Since the local churches are the Body of Christ, their actions should be in one accord for the sake of God’s testimony and the Lord’s work even though their administration is local. When Paul wrote the Epistle to the church in Corinth, he also addressed it to all those who call upon the name of the Lord (1 Cor. 1:2), and when he commanded the church in one locality to do something, he gave the same command to the other local churches (7:17; 16:1). Additionally, the practices of a local church are held by all the local churches (11:16; 14:34), and a local church should imitate the testimony of all the churches of God (1 Thes. 2:14). Furthermore, the word that the Holy Spirit speaks to one local church is addressed to all the local churches (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).
The Bible shows that the God-ordained arrangement of the church is marvelous, spiritual, and simple. God appoints apostles and sends them out to establish churches. Then He works through the apostles to appoint elders for administration and deacons for service in the local churches that have been established. At the same time, He raises up prophets in the local churches to reveal His will and to speak His truth for the strengthening and building up of the saints in the localities. He also raises up evangelists in the local churches in order to bring sinners into the church as material for the increase and spread of the church. He raises up shepherds and teachers to shepherd and teach, using the word of God to cultivate and water the saved ones in every locality. These arrangements are very thorough, satisfactory, spontaneous, simple, practical, and flexible. Each local church is independent in its administration and universal in its fellowship, and each local church moves in one accord with other local churches. This arrangement is so free, yet there is no division or confusion. This is entirely unlike the organization carried out according to man’s will in Christianity today.
1. “Made us...priests to His God”; “You are a...priesthood” (Rev. 1:6; 1 Pet. 2:9; see also Rev. 5:9-10).
The church is constituted with all who are redeemed by the Lord’s blood, and those who are redeemed by the Lord’s blood have been saved to serve Him. The service of the believers is the service of the church to God. In the service of the church all members serve as priests; all believers serve God equally. This is different from the service of the Israelites in the Old Testament in which only one tribe served as priests, whereas most of the people could not serve God. In this way a small number of priests became a mediatorial class between the majority of the people and God. But in the New Testament service of the church, there is no mediatorial class; all believers are priests, and all can serve God equally. There is no differentiation based on the concept of clergy and laity. The priestly system in Roman Catholicism, the ministerial system in Protestantism, and the pastoral system in independent Protestant churches today violate the principle of all believers being priests. These systems destroy the reality of God receiving service from all the members and are against the teaching of the New Testament.
1. “Just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another...Whether prophecy...or service...or he who teaches...or he who exhorts...Be burning in spirit, serving the Lord”; “Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love” (Rom. 12:4-8, 11; Eph. 4:16; see also 1 Cor. 12:12-27).
The service of the church is not merely service from every member but a service of the Body. The service of the Body is a coordinated service. It is not simply a matter of all the believers serving but of serving in coordination. Although everyone serves, no one serves individually; all are coordinated together in service. Each one who serves is a member, not the Body; therefore, all the members must coordinate together. Every member has a function, but each member must be coordinated in the Body for this function to be exercised. Therefore, a member cannot be individualistic; every member must be coordinated with the other members of the Body so that they can serve effectively according to their ministries, or functions. Whenever a believer is individualistic in his service, the service of the church is damaged. It is not enough for each individual believer to serve; all the members must be connected together and mutually coordinated for the service of the Body to come forth.
The service of the church is a universal service. It is not a service of a few individuals but the coordinated service of the Body. Although there are gifts who have a particular portion in the building up of the church, they do not replace the saints in their service to God. They only perfect the saints so that all may serve God. Moreover, they are coordinated with all the saints in their service to God (vv. 28-30). Although there are some who bear particular responsibilities in the administration of a local church, they do not replace the saints in their service to God. They lead the saints and are coordinated together with them in their service to God. Elders teach, make arrangements, and lead the brothers and sisters in service to God. Deacons help the brothers and sisters to serve God. It is not the responsibility of the elders and deacons to take care of all the service in the church. Most of the church service is carried out by the brothers and sisters. All the brothers and sisters, including the elders and deacons, must carry out their functions according to their ministry. Those who serve more should do so out of their spiritual capacity to bear more responsibility, and those whose function is manifested in one area should serve according to their capacity, but in all the service, there is no replacement of others and no killing of others’ functions. There is only the leading of the saints into service so that they would develop in function and serve in coordination.