THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
God’s Administration
Message Two—God’s Administration on This Earth
Scripture Reading: Exo. 19:6; 28:30; Lev. 8:8; Num. 27:21; 1 Sam. 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:65; Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Gal. 2:16; Acts 2:42; Heb. 1:2a; 1 Pet. 3:15-16; Rev. 22:18-19; 1 Cor. 5:13; 1 Pet. 2:5; Rev. 1:6; Heb. 8:1; Rom. 8:10; Acts 13:1-4; 1 Tim. 5:19-20
I. God’s administration in the Old Testament—Exo. 19:6; 28:30; Lev. 8:8; Num. 27:21: (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
A. We cannot see much of God’s administration among God’s chosen people until Exodus 19—v. 6. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
1. At Mount Sinai the Lord told the children of Israel that He wanted them to be a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation”—v. 6. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
2. In this kingdom at Mount Sinai, God’s administration among His people on this earth began. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
B. God’s administration in the Old Testament was by His instant speaking plus His constant, written word through some agents—28:30; Lev. 8:8; Num. 27:21; Deut. 33:8; 1 Sam. 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:65: (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
1. God’s administration was neither an autocracy by a dictator nor a democracy of the people; God’s administration among the children of Israel was a theocracy, indicating that God Himself came to govern, to rule, to administrate the people of God directly yet through some agents. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
2. These agents were the priests, the elders, the judges, or the kings working together for God’s theocracy; they were the direct administrators. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
3. The theocracy among the nation of Israel was according to God’s constant speaking as written in the law or God’s instant speaking as revealed through the breastplate of the high priest by means of the Urim and the Thummim; God’s instant speaking through the prophets was by the Spirit of God coming upon certain persons to enable them to speak God’s word—Exo. 28:30; Lev. 8:8; Num. 27:21; Deut. 33:8; 1 Sam. 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:65. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
4. If we are going to understand God’s administration in His move in the New Testament today, we have to go back to the type of the New Testament government in the Old Testament; God’s administration is a direct ruling and governing by God Himself; this direct divine ruling is a theocracy. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
II. God’s administration in the New Testament—Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Gal. 2:16; Acts 2:42; Heb. 1:2a; Matt. 28:19-20; John 16:12-15; 2 Pet. 3:15-16: (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
A. In the New Testament, the apostles appointed the elders to carry out God’s administration in each local church—Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
B. In the Old Testament kingdom of God, the constitution was the law, and in the New Testament kingdom of God, the constitution is the teaching of the apostles. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
1. In the New Testament, Christ replaced the law, but concerning the aspect and sense of God’s administration, the teaching of the apostles replaced the law—Gal. 2:16; Acts 2:42. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
2. The teaching of the apostles is the complete New Testament; no one should add anything or take away anything from the divine revelation—Heb. 1:2a; Matt. 28:19-20; John 16:12-15; 2 Pet. 3:15-16; Rev. 2:7; 22:18-19. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
C. In the New Testament kingdom, according to the teaching of the apostles, the elders were the direct administrators; furthermore, according to the Lord’s instant speaking, all the believers in Christ are priests of God, including the elders, having Christ as the High Priest living within them—1 Cor. 5:13; 1 Pet. 2:5; Rev. 1:6; Heb. 8:1; Rom. 8:10. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
D. Today in God’s administration on this earth, besides the ones who are the priests to receive the revelation from the Lord directly and the administrators to carry out what God spoke, there are the prophets and the teachers to help the eldership and the priesthood—Acts 13:1-4. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
E. After the apostles appoint the elders and commit the church into the hands of the elders, they did not have the position to administrate the church, but they did have the position, right, and responsibility to charge the elders to do it; in the New Testament the apostles were to keep their hands off of the administration of the local church in its business affairs, not in its need of the apostles’ teaching, instruction, and charge—1 Cor. 5:13; 1 Tim. 5:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:34. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
F. The churches are local in administration but not absolutely independent: (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
1. When the apostles kept their hands off of the affairs of the churches, this did not mean that each local church became one independent entity; nor did it mean that since the churches were under the teaching of the apostles, they became a federation—1 Cor. 4:17; Rev. 2:1, 7. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
2. On the one hand, the churches are local separately; on the other hand, all the local churches are still the one Body of Christ—Acts 8:1; 13:1; Eph. 4:4; Col. 3:15. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
G. The teaching of the apostles is the real leadership in the New Testament. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
1. In the four Gospels, the leadership was with the Lord Jesus; that was the leadership in a Person. (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
2. The apostles were not strict in this matter of the movement of the co-workers; but all the apostles were very strict in the teaching of the apostles—2 Tim. 4:9; Titus 3:12; 1 Cor. 16:12; 1 Tim. 1:3-4; 2 John 9-10: (A Timely Word, msg. 2)
a. The leading ones are not strict in directing the move of their co-workers—cf. 1 Cor. 16:12. (The Apostles’ Teaching and the New Testament Leadership, msg. 2)
b. The leading ones are strict in the teaching of the New Testament—cf. 1 Tim. 1:3-4; 2 John 9-11. (The Apostles’ Teaching and the New Testament Leadership, msg. 2)
H. God’s delegated authority in the leading ones—2 Cor. 13:10: (The Apostles’ Teaching and the New Testament Leadership, msg. 2)
1. God’s delegated authority in the leading ones is for building up and not for overthrowing; Paul had authority, not to destroy or overthrow, but for building up—2 Cor. 13:10. (The Apostles’ Teaching and the New Testament Leadership, msg. 2)
2. God’s delegated authority was in the teaching of the leading ones; authority always follows the proper speaking; Paul exercised his authority in his teaching; he taught the same thing everywhere in every church, and the churches followed his speaking—1 Cor. 4:17b-21; 7:17b; 16:1; 11:2; 2 Thes. 3:6, 9, 12, 14. (The Apostles’ Teaching and the New Testament Leadership, msg. 2)
3. The leadership in the ministry was in the leading ones’ dealing with the problems and affairs of the churches; Paul was strong in dealing with the church in Corinth—1 Cor. 1:10; 5:11-13; 11:34b. (The Apostles’ Teaching and the New Testament Leadership, msg. 2)
4. The leadership in the ministry was also in the leading ones’ avenging of the saints’ disobedience; Paul intended to avenge all disobedience when the Corinthians themselves had learned obedience—2 Cor. 10:6. (The Apostles’ Teaching and the New Testament Leadership, msg. 2)
5. The leadership in the ministry was also in the appointing of and dealing with the elders; not only did the apostles have the authority to appoint the elders, but they also had the authority to judge them, including the authority to remove them—Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; 1 Tim. 5:19-20. (The Apostles’ Teaching and the New Testament Leadership, msg. 2)
III. God’s government is neither autocracy nor democracy, but theocracy; God’s theocratic government in the churches in the New Testament is according to the life-giving Spirit as the consummation of the Triune God indwelling the leading ones; the result of this divine coordination of the New Testament priests and prophets in the Body of Christ is the God-commanded blessing—Acts 15:6, 23, 28; 2:42; 1 Thes. 5:12; 1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17; Acts 13:1; Psa. 133:3. (The Apostles’ Teaching and the New Testament Leadership, msg. 2)