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In the two foregoing messages we covered the formation of the church. In this message we shall begin to consider the establishment of the churches.
There is an important difference between the formation of the universal church and the establishment of the churches. The universal church is not established; rather, it is formed with two categories of elements: all the believers as the extrinsic element and the all-inclusive Christ, the embodiment of the processed Triune God consummated as the all-inclusive, compound Spirit as the intrinsic element. Instead of being established, the universal church is formed by these two categories of elements.
The local churches are established, not formed. Establishment is different from formation. We should not say that we are going to a certain place to form a local church there. On the contrary, we go to a certain city not to form a local church but to establish a local church. The church as a whole was altogether formed more than nineteen hundred years ago on the day of Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius. This means that, in the eyes of God, the universal church, the Body of Christ, has been formed. This is an accomplished fact. Now, after the formation of this universal church as a complete entity, there is the need for the spreading of the church. The way to spread the church is to bring it to a certain locality and plant it. This planting is the establishment of a local church.
Just as we can plant a tree but not form a tree, so we can establish a church but not form the church, A carpenter can form a stand, but he cannot form a tree. Not even the best scientist with a doctoral degree in botany can form a tree. Only God can form a tree. In like manner, only Christ could form the church. The Apostle Paul could plant a local church and Apollos could water it, but it was God alone who formed it and gave it life, and it is God who gives it growth (1 Cor. 3:6-7).
The entire church as the Body of Christ, including all the Jewish and Gentile believers, has been formed once for all universally. This is an accomplished fact. What we are doing today is simply establishing churches in different localities by planting “church trees.” This planting of church trees is the establishing of the churches.
No one is able to go to a place to form a local church. Assuming to do such a thing would be abominable in the sight of God, for it is presuming to do something that only God Himself can do. But although we cannot form the church, we have the position, the right, the opportunity, and even the commission to go to the uttermost parts of the earth to establish local churches.
The Lord has formed the church. Our burden is to bring the church as a tree to every city, town, and village and plant a church there. We all need to be faithful to carry out the burden to establish local churches by planting church trees. We should be burdened not just for the saving of sinners but for the establishing of churches. The married couples should be like Prisca and Aquilla who planted a church tree wherever they went. If we all have the desire to establish churches by planting church trees, the establishing of the churches will be very fast and prevailing.
In this message and in the message following, we shall give a history of the planting of local churches recorded in the New Testament. According to this record, the planting of the churches began in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and went as far as Rome. Although Paul wanted to go to Spain, he was not able to do so. Therefore, during New Testament times, the planting of the churches went only as far as Italy.
The establishment of the churches began from the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1), and it started from the city of Jerusalem (Acts 2:5).
The first local church was the church in Jerusalem. The first mention of the church in Acts is in 5:11. “Great fear came upon the whole church.” This was the church in Jerusalem. The Greek word translated “church” here is ekklesia, composed of ek, out, and a derivative of kaleo, called; hence the called out congregation, the assembly. It is the first time that the church is mentioned here in Acts as a local church.
Acts 8:1 clearly speaks of “the church in Jerusalem.” This was the first church established in a locality within the jurisdiction of a city, the city of Jerusalem. It was a local church in its locality, as indicated by the Lord in Matthew 18:17. It was not the universal church, as revealed by the Lord in Matthew 16:18 but only a part of the universal church, which is the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). The record of the New Testament concerning the matter of the establishment of the church in its locality is consistent throughout (Acts 13:1; 14:23; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 8:1; Gal. 1:2; Rev. 1:4, 11).
Two other verses in Acts that refer to the church in Jerusalem are 11:22 and 15:4. Acts 11:22 says, “The account concerning them was heard in the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem.” It is significant that this verse speaks not of the ears of the believers but of the ears of the church. This indicates that the believers considered that their ears were the ears of the church. They did not care so much for themselves as individual believers but for the church as a corporate body. Whatever they heard they considered that it was for the church, because they looked upon their ears as the ears of the church.
Acts 15:4 tells us that Paul and Barnabas, who had been sent forward by the church in Antioch, were received by the church in Jerusalem. They did not act individualistically apart from the church but corporately in the church and with the church. This was the move of the Body of Christ.
The church in Jerusalem was composed of the elders, the serving ones, and the believers. Acts 11:30 speaks of a gift sent “to the elders through the hand of Barnabas and Saul.” This indicates that in the early days the finances of the church were under the management of the elders.
An elder is an overseer (1 Tim. 3:1). The two titles refer to the same person: elder, denoting a person of maturity; overseer, denoting the function of an elder.
Acts 6:3-6 speaks of seven serving ones in the church in Jerusalem. Acts 6:3 says, “Now brothers, select seven well-attested men from among you, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we shall appoint over this need.” “Full of the Spirit” is one’s condition after being filled with the Spirit inwardly and essentially. This refers to life, not to work. The word “wisdom” here also indicates that in this verse to be full of the Spirit is for life.
The word of the apostles in 6:2-4 pleased the multitude and “they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and having prayed, they laid their hands on them.” Since these seven were chosen to serve tables, they may be considered deacons, just as those whom Paul and his co-workers appointed later in the churches (Rom. 16:1; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8).
It is significant that in the appointment of the seven serving ones no leader was appointed. This indicates that no rank or position was regarded. All the serving ones are the servants to the saints. This is a good pattern for us to learn and follow that we may avoid leadership in rank and position in any form.
