What does the Bible say about the organizational structure of the first century congregation?

There are some who claim that the congregations throughout the known world in the first century were completely autonomous, to which such claims are made usually with the intent of justifying a personal dismissal of all denominations today, or negating the need to assemble for worship with others altogether. “I just wanna worship God in the way that I personally want to” they say, which for many is often a clever way of minimizing the worship of God as a whole in favor of self-indulgence. Though for others, it is because organized religion has proved to be disappointing to them, at least to the degree in which they have sincerely and with fairness investigated them, which is often understandable. But what do the scriptures teach us about the organization of the first century Christianity?

The book of Acts contains accounts of the establishments of congregations in the years following Christ’s death. Apostles and their companions would travel around in missionary journeys, preaching the good news, and establishing congregations through the lands. Each congregation was given instruction on how their gatherings for worship were to be conducted.

A Decision That Affected All Congregations

“Now as they traveled on through the cities they would deliver to those there for observance the decrees that had been decided upon by the apostles and older men who were in Jerusalem." - Acts 16:4

In Acts chapter 15, Paul and Barnabas have just returned to the Syrian city of Antioch from their first missionary tour. Antioch had already been established as a congregation, and now many Gentiles (non-Jews) were coming in a joining themselves to this congregation (Acts 11:20-26). But a significant problem arose: Jewish Christians had been circumcised in accord with the Law of Moses, and were insisting that the new Gentile converts be subjected to circumcision too in order to have God’s approval. As a result, “there had occurred no little dissension and disputing by Paul and Barnabas with them” (Acts 15:2) While Barnabas and Paul, even though he was an Apostle, tried to reason with them on the matter, they insisted that the issue be taken to the Jerusalem Council (or Governing Body). The council, after coming to a decision, wrote a letter and sent it back. To fortify their decision, they sent 2 more council members, Judas and Silas, to go along with Paul and Barnabas and the men from the congregation that came with them, back to that congregation to settle the matter.

Acts 15:2 – The Antioch congregation argues with Paul and Barnabas, and insists on sending the matter to the elders in the Jerusalem congregation. Paul and Barnabas acquiesce.

Acts 15:4 – They arrive at Jerusalem and visit the congregation as a whole.

Acts 15:5 – The issue divides the Jerusalem congregation just as it did the Antioch congregation.

Acts 15:6-22 – The Body, made up of Apostles and other older men, then meets separately to discuss it.

Acts 15:22-29 – The Body compiles a letter and has it sent to Antioch, along with 2 of the Body’s members, Judas and Silas – so there can be no accusation it is just Paul and Barnabas returning with their own views again.

Acts 15:30-35 – After the matter has been clearly settled, Judas and Silas return to Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas stay in Antioch, now able to do the work they went their to do without hinderance.

Now was this a unique situation that only pertained to Antioch? In other words, was this just one instance where it just so happened that Antioch had to reach out for advice from just another neighboring church, and it just happened to be the one in Jerusalem? No, for upon leaving Antioch, Paul decides “let us return and visit the brothers in every one of the cities in which we published the word of Jehovah to see how they are” (Acts 15:36). Guess what was one of the reasons why Paul wanted to do this thing? The Bible tells us…

Acts 16:4, 5 “Now as they traveled on through the cities they would deliver to those there for observance the decrees that had been decided upon by the apostles and older men who were in Jerusalem. Therefore, indeed, the congregations continued to be made firm in the faith and to increase in number from day to day.”

So we can see that the account clearly says that it was a private meeting of apostles and older men that took place in Jerusalem, where they would meet at that particular time. Their decision becomes an official decree, and all other congregations in the then known world are subject to being obedient to this decision.

"Keep on seeking, and you will find." - Matthew 7:7

A Scriptural Organizational Precedent

Christians today see the account in Acts 15 as a historical record that sets a pattern to be followed, inasmuch as the direction found in 1 Timothy 3 is likewise an organizational precedent preserved for us in the scriptures. Since the congregations of the first century were united in such a fashion, it’s clear that as a whole, True Christianity was an organization with a common denominator, or set of beliefs rooted in God’s Word. Therefore, we should not be quick to dismiss organizations and denominations as a whole when we are on a serious pursuit of finding the truth today.

