Ron Halbrook

The Churches of Christ Disaster Response Team located in Tipp City, Ohio requests “financial donations from churches and individuals from across the globe” to provide “survivors of disasters with physical, emotional and spiritual help and guidance” (https://www.churchesofchristdrt.org/).

With good intentions, these folks have stepped outside the boundaries of Bible authority to create a rescue team.  We must say in all love that they themselves need to be rescued.  There is no Bible authority to create a human institution which receives donations from churches in order to do the work of the churches.  When we open the door to change the work and organization of the local church from the New Testament pattern, we open the floodgates for all sorts of departures, digressions, and apostasies.  That is what happened in the late 1800's among churches of Christ which began donating funds to human organizations for missionary work, educational endeavors such as colleges, and benevolence and social service programs.  This led to the gradual development of the Christian Churches and the Disciples of Christ which have embraced all sorts of denominational doctrines and practices.

Churches of Christ today are rapidly suffering the same disaster and are very much in need of a disaster response which returns to New Testament Christianity in work, worship, and organization.

The work of a local church is evangelism (1 Tim. 3:15), worship (Acts 2:42; 20:7), and  benevolence for the emergency needs of faithful saints (1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 8-9; Rom. 15:26).  Christ ordained each church to function independently and autonomously with the leadership of its own elders to accomplish this work (Acts 14:23; 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-3).

In Acts 11:27-30, the church in Antioch sent benevolence funds during a famine to the needs of saints in Judea by sending the funds to the elders to distribute to the members.  The local church in Antioch responded to the needs of saints in Judea by sending funds directly to the congregations where the need existed.  The local church was the rescue and response team ordained by God.  They did not donate funds to a human institution to do this work.

By the same token, local churches supported preachers directly but did not send funds to a human institution called The Churches of Christ Missionary Response Team to do this work.  Local churches conducted their own worship without asking help from a human institution called The Churches of Christ Worship Response Team financed with donations from other churches.

Furthermore, funds from local churches provided benevolence to faithful Christians, not to sinners in the world (Acts 2:44-45, “all that believed;” Acts 4:32-37,  “them that believed;” Acts 6:1-7, “the disciples;” Acts 11:27-30, “the brethren;” 1 Cor. 16:1-2, “the saints;” 2 Cor. 8:4, “the saints;” 2 Cor. 9:1, “the saints;” Rom. 15:26, “the poor saints;” 1 Tim. 5:16, “widows indeed”).  The Churches of Christ Disaster Response Team serves saints and sinners alike.

Individual Christians can and should help “all men” as they have opportunity according to Galatians 6:10 and James 1:27.  The context of these passages clearly shows this duty falls to individuals, not local churches (notice “a man” and the pronouns he, him, himself, oneself, etc.).

Individuals are free to use their personal funds for any righteous purpose (Acts 5:4).  If they organize charity institutions, educational institutions, and other service organizations, they should not ask churches to provide donations to them but should operate them without entangling churches.

Those who think all this is frivolous quibbling over nothing need to give serious attention to Matthew 7:21-23: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  When we attempt to do our many wonderful works outside the boundary of divine revelation, we practice iniquity or lawlessness (NKJV; ESV).  We can be rescued by doing “the will of my Father which is in heaven,” as Jesus commanded.