Posts Tagged ‘withdrawal’
Can one congregation withdraw from another congregation?
Question: Can a church withdraw from Christians who are not members of the local congregation? 1. Mark those who cause division and hindrances – Romans 16:17 2. Philippians 3:17 – Mark those who are good examples 3. Galatians 5:15 – Don’t bite and devour each other. C. Can a church withdraw from another church? Hey Brother Hamilton! God bless. I’ve read almost…
Read MoreWhat if a withdrawn from brother continues to attend services?
Question: Greetings Brother Hamilton, I am concerned about the withdrawal of membership from a brother in sin. I read through your notes on fellowship and understood them, but I want to be precise. When a brother is withdrawn from fellowship with other Christians, can he still come to worship but is prevented from partaking in…
Read MoreShould this elder step down?
Question: We have a very difficult situation on our hands. I was hoping to get some advice on this. My husband and I attend the church of Christ and we have two elders at our church. One of them has an adult daughter who left the church. She was married and got divorced (not because…
Read MoreChurch Discipline
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Each congregation of the Lord’s people has the right and the responsibility to control its membership A. Ideally, each congregation is composed of faithful Christians. Because of their common beliefs and shared work, they are joined together in serving God. B. However, we understand that just because a person wears the name of…
Read MoreDo you fellowship with someone who left the church?
Question: If someone leaves the church and you try to encourage them to come back, are you to fellowship with them? Answer: Fellowship describes the state of a relationship between two people. It is like the word “friendship.” Friends do things together, but just because you do something with another person, it doesn’t make you…
Read MoreWhat do you do about an adult child who remains a homosexual?
Question: If a child, who is an adult, wants to live a homosexual life, does not want to listen to God’s word, and does not claim to be a Christian, can a parent still talk to them? Can they visit their parents? Can they have a meal together? The parents are members of the Lord’s…
Read MoreHow do I write a letter of apology for my sins?
Question: Greetings sir, Please, I was disfellowshiped. I want to write an apology letter regarding my sins of fornication, pride, and disobedience. How do I write it? Answer: There is no requirement in the Bible for a formal letter to be written in order to apologize for your sins. What is needed is an acknowledgment…
Read MoreMy parents have become heretics. Should I cut them out of my life?
Question: My mother and father have latched onto what I consider to be a heretical theology with fervor. My father, who is the reason I am a Bible-believing Christian today, has become a Full Preterist. He is radical, aggressive, and has tried to convert everyone he knows. Both my parents believe that Satan, Hell, and…
Read MoreHow do I deal with a member who is in an adulterous marriage?
Question: I have a question that requires me to go outside of the current congregation where I am a member. If there is a member who is in an unscriptural marriage, which I do have personal knowledge of, and who is being allowed to preach and teach in worship service, should I remain a member…
Read MoreMarking Dogs
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, September 1999 “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). You now have read every passage in the New Testament which exhorts us to “mark” those who cause division. There is one other…
Read MoreA Question of Withdrawal
by Morris Norman Sentry Magazine, September 2003 Who is to decide when a person is to be withdrawn from? There can be no doubt that the Bible teaches that certain ones are to be. “Mark them that cause division, and occasion of stumbling … turn away from” (Romans 16:17). “Have no company with … no,…
Read MoreIs it right to shun a woman who married a man who is in prison for murder, but who has since become a Christian?
Question: Hi, I’m not sure how to even ask the question. So I’ll explain my concerns. I’m a Christian, being a member of the church of Christ. A sister of mine has married a prisoner. He’s in for murder. She met him through Bible study with a group from a church of Christ. She’s known…
Read MoreCan a congregation restore a person who was disfellowshipped by another congregation?
Question: Can a congregation restore a person who was disfellowshipped by another congregation? Answer: Members of a congregation withdraw their fellowship of someone in their midst who is living a sinful life. See Withdraw Yourselves for details. Membership in a congregation and the fellowship that ensues is done on a local level. No one can remove…
Read MoreShould I acknowledge the anniversaries of couples I know are in unscriptural marriages?
