Leaving a Church in 3D
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
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Death
Death
What is eternal and what is temporal?
What is eternal and what is temporal?
Soul Salvation / Being a child of God is eternal
Soul Salvation / Being a child of God is eternal
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Being in THE church is eternal
Being in THE church is eternal
J.M.Pendleton - Ch1 Baptist Church Manual
In its application to the followers of Christ, it refers either to a particular congregation of saints, or to the redeemed in the aggregate. It is employed in the latter sense in ; , ,. Here we have the expression, “Head over all things to the Church; To him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages world without end; Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it… that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” In these passages, and a few more like them, it would be absurd to define the term Church as meaning a particular congregation of Christians, meeting in one place for the worship of God…”
B.H. Carroll - Ecclesia
Jesus built a house. That is, He instituted His ecclesia on earth… The only house of God now existing on earth is the particular ecclesia of our Lord. But it in turn must have a successor In the general assembly, or,
The house Jesus will build. His mind is fixed on having a general assembly indeed; a great congregation; "a great multitude that no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, to stand before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and with palms in their hands."
The house Jesus will build. His mind is fixed on having a general assembly indeed; a great congregation; "a great multitude that no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, to stand before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and with palms in their hands."
The Local Church (and thus membership) is temporary, like marriage
The Local Church (and thus membership) is temporary, like marriage
For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
Seeing then, that the general assembly, or Glory Church is the reality in paradise, that necessarily means that local churches are not. We will not be members of any specific local church in the new Heavens and the new Earth
Dismissal
Dismissal
For joining another congregation
For joining another congregation
In short, if we believe in the importance of belonging to a local congregation, that means dismissal from one, and joining to another.
Pendleton’s and other church manuals refer to letters of recommendation as letters of dismissal.
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you?
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.
The mess and complex strategy and imbalance and idolatry that has some times been made of letters among Baptist churches is extra-biblical in origin and anti-Christ in motivation.
The only manner in which one should leave a church, even if it is over disagreement, is graciously
For other means, non-disciplinary
For other means, non-disciplinary
Because the NT does not give an in depth treatment of protocol and procedure, the church is at liberty to treat cases individually and may for a variety of reasons dismiss members without the stigma of discipline.
This is a call for discernment, prudence, and prayer!
Discipline
Discipline
Discipline covers both positive & negative (formative and corrective)
Corrective Discipline = exclusion / excommunication
Disciplinary exclusion is last, never first, resort
Disciplinary exclusion is for the purposes of reconciliation/restoration, vindication of the gospel, purity of the church, and prevention of sin
Disciplinary exclusion is obedient to the Lord, loving the church, and loving the individual
Pre-Civil War Baptist churches excluded 2% of their membership annually, while membership grew
Greg Wills - prof of church history at SBTS - Democratic Religion
The more [churches] purified the society, the less they felt the urgency of a discipline that separated the church from the world.
3 texts to characterize Biblical Church Discipline:
3 texts to characterize Biblical Church Discipline:
shows the positive nature
shows the positive nature
Heb 12
And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
shows us that discipline is restorative as well as preventative
shows us that discipline is restorative as well as preventative
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Galatians 6:1
shows us that exclusion is a means of last resort
shows us that exclusion is a means of last resort
5 texts that show just cause for exclusion:
5 texts that show just cause for exclusion:
- refusal to reconcile
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
mt 18
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
(11 & 13) - sexual immorality and more
But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
- freeloading
-15
As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
1 thess 3:13-15
- blasphemy
among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
- persistent unrepentance
Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.
- divisiveness and heresy
But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
This is all pertinent today as this is Communion Sunday
This is all pertinent today as this is Communion Sunday
Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
1cor 11:28
If we rightly hold to a biblical view of belonging to a church, this necessitates our taking serious the manner in which members leave our church, not only how they join. We rejoice amid our grief for those departing this life. We bid Godspeed to those providentially joining other congregations. We need also to take God at His word in disciplining members with great care, for God’s glory, for the church’s good, and out of love for the individual.
Taking church