| (Copyright) by Bill Hillebrenner (Matthews, North Carolina) |
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| Must Christians agree perfectly with church leadership before they can “walk” together or meet with other members? How has a misunderstanding of a verse in the book of Amos led to the separation of believers? Amos, one of the twelve Biblical Minor Prophets, wrote his book in 796 B.C. In it, he wrote an interesting statement that is sometimes misinterpreted by some church groups and fellowships. Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt . . . Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:1, 3, KJV). Some church groups have used an errant understanding of Amos 3:3 to justify shunning or disfellowshipping a member because they disagreed with some minor doctrine. Amos’ statement has been used to imply (if not outright state) that unless one agrees with a church’s top leader or with the ordained ministry, he or she cannot attend church services or retain the right to be considered a church member. A closer examination of the Hebrew text, however, shows that the actual meaning of Amos 3:3 is “can two walk together unless they (agree to) meet somewhere.” In other words, if two people cannot agree to a meeting place, then how can they walk side by side? If I agree to drive my friend to church services, we first have to agree to a meeting place before we can travel together to worship God. Sadly, even some church members may use their misunderstanding of Amos to justify shunning others in their group. Diotrephes, a vain leader of a first century fellowship group, was the type of person to grasp at any reason to shun fellow Christians and even forbid some of them from meeting together! I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, the one who loves to be chief among them, does not accept us. Because of this very thing, if I come, I will call him to account for the actions that he is practicing with evil words – maliciously berating us; and he is not satisfied with these things, for he himself neither receives the brethren, nor does he permit those who wish to receive the brethren, but he forbids them and casts them out of the church (3John 9 – 10, HBFV). Can two walk together and still disagree? Our division should not be with each other but with the world that does not know or obey the true God. |
| Iron Sharpening Iron In regard to: Must we agree about everything? Article by Bill Hillebrenner Comments by Laura Lee (Bismarck, North Dakota) |
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| This is an interesting article and many people have been thrown out of one church group or the other because they did not agree with the leader and/or because they tried to talk to other people within the group about various doctrines whether new or old doctrines. If people are not allowed to discuss their differences with leaders and/or other brethren people don’t learn. We both, Darwin and I have our own disfellowshipment document which is generally given to those who are thrown out in Diotrephes style. Being disfellowshipped is not a bad thing as many people do not grow to full maturity in those groups that disfellowship people. At first being disfellowshipped seems like a bad thing and then you say to yourself, what now? It wasn’t long after being disfellowshipped and we were having bible studies and church services in our home. Shortly after that we started the first newsletter, so we didn’t lose anything by being disfellowshipped, but we gained a lot. Disfellowshipment is really not a necessary thing to do to anyone as most people who do not agree with the rest of the group will eventually leave the group on their own. Amo 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (KJV) Amo 3:3 Can two walk together without agreeing where to go? (BSB 2016 by the Bible Hub) Amo 3:3 Can two people walk together without agreeing to meet? (CEV first produced by the American Bible Society in 1995) Amo 3:3 Shall two go together if they met not by appointment? (Julia E. Smith Translation 1876) In Matthew it tells us to leave the tares grow with the wheat until the harvest, so that should make it clear to all of us that disfellowshipment is not what God wants us to do to others within our various groups. Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (KJV) On the other hand it should be understood that we should all be agreed with Christ and even though we all know that has not happened yet, we should all understand that to make it into the First Fruit Resurrection we will all have to agreed with Christ and in doing that we will all be in agreement with each other. |
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