Worship-10A-UnitedWeStand

WANDERING SOUL, LONELY HEART &
THE SIDE-TRACKED CHURCH

WORSHIP THE FIRST-CENTURY WAY

....United We Stand

�� Thank you, Jesus, for your example.� You gave up everything and you gave everything.� You brought nothing with you, but you opened the door to all things.� You fought in the flesh so we could see your Spirit at work.� You stayed loyal to truth and your father and even demanded it of others.� Then you died for us so we could live.� How can we thank you enough?

�� When I was a child, there were all kinds of "sins" that we do not consider sins today.� For instance, it was a sin to eat at a restaurant that served liquor or go to pool halls because they always served liquor.� After all, drunkenness is a sin.� It was a sin to play with dice and playing cards because they were used to gamble away men's pay checks and their families would go without.� It was a sin for women not to wear hats in church because they weren't being humble enough.�

�� What changed?� It got so all the restaurants served liquor, so we'd never go out to eat if we stayed away from them.� Pool tables started to be set up in homes and even in church halls for the young people.� Monopoly and other innocent board games were invented where dice and playing cards were used.� And women started getting fancy hairdos they didn't want mashed down by hats.

�� Did sin change?� No.� God never changes and he is the one who decides what a sin is.� Of course, sin is anything that ultimately hurts us.� Our Creator was not picking on us when he created his lists of things for us to do and not do.� Our Creator always wanted the best for us.�

�� But our perception of what would lead us into sin changed.� We decided we could eat among people who drank without being tempted to get drunk.� We decided we could play with dice and playing cards without being tempted to gamble.� We decided women could go hatless to church without being tempted to usurp authority.

�� But people who went to church did not change easily or quickly.� They changed only when they began to be ready in their private lives for change.

�� People from every type religious background are reading this book.� In fact, you are probably attending church where the members come from many religious backgrounds.� Some of you have even given up attending church anywhere.

�� One ever-lingering problem is how to determine what is a sin and what isn't so that our worship services are approved by both the congregation and God.�

�� Oh, Jesus.� Our sins caused your death.� We are so sorry.� And every time we sin, we crucify you anew.� I study the Bible a lot so I can identify sin and so there aren't so many for you to forgive.� We love you.

But I Thought the Bible Said That

�� Remember the apple in the Garden of Eden?� At least, that's what we were all told when we were young.� Probably most people reading this book have since come to realize the Bible never mentions an apple.� Genesis 3:6 merely says, "fruit of the tree was good for food....she took some and ate it."� Were we mistaken?� Yes.� Honestly mistaken.� But mistaken.

�� How about angels marrying people?� Weren't some of us told that the sons of God mentioned in Genesis 6:1 were angels, even though sons of God never means that anywhere else in the Bible, and even though Jesus himself said in Mark 12:25 "neither marry nor be given in marriage...like the angels in heaven."� Were we mistaken?� Yes.� Honestly mistaken.� But mistaken.

�� Can forty days rain flood the world? �Ask anyone who lives in the northwest U.S. or southwest Canada.� It rains months at a time there.� Genesis 7:11 says, "[a] all the springs of the great deep [ocean] burst forth, [b] and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." Genesis 7:24 says, "the waters prevailed upon the earth 150 days."� Some Christian scientists believe there was a tidal wave created by the springs in the ocean that lasted 150 days.� Now that would flood the world!� Were we mistaken?� Yes.� Honestly mistaken.� But mistaken.

�� Then there's the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah.� We were always told God destroyed these two cities by God, which is true.� But there were two other cities destroyed with them.� Deuteronomy 29:23 says Admah and Zeboiim were also destroyed with them.� Did people purposely deceive us?� No.� These other cities certainly aren't listed in the Genesis account.� It's an easy mistake to make.� Were we mistaken?� Yes.� Honestly mistaken.� But mistaken.

�� How about Moses' Ten Commandments.� There were indeed ten commandments written on two stone tablets.� But all anyone has to do is try to plod through Leviticus to see that there were hundreds of commandments, not just ten.� Leviticus starts out, "The Lord called to Moses...,'Speak to the Israelites.' "� And yet, even though we know about them, we don't usually make the connection.� They were all part of the Law of Moses.� Were we mistaken?� Yes.� Honestly mistaken.� But mistaken.

