~ James 1:27 ~

Pure and undefiled religionbefore God and the Father is this:

to visit orphans and widows intheir trouble, and to keep oneself

unspotted from the world.

~ James 1:27 ~

Pure and undefiled religion?• Then why don’t we have/support an orphan’s home, care center for the elderly, etc.

“If you really want to help people, your church should stop being so concerned about whether people have been divorced and remarried, or whether they want to have women preachers, or if they choose to use musical instruments in worship, and your church should give its efforts and its money to clothe the homeless and feed the poor like all the other churches do…”

Pure and undefiled religion?• Then why don’t we have/support an orphan’s home, care center for the elderly, etc.• “If you really want to help people…” [the “social gospel”; “health-and-wealth gospel”]

Pure and undefiled religion?• Then why don’t we have/support an orphan’s home, care center for the elderly, etc.• “If you really want to help people…”

- sometimes these distinctions may be called: “denominational” or “non-denominational”, “cooperative” or “anti-cooperative” (“antis”), “liberal” or “conservative”

• These issues and several others gave an impetus for a split among churches of Christ in the late 1800s through the 1950s/60s, defining groups as “institutional” or “non-institutional”

- led to “Christian Church” and “Church of Christ” denominations

What is “Institutionalism”? “Institution” defined:

Institutions are structures and mechanisms of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals within a given human collectivity. Institutions are identified with a social purpose and permanence, transcending individual human lives and intentions, and with the making and enforcing of rules governing cooperative human behavior. The term “institution” is commonly applied to customs and behavior patterns important to a society, as well as to particular formal organizations of government and public service.

Wikipedia

What is “Institutionalism”? “Institution” defined:

Institutions are structures and mechanisms of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals within a given human collectivity. Institutions are identified with a social purpose and permanence, transcending individual human lives and intentions, and with the making and enforcing of rules governing cooperative human behavior. The term “institution” is commonly applied to customs and behavior patterns important to a society, as well as to particular formal organizations of government and public service.

Wikipedia

An organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like, devoted to the promotion of a particular cause or program, especially one of a public, educational, or charitable character:

Example: “This college is the best institution of its kind.” Dictionary.com

What is “Institutionalism”? “Institution” defined:

Formal Organization

Structure

Mechanism

Cooperation

Governing behavior of individuals

The making and enforcing of rules

Transcending individual lives

Identified with a social purpose

Promotion of a particular cause or program, especially of a public,

educational, or charitable character

Social order

What is “Institutionalism”? “Institution” defined:

Formal Organization

Structure

Mechanism

Cooperation

Governing behavior of individuals

The making and enforcing of rules

Transcending individual lives

Identified with a social purpose

Promotion of a particular cause or program, especially of a public,

educational, or charitable character

Social order

What is “Institutionalism”? “Institution” defined:

Formal Organization

Structure

Mechanism

Cooperation

Governing behavior of individuals

The making and enforcing of rules

Transcending individual lives

Identified with a social purpose

Promotion of a particular cause or program, especially of a public,

educational, or charitable character

Social order

RESOURCES(time, money, etc.)

What is “Institutionalism”? “Institutionalism” has two major facets:

Some see the church itself as an institution (a root of denominationalism, credalism)

WORK(evangelism, benevolence,

etc.)

“The Church”

“The Church”

RESOURCES(time, money, etc.)

What is “Institutionalism”? “Institutionalism” has two major facets:

Some see the church itself as an institution (a root of denominationalism, credalism)

WORK(evangelism, benevolence,

etc.)

What is “Institutionalism”? “Institutionalism” has two major facets:

Some see the church itself as an institution (a root of denominationalism, credalism) Some see a need for groups of churches to support institutions larger than the churches (a result of denominationalism, ecumenism)

WORK(“evangelism”,

benevolence, etc.)

Missionary Society,Orphan Home, etc.

RESOURCES(funds,

people, etc.)

“The Institution”

What is “Institutionalism”? “Institutionalism” has two major facets:

Some see the church itself as an institution (a root of denominationalism, credalism) Some see a need for groups of churches to support institutions larger than the churches (a result of denominationalism, ecumenism)

WORK(“evangelism”,

benevolence, etc.)

Missionary Society,Orphan Home, etc.

RESOURCES(funds,

people, etc.)

The presumption:

What God has authorized for asingle church is thus also authorized

for any collective of churches

What is “Institutionalism”? “Institutionalism” has two major facets:

The church itself as an institution Groups of churches to support larger institutions

Issues (the “institutions”) will change along with perceived “needs” of the generation: school, mission, care center, hospital, etc.

