Chapter 12:
Should Christians be organized? Some people feel that God deals with each one of us individually, privately, so no organization is required. They see powerful churches with arrogant clergy exploiting and abusing their submissive flocks, and conclude that any kind of heirarchy or authority structure is wrong. What does God himself say?
The question is easier to answer if it is turned around: should Christians be disorganized? That doesn't seem such a good idea, does it? All true Christians acknowledge one Lord as ruler, master, and owner, and he wants us to work together effectively in our obedience to him. Christians have an assignment, to preach the coming of a unified new world government, the Kingdom of God. We could hardly expect anyone to take that Kingdom seriously if we were disunited.
Christendom is divided into thousands of denominations and sects. This is not God’s doing and it does not please him. When the congregation in Corinth came to be in danger of breaking up because of factions and cliques, Paul urged them: "I exhort you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought." To the congregation in Ephesus he wrote: "I entreat you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, with complete lowliness of mind and mildness, patiently putting up with one another in love, earnestly endeavoring to observe the oneness of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace. One body there is, and one spirit, even as you were called in the one hope to which you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." —1 Cor 1:10-13, Eph 4:1-6; see also Philippians 2:1,2.
Jehovah is not a God of disorder, but of peace. (1 Cor 14.33) He has always arranged for his people to be organized. From earliest times he has authorized men to teach and even enforce his instructions. Long ago it was the family patriarch who did this. (Gen 18:19) When God established the nation of Israel, he arranged for mature older men to be honest and wise judges in each city. During times of crisis he would inspire "judges" to lead the nation temporarily. There were also military leaders, "chiefs of tens, of hundreds, of thousands". And he instituted a priesthood to teach his Law. These priests were also placed as intercessors between the people and God. &mdashExodus 18:25, 26, Deut 16:18-20, Deut 1:13,15 and 17:8-12, Ezra 7:10,11, Malachi 2:7, Heb 5:1-4.
These were imperfect men*, so unfortunately there were some who misused the authority entrusted to them. In the best of times, the earnest leadership of devoted and conscientious servants of God resulted in a strong and peaceful community and nation. At other times the people ‘sighed, because the wicked were ruling.’ (Prov 29:2) There were even occasional revolts and assassinations.
Samuel was a good leader, but his sons after him were a disaster (1 Sam 8:1-5). So the people asked Samuel to set up a monarchy. This, of course, would not be any protection from bad leadership; likely they were influenced by seeing the glory and strength of neighboring nations led by kings. Although Jehovah had them forewarned that this would have serious disadvantages, they insisted. (1 Sam 8:9-19) Jehovah worked with this arrangement, blessing kings who accepted Him as King over them (De 17:14-20). As for those kings who became arrogant, seeing themselves as supreme, sometimes he corrected them, and sometimes he simply allowed the people to suffer from the consequences of their choice (for one example, 2 Chron 32:22-29.)
After many years of varying degrees of waywardness and abuse of power, the leaders responsible to teach submission to God themselves refused to recognise His Son. For this that nation was finally rejected. At Pentecost of 33 CE, by holy spirit the Christian congregation was anointed as the true Israel, replacing the natural Jews as God's select nation. (see Chapter 6 for a more complete discussion.) Since this congregation is also made up of imperfect human beings, it too needed instruction and a governing arrangement. How did God organize them?
From among his many disciples Jesus chose twelve to be "apostles", trained especially for leadership. One betrayed him, but eleven proved faithful. On the day of Pentecost, Peter, one of the 12, gave a public speech that resulted in 3,000 people joining the congregation. These new members were Jewish, and so already had some knowledge of God. But they still had much to learn about the Christ, so we read at Acts 2.42, "they continued devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles." These apostles were charged with leading the fledgling congregation.
These new Christians had warm unity among themselves, sharing meals and taking care of other needs, and praying together. Verse 46 says they were "in constant attendance at the temple with one accord." So they met together as a united group. They were organized.
As their numbers grew, it became impractical to meet in one place, so separate congregations came into existence. Notice the way things developed by reading Acts 8.1, 9.31, 11.19-21, 14.21-23. Did this spreading out break up their unity? If left to their own natural impulses, it surely would have. But they were guided by one spirit; they followed one Lord. This Lord, Jesus Christ, actively directed his people by the holy spirit he had been given. He also sent angels to help out at times, such as when directing Philip to speak to the Ethiopian or when he set Peter free from jail. ---Acts 2.33-36, 5.19, 20, 8.26.
Jesus also used that arrangement of 12 apostles as a central governing body. They were not lords over the congregation; Jesus had repeatedly taught them that the greatest among them must be the servant of all. (Please read Matt 20.25-27, 23.8-12.) Yet their authority was respected by all the congregations as mature older men with holy spirit upon them. These men organized matters as needed. For example, see how they handled a practical problem at Acts 6.1-7. Their primary work was overseeing the ministry, as illustrated at Acts 8.14-17.