�� Many have trouble understanding how a good God could randomly select territory belonging to another nation and have them killed just so the new Jewish nation could move into their "Promised Land."� However, it was not random and wasn't just a killing spree.� Four hundred years earlier, God told Abraham in Genesis 15:16 that his descendants were to punish the Amorites for their sins which will have reached their "full measure" by then.� Were we mistaken?� Yes.� Honestly mistaken.� But mistaken.

�� We refer to the psalms that David wrote, regardless of which psalm it was.� Even though he wrote most of them, he did not write near all of them.� Asaph wrote many, Solomon wrote some, Ethan, Moses, Babylonian exiles.� Just look at the subtitles in that book.� We've just always assumed David wrote them all.� Were we mistaken?� Yes.� Honestly mistaken.� But mistaken.

�� What about the star in the east?� How many of us have referred to that in regards to Jesus' birth?� However, the star was not in the east.� The wisemen were in the east seeing the star where Jesus was in the west (Matthew 2:1).� Also, we assume the star lasted until the wisemen showed up.� But Matthew 2:9-10 tells us that after they left Jerusalem upon being told the king was to be born in Bethlehem, "the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them....When they saw the star, they were overjoyed."� Were we mistaken?� Yes.� Honestly mistaken.� But mistaken.

�� How about Jesus' bar mitzvah, calling a boy to the Torah, at age twelve?� There was never any such ceremony in Bible times.� It is no where in the Bible.� This ceremony is to celebrate a boy's thirteenth birthday, not twelfth, and is not found in any Jewish writings until the Middle Ages, centuries after Bible times.� Check your encyclopedia.� It's all there.� Were we mistaken?� Yes.� Honestly mistaken.� But mistaken.

�� Consider all the times we have turned to Psalm 23 for comfort.� Yet, all that changed for Christians.� Luke 1:78-79 says that the coming of Jesus is to bring the sun to those in the shadow of death.� To the Christian, there is no darkness in that valley.� Wow!� How could we have missed it?� Were we mistaken?� Yes.� Honestly mistaken.� But mistaken.

�� Then there's the so-called "fact" that Joseph died during Jesus' boyhood.� It's easy to come to that conclusion because of mentioning some of Mary's activities during Jesus' adulthood, and Jesus' having the Apostle John take care of her after his death.� However, John 6:42 says " 'IS this not Jesus, the son of JOSEPH, WHOSE FATHER and mother WE KNOW?' "� That is present tense.� This was said the spring before Jesus was crucified.� It could be that Joseph was sick during Jesus' ministry and did not get out.� If he did die during Jesus' last year, can you imagine his turmoil in deciding whether or not to return Joseph to health?� What a whole new train of thoughts arise from this.� Were we mistaken?� Yes.� Honestly mistaken.� But mistaken.

�� So now that we've admitted we can be mistaken sometimes after all, is it possible we've been mistaken about some very critical things in the Bible?

�� There are people today who say we should keep the Laws of Moses where they concern worship.� But Colossians 2:14 says God "cancelled the written code with its regulations...nailing it to the cross."� Hebrews 8:13 says, "By calling this covenant 'new,' he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear."� Hebrews 9:1 goes on to say, "Now the first covenant had regulations for worship."� So, if we take part of the Old Testament worship, we have to accept burning incense, having a high priest, offering animals, and all the other regulations too.�

�� Oh God, I thought I knew the Bible better than that.� I thought I was a good student.� What else have I gotten mixed up on?

Re-educating our Consciences

�� Have we been doing things in our worship services that we were told not to do in the Word of God?� That's a sin of commission.� For instance, adding lemon pie to the Lord's Supper would be a sin of commission.� Have we been omitting things in our worship services we are told to do in the Word of God?� That's a sin of omission.� For instance, eliminating prayer would be a sin of omission.

�� But this is not always a simple thing to come to terms with.

�� It is a sin to go against our consciences (Romans 14:22-23).� Our consciences have been trained.� They may have been trained rightly or wrongly.�

�� For example, Christians in the city of Corinth had previously worshipped idols.� Before their conversion, they had offered sacrifices to their god and then had eaten them as part of their religious rite.� (The Jews did the same thing in their worship of God under the Law of Moses; for instance, by eating the Passover Lamb in their homes that they had previously sacrificed at the temple.)

