What is Babylon?
I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of Babylon, my people, so that you do not participate in her sins and suffer from any of her plagues. Revelation 18:4
In this scripture, God warns his followers, who are His people, to come out of her. So who or what is "her?" We don't have to look very far, as verses 2-3 identify the "her" as "Babylon the Great," where it reads:
"Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a prison for every evil spirit, every unclean [a] bird, and every unclean and hated beast. 3 All the nations fell because of the wine of her sexual sins. The kings of the earth had sex with her. Her luxurious wealth has made the merchants of the earth rich."
God's indictment of Babylon the Great also carries a stern but loving warning to his followers not to share and participate in her sins, lest they too receive the plagues of his coming judgment. But to come out of Babylon, we must, by necessity, identify what she represents.
In present-day terms, some have identified Mystery Babylon as a specific location, such as Rome, Italy—home of the Vatican—or New York City, a city of great commerce. In one sense, that is true, but for this discussion, we will focus on Babylon's worldwide influence, as God's people who reside all over the world are commanded to come out of her. This is confirmed in verses 3 and 23 that reference "all the nations." It then makes sense that Babylon, in general, refers to the entire world, comprising all the nations in which we live. It's referred to as Babylon the Great because it's a global system that exerts great control over the entire populace. Its manipulation and deception penetrate all religions, all governments, all corporations, all banking, all education, all healthcare, all media, and all forms of entertainment.
So the question that must be asked is: "Why do those who claim to follow God not even recognize that they need to come out of this world, and even if they did, how would they do it? The first answer is that the Christian church has not properly defined what sin is. Thus, believers share in Babylon's sins because they haven't been taught what constitutes sin and therefore cannot recognize sin when they see it. Undefined sin is sin that remains undifferentiated. Secondly, all of us were born in Babylon, are educated in Babylon, work in Babylon, raise families in Babylon, retire in Babylon, and will ultimately die in Babylon. It's the only life we've ever known, so we've grown accustomed to thinking and doing things according to the "Babylonian way" and thus, also sharing in her sins without even knowing it! As a result, God gives us his loving but stern warning to come out of her by not participating in her sins, but if we don't, we'll suffer the consequences of his soon-to-come judgment. The good news, though, is that we can escape being judged along with Babylon by finding the "narrow way that leads to life!" Find out how as we work through the topics on this website.
Part 2
The clock is ticking....
A question that arises is: How much time do we have left before Babylon the Great is judged? This question is pertinent because humans tend to procrastinate when our lives are comfortable and predictable; thus, we sense no urgency to come out of our comfort zones. But since God himself commands us to "come out of her," the procrastinators among us ask: "How long do we have left to do that?" In other words, "we'll just wait until the last minute to do that." That mindset, however, is a prescription for doom and in all likelihood, you will regret waiting until the last minute.
Case in point, in Matthew 25:1-13 (NIV), we have the Parable of the Ten Virgins. A parable is a figurative device, a simple but memorable story that employs everyday people, places, and events to teach a moral, spiritual, or doctrinal truth. It was the primary teaching method that Jesus used to convey spiritual lessons. He used it to impart deeper spiritual truths to those willing to learn, while confusing those who listened but were not open to his teachings.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins vividly and memorably addresses the issue of spiritual procrastination. In this story, Jesus compares his return to earth to establish his heavenly kingdom to ten virgins awaiting their bridegroom's arrival. In verse 5, we read that the bridegroom "was a long time in coming," and because of that, all ten virgins fell asleep. When the arrival of the bridegroom was finally at hand, they all woke up and began lighting their oil lamps to meet him. However, five virgins discovered to their great dismay that they lacked enough oil to remain lighted, and so they asked the other five if they could borrow some oil. The other five replied that there was not enough oil to share and instructed them to go purchase oil for themselves. But as they were on their way to purchase more oil, the bridegroom arrived. The five who had oil entered the wedding banquet and the door behind them was shut. The other five who arrived late and found the door shut, pleaded for it to be opened so they could enter the wedding banquet as well. But it was already too late as the Lord replied to them: 'Truly I tell you, I don't know you.' Thus, the door remained closed, and those five were prevented from entering the wedding banquet.