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A deeper look at John 8:58

Trinitarian critics of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses, often take issue with the verse recorded at John 8:58, which reads…

John 8:58 “Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to YOU, Before Abraham came into existence, I have been.””

In translations that they prefer, it has Jesus saying “I AM” instead of “I have been”, and they mistakenly claim that Jesus was claiming to be the God of the Old Testament who says “I am that I am” at Exodus 3:14 according to the same translations (which is also incorrect). The charge is that the New World Translation is unique in that it renders the passage in a way that suits our belief that the trinity doctrine is a false teaching. But is the New World Translation really unique in this regard?

The answer is No. In fact, several translations also correctly convey the correct thought that Jesus was expressing at John 8:58, and many scholars, even modern day translators, will admit and attest to the fact that Jesus was not uttering “I AM” in some mysterious fashion in this verse. Below is an exhaustive list of other versions demonstrating that the New World Translations rendering of John 8:58 has merit.

To the surprise of many, the 1960 and 1973 printings of the New American Standard Bible (NASB) also has "I have been" as a variant reading in the margin.

The Living New Testament: “The absolute truth is that I was in existence before Abraham was ever born.”

The 20th Century New Testament: “before Abraham existed I was.”

Noyes, G.R. N.T. (1878) “Jesus said to them, _truly, truly do I say to you, from before Abraham was, I have been.”

Hanson, J.W. New Covenant (1884) “Jesus said to them, “truly, truly, I say to you, I am before Abraham was
born.”

Kraeling, E.G. Four Gospels (1962) “With another amen-saying, Jesus declares to them that before Abraham was, He (Jesus) is (hint of His preexistence).”

Parker, P.G. Clarified N.T. “Jesus answered, before Abraham existed, I existed.’”

Cotton Patch Version (1970) “To this Jesus replied, ‘I existed before Abraham was born.’”

Good News for the World (1969) “Jesus answer, I tell you the truth. I already was before Abraham was
born.”

The Complete Bible, An American Translation Goodspeed: “I tell you I existed before Abraham was born.”

New Believers Bible, New Living Translation: “I existed before Abraham was even born.”

The New Testament, C. B. Williams: “I solemnly say to you, I existed before Abraham was born.”

The Book, New Testament: The absolute truth is that I was in existence before Abraham was ever born.”

The Living Bible: “I was in existence before Abraham was ever born.”

Lattimore: “Truly, truly I tell you, I am from before Abraham was born.”

The New Testament, From the Peshitta Text, Lamsa: “Before Abraham was born, I was.”

An American Translation, In The Language of Today, Beck: “I was before Abraham.”

New Testament Contemporary English Version: “I tell you, that even before Abraham was, I was,
and I am.”

The Unvarnished New Testament: “Before Abraham was born, I have already been.”

The New Testament, Kleist & Lilly: “I am here-and I was before Abraham.”

The New Testament in the Language of the People, Williams: “I existed before Abraham was born.”

The New Testament, Noyes: “From before Abraham was, I have been.”

A Translation of the Four Gospels, Lewis: “Before Abraham was, I have been.”

The Syriac New Testament, Murdock: “Before Abraham existed I was.”

The Curetonian Version of the Four Gospels, Burkitt& The Old Georgian Version of the Gospel of John, Blake & Briere “Before Abraham came to be, I was.”

The New Testament Or Rather the New Covenant, Sharpe: “I was before Abraham was born.”

The 20th Century New Testament 1904: “Before Abraham existed I was already what I am.”

The New Testament, Stage: “Before Abraham came to be, I was.”

International Bible Translators 1981 “Jesus said to them, _I am telling the truth: I was alive before Abraham
was born!”

The Documents of the New Testament, Wade: “Before Abraham came into being, I have existed.”

Noli, M.F.S. N.T. (1961) “Jesus answered them: ‘Well, well, I tell you, I existed before Abraham
was born.’”

The Concise Gospel and The acts, Christianson: “I existed even before Abraham was born.”

