*Editor’s note: This guest article is written by Rev. Paul Sherbird, a dear friend of mine and brother in the Lord. Paul’s ministry links are at the end of the article, so you may follow them for more Christ-honoring teaching.
Appreciating Local Church
As I am writing this we are in the midst of a worldwide lockdown due to Covid-19. Restrictions are in place on our movements, which has greatly affected church life and ministry. It is a difficult time, and we wonder at what God is doing through it all, and theories abound, some more reasonable and believable than others! I do believe it is important that the Lord’s people see the positives in the current situation, and do not get downcast and downhearted, to remember that all things do work for good to those who love the Lord and seek to see things from a heavenly and eternal perspective. From Noah in Genesis to John in Revelation, the saints of God have faced various restrictions, but in it all, we can see the hand of God, and His eternal purposes being worked out – we can certainly believe He is doing the same in the current temporary restrictions on our freedoms.
Search me, O God
One thing I believe the Lord is doing through this time is to give His people a period of re-evaluation of their spiritual lives and their walk before Him. This is a time to ask the Lord to search us out and to prayerfully examine, with the help of the Holy Spirit, if all we have been doing and seeking to do is truly of Him, and in so doing to come out of this period with a renewed, refreshed, and perhaps changed the outlook on our service to Him, to have cast off those things which are not being done under His guidance and for His name’s sake and glory, and with a new understanding of His plan and purpose for our lives. Remember,
There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless, the counsel of the LORD, that will stand (Prov. 19:21).
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way (Ps. 37:23).
It may well be that over the years, many of us (particularly in the affluent west) have been guilty of planning our own steps and using our own resources to bring our plans into being, and without actual, careful, and diligent seeking of the Lord’s guidance and approval for our efforts. Such deeds while they may outwardly appear worthy and valuable, are of no pleasure to the Lord. Such was the condition of the church at Sardis, on which the Lord commented, “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead … I have not found your works perfect before God” (Rev. 3:1,2).
Missing Church?
One area of our lives that may well need re-evaluating is the place our local fellowships hold in our appreciation and understanding of church regarding ministry, worship, and service. The old saying, “You don’t know what you have till it’s gone” has some relevance to us, as huge numbers of Christians are left bereft of their normal means of ministry, worship, and fellowship. But, I want to ask, how many truly appreciate and understand the place their local fellowship should hold in their lives? I have long been concerned that local fellowship has been usurped by internet ministries that globally find their way into the homes of thousands. Perhaps many of you, like me, know of believing brothers and sisters for whom the internet has become their church, and they rarely, if ever attend meetings where they meet with other believers in person. For others, Sunday or mid-week Bible study and prayer meetings, while attended, have become secondary, and subservient to what is perceived to be the more authoritative and valuable ministry of a favoured online ministry. These folks can often be identified by their actions and comments: There will be a lack of interest and involvement in local church activities; no looking to the church eldership for counsel; at the end of a meeting the pastor may be presented with CDs or a book from a particular ministry along with a comment such as, “You need to take note of this”; at other times the pastor is told that his teaching is not in accord with a certain ministry, and therefore he must be in the wrong; they tend to be loners and faultfinders, never able to “fit-in” and seemingly unable to settle in any fellowship.
In expressing these things, I am in no way decrying genuine itinerant and international ministries which are part of God’s blessing for the church, nor am I saying that the leaders of local church fellowships are not accountable for their teachings and conduct, but I do believe there needs to be an awareness of the dangers of sectarianism, and of a belittling of the importance and place of the local fellowship in Christian life. These things have been a danger for the church from its early days ( 1Cor. 3), and now in our times have become exacerbated by the easy availability of online resources. In this respect I can see two possible outcomes to the present lockdowns, we may see a further degrading of local fellowships as more believers turn to the internet for spiritual nourishment and become accustomed to its use, or we may see a renewed appreciation of, and dedication to the local fellowship following on from the realization of how much it has been missed – “you don’t know what you have till its gone.” My hope and prayer is that the latter will prove to be true.