Given the symbolic imagery in this parable, how does it warn against the perils of spiritual procrastination? First, we must examine what the oil symbolizes. Oil in Scripture has different meanings depending on the context in which it's used. In this parable, we believe Jesus uses oil to represent the spiritual standards of separation, holiness, and sanctification. In other words, oil represents your character, your spiritual state of being, who you are as a person.
God's people are described in Scripture as Priests and Kings. 1 Peter 2:9 states: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Revelation 1:6 declares: and has made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Christians, therefore, are declared to be kings and priests who follow Jesus as the king of kings and our great high priest. Oil was used to anoint and set apart those commissioned for their kingly and priestly roles. In 1 Samuel 10:1 and 16:13, oil was used to anoint and set apart Saul and David as kings over Israel. In Exodus 23:7, Aaron was anointed as Priest over Israel by the pouring of oil on his head. Oil was also used in the Old Testament to anoint the Tabernacle and its furnishings, as we read in Exodus 30:26-29. The oil was used to dedicate the items in the Tabernacle for service to God, setting them apart as holy, consecrating them as different from anything common or ordinary. Given these uses of oil, the five virgins who didn't have enough oil did not live their lives as kings and priests, fit for the kingdom of heaven. Despite being initially filled and anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit as kings and priests of the kingdom, they subsequently fell short by failing to live set-apart, sanctified lives. Thus, in the end, they lacked oil, their lamps darkened, and they were shut out of the kingdom. They could not borrow oil from the others, because no one can borrow someone else's spirituality. Being set apart and holy means one must personally invest time and effort to be sanctified, enabled not by one's own strength but by the grace God supplies. It's by God's grace alone that we can persevere and press on through life's traumas and pressures, like olives crushed and pressed into oil.
This can be verified by noting that the Hebrew word for oil is "shemen." Shemen comes from the Hebrew root word "shem," which means name, reputation or character. Those who lack shemen or oil lack character or shem. These two words can be found in a single verse in Ecclesiastes 7:1. Better is a good name [shem] than good oil [shemen], And better is the day of one's death than the day of one's birth. (LSB) In this verse, there's a connection between one's name and oil. It declares that one's name, one's reputation, is even better than precious oil. Thus, the five virgins' lack of oil points to a lack of reputation. Their spiritual character suffered for lack, resulting in the lack of oil. When we die, our name or reputation is what we leave behind. It's our legacy. We either leave behind us the oil of gladness, or the oil of despair.
Moreover, it's also important to note that all ten virgins fell asleep because it took a long time for the bridegroom to arrive. Throughout the scriptures, the word "sleep" is a euphemism for physical death. If we allow scripture to interpret itself, this means that all ten virgins physically died as they awaited the bridegroom's delayed return, which refers to Jesus' Second Coming. And of course, one can't borrow oil, i.e., holiness, after one's own death. You've either lived a sanctified spiritual life, or you haven't. That is precisely why Jesus sums up the moral of this parable in v.12 by saying: 'Truly I tell you, I don't know you.' The phrase "I don't know you" refers to believers who give mental assent to Jesus but don't listen to his voice and don't follow him; as such, they are not his sheep. By contrast, in John 10:27, Jesus states: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. Jesus only knows those believers who listen for his voice and follow him. To those who don't, he does not know.
"To summarize, the ten virgins were believers who originally possessed oil in their lamps, but as time passed, while they awaited the delayed arrival of the bridegroom, they all died. When they all awoke from the grave, the five who had lived their lives in obedience to the Shepherd's voice, which produced oil in their lives, had enough oil in their lamps to enter the kingdom. In contrast, the other five who lived in disobedience to the Lord's voice did not produce enough oil and were shut out.
The parable then concludes with v.13 stating: "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." This verse warns that since no one knows the day or the hour of Jesus' return, spiritual procrastinators should get their lives in order NOW before it's too late. Since you can't borrow oil produced by someone else's obedient lifestyle, don't let the oil of holiness in your lamp run dry, or you, too, will be shut out of the coming kingdom.
Now that we've addressed God's command to come out of Babylon and what it means to spiritually procrastinate in disobedience to it, we'll turn our attention to how to come out of Babylon and, in doing so, avoid being shut out of Jesus' coming kingdom.
Part 3
The highway out of Babylon: our way or God’s way?
