FOLLOWING THE PATTERN JOHN SMART There is but little difference among scholars as to what the New Testament

church was like. Simplicity, brotherly love and mutual ministry were the keynotes. Scripture prophesies and history records a gradual departure from this pattern. Many today are content with this departure and aver either that God did not intend the church to follow New Testament precedent or that it is impracticable to do so in the twentieth century. But those who believe in the all-sufficiency of Scripture to guide our path in this world will have no trouble to answer the former. And those who believe that "God's commands are His enablements" will not hesitate to reject the latter. In this booklet, Mr. Smart proves that there has always been an effort to put this pattern into effect. This booklet is commended to all those who seek the Lord's will in their lives. JOHN SMART. born In Scotland In 1906 and raised in Victoria., B.C., was commended to the Lord's work in 1930. In 1938 he settled in Toronto, where he became a co-founder of Emmaus Bible School and a charter member of Missionary Service Committee. In 1951 the Smart family moved to New Jersey where the author was editor of The Fields Magazine (now "Missions) for many years. In 1965 the trustees of Emmaus Bible School in Oak Park, IL, invited him to become president of the school. which he was until his death in November of 1975.

FOLLOWING THE PATTERN A survey of New Testament Christianity and its continuance from apostolic times to the present. JOHN SMART Update to the Third Edition (1983) R. E. HARLOW Printed in U.S.A. by Gospel Folio Press P.O. Box 2041 Grand Rapids, MI 49501

CONTENTS Foreword, Alfred Mace..........................................4 Author's Note ........................................................ 6 Foreword to Third Edition, W. MacDonald...........7 Following the Pattern.............................................8 Our Pattern ............................................................10 Departure from the Pattern ...................................12 Early Protestants ...................................................13 Paulicians and Bogomils ......................................15 History and Practice of the Waldenses .................16 Luther's Churches and Schwenckfeld's Ideals ......18 Return to the Pattern: America...............................20 Russia ....................................................................21 British Isles ...........................................................21 Italy and British Guiana .......................................22 Malaya ..................................................................23 Following the Pattern Today ................................23 Conclusion.............................................................29 Third Edition Update, R.E. Harlow ......................30

FOREWORD Having read "Following the Pattern Through the Centuries," I find considerable pleasure in heartily recommending it to the Lord's people, as a necessary and helpful message. The tendency of the hour is drift and shallowness, curtailing the testimony of God and abbreviating it, as though nothing matters if only the sinner is saved and brought to sing, "There is no condemnation: there is no hell for me." Salvation is the introduction into a vast inheritance of spiritual wealth, if we will but appropriate it. To neglect, after being saved, to pursue the knowledge of His will, is to leave the soul dry and barren, shallow and incompetent. Plucking others from the fire, whilst admirable so far, is not the believer's sole occupation. It is a striking coincidence that both Peter and Paul, at their conversion, are brought face to face with intimation of blessing ahead, far beyond the matter of personal salvation! Peter is called "Cephas," a stone -to be built up with other "living stones," into a spiritual house, the dwelling place of God -an holy temple in the Lord. Paul is arrested with, "Why persecutest thou Me?" His Body is on the earth. Here we find two aspects of the Church, God's Temple and Christ's Body, in anticipation, and now expressed by every divinely instructed Christian assembly. In tracing the history of God's people through the centuries, the author has called attention to the heartyearing and desire of these men of God as they sought to know and reproduce the divine pattern for the assembling of the redeemed. They found their craving satisfied in the all-sufficiency of Christ as Lord and Head, in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, and in the "it is written" of the inspired Scriptures. Certain minor differences there may have been, but these were the controlling and all-sufficient principles of their actions collectively. "Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." This message was written to the family of God in the earliest moments of the Church's history and needs reiterating in clarion tones today, especially, though by no means exclusively, among the younger members of the family. Trusting that many will procure and profit by this contribution to the truth, Yours heartily, Alfred Mace

