We have often been
asked the question, “Why don’t you have a statement of faith on your
website. My simple answer is “because statements of themselves do
not accurately reflect the nature of fellowships today.” There is more to
determining what a fellowship believes than a concise statement on their
webpage. I am happy to commend the following article to anyone
seeking a Christ honoring church. It accurately reflects my thoughts and
concerns on looking for a church. If you have additional questions I
would be happy to answer them.
Todd Kopet
Pastor
Fellowship:
Fortification against Apostasy
Two are
better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they
fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he
falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together,
then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against
him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
—Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Warning against apostasy in our day seems to be
akin to alerting Christians to the potential coming of a flood when they are
already up to their knees in incoming tidewater. Sadly, for many, not even
floating objects (i.e., the very obvious corruptions of Scripture) seem to get
their attention. Nevertheless, we keep hoping and praying that the message will
reach those who have eyes to see and ears to hear what the Word of God clearly
foretells. For those who do acknowledge things happening as the Bible describes,
it can be a bittersweet experience. The unhappy part is the recognition of the
overwhelming, destructive consequences of the apostasy that is taking place in
the world, in the church, and among our friends and loved ones who have
succumbed to the increasing deceptions and seductions. Yet, on the other hand,
we can rejoice that the Bible is confirming its miraculous prophetic nature, as
it is in truth the Word of God! Furthermore, the fact that such events, long
ago foretold, are taking place indicates that our blessed hope, the return of
our wonderful Savior for His saints, is drawing closer, although no man knows
the day and the hour.
In the meantime, how should we go about dealing
with these troubling times that aggressively oppose the Bible’s instructions
for living our lives in a way that is pleasing to the Lord? The simple answer
is: Learn what the Bible teaches, and then do what it says, in spirit and in
truth. Such understanding and doing in the life of a believer is possible only
by the Holy Spirit who dwells within every born-again Christian. Rarely,
however, does the Spirit of God work in a vacuum, which means that the believer
must fill his heart and mind with the teachings of Scripture so the Holy Spirit
can give him understanding and help him to apply the wisdom that God has
provided in the Word.
One such teaching that is an issue of increasing
concern is fellowship (or the lack thereof) among believers. An
all-too-common request from readers of The Berean Call is that we might help
them to find a truly Bible-believing church. To participate in such fellowship
and teaching, some are willing (as many already do) to drive for hours to be
fed from the Word of God. Our response is that we can’t recommend any churches.
That isn’t because there aren’t some solid churches around; it’s because we’ve
seen so many churches buy into questionable teachings and unbiblical programs,
seemingly overnight. Our counsel for those who are earnestly seeking a church
is to call and question the church’s pastor or an elder regarding the
fellowship’s view of God’s Word, i.e., how serious the church is about it. A
statement of faith, although it may appear biblically sound, is rarely a true
indicator of the biblical discernment and practice within that church. Again,
questions need to be asked and acceptable responses need to be followed up by
personal attendance to see if indeed the church lives up to what has been
claimed.
Often, the reasons why Christians leave one
fellowship for another have more to do with a “consumer attitude” rather than
from a desire to hear God’s Word and to serve their brothers and sisters in
Christ. A “feed me” mentality often transcends scriptural edification and
prioritizes things such as a worship music preference, the length of a sermon
or service, the pastor’s charisma, availability of popular programs, a lack of
pew cup holders, etc. Although such thinking can creep into even the most
committed believers, it’s the seeker-friendly, market-driven churches that have
led the way in compromising biblical doctrine. The seeker-sensitive approach
(see TBC articles) may increase a church’s numbers (usually by drawing from the
“have not” churches mentioned above), but it has also created refugees who are
looking for doctrinal integrity. The bad news/good news is that both will
increase in the days ahead.
Biblical compromise, the bad news, is on the
rise. This will compel true believers to find fellowship with believers who are
standing fast according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 16:13).
