Now we're going to study some of the ordinances of the church and a little bit about the activities. And by the church, of course, we mean the church as defined in the scriptures. The church, which is his body, has not been altogether since the day of Pentecost and will not be again until the Lord comes back. but the local church has been given instructions as to how to carry on the work. I'm using the word ordinances in the part of the saints who commonly refer to baptism and the Lord's Supper as ordinances. Now, the Roman Catholic Church has seven, I believe, and some other churches have five, and some have three. I believe that an ordinance should be something which is instituted in the Gospels and practiced in the Acts and taught in the Epistles. I can't imagine they're having an ordinance developed after the church began, and I can't imagine they're having an ordinance that would not be practiced in the early church, and I can't imagine they're having one that would never be touched on in the Epistles. such as foot washing. I honor the people who believe in foot washing. I'm sure they're sincere believers and want to do the right thing. But it seems a little strange that foot washing is mentioned in none of the writings until about the year in ninety-three to ninety-five AD when John wrote his gospel. And all of the writings of Paul, fourteen books of the New Testament, never once said anything about foot washing. This can't be that this is an ordinance and was not known until almost sixty years after the Lord Jesus had gone back to heaven. So I believe that baptism and the Lord suffer are these ordinances. Now, section one, baptism. One, definition. The word is from the simple Greek word bato, which means to dip. A, it is used in Greek literature of dyeing garments, dipping garments into dye, you know, to dye them. It's used of sinking ships and on many other ways, but always of something being put into. And B, it is used of washing dishes in Mark seven. verses four and eight number two it is by immersion a John three twenty three it says John baptized in a place close to Salem because there was much water there now if it was not baptism by immersion There'd be no reason why there'd have to be much water. A teacup flow would take care of it very nicely, if it were by sprinkling. It says, because there was much water. And then D in Acts eight thirty-seven, when Philip baptized the eunuch, it says they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch. Now they're both going into the water would have no real meaning if it were not by immersion. and C, it signifies a burial and rising again. Romans six, four and five. We are buried with him by baptism. Then he says, like as Christ was raised up again from the dead, we also should walk in newness of life. I believe that Romans chapter six, speaks of both the baptism of the Spirit and baptism by water. By one Spirit we are baptized into the one body. So we have been baptized into Christ. And it says, therefore, because we have been put into Christ, therefore we are buried with him by baptism. Now number three, there are seven distinct baptisms in the New Testament. A. The type of Israel's baptism. First Corinthians ten and two says that they were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. I'm sure they didn't know they were being baptized, but the Lord says that this is the type of baptism. And B. Christ's sufferings. Luke twelve in verse fifty. The Lord Jesus said, I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straightened or limited until it be accomplished? Now, this was not his literal baptism in water by John, for that had taken place at the beginning of his ministry. So it had to be the only baptism that he was yet to go through was the baptism of Calvary. It's called a baptism because he was immersed in the sufferings, the agony of the cross. And C, it was John's baptism. John's baptism does not continue to this day. The verses that I've given here in Acts eighteen and in nineteen indicate that those who were baptized only with John's baptism were rebaptized as Christians. Incidentally, the Lord Jesus was baptized with John's baptism, so it's wrong to say that you're baptized because Jesus was. You're not baptized as Jesus was at all. The baptism that John practiced was a baptism unto repentance, acknowledging that as a nation, Israel had been and they were looking for the King to come. Indeed, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, First Corinthians twelve and thirteen, by one spirit or are we all baptized into one body. Now this is referred to again in the next passage listed under E in your outline, the baptism of fire. In Matthew three, eleven and twelve, John says, there is one coming after me and he says, he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Now the very construction of the grammar indicates that these are two separate baptisms. And yet there are many people who pray for the baptism of fire. One man prayed that the Lord would send it right down through the roof. He'd buy a new roof. What a mercy that God doesn't answer foolish prayers like that. Because if God ever sent the baptism of fire, there wouldn't be anybody left there for the prayer of me. The baptism of fire is the baptism in the lake of fire, of