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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
A huge serving of gander sauce was served up when I asked my friend where he would draw the lines of spiritual fellowship/support should he take steps to depart from the church tradition in which he and I had been reared (see yesterday’s message for a more complete explanation). This forced me to consider where I had drawn my lines of fellowship and the reasons they were drawn where they were.
Drawing lines of fellowship (i.e. deciding who is right in God’s sight and who is not right in God’s sight) is a huge undertaking. Once one starts down that path there literally is no stopping; it is a full time job! With the scenario referred to above with my friend, I was forced to look at my own position regarding those whom I customarily fellowship and those that I do not. Here is a partial list of doctrinal issues that had to be considered within the denomination of which I was a member (I say partial list because it grows almost exponentially with each day). Time and space will forbid elaboration and they are listed in no particular order.
Must one attend every service of the local church? Is Sunday night service of equal importance as Sunday morning service? Is it okay to listen to spiritual songs with instrumental music outside the services of the church? Is it okay to clap or make any other sound producing actions as we are singing spiritual songs? Can this be done in informal setting (like a camp or a children’s class)? Is it okay ever to clap in a religious setting (e.g. baptism, to show strong agreement with a statement, etc.)? Is it okay to use special singing groups in the worship service, or must all singing be totally congregational? Is it okay to have microphones on more than one singer so as to amplify the various parts (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass) that are traditionally sung in our services? Are we obligated to take the Lord’s Supper to those who are providentially hindered from attending the Sunday morning service? At the Sunday evening service, is it okay to serve the Lord’s Supper in a separate room from the main assembly or must it be served while the entire congregation looks on? Can an elder serve the local congregation if he has only one child? Can an elder continue to serve after his wife dies? Must all the children of an elder be faithful and does that requirement apply once his children have set up their own households? Must an elder be capable of teaching in every environment (publicly, privately, by radio, in writing, etc.) or only in some environments? Concerning those who are called upon to work on Sundays, does God excuse them from the requirement to assemble with the saints? If my family and I go on a vacation where there are no faithful churches around, are we expected to have our own worship service including the Lord’s Supper on Sunday morning? If I am travelling alone in an unknown area, does God expect me to observe the Lord’s Supper alone on the first day of the week? Is it permissible for children of a young age to be excused from the main church assembly in order to receive more age appropriate instruction? May money from the church treasury be used for recreation (gymnasiums, a basketball goal on the parking lot, youth outings to camps where recreation is provided, etc.)? Can the church support a woman in the ministry? Is a woman permitted to teach a man or does that inherently involve the lack of subjection that Paul wrote about in his first letter to Timothy?
The list above is partial; it came off the top of my head in 15 minutes. Each and every one of these questions has been the source of contention in recent years. There are hundreds more just like them. Not a single one of them can be answered by merely citing a passage. Before I would worry a lot about who I fellowship outside my denomination, I have lots to worry about concerning those within it! Gander sauce is bitter stuff!
Questions:
1. Do you find it easier to sit in judgment of others than to honestly look at your own spiritual situation?
2. Why do you think you answered as you did in question 1 (above)? How do you think most people would answer?
3. How does the golden rule (Matthew 7.12) affect how and when gander sauce is applied?
4. What can we really know about what a person genuinely believes?
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