Question: Hello Mr. Hamilton, I send cards for different reasons to church family members as well as loved ones all year long. About 90% of my card collection contain Scriptures and faith-based messages. But the one kind that tugs at my heart is “Happy Anniversary,” for couples I care about outside the church, including family…
Read MoreWhat’s Down that Road?
by Warren E. Berkley The most vital consideration for every human being and certainly every Christian is the allegiance of the heart and obedience of the life to God. While we must avoid the arrogance of self-righteousness and the bondage of human creeds and traditionalism, we must determine with all our hearts to never relax…
Read MoreHow do we deal with erring brethren?
Question: I’m looking for clarity on “liberal church associations.” If I’m a conservative (non-institutional) brother, am I to fellowship with those who worship in a liberal church? Here is my view and please correct me if I’m in error. As a Christian, I believe that outside of a worship setting it is alright to fellowship…
Read MoreIf someone attends, but hasn’t become a member, and then stops coming, should you withdraw from him?
Question: Someone begins attending a congregation but does not ask to be a member there. He starts forsaking the assembly. Can you withdraw from him? He was baptized. Answer: Before I answer the question, I want to note that some congregations add people to their membership simply because they keep attending services at the local…
Read MoreMy son is no longer attending church, so is it wrong to pick up my grandchildren?
Question: If my son is baptized but not attending, and my daughter-in-law is not baptized, is it wrong to pick up my grandchildren? Answer: Be careful not to blame kids for their parents’ sins. You seem to be mixing your son’s disobedience as if it was also your grandchildren’s. Each person is responsible for his…
Read MoreWhat should be done about a girl who is unmarried, pregnant, and not willing to repent?
Question: A college girl in our congregation, whose father is a deacon, became pregnant and is not married. She says she will not go forward and repent or make any statement of being sorry for her sin. I am an elder’s wife and have said to the other elders’ wives that I will not take…
Read MoreDo we allow our child to visit his grandparents who have left the church?
Question: My wife and I have a child that we want to grow to be a faithful member of the Lord’s church. His grandparents were once in the Lord’s church but left and now attend a Pentecostal church. Is it wrong for us to keep him from his grandparents because of their religious beliefs? Answer:…
Read MoreWhat should be done about a woman who repeatedly has children by different men?
Question: Here is the situation: 4 years ago a member of our church got pregnant by her boyfriend and had a baby. She came forward and repented of her sins. 3 years ago the same member got pregnant by a different boyfriend and had a baby. She again came forward and repented of her sins.…
Read MoreShould someone who says he is gay lead singing in a congregation?
Question: Yesterday my husband was disheartened to hear that one of our song leaders at our church of Christ is a confessed gay man who came out on social media and declared he has tried all kinds of treatment but just can’t feel differently. We both wish the best for all people in seeking their…
Read MoreDoes the church curse an erring brother when withdrawing from him?
Question: Does the church curse an erring member in the cause of the withdrawal of fellowship, according to I Corinthians 16:22? Answer: “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!” (I Corinthians 16:22). The Greek anathema, translated here as “accursed,” is defined by the Vines Dictionary as: “Curse,…
Read MoreI was excommunicated because I had committed fornication several years ago
Question: Hi, I am a Christian and was baptized, but later I fornicated. I repented, it was about two years ago. We were having a discussion with a church elder since I was sick, and we believe that sickness is due to sin and that we should confess our sins and God will heal us.…
Read MoreWithdrawing is too judgmental
Question: You said, “Because he is persisting in his sin, he must be withdrawn from. For a church not to do so is to given permission to sin,” in A man now attends church as a transgender female. Should he be withdrawn from? I think that is way off. That seems judgmental to me. God…
Read MoreI’ve been involved in pornography and prostitution while attending church. Does that mean I need to be kicked out of the church?
Question: Hi, I’m writing because I don’t know what else to do. I grew up in a Christian household, always going to church. I would spend hours reading Bible and saying my prayers. I really felt God and all my skin on my face would grow tight. But when I reached my teens, I was…
Read MoreI left the church because I don’t think my baptism was right, but now my dad won’t have fellowship with me. What do I do?
