“Patience With People”

Sunday, March 03, 2013

     I have a question regarding placing membership in a congregation.  What if there are no suitable congregations in the area?  What I mean is, the congregation I have been attending for years appears to be veering away from strictly following the gospel.  Or, to say the least, I have some issues with the leadership there (I know for a fact that there are at least a couple other people that feel the same way).  Recently, I have been attending elsewhere and have noticed that they have someone I know (who came forward at my original congregation as an adulterer) who appears to be slowly working themselves into more prominent positions in that congregation.  All the other congregations in the area are either not faithful or far from home.  I know first-century Christians had to deal with far more than this, but it can be discouraging.  What is your advice?

Sincerely,
The Wanderer

Dear The Wanderer,

When we read of the struggles of the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2 and 3 or when we see that the church in Corinth was condoning a man who had his father’s wife (1 Cor 5:1) and had doubts whether Jesus was actually raised from the dead (1 Cor 15:3-8), we are left realizing that the early churches definitely were full of imperfect people trying to live by a perfect Word.  What you need to do is ask whether or not a congregation is trying to be faithful to the Bible and to Christ as Lord.  We can, and should, put up with a lot of individual differences as long as there is an honest interest to still do what the Bible says.  However, once Bible preaching and Bible authority are exchanged for “itching ears” preaching (2 Tim 4:3), that’s the time to find somewhere else.

It can be extremely hard when you feel a congregation is slowly changing course, but remember, you can also be a voice to help them drift right back to where they ought to be.

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