A
Anonymous
Guest
This is a letter that I am sending to the members of our church that left over the issues of patriarchy and plural marriage. Just sharing, not making a point. :lol: It looks better with the formatting that did not transfer.
Ambassadors Baptist Church
P.O. Box 1022
Apache Junction, AZ 85217
Pastor John Whitten (480) 225-6943
pastorjohn@ambassadorsbc.com
January 10, 2011
To all those who left our fellowship in the last 2 + years:
I wish you well in this new year and pray God’s blessing upon each and every one.
I realize that for most of you, the decision to leave was not an easy one and may have even been painful. I am writing to help everyone understand that I have no ill will toward anyone and to share with you some things that may make such decisions in the future, either un-necessary or at least more effective. There are two passages of scripture I will refer you to and they will give us guidelines on how to make such separations or avoid the necessity of separations. Before we begin, I do want to remind everyone that in time past I have repeatedly warned us all that pastors are not above or immune to, the same problems as any other church member and should be dealt with in the same loving manor as everyone else in the church.
Matthew 18:15-20
15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18 Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
The progression of dealing with a problem is to:
1. Go and tell him privately, verse 15.
2. If not productive, take two others with you to witness the attempt, verse 16.
3. If he will not hear them, then take the matter before the whole church, verse 17.
4. If he doesn’t respond to the church treat him as a heathen and publican, verse 17.
5. Of course all this presupposes that you are right in your own position. It would truly be foolish and unjust to invoke church discipline against a man that was not wrong. So be certain of your own rightness before proceeding.
If a brother or sister has not done these three steps he is not yet justified in leaving a Church or Christian fellowship. It is important to always go to the person or persons in question, do not heed the fears and opinions of others, no matter who they may be.
Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24
17 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
24 Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.
This passage deals with the relationship to pastors by church members. This is a unique relationship among all human relationships because it is designed by God for the benefit of His people and for His glory and testimony in this world. If we mess up this one, we damage the testimony of our Church and our Lord. Neither people nor pastors are perfect and all are in need of the grace of God. Here is what we find in this passage:
1. Remember pastors are here for leading God’s people and teaching God’s Word. If they teach something that is foreign to you, follow their faith. That is, look into what he is teaching, do not automatically assume that you know what is coming or where it came from, particularly, if you haven’t investigated the Word as he has. Considering the end of his conversation (way of life). Is your pastor being self-promoting or self-satisfying of his flesh? Is it possible that God has shown him something that He hasn’t shown to you first? One will never know, without talking to the pastor and searching the scripture with much prayer.
2. Obey them and submit yourself. When there is a disagreement over something that is not a core doctrine of the Christian faith it is the duty of a Christian and church member to submit to the pastoral leadership, at least until the matter can be searched out in a loving, Christian study of the Word. Too many church members are ignorant of the tremendous burden that a godly pastor carries. His responsibility is enormous. Remember that he watches for your soul and is the under shepherd for Christ for you. Don’t make his job impossible, because that is unprofitable for you. Pray for your pastor daily as he stands in the gap for you.
3. Salute all them, means to treat him with respect and regard him with honor, the man that God has given you as pastor. Do not diminish his stature in the church or community for he stands as God’s man for your church.
None of this pre-supposes that a pastor infallible. Pastors make as many or more errors than most Christians and are often the target of the enemy’s attacks, because of their leadership position. This makes praying for him even more vital to the church.
If God has blessed you with a good church, please observe these scriptural admonitions when problems arise. Doing so may very well eliminate the problems and the potential pain of separation as well as edify the body for the glory of God.
Copied from Discipled Warriors by Chuck Lawless
"Brad is a Christian for whom genuine fellowship made a difference. He became a believer as a teenager, but made immoral choices in his mid-thirties. His pastor and deacons loved him enough to confront him, informing him that the church would take action against him if he ignored their interventions. This awakened Brad to the seriousness of his situation. He returned to the church, publicly sought forgiveness, and agreed to be held accountable. Today he is a faithful Christian who is supported and daily encouraged to stay faithful. That is genuine fellowship—the kind that alarms the Enemy and against which he aims his arrows."
This is how churches are supposed to work. This is how the members of the body of Christ look after each other. Separation from a church is never the first answer any more than surgery is the first answer to an infection in your physical body.
It is my desire, that heeding God’s Word in these matters will save you from future pain of separation and the body of Christ from notoriety, as well as making it vulnerable to attack.
