10. PEACE IN THE CHURCH

A church at peace is "heaven on earth". Every true church of Jesus Christ ought to be at peace within its own ranks.

There is every reason why this ought to be: our God whom we serve is a God of peace; the gospel is the gospel of peace; the fruit of the Spirit (who indwells the believer) is love, joy, peace... (Gal 5:22 ); we are exhorted by the Word of God to "follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another" (Rom 14:19 ). "For the Kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom 14:17 ).

Peace in the church does not come naturally, but supernaturally, for peace comes only from God and our Lord Jesus Christ. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto you" (Jn 14:27 ).

Peace in the church is also a "fragile commodity". It must be handled with care, and valued as rare treasure. If we cherish peace in the church, then heed the Apostle Paul's words: "I... beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph 4:1-3 ).

Peace in the church must be safeguarded and protected against disruption. This calls for strenuous effort on the part of all members. Peace comes from "unity in the Spirit" and this unity we must strive our utmost to keep intact. Not to do so is to put our peace in jeopardy. How should we endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?

Elders Lead, Members Follow

The Word of God has no lack of instruction on this subject. What is lacking, and sometimes sorely lacking, is obedience to that Word: we know but we do not. This is the first sin that must be cleansed. The church's business is to "stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel" (Phil 1:27 ). We are to be "likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory"; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves" (Phil 2:2-3 ).

"To know is easy, to do is hard."  What then must we do? The answer is simple: elders must lead, and people follow. The elders must follow the Lord closely. "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children" (Eph 5:1 ). The pattern is:

Function of Elders

The function of elders in the church is clearly defined in 1 Tim 3:1-7 ; Titus 1:4-9 ; 1 Pet 5:1-4 .

Briefly, an elder must be blameless, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker, not mercenary or money-minded; but patient, one that rules his own house well, having a good reputation. He must feed and care for the flock with a willing mind, not as overlords, but as examples, and with sacrificial love.

In a day of widespread departure from the faith, elders must be discerning and ready to take a stand "for the defence of the gospel" (Phil 1:17 ); to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3 ); to separate from works of darkness and unbelief ( 2 Cor 6:14-17 ); to warn against grievous wolves (Acts 20:29-31 ) and enemies of the cross of Christ (Phil 3:17-19 ).

Function of Members

The elders of the Church, being ordained of God (Acts 14:23 ; Titus 1:5 ) and elected by the members, should be accorded due honour and obeisance. "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility..."  ( 1 Pet 5:5 ).

The further instruction of the Apostle Peter has pertinent application here: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time... Be sober. be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith…But the God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus…make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you" ( 1 Pet 5:6-10 )

Membership Vow- Safeguard of Peace

Membership of Calvary B-P Church or any of its offshoots is free but members are not free to do anything they wish. For the sake of the unity and peace of the church and the harmony of the rest of the congregation, all candidates for membership are examined by the pastor before the congregation, and must give satisfactory answers publicly to these questions (besides others):

In seeking to join this church,

a) do you accept the doctrines and practices of this church as laid down in the Constitution?

b) do you agree, in particular, with the stand of separation from all that is contrary to the Holy Scriptures e. g. the Ecumenical Move-ment, the New Evangelical Movement, and the Charismatic Movement?

c) do you promise to submit to the leaders of this church whom God has appointed?

d) do you promise to uphold the peace and purity of this church, and at no time bring in any issue which may in any way disrupt the peace and harmony of this church?

Our Leaders Are Approachable

The membership vow, taken before God and the congregation, is by no means designed to muzzle the mouths of members, or to stifle constructive criticism. The Elders and Pastors (who constitute the Board of Elders, the ruling body) are elected from among the members of the church. An errant Elder or Pastor can be removed by the ballot.

Elders and Pastors are also fallible human beings and they are the first to admit this. Their faults or transgressions may at all times be brought to their attention by mature and spiritual members in an appropriate manner. The Apostle Paul says, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness: considering thyself lest thou also be tempted" (Gal 6:1 ).

If an occasion should arise for a member to draw the attention of an Elder or Pastor to a fault, let that member make careful study of the facts of the case, and in a spirit of humility bring it up to the person concerned. "Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father,"  says the Apostle Paul. In this way the peace of the church will be preserved.

Pattern of Church Unity

The infant church following the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost presents a picture of unity, worthy of our imitating. "And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers…And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people" (Acts 2:42 , 46,47 ).

Here again we see the scriptural pattern:

If this pattern is adhered to there will be unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And "how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Ps 133:1 ).

A united church only can be an effective instrument for God's use. May God keep us all united, in bonds of brotherly love, for His name's glory. Amen.