• I Peter 5:2 – Shepherd which flock? The one among you, that you sustain a relationship with.

• Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 1:22-23 – Elders have oversight, but they are never to take the place of Christ, the head of the church (in the universal sense). Elders are not lawgivers – Jesus is.

• James 4:12; Acts 5:29

• Ephesians 6:4 – This verse is a good example of how duties are based on relationships. Not all people who read this letter can apply this verse – only those who are fathers. Furthermore, the fathers’ authority is circumscribed by the relationship. A father is not responsible for disciplining and teaching children that are not his own.

  • A father that is also a coach may discipline other children in his role as a coach, but only in matters pertaining to that role.

• Acts 14:23 – Elders (plural!) were appointed in every church.

• Acts 20:28 – Elders had oversight over a single flock. See also I Peter 5:2. Today it is common to have a sponsoring church arrangement, which puts elders in control to some degree of the affairs of another flock.

  • The authority of elders begins and ends with the local church relationship.

  • Acts 20:17-35

• Acts 11:27-30; Philippians 1:5; 4:15-16

  • Very little is said about elders controlling funds in the church. Their primary concern is souls.

  • In Acts 11, money was sent to the elders so they could distribute it among their flock.

  • If elders could assume control of part of another church’s work (like the money), what would prevent them from assuming control over other things (like who the preacher is)? What would prevent them from controlling multiple churches? This is how Roman Catholicism started.

• II Timothy 1:13 – Hold to the pattern!

• What has God authorized churches to be engaged in?

• Duties are based on relationships. We see this principle repeatedly in the Bible.

  • Luke 10:27, 29, 36 – The parable of the good Samaritan.

    • It is not a “Christian” thing to care for your neighbor, not is it a particular action we must do in order to be saved.

    • Christians should practice being a good neighbor like the good Samaritan. All people should do the same because of our relationship to our fellow man.

• The Cancer Society is an example of a group that collects funds to advance cancer research. They don’t spend money to help people with hart problems. This is not because they do not care about heart problems, but because that is not their goal.

• Romans 13:6-7 – The relationship we have with the civil government.

• I Corinthians 1:9; Galatians 3:27 – A relationship with Christ.

  • In a collective formed around this relationship, the group would use their time and money in the realm of their relationship with Jesus:

    • Hebrews 4:14-16 – Prayer

    • Colossians 3:16-17 – Singing

    • II Corinthians 8:4-5 – Giving

      • Giving to others based on a common relationship to Jesus.

    • I Corinthians 10:16 – Lord’s Supper

      • Declaration of faith in Jesus – not eating a common meal.

    • I Peter 2:2-3 – Teaching and edification

  • Examples:

    • Acts 2:42 – Activities of the saints immediately after Pentecost

    • Colossians 3:16

• Why call it the church of Christ?

  • Romans 16:16

  • It is not a name. It is a description. The church has no name.

  • I Thessalonians 1:1 – Another descriptive phrase for a group of Christians.

• Philippians 4:15-16 – Sending funds to support preaching of the gospel.

• II Corinthians 8:3-5

• I Timothy 5:16 – The church is not to be burdened by widows that have family to help.

• Galatians 6:10 – Do good to everyone?

  • Galatians 5:13-15 – The context is wider than just Christians. The context includes duties as neighbors.

  • Galatians 5:19-21

  • There is nothing in this verse about collective action by a church. It is instructions for each individual Christian.

  • Galatians 6:1-10

• James 1:27 – Should brethren visit and care for orphans and widows?

  • Yes, but not because they are brethren – because they are neighbors.

  • Job 31:16-17 – Job knew to care for widows and orphans millennia before Christ!

  • This verse is about personal responsibility – not collective action.

• Why worry about the work of the church?

  • Luke 19:10 – Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

  • I Timothy 3:15

  • Involvement in other things dilutes the work for Christ.

  • II Timothy 1:13 – Hold to the pattern!

Luke 6:46 – Do not say, “Lord, Lord!” and stray from what Jesus says

• II Thessalonians 3:6 – Who are the brothers under consideration?

  • II Thessalonians 1:1 – The audience of this letter was a church – those that had a common faith in Christ.

  • II Thessalonians 3:14 – We are to keep away from those who continually fail to walk according to Christ’s commands.

