Assembly: Denominational ties

Now, if you wouldn't turn in your Bible, I'd like to turn to Ezra chapter 4 tonight. Now, those who have been here in previous nights know that we have been looking at, shall we say, trying to anticipate and answer questions that younger people, younger believers might have in relation to the local assembly, truths that many of us have spent quite a bit of time trying to come to grips with and appreciate and to understand their implications. I think that as we noticed on the Lord's Day that we as individuals as well as assemblies have a responsibility to be able to give an answer and to defend why we do what we do and to have a biblical reason for it.

Some of these things we are noticing are relatively difficult to put your finger on or the specific verse because many of them depend upon an understanding of the entire development of the entire aspect of the testimony of the word of God that we have. And so while we cannot perhaps in some cases give an exact chapter and verse specifically in answer to some of these issues, yet we can see that there is an overall pattern and there's a necessity to see that there is a distinction that God makes. I was noticing in an article today that I was reading that he was answering, this writer was answering the author of a particular book that took the point of view that there are distinctive practices about assemblies that are truly a matter of tradition.

And he responded to them by showing, responded to that book by showing the fact that while there are in a sense traditions, those are traditions that are based upon the word of God. We need to be very careful that we don't hold on to things just because that's the way we've always done it. But if what we've always done is right according to the word of God, we need to hold on to it and continue to seek to practice it.

So we need to search the Bible, search the Scripture, and that I trust will be an, it's my desire that I might encourage younger believers especially to search your Bibles to make sure and to be established in the truth of God that you might be able to be preserved and that you might preserve assembly testimony in the future days. One thing I was going to say and I think it would be helpful, it's helped me a lot anyway, is that when we think about Christian testimony today, shall I put it that way, the testimony that is not only found in assemblies but in other places as well where believers are located, there's always a tendency to take the present day condition, a condition in which there are so many different groups of people, different church groups and different ways of looking at things and different practices and all these different issues that have come in. We have a tendency to transplant them back into the New Testament.

And seek to understand the New Testament teaching in the light of what we see around us today. I think that we ought to look at it the reverse. It seems to me that what we need to do is to recognize that in the New Testament we have the principles, we have the practices that God has given to us that he desires to see carried out and seek to bring them into our present day and apply them in an intelligent way to what we see in our world around us.

For example, we always, as I said Monday night, we always need to remember that in the New Testament every believer was not only baptized so far as we know, they were baptized by immersion so far as anyone would acknowledge there. Very few people that would argue the fact that the practice of baptism in the New Testament was by immersion. And every one of those believers who was baptized was also in assembly fellowship.

And remember that every one of those assemblies in the name agreed in practice. They all held the same doctrine. They all were being taught by the same teachers and they all had an agreement among them.

There was a unity among all of those even though they were planted in very diverse places. But what we have today is so totally different. Because we have individuals that are truly believers but they're in a variety of different environments so far as a church gathering might be.

And so it introduces a different condition of things that one needs to remember that what exists in the New Testament is what God intended and that's what he desires for you and me to carry out today. But in the first place, we've been looking at last night, I believe it was last night, we were looking at some of the issues that have to do with why we do certain things and why we don't do certain things. And we're going to go on beyond that to another aspect of truth tonight.

Last night I believe we were looking, somehow I've already forgotten what I spoke on last night. Last night we were looking at the issue that had to do with the assembly testimony in a locality, how it was to be carried out, and some of the questions that come in as a result of that. I want to go beyond that and look with you in Ezra chapter 4. I'm looking at this not to get a definite teaching from it but to see an example of what took place in this particular day in which there was a rebuilding of the house of God, a rebuilding, a reestablishment of worship based upon the Old Testament pattern, the original pattern.

Notice that we have in chapter 4 in verse 1, Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity built of the temple under the Lord God of Israel, then they came to Zerubbabel and to the chief of the fathers and said unto them, Let us build with you, for we seek your God as ye do, and we do or we will sacrifice unto him. Since the days of Ezra Hayden, king of Assyria, which brought us up hither. But Zerubbabel and Yeshua and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel said unto them, You have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God, but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel as king Cyrus, the king of Persia, hath commanded us.

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah and troubled them in building and so on. Now the question I would like to anticipate that oftentimes comes up in the minds of believers is, why is it that we do not participate in interdenominational activities? You know, there are those that would tell us that we really ought to join in with other groups of believers or other church groups that are fundamental and evangelical and labor together in the desire to get the gospel out or to participate in other activities. I know that there are forms of assemblies, there are different gatherings in different parts that would participate in evangelistic crusades that might be held at certain places, or they might have a part in other activities of church groups around them.

