Christian Essays
Essays on life, truth, the Bible and God

Jehovah’s Witnesses

May 4th, 2010 - The Church
One Comment

When a cult comes knocking, many Christians duck for cover! What a shame. Of all people, it should be the Christians who know best the Book which their Heavenly Father has put into their hands! Why should a cult-member be more familiar with the words of God than a child of God?

This little article has been written to help you, the Christian, to know enough about certain doctrines, and about Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) to not only meet them with confidence, but to also show them where they are wrong in their beliefs.

But first let me say that it is probably impossible to know everything about JW thinking. They have so many interpretations, often contradictory, with so many subtle and vague additions, that sometimes even the simplest and most straightforward verses can be twisted around to mean almost anything they want.

So do you give up before you start? No! Over the years, many JWs have been shown the errors in their beliefs and have been converted – for example William Schnell, who was totally entangled in the JW movement for 30 years, but finally came free.

The main reason why (some) JWs confuse Christians is because (some) JWs really train themselves. Comparatively few Christians train themselves. How many Christians do you know of who spend hours learning Scriptures? How well do you understand your own Bible? Could you show me, going from verse to verse, why you are a Christian? Could you show me, from Scripture, who Jesus is, who God is, why Jesus came to earth, where he is now, and so on? Could you open a Bible right now and point at the Scriptures which teach about sin, salvation, judgment, baptism and the blood of atonement?

JWs put many Christians to shame by their zeal too. Motivated by a certain amount of fear, and a desire to gain a footing in heaven through their dedicated, hard work, JWs set their sights on the goals held up by the JW teaching, and endlessly, determinedly visit their neighbours. How often do Christians visit their neighbours? How often do Christians go out of their way to witness for Christ?

Jesus wants Christians to be trained, efficient, confident workers – not hesitant amateurs. 1 Pet. 3:15. There are some things very good and worth noting in the ranks of the JW – zeal for one.

But be encouraged. This essay will give you answers to the JWs. Solid Bible answers. If you learn the right verses, you will be able to meet the JWs at your door, and answer them in clear terms. They may not want to come back, but then again, they might be open to instruction!

Most people who belong to a cult think they are right, and everyone else is wrong. They are in and everyone else is out. If you are not with them, you are an outsider. If you say you are a Christian, they may regard you as blind, duped, or part of an evil system. You must try to show the cult-member that you understand what being a Christian means, and be as loving as possible, and behave in a good-mannered and reasonable way.

JWs interpret the Bible with the help of Watchtower literature. They use the Bible, but they have to be told by other people what it means. They have great difficulty actually reading it for themselves.

Which means they end up believing what they are told to believe.

Some of their main wrong beliefs are:

1.There is no Trinity

2. Jesus is a created being

3. Jesus was resurrected as a spirit without a real body

4. The Holy Spirit is not personal, and not God

5. Salvation is helped by works and not by Grace alone

1. There is no Trinity.

JWs don’t understand the Trinity, that is, they mis-define it. Because they mis-define it, they ask Christians silly questions, such as: If Jesus is God, how could he pray to God? Did he send himself to earth from heaven? How could he say God sent him? Was Jesus praying to himself? Did he answer his own prayers?

But when we properly define the Trinity, things become clearer. The Bible teaches that  within the nature of the one true God (Jehovah, the Father) -

Is.42:8, 43:10, 44:6,8, 45:21, ICor. 8:4 – 6, Neh. 9:6, 1 Tim. 2:4 are three divine

Persons.

The first Person is the Father, the second is the Son and the third is the Spirit. Jesus the second Person is able to pray to the first Person. Each Person of the Trinity (or Triune God) is fully God, and all three Persons partake of the same nature of God. This is a great mystery, but it is stated in Scripture, so that, even if we don’t understand it fully, we are still expected to believe it. (Do you understand how a TV works? Do you believe it works, even though you don’t understand how it works you can still believe it works)

JWs have a problem with God. They reduce Him to dimensions which fit their own reasoning, rather than face the full account of God as expressed in the Bible, which is not so convenient to their way of thinking.

Now become familiar with what the Bible says about the fact that there are three Persons in the one God: Mat. 28:19, Luke 3:21, 22. The Father: 2Pet. 1:17. The Son: John 1:1 (called the Word, or Logos), 8:24, 58, Col. 1:13 – 17, Titus 2:13. The Spirit:Acts 13:2, 10:19,20, Heb. 3:7 – 11, Ps. 95: 6-11, Acts 5: 3,4, Heb. 9:14.

