God’s Eternal Purpose and the Wineskin
Lloyd Gardner
November
Article 6 of The Westminster Confession of Faith, speaking of our attempts to understand the council of God, says “nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.” According to this confession of our faith all truth is to be submitted to scripture for its authentication. Nothing, even the traditions of men is to trump scripture as we seek to discern truth.
The term adopted by the Reformers was “sola scriptura” which translated is “only scripture." This is to say that there is to be no source of truth other than scripture. No man made expression of the church, no personal inspiration, prophecy, spiritual gift or tradition of men was to be accepted as a higher source of truth than scripture alone.
The Reformers made this declaration because they rejected the Catholic Church’s claim that the traditions they had accepted down through the years were valid for deciding truth. Some of those traditions include papal authority, praying to Mary and other dead saints, purgatory, infant baptism, transubstantiation and Mary as the “mother of God.” The Reformers insisted on a return to scripture as the only source of faith and practice for the church.
Unfortunately, the organized church tends to develop its own traditions as it goes. Paul told us not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed (Rom. 12:2). This was a warning not to allow the world to shape the church but to remain faithful to God’s revealed word. Most Christians are able to do this in matters of personal faith but when it comes to the actual structure or wineskin of the church we have a different matter.
Most Christians submit to what the Bible says about their personal faith because in today’s church setting they are able to be the sole determiner of their spiritual status. It is totally a personal matter that they have complete control over.
But the outward structure of the church is another matter.
Lloyd Gardner
November
Article 6 of The Westminster Confession of Faith, speaking of our attempts to understand the council of God, says “nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.” According to this confession of our faith all truth is to be submitted to scripture for its authentication. Nothing, even the traditions of men is to trump scripture as we seek to discern truth.
The term adopted by the Reformers was “sola scriptura” which translated is “only scripture." This is to say that there is to be no source of truth other than scripture. No man made expression of the church, no personal inspiration, prophecy, spiritual gift or tradition of men was to be accepted as a higher source of truth than scripture alone.
The Reformers made this declaration because they rejected the Catholic Church’s claim that the traditions they had accepted down through the years were valid for deciding truth. Some of those traditions include papal authority, praying to Mary and other dead saints, purgatory, infant baptism, transubstantiation and Mary as the “mother of God.” The Reformers insisted on a return to scripture as the only source of faith and practice for the church.
Unfortunately, the organized church tends to develop its own traditions as it goes. Paul told us not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed (Rom. 12:2). This was a warning not to allow the world to shape the church but to remain faithful to God’s revealed word. Most Christians are able to do this in matters of personal faith but when it comes to the actual structure or wineskin of the church we have a different matter.
Most Christians submit to what the Bible says about their personal faith because in today’s church setting they are able to be the sole determiner of their spiritual status. It is totally a personal matter that they have complete control over.
But the outward structure of the church is another matter.
Time Line of the History of Christianity
0-40 A.D. The ministry of Jesus
33-40: Pentecost; Pouring out of the Spirit; birth of the church
40-100: Growth of the early church characterized by:
1. organic church life without institutional programming; the church was the people of God.
2. Believers met in homes (Acts 2:46; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Phil. 1:2).
3. The meetings were participatory. No one person dominated (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 14:26-35; Eph. 5:19-21; Col. 3:16-25).
4. The churches were led by a plurality of mature men called elders or overseers (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 20:17-28; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-3).
5. The one-man pastor mode of leadership was unheard of and indeed condemned (3 John 9-11).
6. There were no church buildings other than homes.
7. The church grew organically by the multiplying life of God rather than programs.
8. The Lord's Supper was a full meal and regular part of the gathering (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 11:20, 21).
9. The gatherings were informal meetings in homes without pretense or fanfare.
10. Children were part of the meeting (Acts 20:9; 21:5; Eph. 5:18-6:4).
11. The meetings were Spirit led and the gifts of the Spirit were welcome (1 Cor. 12, 14)
12. There were no pastors as we define them today, no order of worship, Sunday School, offering, song or worship leader, sermon, or altar call.
