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To: fish hawk; penowa

“No church should deny ANYONE communion. That is between each of us sinners and God. Who are they to judge us on our morals and our inner relationship with our Lord.”

1 Corinthians 5:9-13
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. 12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

Churches which ignore the behavior of “notorious” sinners (those who carry on publicly, and show no evidence of repentance) are doing those individuals a disservice by failing to confront them, in love, and deny them access to the communion table. Both they, and the individuals whose willful blindness they facilitate, are in serious danger.

The same chapter (7) in Matthew which begins in this way:

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

goes on in this vein:

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because[a] narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’


47 posted on 04/19/2008 2:08:49 PM PDT by Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek
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To: Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek
I repeat, no church should deny anyone the right to communion. In those days all the church members knew each other and their personal life. Now days, the pastor or priest knows very little about his flock. So when communion is offered, who is he to deny anyone he does not even know. It is true that the Word of God does not change but circumstances change continually. Not only that but say a drunkard rapist robber later turned to the Lord but the pastor is not aware of his change. It would be wrong for him to deny this person communion. Did not Jesus himself sip wine with many sinners.
48 posted on 04/19/2008 2:18:11 PM PDT by fish hawk (The religion of Darwinism is dying. Thank God!)
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