If you look all these verses up, and think about them, you will be able to show a JW most of the facts about God’s true nature.

2. Jesus is a Created being. JWs don’t accept the deity of Jesus. They say he was created. They misquote John 1:1. If they do use John 1:1 to “prove” their case, here is an effective way of showing them their error:

Tell them this is what they are saying: There is the one true God, Jehovah, and there is the Word, or Jesus. One big God and one small God. As John 1 says, the Word, or Jesus “was in the beginning with God” and he “made all things” and “in him was life”, and this Word was “made flesh” and “we beheld his glory” and v. 18 says Jesus “has declared” or revealed God, to us.

Now how can God, Jehovah, possibly tolerate this Jesus, who takes so much glory from him? Have a look at Is. 43:10, 11, and 44:8, John 17:3 and Deut. 32:39. There is a contradiction here.

As John 1 says, Jesus is the creator of all things. Logically, he cannot be the creator of himself. (Is. 44:24). God created all things. Either Jesus is an intolerable rival to Jehovah, or he is an equal.

JWs like to quote Col. 1:15 and Rev. 3:14 to show that Jesus was created. In fact these verses show the opposite. In Col. 1:15 “firstborn” is Greek (protokos) and means “the preeminent one, the one with the right to rule”.

The other reference, in Revelation has Jesus calling himself “the Amen”, but this is a title which Jehovah uses for himself. Again, Jesus calls himself “the true and faithful witness” which is another title used of Jehovah for himself – Jer. 42:5.

Another verse JWs use is a statement by Jesus that he is “the beginning of the creation of God”. Here, say the JWs, is proof that Jesus was created, but the Greek for “beginning” is ‘arche’ which means “the source, or origin, or ruling one” It does not mean that Jesus was created at all.

Another problem JWs have is in understanding headship, or rank. For example, a husband and wife and two sons may all be equals when it comes to sharing a meal, or sunbathing, but if they all happen to join the army, they may be set up in different positions of rank. Rank does not alter a basic equality. 1 Cor. 11 and Philippians 2:1 -11 describe the positions of rank in which various names are listed. Jesus subjected himself to the Father (Jehovah) and shared human nature. Why? So he could die for sinners. This humbling of himself did not in any way alter his equality with the father in the wider, larger sense. As a Man, Jesus could pray to his Father. As the Son, he could expect to be received back into the glory he left behind when he took on the flesh.

2. Jesus is a Created being.  JWs don’t accept the deity of Jesus. They say he was created. They misquote John 1:1. If they do use John 1:1 to “prove” their case, here is an effective way of showing them their error:

Tell them this is what they are saying: There is the one true God, Jehovah, and there is the Word, or Jesus. One big God and one small God. As John 1 says, the Word, or Jesus “was in the beginning with God” and he “made all things” and “in him was life”, and this Word was “made flesh” and “we beheld his glory” and v. 18 says Jesus “has declared” or revealed God, to us.

Now how can God, Jehovah, possibly tolerate this Jesus, who takes so much glory from him? Have a look at Is. 43:10, 11, and 44:8, John 17:3 and Deut. 32:39. There is a contradiction here.

As John 1 says, Jesus is the creator of all things. Logically, he cannot be the creator of himself. (Is. 44:24). God created all things. Either Jesus is an intolerable rival to Jehovah, or he is an equal.

JWs like to quote Col. 1:15 and Rev. 3:14 to show that Jesus was created. In fact these verses show the opposite. In Col. 1:15 “firstborn” is Greek (protokos) and means “the preeminent one, the one with the right to rule”.

The other reference, in Revelation has Jesus calling himself “the Amen”, but this is a title which Jehovah uses for himself. Again, Jesus calls himself “the true and faithful witness” which is another title used of Jehovah for himself – Jer. 42:5.

Another verse JWs use is a statement by Jesus that he is “the beginning of the creation of God”. Here, say the JWs, is proof that Jesus was created, but the Greek for “beginning” is ‘arche’ which means “the source, or origin, or ruling one” It does not mean that Jesus was created at all.

