[Hope]

Dear Forum,

First, I have not read every post on this thread. Please forgive me but it has become very convoluted. My simple limited country boy mind just has difficulty getting my brain around all the nuisances.
1. THE GROUND OF THE CHURCH.
2. ONE CHURCH ONE CITY.
3. APPOINT ELDERS IN EVERY CHURCH.
4. APPOINT ELDERS IN EVERY CITY.
5. FREEDOM IN CHRIST
6. MULTIPLE SETS OF ELDERS
7. OUR MODERN WORLD
8. WHAT IF THIS AND THAT THEN SO AND SUCH
Whew, this is a lot of heavy lifting.

On the other hand.
1. I will build my church. General statement
2. Tell it to the church. Very practical and must be local.
3. The church in such and such a city. Very Practical and must be local.
4. The church in so and so’s home. Very practical and must be local.
5. The churches in such and such district or province. Definitely not local.
6. Churches of the Gentiles. Definitely not local.
7. Churches of the saints. Definitely not local.
8. Churches of Christ. Definitely not local.
9. Churches of God. Definitely not local.
10. Messengers of the churches. Definitely not local.

The church is local primarily because Christ is the head of the church. He is in charge and He is building it. Consider how important is the word "churches." There are never elders over many churches. Once you have elders functioning in an extra local way the headship of Christ is in jeopardy. Likewise there is never a single elder over any church. Once you do have a single or leading elder, pastor or whatever, the headship of Christ is in jeopardy.

IT IS THROUGH THE PRACTICAL LOCAL CHURCH THAT CHRIST’S HEADSHIP TO THE BODY IS REALIZED.

Take away the reality of the headship of Christ and division is swift to follow. Once the LSM was formed in 1973 and WL and Max Rapoport began to attempt to head up the local churches into a single “move” with a central “coordination” then the practice of the church in the city began to be divisive. Today what the LSM and BBs promote as the local church is not recognizable to me. How many of the original saints have left because the so called ground of the church was lost to the central work. Thus among them the “churches” have disappeared and only the hollow name of the church in so and so city remains.

Consider how they came to have multiple sets of elders in Toronto. It was due to the so called “Work.” Suannehill and the saints in Mansfield were told to make a choice. With which “Work” and set of “Co-workers” will you affiliate?

To take a practical position of being one with all the blood bought believers in Christ Jesus is really very easy and simple. It just comes “natural” for the born again S/spirit within every believer. It sure does feel good to the S/spirit to receive, love and honor all the Lord’s dear children. No one needs to understand all the fine points of one church, one city to preserve the oneness of the Spirit.

I propose a thread on the Headship of Christ. For me, without the desire to know the practical heading up of Christ debating about how to keep the oneness locally will never get off the ground.

Hope, Don Rutledge
A believer who is seeking to be a true disciple.
John 8:31-33, Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. " NASB