�� In Corinth, apparently there were more sacrifices than the people could eat, so the rest was sold in the meat market.� We know that idols are nothing but wood or stone carved by man and have no life or power in them.� But for the person who used to worship that lifeless statue, it was a sin to eat the meat because, to them, they were worshipping that idol.� They had not completely retrained their consciences.

�� Paul warned, "Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled....Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.�

�� "For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?� So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.� When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ" (1 Corinthians 8:7-12).

�� A modern example of this might be people who are used to bowing down before a cross.� But later they realize this is a form of idolatry.� If a congregation has a cross inside and there are a lot of people who used to bow down to it and would be offended by it, perhaps the cross should be taken down for awhile.

�� In medieval times, people died at the stake rather than bow to or kiss a cross, or even make the sign of a cross.�

�� FOXE'S BOOK OF MARTYRS tells of Francis Gamba in Italy who was sentenced to execution for his beliefs in 1553.� Just before lighting the fire, a monk held a cross up to him, and he said, "My mind is so full of the real merits and goodness of Christ that I want not a piece of senseless stick to put me in mind of Him."� For that, a hole was carved through his tongue and then he was burned alive[1]

�� John Willes in Ireland in the 16th century was flogged because he refused to kneel to the cross or to make the sign of the cross on his forehead.[2]�

�� Near that same time in the Netherlands, a widow named Wendelinuta, was sentenced to be burned at a stake for her beliefs.� At the place of execution, a monk held a cross to her and said that if she would kiss it, she would be saved.� She answered, "I worship no wooden god, but the eternal God who is in heaven."� Thereupon, she was strangled and burned to ashes.[3]

�� In 1560 in Rome, Italy, an old man was condemned to execution for refusing to be part of the Roman Catholic Church.� When they fastened him to the stake, a priest held a crucifix out to him, and he replied, "If you do not take that idol from my sight, you will constrain me to spit upon it."� Then he reminded the monk of the first and second commandments to refrain from idolatry.� Thereupon he was burned to death.[4]

�� So, while it is possible to look at a cross without worshipping it, some religions have done just that.� People coming out of those religions are offended by an image of the cross for that reason.� They should not be forced to look at the cross on display because of our lack of sensitivity to their conscience.

�� What is the best way to re-educate a conscience?� Paul, in Romans 9:1, said, "I speak the truth in Christ - I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit."

�� Jesus was the Word that lived a perfect life (John 1:1, 14; 2 Corinthians 5:21).� Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, the life."� Therefore, the "truth in Christ" would be the Word.� Furthermore, Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth, and said that God's Word was the Truth (John 14:6, 16f; 17:17).�

�� Therefore, having one's conscience confirmed in the Holy Spirit is not the result of following an emotion but rather the result of following the Bible, the Word of Truth.� This, of course, will lead to emotion; but the emotion does not do the leading.

�� God, I'm trying.� But my conscience was formed so long ago.� It's so hard to change.� Help me.

To Compromise....

�� But it takes time to study and learn everything God has to say on a topic.� If we plunge into things too fast that are offensive to people, or if we suddenly keep people from doing things they always thought were holy, we could play a part in searing the conscience of someone.

�� Do we refuse to meet with people because they have not had time and/or opportunity to search the scriptures about their beliefs?

�� North America is the last stronghold of Christianity in the entire world.� Mohammedism is by far the largest religion, and it is everywhere, including North America.� We are also being bombarded by the New Age movement, a movement that says the god of the Buddhists, the god of the Hindus, the god of the pantheists, the god of the witches, the god of the Christians is all the same God because they are all man-made religions anyway.� We need to strengthen each other as much as possible.�

�� Fighting from within will destroy us the rest of the way.� The first-century church thrived when people fought them from without, even to the death.� But fighting within will destroy us.� In fact, fighting from within is one of the causes people completely leave Christianity.

�� When there are bills before the legislature challenging our faith, do we check on each other's beliefs on how they interpret grace or the thousand-year reign before banning together to oppose legislation that will hurt our nation?

�� When there is a National Day of Prayer, do we refuse to participate because we might not believe everything the same way someone else who is praying does?� God knows all.� He will sort it all out.�

�� When there is a March for Jesus, do we refuse to march because we might not believe everything the same way the person next to us believes?� How could the people on the sidewalk possibly know this?� All they know is that Jesus is being magnified ~ no more, no less.�

�� If we were threatened with imprisonment or even death for believing Jesus is the Son of God, would we refuse because someone else was going to be imprisoned or executed with us who didn't believe all the details that we do?

