Nile Street Notes

Anna Church of Christ

104 Nile Street, Anna, Illinois 62906

833-5815

Vol 23. Issue 19 May 10, 2009

WHAT SHOULD THE FAITHFUL CHURCH DO WITH A BROTHER WHO IS A FALSE TEACHER?

ACCEPT HIM IN FELLOWSHIP? To accept what the Lord rejects is to set oneself against God, just as surely as rejecting what the Lord commands and requires (Mt. 12:30, 2 John 6-11). One who teaches error is condemned by God (Gal. 1:6-8).

IGNORE HIM? That may be the way of the coward, just pray that he will learn better (from whom?) or outgrow his error. But that will not correct him, nor will it prevent him from teaching error to others. It will certainly not help those he has mistaught or protect others from him.

ALLOW HIM TO TEACH ERROR? He may or may not know that he is a false teacher – some are sincere, just sincerely wrong. But to allow him to teach, either publicly or privately, will confuse and mislead others and do great harm to the church. If the false teacher is given a platform or pulpit, those who grant it to him will probably be seen as supporting him. A public debate may sometimes be of help, but a sermon or a Bible class or even a home visit and private presentation of one’s views can do more damage than any good.

CONFRONT HIM AND REBUKE HIM? Elders are appointed and authorized to do that very thing (Titus 1:9). Whether or not there are elders, every Christian has the right to rebuke and reject a false teacher, correct him if possible (Acts 18:24-26, Gal. 2:11). Some will not do it. They would sometimes allow the church to be hurt rather than to “hurt somebody’s feelings.”

TEACH TRUTH TO DISPROVE AND OFFSET HIS ERRORS? You may not have access to him, no chance to teach him directly or indirectly.

But you can help others by warning them. Not only should you correct the errors he is teaching or has taught, but you should teach firmly the truth of God’s word to show that it is not just a “personal disagreement” that you have with him.

IDENTIFY AND MARK HIM PUBLICLY SO THAT OTHERS WILL NOT BE TAKEN IN BY HIS ERRORS? Romans 16:17 is the authority for such an action. The “marking” is not just “taking note” of him and avoiding him yourself. For the sake of others, he and his errors must be identified. The marking should be as public and widespread as the teaching. The principle applies to false teachers of religion in and outside the church.

REFUSE FELLOWSHIP – “NOT EVEN TO EAT WITH SUCH A ONE”? 1 Corinthians 5:11 is the Lord’s directive for dealing with another Christian who is involved in certain errors. There can be little doubt that the proscription here is not just against common meals or social events. The Lord’s supper should not be eaten with a known heretic since it would indicate fellowship – at least toleration if not approval and acceptance.

IF AND WHEN HE REPENTS – ADMITS, CORRECTS, AND REPUDIATES HIS ERROR – AND COMMITS HIMSELF TO THE TRUTH SHOULD ONE THEN FORGIVE HIM AND RESTORE HIM TO FELLOWSHIP? Of course! That is the very thing we are to desire and work for. At this point the Lord will forgive him and receive him into fellowship again, and we are required to forgive him and receive him too (Luke 17:1-3).

IF HE WILL NOT REPENT, BUT CONTINUES IN THE ERROR, SHOULD THE CHURCH REJECT HIM? Yes. By persisting in error, false doctrine, and inappropriate activities he proves himself to be a pagan, heathen, unbeliever – and should be treated as one (Mt. 18:17, Titus 3:10).

– Gerald Cowan via The Encourager, Dongola church of Christ

SERMON TOPICS

A.M. – "Jochebed, Woman of God" (Exodus 2:1-3)

P.M. – “Let No Man Despise Thy Youth” (I Tim. 4:10-12)

Those For Whom We Are Praying:

Kathleen Ritchey

Rodney & Nikki Lingle

Bill Whitnel

Ken and Gilda Snell

Lowell Karraker

Mitchell Shock – Grandson of Rosemary’s cousin.

Austin Detering

Carlos Wright

Veda Pryor

Charles Dillow – Freda’s brother-in-law

Paul Etherton - Sara Wilkins' father. Cancer in lymph nodes.

Jean Brown – Kris’s aunt.

Tommy Schultz

Sheilah Whittington - Experiencing chest pain and difficulty breathing.

We express our sympathy to the friends and family of Paul Rendleman and Tammy Ury, both of whom passed away last week.

Wisdom From Proverbs: “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom” (Prov. 11:2).

Sentence Sermon: To have a good life one must not only have a good aim, but must also pull the trigger.

Welcome! If you're visiting with us, we extend you a special welcome and invite you to come back at every opportunity. If our worship seems unusual to you, please let us know what you find different. We endeavor to worship "in Spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:24) and do only what scripture authorizes (Col. 3:17, Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18-19).

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES/MEETINGS

* Today is Flower Fund Sunday. See Kristie to contribute.

* Let one of the elders know a possible date in the next few weeks for us to take our youth skating.