Two verses that speak of the believers who composed the church in Jerusalem are Acts 2:44 and 5:14. Acts 2:44 says, “All those who believed were together and had all things common,” and 5:14 says, “Believers were all the more being added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and of women.” The designation “believers” denotes those who have believed in Christ as the Son of God according to God’s New Testament economy. This designation, of course, indicates the matter of believing. Anyone who does not have faith in Christ, who does not believe in Christ, is certainly not a believer.
The believers are also those who have received Christ as their generating life for them to become the children of God. Believing in Christ equals receiving Him (John 1:12-13). When we believe in Christ, we receive Him. We receive Him by believing in Him.
Furthermore, the believers are those who have believed into Christ as the Son of God to have an organic union with Him. John 3:36 says, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life.” Literally translated, the phrase “believes in” should be “believes into.” When we believe in the Lord Jesus as the Son of God, we believe into Him. By believing in Him, we enter into Him to be one with Him organically, to partake of Him, and to participate in all that He has accomplished for us. By believing into Him we are identified with Him in all that He is and in all that He has passed through, accomplished, attained, and obtained. The church is composed of such believers.
The establishing of the churches spread quickly from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. Acts 9:31 says, “So the church throughout the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it was multiplied.” This verse speaks of Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, all of which were provinces in the Roman Empire. Judea was in the southern part of the Jewish land, Galilee was in the north, and Samaria was between the south and the north. There were churches in all three of these provinces. Since at this time the church had spread only to the provinces of Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and the word “whole” in 9:31 covers all the places where the church existed, the “church” in singular is used in the universal sense. The church here is spoken of in the universal sense although there must have been a number of churches in the various cities of these three provinces, which may be called churches in the local sense.
According to verse 31, the church throughout the whole of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee had peace. The church had peace inwardly although there was persecution outwardly. Furthermore, having peace in the midst of persecution, the church was being built up. The building up proceeded after the establishment of the church.
We are also told that the church in these provinces was going on in the fear of the Lord. Although there were persecutions, the church was not in the fear of men. Rather, the church went on in the fear of the Lord lest the church offend the Lord by being subdued by persecution, or lest she offend the Lord in other things.
According to 9:31, the church was going on also in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. This indicates that the church was suffering affliction through the persecutions, in which she feared the Lord and enjoyed the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
The Jews considered Galilee a despised region and Samaria a region full of mixture. Nevertheless, 9:31 speaks of the church throughout the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria. This indicates that no matter how much Galilee was despised and Samaria was rejected by the Jews in Jerusalem, the churches raised up in those regions were all considered one church. In the local sense, they were the churches, but in the universal sense, all these churches are the church. Here we have a basic revelation concerning the oneness of the church universally.
Acts 11:19-26 records the spread of the gospel to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch through the scattered disciples. Verse 26 refers to the church in Antioch. When Barnabas found Saul, “he brought him to Antioch. And it came about that for a whole year they were gathered in the church and taught a considerable number.”
Acts 13:1 opens with the words, “Now there were in Antioch, in the church that was there.” This clearly refers to the local church established in Antioch.
Acts 14:26 and 27 say that Paul and Barnabas “sailed away to Antioch, from which they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled. And having arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them.” Verse 27 does not say that they gathered the believers but that they gathered the church. This indicates that the church in its essential meaning is a meeting, a congregation or assembly. There was such a church, such a congregation, in Antioch.
Acts 13:1 tells us that in the church in Antioch there were “prophets and teachers: Barnabas and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen, foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” Prophets are those who speak for God and speak forth God by God’s revelation. They sometimes speak with inspired prediction (11:27-28). Teachers are those who teach the truths according to the apostles’ teaching (2:42) and the prophets’ revelation. Both prophets and teachers are universal as well as local (Eph. 4:11).
When the establishment of the local churches started with the one hundred twenty in Jerusalem, only typical Jews were involved. But according to the record in Acts 13:1, the prophets and teachers in the church in Antioch were from a number of different sources. Barnabas was a Levite, a Cyprian by birth (4:36). Niger, whose name means black and should denote a Negro, was probably of African origin. Lucius the Cyrenian was from Cyrene in North Africa. Manaen was the foster brother of Herod and was governmentally related to the Romans. Finally, there was Saul, a Jew born in Tarsus and taught by Gamaliel according to the law of Moses (22:3). The fact that the prophets and teachers here were composed of Jewish and Gentile peoples with different backgrounds, education, and status indicates that the church is composed of all races and classes of people regardless of their background, and that the spiritual gifts and functions given to the members of the Body of Christ are not based upon their natural status.
In 13:1 the Lord set up a pattern for the spreading of the churches. From Antioch the Lord’s move turned to reach the Gentile world, and in the Gentile world there were many different kinds of people, people of different cultures, races, and statuses. Therefore, at the very beginning of this turn, the pattern was established to indicate that the churches are composed of all races and classes of people.
The establishment of the churches spread to the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. In these two provinces of the Roman Empire churches were established. This is recorded in Acts 15:40 and 41. “Paul, having chosen Silas, went out, being commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers. And he passed through Syria and Cilicia, establishing the churches.”
After the churches were established in Syria and Cilicia, Paul and Silas were sent by the apostles from Jerusalem to strengthen them. Such a strengthening implies a confirmation, recognition, by the apostles.