And they would say, well, if they're genuine believers and if they're seeking to honor the Lord Jesus and if they're doing that which is furthering the testimony of Christ, then we ought to have a part in it as well. And you know, you and I are addressed oftentimes perhaps by those that would say, well, why don't you have a part with us and help us out? And we can help you out. I remember one time, maybe it's a small illustration, but I was having meetings in Gainesville, Wisconsin, and I had the portable hall there on the little side street, and across the street was a congregational church.

And I remember I was working there one day, and it was something that had to be done, and a lady came across the street, she stopped right on the street with her car, and she said, came up and visited with me a little bit, and she said, I wonder if you'd come over and preach in our church on Sunday morning. She said, our pastor's gone. He's going to be gone for a week or so, and we need somebody to fill the pulpit.

So she said, why don't you come over and preach? You can come there, and you know how she went on. She was the chairman of the pulpit committee, and she wanted me to take care of that responsibility. Well, I tried to explain to her as kindly as I could, but I really couldn't do that, first of all, because I had a responsibility to be with the Lord's people, to carry out the word of God in relation to remembering him.

And I said, really, I just can't, because there are things that exist I couldn't be really comfortable with, you know. And I went on and tried to explain, I didn't want to step on her toes too hard and be too hard on her, so I tried to be as kind as I could, but I said, I really can't do that. Well, that would be the attitude, you know.

Why don't you come over and help us, and why don't you allow us to come in and help you? There are ecumenical services that oftentimes are prevalent. You find them in different places, and like on an Easter Sunday, and all the churches get together, and they have this sunrise service. You know, they say, well, why are you standing apart and not participating with us? Sometimes, even as believers, we wonder, is that the right pathway to take? Maybe we should join in with them.

Maybe we should have a part in that. And the idea really is that, well, if we can compromise, we can ignore our differences and somehow work together for the good of promoting what is right and try to do what is beneficial so far as the things of God are concerned. I remember one time when I was visiting door-to-door in a town, I don't remember where it was, out in Iowa, somewhere anyway, and I knocked on this one door.

I don't remember who he was exactly, but he wanted to know if I had checked with the local clergy association to see if that was all right for me to have meetings there in the town. I thought, well, I don't think they really are in a position to control the preaching of the gospel. I think that's liberty that we're allowed, no matter what we might represent.

So I said no difference. I had no interest in that. And I referred to my sister.

I'm not going to be too hard on my sister, but I remember that she was very actively involved one time in these buses that they were taking down to Washington, D.C. to march in these protests against abortion. Well, I'm against abortion. I think you all are, too.

But she was joining in, and her husband as well, with all these different diverse groups of people of every color, every different kind of belief, every kind of idea, all for that one purpose. Well, I just don't believe that that is what the Word of God teaches we ought to do. I think that when you look at the Word of God, first of all, we learn that God desires that every activity of his people would be centered and flow from their fellowship on a local assembly.

That is, we are instructed by the Word of God, and we see the pattern in the New Testament, that we labor together in fellowship with those that are in agreement and are in harmony with what we're seeking to do, and we can be in perfect harmony with them. You can go back, of course. There's a verse that comes to my mind different times, and I wouldn't want to push it too hard because it gives the wrong connotation, but in Deuteronomy chapter 22 and verse 10, God instructs his people that they were not to plow with diverse animals, you know, the ox and the ass plowing together.

Well, I'm not trying to identify anyone of a different nature as being an unclean animal like one of those that's listed there, but nevertheless, there's a diversity of their nature, and there's a difference in their walk, and there's an obvious difference in the way they would be able to labor, and it would only be a great difficulty for each one of them, whether it was the one animal or the other one, to try to work in a yoke with the other different kind of animal. So there needs to be agreement. That's a fundamental principle I can see in relation to functioning together.

God desires that there should be agreement in a local assembly. He desires that you and I should be able to work together in harmony with the same desires and purposes and principles that we would seek to maintain for the glory of God and the honor of Christ. Again, you can turn your mind to Amos chapter 3 and verse 3. God is using it, of course, to remind his people that there was a good reason, there was a fundamental reason why he was dealing with them in a particular way, and he says to them, can two walk together except if you agree? That is a verse, I'm taking it out of its context, as I've been indicating, but nevertheless, it does emphasize to us a fundamental principle, that if two are going to walk together, they must be in agreement.