AUTHOR'S NOTE This address was originally delivered, and is now printed, to emphasize three points: (1) that in the New Testament Scriptures God has a pattern for His people concerning Church constitution, practice, and testimony; (2) that the present-day assembly movement is not without precedent, but is a continuation of the honest attempt of believers in every century to follow the divine pattern; (3) to show by a survey of recent developments in various continents that the original pattern needs no revision and is as workable in the twentieth as in the first century. This pamphlet is sent forth in the hope that it may prove helpful to some who seem not to realize the value of the distinctive truths practiced by assemblies throughout the world. In preparing these pages several standard Church histories have been consulted. The writer wishes to acknowledge especial indebtedness to "The Pilgrim Church" by E. H. Broadbent. Helpful material has also been gleaned from "Look on the Fields," edited by James Stephen. February, 1939 FOREWORD TO THE THIRD EDITION Mr. Smart's booklet "Following the Pattern" is a splendid reminder that God has had a faithful remnant down through the centuries. While the professing church had become corrupt and decadent, there were loyal hearts who sought to adhere to the Scriptural pattern. At no time did the Lord leave Himself without a witness. The author has done us a real service in tracing this godly line, sparing us the task of wading through

volumes of church history to find it. I am glad that the booklet is being reprinted, and hope it will encourage its readers to "follow the pattern" in our own day. William MacDonald San Leandro, California

FOLLOWING THE PATTERN THROUGH THE CENTURIES "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain," said the woman of Samaria. She seemed to feel that her fathers' example warranted her continuation in the temple practices on Mt. Gerizim. In every age there have been those of similar sentiments. But the mere fact that our fathers worshipped in this way or that proves nothing. They may have been right. Again, they may have been entirely wrong. Regarding spiritual matters, everyone should have his own convictions, based on the very highest authority, the Holy Scriptures. Revelation from God led Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees and to renounce the religion of his fathers. "I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee," cried Paul, but it was not Phariseeism that satisfied his heart. John Luther was a resolute adherent of the Roman Catholic Church, but his son, Martin, the great reformer, did not consider his father's faith binding upon him. It is cause for thankfulness that he repudiated the yoke his father had borne. Martin Luther was not prepared to accept conditions as he found them. Indeed, from earliest times God's picked men have been non-conformists. Hezekiah, finding the nation in a state of spiritual decline, called the people to observe the Passover as it was done in the happier days of Solomon's reign. Josiah, in a time of similar decline, went a step further in calling for an observance of the Passover as it was celebrated in the days of Samuel. And following the chastening experiences of the Babylonian captivity, Ezra read the book of the law to the people and taught them to observe the Passover as it was instituted by Moses. He went right back to the beginning. He was satisfied with nothing short of what was written in the Book, where God had outlined the purposes of the feast and how it should be celebrated. It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of divine order. A valuable lesson in this connection may be learned from David's experiences. He determined to bring up the. ark of the Lord from Kirjath-jearim to Jerusalem, but failed in his first effort because he adopted the Philistine method of using a new cart drawn by oxen. When God showed his displeasure at this, David was perplexed and inquired of the scribes what appointment God had made for carrying the ark. On learning the "due order" from the book of the law, David called together the Levites, who sanctified themselves and bore the ark on their shoulders to Jerusalem. This venture was entirely successful, for "God helped the Levites." God is still waiting for true Levites who will bear the ark of His testimony upon their shoulders. Wherever the "due order" is observed, God's blessing may be confidently expected. The first recorded utterance of the Son of God is "Lo, I come to do Thy will, 0 God." While upon earth it was His meat and drink to do the will of Him that sent Him. "Thy will be done" was the keynote of the Master's life. So was it with His worthy servant Paul. "The God of our fathers," said Ananias as he laid his hands on Paul, "hath chosen thee that thou shouldest know His will ... " The grace of God bestowed upon him was not in vain. Knowing and doing God's will became the master-passion of his life. OUR PATTERN Knowing God's will is essential to effective service. Uncertainty regarding His design for the Church cannot but lead to endless confusion. Moses was given the pattern of the tabernacle when in the mount with God and was repeatedly admonished to build according to that pattern. No departure from the original would be tolerated. God's will was expressed; Moses obeyed. We, too, have been given a pattern to follow. The will of God for His people today is outlined clearly in the New Testament. In centuries past, many, at the cost of imprisonment, the rack, and the flames have sought to carry out the "due order." Turning with indifference from what God has recorded for our guidance can only result in shame and loss. In the Book of the Acts the Holy Spirit has supplied a record of developments in the early Church which constitutes an abiding pattern for churches everywhere. This record impresses us with the simplicity of apostolic churches. Much that is now considered essential to church life -creeds, constitution, vestments, ritual, priestly class, etc., was nowhere in evidence then. "All that believed were together" drawn together through common life in Christ, evidenced by their steadfast continuance "in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42). The New Testament doctrine of the Church is of great importance and can scarcely be over-emphasized. Indeed, all hope of perpetuating Biblical Christianity lies in the church, or Christian community. The isolationist policy of some Christians is futile. Unattached believers pursuing a path of individualistic Christianity are not found in the New Testament. The truly spiritual individual will always be concerned about corporate Christianity.

