Continuing our studies this morning in our doctrinal statement or articles of faith, whichever you prefer to call them, and looking at the, continuing to look at the 13th paragraph on the New Testament church, We believe that a New Testament church is a local, visible, called out assembly of scripturally baptized believers associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the ordinances instituted by Christ its only head, which are baptism and the Lord's Supper, governed by his laws alone, his laws alone. That such an assembly is the body of Christ and its locality with which all regenerated should affiliate for this is the only kind of true church in the world today. And then the phrase that we will be looking at today, that its only officers of ordination are bishops or pastors and deacons. Its only officers, scriptural officers. Of Ward Nation are bishops or pastors and deacons. We have for us this morning in scripture a definite place and time in which the office of deacon was created. But scripture is a little silent on a definite giving to us, a definite time and appointing of the bishops, elders, or pastors. We just begin to see them there in that assembly. For instance, the church at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost was approximately 120 members. And they grew exponentially on the day of Pentecost. Over 3,000 souls were added to that first church on the day of Pentecost. That is in the second chapter. In the fourth chapter of Acts, there was a very wonderful prayer meeting that took place. I mean, everyone must have been praying and in the Spirit. God was honored and pleased to honor their request for boldness that the Word of God might prosper, that the Word of God might continue to be preached and to increase, to prosper and increase. And it was such a prayer meeting that, and God was so pleased with it that he shook the place. And the scripture tells us there was great grace upon them all. And the church was together as one. And they were working together as one. And the word of God increased mightily. And probably along with that increase mightily of the Word of God was the increase of disciples. The fifth chapter, after the death of Ananias and Sapphira, for having lied to the apostles to the church, and thereby lying to the Holy Spirit, and fell down dead at the apostles' feet. And right after that, it says, the word of God increased mightily and the multitudes grew. So we have that first church, the Church of Jerusalem, growing mightily in multitudes of people. There's a great multiplication taking place. You want to increase quickly, just multiply. Don't just add, multiply. You see, and that's what was happening. multiplications of people were added and at some time point in time elders must have been had added to that first church for we find them mentioned and being present, and especially when we get to the 15th chapter of the book of Acts. But the point is the church had grown in number so mightily, so quickly, that it was more than just 12 apostles could take care of properly. And so elders were, or pastors or bishops, whatever you want to call them, we'll deal with that terminology in a little bit. I thank the Lord willing, were added, as were deacons added. We know that he set pastors in the churches because of scripture. Turn with me to the Book of Acts in Chapter 6. The Book of Acts in Chapter 6. And Chapter 6 is in the midst of this great increase, the multiplication of disciples being added to the first church. And so we see the creating of the office of deacon even though I don't believe in this passage of scripture the word deacon is there per se. Understanding simply deacon means to to serve, to serve the church. They were a servant of the church and that was the office that was created here. Verse one. And in those days, when the number of the disciples were multiplied, fastest way to increase numbers is through multiplication. There's no faster way than multiplication. And so the disciples, those saved and added to the Lord's church, multiplied. There arose a murmuring of the Grecians, Grecian members, against the Hebrews because the widows were neglected in the daily ministration. These Grecian members of the church, the assembly, the multitude, the disciples were being neglected in favor of the Hebrews. Understanding this church was in Jerusalem, and it was predominantly Hebrews, because it was Jerusalem, Judea, the land of Israel. But there were Grecians that were members there, and they were widows, and they were being neglected. Then, the Twelve. The apostles called the multitude of the disciples unto them and said, it is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables, serve the material things, the physical. aspect of the things. Take care of these Grecians who were being neglected in the distribution. They were, remember at the close of the fourth chapter, they were as one and they were selling land and they were bringing that land at the apostles' feet and they were distributing to every man as they had need. But the church was growing in such multiplication that this was more than the apostles could take care of and handle. And these Greek women, widows, widows indeed, were being neglected in that they weren't getting what the Hebrew women were getting. if they were getting anything. Their instructions to the church was then, wherefore, brethren, look ye out among yourselves, men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, not just anyone, who we may, the apostles and the church, may appoint over this business. But we, the apostles, will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. and the same pleased the whole multitude, or the whole assembly, the whole church. