Welcome back to this week's blog post! I hope you've had some time to search out what I shared with you last week. It is very important for you to grasp the deception and strong delusion and snare we've been entangled in, and to escape it!
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Tithing Verses The NT Pattern Of Giving
Sunday, February 6, 2022
The Dilemma?
"How can one who pursues the corruptible things of the world and thinks that from these things he can comprehend the truth of divine nature not become a fool as he makes use of the artifices of sophistry?" Six Days of Creation 1.3.9. - Ambrose
They ·traded [exchanged] the truth of God for ·a lie and worshiped and served ·the creation [or the creature; or created things] instead of the Creator, who ·should be praised [or is blessed] forever. Amen. . - Rom. 1:25
"Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...""...or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black stated, "The establishment clause of the First Amendment means at least this: Neither the State nor the Federal Government can set up a church." - Emerson vs. Board of Education, 1947. (Church In Chains, pgs 35-36).
Remember that the "church" of the Lord Jesus Christ is tax immune. Why would anyone of a sound mind choose to go to the government and submit to them and their policies and regulations to form a tax exempted corporation? Where do we see Paul using this approach in the book of Acts?
This is just unbearable.Many of you know, I started a school in Rwanda which, due to government mandates on churches and theological schools, was forced to close. To even petition the government to open legally, a school must have large amounts of land, a full raft of Ph.Ds., complete buildings, all staff, computer rooms, library, and more. Obviously, the government knows this is nearly impossible, which makes this an empty gesture.For pastors, they must have “accredited” BA degrees. If they do not, they must leave the pastorate. But most can’t afford such education.When we tried to negotiate with the government to be an extension school, we were told the only way our degrees could be recognized was that we had to build or buy a campus in Rwanda, align all teaching with government curriculum, in essence, have everything an actual school would have, then I must return to America, students must gather at the campus, and I must teach the classes we already taught for 4 years at the new campus, via distance learning. Does no one in Rwanda understand that the purpose of online education is to avoid a campus?Now that the 4-year “grace period” for pastors to get an accredited degree is closing, the government has stepped in, removed about 3000 pastors and replaced them with school teachers, etc., with no theological training at all. What improvement is that? And it only goes to show the real motive. [Ah! What could the god of this world, Satan's, motives be? He is a liar and a deceiver. (Jn. 8:44; Rev. 12:9) A master of division and chaos. (Jam. 3:14-15;) A kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation (Mt. 12:25)].Here’s the note I received from one former student, and I have verified this.“The problem is that, Rwanda Government Board in charge of religions has suspended all the pastors in our Church (more than 3000 pastors) and has hired others who have never done theology except for a secular diploma, thus the Executive Committee, the Board of directors, [Do these sound biblical or worldly to you? Hmm] the provincial pastors, the parishioners are in the street today, those who are 60 are retired [Where does "retiring from the ministry" come from? The Bible or the world? Certainly not the Bible!], the others are volunteer pastors in the churches. This is how the signs of Jesus' return are visible.”Few are more aware of the abuses happening in third world churches than this writer. However, what governments like this fail to see is that the Body of Christ is not under the jurisdictional authority of the state. [No. What the Body of Christ fails to see is that it is not to submit itself to the state's jurisdictional authority by seeking to be under the state's jurisdictional authority through a section 501c3 tax exempt status and all the privileges granted to them for doing so. If the Body of Christ doesn't seek the state's privileges, then the state would have no authority over them.]Church buildings, etc., must follow building codes, etc. and the state has an obvious role there. But to dictate church governance, training, to decide what is a “cult,” is out of line.NT writers faced the same, exact, and I mean exact, problems. But they didn’t ask Caesar to step in. [Exactly! They didn't go to Caesar to be their sovereign. They knew that Jesus, our Sovereign's kingdom is not of this world with it's methods, practices and contracts] They wrote better theology, trained men properly (without government accreditation!), [Bingo! Yet, today in the USA, every minister is "accredited" to be an agent of the state, through an "accredited" nonprofit religious institution that was granted it's existence by it's sovereign, the state] warned people of wolves out for money, and more. Everything was handled according to the authority Christ established in His churches.The church of Rwanda is now under the control of a sovereign state [So are most in the USA, because they, in their ignorance, have submitted the affairs of Christ to another head or sovereign by becoming a 501c3 nonprofit corporation]. So, the government will be the watchdog for corruption in the churches? Who is watching the watchdog? [Exactly! Why did you reject Christ as your Sovereign and Chief Shepard for a worldly government ruled by worldly methods as your sovereign and watchdog?] No, we have never heard of corruption in African governments, have we?Pardon the long diatribe. I can write a lot more.Be blessed.
Protestant churches are required to register and operate under the government's China Christian Council (CCC), the umbrella organization that monitors Protestant churches in China together with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement.
