If, as we have shown, the church institution is a product of human wisdom passed down through the religious traditions of our fathers, what is the alternative way of life among God’s people, today? The Devil has, certainly, been the leading cause of so much disruption and innovation. With every advancement of human wisdom, our culture has evolved into a world that is counter-productive to a Christian’s way of life. With every technological advancement, we have replaced the fellowship of individuals with every form of entertainment, continual information from texts, emails, SMS messages, Facebook messages, etc. This access to all this information and ease of communication has made little room for a good visit. Among the many negative repercussions is the privacy of each home, the independent and autonomous lives who have found answers to every question, and solutions to every problem at the click of a button. The sources for help outside our spiritual family are not only presented as more qualified but can be found with greater ease. No one we know has to know anything about us that we don’t want them to know. The bottom line is that we do not see the need for one another in our daily lives. The void has been filled by others. We have authors of every sort, doctors in any field in which we have a need, psychologists, preachers, professors, an array of entertainers and games to which we have access any time of the day or night. Our social needs are as quickly met with ease by our social media friends. We think that we have everything we need in our homes. While we seek counsel from non-Christians and make friends with everyone except God’s people, we are drifting further away from the effective power of the spiritual family.
Regarding the supposed need for elders of churches, however, what can we possibly gain by having men who are not qualified for the task to make their presence felt by their daily oversight of individual souls? Failure to submit to another in that arrangement would be understandable and justified. One can understand why some modern-day elders have taken the distorted view of rule that allows for the rule in the affairs of local churches. The area of their rule, according to them, is in the area of decision-making. They would argue that Christ rules in spiritual matters, but they rule in matters of judgment in the affairs of the local church. Unfortunately, they’re mistaken on both accounts. First, there is no local church organization authored by God. Second, there is certainly no rule of that kind in the Scriptures. Last, the role of shepherds were spiritual guides arranged by Apostles and evangelists to oversee the lives of individual saints — a work for which no man is qualified, today.
Where does this leave us, today? We all have access to the same written revelation and are accountable for our own study and application of it. However, we are equally concerned for the well-being of every brother and sister in Christ. Despite the difficulties of our own cultural norms, we must press past them to make time for one another. The challenge is to create our culture within a culture. Though great care and caution should be applied in every situation, we are not privileged to have such men that existed then to oversee us, today. There are obvious distinctions to be made between the young and the old, the inexperienced and the wise. We should be able to discriminate between the wise and foolish councils received from a variety of sources. We can examine them in light of God’s word, listen to their experiences, and seek the wisdom that is from above.