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like
men, be strong. The good news is definitely good, but even it is not without
problems. As has been noted, it can be quite difficult to find a biblically
solid church. Some simply stop looking and give up on attending a church. They
begin to seek “fellowship” through ministries that communicate via the media,
and although the teaching may be edifying, it doesn’t satisfy the scriptural
mandate regarding fellowship (Hebrews 10:24-25).
And let us consider one another to provoke unto
love and to good works: Not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting
one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Such an approach may foster a self-focused
mentality and hardly ever lends itself to the biblical admonition to serve
others (Galatians 5:13) For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty;
only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one
another.
Moreover, what may be the most spiritually
damaging consequence of disregarding fellowship is that the believer risks
becoming a “Lone Ranger” Christian. Such a person is an easy target for the one
who goes about as a “roaring lion…seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Christians who have no fellowship, regardless of
the reasons or rationale, have consequently brought upon themselves more than a
few potential problems. To begin with, as the verses above from Ecclesiastes
assert, they have put themselves into a weak and vulnerable position: Two are
better than one… . For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe
to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up .
A believer who has no one to support him spiritually will find himself in
trouble sooner or later. When any of us gets knocked down spiritually, we need
a fellow believer to help us up—mentally, emotionally, and, most important,
spiritually.
As for those who declare, “The Lord is all we
need,” too often, their subsequent thinking is out of line with God’s Word.
Jesus said in Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the
things which I say? Certainly we need Jesus first and foremost, but He has given us
instructions that we are to follow, and they include involving other believers
in our lives. His Word tells us that we are not to forsake “the assembling of
ourselves together, as the manner of some is” (Hebrews 10:25) Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but
exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
That isn’t merely a suggestion! Even if we
weren’t aware of the reasons for our Lord’s mandate, it must still be obeyed,
and numerous reasons are given throughout Scripture. Included among those are
accountability, encouragement, praying for others and being prayed for,
edification of one another through the Word, correction, personal support and
strengthening in the faith, showing empathy and compassion, helping others to
use discernment, increasing in our love for one another, and sustaining biblical
steadfastness.
Practically speaking, avoiding or disdaining
fellowship eliminates our ability to fulfill the important exhortations for
believers to serve one another. Anyone’s claim that they “follow Jesus” rings
hollow at the very least if he evades our Savior’s example of coming not to be
served but to serve , even to give His life for others (Matthew 20:28) Even
as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give
his life a ransom for many. We are to “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so
fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Bear ye one another's
burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Paul’s epistles to the Corinthians
are replete with examples of believers ministering to each other, accepting one
another, edifying each other, correcting each other, meeting the needs of other
saints, and so forth.
Too often, we miss the fact that in Paul’s
writings to the churches he gives us a wonderful example of how we are to
minister to one another. That should be evident to us when we read, “Brethren,
join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a
pattern.” His commitment to and love for his fellow believers throughout his
God-inspired writings is both extraordinary and convicting.
Even if our future holds persecutions, which
have not formerly been much on the horizon in the West (but are a fact of life
for many of our brothers and sisters in Christ in numerous countries), the
importance of fellowship is even more imperative for believers, as the
Scriptures make clear. As the persecution of biblical Christians in the West
will surely increase, those who desire to be true to the faith “which was once
delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3) will be marginalized at least, with even
worse experiences in the days ahead.
After decades of spiritual seduction due to
unbiblical teachings, false practices, compromise with the world, the pervasive
acceptance of the pseudo sciences of evolution and psychotherapy in the US, the
acceptance of social “correctness” regarding homosexuality, and the eagerness
to do things man’s way rather than God’s way, we have arrived at the time when
“judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17) For the time is
come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us,
what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
How exactly that will take place remains to be
seen, but the history of persecution within Christendom indicates that it more
than rivals martyrdom executed by governments. One needs only to consider the
historic religious inquisitions to recognize that. Will the world really turn on Christians?