The command to come out of Babylon directed to God's people instructs us to "not participate in her sins." The two keywords in this directive are "participate" and "sins"; therefore, it's necessary to define both words. The first word is simple enough, as we all know that participate means to share, take part in, partake of, cooperate with, etc. The second word—sin—at first glance, also appears simple to define, but that's not really the case.
Every person has their own definition of sin. Whether they know it or not, everyone has a moral code that guides their decisions and actions in life. Christians tend to follow God's Ten Commandments as their moral code that constitutes sin. People of different faiths have their own religious moral codes, distinguishing right from wrong. Even people who don't profess to have spiritual beliefs have their own moral code. They might define sin as "as long as it doesn't hurt someone or something else, then it's okay," which is the secular version of "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12).
A big problem arises, however, when people's personal definitions of sin differ, which can result in conflict. Let's use a scenario to illustrate. Suppose a person who holds to the belief that their definition of sin prohibits him from hurting, much less killing, another person. This person now lives in another part of the world where people don't hold to this same definition of sin, and he happens to live in a geographical region where tribal cannibalism is still practiced. This person is taken captive and finds himself on the menu for the next meal. Despite how horrific this sounds, that scenario illustrates the consequences when personal definitions of sin, as well as societal definitions of sin, collide, resulting in moral chaos, often referred to as "moral relativism."
The only remedy for moral relativism is moral absolutism. Moral relativism appeals to one's own self as the source of distinguishing right from wrong. But as in the example above, it's not hard to figure out that sooner or later, someone's definition of what is right and allowable is going to trample upon someone else's definition of what is wrong and not allowed.
Moral absolutism, on the other hand, holds to the belief that the definition of sin and the source of morality must originate from a source that is outside of, and greater than, our own selves. Individual and personal opinions regarding morality really don't count, as they inevitably collide. This being the case, the only option left is a God who is outside of, above all, and greater than ourselves. He alone determines what sin is, what is right, and what is wrong. God alone holds the key to defining what sin is. It then becomes our choice whether to align with God's morality, or cling to our own moral code.
Now that we've proffered the premise that God alone defines sin, in Part 4, we'll focus on how God defines sin as found in the Bible.
Part 4
The unrecognized face of sin
Before proceeding to the last part of this teaching, it's helpful to review where we've come from so far. In Part 1, God's command to come out of Babylon was brought to our attention. Part 2 addressed the urgency of following this command. Part 3 touched on moral relativism versus moral absolutism and on why God's absolute moral standard regarding sin is the only perspective that counts. In Part 4, we'll briefly examine the biblical definition of sin so you can recognize how you're participating in Babylon's sins. After all, how can you recognize your share in Babylon's sins if you don't know what those sins look like?
What is sin?
The most succinct definition of sin is found in the New Testament (NT), not the Old Testament (OT). That's notable because although the Christian church derives most of her doctrinal teachings from the NT, ironically, the church has completely ignored the very definition of sin that's found in this NT verse. That's significant because it means that sin, as defined in this verse, applies to all NT Christians, not only to the OT Jewish people. Also, God's definition of sin applies to everyone, no matter your skin color, no matter your age, no matter your religion, no matter your political affiliation, and no matter what you identify with.
1 John 3:4 contains the shortest definition of sin that's found in the entire Bible. What follows are three different English translations to give you a sense of its meaning. The verse reads: 1) Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness (WEB). 2) Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law (KJV). 3) Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law (HCSB).
The English word "lawlessness" in this verse is translated from the original Greek word "anomia". This word consists of the prefix "a," which means "not." It modifies the noun "nomos," which means "law." Translated literally, anomia means "not-law," or, properly translated, "without law." Here's where it gets interesting. The Greek word written as nomos in the NT corresponds to the Hebrew word Torah in the OT, so nomos refers to Torah. Therefore, anomia properly means "without Torah" or "Torahlessness."
What this entails is that if you were to take the translations cited above and reword them to convey their full meaning, they would read as such: 1) Everyone who sins also commits Torahlessness. Sin is Torahlessness. 2) Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the Torah: for sin is the transgression of the Torah. 3) Everyone who commits sin also breaks the Torah; sin is the breaking of Torah.
