The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum House Church?

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]Seriously, it seemed as though this person who is desiring dynamic, biblical fellowship might put that in order to wait for the perfect leader to come along and bless their meetings and lead them into all truth.</font><hr></blockquote><p>newman21,<br><br>I "sense" that you make no distinction between "fellowship" and "corporate worship"; i.e., the official gathering of the saints for the purpose of worship. I also suspect that we would differ in our respective definitions of "worship". That being set aside for the moment and perhaps continued in a separate thread, I see no prohibition against a group of believers meeting in a home for the purpose of fellowship and mutual edification. However, this informal meeting cannot be equated as being synonymous with the corporate gathering of saints on the Lord's Day where an appointed (ordained) man expounds the Word of God and administers the sacraments. I believe, quite simply at this point, that Paul's instructions are clear enough that there are to be men, aka: Elders, who are to hold that office and who are to be responsible for shepherding the flock, etc.<blockquote>Ephesians 4:11-16 (ASV) "And he [Christ] gave some [to be] apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ: till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, [even] Christ; from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in [due] measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love. (see also: Acts 20:28; Phil 1:1; 1Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:7-9; Heb 13:17)</blockquote>Can there be any doubt that there is a biblical prescription for the appointing of office-bearers, Elders and Deacons, who are to meet specific qualifications and who are responsible for the oversight of the "flock"? Such men are thus responsible for the preaching of the Word, the administration of the sacraments and church discipline. I would suggest that they cannot be so easily discerned in a few minutes or even hours or days, but these men must be discerned over a period of time which would allow others to see their character in practice and test their doctrine.<br><br>In His Grace,