Another problem JWs have is in understanding headship, or rank. For example, a husband and wife and two sons may all be equals when it comes to sharing a meal, or sunbathing, but if they all happen to join the army, they may be set up in different positions of rank. Rank does not alter a basic equality. 1 Cor. 11 and Philippians 2:1 -11 describe the positions of rank in which various names are listed. Jesus subjected himself to the Father (Jehovah) and shared human nature. Why? So he could die for sinners. This humbling of himself did not in any way alter his equality with the father in the wider, larger sense. As a Man, Jesus could pray to his Father. As the Son, he could expect to be received back into the glory he left behind when he took on the flesh.

Useful hints as you speak to JWs:

1. Be honest. Tell them you are a Christian. If you really are a Christian, you will be able to say this with confidence. Born again Christians have an experience from which they can testify, rather than an argument from which they can make assertions. The Holy Spirit works in and through Christians to help them when they represent Jesus to other people – John 14:17.

2. Do not pay for their literature. Reason? Because you do not believe in supporting an organization which is misleading its members. (Would you support an organization which taught that the Greek gods should be worshipped, or that promoted abortion?) Any free literature they want to give away can be taken, because that is one less for someone else to read. Also, if you take something they give, they might take something yougive, such as a gospel tract.

Now that you have plenty of good answers, from the Bible, you can share salvation with any JWs who come to your door, without fear of being caught off balance. Of course, if you want to do an in-depth study of JWs there are quite a few books available, but the main thing, when countering a cult, is to know the truth, rather than all the error. It is better to know what God says than to know what everyone else thinks.

In a nutshell, if you know the Bible thoroughly, you can handle any cult, false teaching, or “twisted unlisted’. The main thing is that you spend time getting really familiar with the key Bible passages, which means you have to do some work. The good news is the more you put in, the more you get out. Lazy Christians are easy prey for cults.

Also, you will come to understand your own faith. A huge proportion of Christians believe what they do simply because someone told them. They never checked it up in the Bible. The minister, or Pastor, or some Christian friend, or someone at a camp . . . can you really trust their word? Make sure – find it in the Bible for yourself, and get it straight from God!

When speaking to a JW, always maintain a loving, thoughtful attitude. Don’t argue in an unloving way. It is possible to disagree with a smile. Who knows, but maybe your gracious manner will speak louder than your words?

Think of the visit of the JWs as an opportunity to witness. Many Christians find it difficult to go out and witness to someone. The JWs arrive at your door, eager to talk about the Bible. Even if you make a complete mess of it, you have lost nothing. Think of it as good practice. You may find yourself running back to the Bible, after they have gone, and searching the Scriptures for answers. That’s got to be a plus. (Does your pastor or whatever get you doing this?!)

Watch out for this: when you quote or read a verse to a JW, you may assume that they understand it the same way you do. Usually they don’t. You may have to go through what you say slowly, making sure the same definitions are agreed on by both you and them. If not, then there is very little common ground on which you and they can stand.

Be sure to present the plan of salvation. If the JW never talks to another Christian, at least you know that you have told them how they may be born again, and have their sins forgiven, and get into God’s kingdom without need of works to earn an entrance.

16 bits of advice:

1. Speak lovingly. People remember how you speak for a lot longer than what you spoke about. Speak the truth, but speak it lovingly – Eph. 4:15.

2. Many cults are quite newly sprung up, and none of them can agree with any of the other cults in every point. Many of them say they accept what the Bible says, yet they consider everyone else to be outside their own particular flock. Here is the problem: logically, if any one of these cults is in fact right, then God has, for hundreds of years, allowed Christians to be wrong in many vital areas. Why did God wait until only recently to reveal the truth? Well, he didn’t. He revealed the truth a long time ago. It is the cults who are wrong, not the Christians.

3. If you get the chance, share your personal testimony. Tell the JW (or any cultist) how you received Jesus by faith, repenting of your sins, and entered God’s family – all by Grace. The personal testimony is a powerful blow to a cult, because no cult-member really knows the Lord. None of them have a personal walk with God. Perhaps you could write your testimony out and have it ready as a typed, photocopy, to give to people.

4. Keep to what you know. Stay in your own territory. The cult-member will try to lure you away, out into the traps and snares of the cult beliefs. Ignore the lures. Simply don’t answer, or say “Well, that’s what you believe”, which is a fair way to handle things, because just because a person believes something, that does not make it correct. (Hitler believed many things about Jews, but his fanatical confidence didn’t make him correct).

When you get the chance, keep referring to what Jesus did, what Jesus said, what Jesus claimed. If your focus is Jesus, you may find that His presence in the debate decides things for you.

