For the Church and for Unbelievers – (Ch 26) by Daniel Lu The following comes from D. Lu… Bob (I will refer to the author as Bob from now on because I don’t want to type out Kauflin) likens the tension between serving unbelievers and serving those who are believers to the difference in the way we treat our family vs guests. Not only are we never told to cast demons out of unbelievers for this purpose, there are no examples of this method at work in the days of Jesus or the early church. I think it goes without saying that corporate worship gatherings are to build up the body of Christ. The call to live a Holy Life and do what is right is to believers not unbelievers. The key is for us to grow to live out of our principles and act according to them and not according to the pressure that people exert on us. It’s sufficient to say that there is no necessary connection between church also being for unbelievers and watering down the message or just focusing only on getting conversions. Prophecy is not for unbelievers and hypocrites. God is not calling to sinners to live holy or "DO WHAT IS RIGHT", rather God is calling sinners to Repent of their sins and Accept and Him and then and only then … It would make a difference if this were true and I let this inform my thought or my actions.”. Church Services – For believers or unbelievers – Part 2? So, if this is the case, then what does it mean for the church? Church is designed primarily to help believers grow, and then they go out and connect with people in the world. After all, where else are people going to learn about who God is and what it means to be a Christian? Believers are supposed to live the life outside of church, get people saved and then bring them to church. It's meant to be a place where Christians gather to be re-energized so they can go back out into the world. I always thought that Church was where unbelievers can go to get saved. Hospitality is when we think about how to make our guests feel at home. I have also heard many people who think that if church is also for unbelievers, then it will simply be a church service where a simple Gospel message is presented over and over again with an altar call. The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14. It is the church as an organization that includes buildings, leaders, regular activities, etc. Thanks, Charles, for commenting on the site and for your encouragement. and then he will spoil his house.” I believe they would see that church is also for unbelievers. In the article “Liturgy in the New Testament Church” it states: We really shouldn’t expect unbelievers to feel at home or comfortable in corporate worship; it’s natural for them to feel out of place. What about the benefit of exposing an unbeliever to the gospel by getting him into the church to participate in worship? I think few would disagree that the church in this last sense should connect with unbelievers. That’s a good point. 1. If they come, that’s fine, but having unbelievers in church is not a goal that the church should pursue, they might say. When we are hospitable, we think not only about ourselves and what we are used to but how those who are not familiar with our home, organization, or church might experience those places and then seek to make them more comfortable for them. 5:19; Col. 3:16; 1 Tim. The church is a gathering of BELIEVERS. One mistake people often make is thinking that they will be their own person by separating from others. In this view, the primary purpose of the local church is to draw unchurched people to the Christian faith. When the Bible speaks of a “church,” it means believers in Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27; Romans 12:5). Instead, we live by our own principles. Austin T. Duncan | February 14, 2020 . The 2,446 Descendants of James Russell “Major” White, The Goal of the Church Is Not the Church – Wes White, “Jean Claude (1619–1687): Huguenot Pastor and Theologian”, “The Personality of Sin: Anxiety, Pride, and Self-Contempt.”, “The Intractability of Racism: Reinhold Niebuhr on Christianity’s Explanation of Race Problems and Their Solutions”, “Saying ‘Justification by Faith Alone’ Isn’t Enough,”, “A Theology of Social Action: A Summary Based on the Theology of Reinhold Niebuhr”. By inviting unbelievers into the body, we weaken the body. “18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies But that means our churches have to be more strategic about how we reach those who are not yet believers. I think the church would be a good place to learn this. We could say that this genealogy shows how God keeps His promises revealed in the Old Testament. Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers." Some Christians feel like they never get anything from these services that help them grow. Church is designed primarily to help believers grow, and then they go out and connect with people in the world. And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? They took over the place where the Gentiles were to come and worship. There are some who believe the church service is primarily for believers, while others believe the church service is primarily for unbelievers. The first Christians did not have a designated building for their meetings. The Church Service is for Believers It would seem rather obvious that church is a place for unbelievers as well as believers. I do hope you discuss a third reason why Christians think having unbelievers in church is unwise. However, prophecy (preaching the deep truths of God) is what the Christians need, and unbelievers aren’t yet ready for it. Some of us may feel shame about or fear from our families? Both ideas give me the willies. The body of Christ is no place for an unbeliever. The same reactivity to people’s influence is still present, even if we separate ourselves. Prophecy to believers is God giving direction to His children through prophets reason prophets are the eyes of the church and a congregation without prophets is blind. Continuing on from the last blog we turn now to the New Testament and the Orthodox Study Bible has more surprises. Substantively, the church should not do anything differently. Believers are to be known by their love (John 13:35), their holiness (1 Peter 1:15), and their desire to be like Christ (Ephesians 4:15). And as a Body, our focus ought to be OUTWARD – on the nervous, uncomfortable, lonely, broken outsiders who need far more than a good cup of coffee. In fact, I would suggest that merely repeating the simple Gospel message or watering down the Christian message is not particularly helpful either to believers or unbelievers. This belief reveals itself in different ways depending on how it is answered. I think it is helpful for unbelievers (and actually to most believers) if I ask this question, “if I was talking to someone who knew nothing about the Bible, how would I explain to them why it is relevant for their life in the 21st century?” That can be a hard question, but it is a question that yields significant dividends. A church should be a place where they can come and hear the preaching and teaching of the word of God. By handing that responsibility over to the church leadership, we make it more difficult for them to do their job, which is … That’s true and helpful but probably not a big question on most people’s minds. When Jesus came to earth, the Temple had a walled in area outside of the Temple proper that was called the Court of the Gentiles. That will give you some sense of what others feel when they are visiting your church, especially those who may have never gone to church or been away for a long time. George Lawson graduated from The Master’s Seminary in 2010 and is the Pastor-Teacher of Baltimore Bible Church, a church plant in Baltimore, MD. Never has the body of Christ been more important than in these days. Sermons & Podcasts: 0: Aug 27, 2020: A: Christians - Believers are to Go Out from Unbelievers and be Separate from Them: Bible Discussions: 32: Aug 19, 2018: Do Not Be Yoke Together With unbelievers, you have nothing in common, you may think you do, It is sad, but you don't. Notice that his assumption is that unbelievers and inquirers will come in. For example, let’s take the genealogy of Jesus in Mt. Yes, believers should most definitely invite unbelievers to church. Related Articles. Last week, we took a look at the prohibition Paul issues to the church of God in 2 Corinthians 6:14. They met in homes (Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2). You say Jesus is coming back? He uses the agricultural image of animals being yoked together to pull a plow in order to illustrate the fundamental incompatibility between believers and unbelievers. If your pastors are thinking of welcoming unbelievers to eat the Lord’s Supper as a way of pointing them to Jesus, you’re probably in the wrong church. They need to … 4:11-16). 23 Even so, if an unsaved person, or someone who doesn’t have these gifts, comes to church and hears you all talking in other languages, he is likely to think you are crazy. The other consideration that we should ponder is the fact that we, as Christians are the church. We could also show how this demonstrates the true humanity of Jesus Christ. I think it’s better for us to do the hard work of learning to connect with people without having to respond to their emotions and influence. Once that soul or nonbeliever accepts Christ, then he or she should be invited into the church. There are some who believe the church service is primarily for believers, while others believe the church service is primarily for unbelievers. Harsh, but true. This belief reveals itself in different ways depending on how it is answered. The church as organism is the people of God wherever they are and whatever they do. But the Church isn’t for believers. I’m arguing that the church in both senses should be connecting to the people of our community, both believer and unbeliever alike. Prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers. Powered by Knownhost and the Genesis Framework. The church as institution is what I’m talking about in this article. 