Earlier in Part 1, we asserted that the Babylonian system in which we live has taken captive all of the institutions in this world, including the church. We also wrote that the Christian church has not properly defined sin. In the Babylonian church, it is highly unlikely that you will learn that sin is Torahlessness, or breaking of the Torah. The tragic result is that the face of sin goes unrecognized even in God's body, which is the church, and churchgoers, including pastors and priests, are participating in Babylon's sins without even knowing it. In the teaching section entitled "Confronting Sin," and in the other teaching sections, we will delve further into not only what it means to transgress the Torah, but also how aligning with the Torah transforms your life and brings you and your family "Out of Babylon."
Next, go to the Resources page to watch a video describing Babylon in more detail.
What is church?
- The church is not an organization but an organically grown body of believers who follow Jesus. Not a static organization but a living organism.
- Not a building but a community.
- Not based on just attending church but being the church.
- Not built on church programs but built on personal relationships with one another, formed through the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit.
- Not a church taught by one person, monologue-based sermons, but a church taught and discipled by means of community participation, group dialogue, and interaction.
- Not geared toward performance-based worship, but worship arising from a lifestyle of worship lived out in Spirit and Truth.
Part 2
Church as an organization
Definition of satire: [sat-ahyuhr]/ ˈsæt aɪər /
- the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, to expose, denounce, or deride the folly or corruption of institutions, people, or social structures.
The following satirical piece takes no prisoners in contrasting the way the early New Testament church met, as described in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40, with the way churches typically meet today. Jesus definitely loves the church, for she is his bride; however, she has gradually adorned herself with the traditions of men ever since the Apostle Paul wrote his instructions on what should take place when the church assembles.
The New Testament Way to Meet
- How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, everyone of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
- If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two or at the most by three, and that by course, and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
- Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If anything be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
- Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for a woman to speak in the church. What! Came the word of God out from you? Or came it to you only?
- If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
- Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently, and in order. (KJV)
Our Modern Way of Meeting
- How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, the pastor hath a doctrine, and the minister of music hath psalms. Let all things be done unto edifying.
- If anyone besides the pastor hath a doctrine, let him not speak; let him hold his peace. Let him sit in the pew, and face the back of the neck of the person which sitteth ahead of him.
- Let the people keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith church tradition. But if they will learn anything, let them ask their pastor after the service, for it is a shame for a layman to speak in the church. For the pastor, he hath a seminary degree, and the layman, he hath not so lofty a degree.
- If any man desires to remain a church member in good standing, let him acknowledge that what I write to you is the command of the denominational headquarters. But if any man ignore this, he shall be promptly escorted out the door by the ushers.
- Wherefore brothers, covet not to speak in the church. Let all things be done decently and in the order in which it hath been written in the church bulletin.
This satirical commentary was written by someone named Rusty Entrekin over 25 years ago. Since penning his observations, the church has further adorned herself with the trappings of modern technologies, such as elaborate stage lighting, LED decor lights, fog machines, sophisticated sound systems, and even stadium-style seating. Certainly, not all churches have followed this trend. Still, the bottom line is that all institutional churches follow the traditional model of a one-person senior pastor-led, top-down organizational hierarchy, with attendees primarily functioning as spectators rather than active participants. Is there a better, more biblical approach? Keep reading.
Part 3
Church as community
The word "church" in the New Testament is translated from the Greek word "ekklesia," from which we get the English word "ecclesia." Its base meaning is "calling out," as in a called-out assembly or gathering of people from which we derive the word "church." Thus, whenever we see "church" used in the Bible, it doesn't refer to the church building or its location, but instead references the people whom God has called out from this world to follow him. It refers to the community of believers in Jesus who have pledged obedience to him as their Savior and Lord. As such, "church" is not a static organization but a living organism rooted in a personal relationship with God and connected relationships with others. Each individual in this community has an active role to play and contributes to the community's overall functioning. The Apostle Paul likened the church to the human body, where each body part performs a vital function, and no individual body part is "less than" or "more than" the other parts of the body. In 1 Corinthians 12:14-26, he wrote:
14 Our bodies don't have just one part. They have many parts. 15 Suppose a foot says, "I'm not a hand, and so I'm not part of the body." Wouldn't the foot still belong to the body? 16 Or suppose an ear says, "I'm not an eye, and so I'm not part of the body." Wouldn't the ear still belong to the body? 17 If our bodies were only an eye, we couldn't hear a thing. And if they were only an ear, we couldn't smell a thing. 18 But God has put all parts of our body together in the way that he decided is best.