And that agreement indicates that they have the same desires, they have the same purposes, they're going to work on the same principles. And they have the same goals in mind. And that's what I see when you come to Ezra chapter 4. This is the day of recovery.

It was a day when they had been brought back from Babylon and they've reestablished the worship of God in the altar, and now they're going to begin to build the house of God, that temple. And those who were around them had been living there for a long time, and remember that when the ten northern tribes were taken away, it was a practice of the king of Babylon to bring into that area people from other areas. They would transplant them and bring them into that place.

So they worshipped their own gods, and they were still carrying on their same pagan practices. And then they had trouble because of the animals, the wild animals that God sent among them. And so they were instructed by some of the priests of Jeroboam's worship just how they ought to worship the Lord.

And so what they had was a form of a mixture of a kind of a worship that was in part toward the Lord and acknowledging him, but also involving the worship of other gods as well. And in chapter 4, these men of Samaria have come to Zerubbabel and have said, now let us work with you. After all, he says, we seek your God just like you do, and we sacrifice unto him.

Right since the days that we first came here, we've been sacrificing to the Lord. So why can't we work with you and have a part in building the house of God? I think Zerubbabel was wise in what he said. He told them very simply, he says, ye have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God.

But we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. In other words, they refused that help and they acknowledged the fact that there was a difference between them. That difference had to be acknowledged, it had to be recognized, and that they were going to labor according to the pattern and according to the plan that God had for them.

And they refused the help of these, and the result was in verse 4, and the verse is following, that the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah. So when we think about this subject in relation to not participating in interdenominational activities, let me just say three things about that that to my mind seem to indicate very basic reasons why that is not suitable for at least myself and I trust for most of the believers here. Before I say that, though, I will say that I believe with all my heart that there is a need that we ought to recognize and appreciate genuine believers, no matter where they are.

I think that we ought to appreciate and we ought to thank God for every child of God, no matter where they're found. Let's be very careful and very kind. It's a very great mistake, it seems to me, and I trust you agree with me, to put ourselves up on a pedestal as if we're that degree better than somebody else.

I thank God where I am. I appreciate God's assembly. I've come to appreciate it more and more as I've come to understand more of the word of God.

But I appreciate very deeply and thank God for believers, no matter where they're found. And I do think that when you and I pray, we ought to pray for them. We ought to remember that in this world there are believers that are seeking to faithfully serve the Lord in their capacity, whatever it might be, and some of them in other countries are enduring genuine persecution for the sake of Christ.

So let's be very careful. There are principles we want to uphold, but we don't want to denigrate or to degrade other believers just because they might not agree with us. Understand, I think, what I'm saying.

When I think of this subject that I believe is important in our practice, another thing I would say is that I believe that within the confines of the fellowship of a local assembly, there is ample room for you and me to fill our hands in service for God. The problem is really oftentimes we're not doing what we ought to do. We live in a land that affords us liberty on every hand and every opportunity is ours.

Brethren and sisters, we need to be very careful that we do not relegate the work of the gospel to those that are full-time preachers, so-called professionals. That's the responsibility that devolves on every one of us. And every assembly ought to be encouraging the saints that are in fellowship in that assembly to seek to reach out to those around and to use every opportunity that is scripturally correct, according to the word of God, to seek to affect others' lives, to do it by means of showing mercy to them, to do it by means of showing friendship to those that know not the Savior, contacting them, seeking to speak to them, being kind to them, and looking to the Lord to bring opportunities in their lives.

There are many avenues in which you and I can serve, how we can fill our lives full with service, far more than they are even in the present day. We are afforded opportunities on every hand that we can be effective in service for God. But in terms of why I would believe that interdenominational activity is not suitable for a child of God in assembly fellowship, first of all, I believe that we have, we would encounter the fact that others have different principles.

There are different principles. That is to say that there might be encountered and very likely will be encountered a fundamental difference in our beliefs. For instance, if you are going to participate with someone, let's say an ecumenical gathering on the Easter Sunday where they're going to have a communion service, you're going to have a problem right away.

You know that. You're going to encounter those that would be believing in consubstantiation, where they believe that the body and blood of the Lord Jesus exists, co-existent with the bread and the wine that is being taken. You might also be involved in those that believe in transubstantiation, the Catholics, who teach you that the bread and wine are miraculously changed into the body and blood of the Lord Jesus.