• II Thessalonians 3:15 – Is the withdrawn person still a brother? No, but we are to treat him with love as though he was still a brother.

  • Figure of adjournment: a figure of speech in which something is described using a description that no longer applies.

    • Examples:

      • John 9:17 – Man described as a blind man after being healed from his blindness.

      • II Samuel 11:26 – Woman described as the “wife” of the dead man. She is no longer technically his wife since he is dead.

• II Thessalonians 3:14 – This is a distributive action. Each person is to take not of the person being disciplined.

  • Same idea here:

    • Matthew 18:17 – Treat the man as a Gentile or a tax collector.

    • I Corinthians 5:11

• I Corinthians 5:4-5 – Assembled?

  • Acts 4:26-27 – These groups were assembled in mind and purpose – not physically.

  • Matthew 18:20, 16 – This is a requirement for witnesses when confronting a brother about his sin.

  • If we want to be united with Jesus, we have to cut off those that are not walking in Christ.

  • II Corinthians 2:6

• Luke 10:27, 36

• What about marriage?

  • Matthew 19:5 – Withdrawing from a brother doesn’t sever the marriage relationship, thus those marital duties still apply.

• What about the parent-child relationship?

  • Deuteronomy 21:18-20 – In the Old Testament, rebellious children could be stoned to death!

  • Proverbs 23:13-14 – It may be necessary to physically discipline a child to save him.

  • These only apply while the child is at home under the control of the parents.

  • Once a child leaves home, social company between parent and child is a privilege, not a duty.

• I Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 24:1

• Matthew 19:5; I Corinthians 7:12-14

• Matthew 18:11-14 – The purpose of withdrawing is to save a brother!

• I Corinthians 5:5

• II Corinthians 2:6

• II Thessalonians 3:14-15; Revelation 3:18-20 – We are to put to shame those who are in sin so they can be saved.

• Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18

• Hebrews 4:14-16; James 5:13

• III John 1:5-8 – We have a duty to support preachers because we are Christians, not because we are members of a particular local church.

• I Peter 2:1-3 – Studying is an individual duty.

• Hebrews 5:1 – We no longer have earthly priests. Jesus is our high priest.

• Luke 22:19 – Jesus was teaching them about the Lord’s Supper. The sacrifice was for each person distributively, so each person should partake of the memorial. We should want to partake of it. It is good for us, just as all of God’s commands are.

• I Corinthians 10:16, 18, 20 – The Lord’s Supper is not a sacrament. It is a declaration of your fellowship with Christ.

• Hebrews 10:24-25 – The context is forsaking Jesus as Lord and Savior. We are to consider one another and build each other up.

• Authority

  • Acts 20:7-8

  • Acts 8:36

• I Corinthians 11:24-26 – This is an individual command to all Christians – not a collective command.

• Ephesians 6:4 – The duty of training a child arises from the parents’ relationship with the child.
• Duties are based on relationships. These duties are also circumscribed by the relationship.
• Matthew 22:37-38 – This duty for love comes from our relationship with God. It is our greatest duty!
• Romans 1:18-19, 25 – The lie is “it’s my body, I’ll do what I want.” The truth is that we belong to God as His creation.
• Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 – Fear God and keep His commandments.
• Ephesians 5:2-6 – There is a healthy love of self. There are duties that spring from this.
  • Matthew 16:25-26 – We should be working to save our souls!
• Luke 10:25-37 – Helping a fellow human is a neighborly duty. It is not purely a “Christian” thing. It is a duty arising from relationships with fellow humans.
• I Timothy 5:4, 16
• Romans 13:1-7 – Duties to government: It’s not about agreeing with the people in power. This was written to people under a corrupt Roman government.
  • Matthew 22:17-21
• I John 3:5-6, 8 – Failing in your duties results in sin. We cannot do anything about that sin without Jesus.
• I John 2:1-2 – Jesus is the atonement for our sins.
• Hebrews 4:14-16
• Colossians 3:16 – We sing because of our relationship with God.
• II Corinthians 8:4-5
• I Corinthians 10:16
• II Peter 3:18
• Colossians 3:18, 20, 22 – Being a Christian makes duties in the marriage relationship more emphatic.
• Acts 17:24-25, 27-28, 30-31 – Their duty was based on their relationship to God as Creator. We must repent because the day of judgment is coming!