�� Should we try compromise?� Just what can we compromise on and not compromise on?� Compromise is hard.� It's frightening.� We're talking about eternity here.� How many chances do we dare take in displeasing God?� In the next section we will discuss how far we can go with compromise before it becomes heresy.� But for now, we will look at ways compromise was practiced in Bible times.

�� The Jews certainly had some major problems to face when they were converted to Christianity.�

1.�� To Jews, Saturdays were considered holy (Exodus 20:8-11; 31:13-16).� Now, as Christians, Sundays were considered holy (Acts 20:7; Matthew 28:1).�

�� How did they handle it?� Since their 24-hour days ran from sundown to sundown, as soon as the Sabbath was over, for instance 6:00 PM, they began keeping Sunday holy, for instance 7:00 PM.

2.�� Jews had to offer innumerable types of sacrifices for many different types of sins (Leviticus ch. 1 - 7).� Now, as Christians, they had to refrain from that because Jesus had been sacrificed for their sins once for all (Hebrews 9:23-28).��

�� How did they handle it?� Every Sunday they gathered together to have the Lord's Supper which they did in remembrance of his sacrifice, and to contemplate their sins (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 11:23-32).

3.�� Jews had to go to the temple three times a year for special religious feasts, Passover (Feast of Unleavened Bread), and so on.� Now, as Christians, the feasts were unnecessary because Jesus brought us out of slavery to sin, Jesus gave a new law, and Jesus was the final sacrifice to atone for our sins.

�� How did they handle it?� They took advantage of those old feast times and went to the temple to explain how Jesus had become their Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) and other such Christian beliefs.� And those living in Jerusalem went to the temple every day (Acts 2:46-47) to explain their new-found faith in their new-found Savior, Jesus.

4.�� Jewish male babies had to be circumcised as a testimony to carry on to the next generation the promise of God to be their King of kings (Genesis 17:10-12).� One of the derogatory terms the Jews had used for Gentiles was "the uncircumcised."� Now, as Christians, circumcision was unnecessary, for the promised King of kings had finally come.

�� How did they handle it?� The apostles and elders in Jerusalem decided to not place that burden on the Gentile believers (Acts 15:10-11, 19).� Was this easy for the Jews?� No.� Paul told the Jews in several letters to quit pressuring the Gentile Christians to be circumcised (1 Corinthians 7:18-20; Galatians 6: 12-13).�

�� However, in order to not offend the Jews to whom Timothy was preaching the gospel, Paul circumcised Timothy, whose father was a Greek and apparently kept his Jewish mother from carrying this out in his infancy (Acts 16:1-3).� But Paul refused to circumcise Greek Titus because Jewish Christians were insisting Titus do so in order to be saved (Galatians 2:3).

�� Although Paul sometimes kept an old Jewish regulation, he told other Christians they did not have to because it meant nothing any more to God. �It is something he occasionally did by himself.� It never became something he insisted others do.

5.�� Whenever Jews asked God for such things as traveling mercies, or whenever they wanted to dedicate themselves to God for a special period of time, they made a vow which they paid for at the temple and let their hair grow (see chapter on "Giving" in this book).� At the end of the vow, they shaved their heads.� Now, as Christians, they did not have to pay for their prayers.� They went directly to God free of charge, for Jesus had paid the ultimate price.

�� How did they handle it?� On a visit to Jerusalem, the apostles and elders there apparently gave Paul some bad advice, but meant well by it.� They encouraged Paul to pay the expenses of some other Jewish Christians to complete their vows and for Paul to do the same himself.� So they went to the temple and did so.� But a week later, Paul was falsely accused by the very Jews he was trying to appease (Acts 21-26).� As a result he was arrested, imprisoned a couple years, and finally sent to Rome for more imprisonment and trial.

6.�� Jews had to go through priests to take care of all ceremonies (Leviticus).� Now, as Christians, they could participate in all ceremonies directly.

�� How did they handle it?� They were continually told that every Christian is a priest (I Peter 2:5-9; Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 and 20:6) and they must offer their bodies as daily sacrifices (Romans 12:1).

�� Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22, "To the Jews I become like a Jew, to win the Jews. ...To those who not have the law, I become like one not having the law....To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.� I have become all things to all men, so that by all possible means I might save some."

�� Paul spent a lot of time discussing this problem of conscience with the church at Rome.�

�� "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.� One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.� The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.� Who are you to judge someone else's servant?� To his own master he stands or falls.� And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:1-4).

�� I knew a congregation once that decided to merge with another one because their beliefs were almost identical, but not quite.� They disagreed with what to do with the contribution and the church building.� The more conservative group did not want their contribution going to help works of other congregations because they felt this was allowing elders of one congregation to be over elders of another congregation.� They also did not believe dinners and parties should be held in the church building.

�� Neither concern was a matter of salvation.� The two congregations decided they should honor the more conservative ones.� Therefore, none of the regular Sunday contributions went outside of their merged congregation.� Whenever a dinner or party was held in the building, it was mentioned but not emphasized; those who went home due to their conscience were never taunted for not staying.

�� Thank you for your Word, God.� These examples really help me.� The Jewish Christians had to make a lot of changes in the way they worship.� If all I had to change was two or three things, it would be nothing compared with what they went through.

The Secret:� Conservative

�� There is a wonderful secret to getting along.� Go along with the more conservative group and the rest work around them.� Who are the conservatives?�

�� Primarily, conservatives are the ones who (1) take practices in the Bible literally, and (2) don't practice anything not commanded or modeled by the apostles.� Those who want to add to the practices of the conservatives can do so before or after a regular service, or in private.

�� Making concessions is very difficult, especially the first time.� After all, we're talking about our salvation.� For people who even subconsciously believe other Christians have to answer to them instead of to God it is extremely difficult.� One must pray about it.� After all, Jesus told a man to carry his bed on the Sabbath.

�� Perhaps we should make this our motto:

In matters of salvation and worship unity.

In matters of opinion liberty.

In all things love.

�� For example, if some believe in both foot washing and instrumental music and others believe in neither, could not a concession be made?� Singing without an instrument is not considered a sin by anyone, so that concession is easy.� On the other hand, foot washing never hurt anyone, and those who do not believe in it could at least sit by respectfully during that time, or at least allow time in another room for it while the rest sing or pray, thus making that concession easy too.

�� Paul continued in Romans 14:5-8:

�� "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike.� Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.� He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.� He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.� For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.� If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.� So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord...."

�� As discussed in the chapter on the Lord's Supper, Acts 20:7 says the early Christians met on the first day of every week (Sunday) for the specific purpose of breaking bread in the religious sense.� But what about people who want to keep Easter as a special time once a year?� Continue to keep the Lord's Supper every week.� Then once a year, keep Easter.� But do not eliminate the weekly Lord's Supper in favor of Easter.

�� Congregations get together every year to thank God for their blessings on Thanksgiving.� The Bible does not tell us to keep Thanksgiving.� It just is not there.� However, as long as we are continuing to thank God every week in some way for his blessings, the congregation could spend extra time one of those weeks thanking God.� The one special day is not to take the place of all the other days of thanksgiving.

�� Paul continues, "....For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.� You, then, why do you judge your brother?� Or why do you look down on your brother?� For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.� It is written, 'As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'� So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God" (Romans 14:9-12).

�� There are some things mentioned in the Bible that some Christians think were meant to be kept as a ceremony.� Other people think they were meant for practical purposes.� For example, Jesus washed the apostles' feet when he instituted the Lord's Supper (John 13:1-14).� In 1 Timothy 5:9-10, the church is told to support widows with no family if they are over 60, were faithful to their husband, and was known for her good works such as raising children, showing hospitality, washing saints' feet, helping people in trouble, and devoting themselves to good deeds.

�� Most Christians believe foot washing was for practical purposes, because when Peter told him to bathe his whole body, Jesus said only his feet were dirty.� And the context of widows washing feet is in the realm of the practical rather than ceremonial things she was to have done.

�� However, if there are people in a congregation whose consciences have been trained to believe this is ceremonial, once again the more conservatives should be honored.� But if some would like to go to a separate room of the building to wash each other's feet ceremonially, they would not be hurting anyone.

�� Similarly, there are some who believe anointing a sick person's head with oil is ceremonial while others believe it is practical.� James 5:14-15 says, "Is any one of you sick?� He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.� And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up."