Some governments already have, but it will soon grow worse.
Why? Because our planet is headed for a
one-world government that will be under the rule of the Antichrist. The
religion of the Antichrist, as Dave Hunt has pointed out, is not just in opposition
to biblical Christianity; it is a seductive counterfeit of Christianity.
Retaining a form of biblical Christianity without its truth, without its
gospel, without its instructions, it will become a self-love-oriented,
self-deifying belief system that initially has “a form of godliness” but denies
its power (2 Timothy 3:5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the
power thereof: from such turn away.
Professing Christians will therefore be given a
pass—but not biblical Christians, those who stand steadfast in God’s Word.
Could the Christian church ever turn on its own?
Yes, but that will be the professing Christian church, with its blinded leaders
and deluded hirelings. They will pose as true shepherds, but they are really
ravenous wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing, and in fact are those who have
acted the part but were never truly born again.
In Acts 20:28-31 Take heed therefore unto
yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you
overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own
blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in
among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise,
speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch,
and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one
night and day with tears.
Paul warns the Ephesian elders of what will take
place in the church after his departing: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves,
and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to
feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know
this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not
sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse
things, to draw away disciples after them.
Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space
of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.”
What then is the biblical Christian to do as we
see these situations proliferating prior to the return of Jesus for His bride?
Much of what we are being told and sold by some Christian websites and
Christian bestselling authors who disregard the imminent return of Jesus and
the pretrib Rapture is that we must prepare to physically survive the seven
years of tribulation. These individuals conveniently have survival gear and
food for sale for what the Bible describes throughout the Book of Revelation
and declares in (Matthew 24:21-22) For then shall be great tribulation,
such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever
shall be. And except those days should
be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those
days shall be shortened. as a time “such as was not since the beginning of the
world to this time, nor ever shall be, and except those days should be
shortened, there should no flesh be saved.” Even a cursory reading of
Revelation demonstrates clearly that cataclysmic events, martyrdom, and God’s
wrath will leave only a remnant of believing Jews and non-Jews alive at the
Second Coming of Christ with His saints. Yet one Christian documentary
promotional trailer chides pastors for not preparing their flocks to go through
the “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21) For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no,
nor ever shall be. Believers shouldn’t be surprised or overwhelmed when they
are called upon to endure tribulation (John 16:33). These things I have spoken unto you, that in
me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world but the Great Tribulation is not in our
future. Christ will remove His bride in the Rapture before the “time of Jacob’s
trouble,” an event so devastating that Jeremiah declares, “Alas! for that day
is great, so that none is like it” (30:7). How then
should believers prepare for potential troubles, especially within Christendom,
prior to the Rapture?
The prevention program is hardly complex,
although it may be a real struggle for some, depending on where they are in
their walk with the Lord. Like any exercise program, it can be initially
difficult for those who are new to it. The struggle has to do primarily with
discipline. Daily reading of God’s Word is a foundational exercise that needs
to become a habit for every born-again Christian. The content of the
Scriptures—what one reads—must then be lived out in the believer’s daily life.
That disciplined familiarity with God’s instructions is not only necessary to
guide one’s life, but it forms the basis for protecting one against spiritual
deception.
Fellowship with likeminded brothers and sisters
in Christ is a major part of the Lord’s instructions, given for our protection,
strengthening, and fruitfulness. We need to “circle our wagons” now and in the
days ahead. Our best option is in a church fellowship, supporting the
leadership that is steadfast and staying the course of God’s Word and serving
the body. When that is not an option, we must ask the Lord to help us find
another committed believer or believers with whom we can have a Bible study,
with whom we can pray, with whom we can minister to one another, encourage one
another, and, again, with whom we can circle our wagons for spiritual
protection. “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a
threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Let that third strand be the Lion of
Judah, our Lord Jesus himself.
http://www.thebereancall.org/content/fellowship-fortification-against-apostasy