* Men – it’s time for another Prayer Breakfast. Let R.W. know if there’s a Saturday this month mor in early June that works for

you.

* Let’s remember to contact those we haven’t seen in a few weeks.

* Feel free to drop any Bible questions in the Question & Answer box in the foyer.

* Food Pantry needs canned fruit.

* Please read the information on the bulletin board concerning Pepsi’s support of the homosexual agenda. Their products are

Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7Up, Sierra Mist, and others. Please read the label to see who produced the soda and avoid

purchasing it. Should a Christian financially support such sin?

Hearing assistance for any service is available upon request.

BIBLE QUESTION/ANSWER:

Last week’s answer: He was the servant of Elisha. He was afflicted with leprosy for improper dealings with Naaman. II Kings 4:12, 5:25-27

New question: How old was David when he became king of Israel?

Quotable Quote: “The greatest thing in the world is not as much where we are, but in what direction we’re going.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Birthdays &Anniversaries

John & Dawn Bradley - 5/11

Steve & Sarah Wilkins - 5/13

5/15 - Ally Ligons

The Importance of a Faithful Mother

In II Timothy 1:3-5, we read about two other mothers: Lois and Eunice, Timothy’s grandmother and mother, respectively. Notice what Paul said about them in particular: “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also” (II Tim. 1:5). What was there about these mothers that honored God?

They instilled a sincere faith. Sincere means: “Open, candid, and genuine. Not deceitful or phony. Worthy of the name.” The opposite, of course, would be a pretentious, skin-deep faith. That’s the kind of faith that claims to be strong when things are going well, but when trouble strikes – when hard times come – that faith begins to evaporate and leave bitterness and anger in its wake. Job’s wife would have had her husband to –“Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). We know he didn’t do that. He remained faithful in the face of every trial Satan threw at him and in the end, was rewarded with twice as much as he ever had before (Job 42:10).

What are the hallmarks of the sincere faith that Lois and Eunice imparted to Timothy?

A sincere faith is consistent. Years ago there was a preacher who proclaimed “too many come to church like angels on Sunday and live like devils the rest of the week!” Jesus said in Luke 9:23 “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” If we’re going to follow Jesus, we have to do it daily – not just once a week, not only when it’s convenient, but daily. “Take up your cross daily...” Too many do with their faith the same thing they do with their Bible – leave it in the car until next Sunday – to say nothing of coming to church Wednesday night. Our walk with the Lord must be a daily walk. That’s how Timothy walked. How did he know to do that? His mother taught him. How could she do that? Because her mother taught her. Maintain a consistent faith. Mothers, teach your children to be faithful no matter what.

A sincere faith is a faith that takes God and His Word seriously: it obeys what He commands. It heeds His warnings; it claims what He promises and it walks as He instructs! When the Lord says, “repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38), sincere faith causes us to do that. When the Lord says, “be faithful unto death” (Rev. 2:10), sincere faith allows us to maintain our faith even if will cost us our life. When the Lord says, “go and teach all nations” (Matt. 28:19), sincere faith causes us to want to teach others the gospel. When the Lord says, “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (I Thess. 5:22), sincere faith makes us want to avoid sin. Sincere faith makes us take God’s Word seriously.

Another hallmark of a sincere faith is that it resists opposition: let the world make fun of us, let peers reject, let enemies threaten, let doubters sneer, even let our parents persecute us and faith will still hold on! Paul knew he had a crown of life waiting for him because he: fought a good fight, finished his race, and kept the faith (II Tim. 4:7-8). Stephen was murdered for preaching the truth but he didn’t stop! (Acts 7:58).

Sincere faith puts Christ in the right place: right in the center of life, first in worth and importance, and in the driver's seat! (Matt. 6:33) I saw a bumper sticker one time that said, “If God is your copilot, swap seats!” Amen! Put Him in the driver’s seat.

Sincere faith is obvious, not for show or vainglory, but as a testimony to our love for and trust in Jesus Christ (II Tim. 1:12).

No greater accomplishment, mothers, than to instill that kind of faith in your children! No greater gift than to give them the nurture that produces genuine, dyed-in-the-wool, time tested, honest to goodness, sincere faith! If Jesus were to evaluate your faith or that which you help your children to build, on a scale of 1 - 10, what would the number be? Or if He evaluated faith on a gauge of phony to sincere, where would yours fall? Hopefully it would be high on either scale! A 10 and very sincere! Lois and Eunice were both mothers like this. They instilled in Timothy a sincere faith.

If you’re a mother whose children are at home, do everything you can to instill in them a deep and abiding faith. It may “go against the grain” to force them to attend Bible study and worship with you, but it’ll be far more difficult to watch them stray into sin later in life and lament their sad condition. Even if you children are grown and unfaithful to the Lord, they’ll still listen to you. Do everything you can to help insure their eternal safety and have a happy Mother’s Day. – R.W.