The church
- Universal sense: Ephesians 3:15; 2:12; Hebrews 12:23
- Local sense: I Corinthians 1:2; Philippians 1:1
Apostasy in the church
- Apostasy within the church often arose because of laziness within the eldership. Rather than handling their own needs, they sent money to another local church and let them handle it. This is not God’s pattern.
| Universal | Local | |
|---|---|---|
| Lord adds (Acts 2:47) | Membership | Man joins |
| With deity (I John 1:7) | Fellowship | With man |
| Christ controls (Revelation 2:5) | Discipline | Man controls (I Corinthians 5:4-5, 7) |
| Eternal (Philippians 1:27) | Duration | Time |
| Independent | Function | Joint |
| Individual | Oversight | Elders |
- There is no such thing in scripture as joint participation of churches.