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Tymon and Parninius and Nicholas a proselyte. Oh, so there's another Gentile. Nicholas was a proselyte, that is a Gentile who had converted to the Jewish religion He had been saved and now he's a disciple Of the Lord Jesus Christ and remember the qualifications. He was a man full of faith and full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom And was chose and he was from Antioch Whom they set before the Apostles and That is, the church chose them, they brought them before the apostles, and when they, the apostles, had prayed, they laid their hands on them, and the word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied, Jerusalem greatly and a great company of the priests the Jewish priests were obedient to the faith here we have because it pleased God we have The Word of God being increased and given increase in multiplication of disciples, souls being saved and added to the Lord's Church. Even those that were Jewish priests. I might remind you about the Jewish priests. They were the ones who entered in with the Pharisees. and the Sadducees and the scribes against Christ, against the Lord Jesus Christ. And here they are being converted, the Lord saving them and adding them to his church. There was a need, a need that existed in the church because of its great assembly, the great multiplication of disciples being added to them. And so there was a need that arose in this assembly, and that need was of a physical nature. which that need was so great in the physical nature that it was affecting the spiritual atmosphere of the church. The apostles, the Lord, giving instructions to his apostles, And his apostles to the church and the church created the office of deacons. Seven men who would look after the physical need of this great assembly that was multiplying in great numbers. and take care of these Greek women, widows, who were being neglected so that all might be treated equally and receive equally according to their need. And these men, her or And notice that in their ordination, the apostles not only laid hands on them, but they first prayed over them and then laid their hands upon them. Turn with me to the 14th chapter of the book of Acts in verse 23. Chapter 14 in verse 23. Paul and Barnabas had been appointed by the Holy Spirit of God to do missionary work. And the Church of Antioch obeyed and sent them forth. the Holy Spirit working through the church and giving the right to Paul and Barnabas to do missionary work under the auspice, under the authority of the church at Antioch. And they're on their missionary journey and they going into every city, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul being persecuted in one city, being drugged with outside the city and left for dead, and he getting up, And the next day tells us that they entered back into that same city again the next day. But in every city where souls were saved, they established churches. Under what right? Under the authority given to them by the Church of Antioch. These churches were started, were organized, were established. Paul and Barnabas are coming to the close of their first missionary journey. And they're getting about ready to begin their trip back home, back to Antioch. And notice in verse 23, And when they had ordained them elders or pastors in every church and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord on whom they believed. They commended them to the Lord, the one in whom they believed. How fitting. But note here the ordaining of elders. As we said earlier, at some point in time before this, there was the office of pastor sat in the church by Jesus Christ. We can't put our finger on any particular verse or scripture where that began. But we know so because scripture tells us it was so. And here we find Paul and Barnabas observing that practice. They're not going to leave the churches to themselves. You don't leave an infant to itself. You appoint someone to be over them. And so they appointed, ordained elders, pastors in each of the churches that the Lord had used them to establish and to start because the Lord had saved souls in those cities and in those regions. And so they went into every city, every church in every city that they had established the church and they ordained elders, pastors. to perform their work, which was to the work of perfecting, edifying the saints. Paul and Barnabas, before returning to Antioch, ordained pastors in all the churches. that they had been instrumental of in starting. Notice where we get our ordaining, ordaining of pastors and ordaining of deacons, if a church sets a man to the work of a deacon. We get it from the word of God. And these men then, The 14th chapter of the book of Acts were ordained. And how were they ordained? They were ordained by prayer and fasting. And then they were commended, appointed to the work which God had set them on to do. Turn with me now to the 15th chapter. And we, in our opening remarks, had mentioned this 15th chapter of the book of Acts. As seen here, apostles in, not apostles, elders, also apostles, but seen elders in the church at Jerusalem, the first church. But this chapter comes along quite a time later. After that, the church had multiplied greatly, and great persecution had come upon the church at Jerusalem, and they scattered in the eighth chapter of the book of Acts, and they went everywhere preaching the word, and churches began to spring up, these folks that went everywhere preaching the word, souls