Legalizing Alcohol Sales

The following series of articles may also be found on the website of the Mill Street church of Christ, London, KY

www.millstreetcoc.org

The articles appeared in the weekly newspapers of the: 

Sentinel Echo Newspaper Article   & Times-Tribune Newspaper Article

on:

Friday, October 21, 2011          &       Saturday, October 22, 2011

London, KY                                            Corbin, KY

~Another Vote for Liquor Sales Expansion?~

Will London lose its innocence…again?

 “Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, and whoever

is led astray by it is not wise.” — Proverbs 20:1

Part 1

In the September 21, 2011 edition of the Sentinel Echo, it was reported that a petition is circulating in order to, quote: “take the city’s ‘moist’ alcohol sales to ‘state liquor’ sales.”  The article went on to state that, “If enough signatures are obtained, it could be on the ballot this November.”  Finally, the article stated, “This petition is to address the sale of liquor to the public through stores, countering the current ‘moist’ alcohol sales at area restaurants (only beer and wine).”

If you remember, some time ago, a similar effort was successful in achieving what this article referred to as ‘moist’ alcohol sales in restaurants in London.  That effort also began by way of a petition, with an ensuing ballot vote.  We now see in this second ‘circulating’ petition, an effort to broaden on that which was successful in the first petition and vote.  With this second petition we now see a progression toward a larger goal by its advocates, as this will not be the last of related petitions/votes. 

Anyone who is familiar with the teaching of the Bible knows that sin spreads in this same manner...i.e. progressively.  So it is not difficult to understand why a second move or petition has surfaced to expand liquor sales.  This progression is following an age-old pattern once the proverbial ‘toe-in-the-door’ has occurred.  Progression is typical in many plans or efforts, as it achieves an ultimate goal step-by-step.  For example, in dieting; there is a goal, but the goal is achieved in progression.  If one desires to lose 50 pounds, then the goal is to do so step-by-step.  The ultimate goal in connection with sin is to eliminate restraint entirely, but little by little. Thus, there is an ever-so-slow shift, one step at a time; so slow that it is unnoticed until one day it is observed, “How did it all happen”?  Is there any doubt as to the ultimate goal of those behind these petitions?     

Sin is not an abstract thing; i.e., it does not advance by itself.  Sin is transgressing a command of God.  People commit sin.   Animals do not, nor does anything else that was created.  The reason for this is that man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27).  As God freely chose to grant unto man eternal life thru Christ (Eph. 1:4-5), man has the ability to freely choose to accept or reject God’s offer.  Thus, the commands given to him of God thru Christ can be obeyed or refused.  Refusal to obey those commands constitutes transgression (John 12:48-49).   Man submits to Christ by submitting to the commands that Christ gave and man rejects Christ by rejecting His commands (2 John 1:9).  Sin is advanced by those who have made their choice to reject submission to Christ’s commands. 

Their motivation is seen from 1 John 2:16, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”  This petition is being advanced by people whose motivation is a love for the things of this world.  Whoever was in favor of the first petition will likely be in favor of this petition, but who are they?  I haven’t seen the petition, but I do recall the manner in which the first petition was circulated.  I recall elderly people being told that the petition was for the purpose of putting boot-leggers out of business!  Such pretense is the focus of the article.  Any worthy cause needs no pretense to advance its case.  If it is honorable, people should not have to lie, deceive and take advantage of anyone to solicit support for that cause.  Certainly, if the cause is in harmony with the will of Christ, it ought to be publicized, supported with all our being!  Is that the case?  The manner in which this petition is advanced will reveal its worthiness (or lack of), but it will be in harmony with its true nature as well as reveal the character of those involved.

What does the Bible say about those who are involved in sin, especially as it relates to how they work secretly and deceptively?  The Bible identifies the behavioral pattern of those involved in sin.  It never has changed as they will always follow the same pattern, working their plans in secret, advancing their cause, while remaining in seclusion.

The Psalmist described the wicked in Psalm 10 as follows: “Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.”

The apostle Peter described the similarity between false prophets and false teachers in 2 Peter 2:1.  They act in secret.  He said they would “…privily…bring in damnable heresies.”  Moses had written long ago of the similar tactic of those whose motive was to lead others away from God in Deut. 13:6, “If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly...”. 