19 A body isn't really a body, unless there is more than one part. 20 It takes many parts to make a single body. 21 That's why the eyes cannot say they don't need the hands. That's also why the head cannot say it doesn't need the feet. 22 In fact, we cannot get along without the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest. 23 We take special care to dress up some parts of our bodies. We are modest about our personal parts, 24 but we don't have to be modest about other parts. God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable. 25 He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others. 26 If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honored, the whole body will be happy. (CEV)
God sees his church as one body, indivisible, with all of its individual members contributing to its functioning and overall health. But what we observe in the church today are congregations divided by a multitude of denominational beliefs and practices. The result is a "me and my" mindset instead of an "us and ours"mindset that is common in today's church. Its focus is individualism over collectivism.
The importance of church as a community of believers cannot be overstated. This is evidenced by the very way Jesus instructed his followers to pray:
9 Therefore, this is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10 May your kingdom come. May your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread,12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. 13 And never bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' Matthew 6:9-13 (ISV)
It's important to observe that in this prayer, Jesus taught his followers to utilize plural pronouns. For example, in v.9, the "you" in "how you should pray" is a plural pronoun in the Greek. This goes unnoticed because our English translations do not make this distinction. Jesus must have been a Southerner because grammatically the verse is more accurately rendered as "Therefore, this is how y'all should pray." :) By doing this, Jesus is emphasizing a collective effort in prayer. This does not mean that we as individuals should not pray, but the significance of community prayer should never be underestimated. This outcome can be seen in today's churches when an announcement is made inviting people to gather together for corporate prayer. These gatherings for the purpose of praying together as a group of believers are usually the least attended meetings of the church. Except for the faithful few, meeting for community prayer draws the least interest and participation. Thus, while the Babylonian church has rightly taught the necessity of individual prayer, in doing so it has neglected to emphasize the importance of group prayers.
Elsewhere in this prayer, we see the further use of plural pronouns, as underlined and in bold above. In praying the Lord's prayer, we ask the Father for his provision of our daily needs, the forgiveness of our collective sins as we forgive each other, as well as our collective deliverance from evil.
When praying the Lord's prayer in this manner, it transforms us. We are by nature selfish creatures. I am number one, and I look at meeting my own needs first, before anyone else. Praying in the plural changes my perspective by taking the focus off of me and onto others. It causes me to look out for the needs of my fellow human beings. It forces me to ask myself if I'm really my brother's keeper. After all, isn't that what community is all about? And finally, in this formative process of praying like this, I uncover my calling and purpose in life. I discover why God created me in the first place, which ultimately results in a sense of self-fulfillment. Ironically, it's through the "us" of community that I discover the "me" of who I am.
Part 4
Leadership in the church
In part 3, we emphasized that the church is first and foremost a community of believers in which each member is equally valued and everyone has a role to fulfill. This differs from the institutional church, which is structured using a top-down approach. This traditional church model typically has the Priest or Senior Pastor position prominently featured at the top of the hierarchy, with various office holders situated underneath until we reach the bottom of the ladder, where we find the common lay person. So although in our orthodoxy, we say we believe in the priesthood of all believers, in our orthopraxy we practice the opposite of what we claim to believe, as those at the top of the ladder play a more prominent role and are usually more highly esteemed compared to those occupying the bottom rungs of the ladder. We’ve thus created a divide between clergy and laity. This contradicts Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 23:8-12, where he prohibited the use of honorific titles and the exaltation of one person over another.
8 “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. 9 And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father. 10 And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you must be a servant. 12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:8-12 (NLT)
In this passage, Jesus does not merely suggest this; instead, he commands the prohibition of using titles such as the Jewish Rabbi (equivalent to the Protestant Pastor) and Father (equivalent to the Roman Catholic Priest). Yet this command is universally ignored in both Protestantism and Catholicism. Because the clergy routinely ignore this command, they, in effect, promote inequality among the brothers and the sisters, and employing an honorific title exalts one member of the body over the others. Should we not repent of this divisive church practice?