• the issues are symptoms of a problem, not the problem itself; must change the errant mindset

- the church is God’s temple, a spiritual habitation

- as builder of the temple, Jesus fulfills 2 Sam 7:12-16, being both “Son of God” and “son of David”

1 Cor 3:16; Eph 2:19-22; 1 Pet 2:5 [people – “you”]

From our very first lesson, we have observed: Matt 16:18: Jesus, speaking as an architect, says:

“I will build My church”

- Even so, the work and the end product are the Lord’scp. John 4:1-3; Acts 2:47b; 1 Cor 3:10-11

- The architect entrusted His master work to men’s hands!cp. Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:14-15, 20

- But: it is only the architect’s work if it follows HIS plancp. Mt 7:21-23 [Lk 6:46]; 1 Pet 4:11 [1 Cor 4:6]

The Son of David was not building an institution for:feeding/housing, marrying, teaching, entertaining,

curing, employing, teaching, etc. [a DEEPER need!]

The primary PURPOSE of the church is SPIRITUAL:“to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God”

1 Peter 2:5to “proclaim the praises of Him who called you…”

1 Peter 2:9that “the manifold wisdom of God…be made known”

Ephesians 3:10-11

The primary BLESSSINGS of the church are SPIRITUAL:Ephesians 1:3-14 – “every spiritual blessing”

God isthe Focus, not man!

They are the result of focusing on God! [cp. Mt 6:33]

What is “Institutionalism”? “Institutionalism” has two major facets:

The church itself as an institution Groups of churches to support larger institutions

Issues (“institutions”) change with “needs”• issues a symptom of problem; mind must change

Focus of church is SPIRITUAL: reconciliation• Jn 4:23-24; 2 Cor 5:20: God seeks reconciliation • “If you really want to help people…”: man’s real need is spiritual; sin has separated us from God

Remember the old addage: “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for one day;

if you teach him to fish, you feed him for life.”

- Physical relief is temporary; spiritual relief is eternal!

- Jesus did not focus on the physical, but on the spiritual!cp. Mk 2:1-5; Mk 14:3-9

- Even Jesus didn’t physically aid all those He could have!cp. Mk 1:32-38; etc.

cp. John 4:13-14; see also John 5:14; 8:11

- Jesus does spiritually aid all those who obey Him!cp. John 3:16; Hebrews 5:9; Mark 16:16

- Physical focus reverses Jesus’ exhortation in Mt 6:33 “Seek first all these things and the kingdom of God will be added to you”??- man lost God, then blessing; reconcile w/God, be blessed

cp. Gn 2:15-17; Ex 19:5-6; Mt 6:33; Ecc 12:13-14

What is “Institutionalism”? “Institutionalism” has two major facets:

The church itself as an institution Groups of churches to support larger institutions

Issues (“institutions”) change with “needs”• issues a symptom of problem; mind must change

Focus of church is SPIRITUAL: reconciliation• Jn 4:23-24; 2 Cor 5:20: God seeks reconciliation • “If you really want to help…”: help reconcile

Church is “burdened” by man’s institutions• cp. 1 Tim 5:16; Acts 6:1-4 [must do it God’s way!] • individual work ≠ whole church’s work [Jm 1:27]

Isn’t this, after all, “just being nit-picky”?

- Remember: the focus of the church is to glorify God!cp. 1 Peter 2:5, 9; Ephesians 3:10-11

- God is not glorified when men do things “their own way”cp. Leviticus 10:1-3; Numbers 20:7-12,24 [Dt 32:48-51]

“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.” [1 Peter 4:11]

Note also: men die when they follow “their own way”

rather than God’s![Prov 16:25]- “Institutions” take focus off God; treat body, but not soul

cp. Mt 16:26 – soul is more valuable than whole world!!

Ephesians 3:10-11

- The focus of the church is to glorify God by restoring to Him those who were lost because of sin…

cp. 2 Thess 1:9-12; 1 Pet 4:11, 14; Luke 19:9-10; etc.

- In Christ Jesus, God has provided for all our needSpiritually: food [John 6:51], water [John 4:10-13], rest [Matt 11:27-29], life [John 3:16; 10:10]

“…the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church… according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord…”

Physically: in His context, by His means, if we “seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, all these things shall be added” [Mt 6:33; Mk 10:28ff]