Itinerant Ministries and Local Ministries
The New Testament clearly shows us that itinerant and local ministry was normal and expected practice in the early church. The apostles went from place to place, preached the gospel, gathered believers together, instructed the new believers in the way of faith, taught sound doctrine and right conduct, planted churches, and appointed and ordained elders to lead the new churches. Some of the converts joined the apostles (Acts 20:4), and traveled with them, labouring in teams, often exercising some oversight over new churches, revisiting, and spending time helping to establish the new churches (Phil. 2:19; 1Thess. 3:2). This is evident in the book of Acts, and in Paul’s letters, particularly the pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus. This was, of course, all foundational (1Cor. 3:10; Eph. 2:20), and must be understood as setting a pattern for the future life of the church.
It is clear that from the very early days of the New Testament church, the necessity of localised eldership was realised. During the 1st missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in every church, the seriousness of this act being noted in that it was done with prayer and fasting (Acts 14:23). It must have been obvious to them that each local church needed men who were equipped to lead, and so to ensure the church survived. It stands to reason that the men appointed were considered trustworthy, had an understanding of the apostle’s teachings, were able to teach others, and to maintain the church of God as the pillar and ground of truth (1Tim. 3:15). The pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus show that those appointed to lead the local fellowships were expected to be men of exceptional spiritual quality, called and equipped by the Holy Spirit, and meeting the essential qualifications.
Paul’s address to the elders at Ephesus is particularly informative, because in his last words to them, knowing he would see them no more, we see in outline from his preparations, and the expectations he had for the local ministry. He had taught them all that was helpful, declared to them the whole counsel of God, exhorted them to take heed to themselves and to the flock, and noted that the Holy Spirit had enabled them for their ministry, they were to oversee the church of God, watch out for false teachers, and to support the weak (Acts. 20:20-35) – all of which are tremendously important for churches. Paul knew a particular phase of his ministry was coming to an end, and that he was fulfilling his God-given apostolic purpose, laying the foundations, and preparing the leaders of the church for future generations. He had made provision and supplied all that would be needed for future church leaders so that they could follow his teachings and example, and build the church according to God’s purposes and standards (see: 1Cor. 3:10; 1Tim. 3:15; 2Tim. 2:2; 3:10,11).
The centrality of the Local Church
My aim in this article has been to show the local church’s centrality in all aspects of ministry and church life and to try to show that the local church cannot be circumnavigated and replaced by itinerant and/or internet-based ministry. In fact, the local church is essential for Christian growth and experience. Those who forsake their local churches and fellowships do so at the detriment to their spiritual life and Christian experience. The itinerant ministry of Paul and his teams always had the planting and establishing of the local church as its goal – it should surely not be any different in our day. It would be true to say that without local church much of the content of Paul’s epistles is in fact pointless.
Any itinerant or internet-based ministry that seeks to usurp or replace the role of the local church is surely not in the will of God, and is demeaning of God’s intent for the church, its leaders, and the flock, and is, in fact, doing a disservice to God’s people. Scripture shows that a sound local church will be a place of learning about the kingdom of God; preaching the gospel; discipline; loving acts of kindness; care for widows and orphans; mutual encouragement; warning of false doctrines; respect for its leaders; the call, training, and appointment of ministers; operation of gifts of the spirit; joints and ligaments working together for the glory of God; etc. The ministry and life in the local church will be personal and specific, meeting the needs of the particular congregation in its time, location, and plans in the will of God. Good local church leaders will spend time with the Lord seeking His will for the flock in their care, bringing a word in season, and tailoring ministry to specific needs.
Itinerant ministry is not to be shunned, but welcomed as part of God’s blessing to the church; when that ministry is conducted with the goal of being a help and blessing to God’s people, it will bring blessing to the local church. Internet-based ministry can too be a blessing and we can all learn from good Biblical ministries, and it can fill a gap when circumstances prevent good local fellowship, but it should never be considered an alternative or replacement of the local fellowship.
I pray these present circumstances will indeed encourage believers worldwide to be more determined than ever not to forsake the assembling of themselves together, and sincerely hope the opposite will not prove to be the case.
*Editor’s note: Paul Sherbird is a UK-based minister who serves the church in numerous capacities including as an elder on the council of CMFI – Christian Ministerial Fellowship International, an organization of like-minded brethren advancing the gospel. His articles and teaching can be found on his website, Light is Life, and on YouTube.
Paul’s Bible Teaching on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKUScz0SrpzWbT-vz3wbv9Q
Light is Life: https://www.lightislife.co.uk/
Click the link for information about CMFI: https://www.cmfi.org.uk/
