Liberating Planet Earth
by Gary DeMar by Gary DeMar
The Liberation of th Church 95 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat (2 Thessalonizuis 3:10). To reduce the financial risks to church members, the deacons should see to it that every member buys basic insurance policies to protect his family, if such policies are available. Insurance is one of the greatest inventions of the modern world. It allows people to share risks in an economical fashion. Life insurance and accident insurance are very important. If necessary, the church can pay ltie insurance premiums, and name itself as the trustee beneficiary of life insurance policies, so that widows and children can be assured care if the husbands die. But husbands should be encouraged to buy annual renewable term life insurance: no savings program, just a simple “I die, and the company pays” kind of policy. Authority in the Church As we have already seen, the fundamental kind of human government is se~-government. No institutional government can afford to police its members day and night. Thus, the goal of preaching should be to increase the self-government of the members. They must be taught to recognize which Biblical principle applies in each historical situation. Self-government is to be invoked each time the church offers the Lord’s Supper. “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28). This involves self-examination and confession of sins before God. By having frequent communion meals, the church encourages selfgovernment among members. This is a strong argument for having weekly communion. But church officers should be warned in advance: introducing weekly communion to a God-fearing church will often. create major problems, including rebellion and church splits. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing in every church, especially churches that have not had a continuing program of discipline through excommunication. The evil-doers in the congregation will feel the pressure of weekly communion. They will surface, and they usually like to drag other members into controversies against the church’s oficers. Be prepared for this. That is
96 Liberating Planet Earth what weekly communion is supposed to accomplish: to weed out (Matthew 13:7, 22) those who resent God’s discipline over them. Weekly communion forces them to deal with this moral problem every week. Elders must begin to serve as appeals courts (1 Corinthians 6). They must be ready to put a halt to all rumors and gossip. Continued tale-bearing is a sin (Leviticus 19:16). Every time a bad report comes to a church elder, he should ask the tale-bearer to repeat the accusation because the problem may get to the trial stage. It would be wise for the officer to carry a little note pad for this purpose. Just take it out, note the date, write down the talebearer’s name, and then ask him to repeat the accusation slowly. This will reduce tale-bearing drastically. It forces the tale-bearer to speak precisely. The cost of becoming a false witness (perjurer) is to have the penalty that would have been imposed on the victim imposed on the false witness (Deuteronomy 19:19). By keeping disputes within the church out of the secular courts, the state is kept at a greater distance. The state will be more likely to recognize the church as an independent jurisdiction, which God says it is. To submit to the law of a rival god (humanism), church members have violated the covenant. Any church member who appeals a decision of the church to the state should be instantly excommunicated. He is thereby call- , ing in the state to judge the church. This is an act of defiance. Also, once he is excommunicated and is no longer to be regarded as a Christian for institutional decision-making purposes (1 Corinthians 5), church members can then go into the secular courts to challenge him and defend the church from his public accusations. (The obvious example is a dispute concerning a church-granted divorce, especially the accusation of adultery or other major sin against one of the spouses. When the announcement of the reasons for the excommunication and divorce are made public, the guilty party may seek vengeance against the church.) As is the case in every covenantal institution, judicial authority is lodged at the top (the principle of representation or presence), but the chain of command is to be imposed in a bottom-up
- Page 52 and 53: The Enemies of Liberation 45 for Go
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- Page 136 and 137: 10 THE INEVITABILITY OF LIBERATION
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96 <strong>Liberating</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> <strong>Earth</strong><br />
what weekly communion is supposed to accomplish: to weed out<br />
(Matthew 13:7, 22) those who resent God’s discipline over them.<br />
Weekly communion forces them to deal with this moral problem<br />
every week.<br />
Elders must begin to serve as appeals courts (1 Corinthians 6).<br />
They must be ready to put a halt to all rumors and gossip. Continued<br />
tale-bearing is a sin (Leviticus 19:16). Every time a bad<br />
report comes to a church elder, he should ask the tale-bearer to<br />
repeat the accusation because the problem may get to the trial<br />
stage. It would be wise for the officer to carry a little note pad for<br />
this purpose. Just take it out, note the date, write down the talebearer’s<br />
name, and then ask him to repeat the accusation slowly.<br />
This will reduce tale-bearing drastically. It forces the tale-bearer<br />
to speak precisely. The cost of becoming a false witness (perjurer)<br />
is to have the penalty that would have been imposed on the victim<br />
imposed on the false witness (Deuteronomy 19:19).<br />
By keeping disputes within the church out of the secular<br />
courts, the state is kept at a greater distance. The state will be<br />
more likely to recognize the church as an independent jurisdiction,<br />
which God says it is. To submit to the law of a rival god (humanism),<br />
church members have violated the covenant.<br />
Any church member who appeals a decision of the church to<br />
the state should be instantly excommunicated. He is thereby call- ,<br />
ing in the state to judge the church. This is an act of defiance.<br />
Also, once he is excommunicated and is no longer to be regarded<br />
as a Christian for institutional decision-making purposes (1 Corinthians<br />
5), church members can then go into the secular courts to<br />
challenge him and defend the church from his public accusations.<br />
(The obvious example is a dispute concerning a church-granted<br />
divorce, especially the accusation of adultery or other major sin<br />
against one of the spouses. When the announcement of the<br />
reasons for the excommunication and divorce are made public,<br />
the guilty party may seek vengeance against the church.)<br />
As is the case in every covenantal institution, judicial authority<br />
is lodged at the top (the principle of representation or presence),<br />
but the chain of command is to be imposed in a bottom-up
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