Church is for believers

"Incestuous" has many meanings. Should we marry the unsaved, no. Should we invite them and welcome them into the church? Of course.

Deejay sounded equally appalled as am I when he suggested this attitude is one we best not share with the unsaved.

The Great Commission is pretty clear and I am tired of defending the church against generalizations of Pauls letters to specific churches with specific problems. The Corinthinians faced a church that was is dismay and was not running smoothly because it was allowing the uneducated (women in those days) to speak, and it was not focusing on its primary purposes. It is true that if the church became overrun with the unsaved and they began to lead the church itself astray, maybe it is best to place limits.

Honestly, I have never heard such self-centered, unloving tripe as on this thread. Bring the sinners and love them, witness by example. Show them a congregation that loves everyone as does God.

 

We have plenty of saved sinners to love without conforming to the world the draw in the unsaved masses.

Exclude them? Not unless they're disruptive. Center our services around them? That's not what God instructs us to do.

 

SuperBaptist, Jesus gave us a "new" commandment to love one another (fellow believers), and said the world would know us by our love for each other -- that is, other believers (Jn 13.34, 35).

We can't show love to unbelievers if we don't know or show love to our fellow believers in Christ.

 

I love these close-minded, incestuous people I hear. I simply rebuke them and stand firm on the principles of a loving Christ who preached in the streets and lived among the sinners, and converted them. The Streets were his church! Or was he a card carrying member of the local FBC, or Jewish synagogue?

Enough preaching to the saved. I come here and go to church to rejoice and sometimes to debate our approach to the great commission. I invite and welcome new people to church so they can hear the word from a more qualified voice than mine, a pastor. There is plenty of room on my pew. If you're church is so full of the saved that you have no room for sinners, I suggest you spend some of your budget to enlarge the sanctuary, or start another church.

 

Some of you delineate too completely some of the purposes of church. When we gather at my church for one of our four worship services, it's about worship--but not just that. There's some ministry going on...people praying for one another...helping one another...rescuing one another from some of life's traps. There's evangelism...we often encourage our guests that if they have questions about God, the Bible, etc., to ask us, or better yet, ask the person who invited them. There's fellowship going on too. And discipleship...so there's room at God's house for everyone.

No, of course non-Christians shouldn't lead the church. Of course there are some aspects of church life (membership, communion, baptism), that are reserved for believers. But our place, the only one I'm qualified to talk about, has folks coming all over the spiritual map...but our goal is not to leave them where they are, but to lead them first to a walk with God, and then to a deeper walk with God.

But ya'll just send the lost folks to my place if you don't want them. I'll gladly take them!

 

Amen I agree

The way I see it if an unsaved person comes to a good bible believing preaching church, it won't be long before they will get saved, otherwise they will feel to uncomfortable and leave. </font>[/QUOTE]I feel a bit of ambivalence to this statement.

And I guess "ambivalence" is a good word. I think that's how many lost folks feel at our church. Frenchy, you make a good point...if there's no sense of conviction, then something is wrong. However, at the same time, I want there to be such a sense of love and joy at my church...that even though they're under conviction, lost folks feel drawn here. And I've heard from many who came to know Christ here...that they felt drawn here, yet convicted, all at the same time...

BTW, the most uncomfortable folks at our church (at least I think) are the Christians living in open rebellion to God. They don't last long before they change, or leave.

 

I still stand on the fact that the church Is for Believers for equipping and worship and fellowship. if a church can do that without compromising it's godly standards, why not have an unsaved friend, family member or neighbor come in and see if God doesn't touch their hearts further on getting saved? I personally do not see what the big deal is? there isn't a ONE WAY ONLY is right answer!

1) we as believers are to go into the world and witness for Christ, thats our job not the pastors job. (of course he should do his part with his realationships.)

2) we as believers should have a place to congregate and meet for equipping, building up (edification) worship, and fellowship, apart from wordly influences.

3) we should never compromise the word or God's standards in order to appeal to and reach the world. Seperation = holiness.

4) we should not be judgmental of those who want to come to church on whether they are "saved" or "unsaved" we do not know their hearts, God does !!!

5) we should as a church practice church discipline if a member or person is living in habitual unrepentive sin.

I do believe this is the way God see's it, according to his character and his word.

 

rebell...i wrote all the above before i saw your last two post.

 

No problem with any of your five points, at face value.

#3 concerns me, when there are "hidden agendas" that eventually become extra-biblical rules and regulations.

No accusations toward you of that at all, Frenchy, just pointing out at what point Pharisees bent on legalism jump ship and sail in a different direction...

 

Yes I agree rbell, that legalism and man made standards can really hurt the church and the unsaved (my words)but that isn't what i am talking about. I am talking about sound balanced biblical preaching, where Gods word says sin is sin and grace is grace. we have been very fortunate to be in some churches that are very sound, and we have experenced the opposite on both ends.

 

Good enough...our agreement is great and differences small...God's best to you.

 

same to you

 

Wow! Because we believe the Bible to be the Word of God and believe we are to adhere to it's doctrine we are incestuous?

let me help you out on the definition of the word 'incestuous'

incestuous

INCEST'UOUS, a. Guilty of incest; as an incestuous person.

1. Involving the crime of incest; as an incestuous connection.
Websters Dictionary 1828

Now...

We need to look at the word 'incest' to get the full meaning of the word 'incestuous'.

incest

IN'CEST, n. L. incestum; in and castus, chaste.

The crime of cohabitation or sexual commerce between persons related within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by the law of a country.

Spiritual incest, is a like crime committed between persons who have a spiritual alliance by means of baptism or confirmation. It is also understood of a vicar or other beneficiary, who holds two benefices, the one depending on the collation of the other.
Webster's Dictionary 1828

Nope, incestuous does not apply to us.