5. If the cult-member quotes a scripture, get your own Bible and read the verse out loud yourself, then read the verses before and after it. Quite often this alone will spoil the cult-member’s argument, because a text without a context can be a pretext.

6.Ask the cult-member for his or her address. Some will give this to you. When they have gone, send them some appropriate literature. Ask them, too, perhaps, if they need any help with their family, work, whatever, and offer to pray for them. mean it. Do it.

7. If they offer you literature tell them you will accept it on the condition that they will receive literature from you. If they do accept your Christian book or whatever, make sure they say they will read some of it. If you read some of theirs, you may grow stronger in your faith, as you compare error with Scripture. If they read some of yours, they may be saved.

8. People often join cults because they are insecure. If you get the chance, tell the cult-member how wonderful it is that God has accepted you, as you are, into his family, simply because you accepted Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour. You didn’t have to do anything to get into God’s Family. You were “accepted in the beloved” – Eph. 1:6. All the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption you could ever need were freely given to you the moment you received Christ – 1 Cor. 1:30, 31. If you get the chance, read out Eph 2, Col. 1 and 2, Heb. 10 or Rev. 1;

9. Every cult reduces the Bible in some way, from being the perfect, authoritative

Word of God to something less than this. Some cults think the Bible is incomplete, or untrustworthy, or defective, or outdated. Ignore these attitudes and quote it anyway. (What soldier goes into battle, and then asks if the enemy minds if he uses his sword?) Heb. 1:1,2, 2Tim. 3:15 – 17.

10. Every cult has its own version of God. 1 John 5:20, Heb. 1:1 – 14, John 17:1-5.

11. Every cult denies the Biblical Jesus in some way. As with point 9, just keep quoting your Bible and ignore the wrong views. For example: There is a difference between truly and fully. When Jesus was on earth, in human form, he was not fully God. Obviously, he could not have been, or every person he met would have been consumed, since “no man can see God and live”. But Jesus was truly God. For the relevant Scriptures: Jesus is truly God John – 20:28 – 31, John 1:1 onwards, and truly Man – Philippians 2:5 – 11, 1 Tim. 2:5,6.

12. Every cult has its own particular beliefs about Mankind, such as, what Man is, where Man came from, where Man goes at death. These may end up wasting you time as side-issues. Focus on Jesus. Keep steering the conversation back to Jesus. If you must comment on trivial matters, just quote the Bible and leave the matter with the listener. Don’t try too hard to explain everything you read. God’s Word is alive. It doesn’t usually need much help. (A powerful lion doesn’t need defending either!).

13. Every cult has its own version of salvation. Usually, a cult cannot rest in the finished work of God. Usually, cult-members have no assurance of God’s love. Talk about these things as much as you can – Rom. 5:6 – 11. The only “work” God requires of us is to “believe in” the Son, whom the Father sent – John 6:29. Our salvation is the result of Grace = the unearned, undeserved, unmerited favour of God – Eph. 2:8 – 10. What Jesus did for us on the cross is all we could ever need – Heb. 7:25 – 28. God will finish his work in us himself – Philippians 1:6.

14. When the Cult-member leaves, you may feel that you made no impression on him or her. Cheer up. Your love, your personal testimony, your refusal to turn the time into a heated argument . . . they will have had some effect. (Several testimonies from ex-cult-members have testified to the witness, or manners, of a strong Christian as being a deciding factor in their later conversion). And just think, if every door the cult-member knocked on was opened by a Christian with the right attitude …!

15. After the cult-member has gone, pray earnestly for them and leave the rest to the Lord.

16. If the same cult-member returns three times, you may feel that there is little chance of them changing. You are quite within your rights to kindly ask them not to return again -Titus 3:10.

If you think back to the day when you were saved, the chances are it was because God suddenly moved on you. It may have been at a church meeting, or perhaps someone was witnessing to you, or maybe you were all by yourself and not really concerned about spiritual things, but wherever you were, something happened and you went from wondering about God to wanting Him to change you. That was the act of grace which accompanies all true conversions. It is God’s work, not ours. It is an act of divine grace. God gives us the power to understand, to repent, to confess, to live the Christian life. All we do is choose, and even then there is an element of God’s work, because before we are saved we are “dead in trespasses and sins”. Obviously, a dead person cannot make choices. God has to revive us so we can hear Him.