Will we see this “secrecy” of behavior in connection with this petition?  Time will tell.   Again, if the cause is worthy, the people advocating it need not be facetious in their support of it, nor be underhanded in any way in their actions.  Other articles may come out in the Sentinel Echo mentioning who is behind this petition.  Aside from any plausible reasons that may be given as to why London needs expansion in liquor, the truth about intoxication as set forth in the Bible needs to be known.  Then and only then can the people of London make an informed decision in regard to both signing a petition AND in casting a vote.

As a preacher of the gospel, I am not ashamed to put my name to any cause in which I am involved, for if it is a worthy cause, it will stand on its own merits.  I need not misrepresent the gospel in order to get people to accept its message.  Alcohol is clearly discussed in the Bible and equally condemned as sinful.  This will be shown in future articles as it pertains to this matter. 
to be continued...

RDB

Love abounding in knowledge & judgment

Love is characterized by the two words: knowledge & judgment.

KNOWLEDGE:
What kind of knowledge characterizes love?   To answer this question, notice what kind of knowledge was ABSENT in the people under consideration by Paul the apostle in Romans 10:1-3:  
Brethren, my heart's desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved.  
For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to KNOWLEDGE.  
For being INGORANT OF GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.

The knowledge lacking here, pertained to ‘God’s righteousness’.  Where IS God’s righteousness to be found?  Moses told Israel in Deut. 6:24-25, “…the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.'

The Psalmist wrote:
Psa. 19:9; 119:7, 62, 106, 137, 138, 160, 164 - thy righteous judgments.
Psa. 119:172 - My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments [are] righteousness.
Paul said of the GOSPEL that, “...the righteousness of God” revealed. (Rom. 1:17)

From these passages, what do we conclude?
Is it not in the commandments that God gave to man that God’s righteousness is found?  His commands are righteous, and when man complies with the applicable command, righteousness is ‘imputed’.
God’s love for man is seen in the fact that God gave man commands to live by.  They do for man what nothing else can do –make him wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15).  They enable man to sidestep Satan’s traps giving him insight as to how Satan attacks (2 Cor. 2:11).

Solomon, in Prov. 1-7 spoke in depth of the lures and traps of the wicked.  Those ‘void of understanding’ (7:7) fell prey –ALWAYS!  The ‘understanding’ here, by context was of God’s commandments/statutes.  God defines sin in His word, God explains what lusts of the flesh are and how they are used to tempt us to fulfill OUR will rather than HIS, thereby committing sin.  God warns of consequences for disobedience and promises reward for obedience…all of which require FAITH from man as to what God has spoken.

KNOWLEDGE AND MAKING JUDGMENTS  
Knowledge of God’s commands (righteousness), enables us to make the wise decisions and/or render judgments in view of salvation and eternity.    That is ultimately what every decision we make is dependent upon – where do we want to spend eternity?  Do we believe what God has promised and warned?  Is my motive in reference to any decision I must make in life, decided because I have determined that it will benefit me spiritually?  Will it benefit others?   OR is the decision solely a pleasurable one that satisfies my lusts?

HAPPINESS OR SADNESS?
God’s wisdom (sp. Knowledge) is not designed to benefit the flesh, nor bring joy/pleasure to the flesh; it fact, it will ‘war’ against the flesh!  His commands are not designed to appeal to your flesh, but to the part of you that was made in His image…the inward man, or your intellect.  They are not for the benefit of your flesh, but for your soul’s benefit.  It is your soul that will live in eternity somewhere.  The issue is, where do you want to spend eternity?   Eternal life, (Heaven) is promised thru obedience to Jesus’ commands (Heb. 5:8-9).

For now, you are called upon to follow in His steps.  He sacrificed His physical life so that you might have spiritual life.  You must live that way, i.e., do that for others.  Thus, He taught in John15:13-14, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.”

This is how love abounds in knowledge & judgment.
RDB

Condemnation and Justification...the Missing Link!

Jeremiah told God's people Israel WHY they were hypocrites in chapter 7:8 - - He said, "Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit." – Did they trust in lying words by faith alone, or by praying a 'sinner's prayer'?
No, for in verses 9-11, he gave specifics of their hypocrisy. THEN in verse 13, he stated, "And now, because ye have done all these 'WORKS'." 
You are not condemned by faith only any more than you are justified by faith only. Sin is a transgressing of a command in either adding to or taking away from that command. (cf. Rom. 14:23; James 4:17; 1 John 3:4; & 5:17)

For those who have been preached that trusting is done thru prayer, notice what Jeremiah was told NOT to do by God in verse 16, "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me; for I will not hear thee."