In time other mature men became part of that governing body. Later, Christ also selected Paul to be an apostle (see Acts 13.1-4, Rom 1.1). So when a doctrinal dispute arose in Antioch, Paul properly tried to handle it locally. When his efforts proved insufficient, the congregation agreed that it was time to consult the governing body in Jerusalem. (See Acts 15.1, 2; notice that "older men" were included.)
These faithful men looked to holy spirit for guidance in making their decision; then, when it was made, they sent out the answer, not just to Antioch, but to all the congregations. Clearly it was their desire that the congregations be united in their service to God. And their work was blessed. ---See Acts 15.3-35, 16.4, 5.
Another function of the governing body was to supervise the appointment of mature men to oversee local congregations. These men were to shepherd the flock and take the lead in the ministry. The account at Titus 1.5-9 shows how Paul, as an apostle, delegated to Titus, a mature older man, authority to select mature men there in Crete to be local overseers. There was no limit to the number of overseers a congregation could have; all men who qualified could be appointed. These would form a united governing body on the local level.
Look at the qualifications required. These criteria were not set locally, nor were popular men elected democratically. The local overseers could not be "self-willed", that is, being independent-minded or stubbornly proud. Rather, they were to be loyal, "holding firmly to the faithful word." Their first responsibility would be to exhort, which means to build up, encourage, admonish, urge to action. Notice also that they had authority to "reprove those who contradict." Because of this organized arrangement, the whole congregation could be "healthy in the faith." —vss 10-13.
The central governing body did not thereafter abandon these men, but kept in touch, despite the challenging travelling conditions of the time. Notice how Paul built up and encouraged the older men in Ephesus during his last visit with them, at Acts 20.28, 31-37.
Clearly, then, Christ organized his people. Ephesians 4:11-16 says "he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelizers, some as shepherds and teachers, for the readjustment of the holy ones, for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ, in order that we should no longer be babes. . . carried here and there by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of men, by cunning in contriving error. But speaking the truth, let us by love grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ. From him all the body, being harmoniously joined together and cooperating through every joint that gives what is needed, according to the functioning of each member in due measure, makes for the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love."
Because true Christianity unites us, we communicate and associate with one another. Our love moves us to meet together often for mutual strength and encouragement. Paul advised, ‘do not miss the meetings, as some have the custom, but consider one another, building each other up to love and fine works, doing so all the more as you see the day [of Christ] drawing near.’ So Christian gatherings should not be exhibitions of showy piety or self-righteousness, nor solemn occasions of pretentious formality, nor long boring marathons of dry instruction. Of course that last point is a matter of perspective; what intensely fascinates one may be mind-numbing or incomprehensible for another. Paul did once speak at length long into the night, and a young man fell asleep and out the window and died. Paul raised him up, then continued speaking til daybreak. Hopefully the young man learned to be more attentive, or at least to sit in a safer place. —Heb 10:24, 25, Romans 1:11, 12, Acts 20:7-12.
From reading Paul's letters it is clear that he could be quite profound. Not all meetings were so deep; at 1 Corinthians 14:26-33, 40 we read "when you come together, one has a psalm [song], another has a teaching, another has a revelation. . . a tongue. . . an interpretation. Let all things take place for upbuilding. . . God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. . . let all things take place decently and by arrangement." So meetings should be varied, but also organized, arranged and orderly, although not to the degree that all the life is squeezed out of them.
Christians today should be organized according to the same general pattern. Before returning to heaven Jesus promised to come again, and he asked, "when the Son of man arrives, will he really find the faith on the earth?" Considering the waywardness of men, that was a serious question. After saying, "Prove yourselves ready, because at an hour that you do not think to be it, the Son of man is coming," he asked, "Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Happy is that slave if his master on arriving finds him doing so. Truly I say to you, He will appoint him over all his belongings." —Luke 18:8, Matt 24:44-47.
As shown in chapter 7, we are now in the last days of this system of things. This is the day for the good news of the Kingdom to be preached in all the earth. For many centuries the churches have corrupted the Kingdom message, glorifying worldly nations as if they were the kingdom of God. Before the end, Jesus would restore the true proclamation, as both good news and a warning to mankind. In that sense, he would "return" as the end-times began. He would seek out and find those who were trying to serve in a pure way, unite them and appoint them over this work and over those who would respond to it. In this way, those faithful slaves were to be appointed over all his belongings on earth.
As shown in chapters 6 and 9 of this book, this Earth will be made new as a paradise home for faithful mankind. For many centuries now, God has been selecting from among his faithful servants "144,000" to govern this new world. According to 1 Thess 4:15-17 and Rev 7:1-4, some of these will be present when Christ returns in glory; therefore, they should be among us today. Just as the Levites were assigned to teach God's law to the nation of Israel, it would be proper that these "elect" would be taking the lead in the Lord’s work, both as instructors within the congregation and as advocates of God's Kingdom to the world. Then when their earthly assignment is done, they will be appointed over all his belongings in a greater way, as kings reigning alongside him. These, then, would be the primary "faithful slave" in our time. Of course any Christian, regardless of his calling, who faithfully obeys Jesus' command to "feed my little sheep" can be assured his Master will honor him with greater assignments when the Kingdom fully arrives.* —Matt 24:14, John 21:15-17.