So when you are witnessing to a cult or to anyone at all, just do your job and leave the rest to God. Conversion is definitely not your job, but living for Jesus and sharing the gospel is, so keep to that and God will do whatever else He can.

Growing a church

April 15th, 2010 - The Church
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Dear Steve,
You asked me for my thoughts on how to make a fellowship grow. I submit the following as from someone who has had very little experience, and who knows very little about the matter.
First of all I like to ask the questions “What is church for?” As I see it there are basically only two answers:
1.               Church is for believers. When believers meet they all understand the ‘special’ words they use, such as redemption and propitiation, and when they celebrate communion they know the symbolical nature of the emblems. Their meetings are eclectic and specific, and the common understanding they have makes them as exclusive as a brain-surgeon’s conference.
2.               Church is for reaching into the community and winning the lost to Christ. The main reason Christians exist is firstly to become like Jesus, and secondly to draw other people to Jesus. This means that they should lay aside all their theological terms and meet the unsaved in their own limited understanding. No strange words, no peculiar costumes, and as many familiar things as possible, without sinning of course. For example Jesus met people in their own homes, and talked to them over the meal.
In the world there are and always have been hundreds of different kinds of fellowship. This is good, because it shows that God can live in the hearts of people from all cultures. These different people have always expressed their Christianity in their own forms of art, music and so on, and in each generation they have managed to win a new harvest of believers – otherwise the church would have died out long ago. Some Christian fellowships are loud, and noisy, while others are very quiet. Some like to dress up, others dress down. Some concentrate on worship and do a lot of singing, while others prefer prayers.
Every fellowship tends to attract people of a certain range of personality. The old adage of ‘birds of a feather flock together’ is clearly seen. For example the Brethren tend to attract men because Brethren services (as far as I know tend to be objective, theological and unemotional, whereas Pentecostal churches are usually predominantly filled with women, and the services are correspondingly emotional. I am not suggesting that there is anything wrong with this – it is normal and natural for like to attract like. In the world exactly the same thing happens.
Returning to the question, I would like to look very briefly at the first category of fellowship.
The ‘Christians only’ church.
Looking at the style of the Early Church, (Acts 2:41-47) we have a simple list of the main activities of those first Christians. They met for four reasons:
1.               Doctrine. They listened to and studied the teaching of the apostles
2.               Fellowship. This means people with a common interest met to share their common interest with each other.
3.               Meals. “breaking of bread’ can mean either communion or simply a meal.
4.               Prayers. For each other and for the people outside the Church.
These first Christians also showed great generosity towards each other, and became a wonderful example of a sharing, caring community. As the apostles went about performing signs and wonders the unsaved, who saw this phenomenon, were drawn into the Church and God’s Building increased.
The ‘reaching the lost’ church.
This kind of church, I think, should be completely different in form and service to the above. It should be focused on winning the lost. It has no time or place for ceremonies, special clothes, church building furniture and so on. Its main aim is to communicate to the lost, and it must strip away anything and everything which might be a stumbling block to getting the message across – without sinning of course.
Many years ago I was part of an interesting experiment. I helped organize a ‘Family Service’ in a dwindling fellowship. I do not want to be critical of the fine and well-motivated people who were part of this fellowship, but it is difficult to describe what happened without some part of what follows being reflected back at them. I pray they will forgive me if they find the following offensive.
The building was large, and almost empty. Week by week, year by year the same service was held. The men spoke with faith and the Word was ministered. Many devote and sincere Christians came and went over the years. The youth group disappeared. The Sunday school closed. Still the men spoke with conviction and sincerity at the meetings. People came by invitation, and never returned. The devotion and determination of the leaders was outstanding – even exemplary, but still the numbers dwindled. Prayer meetings failed to stem the tide, and invitations fell on deaf ears.
It was at about this time that I attended, and for more than two years contributed to the fellowship, helping with graphics, Sunday school and various outreaches. I spent a lot of time thinking about the situation, and suggested various ideas, all of which were either ignored or rejected very quickly by the leadership.
Finally one of my ideas was considered. I went to the building early in the mornings and prayed over all the seats. I designed invitations, and helped wherever I could. At last the ‘Family Service’ was launched.
It was an amazing Sunday. Instead of the one or two cars parked outside, there were cars bumper to bumper along both sides of the road. People were streaming in, and soon the building was packed to the doors. The leadership was amazed and joyful. The visitors were happy.
