Paul, and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ,

to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi,

with the bishops and deacons:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1: 1 -- 2

Before we go any further into our study of these letters to the churches it would be good to review and to understand the Christian ministry and its relation to the Christian community.  I'll take some time to review this and for some it may be new information but it will give you a growth in your faith not only for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ put your faith in your local church that is teaching authentic truth of God.  The Christian community has a twofold purpose and the first purpose would be that it exists as a power or principle in this world, but also as an institutional and organized form that is intended to preserve and protect the church.  Remember, you are the church, but called out ones and this protection is for you and is not designed to obstruct you.  Jesus Christ established the visible Church with the apostles and that is that punishment authorize the apostles to be teachers and rulers, and also established to sacred rites, baptism and the holy Communion both are which can be observed till the end of this world.  The authorization to the apostles as rulers and teachers extends to those who would be placed in that position within the church at lest we forget at the same time Jesus Christ did not lay down minute arrangements, rather only the simple and necessary elements of an organization, thereby leaving the details to be shaped by the growing and changing wants of the Church in the various ages to come and within the various countries in which they reside.  You see there are any differences amongst the congregations that are simply that: in differences and are not to be denigrated.  There are also certain elements that are not in different, and it is those that must be maintained amongst the churches and be unity between the churches.  Christianity at least in this respect is a dispensation of the Holy Spirit and differs widely from the Mosaic theocracy because a dispensation of the letter.  Matthew wrote in regards to Jesus Christ establishing authority to the disciples stated: "Assuredly, I say to you, what ever you bind on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven" (Matthew Chapter 18:18).  Jesus showed his establishment also when he spoke to Peter that he would build his church: "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew: 18).  John establishes as a second witness and testimony to this fact: "So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you!  As the father has sent Me, I also send you.’  And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them,’ Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’" (John 20: 21 -- 23).  As can be seen and shall that the ministerial office was instituted by Jesus Christ before his ascension and that it was solemnly inaugurated upon the first Christian there at Pentecost in this by the pouring out upon them the Holy Spirit. With the power of the Holy Spirit upon them, and that is also true of view, you have the kingly power of Jesus Christ on earth to found, that is to establish, maintain, and extend the church.  This was the command given by Jesus before his ascension: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1: 8).

            The Ministry includes the preaching of the Gospel, the administration of the sacraments, and church discipline, the power to open and shut the gates of the kingdom of heaven, in other words, to declare to the penitent for forgiveness of sins, and to the unworthy excommunication in the name and by the authority of Jesus Christ.  A side note here: how often does a church actually excommunicate anyone for their sins that they will not repent of and allow them to participate in the church which only brings that church into defilement if not corrected.  The ministers of the Gospel in the eminent sense, servants of God, and, as such, servants of the churches in the noble spirit of self-denying love according to the example of Jesus Christ, for the eternal salvation of the soul's encrusted to their charge.  This unspeakable dignity brings with the corresponding responsibility.  The internal call to the sacred office and the moral qualification for it, must come from the Holy Spirit.  Night here is where many churches today fail; there needs to be through the church that they recognize and ratify through their proper organs that the apostles or ministers or pastors were indeed called immediately by Christ to do the work of the church, a found in the church, as the churches not to sit I apathetically, or lethargic, no they are to be involved to take an active part in all the religious affairs.

            Therefore, those called into the service of ministry are to be personals that were inwardly and outwardly designated by the voice of Jesus Christ and His church, who were to be solemnly set apart and inducted into the ministerial functions by the symbolic act of ordination.  This is done by prayer, and the laying on of hands, in the early church it would've been the apostles and or their representatives as it would be today, conferring upon them this authority and seething to them showing that they have the appropriate spiritual gifts.  Paul begins this latter writing to the bishops and the deacons, and without a doubt men of authority were put into place to guard, to protect, to instruct, through the Word of God those entrusted to them, the church.  They are not called for self aggrandizement, as we so often see in many church leaders today.  They're not there for power, they are not there for money, they are there to be your servant according to the Word of God, nothing more, nothing less.

Moreover you shall select from all the people able men,

            men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such

over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds,

rulers of fifties, and rumors of tens, and let them

judge the people at all times.

                        Exodus 18: 21 – 22a

Praise God for this leadership

Richard L. Crumb