Two important reasons for planting churches wherever believers were found are: (1) that the work might be consolidated and that perpetuity might be secured to the ministry of the gospel; and (2) that by assembling themselves together believers might be edified through the ministry of gifted brethren and that they might ob

serve the Lord's Supper in keeping with His desire. The Person of Christ was the gathering Center of the apostolic churches. The Holy Spirit united all believers to the risen Lord and to one another and gathered them together in such a fashion as to express this unity. He was the Director and Controller of these gatherings, equipping whom He would for ministry and exercising whom He would to lead the church in praise. The priesthood of believers was not only recognized but acted upon. Worship, fellowship, and testimony characterized the churches. Their functions had bearings Godward, Church-ward, and world-ward. Every believer was a witness for Christ. "They that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word." At Antioch the first Gentile church was planted, the result of the labors of these earnest believers. Here we have a splendid example of gospel activity; here we find a pattern church. Without help or direction from any of the apostles, the church at Antioch was planted. The work bore the hallmark of the Holy Spirit. It was in no sense dependent upon, or under the jurisdiction of, the first church at Jerusalem. There was no central authority which directed operations. The assembly at Antioch recognized responsibility to the Lord alone and sought to act in dependence upon the Holy Spirit (Acts 13: 1-4). But while no association of churches existed, fellowship was promoted by the visits of brethren, such as Barnabas, who came ministering the Word. Thus each church, "holding the Head," indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and holding fast the faithful word, had "its seed within itself." The winds of persecution, far from wiping out these groups of believers, served only to broaden the sphere of their testimony. The rapid spread of the truth was unchecked by the violent opposition experienced in every quarter. The stoning of Stephen and beheading of James inflamed the zeal of believers until the impact of Christianity was felt not only by a decadent Judaism but also by the paganism of imperial Rome. As some of Rome's national institutions crumbled, every resource was employed by successive emperors to extinguish the churches but in vain.

DEPARTURE FROM THE PATTERN The Church emerged in triumph from the dreadful persecutions from without, but did not escape the effects of evil workers within. "Grievous wolves," of whom Paul warned, entered in, "not sparing the flock." "Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch ..." (Acts 20:29-31). Alas, that the "watching" was neglected. The New Testament affords evidence that men did arise, speaking perverse things and making havoc of the churches. Men of the Hymenaeus and Diotrephes types (2 Tim. 2: 17, 18; 3 John 9, 10) were among the early disturbers of the peace. Love of preeminence, which the Lord alone should have, coupled with lack of exercise among believers, paved the way for the rise of a spiritual aristocracy which soon marred the simple order of the early churches. The development of a clerical system under the supervision of bishops who, in turn, were controlled by higher officials known as metropolitans, culminated in the establishment of the Roman Catholic hierarchy which governed virtually all the western churches. That such a confederacy of churches is not contemplated in the New Testament is supported by the fact that until the fourth century no definite organization was known among the churches of Syria and Persia, and when first proposed, met with strenuous opposition.

EARLY PROTESTANTS The growth of this system was necessarily gradual, and the conscience of multitudes accommodated itself to the change. This departure from the Scriptural pattern was attended by increasing worldliness which led certain elements among the churches to seek a deeper spiritual experience and to protest the assumptions of the clergy. In Asia Minor in the second century, the Montanists,* so named from Montanus, one of their leaders, resisted the efforts of the bishops to assume control of the churches and endeavored to establish groups of believers upon New Testament principles. Tertullian, probably the greatest figure among Montanists, wrote: "Where but three are, and they of the laity also, yet there is a church." Much needed reform was practiced among these Christians, who sought to live in expectation of the Lord's return and to recognize the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit in the churches, to whose fellowship none but believers were admitted. Much of the literature of these early protestants has disappeared, but sufficient remains to prove that from apostolic times an unbroken succession of churches maintained, in greater or lesser degree, the principles of