A Translators Handbook to the Gospel of John, Nida: “Before Abraham existed, I existed, or.I have existed.”

The Simple English Bible: “I was alive before Abraham was born.”

The Original New Testament, Schonfield: “I tell you for a positive fact, I existed before Abraham was born.”

The Complete Gospels Annotated Scholars Version, Miller: “I existed before there was an Abraham.”

Swann, G. N.T. (1947) “Jesus said to them, verily, verily I say unto you, I existed before Abraham was born”

International English Version (2001) “I was alive before Abraham was born”

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The wheels are turning again.

Hello everyone. This is essentially a “test post” to make sure everything is working just right. I’ve decided to restart this blog with a specific aim, after having had shut it down 9 months ago. I’ve deleted a ton of posts that had been transferred to JWTalk – a Jehovah’s Witnesses community fan/hobby site that is now maintained and supported by several people that I am also a part of. Also gone are some posts that do not fit my new agenda for Ruminations. What remains are some things that are popular and still get quite a bit of visitors each day, as well as some things that I could not part with… yet.

Hopefully you all enjoy the things that are coming, especially those of you who have subscribed to the Ruminations updates via email (and then never got any because I had quit this). If you do, great. If you don’t, there are instructions on how to unsubscribe at the bottom of every email.

Here we go…

He Made Himself at Home

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mum taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger… he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn’t seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mum would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home – not from us, our friends or any visitors Our long time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn’t permit the liberal use of alcohol but the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked… And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents’ den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?….

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We just call him ‘TV.’

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He has a wife now….we call her ‘Computer.’

Their first child is “Cell Phone”.

Second child “I Pod “

I am now using FeedBurner to send blog updates via email.

Unless you fill in the form and subscribe to my new FeedBurner account.

The Subscribe2 WordPress plug-in just does not cut it for me. I get new “subscribers” several times a day now, and they are all robots and spammers. FeedBurner has been doing such a wonderful job at my other blog, that I decided to implement it here. With FeedBurner, you have to verify your email address by replying to the verification message they send you, and by doing so, you prove that you are really human.

So, if you still want to get an email notice every time I jot down some of my mindless drivel in a blog entry, share a pic, joke, or video, then you must subscribe your email address using this form here…

Don’t forget that you must reply to the verification email that they send you. Check your spam or junk folder if you don’t get the message soon after subscribing.

The Watchtower Library 2010 CD-ROM is only available in your local congregations.

The internet is a funny place, filled with dubious individuals with fickle morals.

A small number of people have recently asked where the Watchtower Library 2010 CD-ROM can be downloaded from off the internet. This would be the latest upgrade to the software that most of Jehovah’s people, with computers, are eagerly awaiting to arrive at our Kingdom Halls.

Of course, I have not received my CD, and I would never dream of putting a copy of it on the internet, and if I was aware of where it could be downloaded, I would never share that link with anyone. Why is this? It’s a matter of something we call loyalty, honesty, and integrity. Let’s review what the Introductory Letter says…

YOUR USE OF WATCHTOWER LIBRARY

1. What constitutes proper use? Watchtower Library has been designed for your personal use. Hence, you may copy, print, or excerpt from the data for your personal use. But you may not distribute the program or large sections of the data to others who do not own Watchtower Library on CD-ROM. Do not sell Watchtower Library or put the program or data on the Internet or any electronic network.

2. Who may have a copy of Watchtower Library? Watchtower Library is a research tool for Jehovah’s Witnesses, not for the public or for institutions such as schools or libraries.

…

5. May I make a duplicate of my CD-ROM as a backup in case I lose or damage my original? Yes, but this does not refer to duplicating the CD-ROM for others, which would fall outside the realm of personal use.

Well that is rather clear and understandable, isn’t it? It is designed that way. Most other software comes with a License Agreement that governs your right to use the product, which you license from the publisher, and not actually own it. The Watchtower Library on CD-ROM is no different. But licenses are often written by lawyers in “legalese” language and can be difficult to understand without reading it through a second or third time. That is why the publishers of the Watchtower Library CD-ROM include the Introductory Letter, to put in layman’s terms what the actual license agreement is saying. Even so, the agreement is pretty clear as well…

3. RESTRICTIONS ON USE. You may not do any of the following: Sell the Product, the SOFTWARE, or the DATA; post all or any portion of the SOFTWARE or the DATA on the Internet or on any other electronic network; copy, print, or excerpt from the DATA for the purpose of…..