13: All practices were totally unique, not borrowed from culture or Judaism..
14. Baptism took place immediately upon conversion and often accompanied conversion
15: All meetings were aimed at equipping the saints, by spiritually building them up with spiritual transformation as the goal (Eph. 4: 1Cor. 12-14).
107: Ignatius was the first to teach a one-bishop rule mode of leadership. This did not take hold until the third century.
190: Clement was the first to use the word ekklesia to refer to a meeting place instead of the people of God.
200-300: Tertullian and Cyprian distinguished between clergy and laity. Cyprian began to teach the Old Testament economy of priests, temples, altars, and sacrifices. He taught that the bishop had no superior but God.Cyprian taught that the clergy were priests and the Eucharist was holy sacrifice
240 (circa.): former pagan orator, Cyprian argued that clergy should be supported by the tithe. This did not catch on immediately.
250: The pulpit first used by Cyprian
251: Cyprian taught that there is an unbroken succession of bishops back to Peter (apostolic succession).
313: Edict of Milan gives recognizes Christianity officially and recommends benevolent treatment
324: Constantine became Caesar of the Roman Empire. He began to promote Christianity
--by building buildings
--declaring Sunday a legal holiday
--promoting the clergy to a status of honor and privilege
--exempting the clergy from taxes and paid a salary
--transferring much of the pagan hierarchy practices to Christian "priests."
325: The Council of Nicaea: Bishops began delegating responsibility for the Lord's Supper to special elders. They began to call these men priests and the bishop was regarded as the high priest.
300-400: Clergy class was now set in concrete.
570 (circa): stained glass introduced by Gregory of Tours
600 (circa): Gregory the Great shaped the medieval mass
700: by this time the tithe became required by law in most of Western Europe.
1227: Chapters added to the Bible
1519: Luther condemns Anabaptists for rebaptism and the sitzrecht (the sitter's right) the right of all believers to speak in the church assembly.
1520: Martin Luther spoke out against the Catholic Mass, but only adjusted it slightly.
1529: Diet of Speyer by the Catholic Church decreed the death of Anabaptists or rebaptized persons
1520-1545: Protestants promoted education to train their pastors.
1545-1563: Council of Trent: Seminaries formed by Catholics to counter Protestant training.
1551: Bible verses numbered
1660 (circa): Queen Elizabeth reorganized the liturgy of the Church of England. Ushers became the norm.
1662: Ushers passing the collection plate began
1750: John Wesley popularized the Sunday evening service
1780: Sunday begins under Robert Raikes.
1790: Sunday School Society founded in Philadelphia.
1827: John Darby, "father of dispensationalism" popularized the pretribulational rapture
1906: Azusa Street pentecostal revival begins
1909: Publication of the Schofield Reference Bible further popularized dispensationalism and the pretribulational rapture do
1945: Youth for Christ founded to meet the needs of "teenagers".
1960: Probable beginning of Charismatic movement in the ministry of Dennis Bennett, episcopal rector, in Van Nuys, Ca.
1960 (circa): House church movement slowly begins
1962: Witness Lee comes to the United States from China; begins Local Church movement in the U.S.
1977: Anaheim Vineyard Christian Fellowship begins under John Wimber
1987: Two Winds prophecy
0-40 A.D. The ministry of Jesus
33-40: Pentecost; Pouring out of the Spirit; birth of the church
40-100: Growth of the early church characterized by:
1. organic church life without institutional programming; the church was the people of God.
2. Believers met in homes (Acts 2:46; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Phil. 1:2).
3. The meetings were participatory. No one person dominated (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 14:26-35; Eph. 5:19-21; Col. 3:16-25).
4. The churches were led by a plurality of mature men called elders or overseers (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 20:17-28; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-3).
