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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, April 17, 1981
We read, "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with forni
cators: yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with
the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs
go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company,
if any man that is [or has been?] called a brother [Moffatt: "any so
called brother"] be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a
railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to
eat" (I Cor. 5:9-11).
There have even been some, who have called themselves members and
have been called such, who have been apparently preparing and recording
"evidence" (improperly as brothers) to take before the courts of this
world against Church members. The very next chapter, three verses later,
begins, "DARE any of you, having a matter against another, go to law be
fore the unjust, and not before the saints?"
God is far more strict in all such matters within the Church than we
have sometimes been inclined to be.
Since we are to AVOID THEM entirely, that means not only that we
must no� go to them, but they must not be allowed to come into God's
Church, or on the Ambassador College campus.
We may, personally, very much dislike to appear to be harsh. But
expelled members have always in the past sought to come on our property
and enjoy its privileges when they had abused the right to such privi
leges.
We MUST NOT appear to try to be more kind than God. Christ will say,
"Depart from me!" WE MUST NOT COMPROMISE! GOD DOES NOT! Rather than
compromise with His Law a trillionth of an inch, "God GAVE His only be
gotten Son."
But we should PRAY for such former members. Jesus said to pray even
for our enemies. I do pray for all such. I pray God will BLESS THEM-
with whatever He in His supreme wisdom knows is BEST FOR THEM--even though
that may be severe PUNISHMENT! God punishes every son whom He loves.
God's punishment is NEVER REVENGE or desire to hurt and enjoy their
suffering. It is always CORRECTIVE! It is for the purpose of HELPING
them--of BLESSING them! God still does it in LOVE for the one punished!
But what about those former members who just of their own accord
"dropped out?" I think we have to go to Jesus' parable of the sower and
the seed. Jesus showed that a few--or it may be many--endure only for a
little while. It is those that "ENDURE UNTO THE END" that shall be saved,
and born into God's Kingdom. Perhaps those who lost interest and dropped
out were never converted in the first place. God shows us no reason to
avoid them, but we should not closely fellowship with any unless or until
they are being led by God's Holy Spirit, and show the fruits of God's
Spirit within them.
What about disfellowshipped relatives--or even close, such as father,
mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, etc.? I covered that in an
article in the April, 1980 GOOD NEWS, "Which Family Comes First?"