What is the boundary of the Local Church?

[Steel]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

Yes, great question.

In the LRC I met in Houston (200), Irving (100), Odessa (<100), NYC (300).

While you were meeting with these members of the body of Christ... Were you caring for all members of His body in those cities?

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

Even if you considered yourself "one with all the Christians" in the city you couldn't possibly think that you were comprehensively one with them. There were obviously many, many meetings going on in the city of genuine Christians.

What's impossible for man, isn't for God.

I don't need to consider myself one with all the Christians"... I only need to believe that I am one with Christ... In Whom, and out of Whom comes His body.

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

So then the question becomes "Is one church in one city = all the Christians have to meet with us?" That is where the error comes in. No, all the Christians have to meet with Jesus, that is the only requirement.

Actually, that's not the question/consideration.

According to scripture, one church in one city is the already accomplished/established reality... What needs to be worked out is the entering of believers within the city into this already accomplished/established reality.

And no... Believers don't just "...meet with Jesus..." . . . We meet in Him and through Him... And unto Him.

And if a believer doesn't see and enter into this reality... They are outside of Christ... Even as we might claim otherwise.

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

If "one church one city" means that only our elders are the "authority" in the church here then that is the error.

Scripture tells us that Christ alone is the Head... And as the Head, He alone is the authority, both over, and within His one church.

If believers are unable to submit ourselves to this reality of Christ being our Head... Then how can there ever be a proper expression of Christ in anything that we express... Including the matter of eldership.

Maybe we can take a look at how God arranged things when Moses had to manage the couple million Israelites he was caring for.

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

If "one church one city" means that every other Lord's table meeting in this city is in division and sin, then that is the error.

Division doesn't come out of works... Division comes out of not caring for what God cares for.

Works simply expresses what a believer cares for.

How can we have the oneness of Christ expressed in and through the body of Christ if the body of Christ doesn't care about His oneness?

Caring for the oneness of the body of Christ... That's the ground we should stand on... And when we do... The reality of this is what is then expressed... In all that we are and do.

[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by Steel

While you were meeting with these members of the body of Christ... Were you caring for all members of His body in those cities?

That would require a very long and detailed response not appropriate for this thread, however if you open a new thread I would be happy to contribute.

Originally Posted by Steel

How can we have the oneness of Christ expressed in and through the body of Christ if the body of Christ doesn't care about His oneness?

I think this is something that grows as you mature in the Lord. However, the boundary is a key issue. WL and WN were correct to identify the importance of only one ground on which the Temple can be built.

This ground is the same place Abraham offered up his son in a figure. It indicates we have to be absolute for the Lord, we are a burnt offering, we must take the way of the cross, a path we can only walk by faith.

It is also the same ground purchased by David as a Peace offering to make up for his arrogance in numbering the children of Israel contrary to the Law. If you want to keep the oneness you will have sins, offenses, even sins of ignorance. You need to also be willing to pay the price to make peace. [That plague was certainly a result of the census that David authorized. At that time you had an agricultural society that was rural. When you raise cows, chickens, horses, sheep, goats, etc you will develop diseases like Mumps and Measles. If you get these as a child you will develop immunity, but if you get them as an adult you will get sick and die. This does not apply to those who come to Jerusalem to the feast because they would not come if they were sick or infirm. But a census taker would have gone in and out of homes where the sick, infirm, children and elderly would be. They would transmit diseases from one part of Israel to another. The law was very clear, the only way to take a census is to have each family give their local levite an offering in copper coins, the tally of the offering would give you a census. Copper is very good at not spreading disease.]

Originally Posted by Steel

Caring for the oneness of the body of Christ... That's the ground we should stand on... And when we do... The reality of this is what is then expressed... In all that we are and do.

Yes, my point in this thread is that this is what Matt 18 is talking about. It begins with "turning" from wanting to be "greatest" to "becoming like a small child". Our pride, arrogance and biases are a major cause of division. The second thing is to be very sensitive to the smallest saint being offended. If every saint is the "Body" then our body is covered with nerve endings to detect an attack. If a wolf is going to attack the sheep they'll attack the weakest members on the edge of the flock. Those saints will be your earliest indication of a problem. Also, if a saint stops meeting you need to seek out and find the lost sheep. Had we done this we would have discovered the truth of the Sister's rebellion and many other crimes committed by "wolves in sheep's clothing". Then it talks about resolving offences and with the strongest possible emphasis tells us to exhibit mercy towards one another.