Christ leads his Church and his local churches through his Word.1
Biblical Passages to Consider: Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Timothy 3:2, 9; 2 Timothy 3:14-17, 4:2; Titus 1:9
This post will answer two questions:
- How does Christ lead his Church (Universal)?
- How does Christ lead his local churches, including our local church?
How does Christ lead his Church (Universal)?
Matthew 28:18–20 says, “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
Notice that the apostles were told to teach the disciples to obey all that Christ had commanded them until the end of the age. So, this is what the Church must do until Jesus comes. We have been commanded to teach Jesus’ followers to observe Jesus’ commands. His commands are recorded in the Bible.
The Lord Jesus leads his Church with the Bible.
What about our local church? How does Christ lead his local churches?
The Lord Jesus has provided male leadership for his local churches. These leaders are known as elders and deacons.2 How does God lead these leaders? How are these leaders to lead the church?
The elders and deacons are to be men who are controlled by the Word of God.
The elders must be able to teach (1 Timothy 3:2). Titus 1:9 says, “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
So, the elders must hold to the trustworthy Word. In holding firm to that trustworthy Word, they are to give instruction in healthy teaching, which is teaching that is founded in that trustworthy Word.3 They are also to lead by rebuking individuals who contradict the trustworthy Word. The leadership that they provide is leadership through instruction in sound biblical doctrine.
The deacons must be men who are filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3). To be filled with the Holy Spirit is closely connected with being filled with the Word of Christ (Ephesians 5:18; Colossians 3:16). A Spirit-filled man is a Word-filled man. The deacons must also hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience (1 Timothy 3:9). “The faith” is another way of saying sound biblical doctrine. The deacons are men who are to be controlled by the Word of God, hold to the Word of God, and lead others in service according to the Word of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ leads his Church and his local churches with the Bible.4
Notes:
- I will use “Church” to refer to the Universal Church, which is made up of all believers in the Lord of all time. I will use “church” to refer to a local church. This is the common practice in doctrine and theology books. English translations of the Bible do not do this, so when I quote the Bible, I will quote it as it is published in the English Standard Version. There are times in preaching and teaching that I will say, “The Big ‘C’ church” to describe the Universal Church for this same reason. ↩︎
- Elders are also called pastors/shepherds, overseers, and stewards in the Bible. For a series of blog posts on the titles of elders in the Bible, see the “Shepherd, Servants, and Saints” page and look for the series titled “Picturing Elders.” ↩︎
- doctrine = teaching; sound doctrine = healthy teaching; this is teaching that is based in and aligns to the Bible. ↩︎
- This is not to say that there is a mysterious leading of the Spirit in the lives of believers. I believe that there is biblical evidence for the Spirit’s leading, and that leading is to live under the Lorship of Christ, work for him in his mission, and specifically apply biblical principles. The Holy Spirit leads his people day-by-day. This leading is never in contradiction to the Bible. Instead, it is leading to apply biblical principles. ↩︎
Bible Living Blog 