These studies were presented in 1974 at a camp-meeting in Arizona. Earlier that year, there had been a small crisis in Australia (where the church center was at that time), in which a few members wanted to see more human election, voting, committees and so forth brought into the church. These studies were God’s answer to that problem.
They delve into the mystery of God (Christ is the divine-human connector between God and man), and how this applies to church order. Divine appointment (Christ appointing the work of each member directly), is contrasted with human election (man deciding the work of the members).
The Bible contains many illustrations of the right and wrong way of church order. Among other lessons, warnings are drawn from the crisis at Kadesh Barnea (where the people chose to send spies into the Promised Land) which led to the wilderness wandering for 40 years, the leaders in Jerusalem (who told Paul to compromise the faith in supporting the sacrificial system) which led to the rise of the papacy, and the appointment of Judas as one of the apostles, which led to his betrayal of Christ.
Divine order is the extension of the gospel into the realm of church responsibilities. Christ, by His mighty power, gives gifts to men, and fits them for service. There is therefore no room for human lobbying, voting, power struggles, and human grasping to control the work. 178p
Contents
- The Mystery of God
- The Mystery of Iniquity
- Divine Appointment
- Human Election
- The Appointment of Matthias
- Failure to Recognize the Gift
- Man in the Place of Christ
- The End of Paul’s Ministry
- The Price of Human Election
- The Crisis Over Divine Order
