Truth Magazine

By Vestal Chaffin

“Why, I never heard of the church withdrawing from anybody,” is a statement recently heard from two members of the church in widely separated areas. Neither of these members are young in years. Both are probably in their late sixties. This points up a fault that has existed among churches of Christ for many years, and still does in many areas today. I speak of disciplinary action toward members of the church who fail to live as God directs Christians, His children. There are many members of the church who have been members for 40, 50, or maybe 60 years, who have never seen the church take disciplinary action against any member. It is not that they have never seen members who “walked disorderly,” or who have flagrantly violated God’s law, but because the church has failed to take the action that it should.

To “withdraw” ourselves from brethren who refuse to live as God commands them, is a command of God just as much as to sing, pray, teach, eat the Lord’s Supper, or any other that he has given to the Christian. Listen: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus …. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat” (1 Cor. 5:4-5,11). “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us” (2 Thess. 3:6). Thus it is clearly stated that this action is a command of God.

I am convinced that this command has not been carried out in many instances, because of the unpleasantness connected with it. In many cases the offender has been associated with the brethren in the congregation where he is a member, friendships and ties have been formed that are of long standing; and, in some cases, the erring brother has relatives whom the brethren think might be offended if disciplinary action is taken. But this is no excuse for failing to carry out God’s command. They regard and esteem fleshly ties greater than that of spiritual. Consequently, the ultimate disciplinary action is never taken.

Withdrawing fellowship from a member of the church is to be used as a last resort, when all other efforts to restore them have failed. We should do all we can to convert him “from the error of his way” (James 5:19-20). We should “warn them that are unruly” (1 Thess. 5:14). We should do all we can to “restore such an one” (Gal. 6:1). If these efforts fail, then we must “withdraw” ourselves from him.

Sometimes, when this final step is taken by the church, those members who are close friends, or relatives of the one withdrawn from, become offended and will stop attending the services of the church or go elsewhere to services. Such action on their part shows that they do not know the purpose of discipline, or they are esteeming the fleshly ties greater than the spiritual salvation of a soul.

What then, is the purpose of church discipline? It is not taken to get at someone. It is not taken for revenge on the offender. But the God-given purpose of withdrawing from a brother is two fold: (1) To save the guilty party from eternal destruction, “that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 5:5). (2) To save the church from pollution, “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (1 Cor. 5:6) The Lord wants the church to be pure (Eph. 5:25-27; 2 Cor. 11:1-2; Col. 1:22), but if we harbor sin and rebellion in the church, even in one member, others will be inclined to follow the example of the sinful one. If we fail to carry out disciplinary measures against the unruly member and permit sin to be engaged in by the members, then the church will have lost it distinctiveness and its influence for good; and it will become a hiss and a byword in the world.

After we have withdrawn from a member, we must not completely stop all efforts to save him. We are to “count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thess. 3:15). May the Lord ever give us the faith, the courage, and the wisdom to carry out His divine will in all things.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 11, p. 339
June 4, 1987

By Paul K. Williams

In response to my article in Guardian of Truth in which I lamented the fact that in most churches evangelism in other places has a low priority, brother Leslie Diestelkamp wrote me an admonishing letter. He was concerned that my tone was too sharp.

And the elders of a church which is helping brother David Hurst in his plans to come to South Africa (I have heard that he is still hoping to come. Write him at Rt. 4, Olney, IL 62450) wrote to show that they are concerned about preaching the gospel in other places.

Therefore I want to give grateful thanks to all those faithful brethren who truly love the Lord and the work of preaching the gospel. Brother Diestelkamp put it rightly: “Under proper circumstances there are still many brethren who would at least figuratively give you their right arm and who would literally dig deeper to find ways to help worthy appeals.” I believe that and am very grateful for it. It is brethren like that who make it possible for me to remain in South Africa preaching the gospel.

These are usually the ones who take to heart such appeals as I made. It is a sad fact that when a preacher preaches on giving, the ones who listen with open hearts and search to find ways to please God more in that area are the ones who already are generous givers. The stingy ones appear not to hear a word of the sermon.

So I suppose that my article will be felt the most by those who already have tender hearts. The great numbers who have long justified themselves for their selfish attention to their own comfort before thinking about the lost souls of the world will pass such an article by with some excuse which will be enough for their consciences. Pity, but that is the way people are.

I am thankful, though, that attitudes can change for the better. A church with which I was closely connected in my early years had the attitude “We will only support preachers in places close enough for us to see the work.” For many years now they have been generous in their support to preachers in foreign fields. Perhaps articles such as I wrote and continual preaching on the subject by local preachers will help many to look at their attitudes and change for the better.

Because another thing which brother Diestelkamp wrote is true. In giving advice on how to raise support for preaching abroad he wrote: “Send, principally, to churches already involved in such work.” In other words, the churches which are not supporting preachers in other places are hard to interest in such work. The evangelist will waste his efforts in presenting his appeal to those churches.

How sad. These are the brethren who need to be awakened, but how hard to do it. And they are so many that the evangelists had better get a list of the churches already interested in foreign evangelism, or his efforts could result in failure to get enough support to go!