�� Most Christians tend to believe such anointing was for medicinal purposes.� When Jesus talked about the good Samaritan who helped the man robbed and beaten along the road, the Samaritan "went to him and bandaged hs wounds, pouring on oil and wine" (Luke 10:34).� Anointing and pouring are the same thing.

�� However, if there are people who come into a congregation whose consciences have been trained to believe this is ceremonial, once again the more conservatives should be honored.� But if they would like to go to a separate room of the building to pour oil on the heads of whichever of the sick desire this for ceremonial purposes, they would not be hurting anyone.

�� Paul continues, "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.� Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.� As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself.� But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.� If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.� Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.�

�� "Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil.� For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men (Romans 14:13-18).

�� There are people who do not believe the Lord's Supper needs to be kept every Sunday.� The more conservative group should be honored.� However, people in your congregation who believe it should be kept every Sunday, could remain an extra half hour and keep it.�

�� There are also groups who think going to church once each Sunday is enough.� However, there are people who sometimes have to work on Sunday morning, or are sick on Sunday morning, or have some other unavoidable hindrance on Sunday morning.� So they need to attend church on Sunday evening to keep the Lord's Supper on the first day of every week.

�� According to 1 Corinthians 11:33, right after Paul spent the previous 32 verses talking about the Lord's Supper, he said, "So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other." Returning to church in the evening so people who missed in the morning can take of the Lord's Supper among other Christians is commendable.

�� However, some congregations think there should be no excuse for missing the Lord's Supper on Sunday morning.� But, they allow these people to go to another room in the church building on Sunday evenings to partake of it while the remainder of the congregation sings some songs.

�� There are others who believe only a church officer such as a bishop is allowed to hand them the communion.� If someone feels strongly about this, until they are re-educated more fully, it wouldn't hurt for an elder to accommodate this person temporarily.� After all, ushers have been putting the communion into the hands and mouths of the sick and palsied for many years and it was not a sin.

�� Paul cautions, "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.� Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.� All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.� It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

�� "So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.� Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.� But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Romans 14:19-23).

�� There are some people who have been raised to believe they should burn a candle when they pray, or burn incense, or some other ritual.� There is nothing in the New Testament that says we should do this.�

�� Again, the more conservative element of the congregation should be honored.� Therefore, if a person needs the candles or incense to help with their prayer, they can do this in their home in private.� Thus, s/he is not offending Christians whose consciences would be bothered by seeing this done.

�� There are others who love a good choir.� But the New Testament says every Christian should sing (see chapter in this book of music).� Still others believe God called them to sing solos.�

�� With honoring the more conservative ones of the congregation, during the main worship period, everyone would participate in the singing.� But at another time such as a special evening each week a choir could be invited to sing.� And the soloists, rather than singing in the place of the congregation, could sing in nursing homes, hospitals, for special groups, to shutins.� If these arrangements offend the choir or the soloists, perhaps motives need to be re-examined.

�� Similarly, there are people who have been used to singing with an instrument.� With the more conservative ones of the congregation being honored, the main worship would not include instruments.� But those who cannot see anything wrong with the instrument, could sing with an instrument at home.

�� We must never destroy those for whom Christ died (Romans 14:15).� If the more conservative ones in the congregation believe something is wrong, they should not be forced to witness it or participate in it.

�� Such activities should be included in a bulletin of activities every week so everyone attending is reminded they are going on, whether or not they participate.

�� Everyone in the congregation must agree to not approach the others to try to talk them into their added belief.� We must trust human nature.� With the reminder in the bulletin every week that such is going on, people who are honestly seeking will ask that group about their belief.� Then they can spend all the time they want teaching about it.� But they must be asked.�

�� Everyone must be honored with the amount of faith they have at the time.� After all, if someone is going through a great deal of personal turmoil at home, just attending on Sunday morning and asking for prayers may be all they can handle.� Foot washing may be the farthest from their minds.� We must not burden them too fast with too much.

�� God, I never thought of it this way.� This really helps.� Thank you for your Word.� I really do want to honor it.� And I want to honor those you love.� Help us understand each other better.

Continue on Next Page�

Endnotes for This Page

[1].� Forbush, William F., Editor, Fox's Book of Martyrs, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1968, pg. 103

[2].� Ibid., pg. 271

[3]� Ibid., pg. 173

[4].� Ibid., pg. 105

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