The Servant Above The Master
In the hearts of all true disciples of Christ, is the deep desire to serve their Master with whatever talents and capabilities they possess. Never should one Christian infer that another Christian is not sincere in using his talents, without proof beyond question. Nor should one question the sincerity of another to serve the Lord, for we are to "let brotherly love continue." (Hebrews 13:1) Too much has been done in the brotherhood in regard to name calling and personality clashes. Any teaching to be done must be based upon the assumption that our brethren are as sincere as we are in serving our heavenly Father.
Though we are to have love for our brethren, yet we must not compromise the "gospel of Christ" for it and it alone is the "power of God unto salvation..." (Romans 1:16.) We show our love for them by the way we point out their error. Never could we, evenly remotely, profess our love for them without calling their attention to the error.
When we talk to those teaching denominational doctrines, we all show the error of their creeds by our appeal for "book, chapter and verse" for what they teach. None of our beloved in Christ would, or do, object to handling the "creeds of men" in this manner. Yet when it concerns the blessed body of Christ and some of the practices of our brethren, no one is (seemingly) supposed to ask for "book, chapter and verse." We ask....why not?
Do we ask for "book, chapter and verse" because we want to "show up" some elder or preacher; or because we do not love them; or because we want to "start trouble"? The answer is a resounding . . . NO! We do love our brethren, very much. Because we do, we ask ... realizing that the one who "goeth onward and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God; ..." (2 John 9.)
Recently, when we have asked some of our brethren for book, chapter and verse, we received a reply that is astonishing . . . "We don't need authority for everything we do." Or, "God gave us intelligence to use and He expected us to use it." Is this the principle or source of authority we are now to adopt in serving our Lord? Have we become an authority unto ourselves? Are we to appeal to the authority of the "intellect"? Are we to ignore such passages as: 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 and 2 Peter 1:3 and 1 Peter 4:11 and 2 John 9 and Jude 3?
In Matthew 10:24, 25 Christ taught that a "disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord." Let us just see what that really means to Christians.
When Christ was tempted after forty days and nights in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), he answered every temptation with "it is written." Again when Christ was preparing the disciples for his coming departure, he told them that his words were not his own, "but the Father's who sent me." (John 14:15-24.) In so doing, Christ here states positively, he had used the highest source of authority (God) in all he had said and done.
Brethren, if our Lord used or appealed to the authority of God for what He said and did, do we not also need authority for all we teach and practice? The disciple is not above his master . . . let us realize our need for authority and come back to only those things that are authorized by the revelation of God.
I can not believe that those who are teaching that congregations can support, out of the treasury, the "human organizations" that are among us today, have considered the question from this point of view. Brethren, we must investigate and re-investigate these issues and not be too proud to admit our error when we are shown. Nor should we shut our minds to the point of refusing to discuss these problems facing the church.
Another point, brethren, the money we contribute on the first day of the week, becomes a part of the Lord's treasury. If it is the Lord's ... we must spend it only as He authorizes. To take the Lord's money and spend it without authorization is embezzling the funds of God! Does anyone (elder, preacher or member) dare to by guilty of this?
Let us all return to a "thus sayeth the Lord" and we can stand in the unity that Paul commanded (I Corinthians 1:10) and that Christ prayed for (John 17:20, 21) The blessed body of Christ has been torn asunder long enough, let us join together in proclaiming and doing the work God gave us to do, according to the divine pattern.
— Rt. 1, Box 391, Sunnyside, Washington