How do we identify these "faithful slaves" giving out "food" (spiritual teaching) appropriate for our time? You will not find them disunited, scattered amongst the various contending denominations of Christendom. Jesus said "a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand." Since God’s Kingdom will certainly stand, it cannot be divided. It is not expressed in this earth by many splintered sects. Nor will we find them with the large, successful, rich, well accepted churches. Those who are true Christians will never attain prominence or popularity in this wicked world alienated from God. In fact, since "the path to life is narrow, and few find it", the true Christian organization would be rather modest by worldly standards, and far from well regarded. So what one organization is really preaching the Kingdom and truly living by its ideals, despite unrelenting disapproval by the world? Try not to scoff when we assert that the group known as "Jehovah’s Witnesses" are the ones that best fit the description of the faithful and discreet slave. —James 2:5.
Faithful? Yes! We have doggedly endured in advocating the Kingdom as man’s only hope. We have stayed out of the filthy politics and vicious wars of this world. We have earnestly striven to remain clean spiritually, shedding any vestige of the paganism adopted by Christendom through the long night of her domination. (compare Mal 3:1-4, Daniel 11:32-35.) Discreet? Yes, we have acted wisely by focusing our energies and assets on serving with singleness of purpose, not getting distracted into "modern" psychology or acquiring wealth, as many churches of Christendom have. True, we haven't been flawlessly discreet. In our overeagerness to welcome our Lord’s return in Kingdom power, we have set dates we thought we had worked out from scriptural clues. There have been a few other somewhat embarrassing errors in judgment and doctrine. We need not proclaim these from the housetops; our enemies do that for us.* We are not perfect. But we have learned to be humble, to wait, and that, at least, is a characteristic of wise ones.
All true Christians give out "food" to a spiritually hungry world. But please note that the master Jesus appoints the faithful steward "over his household" (or, "his household servants", "his body of attendants", "his family", according to various translations). His household, his family, is the united congregation of true disciples. (Matt 12.49, 50) Who within the congregation serve regular spiritual nourishment to their fellow believers?
Following the first-century pattern, Jehovah’s Witnesses are united under the guidance of a central governing body of mature older men. These hold a position comparable to the apostles and older men in Jerusalem. Under these, each local congregation also has a governing body of mature older men, selected and appointed just as their first-century counterparts were. These ‘elders’ have authority, but they are not clergy. Paul reminded a group of elders: "Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed you overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own Son." (Acts 20:28; see also verses 29-35.) So they understand that they are not "masters over your faith"; rather, they are "fellow workers for your joy. For it is by [your own] faith that you stand." (2 Cor 1.24) They are instructed: "shepherd the flock of God in your care, not under compulsion, but willingly; neither for love of dishonest gain, but eagerly; neither as lording it over those who are God’s inheritance, but becoming examples to the flock." Then, "when the chief shepherd has been made manifest, you will receive the unfadable crown of glory." Note that this parallels the reward promised the "faithful slave". As mentioned earlier, for some of these that "crown of glory" will include heavenly kingship. But all who faithfully discharge their trust will be glorified with honorable assignments (and everlasting life) in the coming new world. —1 Peter 5.1-4; compare Romans 5:17 and 21.
The shepherds/overseers/elders are not the only ones who upbuild, nourish, and strengthen their fellow believers. Although not holding office, mature women are also to be "teachers of what is good" within the congregation, and so are also part of this narrower definition of "faithful slave". (Titus 2:3,4) And there is much more.
Offices and Assignments in the Congregation
"God has set the respective ones in the congregation, first, apostles, second, prophets, third, teachers, then powerful works, gifts of healing, helpful services, abilities to direct, different tongues, . . . translators." (1 Cor 12:28-31) Ephesians 4:11, quoted earlier, adds "evangelizers" and "shepherds".
Apparently no one was titled "Apostle" after the original twelve plus Paul. The word means "sent-forth one", which actually applies to all Christians. (Matt 28:19) But as an office, the comparable position today is that held by those who lead the worldwide congregation, even though the title itself is not used.
A "prophet" is one who "speaks out", who declares God’s message. It does not need to be a new message, or a revelation about the future. So, that too applies to all Christians (compare Rev 19.10). But as Paul used it, it would correspond today to those who compose teaching aids for Bible instruction.
A "teacher" is the person who actually goes one-on-one with students, carefully educating and motivating them. Once again, all Christians "ought to be teachers" in time, if they apply themselves. (see Heb 5:11-14, 1 Tim 4.12-16.) Teaching within the congregation at meetings, however, was an appointive office associated with the "older men", as we saw earlier from Titus 1:5-13. Such ones have an fine example in Ezra, a priest of Israel in the 5th century BC. He "prepared his heart to consult the law of Jehovah and to do it and to teach in Israel regulation and justice." Note the four essential elements: the right heart, or motive; consulting God's law, not human ideas; being an example by doing it oneself; then finally, teaching it, with order and justice as a result. —Ezra 7:10,11.
