The Polity, Explained

Line by Line

ARTICLE II - Seat of Authority

Line 1. Each elder holds authority over his household, as Christ holds authority over the Church, through his humble service to his household.

Matthew 28:18 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."

The autonomy of the Family as the sanctified seat of authority in the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth is repeated here as in Article I it is stated first.

Leviticus 25:10 "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout [all] the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family."

This is in direct compliance with the wishes and will of God the Father and so the Polity emphasizes this in all it is to accomplished. Any institution that does not promote this article and precept is not of God.

Line 2. Each elder meeting in assembly must consider the needs of his household first and the needs of the congregation second bearing in mind:

Family is the building block of God's kingdom and Parens Patriae [obey the Father] is the foundation of all good government. Honoring Father and Mother are the core to the success of the community. As the family thrives in learning the lessons of compassion and sacrifice, diligence and service so also are these precepts generated in the community as a whole.

Though the family is the holder in trust of the dominion of God on earth in order to remain true to this responsibility the family must bear the name and character of God's mind in its mind to purify its actions and deeds.

1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity."

The heads of families come together to decide issues in a forum of consensus for the good of the family and the congregation and the community as a whole. Reason, patience, charity, love and faith become the glue and life blood of the community instead of force and compliance, regulation and control.

Ephesians 1:22-23 "And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him [to be] the head over all [things] to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all."

The Elder of the family is usually the eldest male but not always and individuals wishing to be a part of the congregation usually are sponsored by a family in the congregation. Like Abraham who expatriated from his own Father in Haran yet continued to tithe to the eldest head of the family from which he was descended, Shem. So, also individuals, foreigners and strangers, whether man or woman, generally form a relationship to the congregation through a Family they respect and are a part of in some form of domestic relationship.

Leviticus 25:41 "And [then] shall he depart from thee, [both] he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return."

It is the families and the families within families that present an impenetrable wall of respect and coverture for all in the kingdom for all times. Like any organic body the respect of the individual cell, individual or family is essential for the health of the whole body.

Romans 12:5 "So we, [being] many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."

In the Love of Liberty and the Liberty of Love, Faith, Hope and Charity flow amongst the members of the body or the body will die.

1 Corinthians 12:25 "That there should be no schism in the body; but [that] the members should have the same care one for another."

Denominations and divisions are foreign to the body of Christ for their is no doctrine greater in the Love of the LORD God than to love one another.

Complete ARTICLES I-X Explained and Terms defined
Complete Polity by References and Terms defined
http://www.hisholychurch.org/study/polity/articles.php

Line by Line
ARTICLE I - Congregations
ARTICLE II - Seat of Authority
ARTICLE III - Conscience of the Church
ARTICLE IV - The Church is the possession of God
ARTICLE V - Servants of the Kingdom and Mankind
ARTICLE VI - Bishops and Archbishops
ARTICLE VII - Church RITUALS AND CEREMONIES
ARTICLE VIII - The objective of the Church
ARTICLE IX - Preaching the good news of the Kingdom.
ARTICLE X - The prime directive of the Church.

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