Scripture. In the third century, *While conceding that certain excesses in regard to prophetic gifts were found among Montanists, it has been remarked that "their moral earnestness and zeal against worldliness, hierarchism and false spiritualism, rendered important service to the Church." (See Kurtz's Church History on "The Montanistic Reformation.") believers known as Cathars (from Cathari: the pure-living), unable longer to endure the conditions existing in the prevailing church system, left and formed separate companies. Some of these linked themselves with churches already maintaining apostolic practice, thus giving fresh impetus to a work which spread widely and continued as late as the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. From the time that Christianity became the state religion of Armenia, followed by the union of the Church with the Roman Empire, growth in worldliness and departure from the teachings of Scripture were marked and rapid. An unscrupulous clergy aspired to both spiritual and temporal lordship over mankind. The abuses which obtained within the dominant church knew no bounds. Nations were in almost total servitude to this tyrannical system which forced its claims at the point of the sword. Yet, in the midst of all this, paying dearly for their faithfulness, were churches practicing what the Scriptures taught and passing on to succeeding generations the divine pattern for their guidance. Their history is but fragmentary, owing to the systematic destruction of most of their literature by their opponents. Evidence remains, however, to indicate that primitive churches were to be found in parts of Asia Minor, Armenia, and eastward across the Euphrates. The existence of these companies of apostolic Christians can only be explained on the ground of their fidelity to the Scriptures as their sole authority in matters of doctrine and practice. The labors of godly men who devoted themselves to visiting and encouraging these churches fostered a measure of fellowship, but did not result in the establishment of any central controlling authority. They recognized each church as directly responsible to the Lord and dependent upon the Holy Spirit for guidance and ministry. PAULICIANS AND BOGOMlLS For no apparent reason the name "Paulician" was applied to these congregations of believers, who, during the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries, labored assiduously in the face of suffering to maintain the truths of the Gospel and of the Church. Unchecked by the dreadful persecution of the Empress Theodora, whose inquisitors, it is claimed, occasioned the death of one hundred thousand persons, the testimony of these believers continued until the seventeenth century when "Paulicians" were still to be found in Bulgaria. In the tenth century there was a large movement of Paulicians into Bulgaria where many converts were won and churches planted. In some areas they came to be known as "Bogomils" (Friends of God). Persecution pressed them into Serbia, thence into Bosnia where their work developed remarkably. Bosnia, no longer a Catholic country at the close of the twelfth century, enjoyed a time of prosperity unequalled before or since. These Bosnian congregations were characterized by the utmost simplicity as to their manner of worship (or conduct of services). There were elders among them selected by each church, also brethren gifted for ministering the Word who served as leaders. Meetings were frequently held in houses, reminiscent of apostolic times -"the Church which is in thy house." Their regular meeting houses were destitute of the usual ecclesiastical equipment. No altars were to be found, only plain tables on which rested a copy of the Scriptures. Their financial policy provided for the relief of the sick and the poor and for the support of those who traveled abroad ministering the gospel. Intercourse was enjoyed between the Bogomils and similar groups in France, Bohemia, and Italy, such as the Albigenses, Hussites, and Waldenses. These relations were undoubtedly based on the grounds of common adherence to Scripture which resulted in parallel church practice in these various localities.

HISTORY AND PRACTICE OF THE WALDENSES Regarding the history of the Waldenses of the Piedmont valleys, the following paragraph from "The Pilgrim Church" is illuminating. "The brethren in the valleys never lost the knowledge and consciousness of their origin and unbroken history there. When from the fourteenth century onward the valleys were invaded and the people had to negotiate with surrounding rulers, they always emphasized this. To the Princes of Savoy, who had" had the longest dealings with them, they could always assert without fear of contradiction the uniformity of their faith, from father to son, through time immemorial, even from the