Paul revealed by inspiration that "gifts of prophesying will be done away with" and that "tongues will cease" and "[miraculous] knowledge will be done away with" when "what is complete arrives." (1 Cor 13:8-13) When Christianity was firmly established and the inspired canon of scripture was complete, these gifts came to an end because they had served their purpose. Already before 70 CE the record shows that miracles were less often granted. The final Bible books were penned by John, the last surviving of the original apostles, by 100 CE. Even so, these gifts have a similar modern counterpart. "Powerful works" and "gifts of healing" have not ceased, they have changed form. We no longer can cure sickness with a mere touch, but we can still raise up those who are sick at heart, we can banish those maladies of spirit that are truly deadly, by applying the soothing "oil" of God's word. In a sense, we even "raise the dead" as people respond to the good news and turn from their sins. What could be more powerful than that? —James 5:14,15, Eph 2:1-5.
"Tongues" and "translators" were special gifts in the first century: some were given the power to speak the good news in a language they did not naturally know. The purpose of this gift was not to make unintelligible noise into the air, or to convince onlookers that they had gone mad; it was to spread the word without having to laboriously study foreign languages, some of which did not even have a written form in those days. But not everyone present would understand the words being spoken; for their benefit another would translate, whether by it being their native tongue or by power of the holy spirit. Paul established the rule, ‘do not speak in a tongue unless a translator is present. Also, limit it to two or three at the most, and take orderly turns.’ (1 Cor 14:9, 21-23, 26-28, 33) This direct gift no longer exists, despite the protestations (and mad babblings) of the so-called "full gospel" churches. Yet in truth the power of God continues to overcome language barriers. Today the good news is being preached in essentially every language on earth. Bibles and instructional literature is translated into hundreds of languages, some spoken by just a few thousand people in isolated places. The purpose of the original gift of tongues is being served. (For proof of this, visit the official "Watchtower" website and note the language choices.)
"Helpful services and abilities to direct" relate to all the little practical tasks involved in keeping a congregation working together smoothly. The distribution of food to the needy mentioned at Acts 6:1-7 is one of these. All Christians should be helpful, but as an office, this is the position of "ministerial servant" ("deacon" in the King James), mentioned as distinct from "overseer" three times in the Christian scriptures. The requirements to receive this appointment are high, but not as exacting as those for overseer. —Philippians 1:1; 1 Tim 3:8,12, see context.
"Shepherds" "overseers" and "older men" (elders) are all the same office. The term "older man" should not be taken to mean that such a man must be elderly. Timothy was likely not much more than 30 years old when Paul wrote the letter now known as "The First to Timothy." Reading that, it is clear that Timothy was exercising the authority of an overseer, despite his relative youth (see 1 Tim 4:11,12.) "Older" relates to maturity, not chronological age. There is, of course, some natural correlation. As shown in Philippians 1:1, a congregation would typically have several shepherds, not just a single "pastor" as is common in churches today.
Finally, there are "evangelizers". Literally, this means "bearer of good news." Obviously, all Christians are evangelizers, so why are they mentioned separately? This word is only used 3 times in scripture, but the idea is mentioned frequently. If an office at all, it evidently refers to those who travel extensively to spread the good news. In other words, missionaries who pioneer the work into territories where many have yet to hear it. Not all of us can do that, but we all can be zealous advocates of God's Kingdom where we are.
These various offices or services are parts of a single united Christian organization, as Paul points out: "Now there are varieties of gifts, but there is the same spirit; and there are varieties of ministries, and yet there is the same Lord; and there are varieties of operations, and yet it is the same God who performs all the operations in all persons. . . so that there should be no division in the body, but its members should have the same care for one another." —1 Cor 12:4-6, 25; see also 12, 13.
When Leaders Fail, Should We Follow?
God is perfect, but men are not; so any organization using men will have some flaws. For example: in the first century some Jewish Christians began to promote social separation within the congregation because they felt Gentile Christians were impure. Left unchecked, this would have divided Christianity into Jewish and non-Jewish sects. Peter was perhaps the foremost apostle, yet he weakly went along with this division. When Paul saw that "they were not walking straight according to the truth of the good news," he did not reason, ‘Peter is an apostle, and these others causing division just came from James, who is a pillar in the governing body. Therefore they are right, no matter what I think.’ No, he spoke out, publicly censuring Peter before them all. To his credit, Peter did not then turn and condemn Paul as impudent and presumptuous, using his authority as Apostle to put Paul "in his place"; rather, he listened and accepted the correction. —Gal 2:11-14.
Although Paul had a strong personality, he too listened and accepted advice. At Galations 2:1-10 he tells of visiting Jerusalem and "laying before them the good news I am preaching among the nations." From the way this passage reads he apparently was looking for their blessing on the work he had already undertaken by divine inspiration. And they gave it (vs 9), along with a little bit of advice (vs 10), which he humbly accepted.
On another occasion, this august body of mature men gave Paul advice that was clearly mistaken. This is how it happened: Paul decided to go to Jerusalem. On his way there, God warned him that prison bonds lay ahead. Friends urged him not to go, but he would not listen. When he arrived, the governing body confronted him. There were disturbing rumors going around, they said, that he was teaching apostasy, telling Jewish Christians not to observe the customs of the Law of Moses. The local Jewish converts were all devoted to Jewish custom, and such ideas would be very distressing to them. Paul was in serious trouble! To solve the problem, they "suggested" he go to the Temple and take part in a certain ceremony according to Jewish custom. By this he could prove that the rumors were false, that he was still "walking orderly, keeping the Law."