Many Protestant Christians [the underground "church", which ironically the state-sanctioned "churches" in the USA pray for and give money to], however, refuse to work with the CCC/TSPM, arguing that God is the head of the church and not the government. Surely the state-sanctioned, approved, nonprofit "churches" need to heed Paul's words: "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. (Eph. 5:14-17) https://www.christianpost.com/news/china-s-gov-t-approved-church-reaches-out-to-house-churches.html
5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. - Jos. 24:14-15
"The IRS for many years has had the right to examine church records, because churches have been collecting taxes for many years for the government; the churches therefore hold in trust that which belongs to the government. We have a right to examine church records to see if the churches are handling funds properly."
Well, how about that! I am quite sure the former commissioner knows what he's talking about. So, if your sovereign is the state, what Roscoe Edgar said makes perfect sense. You are no longer governed by Christ as Head, but rather by the state as your head. The Rwanda dilemma should be making more sense by now. That also reminds me of something else. Why is it that so many "church" buildings are used for government elections? Could it be that they have a license from the government to conduct business? Hmm.
1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:2 That walk to go down into Egypt [a type of the world], and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! - Is. 30:1-24 They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off. - Hos. 8:4
On a hotel-provided shower cap in a box: “Fits one head.”Some of those warning labels conjure up some humorous images. Like the last one -- can you imagine trying to fit a shower cap onto two heads at once? Ridiculous, huh?Almost as ridiculous as taking the body of Christ and suggesting it has more than one head. There is one body (Eph. 4:4), and it has only one head. Fortunately, that head is no earthly person or group of people. It is none other than the Son of God himself.
Sunday, January 30, 2022
Are You Living In Whoredom?
Before reading today's blog, be sure to read my post from last week. It will help you to better understand this one. It may also benefit you to read the following blog post as well.
Phillips: You are like unfaithful wives, flirting with the glamour of this world, and never realising that to be the world's lover means becoming the enemy of God! Anyone who deliberately chooses to love the world is thereby making himself God's enemy.TLB: You are like an unfaithful wife who loves her husband’s enemies. Don’t you realize that making friends with God’s enemies—the evil pleasures of this world—makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy the evil pleasure of the unsaved world, you cannot also be a friend of God.
The stem phil- is of uncertain etymology but carries the sense of “related.” Hence phileo means “to treat somebody as one of one’s own people.” It is used for the love of spouses, of parents and children, of employers and servants, of friends, and of gods and those favored by them. With reference to gods and friends it often has the concrete sense “to help,” “to care for,” “to entertain.”Philia means “love” or “friendship”...The strongest ties of philia are love of parents, brothers and sisters, or spouse. The term also denotes erotic love, both heterosexual and homosexual. Friendship is commonly the sense, with such nuances as a “pleasant relationship” and “hospitality.” In politics the word means “alliance.” In a transferred sense it means “harmony” as a principle of unity. PhilÃa becomes a proper name, e.g., for Isis.
"...kosmos often has a negative connotation. This world is equated with this passing, evil age, which is opposed to God (1Co 3:18 KJV, 19; Eph 2:2; Ro 12:2). A fundamental part of Christ's work on the cross was defeating the elements of this world (Col 2:8-20)...The kosmos resists the very God who created it and his Son (Jn. 1:9, 10, 11; 7:7); consequently, this world is ruled by the evil one (Jn 12:31; 16:11). Therefore, while Christians continue to live in this kosmos, they must maintain purity and refrain from being caught up in this world's systems (Jn 17:15, 16, 17; 1Jn 2:15; Php 2:15; Jas 1:27; Jas 4:4).
"The initial mark of religious hypocrites. They make awkward alliances against the truth...The Pharisees were the most religious, the Herodians the least religious. The Pharisees were most concerned with the Law of God. The Herodians were most concerned with the Law of Rome. The Pharisees were most devoted to Israel. The Herodians were most devoted to Caesar. The Pharisees were intensely religious. The Herodians were intensely political."
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with [become partners with] unbelievers: for what fellowship [partnership] hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion [partnership/fellowship] hath light with darkness?15 And what concord [harmony] hath Christ with Belial? or what part [share in common] hath he that believeth with an infidel?16 And what agreement [union] hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. - 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. - Prov. 7:21-27
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.
19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. - Jos. 24:14-24
Sunday, January 23, 2022
His Established Kingdom?
Today I'll go over a topic that relates to the series I've been sharing. To fully comprehend what I'm about to share with you, it is vital to read my last 3 brief blog entries pertaining to Christ, the Anointed One, our King, and His kingdom as they are all related. What I'm sharing today is brief as well, yet should help your understanding and studies.
A 501c3 is a corporation. A corporation is considered an artificial, fictitious person, a legal entity that exists on paper as an individual being. They can enjoy many of the same rights as real persons, like buy and sell property; the right to enter into contracts, and the right to take some one to court.
