learning, any institution or experience through which one gains knowledge, training.
There is no scriptural authority for the church to establish an institution for teaching and
training men to be preachers, elders, deacons, or song directors.
There is no scriptural authority for elders of a local church to build a school facility and
staff that school with instructors to train men to preach, serve as elders, or deacons, song
directors, etc., with the Lord’s money, from their treasury or from the treasury of other
churches.
The Bible establishes that the church in a universal sense is composed of all the saved of
the world. Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). Luke tells us “the Lord
adds to his church daily, those that should be saved” (Acts 2:47). The Hebrew writer
states, “we have come to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are
written in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23). The church in this sense is a brotherhood. The only
thing God tells us to do as a brotherhood is to love it (1 Peter 2:17).
When the Bible speaks of the organization, work, worship, and membership of the
church, it speaks of a local church. God’s people in a given area who have banded
themselves together to accomplish God’s will.
The local church has been given the responsibility under the direction of her elders, (men
who have attained certain qualifications given by the Lord: 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)
to edify itself in love. Paul speaking of the church in Ephesus said, “but speaking the truth
in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head, even Christ: 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” (Ephesisans 4:15-16).
The local church in each area is to provide the means where the church can worship,
teach and educate one another to find their place in the body of Christ, where they can work
out their salvation in harmony with their ability as Paul said in Romans 12:4-8, “for as we
have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being
many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts
differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophesy, let us prophesy
according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that
teacheth on teaching: or he that exhorteth on exhortation: he that giveth let him do it with
simplicity: he that ruleth, with diligence: he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.”
For the church to turn aside from this responsibility of training and educating it’s people
and turn this over to a human institution is to say God’s way will not work and we can
devise a better way. This way may seem good in the eyes of many people but we need to
remember Proverb 14:12, “there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death.” We need to remember Colossians 3:17, “and whatsoever
ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the
Father by Him.”
We do not read of school’s of preaching being developed by churches in apostolic times,
but churches developing men to do the work God desires to be done. We read in Acts
16:1-2 of a young man at Derbe by the name of Timothy who Paul selected to go with him
and it is said in verses 4-5, “they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees
for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so
were the churches established in the faith and increased in number daily.” Later Paul wrote
to Timothy saying, “Thou therefore my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses the same committ thou to
faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:1-2).
Paul writing to the church at Collose speaks of Epaphras “who is one of you, a servant
of Christ, saluteth you always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand
perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Colossians 4:12).
God’s school of preaching and developing those to do the work God has placed upon
his church is the local congregation. It is the only school you read about in the New
Testament. Paul instructs the elders of the Ephesian church, “take heed therefore unto
yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers,
to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).
Under the direction of the overseers of the local congregation, each member develops
himself to be a servant of righteousness. Paul told Timothy, “the foundation of God
standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. And let every one that
nameth the name of Christ, depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only
vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor and some to
dishonor. If any man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor,
sanctified, and meat for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