So you have a fundamental difference in principles if you're going to be involved in an activity like that. In addition to which, there are those, for the most part, this is true of a large number of gatherings in Christendom today, they would believe that the Lord's Supper is a means of grace, and in some means it conveys some ability and some help to those that are participating in that, instead of it being simply a remembrance of the Lord Jesus in obedience to his word. That's only an example.

But there would be fundamental differences in our beliefs. You would encounter, if you're going to work with another person in the gospel, for example, that they would probably believe that baptism could be practiced in any possible mode. That it's not by immersion necessarily, and some would believe that baptism is necessary for salvation.

And I'm just giving some examples of areas in which you would encounter a very definite problem if you want to maintain the principles of the word of God and to maintain the truth of what God says. So that we would run into, very quickly, differences in terms of what we would believe. We would not be able to be in agreement.

And, of course, in addition, in many cases, you would have to be in association with those who might have a profession where they don't have genuine reality of salvation. It's very difficult, I've found, to sort out, in the world around us sometimes, to sort out who is a genuine believer and who isn't. You have to ask them, quite pointedly, just how they got saved.

You find that, in many cases, the manner in which they have come to a profession of faith in Christ is not at all according to the word of God. So you have a possibility of doing something that is according, that is violating the word of God in terms of separation that you would be associated in fellowship with those who are not saved. So there's a difference in principles.

You find also a difference in principles when you encounter them because they would believe that a clergy system with one man as a pastor is the right thing to do, that he's the one that's in charge and he's the one that's intended to guide and to control in that way. And many other aspects of the denominational organizations you would end up becoming involved in. So I believe that, first of all, there's a difference in principles.

You need to always keep that in mind. When you and I violate principles of the word of God for a good motive, perhaps, or a good desire, it's still not right because principles of the word of God are very vital and very essential. Then you find out there's also a difference in practices.

Not only principles, but also practices. I could mention a number of things. Just for example, if you were going to be involved in evangelistic work with the majority of the world around us, you would find that when it comes to seeing a person, how they would see a person get saved, they would say, well, you just say this prayer after me.

Or you read this prayer and you sign your name on the dotted line and put the date on it. And they would say, that's enough. That's all you need.

Or you ask Jesus in your heart. You know, I just say, as an aside, we're hearing more and more of that kind of thing from an assembly platform. I hope not here.

But in some places, we hear brethren talking about just simply accepting the Lord by asking him into your heart. It's not Bible language. That's not what the word of God teaches.

But you would encounter that if you were going to try to work together with someone in the evangelistic world around. Or you'd find them that they would very strongly indicate. I remember talking to a woman at her door up in the Cashton area.

We had the tent up there one time and she was a Baptist and I was talking to her about the meetings and one thing I said is that we don't try to get people to go forward. I didn't know what she was connected with at the time. We don't try to invite people to come forward in the meeting.

Well, she said, how in the world do you ever see anybody get saved? That's the only way to do it. Well, you'd have a problem, wouldn't you? Because if you don't believe that's right and somebody else does, then you have a difference of practice. So you run into these differences of practices and they can be multiplied and the more you are involved in this situation, the more you'd find that you would have differences.

Well, differences in principles, differences in practices and in reality we could say that the existence of an assembly, testimony in a particular area really is a declaration that we do not believe that the denominations and all that they practice for the most part are consistent with the Word of God. The last reason I see that as a problem is that there would be differences in purposes, different principles, different practices and different purposes. That is, I mean the goals.

What is the object of it? You know that in many cases you would find, and you know this is true as well as I do, that the object of gospel work or evangelistic work is to see people profess to be saved and then what happens after that? What's the purpose of it? You know, God's salvation is not solely for the purpose of delivering people from going to hell and preparing them for heaven. You know, God, and the Word of God makes it very clear that his purpose in salvation also is that believers will be brought into a local assembly fellowship. But now you're going to work with somebody else and they say, well, anyone that gets saved, just go to the church of your choice.

Go wherever it suits you. You couldn't teach them the reality and the truth of what God declares in relation to where God wants them to be. And so you'd have a problem.

You'd have difficulties. I really have come to believe more and more that God's desire for you and me is that we might be faithfully occupied in supporting the work of a local assembly, seeking to promote it, seeking to put our hearts and souls into it, and seeking to work in true harmony and fellowship with those that have agreement in principles, agreement in practices, and agreement in purposes or goals, that we might seek to enhance the testimony of God's assembly.