There was one small problem with this plan. The rumors were in fact true! How did Paul handle this? He could have replied indignantly, "Have you not read my letters to the congregations in Galatia and Rome? I have been teaching quite clearly that all Christians, particularly Jews, are freed from keeping the Law. If you would read them, you would see that this is the Lord's leading!"* Instead, he kept silent. He did not try to correct them. They were trying to maintain a delicate peace with the Jewish community, which regarded Christianity as an apostate sect. Even though he knew their advice would not accomplish what they intended, he did as they asked. What happened? It provoked a mob uproar and came very close to getting Paul killed. He then spent several years in prison because of it. The governing body did not mean for any of that to happen. They were no doubt very surprised and dismayed by what came of it. (The entire account spans Acts 20-28, but key verses are 20:22-24, 21:4, 10-14, 17-36; 22:22-24; 23:11; 24:5, 6, 14-18, 23, 27; 25:8-12; 26:30-27:1; 28:16, 17, 23, 30, 31.)
So why did Paul submit to them? Why did he not argue his case? Were not the things he taught about the Law inspired of God? Could he not defend his position eloquently? In answer, we can say first that the observance they asked of him was not a sin in itself; the Law was after all from God, "holy and righteous and good." Paul himself had once said "To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those under Law I became as under Law, although I am not under Law, that I might gain those under Law." So going along to get along has its place, within moral limits, at the right time. —Rom 7:12, 1 Cor 9:20,21.
But there was another reason why he did what they asked. His eyes were open; surely he saw that this would be the way the divine warnings would come true. In effect, the Lord had let Paul know not to argue with them over this issue. Despite Paul’s clear inspired letters, the governing body had not responded to the Lord’s leading on this, clinging instead to familiar tradition in an effort to soften persecution. They were reluctant to see the divisive effect it was having among the Christian brotherhood. The failure of their advice would correct the governing body more effectively than any words could. It would also send Paul into new territory, giving witness before Caesar and other rulers. So, even though they were clearly off base in their reasoning, Paul cooperated. Of course, this should not be taken to establish as a rule "do what you're told no matter how foolish" or "close your eyes and trust that your leaders are always right." Paul did not always submit meekly to "superiors"; the incident with Peter proved that.
As in the first century, the members of the governing body today are men capable of errors in judgment. Like Paul, we recognise and cooperate with the organization that Jehovah has given us, even if we discern flaws in its leadership. We are not obligated to regard these overseers as gods or clergymen, and any elder who would begin to call for such subservience would be committing a grave error.* We are all brothers, as Christ said. But we cannot just ignore the organization if we happen to disagree with it on some personal issue. It is established for our benefit, for the health of our faith. We do as Paul exhorts at Hebrews 13.17: "Be obedient to those who are taking the lead among you and be submissive, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will render an account; that they may do this with joy and not with sighing, for this would be damaging to you."
If we do not understand the reason for an order or instruction, that will really put our loyalty to the test. If an order is clearly from God, we should always comply, even if it puts our life at risk. We trust His superior wisdom. If the instruction cannot be traced directly or clearly to God’s Word, then it should at least be compatible with godly principles. So we should still be humble and cooperative, even if it involves some inconvenience or risk. We seek, not our selfish advantage, but what is upbuilding to all. —see Prov 3:5-7; 1 Cor 10:23, 24, 31-33.
But, if by careful consideration we are forced to the reluctant conclusion that a directive or doctrine is gravely flawed, God has the ultimate authority. We belong to Him, not to men. He requires us to respect his duly appointed representatives, but that appointment does not trump his standards of what is right, true, or just. They are not authorized to contradict Him. These men may otherwise represent God well, and we do not demand that they be perfect to merit our respect. True loyalty will help to us see past the flaw and keep the whole in view. We are not obligated to rise up in righteous indignation and try to correct matters single-handedly. On the other hand, loyalty does not obligate us to keep our mouth shut and let God handle it; He may be looking at us to see what we will do. —study Jas 5:19,20; 1 Cor 3:4-9, 21-23; Rom 3:4, Isaiah 59:14-16.
In this we must be guided by Paul’s words at 1 Timothy 2:8: "I desire that in every place the men carry on prayer, lifting up loyal hands, apart from wrath and debates." If there is an issue to discuss, the foremost step is prayer. Search diligently for God’s will; let Him speak first. "Lifting up hands" can have several meanings: the simplest is that the hands are lifted in supplication to God. It can also mean ‘to give support’, that is, to cooperate in working out a decision made, even if it is not quite what we personally prefer. It can also touch on the discussion itself: rather than being a free-for-all argument, communicate in an orderly and respectful manner, requesting permission to speak by lifting of hands. There should not be an angry debate. Christians must be an example to the world that there are better ways to solve differences than by war.