2:11–15)? As we consider why we gather week by week, we can quickly identify two common but unbiblical views on the purpose of the local church.The first is that the local church exists for evangelism. If I want to become a Christian, do I really have to be “washed in the blood of the lamb” and become “the bride of Jesus”? Hopefully, there are people with greater maturity there who can model it for us. I think that if we do that, we could help believers a lot more, but we could also help unbelievers to see why church and an ancient book matter for life in the 21st century. First, I try to think about hospitality (which of course would help anybody, even regular attenders and members of the church). Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The Church and New Believers: Devotionals: 1: Sep 4, 2009: Z: The Church--The Body of Believers! Worshiping in Pain Brian Fairchild | February 21, 2020. As a pastor, one of the things I’ve thought a lot about is whether our services should be geared towards believers or unbelievers. The Gospel for Believers & Unbelievers The Gospel for Believers & Unbelievers May 28, 2019 admin-patrick Tags: blog , pastors Written by : Pastor Don Robertson (Senior Pastor of Faith Community Church in Pearland, TX). Whether these sorts of complaints are just or not, I won’t attempt to answer here. When God established His worship in the Old Testament, He centered His worship in the temple. The hope we have in Christ is the answer the world is looking for. What better place could there be? I try to think of unbelievers when I study the Bible. The unbelievers will, so to speak, contaminate the congregation with bad influences, beliefs, behavior. One of the best ways to learn how to do this is to visit other churches where you don’t know anyone. Why do I want to learn “Christian business principles”? However, when we speak of a “church,” we are often referring to the building in which a local group of Christians meets. What the genealogy tells us is that God connects with types of families like ours and literally becomes a part of them. One way I think about it is that the church can be understood as an institution or an organism. The letters recognize that each church is composed of both believers and church-going unbelievers. According to Isaiah, the design of the Temple was to “for my house [to be] be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Is. He says concerning people speaking in tongues: “So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” (v. 23). When He did He said, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17). While it is true that in order to become a Christian, we only need a little bit of knowledge (i.e., John 3:16), following Christ involves understanding a whole variety of topics explained in the Bible at large. I believe that this argument often grows out of frustration with churches that water down the Christian message in order to try and get people to come to church. We can talk about messed up families. The fellowship of believers is for building up and edification, not evangelizing. END QUOTE PAUL REPLIES : But if therefore the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? Hi Stig, always an important point to make! First Corinthians 14:23 Paul wants the assembly of the church to be sensitive to the unbeliever in their midst: Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. Your email address will not be published. We should still sing, pray, preach, fellowship, partake of the sacraments, etc. See church leadership structure. What better place could there be? The second thing I would suggest is closely related. We all approach passages of the Bible from a particular perspective asking particular questions. Doesn’t that present a significant amount of hope for families like yours and like mine? However, there are two ways that I approach these things based on the assumption that church is also for unbelievers. At the least, they might argue, unbelievers … The Church Service is for Believers We weren't meant to go out, grab a few unbelievers and bring them to our … God doesn’t judge unbelievers (yet!) This doesn’t actually work. But does the Bible teach that church is also for unbelievers? Some argue that church is only or primarily for believers. It would seem rather obvious that church is a place for unbelievers as well as believers. If the people of the nations were to come to the worship of God when the distinction between Jew and Gentile was still part of God’s worship, how much more in the era where that dividing wall is broken down (Eph. This is where money changers and those selling sacrifices set up shop. How Much Authority Does a Pastor Have? That’s one of the big reasons why Jesus took some whips and cleared everybody out. People do influence us. We should absolutely welcome unbelievers to our church, but we must always remember that a church service is not primarily for them; it is for believers. A Letter to the Weary Pastor Jerod Gilcher | January 14, 2020. For those considering whether or not to follow Jesus, it’s good for them to learn about what that means for their families, their work, their emotions, their time, and a host of other things. What it says is that people are such an overwhelming influence that you can’t be around them. In addition, we often manifest it in other areas of our lives. “I’m confused! If he did, then the cross wasn’t the once and final solution for the sins of the world. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Church, then, is primarily evangelistic in its purpose. Probably many of us feel like our families are hopeless. See what is comfortable and awkward and what is unhelpful. Good food for thought. That sounds a bit like the legends that say King Arthur is returning. This often happens in our families. 14. We need a strong body so we can be in the world and make disciples while there. Again, a question not a lot of people today are thinking about, though it is an important one. Romans 10:14, “How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? Spot on. The number one goal of every Christian when dealing with unbelievers is to preach the Gospel and bring them to Christ through the Gospel, not to spout off promises and such. What’s with all the teaching from Romans? any more than he kills children in earthquakes. After all, it has probably led to conversions. After all, where else are people going to learn about who God is and what it means to be a Christian? In the beginning, the deal was that an individual believer has the responsibility to evangelize. Worship and Bible preaching definitely strengthen believers (Eph. That’s why being in church where the whole counsel of God is taught is especially helpful for those considering Christianity. I like this thesis, Wes, which I agree with. Here are 10 things churches can do to win over unbelievers with the hope and love of Jesus Christ. We find no place in the scriptures where unbelievers lead believers in worship. Prophecy and Tongues … 21 It is written in the Law: “By strange tongues and foreign lips I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to Me, says the Lord.” 22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. My goal whenever I talk about the Bible is this: for each person to walk away saying (even if they don’t believe it), “If this is true, then it would be helpful. In Philippians 3:17-20, is Paul addressing believers or unbelievers?” “17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example. What is the benefit to the unbeliever? It is not in the Bible and it should never happen in the Christian church. Wouldn’t this make us view our families a little bit differently? 56:7). So, what do we do with it? So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? My view is it makes no difference whether they were believers or unbelievers – God didn’t kill them. But she reasoned that church is actually for believers, as unbelievers may be offended by the message (the same as what happened in our case). One way I think about this is by asking (HT: Andy Stanley), what is the human question that this task is answering? This blog is very similar to errors by many current churches breaking with what the Bible says about homosexuality — in desperate attempts to make the Bible say what people want to hear. At Living Hope Church, believers gather to worship – to learn – to hear the word of God – to receive encouragement and exhortation – to be reminded of the Gospel. The church seems like a good place to learn to do that. When Scripture compares believers with unbelievers, it highlights the lifestyle differences. Some argue that church is only or primarily for believers. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. I think we are given a good idea how to handle this problem in Matthew 12:29, “Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man ? I think the most biblical answer is both. I believe it does. This can teach us how to live in the world. He was not espousing works for salvation or forgiveness, but was explaining the mainline understanding of the church for how sealed believers continually deal with sin in the flesh. That is so far from the New Testament and what it teaches about the Lord’s Supper that it is very difficult for me to think your pastors are seriously submitted to the authority of Scripture, rather than to their own wisdom. The Church IS believers. At the least, they might argue, unbelievers should not be a focus of the church as an institution. It is not just a site, building or location, but rather us as indwelled believers in Jesus Christ. Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. All of us have messed up families to a degree. Where we go the Church of Christ goes, who we come into contact with believers or not, the impression left should be one of us as followers of Christ. It kind of makes sense to me. Prophecy to believers. This seems to be Paul’s assumption in 1 Cor. They feel like they have been left behind in the quest for “numbers.”. s Church Only For Believers or Can Unbelievers Attend? Out and connect with people in the world strong body so we can be understood as an organization that buildings... A place where they can go back out into the world in worship or nonbeliever accepts Christ, he. Can teach us how to do that should still sing, pray, preach, fellowship partake! And edification, not for unbelievers yet believers, so to speak, contaminate congregation. ” ( Mark 11:17 ) inform my thought or my actions. ” not, won. Designated is church for believers or unbelievers for their meetings for their meetings call to live in the temple helpful for those considering Christianity ’. 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