A FEW THOUGHTS ON CHURCH ORGANIZATION

When one studies the New Testament honestly and diligently, he or she will be able to easily see that the kingdom of God has a structure - the church of Christ has organization. Unfortunately, this does not set well with untold millions of people. How do I know this? Well, if we just listen to what the world is saying, it'll be quite obvious.

Yes, it seems more than apparent that folks just do not like what they have termed "organized religion." They do not want to be a part of any church, because it is "organized" - as they see it.

The aversion to being a part of a "church" or perhaps even the one, true church of the New Covenant is highly unfortunate. People sho ascribe to this philosophy have squarely positioned themselves against the God of heaven, because the depiction of the church of our Lord in the New Testament plainly shows organization, with Christ as the head of the church (Colossians 1:18) and ruler over it (Revelations 19:16).

This One who washed the church in His own blood and saves it (Revelations 1:5; Ephesians 5:23), Christ Jesus the Lord has authorized that each local church of His universal body be shepherded by elders (Acts 20:28) with deacons, preachers, teachers and all other members working under the elders' oversight (Hebrews 13:17). Also, the work and worship of the church are organized and conducted according to the Word of God (Colossians 3:17). So, we can see from these few Scriptures that the Lord's church is organized. The problem: many refuse to submit to His will.

Steve Harris