I pray God’s blessing upon each one and your extended family,
John Whitten - Pastor
Ambassadors Baptist Church
P.O. Box 1022
Apache Junction, AZ 85217
Pastor John Whitten (480) 225-6943
pastorjohn@ambassadorsbc.com
January 10, 2011
To all those who left our fellowship in the last 2 + years:
I wish you well in this new year and pray God’s blessing upon each and every one.
I realize that for most of you, the decision to leave was not an easy one and may have even been painful. I am writing to help everyone understand that I have no ill will toward anyone and to share with you some things that may make such decisions in the future, either un-necessary or at least more effective. There are two passages of scripture I will refer you to and they will give us guidelines on how to make such separations or avoid the necessity of separations. Before we begin, I do want to remind everyone that in time past I have repeatedly warned us all that pastors are not above or immune to, the same problems as any other church member and should be dealt with in the same loving manor as everyone else in the church.
Matthew 18:15-20
15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18 Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
The progression of dealing with a problem is to:
1. Go and tell him privately, verse 15.
2. If not productive, take two others with you to witness the attempt, verse 16.
3. If he will not hear them, then take the matter before the whole church, verse 17.
4. If he doesn’t respond to the church treat him as a heathen and publican, verse 17.
5. Of course all this presupposes that you are right in your own position. It would truly be foolish and unjust to invoke church discipline against a man that was not wrong. So be certain of your own rightness before proceeding.
If a brother or sister has not done these three steps he is not yet justified in leaving a Church or Christian fellowship. It is important to always go to the person or persons in question, do not heed the fears and opinions of others, no matter who they may be.
Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24
17 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
24 Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.
This passage deals with the relationship to pastors by church members. This is a unique relationship among all human relationships because it is designed by God for the benefit of His people and for His glory and testimony in this world. If we mess up this one, we damage the testimony of our Church and our Lord. Neither people nor pastors are perfect and all are in need of the grace of God. Here is what we find in this passage:
1. Remember pastors are here for leading God’s people and teaching God’s Word. If they teach something that is foreign to you, follow their faith. That is, look into what he is teaching, do not automatically assume that you know what is coming or where it came from, particularly, if you haven’t investigated the Word as he has. Considering the end of his conversation (way of life). Is your pastor being self-promoting or self-satisfying of his flesh? Is it possible that God has shown him something that He hasn’t shown to you first? One will never know, without talking to the pastor and searching the scripture with much prayer.
2. Obey them and submit yourself. When there is a disagreement over something that is not a core doctrine of the Christian faith it is the duty of a Christian and church member to submit to the pastoral leadership, at least until the matter can be searched out in a loving, Christian study of the Word. Too many church members are ignorant of the tremendous burden that a godly pastor carries. His responsibility is enormous. Remember that he watches for your soul and is the under shepherd for Christ for you. Don’t make his job impossible, because that is unprofitable for you. Pray for your pastor daily as he stands in the gap for you.
3. Salute all them, means to treat him with respect and regard him with honor, the man that God has given you as pastor. Do not diminish his stature in the church or community for he stands as God’s man for your church.
None of this pre-supposes that a pastor infallible. Pastors make as many or more errors than most Christians and are often the target of the enemy’s attacks, because of their leadership position. This makes praying for him even more vital to the church.
If God has blessed you with a good church, please observe these scriptural admonitions when problems arise. Doing so may very well eliminate the problems and the potential pain of separation as well as edify the body for the glory of God.
Copied from Discipled Warriors by Chuck Lawless
"Brad is a Christian for whom genuine fellowship made a difference. He became a believer as a teenager, but made immoral choices in his mid-thirties. His pastor and deacons loved him enough to confront him, informing him that the church would take action against him if he ignored their interventions. This awakened Brad to the seriousness of his situation. He returned to the church, publicly sought forgiveness, and agreed to be held accountable. Today he is a faithful Christian who is supported and daily encouraged to stay faithful. That is genuine fellowship—the kind that alarms the Enemy and against which he aims his arrows."
This is how churches are supposed to work. This is how the members of the body of Christ look after each other. Separation from a church is never the first answer any more than surgery is the first answer to an infection in your physical body.
It is my desire, that heeding God’s Word in these matters will save you from future pain of separation and the body of Christ from notoriety, as well as making it vulnerable to attack.
I pray God’s blessing upon each one and your extended family,
John Whitten - Pastor