The service went along the lines I had suggested, which comprised a series of items by Christians. For example, two people used glove-puppets to tell a story, one woman held a ‘lollies for answers’ quiz, I told a flashcard story, two people sang a duet, a man played some Classical music on the piano, another man played a solo on his flute. It was funny and marvelous, and everyone enjoyed the whole service, which was opened with a short prayer and closed with the same. Then followed the meal. Some women, who had been preparing drinks and food in the kitchen, pulled the curtains aside and the whole service ended with a wonderful time of talking. On their way out many people asked when the next ‘Family Service’ was going to be held.
The following Sunday the leadership reverted back to the tried and true order of service, and the building was empty again.
A second ‘Family Service’ was held a few weeks later, with the same results, but no further ‘Family Services’ were held.
Today the building remains almost empty and the last few (wonderful, Spirit-filled, devoted) members are trying to devise a method of keeping the fellowship from dying altogether.
……………………………….
The reason why unbelievers are not attracted to church is much the same as why most people are not attracted to attend brain-surgery conferences.
……………………………….
At this point one might be tempted to lay down some sort of formula for building a church, but that would be a formula for failure, because every fellowship has to be different. God has not created us to be identical clones, so it is impossible to gather a group of people together and get identical results, even if their interests are much the same. We are all unique individuals, and praise God for that!
What I would like to do is simply suggest a formula which may or may not work for another fellowship. It is entirely up to you what you do with it. You may like to adapt it, or bend it into a new shape.
Reach the lost services.
The ‘reach the lost’ church service begins with the ‘image’ it must portray to the public. If you must use a building rather than meet in homes (as the Early Church did), then make the building ‘user friendly’. Decorate it. Make it like a big, attractive living room. Put a jumble of assorted chairs and seats in. Get rid of church furniture and other useless emblems. Make people feel at home when they come in, and help them relax. Remember, many people have a ton of prejudice on their shoulders when they enter a church building, and some of it is probably justified.
The service itself must not be ‘worldly’ in the sense of having crude language or casual references to God or His Son. Begin with a short prayer of thanks, but keep the wording accessible to the unbelievers.
There is always plenty of talent in every fellowship, but quite often this talent lies undiscovered because the ‘order of service’ ensures that only the ‘pastor’ and a few others are allowed to speak. The Early Church, on the other hand, was rich with contributions – take 1 Corinthians 14:26 for example:  “How is it then, brethren? when you come together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying”. Note the words “Every one of you”. If this is so, then why do most church services seem to be a 99% spectator sport?
Some Christians have amazing gifts, but they rarely get to exercise them in the fellowship because they are forced to sit and listen. Sometimes a moment is given to members to pray, but rarely is there an opportunity to contribute much more.
But what happens when all the members of a fellowship are expected to contribute something? Firstly they spend the week thinking about it, and secondly they prepare for it. They come to church fired up and excited because they have something to give. If it is from the Word, then they have done some independent study, which is great. If it is some other contribution then they have been practicing it, which means they have been polishing their talents. And what does the whole fellowship gain? A wonderful series of entertaining and edifying items. And what do visitors gain? A totally enjoyable experience, which they will probably want to return to again some time.
To win the lost Christians must meet them at their level. Unsaved children do not understand theology, but they do understand jokes, sweets, food, games, crafts, videos and so on. Unsaved adults are much the same. They understand music, fun, puppets, pictures, songs, dances and other creative and entertaining things.
There are some Christians who feel that ‘church’ should not be entertaining. To these well-meaning saints I suggest that they gather other like-minded people about them and have their own services the way they want them, but please don’t invite me. I think they are partly correct, but their view probably comes from their desire to preserve the sober, serious side of Christianity intact. (This is a good motivation but how will the unsaved be reached if Christians form ‘holy huddles’?) They may fear that if Christians laugh too much they may slide into worldliness and forget to follow Jesus. I doubt it. God created laughter and gave it to Mankind as a gift. Perhaps it is time for the Church to take back the gift and use it the right way?
Returning for a moment to the Early Church and the list of 4 things they practiced, it is interesting to see how the ‘meal together’ has disappeared from most mainline churches. Instead of a full fellowship, traditions have imposed a straitjacket of rules and restrictions, reducing what should be a vibrant and entertaining time, into a formal order of service in which very little real fellowship can take place. It is because of this dry formalism and lack of full fellowship that thousands of disillusioned Christians are leaving church and meeting in homes instead.