judgment. for the lost. And then F, there is Jewish baptism. In Acts two and verse thirty-eight, they said, Sirs, what shall we do? And he said, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the remission of sins. In Acts twenty-two sixteen, Paul says that Ananias said to him, Why tarryest thou arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins? Now, these were the national sins of Israel. There were two, the sin of rejecting the Messiah and the sin of rejecting God's Word. And the Jews were responsible for this, and so they had to be baptized to take their place apart from the Jewish nation. That's why when he preached, he said, save yourselves from this untoward generation. The only way that a Jew could save himself from that generation was to acknowledge by public baptism that Christ had been crucified unjustly and that they were no longer a part of this thing. Now to take Acts two thirty-eight and apply that today to teach that you have to be baptized for salvation is total ignorance of the dispensations and ignores the baptism that's mentioned later. And the last one, G, is believers' baptism. And this is the only one for our day. In Acts ten, forty-seven, when the gospel was preached to the Gentiles for the first time, he said, Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? Now while the Jews had to be baptized before they received the Holy Ghost, the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit immediately upon their baptism, and so upon their conversion, and so he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And that means, incidentally, by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It doesn't mean that there's any change in the names in the formula, but simply that by the authority of the Lord Jesus they were to be baptized. Now, number four, the significance A, it is not for salvation, membership, or for infants. You find nothing in the Scripture to indicate that we become the members of the local church by baptism, and yet even those who are clear on the mode of baptism are unclear as to the reason for it. They say that you are baptized into the church or you are baptized into the fellowship or you are baptized so that you can break bread with the Christians. Now this is giving it a mean that Scripture does not give. It's true that the order in Scripture is they that gladly received its word were baptized and then they continued and all these other things but was not the baptism that gave them a place among God's people. As far as infant baptism is concerned, this has grown out of the false idea of baptismal regeneration, which the Catholic Church taught. And many of the Protestants that came out in the Reformation carried this with them. Albeit it is unto new leadership. We mentioned First Corinthians ten and two a while ago. where they were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. That is, their old leader had been Pharaoh. But when they came out of Egypt, they came out to a new leader. And this is in keeping with Matthew twenty-eight and nineteen, where he says he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. And see public profession of faith in the Lord Jesus. By being baptized, we announce to all on sundry that we have died with Christ and we are alive with him. It has been likened to the putting on of the uniform by one who has joined the service of his country. Now, the minute that he's sworn in to whatever branch of the service it is, he is in the country's service. But nobody knows this until he puts on the uniform. There's much more to be said about baptism, but this will give you a start in the study of it. Now, section two, the Lord's Supper. One, distinguish from the Lord's Table, First Corinthians ten and twenty-one. Now, while you often hear the Lord's Supper referred to as the Lord's Table, this is not technically correct. The Lord's Table really means fellowship. A, we should always be at his table. Second Samuel nine and seven gives you an example of this when David said that Mephibosheth, whom he had rescued, should now eat bread at the king's table continually. And so we should always be at the Lord's table, and B, we should break bread, that is, take the Lord's supper on the Lord's day. Not once in three months, not once a year, not once a month. But in Acts twenty and seven, it says on the first day of the week, the disciples came together to break bread. Scholars tell us that the verb there came together is in the continuous sense. They made the habit of coming together on the first day of the week to break bread. Number two, it was instituted by our Lord. This is mentioned in the three synoptic Gospels. John's Gospel doesn't talk about the institution of the Lord's Supper, who's already in use, and his emphasis on the Son of God does not make it necessary in that Gospel. A, in remembrance of him. Now, not in the remembrance of his death. I don't want to be a nitpicker. I don't want to be constantly insisting on this or that. But why don't we learn to say things the way the Bible says them? It plainly says, Do this in remembrance of me. And then be, it is to show the death of the Lord, to show the Lord's death until he comes. First Corinthians, eleven, twenty-six. Here again, many people say to show forth. It's not to show