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In this message we shall continue to consider the establishment of the churches.
Acts 14:21-23 refers to the churches established in the cities of Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. After Paul and Barnabas brought the good news to the city of Derbe and made a considerable number of disciples (vv. 20-21a), “they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch” (v. 21b). This is not the Antioch from which they were sent out on this journey of ministry (13:1); rather, it is the Antioch in Pisidia, the Antioch in Asia Minor.
The churches in these cities were “the churches of Galatia” (Gal. 1:2), a province of the ancient Roman Empire. Through Paul’s preaching ministry churches were established in a number of cities in that province. Hence, “churches,” not “church,” is used when Paul refers to them.
Elders were appointed in every one of the churches in Galatia. Acts 14:23 says, “When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fastings, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” The Greek words rendered “in every church” contain the preposition kata with the distributive usage — according to church. The phrase “in every church” in 14:23 equals “in each city” in Titus 1:5. The comparison of these phrases indicates not only that the jurisdiction of a local church is that of the city in which it is located, but also that in one city there should be only one church. The eldership of a local church should cover the entire city where that church is. Such a unique eldership in a city preserves the unique oneness of the Body of Christ from damage. One city should only have one church with one eldership. This practice is illustrated, beyond any question and doubt, by the clear pattern in the New Testament (Acts 8:1; 13:1; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11), and it is an absolute prerequisite for the maintenance of proper order in a local church.
All the churches in which the elders were appointed respectively by the apostles in Acts 14:23 were established within less than one year. Hence, the elders appointed in these churches could not have been well matured. They must have been considered elders because they were comparatively the most matured among the believers. They were not voted in by their congregation; they were appointed by the apostles according to their maturity in Christ. They were charged by the apostles to care for the leadership and shepherding in the churches.
Revelation 1:4 speaks of “the seven churches which are in Asia,” and verse 11 says, “What you see write in a book and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” Asia was a province of the ancient Roman Empire in which were the seven cities mentioned in verse 11. The seven churches were in those seven cities respectively, not all in one city.
Elders as overseers were appointed in these churches by the Spirit (Acts 20:17, 28). To the elders of the church in Ephesus Paul said, “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers” (Acts 20:28a). It was the apostles who appointed the elders in every church. But here Paul, the leading one who did the appointing, says that the Holy Spirit did it. This indicates that the Holy Spirit was one with the apostles in their appointing the elders and that the apostles had done this according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
From Paul’s word concerning the Holy Spirit placing overseers among the flock we see that the establishing of the churches is altogether due to the Holy Spirit, not due to the apostles. Although the apostles had appointed the elders, here Paul says that this was the work of the Holy Spirit. This reveals that a local church comes into existence only through the work of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the work of the apostles concerning the churches should be absolutely the work of the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit establishes the elders, it is the Holy Spirit who establishes the churches.
The overseers in Acts 20:28 are the elders in verse 17. This proves that overseers and elders are synonymous terms denoting the same persons. To make an overseer a bishop of a district to rule over the elders of various localities in that district is grossly erroneous. This is what Ignatius taught. His erroneous teaching gave the ground to rank and brought in hierarchy.
The Greek word for “overseer” is episkopos, from epi, meaning over, and skopos, meaning seer; hence, overseer (bishop, from Latin episcopus). An overseer (1 Tim. 3:2) in a local church is an elder. The two titles refer to the same person: elder, denoting a person of maturity; overseer, denoting the function of an elder. It was Ignatius in the second century who taught that an overseer, a bishop, is higher than an elder. From this erroneous teaching came the hierarchy of bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and the pope. This teaching is also the source of the Episcopal system of ecclesiastical government. Both the hierarchy and the system are abominable in the sight of God.
The spreading of the churches continued and eventually reached Europe. Churches were raised up in the province of Macedonia, and in 2 Corinthians 8:1 Paul speaks of “the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia.” Macedonia is a province of the Roman Empire in southeastern Europe between Thrace and Achaia on the Aegean Sea.
A church was established in Philippi, comprising the saints with the overseers and deacons. In Philippians 1:1 Paul says, “Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.” This verse indicates that the church in Philippi was established in good order. Notice that Paul speaks of the “saints…with the overseers and deacons.” This is the only place in the New Testament where such an expression is found. It is significant that Paul speaks of the saints with the overseers and deacons. In every local church the unique group consists of the saints. The saints are the components of a local church. Among the saints there are leading ones, which the New Testament describes as elders or overseers. Both titles refer to the same people. When an elder is carrying out his responsibility in the church, he is functioning as an overseer.
In 1:1 Paul also mentions the deacons. Deacons are the serving ones in a local church under the direction of the overseers (1 Tim. 3:8). The English word “deacons” is an anglicized form of the Greek word diakonos, which means a serving one.