There is nothing like a meal together to help people to unwind and communicate, yet the one thing which Christians need when they meet has been removed. Visitors come in, sit down, and just as they try to converse the service begins. They wait till the end and leave politely, perhaps shaking hands briefly with some smiling person near the door, returning to the street without spending any quality time with anyone. What a huge difference it would make if visitors came, were entertained, and then spent another hour talking to someone – with a cup of tea and a biscuit? They might think that Christians were, after all, not such a strange crowd after all.
………………………..
I think Christians ought to sit down and take a hard look at what their ‘church’ is doing, and then compare it with the general principles in the Word. Instead of accepting what the ‘pastor’, or ‘tradition’ says, why not check out the Scriptures and see if there might be an alternative?
If you really want to reach the lost, why not make as many changes as possible in order to do that, rather than expect the lost to politely conform to your traditional methods?
Someone challenged me many years ago on this point, by asking “What is your main motivation in getting someone saved? Is it so that you can add another person to your Sunday service?”
I hate to say it but I think that may be one of the reasons why some churches try to reach the lost. They want to swell the ranks in the pews. How dreadful! The traditional church, centred in a building, with its furniture and robes and books and paraphernalia is all Manmade. It has some of the essence of the Early Church, but it is largely an artificial growth which has been built out of the original outline found in the Scriptures. Most of it could be wiped out without even scratching the actual true Church underneath. The main aim of Christianity should not be to increase church attendance, but to add children to God’s Family.
Try this thought-experiment. Imagine going to your long-standing traditional church building just down the street, and suggest to the minister that he paint the building white with flowers and butterflies all over the outside walls, and then place a big sign over the door: “Kid’s Church, open Saturdays from 1p.m. to 3p.m.” Can you guess his reaction? (I may be wrong but I think) he would probably prefer to keep things just the way they are than set out on a radical new path in order to reach the lost children in his community.
It is because of the ‘we’ve-always-done-things-this-way’ attitude that many churches are dying. The traditions, and habits, and security of repetition, are strong impediments to change, and perhaps many services are so unchallenging and comforting that they lull those who attend into a sleep of acceptance. As one brought up in the Presbyterian church, where the minister always ordered the service and all I ever did was sing hymns and watch the time, I know the sense of futility and boredom which comes on those who seem to be merely spectators. The only bright moment I remember was my chance to read something to the other children at Sunday school, but then, looking at the Word, there is no warrant for separating the children from the adults. If the church is a Family, then the Family should fellowship together – but that is exactly the problem. The Family of God has been taken hostage by tradition and formalism, and robbed of its common meal together.
No wonder people are leaving it in droves.
There is a fear, and it is quite justified, among some Christians that if the church entertains people too much, it might forget its Great Commission and slip into aimless worldliness. However, my view is that entertainment is a gift from God, and it is the world which has twisted and abused it.
Take humour for example. While there is no specific verse which tells us to laugh, there are many which imply that “a merry heart does good like a medicine” (Prov.15:13, 15:15, 17:22, Ecc.9:7). It is the same with other gifts, such as music, dance and the whole gamut of the Arts. God intended these gifts to be used properly, morally and for our pleasure, but sinful people have abused them and used them for evil.
Christians, above all people in the world, really should be (collectively) the most creative and entertaining people! We (the Church) should be able to redeem all the gifts of God and present them in a sanctified and lively way – but instead our fellowships are so often reduced to a narrow band of singing and sometimes musical performance. Where, in the church, are the actors, poets, painters and dancers? Where are the humourists? Where are the craftsmen and craftswomen? Where are all the wonderful gifts which should be present at the meetings?
As I said at the beginning of this article, the question comes back to two lines of thought: are we trying to build a ‘Christians only’ fellowship, or do we want to become a ‘reach the lost’ fellowship? How we answer the question will determine the sort of fellowship we will be. And it is no good trying to combine the two, because that creates a service too ’worldly’ for Christians, and too ‘Christian’ for the unsaved. It has to be one or the other, not both at the same time.
To grow a church we have to put the unsaved first, and all our theology has to come second. We have to meet the unsaved at their level before we can pull them up to ours. Jesus demonstrated this by walking the streets and eating with publicans and sinners. He didn’t try to lure people into the synagogues because all that would have done was produce synagogue-attendees. In the same way, it is far better for people to become Christians and never attend ‘church’ than for them to regularly attend ‘church’ and never become Christians.
Which is why I think we have to make some radical changes and focus on winning the lost to Jesus, rather than filling pews.