forth at all. That's a different word. Here it is simply to show. Mr. Darby translates it to announce the Lord's death. By having bread and a cup on the table, and by breaking this bread and drinking of this cup, we show, we demonstrate the Lord's death until he comes. Now, three, it is restricted, eh, to believers. B to the morally clean and C to the sound in faith. Some may ask, how do we know who believers are? Well, the only way we can know is whether or not they have a clear profession of faith. It's quite possible for somebody to fool us. But it is restricted. The Lord intended that it be only for believers. And those who are not morally clean, that is guilty of some outward immorality, First Corinthians five says, should be put away from among yourselves. Second Timothy two speaks about those who are teaching false doctrine. Now this is especially important if someone comes to our fellowship who has been in a cult that taught false doctrine and have been contaminated with this to make sure that they are not bringing evil doctrine concerning the person of christ into the company of believers and for the purpose of this meeting a for the collective worship by the church collective worship of god by the church john four twenty three the lord jesus said the father seeketh such plural to worship Him. Well, there are many other times when we can and should worship. We should be constantly in a frame of mind of worship. But this is the one meaning of the early church and the one meaning that we have that is set apart for this purpose. and it is not that we should get something. It is not for us. All the other meetings are. And B, it is to be after the heavenly pattern. Hebrews nine and twenty-three speaks about this, says that the patterns are rather copies of things in heaven, of heavenly things. In Revelation four and ten, you see the Lord Jesus in the center with the representatives of all believers gathered around him in worship. And this is the way it ought to be when we meet together. The Lord should be the center and we should be there for one purpose only to sing and speak of his worthiness. Therefore, any other kind of thing that's brought up is out of place. It must be something that concentrates our our thoughts on himself. C. It is not for prayer, edification, comfort, etc. These are out of place at the Lord's Supper. And D. It is not a sacrifice for sins, such as the Roman Catholic Mass, or the other churches that have imitated that. and it is not a means of grace. Many of the Protestant churches refer to the Lord's Supper as one of the means of grace. They say you should be sure to be there because this is one way that God has of bringing blessing to you. That isn't what it's for. And it certainly is blasphemy to say that it's a sacrifice for sins because our Savior offered one sacrifice for sins forever. And E, there is very little detail as to the order of the Lord's Supper. Whenever we get into a rut of doing things the same way every Lord's day, or we imitate what somebody else does, this is not the leading of the Spirit of God. One young man came into our fellowship and he said, I didn't quite get it at first and then I began to catch on. He said, you have a hymn and a prayer and a hymn and a prayer. He said, then I knew what to do. I said, I'm sorry you got that idea because that was never God's order at all. There may be three or four men who will get thanks in succession and should. Or there may be a time when several hymns will be sung. Usually when there's a lot of hymns it's because somebody that's found it easier to give out a hymn than to pray or to give thanks as the Spirit of God really led him to do. That's the exercise about our part in the Lord's Supper. Now section three, the order of meetings in the early church. One, the Lord's Supper was central. In Acts twenty, in verse seven, it says, on the first day of the week, the disciples came together to break bread. And then it says, Paul preached unto them afterwards and continued his speech until midnight. Very evidently, the Christians met in the evening because they couldn't meet in the daytime. Most of them were slaves. So after the Lord's Supper, they Listen to Paul preached. Now Paul was a great apostle, but they didn't come together and hear Paul. They came together to break bread, to take the Lord's supper. A. Worship surpasses service. Because it is all for God. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And B. Other activities followed it. I was very likely that in the beginning of the church that they were hardly able to get together as a group, the entire group, except on the first day of the week. So they probably had teaching and prayer and a number of other things following the Lord's Supper. Later on it became possible for them to have more meetings, and this is fine if it doesn't reach the point where we're over-activated, where we're just simply having meetings for the sake of having meetings. Two, importance attached to teaching the Word, that is, in the order of meetings in the early church. First Corinthians twelve and thirty-one says that we should covet earnestly the best gifts. And in chapter fourteen in verse one he says, Rather that you may prophesy. So great importance was attached to the teaching of the word