False teaching is characterized by ONE DOMINANT ASPECT! IT DOWNPLAYS COMMANDS & COMMANDMENT KEEPING! JESUS DIED FOR ALL, YET IS THE AUTHOR OF SALVATION TO THOSE THAT O B E Y!!! (Heb. 5:9).
You obey Him by obeying His commands (2 John 1:9-11).

Likewise, truth, or true teaching will stress commands; and obedience, this is what separates it from false teaching. Read the entire chapter of Jeremiah 7 to see the similarities of Jeremiah's day and our day. Truly, there is nothing new under sun...

The Holy Spirit as an Earnest or Seal

Assurance of Salvation or Once Saved, Always Saved?

In 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14; and Rom. 8:16 Paul uses expressions that refer to various ways that a product or act may be guaranteed to be genuine or authentic.  A ‘seal’ was used as proof that a document or law was officially ratified and therefore genuine (this was especially common in Paul's day, but is still done sometimes today).  Likewise, an earnest was a sort of down payment or partial payment, given as assurance of intent to pay other money.  For example, when a buyer purchases a house, he may initially pay a small part of the total price as a pledge of his sincere or "earnest" intent to purchase.  The amount initially given becomes assurance that the rest will come later.

Under the gospel, Christians are said to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them.  NOT because of their faith in the Holy Spirit or in HIS existence, but because of their faith in JESUS.  This is seen from Peter’s words: “God hath made Him both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).  The Spirit is said to dwell in us even as the Father and Son are said to dwell in us (John 17:20-21; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; and 2 Corinthians 6:16-18).  This is an expression for the unity or fellowship we have with God and all the spiritual blessings we have as a result of that fellowship, in contrast to the alienation we have from God when we are in sin.  Evidence or proof of this fellowship is in the fact that Christians are “sealed” with God’s Spirit.   It is called an “earnest”, which is a down payment of our inheritance UNTIL the redemption of the purchased possession” (Eph. 1:14).  Paul's point is that the Holy Spirit is a down payment or partial installment assuring us that much greater blessings will come later when we enter into the final reward in eternity.

The "earnest" shows good intention on God's part; but that in no way guarantees the faithfulness of the humans in keeping our part of the agreement.  It is not uncommon, in human transactions, for a party to back out of a purchase or violate a contract after earnest money has been paid. The point here is that God will not back out, IF we keep our part of the agreement.  But if we humans do not keep our part of the covenant, God is surely not required to provide us eternal life.  He can and will then withdraw His earnest, and we lose our reward.

For passages proving a child of God can so sin as to be lost, see John 15:1-6; Acts 8:12-24; Romans 6:12-18; 8:12-17; Galatians 5:1-4; 6:7-9; 1 Corinthians 9:25-10:12; 1 Timothy 1:18-20; 5:8; 2 Timothy 2:16-18; Hebrews 3:6,11-14; 4:9,11; 6:4-8; 10:26-31; and 2 Peter 1:8-11; 2:20-22 

Like the Master

When you fish without following Jesus, you make a proselyte; a collective of proselytes wear the name of the person whose teachings they embrace.

When you follow Jesus' teachings, fishing, you make disciples; a collective of disciples wear the name of the person whose teachings they embrace.

Luke 6:40 – the disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

The Falling Away that Brought on the Dark Age – Part 2

The Falling Away that Brought on the Dark Age

By: Gene Lyles – Part 2

In spite of the division within the church in those early centuries, the Roman government continued persecution of those who were identified as Christians. This persecution continued until the time when Constantine became the emperor. Constantine was among the high-ranking officials within the Roman government, and witnessed the persecution of Christians. He strongly disliked what he saw. Furthermore, his mother was said to be a Christian. When he won a decisive battle over the army of Maxentius in 312 A.D., he stopped the persecutions of Christians, and soon declared himself to be a Christian. Furthermore, he gave Christians special privileges and used great sums from the Roman treasury to build magnificent structures for Christians to use as places of worship.