These are the brethren I was writing for, and I am afraid that they make up a large portion of churches in America – perhaps a majority. Keeping house for the Lord in comfort is not going to please God, my beloved. Jesus gave himself to save souls, and that is what we must be busy doing.

I sincerely believe that we who preach need to be earnestly searching for ways to reach the hearts of our brethren with the message that the whole world needs the gospel, and that God is depending upon us to preach it.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 11, p. 340
June 4, 1987

By Harold V. Comer

What is the audience (or the congregation) of the Television Church like?

What motivates Christians to watch TV preachers and give their approval? Will their TV interest effect their local church affiliation and attendance?

If viewers stay home more and attend services less, what benefits will they miss?

What kind of personalities are particularly influenced by the appeals of today’s TV evangelists?

Why do people give money so readily to people and programs of work that they know so little about?

There are a number of questions that I have about the “congregation” of the Television Church that gathers a few feet from the flat glass pulpit and seems to respond so thoroughly to the appeals and messages of the television evangelist. Some of these questions cannot be completely answered but the questions that can be answered will provide us with a greater awareness of our challenges today and also give us an appreciation of the benefits of God’s plan of worship.

Examples And Case Studies

Harry is an untalented salesman who is struggling to be a success. He is addicted to the programs of Robert Schuller and Jim Bakker.

Harry is irregular at the local church where his wife, who is stronger than Harry spiritually, attends faithfully. For her part, she is repulsed by the television preachers he watches and is fearful of the doctrinal efforts they teach. Harry admits that they are wrong some of the time, but thinks that his favorite preachers still say a lot of “good things.”

“Good things” to Harry are the materialistic promises of the “wealth” and “success” theology at the core of the preachers that he listens to. He thinks that he is going to be a better salesman by watching them and that is very important to Harry.

Harry illustrates some of the motivation that traps weaker Christians and draws them into the audience of the Television Church.

A Different Case Study

A second example will illustrate another personality that finds TV preachers appealing. Alice is a Christian who is also a fan of some television ministers. Alice has a great awareness of her aches and pains. She is in relatively good health but has a great fear of illness and poor health.

Like Harry, she is a weaker member also. She likes the assurances of the “healing” ministers who promise her a perfectly healthy body. In contrast, the local preacher has a crippled leg and he recently lost a child. He has preached some on biblical help for your suffering. Alice is always troubled by those lessons and prefers a “positive” approach that assures her that God will never allow her to have to face such difficulties.

Her loyalty has gradually shifted from assembling with the congregation of saints to being in her Lazy Boy pew when the 15 piece band opens the program.

The Problem

We live in a materialistic, body-conscious world and television ministers must touch very deep immediate motivations to open up people’s pocketbooks. Health, wealth, unity, and entertainment to replace reformation of character, are appealing approaches to weak Christians who don’t understand all of the things they are missing as they gravitate to the Television Church.

What You Miss In The Lord’s Supper

The first thing you miss if you stay home more is the loss of the benefits of the Lord’s Supper. You miss the communion with Christ (Matt. 26:29) and with the body of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16). You lose the deep intense motivation that comes from fully visualizing the cross and the body and the blood of the Lord. Without that weekly image, you become weak and sick spiritually (1 Cor. 11:30).

When you say that the Lord’s Supper didn’t do you much good when you went, you simply confess that you did not .observe it reverently and thoughtfully. When the Lord’s Supper is properly visualized and appreciated, it will always be meaningful and effective in moving us to greater spirituality. When you miss service, you miss the Lord’s Supper and the many deep benefits that God incorporated into this act.

What You Miss In The Singing

The second thing you miss when you stay home to be entertained by the well performed “special music” of the expensive television productions is the loss of the subconscious instructions you receive when you sing in worship. Singing is for teaching and admonition to one another (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), but I teach myself most of all when I sing with awareness and reverence.

When I repeat familiar songs, I deepen the process of “keeping my heart” (Prov. 4:23) through that repetition of valuable messages. There is a significant loss when I don’t sing, don’t sing with alertness, or watch someone else perform.

What You Miss With Your Brethren

The third thing I miss when I withdraw to my television set is the loss of association with God’s people. Urbanized brethren are taught by their daily experiences to withdraw from closer associations. Yet God teaches us to prefer our brethren (Rom. 12:10), and to love them (1 Pet. 1:22).

That loving family closeness is lost when I don’t make an effort or when I seldom go to service. Note, the Bible doesn’t tell us to “be loved,” it tells us to do the loving. Maslow says that one basic need of human beings is that of “belonging.” I belong more when “I love them” than I do when “they love me.” I only begin to start to develop these deeper relationships by fellowshipping with my brethren in worship together.

The contacts of the television watcher are more distant, less intimate, less personal, and therefore less satisfying and fulfilling. You need more than that.

What You Miss With Soft Preaching

Finally, the man who stays home to watch the television preacher will miss some pointed and important lesson that he needs. Television preaching must be less controversial and less provocative. Hard preaching drives away too many essential contributors.