One might say that the main incentive for the "institutionalized church" to form one is to provide for its members limited liability, which means the fictitious person may be held responsible while it's members are not liable. Yet, is limited liability for God's assembled people Scriptural? How does this legal concept compare to examples like Mt. 5:39-40; Lk. 9:51-56; Rom. 12:17; Col. 3:12-13; 1 Th. 5:15; etc?
"A corporation derives its existence and all of its powers from the State and therefore, has only such powers as the State has conferred upon it. Power is used here to mean the legal capacity to execute and fulfill the objects and purposes for which the corporation was created, and the source of this power is the charter and the statute under which the corporation was organized." - Len Young Smith and G. Gale Roberson, Smith and Roberson's Business Law. West Publishing Company, 1966.
"Corporate existence is a privilege granted by the sovereign upon compliance with specified conditions." - Len Young Smith and G. Gale Roberson, Smith and Roberson's Business Law. West Publishing Company, 1966.
Just to clarify a point here concerning the word sovereign, according to Dictionary.com:
sovereign noun
1) a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.
2) a person who has supreme power or authority.
adjective
3) belonging to or characteristic of a sovereign or sovereign authority; royal.4) having supreme rank, power, or authority.5) supreme; preeminent; indisputable:a sovereign right.6) greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.
Now compare it with Strong's definition of "head:"
2776 kefalh, kephale {kef-al-ay'}
Meaning: 1) the head, both of men and often of animals. Since the loss of the head destroys life, this word is used in the phrases relating to capital and extreme punishment. 2) metaph. anything supreme, chief, prominent 2a) of persons, master lord: of a husband in relation to his wife 2b) of Christ: the Lord of the husband and of the Church 2c) of things: the corner stone Jesus is the head [king, chief, supreme, sovereign] of the ekklaysia (Acts 4:11; Eph. 1:22; 4:15; 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:19; 1 P. 2:7), [an assembly of citizens summoned, Php 3:20 - the commonwealth of citizens - S# 4175].
4175 poli,teuma politeuma {pol-it'-yoo-mah}
Meaning: 1) the administration of civil affairs or of a commonwealth 2) the constitution of a commonwealth, form of government and the laws by which it is administered 3) a state, commonwealth 3a) the commonwealth of citizens.
Interesting how Paul used this Greek word to define the ekklesia's citizenship. Is the non-profit corporation "church's" citizenship of man or God? Like the tribute money in Mt. 22:17-22, where Jesus replied, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." Or like the time in Mt. 21:23-27 when the Pharisees questioned Jesus about where He received His authority to administer, He replied, "The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?" So by what authority has the 501c3 non-profit corporation, a.k.a., the "church" received it's existence? From heaven, or of men?
I'm sure you can see parallels between Jesus and His ekklesia with the government and their non-profit corporations. Therefore, when an assembly of believers decides to go to another sovereign in hope that that sovereign will grant to them the right to exist and have it's powers conferred to them, taking it's nature and characteristics, it has decapitated itself from Christ and has attached itself to another head.
It is as if we would take a He-Man doll and remove it's head from the body and replace it with a Strawberry Shortcake doll's head. It's absurd! They are foreign to each other. They have taken on different characteristics! The He-Man doll now looks hilarious! He no longer "has the power!" Yet, if you give it time, it will grow on you and seem natural. Such is the state of what we have grown to understand of the so-called "church" today. When an assembly of believers choose to go to the State desiring it to grant them their right to exsist - in essence, they hand over their identity in Christ to assume an entirely different one and in time, it no longer seems odd or foreign, but rather, right and normal. Like Samson, not realizing that the Spirit of God left him (Jdg 16:20), so those that incorporate don't realize they have removed their rightful Head from them for an inferior head.
God surely wouldn't allow His body to be corrupted like this, right? Think again! The Scriptures give plenty of examples of this very thing! He even admonishes us not to do such a thing! (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1) The OT is filled with them. One example is found in 1 Sam. 8 where the children of Israel rejected God as their Sovereign and wanted a different sovereign like the other nations. Why did God permit this and why does He still permit it today? Romans 1:17+ gives a good answer.
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. - Rom. 1:21-25
What may also be interesting to you is that the Latin term "persona ficta" which means an artificial or fictitious person, originated in the 13th century by none other than Pope Innocent IV. Let that sink in! I can hear you now - WOW!
When it comes to the word ekklesia it is important to grasp that it is from two Greek words: ek: out from among + kaleo: to call or summon assembly. The Greek word ekklesia dates back to around 400 BC by the Greeks, of course. It meant "an assembly of citizens summoned by the cries, the legislative assembly."
Later when the Roman Empire came to power they adopted the ekklesia. It became a means for them to infuse culture and customs into new territories they conquered.
