Someone asked this question, "What is the best way to structure a church?"
I answered, "If you desire to preach and teach the unadulterated Word of God, then your church should also be structured or patterned according to the unadulterated Word of God!"
Note: The word 'adulterated' literally means 'a foreign substance added to the original, and causes the original to lose its quality'.
In other words, we are to pattern the church according to what the Word of God says a church should be, not what man says a church should be! Only then will the church be able to stand strong in the midst of the perilous times we are living in, and be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
In Matthew 24:35, Jesus says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." So, people of God, let's go straight to the Word of God now, and see what the Word of God says about church.
In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus says, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
The word 'house' here is 'oikia' in Greek, from the word 'oikos' meaning 'a dwelling place, a family, a home, a household, or a temple'. Evidently, this 'house' can also mean 'the house of God', i.e. the church! How about the word 'rock' here? It is 'petra' in Greek, literally meaning 'the mass of rock'.
Let Scripture interpret Scripture. In cross-reference, Matthew 16:13-19 says,
'When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi,
He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"
So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter ('petros'), and on this rock ('petra') I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."'
In Greek, the word 'petros' speaks of 'a piece of rock', whereas the word 'petra' speaks of 'the mass of rock' (like the one at the core of the earth). This 'mass of rock' is likened to the 'chief cornerstone' (i.e. the uttermost of all rocks), i.e. Jesus Christ Himself (see Ephesians 2:20).
So, when Jesus said "on this rock ('petra') I will build My church", He meant "on this confession and revelation that I am the Christ, the Son of the living God, I will build My church"! And you know what? This is the first time the word 'church' is mentioned in the Bible!
A church founded and built on 'the mass of rock' ('petra') is a church that is patterned after the Word of God! Because He is the Rock, and He is the Word! John 1:14 says, 'And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth'.
You see? That explains what I have written earlier, that we are to structure the church according to what the Word of God says a church should be, not what man says a church should be! God's idea of a church, not man's idea of a church! God's blueprint for a church, not man's blueprint for a church!
Our confidence is not in ourselves, or our own intelligence and wisdom. Our confidence is in the Word of God! And whatever the Word of God says a church should be, let the church be!
For details on what a church is according to the Word of God, click: You and I are the 'church'!
The pattern of the church according to the Word of God
1 Corinthians 12:28 says, 'And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues'.
Apostles ('apostolos' in Greek) = 'he that is sent'.
Prophets ('prophetes' in Greek) = 'he that is inspired'.
Teachers ('didaskalos' in Greek) = 'he that instructs/teaches'. To correlate with the five-fold gifts in Ephesians 4:11-13, evangelists and pastors are included under this category, because they also communicate the Word of God.
Miracles ('dunamis' in Greek) = 'ability, power, strength, mighty, wonderful (work of God)'.
Healings ('iama' in Greek) = 'healing, wholeness, wellness (both physically and in the soul)'.
Helps ('antilepsis' in Greek) = 'support, relief, help, deacons'.
Administrations ('kubernesis' in Greek) = 'administrations, management'.
Varieties of tongues ('glossa' in Greek) = 'intercession, prayer'.
For example, in a local church:
The apostle receives a genuine vision from the Lord (with confirmations, not assumptions), and is therefore sent (commissioned) by the Lord to break new ground and start the new work.
The prophet seeks the will (and directions) of the Lord, being inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak to the church, like a compass, so that the church will not go off-track.
The teacher ensures the Word of God is being instructed and taught correctly, with sound doctrines, so that the church will not fall into heresy or error.
By the way, the whole of 1 Corinthians 12 begins with, 'Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant'. The apostle Paul was writing to the church not to be ignorant of the spiritual gifts, i.e. the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the church. Obviously, this whole chapter still applies for the end-time church today, because the chapter that follows, 1 Corinthians 13 speaks about 'love' and 'love in action' (for without love, all these spiritual gifts mentioned in the whole of 1 Corinthians 12 would be useless).
How about orderliness in the church?
The Holy Spirit keeps everything in order. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher and Comforter. It is the Holy Spirit who guides us (John 16:13) in all areas of our lives, and that includes the church. It is the Holy Spirit who fills us, empowers us, and blesses us with spiritual gifts. Our part is to yield to Him, not our own intelligence and wisdom. A Spirit-filled church should also be a Spirit-led church. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Romans 8:14).
Ephesians 2:19-22 says, 'Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit'.
Ephesians 4:11-13 says, 'And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping (i.e. training) of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying (i.e. strengthening) of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ'.
In conclusion, a church that is patterned after the Word of God operates around the spiritual gifts (i.e. the gifts of the Holy Spirit), and not according to the structures created by man. The Word of God says so.
