WE NEED TO LEARN FROM THE CHURCH GOVERNMENT OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH. (Written in light of the 60th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church happening July 2 – 11, 2015 in San Antonio, Texas.

THE INFALLIBLE CHUCH GOVERNMENT THAT OPERATED IN JERUSALEM DURING THE CIRCUMCISION CRISIS WAS NOT LIKE THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF SDA.

This church government could not be Peter (as Catholic Church claim) and James as a group; because the reason for the whole meeting started with an error they were influenced by, they were fallible men but they were dedicated and open to correction. There is a lesson in this for us all. We shall see, though Peter and James were Pillars in the church they were truly godly, humble men who were wholeheartedly open to the Holy Spirit and the will of God. These men were indeed duly appointed.

In Acts 15:1-2 we are told: "And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

In Galatians 2:12-16 We are told that Peter before certain men from James came he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated from them fearing them of the circumcision, and other Jews dissembled likewise with him, insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. Paul tells us in Gal.2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, he withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. verse 14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? Now take note Paul had not long received the hands of fellowship (Gal.2:9-11) from the apostles in Jerusalem. This took place some 17 years after his conversion.

Here we see the beginning of the controversial meeting to be had in Jerusalem.

In Acts 15:6-19 we see there was indeed much disputing and Peter stood up having taken the correction of the Holy Spirit and speaks in favour of the gentiles not having to circumcise. And then James stood up and spoke in the same vain.

Acts 15:6-12 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.

In verse 28 the disciples credit the decision of the meeting to the Holy Spirit.

THE INFALLIBLE CHURCH GOVERNMENT THAT OPERATED IN ANTIOCH DURING THE APPOINTMENT OF PAUL AND BARNABAS TO THE MISSIONARY FIELD

The work of the church's true governing agent - the Holy Spirit is seen operating in a localize way in choosing two main leaders to be sent on the mission field. In Acts 13:1-4 there is no consultation with a central governing body, but prayer and fasting to hear word from the Holy Spirit. and the main leaders are not the ones expressing the will of God or sending out some disciple but less known men under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13:1-4 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

Notable points are as follows:

1. The matter at Jerusalem was of not a localized matter but was of concern to all the churches to the point Peter and James were falling to the error of circumcision to be saved thus a general meeting was necessary, the elders and apostles together with the opposing Jewish sect met temporarily to decide on the matter by the Holy Spirit, but they were not a church government.

2. The council had men who were duly appointed, men that assuredly were true to the governing voice of God. Peter, Barnabas and who were influenced by the error heeded the voice of the Holy Spirit. It is evident that today and even in Sis White's time the GCSDA men were not duly appointed for they had proved they were not given over to the governing voice of God as manifested in their rejection of the 1888 message and the 1901 constitution against a hierarchical church government.

3. Peter, Barnabas and James saw the truth and testified of the truth in the council they did not fight against it because they saw themselves as headmen in the church, they listened to the governing agent the Holy Spirit.

4. There was not a(1) a hierarchical order or (2) a permanent governing body of men. when the meeting was over the elders and apostles went back to the field. There were no hierarchical order as there was not differing levels of authority as to say one saint had a higher rank to another saint, so that one saint was subordinate to another saint, no structure that would put the voice of one man above another due to his position in a hierarchy of levels, say a President or a Pope coming down to cardinals, to priest to congregation member. Each saint was open to be used as a vessel to speak the Holy Spirit words to every other saint, And once the voice of the Holy Spirit was recognized the message was to be obeyed.

5. Paul tells us that the revelation of truth from this governing agent of the Holy Spirit is nigh unto us and is in our mouth, and in our heart and is the word of faith that is preached -Rom.10:5-8. This holds for our time and in the time Moses. In fact Paul was really reiterating Moses words. These were Moses words after he had read the sayings God uttered in thunder and lightening from mount Sinai (Deut.30:11-14). And as close as Moses was to God as no man has ever been in leadership, Moses said God's word is not hidden from us that we must send someone across the sea to receive it for us (say a General Conference) but he said it is nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it. Today men think they are to follow blindly the voice of men of a church government. Even so men that are not even duly appointed having proven faithfulness to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

6. Though Paul had recently received the hands of fellowship from the apostles in Jerusalem it was not insubordination of him to address Peter to his face before everyone. The issue was the whether what he said was of God or not.

7. The lesson here to be learnt is also to the Catholic Church with a so called infallible successor to Peter, the Pope and to the 144,000 church government of the Watchtower Tower Bible Society and to any body or organization that thinks the Holy Spirit speaks to a leader in a dogmatic way that others are just to follow without seeing the truth for themselves.

So let us not obey the voice of men dogmatically without consulting the true governing agent of the Holy Spirit that is nigh unto all of us.