May 18  The Call For Gospel Order-2

All things should be done decently and in order. 1 Cor. 14:40, RSV.

How to bring order and united action out of a grwoing heard of highly independent and somewhat opinionated, individualistic believers was the task that faced James White during the early 1850s. Many of the Sabbatarians had come to believe that any sort of restraint from a church body was Babylonish oppression. It is that point that led White to call for gospel order in December 1853. In his first article on the topic he calimed that "to suppose that the church of Christ is free from restraint and discipline, is the wildest fanaticism."

In his second article he urged the believers to look to the methods set forth in the New Testament and emphasized the importance of unity of sentiment and action. "That there may be union and order in the church," he penned, "it is of the highest importance that those who go forth as religious teachers should be in perfect union . . .The reverse would produce division and confusion among the precious flock. He who enters upon the work of the gospel ministry, must be called of God, a man of experience, a holy man of God."

That declaration set the stage for his third article, which dealt with the selection, qualification, and ordination of ministers, since "in no one thing has the gospel suffered so much as by the influence of false teachers."

"We can say," James wrote, "from the experience of several years, that the cause of present truth has suffered more in consequence of those who have taken upon themselves the work of teaching, whom God never sent, than in any other thing. . . Brethren shall we still mourn over" the disastrous influences of the self-appointed preachers "and make no effort to prevent them? God forbid." According to the New Testament, the church must take care in the choice and ordination of ministers.

In his fourth and final article in the series, James emphasized the role of the church as a whole in gospel order. "the labor, care and responsibility of this great work," he argued, "does not rest alone upon a few preachers. . .The whole church should be taught to fell that a portion of the responsibility of Good order, and the salvation of souls rests upon her individual members." He especially stressed the necessity of the members supporting its ministers through prayer and finances.

Sometimes we fail to catch the impact of White's last article. I would suggest that if we wait for the clergy to finish the work by themselves, it will be a little more than eternity before it's done. Each of us has responsibility.