The Church At Work
Under this heading much teaching is needed by a good many of the brethren. The New Testament church is a divine institution, and has Christ for its head. And since Christ is head of the church all members ought to realize that it is Christ's prerogative to rule the church.
With some of the brethren, it seems that the church should be an agency for supplying recreational facilities for the young people of the church and perhaps for other young people too. Hence, "Camps" are set up, and advertised as being "under the oversight of" this church, or that church. Others seem to think that the church exists to "support Christian colleges." I have no objection to any of the brethren establishing a "camp" or a "college"; nor do I have any objection to any brother's running a farm, or a hotel or a dry-goods business. But, where do people get the idea that the church is authorized to do such things? If it is the work of the church to educate the youth of the world, and also to furnish recreational facilities, and hospital facilities for the ailing, why is it not also the obligation of the church to furnish food for the living, and mortuary service for the dead? then it would seem that the church bought to get into the feed production and distribution business, and take care of the transportation business of the entire world, as well as the communication facilities of the world. Where is the stopping place to be found, once the church launches out on such a course?
Brethren, I am serious, I am concerned for the future of the church of our Lord. The church exists for the glory of God. We can glorify God only through God's own appointments. When we meet the appointments of God we receive blessing from such. When men launch out on schemes of their own devising, they may not know it, but they are supplanting the divine wisdom with their own. God is not glorified in such case, and humanity is not blessed.
The chief work of the church is to preach the gospel (Eph. 3:1041). We have many recorded examples of churches feeding the hungry and caring for the indigent. Also it is the work of the church to save her members, and contribute to the "building up of itself in love." In the first chapter of Revelation the church is symbolized by the golden candlestick or the lampstand. Please note the statement of that case. Christ is represented as "standing in the midst of seven golden candlesticks" or, more properly, "seven golden lamp stands." They were not organically united in one. Each was a unit, complete in itself. Of course, each lampstand upheld its own lamp; each bore its own light. Not one of the lampstands functioned through another lampstand. Thus, each congregation is represented as a "lightbearer." And each light-bearer must bear its own light. Each church must do its own work. Any effort to "organize" a number of churches "to more efficiently do the work of the church" is an insult to the divine head of the church. Such efforts assume that Christ did not know how the work could be done in the most efficient manner.