Also, in the early days of his reign, he declared Christianity to be the state religion, which was a crucial blow to paganism. Even though this appeared to be a great victory to Christianity, it proved to be a hurt rather than a help. Making Christianity the state religion caused many to become Christians (?) who were not truly converted to the faith of Christ, thus they were easily led to follow the apostate leaders in the church.

As emperor, Constantine had those who ruled under him in the various provinces within the empire, and not all of them were pleased with his favor toward the Christians. One ruler in particular named Licinius, who ruled in the Byzantine province, rebelled against his rule, and continued severe persecution against the Christians in that area. Constantine took his army, and defeated Licinius and executed him for his revolt in continuing his persecution of Christians. He rebuilt the city of Byzantium on a magnificent scale, and re-named it Constantinople. In the year 324 A.D., Constantine moved the seat of government from Rome to Constantinople, and became very involved in the religious controversies among the bishops. Since Christianity seemed to be stronger in the East, his leanings were more in favor with the bishops of the East. This was the beginning of a spiritual war between the high-ranking bishops, especially between the bishop of Rome and the bishop of Constantinople.

The spiritual war between the high-ranking bishops of the apostate wing of the church continued about two hundred years. It was not so much a war over doctrinal issues as it was over power and control. Since there were five major provinces within the Roman Empire, there were now five provincial bishops, and each of them wanted to be the chief bishop, yet each was reluctant to make such an exalted claim for himself. These five bishops were located in the seats of each province: Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexander. Of these five cities, the bishop of Rome and Constantinople were without question the most powerful. So the power struggle finally narrowed down to the bishops of Rome and Constantinople. Since the seat of the Roman Empire was now located in Constantinople rather than Rome, the bishop of Constantinople naturally felt he should occupy the preeminent position. So in the year 588 A.D., with the encouragement of the emperor, he declared himself to be bishop over the church universal.

As you can imagine, this didn’t set very well with the bishop of Rome, who at that time was Gregory the Great. He was very upset over this ambitious claim by John the Faster, so he wrote him a very lengthy letter of rebuke, but John did not relent. Without question, Gregory proved by his letter that he knew the idea of a universal bishop was contrary to the scriptures. The following brief quote from Gregory to John will show that he clearly understood this.

You know it, my brother; hath not the venerable Council of Chalcedon conferred the honorary title of universal upon the bishop of this Apostolic See, whereof I am, by God’s will, the servant? And yet none of us hath permitted this title to be given him; none has assumed this bold title, lest by assuming a special distinction in the dignity of the episcopate, we should seem to refuse it to all the brethren (Church History by Klingman, page 18, Par. 2).

From this quote it is clear that Gregory did not make this claim to himself. Yet the Roman Catholic Church today lists him as one of their greatest popes. Furthermore, it proves that there were no such offices as universal bishop prior to 588 A.D.

In the year 601 A.D., the centurion, Phocas, rebelled against the emperor, slew him and his family in an atrocious manner, usurped the throne, and moved the seat of the empire back to Rome. Shortly thereafter, Boniface III, bishop of Rome, persuaded Phocas to transfer the title universal bishop to him. Phocas agreed to do so, thus in the year 606 A.D. Boniface III was declared bishop over the church universal. Please observe that Roman Catholics cannot claim a pope prior to 606 A.D. Furthermore, they will have to admit that the murderous emperor was the one who appointed him, not God.

Not only does the year 606 A.D. mark the beginning of the Roman Catholic Church, but it also marks the beginning of a great division between the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church, neither of which by this time bore any similitude of the true church of the Lord. Truly the great falling away spoken by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 had occurred and a very dark age for the church was fully present. It all started with the desire of church leaders to seek a position of preeminence within the church. The grounds on which they moved to attain this unwarranted position was to claim direct guidance of the Spirit; a claim they could not substantiate by any God given miraculous power.

In conclusion we would like to point out that present day religious division and confusion can be traced to the same problem that occurred in the early days of the church. Just as religious leaders claimed direct guidance of the Spirit then, there are many religious leaders today making the same claim. Rather than being guided by the divinely inspired word of God’s divinely appointed apostles and prophets of the first century, they make a false claim which they cannot substantiate by any miraculous credentials. Just like the bishops in the early church who taught conflicting ideas, these today who make the same claim are teaching conflicting ideas. The only solution that God will accept is for men to quit making a claim which they cannot substantiate, and be guided solely by the scriptures which were given by the men whom God gave the necessary credentials to substantiate their testimony. Until this is done, there can be no religious unity among those professing to be Christians. It is this course to which this writer appeals.

