To What Is the Church Comparable?

THE church is a great flock with a great Shepherd and many

undershepherds. In 1 Pet. 5 we have mention of the flock and the great

Shepherd. The elders are the undershepherds. Shepherds have many

fundamental duties. They are to feed the flock. "Feed the flock of God which

is among you." (1 Pet. 5:2.) One of the qualifications for a scriptural elder is

"apt to teach." (1 Tim. 3:2.) It would be a mighty poor shepherd that would

not feed the flock under his care. Paul, in talking to the Ephesian elders, said:

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the

Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he

hath purchased with his own blood." (Acts 20:28.)Another duty of a shepherd is to shelter and protect the flock. He will do

this even at great cost and inconvenience to himself. So it is with the faithful

shepherd over God's flock. He will protect the sheep. Paul said further to the

Ephesian elders: ''For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous

wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves

shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them."

(Acts 20:29, 30.) Wolves care nothing for the sheep. The good shepherd is

always on the alert for these wolves. Many a flock has been ruined because

wolves got in among them. The good shepherd would lay down his life for the

sheep.

Another duty of the elders is to be an example to others. They are not to

be lords over God's heritage, but ensamples to the flock. Some of them are

mighty poor examples. It is no wonder that the scriptural qualifications for

elders are so high and holy.

The church is a great school with a great Teacher. A good teacher gives

every student a glad welcome. The great Teacher gives us a warm invitation to

enter his school. Hear him: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy

laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for

I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my

yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30.) "And the Spirit and

the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is

athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Rev.

22. 17.) If we do not enter the great school of Christ, it will not be because we

are not wanted and are not welcomed. The great Teacher has done all he can

to get us to matriculate.

To have a good school we must have students who are desirous of learning

and who will study. So it is in the school of Christ. "Study to shew thyself

approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly

dividing the word oftruth." (2 Tim. 2:15.) "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,

that ye may grow thereby." (1 Pet. 2:2.)

To have a good school we must have obedient students and strict

discipline. There are too many disobedient ones in the school of Christ. "Obey

them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for

your souls, as they must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not

with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." (Heb. 13:17.) When students are

disobedient, they must be disciplined. "Now we command you, brethren, in

the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every

brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received

of us " (2 These. 3:6.)

The church is a great family. Christ is the absent elder brother. He went

away, but he is coming again. He said: "I will come again." (John 14:3.) The

angels said that he would come as he went. (Acts 1:11.) We are always

anxious for an absent member of the family to return. We long and look for

his return. We are so glad to see him. Christians ought to be longing to depart

and be with the Lord. We ought to be looking forward fondly to that meeting.

The church is a body. Christ is the head of that body. The members of the

body must harmonize. There should be no friction in the body. "Now ye are

the body of Christ, and members in particular." (1 Cor. 12:27.) The members

of the body should have the same care one for another. The members of the

body must obey the head of the body.

The church is a bride. Christ is the bridegroom. "Husbands, love your

wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he

might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he

might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or

any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Eph. 5:25-

27.) What a beautiful picture of the bride of Christ!A faithful bride wears the name of her husband, and honors that name. So

it is with a faithful Christian. He will wear no other name, and he is jealous of

that name. He honors the name of Christ. A faithful wife bears her husband's

children and helps to bring them up right. A faithful church has additions

regularly and trains those babes in Christ in the way that they should go. I

have been told that a faithful wife takes the characteristics of her husband. I

know this is true of a faithful Christian. They become more and more like

Christ. ''For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.'' (Eph.

5:30.)

The church is the pillar and support of the truth. ''These things write I

unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: but if I tarry long, that thou

mayst know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God. which

is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.'' (1 Tim.

3:14, 15.) The members of the church are living epistles, known and read of

all men. Every member of the church should adorn the doctrine.

We should support the truth by sermon. God wants the gospel preached

to every creature under heaven. We are supporting the truth when we are

supporting men who are preaching the truth. Their hands must be held up

while they preach. We are supporting the truth when we walk in all the

ordinances and commandments of the Lord blameless. What a great support

this is! Too many times our efforts at winning souls are weakened because we

are not supporting the truth by keeping it ourselves. We are supporting the

truth when we are rendering service in the name of Christ to our fellow man.

We are not supporting the truth when we render this service in some name

other than the name of Christ. "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all

in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

(Col. 3:17.) ''Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all

ages, world without end.'" (Eph. 3:21.)