In contrast to the institutional church, the church as a community ideally goes about its business in humble service to one another. No one is above another. Attaining to this ideal, though, is not easily accomplished because it runs counter to our own self-centered interests, and deep down, we all crave recognition. Fortunately, Scripture is instructive on how to govern a community of believers where equality, accessibility, accountability, respect, and honor can not only coexist but thrive when it comes to establishing leadership in the church. We will consider these aspects of community leadership next in Part 5.
Part 5
Leadership in the community
Just because the church is a community of people regarded as equals who participate in the life of the community, it does not mitigate the need for leadership. Just because the church is a living organism, it doesn't mean that there is no need for being organized. Without a leadership structure, the group's direction meanders, its growth may be stifled, and its unity can erode if there's no leadership to maintain direction and keep the ship afloat. Leaders are necessary to make decisions and captain the ship, while deckhands are needed to work in concert to keep the ship running. If not, the ship can drift off course, morale suffers, and dissension can arise. And so it is with biblical community, as establishing leadership is necessary to avoid this kind of outcome.
There's one huge caveat, however. Captaining a ship and giving orders to its officers and crew is vastly different from how things are ordered in God's community. On a ship, orders are given and expected to be followed without question. That is not so in the church. Yet many church leaders act as if they are the captains of their congregations, demanding blind obedience (which may even contradict Scripture). This mandate for blanket obedience can occur overtly through direct teaching from the pulpit or, less obviously, through unsaid expectations such as widespread church tradition or the particular culture fostered by an individual church. At these extremes, religious cultisms can arise, which surprisingly, can be hard to detect, particularly when a person is involved in one. That is precisely why Scripture helps us stay vigilant against the potential abuse of leadership power. In 1 Peter 5:3, the Apostle Paul admonished church leaders: Do not lord it over the people entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock. 2 Timothy 2:24 states: A servant of the Lord must not quarrel. Instead, he must be kind to everyone. He must be a good teacher. He must be willing to suffer wrong. In 1 Peter 2:7, Paul points to his own example of what a church leader should be like: But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. Thus, a biblical leader is first and foremost a servant-leader who serves as a role model for others.
The Bible identifies two types of leaders in the church community: elders and deacons. Elders can be likened to the head of the body, while the deacons are the hands and the feet. Elders are charged with attending to the community's spiritual needs, while deacons are charged with meeting the community's physical and practical needs. This is seen in Acts 6:1-3, where the role of the deacon arose from a practical need in the early church.
More and more people were becoming followers of Jesus. But during this same time, the Greek-speaking followers began to complain against the other Jewish followers. They said that their widows were not getting their share of what the followers received every day. 2 The twelve apostles called the whole group of followers together. The apostles said to them, "It would not be right for us to give up our work of teaching God's word in order to be in charge of getting food to people. 3 So, brothers and sisters, choose seven of your men who have a good reputation. They must be full of wisdom and the Spirit. We will give them this work to do. 4 Then we can use all our time to pray and to teach the word of God." (ERV)
The rapid growth of the early church required adjustments, as the apostles could no longer both teach the word of God and "serve tables" at the same time. Because they prioritized the former, they instructed the church to select other set-apart men to accomplish the latter. The qualifications to serve as a deacon are found in Acts 6:3 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
What is notable in this passage is that the role or office of the deacon originated from a need in the community of believers for the equitable distribution of food. It was not a spiritual need but a physical need. It was not a need to fill a church position, but a need for qualified people to look after others' needs. Its focus was outward on people groups, not inward on a church building. It's the difference between seeing church as a community and seeing church as a corporation.
Overseeing the community of believers is the office of the elder. This office is not held by just a single man but by a group, or plurality of qualified men. Thus, it is not proper to say that "he is the elder of that church," but instead, "they are the elders of that church." These men serve as the spiritual shepherds of the believing community. While the deacons provide for the community's physical sustenance, the elders provide for its spiritual sustenance. A church pastor can serve as an elder since, by default, he is a shepherd. All other elders, like the pastor, must be able to teach, per 1 Timothy 3:2. In the first several verses of 1 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul specifies the qualities necessary for a man to serve as an elder. In addition to the ability to teach, Paul specifies areas of an elder's personal life that reflect his good reputation and conduct. These qualities give evidence that he is a mature man of character and integrity. In God's wisdom, he set apart this group of men to serve as overseers of his church instead of just one man. In this way, shared decision-making and mutual accountability are established, and their model of working together serves as an example to the rest of the congregation while limiting any one man's ability to "lord it over" the congregation.