5. The one-man pastor mode of leadership was unheard of and indeed condemned (3 John 9-11).
6. There were no church buildings other than homes.
7. The church grew organically by the multiplying life of God rather than programs.
8. The Lord's Supper was a full meal and regular part of the gathering (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 11:20, 21).
9. The gatherings were informal meetings in homes without pretense or fanfare.
10. Children were part of the meeting (Acts 20:9; 21:5; Eph. 5:18-6:4).
11. The meetings were Spirit led and the gifts of the Spirit were welcome (1 Cor. 12, 14)
12. There were no pastors as we define them today, no order of worship, Sunday School, offering, song or worship leader, sermon, or altar call.
13: All practices were totally unique, not borrowed from culture or Judaism..
14. Baptism took place immediately upon conversion and often accompanied conversion
15: All meetings were aimed at equipping the saints, by spiritually building them up with spiritual transformation as the goal (Eph. 4: 1Cor. 12-14).
107: Ignatius was the first to teach a one-bishop rule mode of leadership. This did not take hold until the third century.
190: Clement was the first to use the word ekklesia to refer to a meeting place instead of the people of God.
200-300: Tertullian and Cyprian distinguished between clergy and laity. Cyprian began to teach the Old Testament economy of priests, temples, altars, and sacrifices. He taught that the bishop had no superior but God.Cyprian taught that the clergy were priests and the Eucharist was holy sacrifice
240 (circa.): former pagan orator, Cyprian argued that clergy should be supported by the tithe. This did not catch on immediately.
250: The pulpit first used by Cyprian
251: Cyprian taught that there is an unbroken succession of bishops back to Peter (apostolic succession).
313: Edict of Milan gives recognizes Christianity officially and recommends benevolent treatment
324: Constantine became Caesar of the Roman Empire. He began to promote Christianity
--by building buildings
--declaring Sunday a legal holiday
--promoting the clergy to a status of honor and privilege
--exempting the clergy from taxes and paid a salary
--transferring much of the pagan hierarchy practices to Christian "priests."
325: The Council of Nicaea: Bishops began delegating responsibility for the Lord's Supper to special elders. They began to call these men priests and the bishop was regarded as the high priest.
300-400: Clergy class was now set in concrete.
570 (circa): stained glass introduced by Gregory of Tours
600 (circa): Gregory the Great shaped the medieval mass
700: by this time the tithe became required by law in most of Western Europe.
1227: Chapters added to the Bible
1519: Luther condemns Anabaptists for rebaptism and the sitzrecht (the sitter's right) the right of all believers to speak in the church assembly.
1520: Martin Luther spoke out against the Catholic Mass, but only adjusted it slightly.
1529: Diet of Speyer by the Catholic Church decreed the death of Anabaptists or rebaptized persons
1520-1545: Protestants promoted education to train their pastors.
1545-1563: Council of Trent: Seminaries formed by Catholics to counter Protestant training.
1551: Bible verses numbered
1660 (circa): Queen Elizabeth reorganized the liturgy of the Church of England. Ushers became the norm.
1662: Ushers passing the collection plate began
1750: John Wesley popularized the Sunday evening service
1780: Sunday begins under Robert Raikes.
1790: Sunday School Society founded in Philadelphia.
1827: John Darby, "father of dispensationalism" popularized the pretribulational rapture
1906: Azusa Street pentecostal revival begins
1909: Publication of the Schofield Reference Bible further popularized dispensationalism and the pretribulational rapture do
1945: Youth for Christ founded to meet the needs of "teenagers".
1960: Probable beginning of Charismatic movement in the ministry of Dennis Bennett, episcopal rector, in Van Nuys, Ca.
1960 (circa): House church movement slowly begins
1962: Witness Lee comes to the United States from China; begins Local Church movement in the U.S.
1977: Anaheim Vineyard Christian Fellowship begins under John Wimber
1987: Two Winds prophecy