Loyalty would not allow us to try to slyly subvert a view or arrangement we disagreed with. If we feel compelled to act at all, we must have the courage to do so openly, approaching with appropriate deference those with the authority to make changes. A loyal one would never try to divide the congregation by building up a following of rebels. (This does happen; see Acts 20:29,30, Titus 3:9,10, and 2 Peter 2:1.) It is of course reasonable, in addition to researching the scriptures, to confer with others to see if our reasoning is unsound; we would do this not to win them to our view, but to seek possible correction for ourself. Humble ones remember Proverbs 18.17: "The one first to present his case is righteous [that is, may be quite convinced he is right] but his fellow comes in and certainly searches him through." —see also Pr 27:17 and Romans 12:3-5.
If perchance we are the one approached by a person with doubts, the first thing to do is to review the policy or doctrine that is being questioned; perhaps the person simply does not understand it correctly, as intended. We should not, however, just quote them page and line number, trying to browbeat, shame or intimidate them into compliance. We never want to be like Christendom's clergy! Keep in mind that suppressing doubts by intimidation invites rebellion and subversion. If we cannot answer their questions and assuage their doubts reasonably, perhaps we can refer them to someone more knowledgeable than we, or encourage them to let it rest for now, if that is a practical option. There are some good questions that simply cannot be fully answered at present.
One who still has a question (or feels he has an answer) is free to put it in writing, as clearly, briefly and thoroughly as he can, and send it up for consideration. Be mindful that no one, not even a humble Christlike elder, is eager to be proven wrong or have his cherished belief system shaken. Expect reluctance to see your point. Anticipate being misunderstood. Do your homework first, be prepared, be thorough. And be patient!
Occasionally a real test will occur in the form of an elder who takes it upon himself to make many niggling rules or to enforce personal interpretations of organizational directives. The other elders are there to prevent this, but sometimes one will have a forcefully persuasive personality and cowe or co-opt his fellows for a time. What is an ordinary congregation member to do? Leaving the congregation (even if only to another nearby) is not a good choice. The holy spirit gives us the power to be long-suffering, or patient under trial. Appeal to God for wisdom. No matter what some may say, God does not tell us that silent suffering is our only option. Keeping Exodus 22:28 in mind ("You must not curse a chieftain among your people"), you could go to one of the elders that you deem most approachable. Carefully explain your concerns as one who desires to see God glorified in all things. (1 Cor 10:31-33) Then, allow them some time to work it out, even if you are not impressed by the reply you receive. If after a reasonable interval there is no improvement, you may see a need to take the matter higher in the organization. Have faith that overall, this is really God's organization. He will not tolerate abuse of power indefinitely. Any leader who thinks he is getting away with anything should take warning from Proverbs 29:1, also 2 Thess 2:4, 8, Rev 3:3, Ezekiel 34:1-23, and many other similar verses in scripture. (Abuse of power has been a recurring problem throughout man's history, and there is no shortage of scripture addressing it.)
Jehovah is the Creator of all living things. Looking at creation, we see a variety of living arrangements and gender relationships. Many in the world feel moved to try some of these animal behaviors, using nice-sounding euphemisms such as "free love" or "playing the field". Did our Creator give us any guidance as to what is proper for humans?
In Eden Jehovah decided it was time for Adam to have his mate, as the other creatures had. Did he create a harem for him? Did Adam get 70 virgins in paradise like the Moslems teach? No. He made him one woman, to be "a helper for him, as a complement of him." Then he presented her to Adam and "married" them, and Adam composed some poetry for the occasion. Then the writer of Genesis comments: "That is why a man will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh." —Gen 2:18,21-24.
The word "complement" means "something that completes, or makes whole." Eve was all Adam needed to fulfill his assignment, filling the earth with humankind. She had the complementary qualities needed for the well-balanced upbringing of children. From this very early scene we see established the relationship that in time became more clearly delineated in God's law: loyal fidelity of one husband to one wife, acting as a single unit in serving God. As Jesus put it, "he who created them made them male and female and said, ‘. . . a man will leave his father and his mother and will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together let no man put apart." —Matt 19:4-6.
Because they are "one flesh", "husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. A man does not hate his own flesh, but he feeds and cherishes it, as Christ does his congregation. . . . On the other hand, a wife should have deep respect for her husband. . . let wives be in subjection to their husbands as to the Lord, because a husband is head of his wife as Christ is head of the congregation. . . as the congregation is in subjection to Christ, let wives also be to their husbands in everything." (Ephesians 5:28-30, then vss 22-24.)
In everything? Surely not! It is easy to see how we could submit to God in everything, because his wisdom is infinite; he is never wrong. Men can only imagine that they are so wonderful. So seriously, what does "in everything" mean? It is actually the same as a Christian's submission to the congregation. We are humble, we cooperate with organizational direction, we do not seek our own selfish advantage, but "pursue the things making for peace." As discussed above, that does not forbid us from asking questions, requesting clarification, and offering pertinent information (including a personal viewpoint) that may affect a decision. And if a directive is clearly wrong, against God, we may rightly refuse it. A husband and wife, of course, have a more personal relationship, which gives her more opportunities to "ask questions and offer information," even voice her disagreement. Respectfully disagreeing is not a sin; being disagreeable is. There is never any justification for "screaming and abusive speech." (Eph 4:26, 29, 31) When the husband is like Christ as he should be, he will accept her difference of viewpoint graciously and consider it seriously. Mind you, that does not mean he has to agree with her. But just as Christ gave his life for his congregation, he may go to pains to honor her wishes. If he decides that is not the appropriate thing to do in this case, she will yield, knowing that his love is sure.