very age of the Apostles. To Francis I of France they said, in 1544: 'This Confession is that which we have received from our ancestors, even from hand to hand, according as their predecessors in all time and in every age have taught and delivered.' A few years later to the Prince of Savoy they said: 'Let your Highness consider that this religion in which we live is not merely our religion of the present day, or a religion discovered for the first time only a few years ago, as our enemies falsely pretend, but it is the religion of our fathers and of our grandfathers, yea, of our forefathers and of our predecessors still more remote. It is the religion of the Saints and of the Martyrs, of the Confessors and of the Apostles.' When they came into contact with the Reformers in the sixteenth century they said: 'Our ancestors have often recounted to us that we have existed from the time of the Apostles. In all matters nevertheless we agree with you, and thinking as you think, from the very days of the Apostles themselves, we have ever been consistent respecting the faith.' "On the return of the Vaudois (Waldenses) to their valleys, their leader, Henry Arnold, in 1689 said: 'That their religion is as primitive as their name is venerable is attested even by their adversaries,' and then quotes Reinarius the Inquisitor who, in a report made by him to the Pope on the subject of their faith, admits, 'they have existed from time immemorial.' 'It would not,' Arnold continues, 'be difficult to prove that this poor band of the faithful were in the valleys of Piedmont more than four centuries before the appearance of those extraordinary personages, Luther and Calvin and the subsequent lights of the Reformation. Neither has their church ever been reformed, whence arises its title of Evangelic. The Vaudois are in fact descended from those refugees from Italy, who, after St. Paul had there preached the gospel, abandoned their beautiful country and fled, like the woman mentioned in the Apocalypse, to these wild mountains, where they have to this day handed down the Gospel, from father to son, in the same purity and simplicity as it was preached by St. Paul.' " How wonderful that through the Dark Ages, almost under the shadow of the Vatican, these faithful souls practiced apostolic Christianity as handed down from Paul's day. Their testimony contributed in goodly measure to the light that dawned upon Europe through the Reformation. The Holy Scriptures were recognized among these brethren as the final authority in matters of doctrine and practice. They preached justification by faith alone, which afterward became the war cry of the Reformation. Their church order was free of elaborate ritual. Matters of discipline and recognition of leaders were handled by the whole church. They observed the Lord's Supper, dispensing bread and wine to all believers, and baptized by immersion all who were identified with their churches. It was regarded the duty of each church to provide for the poor and infirm. Hostels were erected for all such, where sisters devoted themselves to nursing the sick. The work of the Hussite brethren in the fifteenth century was in large measure due to Waldensian influence. This prepared the people of Bohemia for the preaching of John Huss, who received his doctrine from John Wycliffe of England. The great work carried on by these brethren was somewhat marred by tendencies toward organized government of the churches, to union of Church and State, and to rather general use of arms in warfare. Still, there were settlements among them whose simple church order led a visiting Polish nobleman to exclaim: "Verily, it seemed to me, when I observed and inquired about everything, that I was in the church at Ephesus or Thessalonica, or some other apostolic church; there I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears such things as we read in apostolic letters ..." LUTHER'S CHURCHES AND SCHWENCKFELDS IDEALS The rising tide of iniquitous Romanist practices, though challenged for centuries by Bogomils, Waldenses, and others, met with more effective opposition in the sixteenth century. Martin Luther, a young monk of Erfurt, exercised about his soul's salvation, was encouraged by his superior, von Staupitz, to read the works of Tauler. Justification by faith became a matter of experience with him, and he began a work which robbed the Roman See of much pontifical glory. His activities so incensed Pope Leo X that he issued a bull expelling Luther from the Roman Catholic Church. "Nothing remained for him," observes Mosheim, "but to attempt to found a new church, opposed to that of Rome, and to establish a system of doctrine consonant to the Holy Scriptures." Luther's earlier writings indicate that he contemplated planting churches after the New Testament pattern but finally substituted a National or State Church system for that of independent churches. "Once the new

church was put under the power of the State it could not be altered, but Luther never pretended that the churches which he had established were ordered after the pattern of the Scriptures ... and frequently expressed his regret for the lost liberty of the Christian man and independence of the Christian congregation that had once been his aim" ("The Pilgrim Church"). Zwingle, the Swiss reformer, trod the same path by introducing the State Church program in Zurich. The splendid work of these reformers might have proven far more effective had they clung to the principles of the New Testament and refused National Church policy which is necessarily subversive of the true ground of Christian fellowship. Quotations from the writings of Schwenckfeld, a contemporary of Luther, show what persistent exercise there was regarding the maintenance of apostolic ideals among believers. "If we would reform the church," said he, "we must make use of the Holy Scriptures and especially of the Acts, where it is clearly to be found how things were in the beginning ... The Scripture knows no others (assemblies) than those which acknowledge Christ as their Head and willingly yield themselves to be ruled by the Holy Spirit, Who adorns them with spiritual gifts and knowledge." RETURN TO THE PATTERN: AMERICA From time to time during the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, movements in various European countries resulted in partial return to Biblical church practice. The new world also was similarly affected. Following the American Declaration of Independence, the Methodists, no longer controlled from abroad, decided to establish an episcopal system. A minority urged the congregational system and desired that churches be patterned on New Testament lines. These withdrew from the larger body and in North Carolina and Virginia planted churches which recognized no head save the Lord Jesus and accepted the Scriptures alone as their charter and guide. Shortly afterwards a movement akin to this took place among Baptists in the Eastern States. Several ministers were identified with this work of spreading the gospel and founding churches which recognized no basis of fellowship other than faith in Christ and godliness of life. These believers were known simply as "Christians" and accepted the Word of God as their rule of faith and conduct. Farther west, in Kentucky, a Presbyterian minister named B. W. Stone, after considerable exercise felt he could no longer endorse any religious party. He gave up his salary and worked on his farm for support while he continued to preach. At length he met with his congregation on ground which they considered identical with that of primitive churches. These Christians meeting at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, in 1804 thought they were the first church to be governed by apostolic principles since the general decline in the time of Constantine. This small gathering marked the commencement of a work which spread rapidly westward. These three movements arose quite independently and when they afterwards contacted each other, found they had much in common. They unitedly carried on aggressive gospel work and encouraged their converts to walk in the simplicity of the New Testament churches. RUSSIA Early in the nineteenth century a remarkable work of the Holy Spirit was seen in Russia among Christians known as "Stundists." "These Russian believers went to the Word and, uninfluenced by the practices that prevailed around them, came straightway to the conviction that the New Testament teaching and pattern was the baptism of believers by immersion, and in their thorough consistency immediately put this into practice, so that it became universal among those who believed. They apprehended, too, that the breaking of bread was the Lord's command and was for believers only, and on this apprehension they also acted. The clerical system of the Orthodox Church disappeared as they understood from the Scriptures the constitution of the Church and the churches, the priesthood of all believers, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the gifts and the liberty of ministry He gives for rule in the churches, for edifying the saints, and for spreading the Gospel among all men" ("The Pilgrim Church"). THE BRITISH ISLES While these movements were progressing in America and Russia, believers in the British Isles were exercised regarding the possibility of a return to Scriptural teaching concerning church order and testimony. Truth respecting the oneness of the Lord's people was appreciated by some who lacked opportunity of