That first sentence above even applies to eBay, where sadly, it is occasionally being offered for sale.

So it should be clear how ethics come into play regarding this situation. The people who upload the Watchtower Library CD-ROM and make it available for others, strangers at that, to freely download, are showing a complete disregard for the program authors who are Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the publisher of such software, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society. They are violating a host of Bible princples. To name a few:

“Jesus then said: “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.” Mark 12:17

“Let every soul be in subjection to the superior authorities, for there is no authority except by God; the existing authorities stand placed in their relative positions by God. Therefore he who opposes the authority has taken a stand against the arrangement of God; those who have taken a stand against it will receive judgment to themselves.” Romans 13:1-2

The above two scriptures apply because the person who has obtained the software and uploads it to the internet is violating the license agreement, which in turn, is breaking the law. Would Jesus, the head of the Christian Congregation, think this practice was okay? The scripture in Romans not only relates to one breaking the law, but also draws to mind that the person uploading the Watchtower Library 2010 CD-ROM software is taking “a stand against the arrangement of God”, in two ways: directly, and by breaking the law.

“We trust we have an honest conscience, as we wish to conduct ourselves honestly in all things.” Hebrews 13:18

A person who obtains the software and then puts it on the internet is certainly a dishonest person. We could list scriptures all day long that also demonstrate why this practice is wrong.

So I recently saw a post on a supposed “Jehovah’s Witness” blog asking if somebody had gotten their Watchtower Library 2010 CD-ROM yet from their congregation, and if they could upload it to the internet in a .rar or .iso file and send the blogger a link.

Right away this post should make a faithful brother or sister among Jehovah’s people question whether or not the blog owner is in fact a brother at all. Why can he not wait to get his own copy through proper channels, namely, through his own congregation’s literature counter? Why on earth would he encourage someone to act so unfaithfully, and then act with such disrespect to our entire association of brothers around the world, and make the link to such software freely available to all?

And lastly, why would any faithful brother or sister download the software off the internet from some unapproved website or blog on the internet? Would you not be encouraging the other person to continue in his course of wrongdoing?

If the faithful and discreet slave saw fit to distribute this software over the internet, then they would have the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society make it available to us all at JW.org

Jesus was hung on a stake, likely without a crossbeam.

So this is really an interesting article that follows, originally published by ABC News. A few months back, a similar article appeared in the Daily Mail, and we had posted about it and discussed it over at JWTalk. The Daily Mail is a news publication in print over in Britain. But this one by ABC News is interesting because it is local to us in the USA, is reputable, and the details of this version are much more interesting.

This article will be of particular interest to Jehovah’s Witnesses, as Christians are known as today. It is widely known that we do not believe that Jesus died on a cross, because the exact wording of the Holy Bible gives strong indication that he did not. Whether he did or did not is a moot point, and a blog entry for another day. And while we certainly do not need secular support for anything we know to be true based on the scriptures, the article below based on the recent comments of one scholar is very interesting indeed.

The bold text for emphasis has been added by me.

- Bob

Jesus Christ May Not Have Died on Cross (ABC News Article)

No Evidence in Ancient Sources Backs Up Defining Symbol of Christianity, Scholar Says

Jesus Christ is put to death.

By RUSSELL GOLDMAN

And then, there is something just completely off the wall, like this…

Um… okay?!? Sounds tasty, although I would prefer a taco myself.

Adam & Eve

A little girl asked her mother, “How did the human race appear?”

What a Legacy!

The mother answered, “God made Adam and Eve and they had children, and so was all mankind made.”

Two days later the girl asked her father the same question. The father answered, “Many years ago there were monkeys from which the human race evolved.”

The confused girl returned to her mother and said, “Mom , how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God, and Dad said they developed from monkeys?”

The mother answered, “Well, dear, it is very simple. I told you about my side of the family and your father told you about his.”