Now back to our main thoughts. Since the bishop of Rome now had the backing of the emperor as being universal bishop over all the churches, and since Christianity had been made the state religion, any person, or group who did not submit to the authority of the Roman bishop was either slain or excommunicated by his command. This is why we read in the history of the bloody inquisition in which literally thousands were put to death if they didn’t submit to the authority of the Roman pontiff. This bloody persecution continued until the time of the great Protestant Reformation which finally broke the power of the Roman pontiff.

Even though the Protestant Reformation broke the power of the Roman pontiff, and gave the scriptures back into the hands of the common man, the different Protestant churches retained much of the false teaching that was brought on the scene by the various bishops of the early church who claimed direct guidance by the Spirit. Thus Protestantism fractured into a multitude of denominational churches. Each church drew up its own creed rather than allow the scriptures to be their guide. It is these creeds that keep these Protestant churches divided, and as long as these creeds are kept intact, religious division will continue among them.

It should be clear to any thinking person that God alone can give to man a perfect creed. This he has done in giving to the world his inspired word. If we really want religious unity, we must discard all these human creeds, and by guided solely by His divinely given creed. For us today that is the last will and testament of Jesus Christ, the New Testament scriptures.

It is utterly foolish to say we cannot understand what the Holy Spirit directed the apostles and prophets to write, but that we must have the Holy Spirit to guide us to understand what he guide them to write. This is as foolish as saying that the Holy Spirit directly guides me, but now must explain what he meant when he guided me. If one believes this foolish notion, he needs to read again 2 Corinthians 1:13, and Ephesians 3:3-5. Since God by the Spirit is the author of the written word, it is blasphemy to say that God could not give to man a written record that he cannot understand without additional guidance of the Spirit.

It is the conclusion of this writer that if the Christians of the first century could understand the oral message of inspired men, and become members of the church of Christ without being a part of any man-made denomination, then men today are able to understand their inspired written word, and become members of the same church of Christ without being a part of any manmade denomination. If we today continue steadfastly in the apostles doctrine in every phase of the faith and practice they handed down to us, then we are indeed members of the true church of the Lord.

The writer of this article not only believes it is possible for one to be a member of the true church of the Lord, but is fully persuaded that he has been for the past sixty-four years. He sees no reason why anyone would want to stay in a denominational church that was founded by men, when he could be in the church founded by the Lord that is governed by his divinely given creed, the New Testament scriptures. One would be truly a Christian, wearing a divinely given name that would glorify the one who died in his behalf. Friend, why not follow this safe and only course?

                                                                                                                