expressing that unity. Desire to act upon Scriptural principles of gathering led some Christians in Dublin to meet in a private house for Bible study, prayer, and the breaking of bread. About the same time another similar group came together in Dublin without knowledge of the other's existence. Shortly afterwards they discovered each other and were united, seeing their basis of fellowship and objectives were identical. Concerning these meetings, one of their number, Anthony Norris Groves, stated: "This, I doubt not, is the mind of the Lord concerning us: that we should come together in all simplicity as disciples, not waiting on any pulpit or minister, but trusting the Lord would edify us together by ministering as He pleased and saw good from the midst of ourselves." This statement shows the original purpose of these assemblies. These developments were by no means localized. Gatherings, unknown to each other, sprang up spontaneously in various parts of the British Isles. That this was the direct result of the Holy Spirit's activity there can be little doubt since it was in no way fostered by conference. ITALY AND BRITISH GUIANA Believers in other parts of the world were similarly exercised. A group of evangelical Christians, using the Word of God alone as their guide, came together in Florence, Italy, early in the last century. It is probable this group existed before the work in Dublin began. In British Guiana, Leonard Strong, Church of England rector, was led through reading of the Scriptures to renounce his connection with the Establishment. In simple New Testament manner he and Mrs. Strong began to meet with five freed negro slaves and thus laid the foundation of an extensive work in that colony. MALAYA A recently published volume entitled "Look on the Fields" gives an interesting account of developments in Malaya. "About this time God was working in Singapore in the hearts of some of the people. A few English and Eurasian believers engaged in business there were distressed by the conditions prevailing in the Church, and had been meeting for prayer and reading of the Scriptures in each other's houses. They were then, as they have left it on record, 'led to see the duty as well as privilege of assembling together on the first day of the week, after the manner of the early churches, for the breaking of bread and Christian worship.' Thus seven believers began to meet together in a hired room. This was in July, 1864. Independently of those just mentioned, God was working in the hearts of some Chinese Christians there. Mr. Tan See Boo who had come down from China, sent as an evangelist by the missionaries there to work among the Chinese in Singapore, felt constrained from his reading of the Scriptures to send in his resignation and to adhere more closely to the Word of God. Soon a number of believers gathered with him and a Chinese assembly was formed." The spontaneity of all this is truly remarkable. FOLLOWING THE PATTERN TODAY It was in 1825 that assemblies came into existence in the British Isles. The persistence of their testimony and adherence to original ideals for over a century is indicated by the following extract from an article which appeared in the Victoria, B.C., Daily Colonist (June 7, 1936): "There is a group of Christians in this city indeed, there are several groups -whose Sunday morning service follows no 'order of service,' is conducted by no minister, parson, or priest, at which no one knows, as the hour of worship draws near, who will take part or who will begin the service or open the meeting. This group has no chosen leader, no ordained person, no deacon, elder, church warden, minister's assistant, acolyte, bishop, or archdeacon. "The Christians have no denominational name other than what the law compels under the Societies Act of British Columbia, which also prescribes the appointment of trustees and an official who is legalized to perform the marriage ceremony. "The regular gatherings of these believers is devoid of anything ecclesiastical. The meeting place is not called a church, because that term, as found in the New Testament, has a spiritual significance and reflects to the spiritual body of Christ... "The whole setting and procedure here is rigidly nonecclesiastical. There is neither pulpit or altar, no choir, nor organ, nor orchestra; there is no choirmaster or precentor, and the hymns end without an 'Amen.' Ritual and liturgy are absent. There are no gowns or surplices, no processional, no cross, no ushers, no presiding