So the viewer finds the T.V. messages unoffensive. His toes are never stepped on, except about general morality, selfishness, and giving. He loses the stimulation that comes from a minister who cares about him as a person and from elders that back the preacher to fully say what God commanded. I’ve never heard a television preacher deal with the subject of divorce except to be accommodating about it finally. You need someone who cares enough about you to say the painful things. We all need our toes stepped on.

Conclusion

Many of us don’t appreciate the great benefits we have in following the simplicity of God’s plan. When we neglect the assembly for a television performance, we weaken our souls and our spirituality and we sin before God. We all need something far better than the erroneous “health and wealth” promises of today’s television ministries. They offer false assurances and they rob the weak of far more important gifts that God has hidden for us within His commands to assemble reverently and lovingly with His saints.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 12, pp. 353, 391
June 18, 1987

By Randy Reynolds

Throughout biblical and secular history we find that by the sinful, evil ways of man, many times the innocent are victimized. This is clearly the case with over 1,500,000 unborn babies in our country each year. They have become victims due in part to the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court on January 22, 1973 which stated that according to the U.S. Constitution unborn humans are not legal “persons.” An unborn baby has become the property of the owner (mother) and she can have the child killed (aborted) at her request, even up to the time of the birth if her doctor agrees. Thus by a 7 to 2 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court declared unconstitutional all state laws protecting unborn children from abortion. This decision of course, has opened the door to the right to have an abortion-on-demand. All of this has produced more than 16,000,000 murders since 1973.

As appalling as it is, I guess we really shouldn’t be too surprised since similar events have characterized the sinner and sin all through time, as the following examples will further illustrate.

Example 1: In Exodus 1,2 we read that Moses was born at a time in history when Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had resolved to have every newborn male child among the Israelites put to death. The death toll would have been one more had not Moses’ mother placed him in a basket in the Nile among the reeds.

Example 2: The following archaeological note concerning Baal worship is taken from Halley’s Bible Handbook.- “The Oriental Institute, excavating at Megiddo which is near Samaria, found, in the stratum of Ahab’s time, the ruins of a temple of Ashtoreth, goddess wife of Baal. Just a few steps from the temple was a cemetery, where jars were found, containing remains of infants who had been sacrificed in the temple. Prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth were official murderers of little children” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p. 198).

Example 3: When King Herod found out that he had been deceived by the wise men whom he had sent out to locate baby Jesus, he ordered all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all that region, from two years old and under, to be put to death (cf. Matt. 2:16f).

Example 4: In the late ’30s and early ’40s Adolf Hitler was able to delude Germany with his racial dogmas which eventually led to a policy of genocide, under which deliberate campaigns of extermination were carried out against the Poles, Russians, and most notably against the Jews. Some historical references estimate that as many as 7,000,000 Jews were murdered by the National Socialistic Party which was in power in Germany.

Why has all of this happened throughout the years of man’s existence? Sin!

In Egypt, Pharaoh saw that the children of Israel had multiplied to the point of being mightier than the Egyptians. And in Exodus 1:10 Pharaoh said, “Come, let us deal wisely with them.” So he afflicted them with hard labor, commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill the male children at birth, and when he saw that they continued to multiply and become mighty, he ordered every newborn son cast into the Nile. When Stephen touches on this part of history in Acts 7:19 he says that Pharaoh “dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers. “

The worship of Baal (a generic term for god in many of the Syro-Arabian languages) must have been a rather powerful force during Old Testament days. In numerous references the Bible speaks of temples erected to Baal, many altars on lofty eminences, and literally hundreds of priests. In one reference however to the Northern tribes of Israel we find these words recorded: “they have built the high places of Baal to bum their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of nor did it ever enter My mind” (cf. Jer. 19:5).

The Gospel writer Matthew tells us that when Herod the king heard of the King of the Jews being born, he was troubled. Why? Perhaps it was because he was by birth an Edomite, thus a usurper to the throne of David. Or perhaps it was the fact that his rise to power and his holding of the throne had been a bloody ordeal. Or could it have been the knowledge of the promised Messiah of the Jews that was anticipated? Whatever those selfish motives were that Herod had, the result was that hundreds of male children were slaughtered (cf. Matt. 2:1f).

And finally there was Germany, a country torn by economic and social problems, allowing Hitler to manipulate them into such human slaughter of innocent victims.

Conclusion

Sometimes sin masquerades as what seems to be best for a country; as religion; as control of worldly power; and even as an answer to economic woes. Today one disguise sin wears is a title of Planned Parenthood, an organization which promotes abortion on demand, immorality and undermines parental authority. This organization is being partly funded by our government, their sex curriculum is being used in public schools to promote promiscuity (sex education classes) while in their own clinics abortions are being performed.

How sad it is to think that less than 45 years after Hitler’s heartless massacre that shocked the world, we live in a nation that for 14 years now, has legalized the murder of innocent babies.

Regardless of its many names and many disguises, it is still sin (cf. 1 Jn. 3:4). And woe to those who must face the terrible vengeance of our God (cf. 2 Thess. 1:7-9).

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 11, pp. 323-324
June 4, 1987