
There may be those in the audience who have been baptized into Christ, but for whatever reason have not lived in harmony with His Will, and your mistake is of such a nature as to bring shame on the body of Christ—a public wrong. You need to repent of that sin, confess it unto God and ask brethren to pray with and for you that you may be forgiven.
As we sing this hymn, we invite you to come. May we stand.