Gene Lyles   

The Falling Away That Brought On the Dark Age - Part 1

The Falling Away That Brought On the Dark Age
By Gene Lyles – Part 1
God, through the apostle Paul, warned that among the very leadership within the church, perverse teaching would occur that would lead disciples away from the faith (Acts 20:29-31). He further stated that there would come a falling away (an apostasy) within the church in which the man of sin, the son of perdition, would exalt himself above all that is called God: even declaring himself to be God (2 Thess. 2:1-4). Even at the time the apostle Paul recorded this prophesy, the mystery of iniquity was already at work (2 Thess. 2:7). Thus it should not surprise us to learn from history that many churches had a single bishop over them even before the end of the first century, rather than a plurality of bishops as the scriptures so clearly teach (Phil. 1:1; Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5).
It was this change in God’s divine arrangement that finally led to a universal bishop over all the churches. Out of this unscriptural arrangement came two powerful religious bodies – the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church –neither of which bore any similitude of the church described in the New Testament. In this article we shall trace the pyramiding of authority which gave these bishops the ability to take the scriptures from the hand of the common man. Even though this was not fully accomplished, it became extremely difficult for the common man to acquire a copy of the scriptures. Had the scriptures remained in the hands of the common man, it is very unlikely that this hierarchical system would have every fully developed. But it did develop, and it is the purpose of this article to tract this falling away step by step to the point which finally led to the dark age at which time the light of God’s word was virtually taken from the common people.
It is difficult to believe that the world could ever go through another dark age, but such is actually taking place at the present time. Even though the scriptures are readily available to all, Satan, through the influence of Atheism, Humanism, feminism, Calvinism, and political liberalism (which has been catering to these satanic organizations), the minds of most people have been taken off of spiritual matters, and put on secular matters. Thus they no longer have a desire to study the scriptures. As far as divine truth is concerned, it seems they couldn’t care less. Even the religious bodies, which seem to be thriving, are doing so by secular enticements, not by the teaching of God’s holy word. Only God can turn this situation around, but you can be sure he will do so in due time.
Those acquainted with history know that the church of the Lord was established in the days of the Roman empire as prophesied in Daniel, chapter two. The Roman empire was deeply rooted in pagan idolatry. Even the emperor was an object of worship. As Christianity began to spread throughout the empire, pagan idolatry began to dwindle. This set in motion a great persecution of Christians by the Roman government. It was during this period of time that many Christians were thrown into the arena to be devoured by wild beasts. Rather than halt Christianity, this ungodly persecution only caused it to grow faster due to the unrelenting faith of the early Christians. The Roman empire began to crumble under the leadership of the Stone cut out of the mountain without hands as prophesied in Daniel 2: 44-45.
Even though Christianity flourished under Roman persecution, there was another problem that raised its ugly head as this persecution was taking place. This was the problem that the apostle Paul warned against in Acts 20:29-31 that among the leadership of the church men would arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. It involved the desire for preeminence among the leadership within the church. A good example is seen in Diotrophes as recorded in 3 John 9-10. Even while the Lord was still on the earth, James and John sought for a position of preeminence in the Lord’s kingdom. However, the Lord quickly corrected them for having such a desire as recorded in Matthew 20:20-27. Also, at a later date, the apostle Peter warned against the leadership of the church having a lordship attitude toward their brethren (1 Pet. 5: 1-3). This should have settled the matter of preeminence, but it didn’t. With the help of Satan, certain ones in leadership positions sought to gain dictatorial control over their brethren.
At this point in our study, we need to carefully examine what the scriptures teach concerning the organizational structure of the church in order to better understand how this corruption set in. After churches were well established by the apostles and their co-workers, it was God’s will that each local church have a permanent office of leadership. This is clearly described in Acts 14: 21-23 and Titus 1:5-9. There are three Greek words used to describe this office: presbuteros, an older man of knowledge and wisdom; episkopos, one who has proven himself capable of leadership; poimen, one capable of feeding or tending a flock. These three terms describe three different aspects of the same office, and are used interchangeably in the scriptures. From these three Greek terms we get six English terms. From presbuteros, we get presbyter and elder. From episkopos, we get bishop and overseer. From poimen, we get pastor and shepherd. To some this is a little confusing, but for one who studies the scriptures carefully, it presents no problem. We not further from the scriptures that each local church was to have a plurality of these men, and each were equal in their responsibility toward leading the congregation. A one-man leadership is totally unknown in the scriptures. Furthermore, the scriptures describe this office to be one of service and leadership, not one of lordship and dictatorial rule, the latter of which brought on the corruption that followed. 
To any student of the scriptures, it is clear that the apostles, and those on whom they laid their hands, were guided directly by the Spirit. This direct guidance of the Spirit was designed of God to give to man a complete and perfect revelation in written form. Once completed and on permanent record, the need for direct guidance of the Spirit had served its purpose. God gave to these inspired men miraculous power to establish beyond question that these men were His appointed spokesmen (Heb. 2:1-4). So then, after the death of the apostles, and those on whom they laid their hands, men were no longer directly guided by the Spirit. The written word is now the perfect guide to Christians for all times to come (1 Cor. 13:8-13; Jude 3). As the apostle Paul said in 1 Cor. 14:37, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or a spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” 
