WORLD CHURCH

• Introduction
  
  "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoso­ever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:716.
  
  Jesus came into this sin-darkened world to reveal the character of God, to be our substitute, surety and Saviour, to overcome the devil, and to bestow upon His disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit. The written tes­timony of His life, from His baptism to His death, is that He went about doing good in ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of mankind.
  
  His life was an example for all His disciples to the end of time. He lived what He taught, and the twelve He ordained to lead realized, as we also must, that divine power comes only from a close connection with God.
  
  In God's infinite wisdom and mercy, we have inherited a pearl of great price in the great commission. Our work is to do as Jesus did and yield our will to the divine will so the glorious light of the gospel might be seen in the world. Matthew 24:14; 28:18-20; Mark 16:15, 16; Revelation 14:6-14; etc. The incarnation of Jesus, His life, death, resurrection, ascen­sion, ministry in the heavens, soon return, and the gift of grace by which we are saved through faith are all part of the gospel we are to preach in word and deed.
  
  The purpose of this volume is to present an outline of our generally agreed ways of working and to suggest organizational guidelines to help churches and their leaders follow more closely the example of Jesus. He showed us that there is no substitute for prayer, study of the Bible, and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.
  
  "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all church­es of the saints." "Let all things be done decently and in order." 1 Corinthians 14:33, 40.
  
  "The church of Christ is in constant peril. Satan is seeking to destroy the people of God, and one man's mind, one man's judgment, is not suf­ficient to be trusted. Christ would have His followers brought together in church capacity, observing order, having rules and discipline, and all subject one to another, esteeming others better than themselves. Union and confidence are essential to the prosperity of the church. If each mem­ber of the church feels at liberty to move independently of the others, tak­ing his own peculiar course, how can the church be in any safety in the hour of danger and peril? The prosperity and very existence of a church depend upon the prompt, united action action and mutual confidence of its members. When, at a critical time, one sounds the alarm of danger, there is need of prompt and active work, wit! hout stopping to question and canvass the whole subject from end to end, thus letting the enemy gain every advantage by delay, when united action might save many souls from perdition." -Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 445.
  
  We implore the Lord, who was, is, and will be the Head of His church, for His blessing upon this work.