in the early church. Eh? This was of three kinds. Edification, exhortation, and comfort. First Corinthians fourteen, six tells us this. Edification means building up. Exhortation means stirring up and comfort means cheering up. And the Lord's people need all of these ups. We need to spend time over the Word of God so as to get the help that each one of us needs. And B, First Timothy four and thirteen refers to give attendance to reading. May put down three words. Reading, exhortation, and doctrine incidentally that word for reading in first Timothy four thirteen is a word which means public reading let me suggest to you young men who may participate in teaching the word or preaching the gospel never make the mistake that I've seen made so many times I'll say now for the sake of time we'll skip down to the thirteen verse meaning I want to get over this reading so I can come to the important part which is my preaching. This is very wrong. You can't do anything better than read the word. And when you read it, don't hurry over it as though this is not important. What I have to say is what really counts. And don't stumble over the reading. I've heard men get up to read it evidently have not read the passage through before because they were not familiar with it. They were not able to read it in a way that will be conducive to blessing to the hearers. Learn to read expressively. Practice it at home. Practice it in your own room or practice it on some of the other members of your family. Learn how to read publicly so that people will be edified even by the reading. I heard a man one time in a meeting read the entire book of Ephesians through and then say almost nothing about it. and closed the meeting. And we were greatly blessed by the way that he read that lovely epistle. Much better than some sermons I've heard on it, let me assure you. And see, the permanent gifts stress the Word of God. Now, there were many gifts in the early church that were temporary gifts, the sign gifts, the charismatic gifts, some call them. such as tongues and healing and so on. But these were temporary and were soon passed away. But the permanent gift mentioned in Ephesians chapter four, all stress the word of God. Now three, the frequency of prayer meetings. Prayer was very important in the early church. There are twelve recorded prayer meetings in the book of Acts. And these are meetings. Beside that, you have many other cases of private prayer. You're missing something if you miss the prayer meeting. And four, the importance of fellowship among early believers. In Acts chapter two, verses forty-one to forty-seven, he says that they continued in the Apostle's doctrine and in fellowship. and in breaking of bread and in prayers. Now, fellowship together with other Christians can be a very helpful thing if Christ himself is a sinner. A, they ate their meals together, distinguished between eating together in each other's houses and taking the Lord's Supper. While both are called breaking bread, this was a common name for meals, the Lord's Supper was given special significance above that of the ordinary meal or breaking bread together. However, our meals together can be times of great health. Sometimes there are great hindrance when people get together around a table and dissect some Christian who is absent or waste their time in worthless chit-chat, but it can be a great time of fellowship. And D, they share their possessions with each other. They were concerned about each other. And see, they spent much time together. In Acts nine, it says that Saul essayed to join himself to the disciples, but they were afraid of him until Barnabas introduced him. And then it says he was with them coming in and going out. That is, whenever they could, they got together. Number five, witnessing... was an individual responsibility. Today the gospel meeting seems to be a big part of the local church activity, and there's certainly nothing wrong with working together and spreading the gospel, either through the Sunday school or through preaching, but witnessing is for all believers and was done at all times whenever there was an opportunity. In Acts eight and verse four, They were all scattered abroad except the apostles, and all that were scattered abroad whenever we were preaching the word. So everybody but the preachers preached the word. The preachers were probably in jail, but everybody else went out and witnessed. And number six, each local church was autonomous. Philippians one and one. The autonomy of the church means that they were not depends upon others and not controlled by others, and that means that they were, A, governed by the head through others, and B, that they were concerned about all other believers. In Acts eleven it was prophesied that there should be a great drought throughout the whole world, so the disciples, according to their ability, determined to send relief onto the Christians that were in another part of the country, back in another country. So they were concerned about helping each other. And I've attended a little piece of dog roll here at the end, and never win any poetic prizes, but it's good to remember, be sure you're right, know why you're there, find your right place, and carry your share. This was the way the early church met together.