What if the husband bears no resemblance to Christ at all, and often acts selfishly and irresponsibly? That does not free her to divorce him; the marriage is a covenant, a sworn oath before Jehovah. He sets the conditions whereby it may be dissolved, and he states clearly that only infidelity breaks the bond. (Matt 19:9) But God does not require a wife to submit to grievous injury. Prolonged and aggravated physical or psychological abuse, including severe neglect, may compel her to find other living arrangements, that is, to separate. Even so, the marriage remains in force until he is unfaithful (which in such a case is rather likely). Separation alone does not free her to seek another relationship.
Most husbands are not that bad, but neither are they as sweet as a wife could wish for. Christian love patiently bears many offenses. It does not become bitter about the imperfections of a mate, but focuses on what is good. "Love endures all things, hopes all things." (1 Cor 13.4-7) Perhaps a husband is not a Christian in deed. Peter gives this inspired advice: "Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, so that if any are not obedient to the word, they may be won without a word through your conduct, because of seeing your chaste conduct and deep respect." (1 Pet 3.1,2) Paul encourages: ‘Do not leave your unbelieving husband, if he is willing to stay with you. You may in time save him.’ (1 Cor 7.10-16.) Yes, you can hope to change him. Yes, miracles can still happen! If he has that seed of humility and appreciation, he will improve. Your endurance may yield wonderful results.
Being "head" of the family does not require that the husband micromanage everything. Proverbs 31:10,11 says ‘a capable wife is worth far more than corals. In her the heart of her owner has put trust, and there is no gain lacking.’ (In those days a husband was said to "own" his wife, but that did not mean she was to be regarded as a servant. It was a legal relationship that could work for her protection.) The rest of the chapter describes a woman with considerable freedom to conduct business on her own initiative, even buying property. Her well-directed works make her husband an honored man "in the gates," that is, among the assembled counselors. Or as they say, "behind every great man is a strong woman." And he recognizes that: "he rises up and praises her," says verse 28. The poem ends, "Give her of the fruitage of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates."
From this we can see that a husband may choose to delegate much of the day-to-day financial management of the household to his wife, if she is willing and able. He cannot, however, hand over headship. He is still responsible, as head, to make (or finalize after reasonable discussion) many decisions that affect the family, so he must remain connected and aware of the family's financial situation. Some husbands are happy to relax into the role of a child, bringing home the paycheck and then rushing out to play, letting his wife run the household on her own. If he is inept, she may prefer this arrangement, but it is not a healthy relationship and it is not the organization God ordains. A husband must learn to be a true husband and proper head for his family. A wife can make this possible, or nearly impossible. As the proverb above noted, "she has rewarded him with good, and not bad, all the days of her life." Or as Proverbs 14:1 says, "the truly wise woman has built up her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her hands." Or with her tongue, see 27:15,16.
Children’s Place in the Christian Family
Children are not little adults. The Bible says, "foolishness is tied up with the heart of a boy." Parents can vouch for that. Little girls have their moments too. And then they become teenagers. . . . Need we say more? So Jehovah wisely requires parents to be responsible and have full authority over their children. No parent who knows God will abuse that authority. —Prov 22:15.
Children naturally look for boundaries, and test them. They do not really want reasonable boundaries to collapse when they push. They actually find security in knowing where the walls are. Discernment based on experience and God's word gives Christian parents wisdom to set proper limits for their children, appropriate to their age. These should always be communicated in a kindly, loving way. However, parents should never beg or bargain for obedience. The proverb quoted above continues, "the rod of discipline will remove [the foolishness] far from him." And everyone knows the saying, "spare the rod and spoil the child." (Not in the Bible, but a similar point is made at Prov 23:13, 14.)
The literal rod (or belt) has been badly misused by multitudes of parents, and such cruelty tends to get passed down through generations. But discipline actually means discipling, that is, teaching. There are many ways to teach, and a loving parent will always try to reach the heart though the child's eyes first, by being an example; through his ears second, by patiently explaining; and a gentle touch can reinforce words. But God knows that it is necessary at times to use a stronger "touch", even a measured bit of pain: sometimes by withholding a privilege, sometimes directly to the skin. When you are serious, your child needs to know it. Never in rage, always reluctantly, but because the lesson must be learned. "A boy let on the loose will cause his mother shame," says Proverbs 29:15. "O my son, do not reject the discipline of Jehovah," pleads the father at Proverbs 3:11. "Do not hate his reproof, for the one whom Jehovah loves, he reproves, even as a father does a son in whom he finds pleasure." "What sort of son is left without discipline?" Paul asks at Hebrews 12:7. "Really, if you are not disciplined, you are illegitimate children, and not sons." True, discipline can sting, especially if we resist, but if we accept the training, it produces peaceful results: righteousness, which means life. (see verses 5-11.) So our heavenly Father tells fathers*: "do not be provoking your children [such as by being unreasonable, inconsistent, overbearing, or absent], but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." With a skilled hand try to instill a love for truth. Jehovah will bless your efforts. —Eph 4:4; see also Prov 13:24.
