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"Teaching God's Word to God's World"
2766 Airport Road, Peru, Indiana 46970, (765) 472-4111
Letter To A Preacher
George
L. Faull
Greetings in Him,
I heard you were looking for a congregation to whom
you may preach and labor with throughout the years. I am well acquainted with your kind of preaching. I commend you for it. We need strong doctrine and preaching on
worldliness. However, I hesitate
sending you this letter for fear that the Church, which I am going to refer you
to, would not appeal to you. You may not
even fellowship them and even less want to go and labor among them.
The Church does have its problems. They are quite
liberal, although they have had some very powerful preaching from a very
dedicated group of preachers. However,
this is exactly the problem. Some of
the people here like one kind of preaching and another group likes another kind
of preaching, so they are divided over this.
This Church is full of troubles and needs a firm
hand to straighten them out. Some of
the people do not believe that some of the New Testament books are valid. Some do not believe that there will be a
resurrection, and still others believe that it is a sin to eat meat. They all seem to have a perverted view of
the Lord’s Supper. These are their
doctrinal errors.
Their errors, as far as godly living are concerned,
are even worse. One man is living in
adultery and no one will condemn him for it.
Two of the brethren are going to law with each other over a boundary
line. There are a lot of petty
jealousies in the Church and some of them are puffed up with pride about their
talents. Some of the people are quite
snobbish.
But put this all aside and they are a good New
Testament Church. I do not think we
ought to throw them away, do you? They
are divided on the name of the Church, but they are a Church set up after the
apostolic order. I fellowship this
Church as I expect some of its members to be in Heaven. I am confident that if you go there, some of
the brethren will think you have backslidden.
Some of the “loyal brethren” will not even fellowship them.
Now I do not know if they use an instrument or
not. I think they use more than one cup
at the communion. I know they
contribute money to a common fund for the poor with the other Churches in the
area.
I hope that I have not made the Church sound too
terrible to you. These brethren need
your help. Why don’t you consider going
there and laboring among these saints?
If you are at all interested, drop them a line and I will forward your
letter on to the Church at Corinth by Timothy, my son in the Faith.
Sincerely,
The Apostle Paul
What
does this letter mean to you?
Does it not broaden your concept of the Church of
Jesus Christ?
Does it not make your self-made boundaries of
fellowship seem far too narrow?
Hasn’t your brotherhood been far too limited? Mine has.
I have been an isolationist, a Pharisee, a prodigal
son’s prodigal brother, who would not come in and have fellowship with the
Father because my brother was there. I
had little fellowship with the Father because I would not fellowship my
brother.
I have been salt, but in a jar. I have been light, but under a bushel. I have been praying the publican’s prayer,
but had the Pharisee’s attitude.
Now do not misunderstand me. These Corinthians were called “saints” and
“brethren” by the inspired Apostle Paul because they were saints and
brethren. They had obeyed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They had believed on Christ, repented of their sins, and been
immersed for the remission of their sins.
Then they were brethren and not until then. But when they did not grow as they should,
they were babes in Christ, but brethren nevertheless. They were babes because they were born of the water and of the Spirit.
I am not teaching open membership. I am teaching open brotherhood. I am teaching fellowshipping those who have
been obedient to the Gospel of Christ. Here is the mistake of some whom, in their
quest for unity, run so far from Rome that they pass by Jerusalem. I only want to fellowship those to whom God
has given His Spirit. To whom does
He give His Spirit? “Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your
sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts
2:38 ….these are brethren. They who
have His Spirit and cry, “Abba, Father” have been bought, adopted, and born
into the family of God. These are my
brethren, with whom I should have fellowship.
It
is neither whether he sings to a piano…nor whether he uses one cup or a dozen
cups…nor whether he contributes to an orphanage or college, but rather, does he
have the Spirit of Christ?
Again I say, I do not want to be misunderstood. My fellowship is with all the children of
God. I can go in among them and not
feel ill at ease or as if I was a sinner for calling them brethren. Now it is a joy to call a babe in Christ my
brother.
I have not changed any of my convictions about godly
living. I still believe that a
Christian’s life, habits, speech, dress and entertainment should be different
from the worlds. However, there must be
time for growth.
But now I will help my brother come to acknowledge
the truth. I will teach my Lord’s
disciples to observe all things that He commanded. I will take his hand as a brother and lead him in the spirit of
meekness, lest I also be tempted. I
will teach the truth in love so the brethren may grow up into Him in all
things, which is the head, even Christ.
Meanwhile, I will learn from Him where I may be in error.