Question: Hello, I am in need of some answers. I was raised in the church of Christ. My father quit the church when I was about two years old, but my mother continued to take me. When I was 12 my father returned and repented and is now a member once again. My father has…
Read MoreDo we withdraw from members who are attending another congregation for months?
Question: I read brother Hamilton’s article on Cross Congregational Fellowship with keen interest and have this question: Can fellowship be withdrawn from members who have absented themselves from their local congregation for months, but who have gone to another congregation to worship without first advising their local congregation that they will be worshipping elsewhere? Answer: Anyone not…
Read MoreHow can discipline be done when there is only one faithful man?
Question: Hello, I am a part-time minister of a small congregation of Christians made up mostly of female members. The few male members have dwindled down to three in number due to members relocating and deaths. Currently, the two other male members are unable to take part in the worship services due to certain aspects…
Read MoreCan a brother committing fornication be used in church worship?
Question: Good day, Brother Jeffrey, I need your help on this. There is a brother committing fornication. He stopped worshiping. The reason why he doesn’t want to wed is that his sister, who is living abroad promised him to help him work abroad. If he gets married, he may not have a chance to work…
Read MoreHow do I treat my husband who has left God and the church?
Question: My husband has recently decided he no longer believes in a God. He has stopped going to services or anything to do with God. We have young children we homeschool and most of our work centers around God and His word. How do I parent and teach our children, whose father has fallen? How am…
Read MoreWas the church right to withdraw from a couple who lived together without being married?
Question: My husband and I are faithful members of the Lord’s church. We are active in a congregation in which a situation has occurred which has caused division in the congregation. The situation is this: a man and a woman who have been baptized and are members of the Lord’s church are not married, but…
Read MoreWhat do you do about a couple who disrupts the services of the church?
Question: What do you do with a brother who walks disorderly and who threatens others and his wife disrupts every service? If this couple is allowed to stay everyone else will leave as some have already. Can you offer any suggestions? We are to the point where we are planning on calling the police to…
Read MoreIs it right to kick people out of the church for openly sinning, even though all people are sinners?
Question: Is it right to kick people out of the church for openly sinning, even though all people are sinners? I know one should not be unequally yoked with non-believers but does this apply to personal life or the church as well? Do you think churches should enforce the sins they choose to enforce and just…
Read MoreShould a parent visit a child who is now unfaithful?
Question: A parent has a child who is unfaithful and living in another state. Is it wrong based on Ephesians 5:11 to visit that child and spend weeks or months in the same house? Answer: If the child is a fallen Christian, then “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named…
Read MoreWhat do you do when the preacher is in sin and the leadership supports him?
Question: Thanks for your website, it really helps me exercise my critical thinking skills with the Scriptures. One question about withdrawal. What do you do when the offending party is the minister of the congregation? When there are only he and the deacons, and they automatically side with him on everything? The church meeting is…
Read MoreWe have a man who is on his third wife attending services. What do we do?
Question: Hello, I have a question regarding a member of our congregation and what to do. We currently are without elders and as the men of the congregation we have to jointly make decisions. The problem at hand is we have a man who has been coming and going for many years. The reason he…
Read MoreA man now attends church as a transgender female. Should he be withdrawn from?
Question: The ex-minister of a Baptist church now attends as a transgender female. Can this person be ex-communicated? This person not currently in leadership. His presence is very difficult for his now-divorced wife and children. God Bless. Answer: “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is…
Read MoreDo parents have a responsibility to let adult children, living in sin, live in their home?
Question: Do parents of adult children still living at home, who were raised with the Truth, been baptized into Christ but have now turned their backs on the Lord and the church by choosing a sinful lifestyle, have the responsibility to put these adult children out of their homes? Or withdraw from them? Answer: Since they…
Read MoreMust I shun my worldly family and friends?
Question: Hello, I was reading one of your Q&A’s and a question came to mind about I Corinthians 5:9-11, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or…
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