When One is Disfellowshipped, Which Family Comes First?
Which FAMILY must the Christian put first the natural human family or the GOD Family into which he is begotten?
When One is Disfellowshipped, Which Family Comes First?
Which FAMILY must the Christian put first the natural human family or the GOD Family into which he is begotten?
IF YOU ARE really a Christian, you are a begotten child of God - begotten into the GOD FAMILY.
God says, through the apostle John, "Beloved, now are we the sons of
God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be ..." (I John 3:2).
We, if Christians, are NOW in this present physical life already
begotten sons of God. What we shall, be when Christ appears - at His
soon Second Coming - cannot now be SEEN - does not yet APPEAR.
But, "we shall be like Him" (same verse). How does He appear? IF our
mortal physical eyes could see Him, we would see His eyes as flames of
fire and His countenance as the sun - full strength.
Verse 1 says, "the world knoweth us notr because, it knew him not."
Other members of your human family, unconverted, cannot see Christ in
you.
What is a Christian?
Now what is a Christian? Romans 8:9.says, "Now if any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." If one is not being led by the
Spirit of God he is not a Christian.
Those, then, in your own human family who do not have God's Holy Spirit
active in them - who are not being led by the Holy Spirit simply cannot
see or recognize Christ IN YOU - if you are a Christian. Now where does
that lead us?
You, who do have and are led by God's Spirit; - who are Christians -
are now members of a TOTALLY DIFFERENT FAMILY - the begotten (not yet
born) FAMILY OF GOD! Other members of your human family your parents,
your brothers and sisters - your children - who are not led by God's
Spirit - are NOT members of the begotten FAMILY OF GOD.
Now does that of itself cut you OFF from your human family?
Of itself, NO For example, your children may be too young to be
converted into the begotten FAMILY OF GOD. Yet they are your
RESPONSIBILITY. How about your parents? God's Fifth Commandment tells
you to HONOR your parents, and it does, not say dishonor them if they
are not begotten into the GOD FAMILY!
What then? Your membership in the FAMILY OF GOD does not cut off your membership in your human family.
But, can the actions of one of them, cut them off from you? THAT IS THE BIG QUESTION HERE!
Your conversion into the God FAMILY does not, of itself, cut you off
from a right and proper family love and relationship with your natural
human family. You must still love them.
BUT, you CANNOT have true Christian fellowship with them. Through John,
God says also, I John 1:7, that we Christians who, "walk in the light"
have fellowship one with another.
That is, with other like believers, led by God's Spirit. But verse 3 of
this same chapter says, "and truly our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son Jesus Christ."
Now assuredly the still carnal and unconverted members of our human
family do not, and CANNOT, have this fellowship with God the "Father
and with the living Jesus Christ.
We are also, commanded, "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness" (Eph. 5:11).
We cannot have 1) Christian and, spiritual fellowship with members of
our human family who are unconverted, 2) we cannot have even
non-spiritual fellowship with them, if the association with them takes
us into things contrary to the Christian life or things of evil -"the
"unfruitful works [or conduct] of darkness."
We CAN have an association with them that avoids either the extreme of
participating in things evil (like, for example, telling dirty stories)
- or trying to speak with them about the Bible or about God or
spiritual things.
.
If one of them shows an interest and asks a question about the Bible or
the Church, answer the question in a non controversial manner, but do
not try to continue "getting them interested" - for you will only turn
them away and cause hard feelings or worse. You CANNOT "CONVERT"
YOUR HUMAN FAMILY DON'T TRY!
What, then, can you talk 'about with the unconverted members of your
physical family? The things THEY are interested in - so long as it is
neither evil, nor controversial spiritually.
What of a DISFELLOWSHlPPED MEMBER?
But what of a member of your human family who had come into the Church
and Is excommunicated for causing discord and division or other
spiritual offense in the Church?
Ah, now we really DO have a question loaded with dynamite! But, if we
let GOD and His Word, give us direction. We shall DO WHAT IS RIGHT IN
HIS EYES!
In Romans 10:17 it speaks of marking them which cause DIVISIONS and
OFFENSES CONTRARY TO THE DOCTRINE
WHICH YE HAVE LEARNED: It does not
say, "all except members of your flesh-and-blood family." It speaks of
ANY who has been a Church Member. And it says, "AVOID THEM"! Look now
further.
In II Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15 is the COMMAND: "NOW we command YOU,
brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye WITHDRAW
yourselves from every brother that walketh-disorderly, and not after
the tradition which he received of us. . . And if any man obey not our
word by this epistle, note that man and have no company with him, that
he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy" (verses 14-15).
That is .speaking of any brother; whether in the Lord - or in the human family.
It is a COMMAND. And if we try to be MORE KIND - MORE RIGHTEOUS than God and DISOBEY THAT COMMAND, we convict ourselves of disobedience of God's COMMAND!
Yet we are not to treat such a one, as an enemy!
This is a question that - never - has been expounded to the Church
before to my knowledge. I have tried to make if PLAIN, as GOD instructs.
Jesus said: "And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He
that loveth father or mother, more than me is not worthy of me: and he
that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Matt.
10:36-37).
We must love Christ MORE!
Reprint of an Article in the April 1980 Good News Magazine by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong
