How to Walk into a Room

Have you ever wondered whether the way most Christians 'do church' today is actually what Jesus envisioned? In Biblical Church: A Challenge to Unscriptural Traditions and Practice, Beresford Job invites you on a radical reconsideration of everything you think you know about church life. His core argument is bold: modern church structures, from clergy-led services to ornate buildings and denominational hierarchies, are not only unbiblical—they directly oppose the practices and teachings found in the New Testament.

Job contends that much of what defines church culture today stems from man-made traditions that grew after the Apostles died, when the Early Church Fathers replaced simple biblical practices with institutional systems of power and hierarchy. In the same way that the Reformers restored the gospel of salvation by grace, he argues that believers now need a reformation of church practice—a rediscovery of the living, participatory community Jesus and the Apostles intended. This reformation, he insists, will require courage, humility, and commitment to scripture over tradition.

The Problem with Today’s Church Traditions

Job begins by confronting uncomfortable truths. He explains that most Christians faithfully follow church practices that originated long after the New Testament was written. Far from continuing the Apostles’ methods, these traditions—from professional clergy and hierarchical authority to church buildings and silent congregations—mirror the mistakes of ancient Israel’s Pharisees, who allowed human interpretations to override divine revelation. Just as Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for making the Word of God 'void through your tradition,' Job contends that believers today are captive to modern versions of the same problem.

Recovering the Apostolic Vision

To recover the original vision, Job turns to the New Testament itself. He paints a picture of early Christian gatherings marked by simplicity, openness, and shared participation. Churches met in homes, not temples. Leadership was non-hierarchical and locally grown—elders were spiritually mature brothers recognized by their own communities, not appointed professionals sent from outside. Meetings were vibrant and collaborative, shaped by mutual edification: 'When you come together, everyone has a hymn, a word, a revelation.' The Lord’s Supper was not a ritual of bread and wine in solemn silence but a full communal meal celebrating love, grace, and fellowship.

These patterns reveal a church that was family—a living body guided directly by Christ as its head. Job emphasizes that this structure wasn’t optional or cultural; it was God’s design. To depart from it, he warns, is to lose the very dynamism that makes church life transformative. Reclaiming such simplicity is not nostalgia but obedience. The question he poses throughout the book is piercing: if we claim Jesus as Lord, should we not also do church as He commands?

Why This Matters Today

For Job, the implications are personal and urgent. Institutionalized church life—with its passivity, routine, and dependence on professional leaders—has stifled the growth and joy of believers. He sees in the modern church the same problem that once plagued Israel: reverence for human authority instead of divine scripture. To reject these unbiblical traditions, he says, is not division but restoration—returning Christ’s body to its rightful Head. The cry “Sola Scriptura” must ring again, not only for salvation but for how we live and gather as believers.

Throughout the book, Job supports his claims with meticulous historical and biblical evidence, tracing the evolution from the authentic biblical model to the hierarchical system of priests and bishops. He contrasts the dynamic early church—flexible, family-like, participatory—with the rigid institutional structures that dominate Christianity today. His challenge is clear and practical: abandon inherited traditions when they contradict scripture, and rebuild church life as the Apostles did. It’s not about creating perfect churches but faithful ones—communities that embody love, equality, participation, and biblical simplicity.

The Journey Ahead

In the rest of the book, you’ll explore how false tradition first appeared among Israel’s religious leaders, how the Early Church Fathers introduced hierarchical error, and how the genuine apostolic model can be recovered today. You’ll see detailed explanations of topics like biblical eldership, meeting in homes, open gatherings, and the Lord’s Supper as a shared meal. Job doesn’t just critique—he lays out practical steps for starting and nurturing truly biblical churches. Whether you are a pastor, elder, or simply a believer longing for authentic community, Job’s vision forces you to ask: what would it look like if we gave Jesus back His church?

Job opens his argument by comparing two types of tradition found in Scripture: God-ordained tradition and man-made tradition. God-ordained traditions are those handed down by the Apostles under divine inspiration—practices like baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and mutual ministry in the body of Christ. Man-made traditions emerge when human reasoning adds fences around God's commands, as happened with the Pharisees who built an intricate 'hedge' of regulations around the Mosaic law.

Lessons from the Pharisees’ “Fence”

To illustrate, Job recounts how post-exilic Jewish leaders developed secondary laws called Pilpul to prevent accidental violation of the Law—such as forbidding eating meat and dairy together because it might lead to 'boiling a kid in its mother’s milk.' Over time, these fence laws gained equal authority to Scripture itself. By the time of Jesus, the 'tradition of the elders' had superseded the written Word, leading the Pharisees to consider breaking man-made rules a greater sin than disobeying God’s actual commands. Jesus exposed such hypocrisy, declaring, 'You nullify the Word of God for the sake of your tradition.'

Job parallels this with modern Christianity’s elevation of human tradition—whether clerical roles, denominational systems, or church rituals—above biblical simplicity. Just as ancient rabbis confused obedience to God with loyalty to their own inventions, so too do modern Christians defend inherited practices that conflict with scripture. The comparison is sharp and convicting: when religion replaces revelation, God’s voice is silenced by the noise of human organization.

When Tradition Suppresses Truth

Job explains that every time believers elevate church customs over scripture, they replicate the Pharisees’ error. The tragedy is that such traditions often appear virtuous—emphasizing reverence, order, and unity—yet they subtly supplant Christ’s authority. For instance, insisting that only ordained priests can baptize, or that communion must occur in a consecrated building, makes human mediation necessary between believers and God. This dependency contradicts the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9), which Job presents as vital to understanding true church life.

Ultimately, he urges you to test every tradition by the Word of God. The question is simple: does this practice originate from the apostles’ teaching or from later church authorities? If scripture does not command it, Job warns, then embracing it inevitably “makes void the Word of God.” The lesson is timeless—God desires obedient hearts, not institutional loyalty. The challenge is yours: will you follow divine tradition or the comfortable patterns of men?

Job vividly portrays Jesus not merely as a gentle teacher but as a revolutionary reformer who declared open war on unbiblical traditions. Drawing on multiple gospel accounts, he shows that Jesus deliberately broke man-made laws—healing on the Sabbath, eating with tax collectors, and ignoring ceremonial handwashing—to expose religious hypocrisy. His actions weren’t random acts of defiance; they were calculated demonstrations that obedience to human systems can directly oppose obedience to God.

Provoking the Pharisees by Design

One striking example is Jesus healing a blind man using mud made from spittle on the Sabbath. According to the Oral Law, both healing on the Sabbath and smearing eyes with mud were explicitly forbidden. By doing both simultaneously—and publicly during a feast at Jerusalem’s busiest pool—Jesus starkly declared, 'Your law is not my Father’s law.' This deliberate confrontation mirrored his broader mission: to strip away religious layers that had buried the living truth of scripture beneath centuries of man-made restraint.

A Call to Radical Faithfulness

Job insists that Christians must approach modern church traditions with the same discernment Jesus displayed. Many religious structures today, though cloaked in reverence, similarly make obedience to human authority appear synonymous with obedience to God. Just as Jesus overturned the system that enslaved Israel under the Pharisees, believers are summoned to overturn patterns that keep Christ’s body passive and dependent on institutional control. Christ’s method was confrontation rooted in love—truth spoken so openly that it offended, but ultimately healed.

As Job tells it, Jesus’ campaign against the 'tradition of the elders' wasn’t about disrespecting heritage but restoring divine freedom. When people asked why His disciples broke the elders’ customs, Jesus asked pointedly, “Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” That question still rings today in pews and pulpits alike. Sometimes obedience requires rebellion—against systems that distort grace into routine and servanthood into hierarchy.

After establishing how Israel corrupted divine tradition, Job traces how the early Christian church repeated the same mistake. When the apostles died, a new generation of leaders—the Early Church Fathers—transformed church life from a shared family of believers into an authoritarian institution. Between AD 95 and AD 250, figures like Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Tertullian, and Cyprian gradually replaced participatory eldership with a priestly hierarchy modeled on Old Testament temple systems.

From Elders to Priests

Job demonstrates with historical citations how Clement introduced the first clergy/laity divide by comparing pastors to priests and members to laypersons. Ignatius escalated it by declaring that obedience to bishops was equivalent to obedience to Christ. Within a century, bishops held authority over multiple churches, and congregations were no longer led by local elders but by an institutional elite. By the time of Cyprian, the priesthood was said to act “in Christ’s stead” and offer sacrifices—a clear precursor to the Catholic Mass. These changes, Job argues, were not developments of biblical practice but reversals of it.

Apostolic Succession and Power

To justify this shift, the Fathers invented the doctrine of Apostolic Succession—the claim that their authority descended directly from the original apostles. This allowed bishops to present their teachings as infallible, even when contrary to scripture. Job compares this distortion to the Pharisees’ Oral Law, which pretended divine origin to secure control over God’s people. In both cases, human hierarchy replaced the Spirit’s guidance. The result was predictable: believers lost their sense of equality and participation, and the institutional church became 'a vast organization rather than a community of the Spirit.' (He quotes scholar John Drane’s similar conclusion.)

Job’s analysis is sobering yet hopeful—if hierarchy was introduced by men, it can be renounced by men. The priesthood of all believers stands as the biblical corrective: every Christian is a 'chosen people, a royal priesthood,' accountable directly to Christ, not an ecclesiastical chain of command. Restoring that truth, he says, could free Christianity from the shackles of religious bureaucracy and return churches to genuine spiritual brotherhood.

Once Job exposes the historical corruption of church government, he rebuilds its biblical counterpart from the ground up. According to the New Testament, church leaders are elders—spiritually mature brothers, not professional executives. Unlike modern pastors who hold positional authority, biblical elders lead by example and consensus. In Acts 20, Paul instructs church elders to 'be shepherds of God’s flock,' emphasizing service, humility, and shared oversight rather than dominance.

Consensus and Community

Job explores multiple passages—Acts 6, Acts 15, 1 Corinthians 5—to show that early church decisions were made collectively by all believers, not imposed from above. The apostles initiated discussions, but the gathered community decided together. Even serious issues like discipline required consensus: 'Tell it to the church,' Jesus commanded, not 'let the pastor decide.’ Job calls this pattern 'corporate discernment under the Spirit,' a model that honors Christ as the true Head of the Church.

The Unique Role of Elders

Elders, Job explains, are facilitators, not rulers. Their authority is moral, not positional—they lead from within, not above. The Greek term proistemi, often mistranslated as 'rule over,' actually means 'to stand before with care and diligence.' Elders serve because they have proven themselves trustworthy, not because they have titles. The true test of leadership is not seminary education but years of godly living known and observed by others. Leadership born of humility and character, Job says, prevents the abuses inherent in hierarchical systems.

By restoring collective participation and non-hierarchical eldership, churches can once again reflect the body of Christ where every member matters. The head is not man, but Jesus; the leaders are not CEOs, but brothers. Job’s vision of leadership is not less organized—it’s more divine, a teamwork under Christ that frees believers to contribute and grow. In this model, unity comes not through authority but through shared responsibility and mutual submission in love.

Perhaps Job’s most beautiful metaphor for church life is family. A biblical church, he writes, is not an organization—it’s an extended family of believers who share life, meals, joy, and mutual care. Just as families gather in homes, so early Christians met in homes because the home embodies intimacy, accountability, and participation. The church isn’t a crowd watching professionals perform; it’s a circle sharing Christ’s life together.

Form Follows Function

Job compares church structure to an airplane: its design must fit its purpose. The Lord’s design—small, home-based, participatory gatherings—enables believers to function as a family and spiritual body. Institutional formats—buildings, ceremonies, paid hierarchies—are like planes without wings: impressive on the runway but unable to fly. Biblical simplicity isn’t weakness; it’s divine design for deep fellowship and discipleship.

Shared Life and Accountability

When believers live as family, accountability becomes natural. You can’t hide behind a crowd or a Sunday routine; your brothers and sisters see your real life. This transparency enables spiritual growth. Relationships—marriage, parenting, friendship—become the primary arenas of sanctification. Job stresses that biblical church life forces believers out of isolation and into love that corrects, forgives, and matures through relational friction. Problems aren’t signs of failure; they’re opportunities for grace to shape character.

Ultimately, Job calls you to trade the comfort of anonymity for the adventure of family. It means commitment—sticking with one another even when it’s hard—and learning that discipleship isn’t just study, but shared life. The biblical church exists wherever believers gather as Christ’s household, under His headship and around His table. That’s not just theology—it’s home.

One of Job’s most compelling recoveries is of the Lord’s Supper as a full meal shared among believers rather than a somber ritual. He demonstrates from scripture that the original 'breaking of bread' was dinner—the main meal of the day—where believers celebrated Christ’s sacrifice and presence together. In the New Testament, communion was family fellowship, not ceremony. Job transforms your understanding of this central practice by showing how the meal embodies the gospel itself.

Past, Present, and Future in One Meal

The Lord’s Supper, Job explains, unites three dimensions of salvation: past (Christ’s death), present (our unity with Him and each other), and future (the promise of His return). As believers share bread and wine—and the rest of the meal—they remember the cross, examine their relationships, and anticipate the coming banquet of the Lamb. Communion thus becomes a living symbol of redemption: the many made one, the broken restored, the hungry filled.

From Ritual to Relationship

Job contrasts this vibrant fellowship with today’s institutional version: tiny wafers, thimble cups, and closed eyes in funeral-like silence. Such rituals, he argues, rob the Supper of its relational and celebratory nature. In the biblical model, communion happens in homes as shared feasts—joyful, participatory, and filled with fellowship. It’s where laughter and forgiveness coexist, where the unity of love triumphs over separation. Eating together is how families—and churches—keep alive the heart of their faith.

Restoring the Lord’s Supper as a meal is therefore not merely cultural nostalgia; it's obedience to Jesus’ explicit instruction: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Job reminds you that the early disciples broke bread from house to house “with glad and sincere hearts.” The table is where theology meets life—where bread and cup turn doctrine into community. In returning to this practice, we not only remember Christ’s sacrifice but also restore His joy among His people.

After dismantling centuries of inherited tradition, Job turns practical—how can you start a biblical church today? His instructions are strikingly simple: gather a few believers who share the conviction to follow scripture alone, meet in a home, pray, worship, share, and eat the Lord’s Supper together. That’s it. Church begins not with charters or clergy but with obedience. Job likens this simplicity to rediscovering family life rather than founding a corporation.

Starting Small, Growing Together

New biblical churches start small—often a few families or friends committed to one another. Job cautions against rushing into structure or leadership forms before relationships mature. Elders should emerge naturally as faithful, proven men, not be appointed hastily. He describes his own experience helping found the Chigwell Christian Fellowship, which began as informal home gatherings for prayer and teaching and gradually matured into a functioning church family. The process, he stresses, is organic, not programmed.

Practicing Unity with Grace

Job repeatedly emphasizes grace and humility. Leaving institutional churches should be done peacefully, with respect and continued friendship. In new gatherings, conflicts are inevitable—but they’re the crucible of sanctification. The solution is patience, forgiveness, and prayer rather than hierarchy or control. The goal isn’t perfection but authenticity—living out faith in family-like fellowship under Christ’s headship.

For anyone longing for genuine New Testament church life, Job’s counsel is empowering: don’t wait for permission from an institution or a professional leader. You already have Christ’s authority and His Word. As he writes, “If you can invite people to your home for prayer, worship, and sharing together—and organize a meal—you can start a church.” Biblical church life starts not with size, style, or status but with substance: a community dedicated to living under the Word and the Spirit as Jesus intended.