More information about church leadership is available on the Resources page under the Church section.
Part 6
Communion as community
Sacrament
noun
Communion or the Eucharist, also known as the Lord's Supper, is a sacrament that was commanded by Jesus to be observed by his followers. As described in Matthew 26:26-28 and Luke 22:19-20, the Lord's Supper is a sacred meal instituted by Jesus, the Christ, during the Passover, symbolized by the breaking of bread representing Jesus' body and a cup of wine representing his blood, for the forgiveness of sins. This sacrament is commanded for believers to be done in remembrance of Jesus' death on the cross, where the spilling of his blood brought about God's forgiveness and the cleansing of our sins.
In most churches, this sacrament is a ritual of solemnity where the congregation is usually instructed to examine themselves in quiet solitude for sins that need to be repented of, so that they would be forgiven and partake in the elements of communion to follow. At that time, those in the congregation eat the pieces of bread and drink the cup of wine or grape juice, and this ceremony is concluded.
The other place in the Bible where the practice of communion is particularly instructive occurs in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. You may be quite surprised to discover that the early church did not practice communion as is practiced today in Protestantism or Catholicism. Read this passage first, then come back to continue reading this article.
First and foremost, communion, as observed in the early church, was not a solitary event where individuals searched themselves for individual sins needing to be confessed. Instead, in the first few verses, the Apostle Paul castigates the Corinthian church for sins as a GROUP of people. In verse 17, he admonishes them for coming TOGETHER, not for the better but for the worse. He points out that there are DIVISIONS and FACTIONS among you (v.18). He elaborates by identifying those who eat at the Lord's Supper, make a practice of eating their meal before others arrive, thus causing one to get drunk and another to go hungry (v.21). Paul states that those who do such a thing despise God's church and humiliates those who have nothing to eat. He asks them, "Don't you have homes to eat and drink in?" (v.22). Paul warned them, So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord (v.27). And in v.29: For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.
Importantly, notice that in verse 30, Paul, with godly authority, makes a particularly startling statement: "That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died." Did Paul really mean that by not waiting for others, who together compose the body of Christ, by eating the bread and drinking the cup, they then brought judgment on themselves, causing them to be sick and some even dying? It's hard to argue against that statement by Paul, as he summarized his case against the Corinthian church by concluding in v.34: If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.
Based on the above, we can draw a couple of conclusions regarding Communion, or the Lord's Supper. This sacrament as practiced today is a far cry from how it was practiced in the early church. Back then, the Lord's Supper was a full meal — a feast when the body of Christ as a whole gathered together to observe it. In contrast, when the body of Christ comes together in today's church, the Lord's Supper is reduced to a ritual consisting of a small piece of bread and a tiny container, or a sip of wine or grape juice. It's no longer the Lord's Supper but instead, the Lord's Snack, and hardly enough to be properly called a snack. The Lord's Supper was not only meant to remember Jesus' body broken for us and his blood shed for us for the forgiveness of sin, but also to bring together believers who represent his body. Its focus is not on the individual members of the body but instead represents the importance of sharing a common meal, which incorporates the elements of the bread and wine as the embodiment of our shared salvation.
It is therefore of the utmost importance to get rid of Lone Ranger Christianity as practiced in the churches today, and tear out hymn #666 from the pew hymnal entitled "I Did it My Way" by Frank Sinatra.
Part 7
This is the last part of what church is, so a brief summary of what's been emphasized throughout these sections is in order. Consider the following analogy.
If you walk into any hardware store in America, you will have no difficulty finding 3M products on the store shelves. You can easily find 3M Scotch tape, 3M adhesives, 3M sandpaper, 3M wood and body fillers, and other offerings in their product lines. Have you ever wondered what the "M" in 3M stands for? Originally, this giant corporation started as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, and its corporate motto is "Science. Applied to Life." "3M applies science and innovation to create practical solutions that improve safety, health, efficiency, and everyday life worldwide."