Church Discipline

April 14th, 2010 - The Church
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There is a distinct and clear circular line drawn around every Christian. This line is described in God’s Word, but not all Christians can see it, or stay within its boundaries. The line divides the world into two parts: the Christian world and the Secular World. It divides the world into two ways of seeing things: the Christian world view, and the Secular world view.

As an example of this division, recently (2003) Archbishop George Pell of Sydney, Australia, got himself into a dispute over homosexuals and their place in relation to the Church. He denied Holy Communion to all homosexuals who don’t accept church teaching on homosexuality. He said: “A Biblical approach to sexuality is essential for human well-being, and for the continuity of the human race.” This is what the Bible says, in different words, so all Mr Pell was doing was staying within the boundary of what God permitted within His Word.

Mr. Pell also sponsors AIDS hospices and shows compassion to those infected with deadly diseases. But many homosexuals are angry with his views and have opposed his appointment. They think he is unfairly discriminating against people who want to have alternative sexual choices. The homosexuals of course, want the church to throw away the rules and be ‘more tolerant’. But is God tolerant of homosexuality? No.

Another example is that of Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani of Lima, Peru. Eighteen months ago he announced that people who oppose church teaching on abortion would be denied communion. Of course he started a fierce and angry debate over his ruling from people who saw nothing wrong with abortion.

The pro-abortionists wanted the Cardinal to ignore the many Bible teachings about the preciousness of life, from conception through to birth. They wanted the church to ignore the clear rules and restrictions in the Bible.

And then there is the case of the Southern Baptist Convention which cut ties with churches that allowed homosexuals to be pastors. The Southern Baptists were vilified and labeled “narrow minded” and “bigoted”.

But the church is not a democracy. It was never instituted as a sort of forum where Christians can make, or change, or abolish rules. The church is an hierarchy, that is, it is set up in a similar way to the old British model: it has a King at the top, with his obedient advisors under him, and all the citizens in their charge under the king, all members equally expected to obey that King.

Whenever churches begin to portray themselves as democracies, they disintegrate as churches, and begin to change into something else. The world always tries to pressure Christians into a duplicitous position – that is, a little allegiance both ways, but Jesus never allowed for this duality. The Church is supposed to be the same yesterday, today and forever, as far as its rules go.

Suppose we applied the democratic model to non-Christian organizations? What would happen if people refused to attend all the required meetings of the Rotary Club? They would be expelled from the Club. What would happen if Brownies, Scouts or Guides turned up repeatedly without their uniforms? They would not be allowed to carry the name of the Club. In this way the world frequently upholds its own so-called intolerant views. It has rules for membership, and it expels or suspends all members who fail to keep those rules – so why should the church be any different?

The church has every right to set rules for its members, provided those rules are based on the Bible, and not Man’s opinion. If people want to join a church fellowship, and don’t like the rules, they are free to leave – just as people may leave any worldly club or organization they don’t agree with. Only cults and dictatorships force their members to stay. The Church is a loving family, where obedience to the rules springs from a willing heart.

The authority on which the churches stand should always be the Word of God. Whether we like it or not the churches must discipline their members when there is a good reason. When they fail to discipline, they don’t become more relevant to the world, they become less relevant, and also lose their moral authority. Many people in the world actually want the Church to speak with a clear voice about morals and standards – rather than cave in and join the liberals and New Agers. In a world blown about by opinions and debate, the Church is able to speak with a never-changing voice on many things – like a solid rock in a storm.

Discipline is essential in many areas of life – the home, at work, in the military, in clubs and organizations, in business, in sport. In all these areas, members must be brought into line with the rule book, whether it is actually written or spoken, otherwise the whole organization suffers. Discipline in the church guards the purity of the church, preserves the church by removing evil, and provides severe but loving correction for one who is in danger of slipping away.

The responsibility of all believers is to read and understand God’s rule book, and then to hold to those rules with unflinching courage. This sort of stand is usually involved with “righteousness”, or doing what is right. In practical terms, this equates with no swearing, no gossip, no drugs, no pornography, no lies, no stealing, no revenge, and so on. In positive terms this means clean living, good works, love, kindness, generosity and so on. If we want to be known as Christians, we must stay within the circle.

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