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What We Believe and Why
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Copyright - Lester Hutson - 1986
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.

CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN

THE MAKEUP AND STRUCTURE OF AN INDEPENDENT CHURCH
EXODUS 25:40 - ACTS 7:42-45

It is granted that these text verses do not refer to the church. They do talk about doing work the way he said do it. We believe that whatever God tells you to do, from building a tabernacle to operating His church, it should be done according to His instructions or after the pattern which He has given. We believe that once God has shown us the way on anything, we have no right to alter it in any way.

Regarding church association or affiliation with other churches, God has shown us the way. Since we find that our pattern churches (the Bible churches) were independent, then in following their pattern, we too must be and are independent.

I. An independent church is structurally different from all other kinds:

A. The independent church is built after the pattern of the new testament churches:

1. It only concerns itself with following the leadership of the Lord:

a. He and He alone is recognized as the head of the church. From Eph. 5:23 there's no question that He only was head of the Bible churches.

b. And, the scriptures prove that the church should always be free to follow the leadership of God:

(1) Rom. 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
(2) Gal. 5:18 "But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law."
(3) Regardless of what other men or churches do, each church is to walk in truth before God, II Jn. 4.
(4) It is to function as God's most final, sovereign and authoritative institution for propagating the truth on earth, Mt. 16:19 and 18.18.
(5) The church is never in any way to be tied to another party which would divert its attention from following the leadership of God and standing in the truth, II Cor. 6:14.

2. An independent church cooperates, but never becomes allied with, other churches:

a. The Bible churches cooperated to do missionary work:

(1) The Antioch church sent out Paul (Acts 13:2-3) and other churches helped in various ways. I Cor. 16:2, I Cor. 16:15-17, Phil. 1:5, Phil. 4:14-16.
(2) Note that each church directly assisted Paul; not through an alliance which gave representatives from the churches the power to support him.

b. The Bible churches cooperated together in the asking and giving of advice and recommendations:

(1) I Cor. 16:3 speaks of letters of recommendation.
(2) Acts 15:1-6 is an example of requested advice.

c. These are not, nor are there any cases where one or a group of churches ever had any jurisdiction or control over a sister church or could reprimand or censor her.

3. An independent church believes the Lord's great commission (Mt. 28:19-20) rests squarely on the shoulders of the church and the church alone.

4. An independent church would be diagrammed as one church tied solely to God and not in any way tied to other churches.

B. All other types are structurally different:

1. In all cases, the church is only a small part of something bigger: the structure generally is as follows:

a. The local church is one of many in a local area organization.

b. The local area organization is one of several in a state organization.

C. The state organization is one of the many state organizations.

d. These are a part of the parent or national organization, and there may even be an international organization.

e. The local church becomes just a little cog with little voice in a big, big machine.

2. Upon affiliation with the organization of churches, the local church largely loses its identity and relinquishes to some degree its sovereignty and independence:

a. It is irrelevant that its cooperation is voluntary or involuntary; the end result is the same:

(1) The local church voice is swallowed up by the organization.
(2) The church is like a chained man. Be he chained voluntarily or involuntarily, he is still chained.

b. Local church policy is not solely influenced by the leadership of the Lord; but by the board of directors or majority vote of the churches of the organization.

c. The head of the church, while in name is the Lord, in effect proves to be the president of the organization and headquarters.

d. The church cannot answer to God alone for its actions and convictions. For that church becomes a partaker in all the deeds of the organization as the decision of the majority is binding upon all the member churches of the organization.

e. In associations, etc., many of the functions which in Bible churches belonged exclusively to the local church, pass to the organization for administration:

(1) Generally the organization takes over approving, sending and administering missionaries.
(2) Often the officials set themselves up as spokesmen for the churches.
(3) The organization sets itself up to provide policy leadership for its local churches, and expects these churches to follow that leadership.

f. If the local church strays too far from the policies and programs of the parent organization, it is either reprimanded or dropped.

g. The organization churches interpret the great commission to be the responsibility of the combined churches; not of each local church.

3. The diagram of organization churches is very different from that of independent ones.

C. It is up to those who would terminate the independence of the church by bringing it into an organization of churches to justify their action in the scriptures:

1. It is really not up to those who are independent to prove that the organizations are wrong. It is up to the organizations to produce some Bible grounds or justification for their existence.

2. Let them show where there ever was an organization of churches in the Bible.

3. Let them show us where there was ever a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary or missions board in the Bible.

4. Let them give us one case where any institution on earth other than a church ever approved or sent out a Christian missionary in the Bible.

5. Let them show us where a group of churches ever got together and voted anything binding on a sister church in the Bible.

6. Let them point out in the scriptures one single central treasury where two or more churches sent money.

7. Let them show us in the Bible where the churches ever held an organizational meeting and what business they conducted.

8. If there was ever an organization of churches, which ones were in it? And, what was it designed to accomplish?

D. The fact is that when you look into the Bible (the only book that really counts when it comes to pleasing God, Rom. 10:17 and Heb. 11:6) you can see plenty of independent churches, but you can't see one single one of the other kind.

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"