Key: Equip
EQUIP people to be obedient to Christ’s commands
Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.”[1]
Stephanas knew that Jesus commissioned His people to go make disciples, baptize them and teach them to obey His commands. [2]
To insure that Jesus’ basic commands were taught, the team made a list:[3]
- Repent, Believe and Receive the Holy Spirit [4]
- Baptize [5]
- Love [6]
- Break Bread [7]
- Pray [8]
- Give[9]
- Make Disciples [10]
The team helped the people learn from and apply the apostles teaching to their lives. They also taught the disciples how to hear the voice of the Lord in their hearts through prayer. God blesses those who know and do His will. Churches grow and multiply when Jesus is obeyed.[11]
While the new church stressed obedience to the commands of Jesus, they emphasised that obedience must always come from a motive of love. Any other motivation for obedience leads a church to fall into the deadly trap of legalism and dead religion.
Stephanas and his team committed themselves to never allow any human authority to prevent them or their disciples from simple, loving obedience to the commands of the Lord Jesus.[12]
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Important Note for 21st Century Church Planters
Today we must teach emerging leaders to discern the levels of authority for the activities of the church. George Patterson describes them as:
3 Levels of Authority for Church Activities
- I. New Testament Commands. Jesus Christ requires His disciples to obey His commands. We practice them under all circumstances; we never prohibit them. Examples include: repent, believe, receive the Holy Spirit, be baptized, love God and others, break bread, pray, give, make disciples, forgive, witness for Christ, etc.
- II. New Testament Practices (not commanded). The things the apostles did serve as examples for us, which we might or might not follow, depending on what is best for local circumstances. Examples include: holding possessions in common, laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit, celebrating the Lord’s Supper frequently in homes and using one cup, baptizing on the day of conversion, Sunday worship, etc.
- III. Human Customs (not mentioned in the New Testament) They have only the authority of a group’s voluntary agreement. (Which God recognizes as binding; Matt 18:18-20). Human customs should be followed with caution. Problems come when we fail to see such traditions as man-made and temporary. We cannot force them on other congregations; we must prohibit them when they hinder obedience. Examples include: church buildings, pulpits, public invitation to raise hands or walk forward to “accept Christ”, lecture-type sermons, Sunday School, preparing leaders in an academic institution outside the church, professional paid church staff, etc.
Patterson warns: ”Most church divisions stem from power-hungry people who emphasize a human tradition or an apostolic practice that was not commanded, in order to secure a following. They place it on the level of a command by the force of their personality or the organization’s bylaws. Painful divisions and discouragement grow out of a dogmatic attitude toward non-biblical requirements for worship, church procedures, membership, baptism, dress, ordination, pastoral training, and a dozen other things We cancel spontaneous, loving obedience to Jesus when we confuse His authority with man-made rules.” (Church Multiplication Guide, Patterson and Scoggins, pg. 29 used with permission)
[1] John 14:15
[2] Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:37-47
[3] George Patterson writes: “Jesus ordered over forty things; we can group them under seven basic commands. In Acts 2 we see the 3,000 new believers of the first New Testament church obeying all for them in their basic form.” Church Multiplication Guide, pg. 21.
[4] These go together, a person can’t do one without the others. Mark 1:15, John 20:22.
[5] Baptism includes living forever the new, holy life it signifies. Matt. 28:19-20
[6] Love God, family, fellow disciples, neighbors, and even enemies. (forgiveness) Luke 10:25-37
[7] This includes communion with Christ and with His people. Luke 22:14-20
[8] Prayer includes listening to God speak through His Word and His Spirit. Matt. 6:5-13, Matt. 4:4
[9] Matt 6:19-21
[10] Disciple making includes: witnessing, teaching, training leaders, etc. Matt 28:18-19, Luke 24:46-48
[11] The Authority of God’s Word: A UNIVERSAL ELEMENT IN CHURCH PLANTING MOVEMENTS “Like an invisible spinal cord aligning and supporting the movement, there runs through each Church Planting Movement a commitment to the authority of the Bible. Even among largely nonliterate peoples, for whom Scripture reading is rare, believers rely heavily on audiocassettes of the Bible clinging to every word. They have also learned to approach every faith and life situation with the question, ‘How can I best glorify Christ in this situation?’ In following this principle they never venture far from biblical authority. These two governing forces of biblical authority and Christ’s Lordship reinforce one another like parallel railroad tracks guiding the movement as it rolls far beyond the direct control of the missionary or initial church planters.” David Garrison, Church Planting Movements, How God is Redeeming a Lost World, page182.
[12] Acts 4:19