The matter of continuous inspired guidance of the Spirit is the matter that caused the great falling away spoken by Paul in 2 Thess. 2:1-7. After the apostles were all dead, rather than solve religious problems within the church by the written word, certain ones within the leadership of the church claimed direct guidance of the Spirit. If they could persuade those within the congregation to accept their claim, they could lead the church in whatever direction they wanted it to go. So very shortly after the death of the apostles, in many churches, one man became a presiding bishop, and his word, not the scriptures, was to settle all controversies within the local church.
From a book entitled THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS by Edward Burton, we read the account of one outstanding bishop named Ignatius, who, according to history, was the bishop of Antioch between 98 A.D. AND 117 A.D. He identified himself as Theophorus. This term signified a person carried by God. Without any historical foundation, he claimed he was the child that Jesus set in the midst as recorded in Matthew 18:1-6. Thus he assumed to himself a special position of authority and preeminence among the churches. Because of his unwarranted claim, he wrote letters to several churches in which he especially admonished them to fully submit to the rule of the bishop and the presbyters among them. Please not that he makes a clear distinction between the bishop and the presbyters. In his epistle to the Magesians, a church located on the river Meander, about fifteen miles from Ephesus, we give the following quote:
“Wherefore it will become you also not to use your bishop too familiarly upon account of his youth, but yield all reverence to him according to the power of God the Father – as I also perceive that your holy presbyters do – not considering his age, which indeed to appearance is young, but as becomes those who are prudent in God, submitting to him, or rather not to him, but to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the bishop of us all. It will, therefore, behoove you, with all sincerity, to obey your bishop in honor of Him whose pleasure it is that ye should do so, because he that does not do so deceives not the bishop whom he sees, but affronts Him that is invisible: for whatsoever of this kind is done, it reflects not upon man, but upon God, who knows the secrets of our hearts. (This quote comes from pages 84 and 85 of the above-mentioned book.)
As one can clearly see from this quote, Ignatius laid the groundwork for a one-man bishop over all the churches. As strange as it may seem, many of the churches accepted Ignatius as a special bishop among the bishops. To many of the Christians during that time, Ignatius confirmed his unwarranted claim by willingly offering himself as a martyr when he insisted that he be cast to the wild beast in the colosseum at Rome. The Christians of that day greatly erred by putting their faith in the words of this uninspired man rather than putting their trust in the inspired word of God as given by the true apostles and prophets of Jesus Christ.
The unsciptural arrangement of a one-man bishop occupying a preeminent position within the churches quickly created a serious problem. In their claim of direct guidance of the Spirit, we find that the decrees of a bishop in one local church would often conflict with the decrees of the bishops in other churches, thus causing great confusion. In order to solve this problem, a meeting was called to gather the bishops of a particular region into a certain metropolitan city to try to iron out their differences. But since all claimed to be directly guided by the Spirit, they found it impossible to come to a meeting of the minds. So they decided to select one bishop from among them to settle their differences. This called for another office totally unknown to the scriptures, but since one departure from the faith calls for another, they proceeded to call this new office a metropolitan bishop. He now occupies a preeminent position over all the bishops in a metropolitan area. By mutual consent they all agreed to abide by his so-called divinely guided decree.
However, this did not solve the problem of disagreement between the bishops of other metropolitan areas, thus it was decided to call all the bishops within a province together to try to settle their differences. The same procedure was followed, and one bishop was selected from among them to settle their differences. This called for yet another office unknown to the scriptures, which they called a provincial bishop, more commonly called at a later date a patriarch. He was now classed as the preeminent bishop over a province, and all the bishops within a province agreed to abide by his ruling on various matters of difference among them.
As one can easily see, the ordinary Christian’s understanding of the scriptures was not even given consideration. All interpretation of the scriptures must be left to the newly formed hierarchy within the church. It was during this period of time, somewhere between the second and third century, that the clergy-laity system was devised. The clergy consisted of the newly formed hierarchy, and the laity consisted of Christians who occupied no office within the church. This was the beginning of the dark age which sought to withhold the knowledge of the scriptures from the common Christian, and was accomplished with great success.
Even though the so-called clergy now had a powerful control over the churches, they did not have control over the minds of many Christians who were students of the scriptures. Many Christians saw what was taking place, and refused to submit to the rule of these uninspired men. This accounts for the division within the church in the second and third century. It might be compared with the situation in the church at Sardis as recorded in Revelation 3:1-6. The main body of Christians in Sardis thought they were much alive, but were told by the Lord that they were dead. Yet there were a few in Sardis who had defiled their garments, and walked with Christ in white, and were counted worthy. So in the years that followed, the same situation existed: some were faithful to the Lord, and some were not. However, history records very little concerning the faithful, for most history was written by the apostate leaders. Even today most historians record what they consider main stream Christianity, though it in no way conforms to true Christianity. Therefore, people in the future, as they read present day history will have great difficulty finding those of us who remain true to the scriptures.


to be continued...
Gene Lyles