Church Questions (Continued)
2. Do you discipline members that no longer attend church service regularly? If someone misses church one Sunday, will you contact them before partaking of the Lord's Supper? If you find out that they refuse to assemble with the saints, will you discipline them immediately?
Over the past five years, we have withdrawn fellowship from about 20 individuals, and we have more that will be withdrawn from shortly. We keep track of attendance with charts, but we usually know who is or is not present. Most members tell us ahead of time when they are going to be gone. Is Phyllis suggesting that the church not have the Lord’s Supper until everyone is accounted for? Such is literally impossible. Some may have their phones turned off. Others may be out of state—or out of the country. Brethren live miles apart in different directions; it would not be possible to drive to each one’s home. Frankly, we have never heard of such a practice—if we understand her implication correctly.
Furthermore, we do not discipline anyone immediately unless they are clearly committing immoral acts publicly that they know are wrong. In any congregation one finds Christians of varying levels of maturity. Generally speaking, there is no one-size-fits-all withdrawal of fellowship practice.
3. What do you pray for? Do you pray for others to be healed or get better? If so, how, because miracles have gone away. Do you pray for shut-ins in the sense of hoping that they return and assemble according to Hebrews 10:25? Do you give God thanks and cast your cares upon Him?
We pray for what the New Testament teaches us to pray. Yes, we pray for people to recover their health, but none of the members has ever prayed for a miraculous healing. God does work providentially, however, and such requests are frequently granted. It would be nice for shut-ins to be able to come to worship, but we know some will likely never be able to; in such cases we pray for God to bless them in their situation. Yes, giving God thanks is an integral part of prayer, and He invites us to cast our cares upon Him.
4. Do you host VBS? If so, are the materials used only for the edification of the saints?
Most years we host a VBS. As the name implies, the program is for young students—usually 2 years old through the sixth grade. The materials (whether purchased or developed by ourselves) are geared toward those age groups. We do often have an adult class for both visitors and members.
5. Do you think the Holy Spirit works now the way it did in the 1st century?
First, the Holy Spirit is a person—not an it. Second, He revealed to us that the spiritual gifts were designed to be temporary (1 Cor. 12:1-13:13). He is the same person, but now that the Word is completely revealed (2 Peter 1:3), Christians have all that they need.
6. What do you think the difference is between the unknown tongue (Pentecost in Acts 2) and the spiritual gift of speaking of tongues (1 Corinthians 14)?
This is stated backwards: the “unknown tongue” is used in 1 Corinthians 14—not in Acts 2. Both, however, are the same. The apostles spoke in various languages, but only the one who knew the language could understand it. To others not from that region, that tongue was unknown. The same thing exists in 1 Corinthians 14. If one came into the assembly, and a brother was speaking in a language unknown to others, it would be gibberish. But the gift of tongues ended in the first century (1 Cor. 13:8-10).
7. Do you believe that we receive the Holy Spirit upon baptism?
The Bible teaches that we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at baptism (Acts 2:38). Brethren have interpreted those words in three different ways but have not broken fellowship over these various interpretations.
8. Do you believe forgiveness is unconditional? If a brother doesn’t repent if he sins against you, are you supposed to forgive him? Is repentance required for forgiveness?
In Luke 17:3, Jesus said, “If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” Brethren should be able to speak to each other and resolve issues. Yes, if genuine repentance results from a conversation, then we must be willing to forgive (Matt. 6:14-15).
Matthew 18:15-17 amplifies the point, outlining the procedure to follow if a brother refuses to repent. Then one or two others should be brought into the conversation. If repentance is not forthcoming, the entire church must be informed, and, failing repentance, the sinning brother must be withdrawn from.
Therefore, he is not forgiven. However, no Christian should allow hostility to develop in his heart. The purpose for withdrawing of fellowship is not so that we can say, “Well, I got even with you.” It is an act of love designed to get the wayward brother to repent and come back to the fellowship of the Lord. We should pray that the brother in sin will repent before his heart becomes too hardened.
Again, this assortment of questions is somewhat perplexing and unusual. It is difficult to tell what Phyllis is after by asking them. Perhaps she will evaluate what has been said and write back words of agreement or else objections.