Maybe you're a stockholder in 3M, and as such, you own shares of 3M, which means you are a part owner of that business. What we as human beings don't realize, though, is that we all own shares of 3M. How so? Because 3M can also stand for "Me, MY, and Mine." In everyday life worldwide, it's all about me. It's all about the self. The church today is no exception. That is why it's not uncommon for people to experience isolation, hurt, offense, and relationship disruption in the very place where there should be unity. This has resulted in countless church splits and the formation of Christian denominations. This is a direct result of the church not teaching the importance of the church as a community of believers, where we answer in the affirmative: yes, I am my brother's keeper. When another suffers loss, we suffer loss. When another grieves, we grieve. When another celebrates, we also rejoice.
In light of this, we should endeavor to modify the motto of the 3M Corporation when it comes to defining "church" as "Relationships. Applied to Life."
Next, go to the Resources page, where we encourage you to watch all the videos that further explain "church."
Bound by sin
It would be easy to start Part 1 of this section with a straight-to-the-point biblical definition of sin. However, doing so raises a concern. The concern is that this article could turn into a dry academic exercise where mere mental assent is the only thing being asked of you. That is unacceptable, as the goal of understanding sin is not just to change your mind, but to transform your heart as well. The former is useless without results being produced in the latter.
The results of this thing that the Bible calls sin are the theft, killing, and destruction of human life. Whether you believe in the devil or not, his goal is to destroy human life—in any way possible. In John 10:10, Jesus declared: The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness. (GNT)
Based on Jesus’ statement, we have two choices. We can either give ground to the devil to destroy our lives and those of our loved ones, or we can yield to Jesus and allow him to transform our lives into all of its fullness. This sounds simple enough, but the road to an abundant life is paved with obstacles, and those obstacles primarily originate in our families of origin, in the homes where we were born and raised. Exodus 34:6-7 sheds light on this premise.
5The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed his name, “the Lord.” 6The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed:
The Lord — the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, 7maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. (CSB)
Upon reading this, the question that must be answered is: how can the innocent children bear the consequences of their fathers’/parents’ sin? That appears to be totally unjust. Shouldn’t parents bear the consequences of their own sins? The partial answer to this dilemma is found in the attributes of God described in verses 6-7, where God is described as abounding in faithful love and forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. God’s very character is his willingness to extend mercy and grace, thereby forgiving those who have sinned against him. However, despite God forgiving parents of their sins, sin still brings consequences that are then visited upon the generations of children that follow them.
This concept appears in the first sin committed by humans, when Adam and Eve ate the fruit God commanded them not to eat, as described in Genesis chapter 3. As soon as they sinned, they felt fear and shame and hid themselves from God (v.10). Shame and isolation in our world are common reactions shared cross-culturally in response to sins perpetrated against us, as well as sins we commit ourselves. Notice also that this couple faced immediate consequences. In addition to becoming separated from their relationship with God, strife entered into their relationship as husband and wife. Despite knowing better, Adam blamed Eve for their transgression (v.12). Hostility also arose between them. “I will make you and the woman hostile toward each other. I will make your descendants and her descendant hostile toward each other....” (v.15, GW). Note that this one sin caused hostility to extend even to their progeny, which parallels the sins of the father bringing consequences to the third and fourth generation, as cited earlier in Exodus 34:7.
This cycle of sin and its tragic result repeats in the very next chapter of Genesis, where we find Adam and Eve's two offspring, brothers Cain and Abel, hostile toward each other, resulting in Abel’s murder at the hand of Cain (Gen. 3:8).
So what hard lesson do we learn here? The answer is that the sins of the fathers are punished in the children through becoming the sins of the children. Human beings who commit sin not only hurt themselves, but they hurt their descendants because the children whom they’ve sinned against go on to sin and hurt other people. Hurt people, hurt people. Thus, the cycle of sin begins with one generation and extends to the following generations as an uninterrupted pattern of sin and learned behavior, until faith in Christ and the forgiveness of sin wrought by his sacrificial blood break this cycle.
To gain a better appreciation of the reality of the tragic consequences of sin as passed down from one generation to the next, please click on the two videos on the Resources page under Sin: The cycle of sin.
Part 2
Part 3
The divine law
Part 2
Part 3
The path to salvation
Part 2
Part 3
The kingdom of God
Part 2
Part 3