were saved and churches were established and organized under the right, under the authority of the church at Jerusalem. The church at Antioch was one such church. The church at Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch to investigate those folks who believed and said they were saved and to investigate and he saw that it was so. They did, they had trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior and they were changed people and they were following in the steps of the Lord. And so Barnabas organized them into a church and so we have the church of Antioch from which they sent out Paul and Barbas on their first missionary trip. But we come to the 15th chapter of the book of Acts and there were some Jewish folks that in the church at Jerusalem who went to Antioch, journeyed to Antioch, and they journeyed to Antioch to promote, well, you can't be saved unless you are circumcised as well. They were trying to impose upon them works. Yes, it's by grace, but it's plus works. Well, Paul and Barnabas contended with those folks and the contention was sharp. They just wouldn't hear of it. Paul and Barnabas and the church at Antioch wasn't going to accept what they were saying. So the church at Antioch decided to send Paul and Barnabas with others to the church at Jerusalem concerning this matter. Talked to the apostles. This is what the 15th chapter of the book of Acts is about. And the apostles hear what Paul and Barnabas have to say and the others from Antioch and what's going on. And they said, no, this is not so. It's by grace alone. If it's not of grace, it's of works. If it's works, it's not of grace. cannot be no grace and works. This is not so. And so we come to the 22nd verse. They have their rendering on the matter. Then pleased it the apostles and elders and pastors, elders, with the whole church, the whole assembly to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. Namely, Judas surnamed Barthas and Silas, chief men among the brethren. The point of note is, notice who was included in the sending of Paul and Barnabas and certain from the church at Jerusalem along with them to the church at Antioch. The apostles, pastors, and the whole church, the whole assembly sent with Paul and Barnabas men back to Antioch with a rendering. It is of grace and not of works at all. You're right, Antioch members. You're right, Paul and Barnabas. And so We see in this 15th chapter, there were elders in the church at Jerusalem, pastors. Elder is a term that sometimes is referring to one of an older age, but it is also a term that is in reference to pastors. in the Word of God. And as near as I can tell, it would go along with the notation of the fact that a pastor, a bishop, an elder is not to be a novice, not to be new in the faith, a new convert. These two have had some years of experience. and learning and improved, have proved himself, which would go along with that idea of older, more mature, more proved. He's proved himself, not only in what he believes, but in his practice, his life, and his manner of life. Turn with me now to the book of Ephesians. The book of Ephesians in chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 11. And he gave some, that he is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ gave some. The Lord Jesus Christ, the victor, the one who was victorious over sin, death. He, verse eight tells us, the likeness, the similitude there. He's as a victor, send it up and leads captivity up on high. And then he gives gifts unto men. That's the subject. He gave gifts unto men. So verse 11, he, the Lord Jesus Christ, gave some, some men, Apostles. He gave some men the gift to be an apostle. The gift and the right to be an apostle. And some prophets. He gave to some men the gift of prophecy, the gift of interpreting the scripture. And some evangelists. He gave to some the ability to go out and to speak, to evangelize large groups of people. And some, he gave the gift to be pastors. He set them in the church, and teachers. Whether you Take this as one, pastor-teacher, or whether you divide it up and say pastors and teachers. The teacher was an instructor. He was a master, master-teacher, which is what a pastor is. Pastor looks after, cares for all the needs of the flock. spiritual and physical. He looks to them, but he's also the teacher. He's a master teacher, instructor of the truth of God's word. And these were set in the church. by the Lord Jesus Christ and he gave them the gift he those who he calls into the ministry calls to be a pastor and we say into the ministry he gives the gift the ability to be able to do so and I could sit down with you and show you how that the Lord has enabled me for the calling that he has given me to do. I was thinking about this the other day. School. I was a typical boy. I did not like to study. I hated to study. Even in high school, I hated to study. And if I could get by without cracking the book open, I'd do it. So much so that my senior year, I loaded up, because I had my credits fulfilled, but you couldn't graduate early then like you can now. I loaded up my classes with courses that were easy and a breeze to me. particularly math and contemporary history. But the point is, I didn't like to study. And I had to have one class I hated my senior year, and that was English composition. Well, they expected me to get up in front of the class and talk. No way. That was something that Seth Bourne didn't do. He'd take an effort and incomplete before he'd do that. Look what God has done. Now I stand in public and speak and preach, and I spend many hours studying, studying the word of God. But these