Missing Ingredient

     Since early autumn I have wrestled with the question of what is missing in New England house churches. In the spring of the year 2000, when I left the traditional church structure, I could not find any Christians meeting in homes and following the apostolic traditions of the New Testament closer than two hours from where I lived. Over time I either discovered, or there sprang up at least twenty different groups with whom God allowed me to develop relationship. There were many good people in these home gatherings. But in the last six months I have witnessed at least six of these same groups dissolve or go into crisis. Others are tiny knots of survivors. Only a couple appear healthy to me.
     During my sabbatical I asked God about this repeatedly. The response I got troubled me. I believe that He said that the house churches were largely based on the same anarchy and rebellion that characterizes the surrounding culture. Each group was an island to itself, largely inward focused, and unconnected to the larger Body of Christ in any practical way. Now another brother and I have promoted leaders (elders) meetings for the past several years. We got together quarterly, and even had two weekend retreats. Still there was something missing.
    Yesterday, as I was walking through the woods and fields where I reside, I believe God showed me a missing ingredient. The house churches written about in the New Testament were under apostolic authority, and we are not. I recognize that this rouses the question of whether there are modern day apostles. If we can agree that no one today has the ability to receive further Scripture quality revelation, then I hope we can consider the possibility. (More on this in a subsequent post.)
     For now I'd like to reproduce a study that I was led to do in the "Pastoral" letters, which illustrates apostolic authority. These are verses in which Paul, as an apostle, directs Timothy or Titus to tell other people to do something.
1 Timothy 1:3  Charge them to teach no other doctrine
1 Tim 4:11  Command and teach
1 Tim 5:7  Command these things
1 Tim. 5:17  Elders who rule well
1 Tim 6:2  Teach and exhort
1 Tim. 6:17  Command the rich
2 Tim. 2:14  Charging them before the Lord
2 Tim 4:2  Rebuke
Titus 1:9-10 Exhort and convict the insubordinate
Ti 1:13  Rebuke them sharply
Ti 2:6  Exhort young men
Ti 2:9 Exhort bond servants to obey
Ti 2:15  Speak, exhort and rebuke with all authority
     These are a compilation from the NKJV & the ESV.  They are clear examples of the flow of apostolic authority to (Pastors/apostolic emissaries) to others. In another post I will talk about another side of the equation, that of our personal relationship to the Lord.