There is an example of this in Acts chapter 19. It would be good for you to read and study it to get familiar with Roman ekklesia. The word ekklesia appears in this chapter in verses 32, 39, and 41.
Therefore, why would Jesus use this Greek word saying, "I will build, [establish, promote growth in Christian wisdom, and piety - S#3618] my ekklesia [an assembly of citizens summoned]?"
I'm trying to help you relearn your understanding on what ekklesia actually means. I don't know if you have a Septuagint (LLX) available but let me show you a number of OT passages that ekklesia was used in to help you better understand how the 1st century believers understood ekklesia. Remember that the Septuagint was used by the Jews when Jesus was on the earth.
Before I share some of those verses it is important for you to understand that ekklesia refers to an EVENT and PEOPLE gathered, not to a place of gathering.
1) Event: Dt. 9:10, Acts 19:29-32, 41
2) People: Jdg. 20:2, Acts 14:27
3) Required physical presence within the assembled group, not merely a 'membership' or 'association.'
It is important to note that only when believers are gathered together are they an ekklesia. Once the gathering has concluded, it has stopped being an ekklesia.
It is also impotarnt to note the difference between an EVENT and PEOPLE. If ekklesia speaks of an EVENT it is an ABSTRACT term. If it speaks of PEOPLE it is a CONCRETE term. I'll reiterate this to bring further clarity to your understanding.
A CONCRETE word is a noun denoting something material. By contrast, an ABSTRACT word is a noun denoting something immaterial.
One way to understand CONCRETE words is that they refer to any person, place, or thing that you can experience with your five senses.
ABSTRACT words are intangible things that exist as ideas or concepts.
Some examples of CONCRETE words are man, woman, John, Jane, city, Tampa, state, Indiana, book, and Bible.
Some examples of ABSTRACT words are religion, government, time, bias, love, hate, fear, joy, Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.
I hope these examples will aid you as you study ekklesia throughout the Scriptures.
Continuing on with point #3 above, we'll look at the ensuing distinctions.
Membership vs. discipleship:
1) Membership is transactional;
2) Discipleship is relational.
"Members" of a "Clique of Christ" may mistake themselves as genuine disciples belonging to Christ's ekklesia because they follow the duties prescribed to them according to the by-laws of the corporation their membership belongs to.
Alright, now for some of those OT verses I mentioned:
Dt. 23:2, 3; Jdg 21:5, 8; 1 Sam. 17:47; 1 K. 8:14, 55, 65; 1 Chr. 13:2, 4; 29:1, 20; 2 Chr. 1:3, 5; 7:8; 20:5, 14; 29:28, 31, 32; 30:2, 13, 23, 24, 25; Ezra 2:64; Neh. 7:66; 13:1.
When looking into the NT it is important to see the only two places it is used in the Gospels. Even more important in understanding ekklesia, the context of those places are important. Therefore I will include them here. Also, I'll highlight portions of the texts to emphasize what I'm attempting to expound to you on the ekklesia with more clarity.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build [establish; promote growth in Christian wisdom and piety S#3618] my church [an assembly of citizens summoned]; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. - Mt. 16:15-20
Notice the next instance when ekklesia is used in reference to how administer judgment among their assembly.
15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church [an assembly of citizens summoned]: but if he neglect to hear the church [an assembly of citizens summoned], let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. - Mt. 18:15-20
Of note, be sure to learn what "keys" are pertaining to. Start with Scriptures such as Is. 9:6-7; 22:22; Mt. 23:13; Rev. 3:7, etc. In short, they represent authority granted to them by their sovereign.
Now see the function or role of the ekklesia played out among the Corinthian brethren.
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. - 1 Cor. 5:4-5
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. - 1 Cor. 5:12-13
1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church [an assembly of citizens summoned]. 5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? [Again I ask, doesn't this go against limited liability?] why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? [Again I ask, doesn't this go against limited liability?]
8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. - 1 Cor. 6:1-8
A pattern of the ekklesia in action, even as the following passages reveal to us how an ekklesia is to administer according to the authority given to it by it's Head, Jesus Christ.
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. - Eph. 4:11-16
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
28 And God hath set some in the church [an assembly of citizens summoned], first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. - 1 Cor. 12:27-31
26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church [an assembly of citizens summoned]; and let him speak to himself, and to God. 29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches [an assembly of citizens summoned] of the saints. - 1 Cor. 14:26-33
These concepts may seem foreign, yet as I disclosed earlier, the way we were programmed to believe the so-called "church" to be, is not according to the truth as exhibited in the Scriptures.
For further study on the function and role of Christ's ekklesia, look at the 7 ekklesia's in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. You will see the same principles above in them as well.
With that I'll close, since I've given you plenty to chew on and try to digest. Next time I will continue along the same course.
Grace and peace,
Joe