Parents, do not succumb to the temptation to let your authority go to your head. You should not be a tyrant. Do not make rules "just to show who's boss." If your child objects to an instruction, do not slap him down as impertinent. You may have to assert a denial of something they desire, simply on your authority, without elaborate explanation; but more often you should be able to explain why something is not permitted. Just because children are small does not make them worth less in the eyes of God. They are as precious as you are, possibly more so, for God treasures their eagerness to learn and to please. He wishes you were like that! Jesus said: "If you do not become as little children, you will by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens." Remember that. If you accord them the respect of listening to their viewpoint, they will tend to respect you in return. If you habitually brush aside their view as if worthless, they will eventually find a way to ignore you, to get what they want (no matter how foolish) without your knowing. This can be deadly to them and heartbreaking to you. So value two-way communication. It is essential for teaching. —Matt 18:3.
To the children, God says directly: "Children, be obedient to your parents in union with the Lord, for this is righteous. ‘Honor your father and mother’ is the first command with a promise: ‘That it may go well with you and you may endure a long time on the earth.’" What if your parents are not "in union with the Lord"? Just like the wife of an unbeliever discussed above, you are not free to disregard their authority, even if their instruction is somewhat damaged by being out of alignment with God's wisdom. Only if they press you to disregard God may you firmly resist. Most parents, even unbelievers, will let you explain something that is important to you. Peter tells us all, ‘Do not get agitated. In your heart be confident that Christ is Lord, and be always ready to defend the reason for your hope before anyone who demands it of you, but doing so with a mild temper and deep respect.’
Returning to our greater subject of Christian organization, new disciples may resemble children in some ways, but most of them are not children and should not be treated as children. Along with the established members of the congregation, they should be accorded the dignity and respect appropriate for independent adults, while considerately keeping their spiritual immaturity in mind.
"The women telling the good news are a large army," the Bible proudly proclaims. The female gender has a honored record of bold and faithful service to God. Paul recognized Euodia and Syntyche as women who "have striven side by side with me in the Good News." Priscilla is favorably mentioned as an able teacher. —Psalm 68:11, Philippians 4:2, 3, Acts 18:24-26, Romans 16:3-5.
Nevertheless, unlike the trend in modern churches, Jesus did not authorize the appointment of women as overseers. Paul explains why at 1 Corinthians 11.2-16, 14.33-35, 40, and 1 Timothy 2.12, 13. Here he cites God's original arrangement of family headship, and applies it to authority to lead within the congregation. He makes a comment that seems outrageous: "let the women keep silent in the congregation, for it is not permitted for them to speak. If they want to learn something, let them question their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the congregation." Pity the poor woman who has no husband! And what if her husband is an unbeliever? What answer is he likely to give her spiritual questions? Obviously, what Paul said calls for some reasonable explanation.
To "speak in the congregation" means to rise up and teach, to lead. Or in the case of "wanting to learn something", to ask questions before the assembled group, as if only the group together could address the question. This implies that the questioner feels that it is a matter of import to the congregation as a body. It could even involve challenging a teaching or a decision. So the women are to be "silent" only as to standing before the congregation as teachers or as having authority to steer the discussion in a meeting to matters that interest them. Really, it would not be proper for anyone, woman or man, to rise up in the assembly and ask a challenging question, disrupting the meeting. "Let all things take place decently and by arrangement," Paul says. So if there is a matter that concerns us, we are welcome to seek answers privately, in a way that does not attempt to divide or offend the congregation. If a woman has no qualified husband to query, the scriptures (at Titus 2:3, 4) tell the "aged" (mature) women to instruct younger ones. Hence it is quite acceptable for the "sisters" to help one another in spiritual matters.
As shown in the discussion at Acts 15:6-22, when there is a meeting to discuss the pros and cons of a decision, the "older men" would stand to speak in turn to have their say. If women were present, evidently Paul’s comment means that they would not be given the floor as equals. But does it mean they were to be regarded as of inferior intellect? As having only foolish opinions not worthy of being heard? Of course not. First, a woman may readily be invited to offer her thoughts to the congregation (compare John 20:17, 18.) The point here is that she would not presume to speak out without permission, and even with permission would guard her manner of address, maintaining respectful deference to the headship of the elders. Also, privately, away from the forum of a congregation meeting, women often are able to share their feminine insight with men (especially their husbands) who are clearly in need of a little help.* These inspired organizational instructions do limit the forum and method women are allowed to work their wisdom. Godly women who humbly work within these limits are still able to accomplish much good.
More to come......
Keeping the Congregation Clean
Review Questions | Back to top | Next Chapter (stub only)