PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT FOR EVERYDAY LIVING
- AUTHORITY -
(Lesson 1)
If you surf the internet and make very many
searches you may one day come upon a site that very quickly lets you know you
are not authorized to be there. It may even give some number and say you are
forbidden entry. How can that be? Who has the right to tell me or you that we
can or can not go to a particular site on the world-wide web? True, there are
some places we really need to be cautious of, because we can get in trouble very
quickly. Where does the idea of authority originate anyway? How can we have
practical principles for everyday life when we consider what we are authorized
to do in the Lord's body, the Church?
Without God the Creator, there would be no authority. There
would be only each person doing what they thought was best for themselves
without any regard for others. (Judges 17:6) From the beginning God has set in
motion certain laws, which involve choices and consequences for those choices.
In the Garden of Eden, God set down simple laws for Adam and Eve to obey. They
could eat of any fruit of any tree in the garden with the exception of the tree
in the midst of the garden. This tree was the tree of knowledge of good and
evil. If they chose to disobey God and eat from this tree, then certain
consequences would follow for their actions. They would begin to die physically.
More importantly, they died spiritually because of sin. They transgressed the
will of God and were run out of the garden. They were physically separated from
the daily association they had enjoyed. But they were also separated spiritually
from the Creator, because he could not associate himself with sin. (Genesis
2:16-17 with chapter 3)
Throughout the wilderness wandering of the Jews, God's chosen
people, constantly He tried them by seeing if they would obey His commands or
not. Moses reminds them that God in fact disciplined them as a father would
discipline his own children. (Deuteronomy 8:1-7) The word of God must be the
beginning point of our foundation for every day life. Moses instructed the
people that they were to so saturate their lives with God's word that His laws
would be at the forefront of every activity they engaged in. (Deuteronomy 6:1-9)
How can this be practical for every day life? How can we who are members of the
blood bought body of Jesus Christ function in a world so bent on doing wrong and
not right? Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with example after example
of what happens when we obey or disobey the will of the Creator.
We must re-emphasize again that all authority originates with
God, the Father. In future lessons we will see how this authority has been
delegated to Jesus, the Son and how He in turn has specified His will through
the Holy Spirit to man. A particular set of instructions was given to the
Apostle Paul as he wrote the letter to the Church meeting in the city of Rome.
Consider chapter thirteen in verses one through ten, where Paul makes it
extremely plain that any authority that exists has originally been put in place
by God, the Father. Granted, the way in which men use and often abuse this
authority leaves us sometimes in doubt of our elected officials. Nevertheless,
we are to submit to their will and even pay taxes! If we disobey their
authority, then we have disobeyed the will of God. What of our responsibility
then in the church? Should we obey those who have the rule over us? (Hebrews
13:7, 17) Let us study further.
Larry R. Scott, minister
PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT FOR EVERYDAY
LIFE - AUTHORITY (Lesson 1) 12-21-07
1. What was God telling Cain prior to his taking the life of his brother Abel?
(Genesis 4:7)
2. What does the Bible say about Noah and his obedience to God?
(Genesis 6:22)
3. How does Saul's statement in I Samuel 15:20 measure up to
what God instructed him
to do to the Amalekites?
4. Must we be careful of what others tell us concerning the word
of God?
(I Kings 13:1-32)
5. "If ye love me, ________ my commandments." (John 14:15)
6. How important is it that we do what God says?
(Acts 5:29)
7. What does the word "ordained" mean in Romans 13:1 as it
relates to authority or
power?
8. Was the New Testament Church at Corinth authorized to
withdraw their fellowship
from the brother who was in sin? (I Corinthians 5:1-13)
Why was this necessary?
9. Are we authorized in daily life to see if we are where God
wants us to be?
(II Corinthians 13:5)
10. Are we given authority in religion to teach, preach, and
practice what ever we want
to? (Galatians 1:6-12)
11. Does God's law of reproduction apply in our spiritual lives
as equally as it does in our
physical lives? (Galatians 6:7-10)
12. Did God the Father give Jesus His Son the authority to tell
us what we can or can not
do in His Church? (Ephesians 1:20-23)
13. Is our life daily as a member of the Church for which Jesus
died showing an
obedience in every thing we do? (Philippians 4:5-8)
14. Should all our words and activities be in harmony with the
will of the Saviour?
(Colossians 3:17)
15. Does Paul tell Timothy and us that we are authorized to
teach others and to teach
ourselves? (I Timothy 4:16)
16. Does God mean what He says? (Revelation 22:17-19)
Student_____________________
Date________________
Grade___________
Instructor: Larry R. Scott, minister
Sandhills Church of Christ
Rockingham, North Carolina