It is contrary to the Scriptures to have different classes of believers in a locality. The New Testament reveals that in a local church there is a unique group, and this group is composed of all the saints. For this reason, Paul did not say to all the saints “and the overseers and deacons”; he said all the saints “with the overseers and deacons.” The Greek preposition rendered “with” actually means together with. If Paul had used the conjunction “and” instead of the preposition “with,” this would indicate that in a local church there should be three groups of people — the saints, the elders, and the deacons. But his use of “with” here indicates that there are not three such groups in the church. Paul’s use of the preposition instead of the conjunction indicates that in any locality there should be just one church, which must include all the saints in that locality.
Thessalonica, like Philippi, was a city of the Roman Empire in the province of Macedonia, north of the province of Achaia. After the Macedonian call, which Paul received on his second journey of ministry, he and his co-worker Silvanus visited first Philippi and then Thessalonica (Acts 16:9-12; 17:1-4). The apostle stayed and worked there for only a short time, probably less than one month (Acts 17:2).
First Thessalonians 1:1 says, “Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Both 1 and 2 Thessalonians were addressed to the local church in Thessalonica, composed of all the believers in Christ in that city. Such a local church is of the believers and is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This indicates that such a local church is born of God the Father with His life and nature and is united with the Lord Jesus Christ organically in all He is and has done. Hence, it is of men (such as the Thessalonians), yet in God and in the Lord organically.
The emphasis on the organic union with Christ is an outstanding feature of Paul’s writings. Although 1:1 is written in a simple way, it nevertheless includes Paul’s characteristic reference to the organic union. In this verse Paul speaks of the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The preposition “in” here is very important, for it indicates that the church is in the Triune God. The church is composed of human beings, but they, the believers, are in the Triune God. On the one hand, the church in Thessalonica was of the Thessalonians; on the other hand, this church was in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In 1:1 Paul does not merely say that the church is in God; he says that the church is in God the Father. Unless God is our Father, we cannot be in Him. We were not created in God, but we were regenerated, born again, in Him. This means that in creation we did not have any organic union with God or any life relationship with Him. Instead, there was only the relationship between the creature and the Creator. As God’s creatures, we did not have the life of God. However, when we were born of God, our life relationship with God began. This brought us into the organic union with the Triune God. Now God is not merely our Creator — He is our Father, the One who has begotten us.
Paul says not only that the church is in God the Father but also in the Lord Jesus Christ. “The Lord Jesus Christ” first implies that Jesus Christ is our Lord; second, that He is our Savior; and third, that Christ, God’s anointed One, is bringing us into the riches of God and accomplishing everything with us for God.
When Paul says that the church is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, he indicates that we have been born of God and have been brought into the organic union with Christ. The church, therefore, is a group of human beings who have been born of God and who have been brought into the organic union with Christ.
The planting of the churches also spread to the province of Achaia. Achaia was south of Macedonia and was a province of the Roman Empire, a great part of today’s Greece, in which is the city of Corinth.
In 1 Corinthians 1:2 and 2 Corinthians 1:1 Paul addresses “the church of God which is in Corinth.” The expression “the church of God” is marvelous. It indicates that the church in Corinth was not the church of Cephas, of Apollos, of Paul, nor of any practice or doctrine, but of God. The church was constituted of the universal God, but it existed in Corinth, a definite locality on earth. In nature the church is universal in God, but in practice the church is local in a definite place.
Another church in the province of Achaia was the church in Cenchrea. In Romans 16:1 Paul says, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess of the church which is at Cenchrea.” Phoebe was a deaconess, that is, a serving one. Paul held her in such high esteem that in the following verse he said that “she has been a patroness of many and of myself as well.” The word “patroness” in Greek is a word of dignity, denoting one who helps, sustains, and supplies. Phoebe was a sister who served others at any price and at any cost. If we mean business with the Lord in the church life, we also need to serve the church and care for it regardless of the cost. The first requirement for the practice of the church life is that we serve the church.
Eventually, the establishing of the churches spread to Italy, and a church was raised up in Rome — the church in Rome. The fact that there was a church in Rome is indicated by Paul’s words in Romans 1:7: “To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called saints.”
The church in Rome met in the house of Prisca and Aquila. In Romans 16:3-5a Paul says, “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the nations; and greet the church in their house.” The church in their house was the church in Rome. There were not two churches in Rome, one called the church in Rome and another which met in the house of Aquila and Prisca. The church in Rome simply met in the house of this couple, so there was a church in their house.
On the one hand, this couple was for all the churches; on the other hand, they were for their local church in particular. When they were living in Ephesus (Acts 18:18-19), the church in Ephesus was in their house (1 Cor. 16:19). When they were in Rome, the church in Rome met in their house. Therefore, the church in Rome could be called the church in their house.
