The Bible does set a
precedent for intercongregational cooperation (Acts 11:22-23, 27-30; 12:25; 1
Cor. 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8:1-24; 9:1-15; 11:8-9; Rom. 15:26), and letters of
commendation were common in the first century when brethren transferred from
one Christian community to another (Acts 18:27; Rom. 16:1-2; cf. 1 Cor. 4:17;
Phil. 2:19-23). There were also warnings sent to alert brethren about those in
error who posed a potential threat to the stability of the Lord’s work (1 Tim.
1:20; 2 Tim. 1:15; 2:17-18; 4:10, 14-15; 3 John 9-11). Love and respect for one
another and concern for the entire body of Christ require a degree of
intercongregational collaboration.
What if the immoral
brother at Corinth had been disciplined by the local brethren, as Paul had
instructed, but was then warmly embraced by the nearby Cenchrea congregation?
The impact of the disciplinary action would have been severely weakened if not
rendered completely ineffective. Moreover, those who accepted the errant
brother would then be partaking in his evil deeds (cf. Rom. 1:32; Eph. 5:1- 7;
1 Tim. 5:22; 2 John 10-11) and subject to his leavening influence (1 Cor. 5:6).
Open communication and cooperation among brethren can help avoid such problems.
On the other hand, what
if the Jerusalem church, having initially rejected Paul (Acts 9:26), had sent
letters of warning to her sister congregations encouraging them to take the
same stand? What if the congregation under Diotrephes’ influence had done this
with reference to the apostle John and his coworkers (3 John 9-10)? To have
blindly accepted these allegations without further investigation would not only
have hurt those wrongly accused but would have greatly hindered the Lord’s
cause.
Since each congregation
is autonomous (cf. Acts 14:23), each congregation must make its own decision
based on the merits of each case. When an announcement of disciplinary action
is received from a sister congregation and the disciplined member believes the
action is unwarranted, it would be unwise to either blindly accept or
flippantly disregard the allegations without knowing all the facts. Both
parties should be prepared to provide as much specific information as possible.
When details are too general, vague or unsubstantiated, more problems than
solutions are generated. If the accusations prove to be valid, all
congregations must respect and adhere to the disciplinary action so that it can
fulfil its intended purpose. If it proves to be unwarranted, however, then
maybe someone like Barnabas (Acts 9:26-27) can step in as an unbiased mediator
to help resolve any possible misunderstandings.
--Kevin L. Moore
Related
Posts: Church Discipline, Biblical Reasons for Withdrawing, Is it scriptural for a congregation to withdraw from a congregation?
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