were added for the perfecting of the body, for the edifying of the body of Christ. And it was their work as their ministry. It's our ministry as pastors. We're concerned with the care of the sheep and the growth of the sheep. As well as, among other things, we have been given to care for the protection of this assembly. It's the Lord's assembly. And it's the right as a pastor to watch out for and protect that assembly, protect it from error and from untruth and from wrong practices coming in to the assembly. Turn with me to the book of Philippians. Philippians chapter one. This is one of the rare, in fact, I don't know of another passage that mentions both offices that we are talking about. But the whole premise of the study this morning is to show you that among the Lord's churches in the New Testament, there's only two offices of ordination. mentioned and practiced in those assemblies. It says in verse 1 of chapter 1 of Philippians, Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi, with The bishops were pastors and deacons. See, both. Bishops, which pastors. Bishop, another term for pastors. And each one of these denotes a specific function of the pastor. Bishop refers to simply overseer. overseer who's been given charge over a church of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the role of a pastor. Turn with me to the book of first Peter, the book of first Peter and chapter five and verse one. 1 Peter 5, verse 1. The elders which are among you, I exhort, I, Peter, exhort you elders among these that were scattered upon persecution, or pastors, as we said, who am also an elder. Peter says, I also am an elder. I'm a pastor also. And witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. exhortation to the elders, to pastors. Feed the flock of God. Responsibility of pastors, elders. Feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking the oversight, taking the bishopric, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, not by force, not by bound, but willingly. In other words, you shouldn't be forced to do your responsibility and you shouldn't have to force it upon the assembly. The man whom the Lord has set in the assembly as the pastor, is to be looked up to, is to be... I use this word hesitantly, but you understand what I mean. He is to be not revered in the sense that God is to be revered, but he's to be set above because of his work. Yes, he's just a member, same as anyone else. He's been given a special calling of God and work to do among you. And he's to be looked up to, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, we don't do it for money, but of a ready mind. Neither as being lords over God's heritage. We're not to do it as Lord, as being masters over you. It's God's heritage. You're God's sheep. We must keep that in mind. Our responsibility is to care for, to look after, to feed, taking the oversight. Not as being lords over God's heritage, but being in samples. Were to be an example, not in word only, but also in deed and practice. And were to be examples that can be emulated by the membership. of the church. So in the letter to the church at Philippi, Paul addresses, and his address includes both the two officers of ordination, pastors and deacons. Turn with me now to First Timothy. First Timothy, chapter three, verse one. We've already given you the definition of bishop. Showed you how that it's a term referring to a pastor. Elder is a term referring to the pastor. Pastor probably is is the best term to be given to a pastor because that word covers all his responsibilities. He's to look after the whole care of the assembly which God has put him in. So, this is a true saying. If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth A good work. For sake of time, we'll skip down to verse eight. And the qualifications that a man who is to be pastor, is to meet, are given. Verse eight, likewise, must the deacons be grave. not double tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy, a filthy lucre. We have read these passages today to show you the two offices of ordination that are mentioned in scriptures, that are the only two that you find in relation to a church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that's important, his kind of church. Here in his letter to Timothy, Paul gives instructions to this young minister, this young pastor, for the only two officers that exist in the Lord's church. If there were other officers of ordination, don't you think Paul would have addressed that in this same letter to Timothy? I think the Holy Spirit would have had him to do so. The thing I want you to notice in all these scriptures that we've read, and in this one, there's no such thing, a person mentioned in the New Testament, the Lord's kind of church, As the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church or any cardinal, the Lord's kind of church does not have on hierarchy. We are all members in the body of Christ, and just as members of your body, your physical body, have a specific function and task to fulfill, to do, to perform, so also the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and each member has a function and then of importance in that body. And the role of pastor, or if the church chooses because of the increase of its size, that it needs deacons or a deacon, they are just another member in the church with a special function to perform. and hopefully each member performs its function adequately and we have a well, I wanted to say oiled machine, we have a well-fit body performing and functioning as God intended it to perform and to function. Shall we be dismissed?