officer, and at the evening service no collections are taken. There is no Book of Common Prayer, nor Missal, nor Book of Common Order. There is just the Bible and a hymn book. "These people disclaim any name, as implying denominationalism. The early believers in Christ were 'first called Christians at Antioch.' Therefore the Signboard reads 'Christians meet here.' Enrolled of necessity under the Societies' Act, they are legally known as 'Christian Brethren' ... A continuation of New Testament Christianity is the ideal aimed at. (Italics inserted.) "The morning meeting is purely for the celebration of the Lord's Supper and for worship. The evening meeting is for the preaching of the Gospel. It is evangelistic ..." Describing the morning service, the writer continues: "Arranged in a hollow square are plain chairs and in the center is a plain table, on which are a loaf of bread and two goblets of wine. There is silence. No person is in charge. No minister is in the pulpit, no priest at the altar. "The pulpit desk stands outside the square of fellowship. There never is an altar. All are in a waiting attitude. Again, let it be said, there is no leader. There is no visible president and an entire absence of organization. 'Christ is recognized as the Head of His Body,' and the Holy Spirit the director of worship. Now, one speaks a few words of exhortation and prays. A hymn is announced and sung unaccompanied. There is a Bible reading with brief comments, a hymn. Later, one rises and breaks the loaf in two. On two plates it is passed from hand to hand, all sitting, each taking off a piece of bread. The goblets of wine are passed. The elements are covered with a white cloth. "Plates are passed again from hand to hand for an offering. After a hymn, one of the younger men gives a well-spoken homily. An announcement is made. Soon the hour is past. All has been deliberate, reverent, prayerful. Each carries a Bible and the Scripture passages referred to are turned up by the listeners. Indeed, the Bible is textbook, manual, guide book of rules, articles of constitution, and all. The brethren settle all matters by the Word of God. "While no elections take place, men of certain gifts are naturally given opportunity to exercise them. An unappointed group of tried men become an informal executive. Here is not so much a democracy as a theocracy. There is no ordained minister and no salaries. Those who took part were ready of speech. "The missionary spirit is active among the brethren of the world, who have, in all, a thousand (now over twelve hundred) missionaries in the foreign field. Several young men have gone to the foreign field from the local assemblies. Very noticeable was the large number of young men and young women. The largest young people's Bible classes in the city are probably to be found among the brethren." This descriptive extract is from the pen of a disinterested observer, the late Rev. Dr. J. K. Unsworth. While failure has marked this movement, as every other, continuation of New Testament Christianity is still the objective of thousands of assemblies whose testimony is more widespread and effective than is generally known. A survey of their missionary effort reveals almost startling results in some lands. Proceeding on the principle that every believer should be a witness for Christ, self-propagation has characterized much of the assembly work abroad. "The city of Buenos Aires is a most outstanding example of this; thirty years ago there were only two churches, with their various branch efforts; today there are fortyfive * , and there are not wanting signs to show that this activity will go on spreading and increasing. The work is largely self-propagating, so that it becomes practically impossible to say how many assemblies have been formed in the Republic, but we can certainly state that they are well over one hundred" ("Look on the Fields"). Reports from a missionary in the Belgian Congo tell of an assembly from which about one hundred native workers, largely self-supporting, have gone forth to evangelize their *Now nearly sixty. fellows! Another assembly in the Belgian Congo has sent forth and supports one hundred and thirty full-time evangelists. Decentralization is the aim there. No native worker is encouraged by funds from "home" lands. The African churches are thus made to feel the burden of evangelizing Africa. Concerning all this, questions will naturally arise. Are such ideals practicable? Is this program adequate? Does not such work call for some central authority to direct operations? The following quotations may answer these questions. "From an intimate knowledge and residence in the Russian border states for many years, one may say that one is unaware of a single English or American missionary of any denomination who

has had the permission of the Soviet Government to live and preach in Russia, neither have we known a nonRussian who has been able to labor freely in the land. Among the Russian believers alone, therefore, we must ascertain the reason why there has been an enormous increase in the number of assemblies. Across Russia there are tens of thousands of believers in assemblies. We will not here attempt to deal with the numbers as given from various sources, many of which are rather exaggerated. Perhaps some indication may be found in the fact that while in 1914 there were comparatively few, by the year 1929, there were registered in Government archives no less than 3400 assemblies. In the Spring of 1936, I was informed personally by a leading Russian brother, well known in assemblies in Russia, and who has not left the country for 21 years, that the 3400 assemblies of 1929 had increased to 6000. When we remember that in Great Britain there are about 1500 assemblies, we can better understand how deeply and widely these principles hold the Russian people" ("Look on the Fields"). No organized missionary effort lies behind this great work. It is the outcome of the Holy Spirit's activity through these Russian Christians. This is a striking example of the operation of apostolic principles in the twentieth century. A missionary in Portuguese West Africa reports the following in The Witness (Dec. 1938): "One African, now an elder in the native assembly, but I had known him as a lad, told me a wonderful story of what the Lord had done through his ministry while working for over nine years on the cocoa plantations, where upwards of nine hundred converts are now to be found scattered in some fifty assembly groups in the various plantations ... In another place we photographed forty elders who were responsible for as many groups with their fellow elders. These were freely giving their time, not only to shepherding their little assemblies, but to teaching schools in their own and other villages. They supported themselves by their labor in their spare time, and the native assemblies, including the white missionaries, contributed to their support, the assembly offerings each month being divided among them. The above is but a small part of what could be told of the movements of the Holy Spirit ..." In the past eighteen years a remarkable work has been promoted in China by Chinese believers not connected with any mission or denomination. Of the leader of this movement we read in The Witness (Nov. 1938): "It was borne in upon him that he ought to move out and make known the Gospel message. This he was enabled to do with the result that today he knows of over 300 assemblies in scattered parts, composed of 10 or 12 or even 800 or 900 in fellowship. There are now over 120 who are serving the Lord in different parts. He knows of workers who are on the borders of Tibet, others in Malaya, and some in Siam." Russia, Africa, and China unite to testify to the sufficiency of the Spirit of God and the Word of God for the need of today. ****** CONCLUSION "What shall we then say to these things?" Do they not provoke exercise of heart? The reader is urged to question himself regarding his attitude and relationship to such signal movement of the Holy Spirit. Is he in sympathy with it? Does he endorse it by active support? Seeing that from apostolic times to the present day the brightest, clearest testimony to truths concerning the Gospel and the Church has been maintained by those who sought to adhere to the Scriptural path for God's people, ought not we to tread this path also? Can we improve upon the truth of the Gospel as preached by the Apostle Paul? Never! Can we improve upon Scriptural principles relating to the gathering of God's people? No, indeed! Gospel truth and Church truth are the same for the twentieth as for the first century. They require no revision. We affirm that the modernist has no right to fritter away the truth of the Gospel; what right, then have we to whittle down or ignore any part of Church truth? The greatest need of the Church and the world today is a strong testimony to the Word of God and every truth it contains, expressed in personal piety and in church relations. The measure in which we respond to the truth of God is the measure in which we promote His glory. ****** "0 Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust ... And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."

UPDATE FOR THIRD EDITION (1983) by R. E. Harlow Mr. Smart's thesis is that there have always been groups of Christians meeting together according to New Testament principles. This was true when he wrote his booklet and it is still true today. *Metropolitan Buenos Aires now has over 100 assemblies. In Zaire (formerly Belgian Congo) the missionary staff in the south was largely depleted in 1960 but many African assemblies are still carrying on. E.g., in Katoka area, missionaries left about 45 assemblies when they were forced to leave in 1972. By 1983 there were 65 or more. In Angola all but a handful of missionaries were obliged to leave the country when a Marxist government took over. Despite systematic oppression there are 500 assemblies existing and functioning today. In the Philippines the number of assemblies has increased from 6 to 65 in 20 years; in Japan from 32 to 76 during the same period; in Papua, New Guinea from 20 to 150 in 15 years. Jamaica has 73 assemblies virtually without missionary help. In Honduras the number of assemblies has grown from 50 to 120 in 15 years; in Bolivia from 50 to 160 in 12 years; in Peru from 21 to 85 in 15 years.Growth has also been seen in Africa: in South Africa the number of assemblies increased from 24 to 75 in 20 years; in Chad from 14 to 415 in 20 years. It is reliably reported that there are up to a million "house churches" in Mainland China. These little congregations meet together simply as Christians, without any name, or any local or central denominational control. They pray together and comfort and strengthen one another from the Scriptures. They have no Head except Christ and He is quite adequate. * In India, missionary work is greatly declining but there are over 900 assemblies and 300 Indian evangelists supported by assemblies in India. Many of these have gone to the northern states where Hinduism is very strong and the opposition bitter. Wherever believers endeavor to meet together according to New Testament principles, the Lord will surely bless them.