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Transcript 147C
Fellowship, Attending Church, and Personal Witness
HC: Good evening. Welcome to Open Forum.
CALLER: Hello, Mr. Camping. I have a problem and a proposed solution. And I was wondering if you could tell me if you think the solution is right.
HC: Okay.
CALLER: I'm a born again believer, and I believe that by praying, reading God's Word, and loving people by helping them, and fellowship, are all very important. But the last fellowship has been leading me into confusion, and I know confusion isn't from God.
For example, almost every night I try to attend some type of fellowship. This happens to be in various areas, because no place has a fellowship every night. At one fellowship many people speak in tongues, all at the same time, without anybody interpreting. And I feel it's not right.
And in another, a person says to me, "The Holy Spirit is speaking through me. And if you don't agree with me, you're actually disagreeing with the Holy Spirit." And in another, a person visits my home to, I guess, witness to me, and says that I'm not saved because I'm not going to his church.
And what I propose to do about this is to not go to any fellowship right now, but just to get as solid foundation in His Word. And I believe that by His power, through the Holy Spirit, He will let me understand His Word without having to have a human teacher. And then, after I get really a good knowledge, then I'll seek a true fellowship and a true church.
Could you comment on my proposed solution?
HC: All right. Let me see if I can make an observation. Your question really is, When it is so difficult to find a fellowship or an assembly where they are really true to the Word of God, shouldn't I just not attend for a while and try to study the Bible and grow in the Word of God, and then seek one?
The Bible does not teach that. The Bible teaches that we ought to assemble together with believers. Now this doesn't mean that we have to fellowship every night with other believers. It may be that we can only fellowship just on Sundays with other believers. The Bible doesn't set any timetable on this.
But you ought to find a group of believers. It may be a very small group. The Bible doesn't tell us how large it has to be. "If two or three are gathered in My Name, I am in the midst of them." And find the group of believers that is at least as close to truth as possible. They won't be a perfect group. There is no perfect group. And begin to fellowship with them.
Now the other thing you suggest is very salutary. Begin to study the Bible. And you're right. If you will diligently work in the scriptures, and become as acquainted as possible, God will lead you into truth. You can learn very very much without a teacher. Then when you do hear a teacher, you also will be equipped to know whether he is doing a good job of being in accord with the Bible, or whether he is not doing a good job.
Thirdly, I would suggest that you also begin to take on a program of being useful to the Lord. We are saved to serve. We are saved to be a witness. Now that program may be a very small program. Let me just throw out a couple of suggestions, and you can add to it all kinds of other suggestions.
There may be some neighborhood children, and you want to begin to teach them. Invite them over for some crackers and Kool-Aid, and share something from the Word of God with them on a regular basis. It may mean that you can visit a nursing home. Aged people in nursing homes are so lonely and so hungry for visits. And just to visit with them and smile at them, and give them a little reassurance, praying for an opportunity to witness, is a grand way to be of some help.
And it may mean that in your work or at your school you might encourage a few others to come to some kind of a Bible study. There are many many things that you can do. It may mean that you would get hold of some good tracts and think of places where you might place these, or look for opportunities where you might give one out now and then. This can be a part of your ministry.
Now I do agree with you that we are living in a day when there are all kinds of gospels. And we read in II John 10 that if anyone brings another gospel, we are not to give them any greeting. And so if you belong to a congregation which you have become convinced is bringing another gospel, because they are going beyond the Word of God in looking for divine truth, then it's time to leave that congregation. It's time to find a congregation that is going to be more true to the Word of God.
And we're living in a day when there might have to be some shifting around, you see.
CALLER: What about the instruction that Paul gives that you should stay where you are after you have become born again?
HC: There is no statement in the Bible that you have to stay in a congregation where you first experienced salvation. There is nothing in the Bible that says that.
CALLER: Is he referring to the job that you have at the time?
HC: I think what you're referring to is when Paul says, "Be content in whatever state you are," But you're not content in whatever state you are if it is a state in which you are going contrary to God's Word. Let's suppose that you were an embezzler when you were saved. Well, you don't stay an embezzler. Okay, so by the same token, if you were saved in a congregation (and this frequently happens, incidentally) that later on you discover is really a congregation that is going contrary to the Word of God, even though they use the Bible a little bit and God used this to save you, then by no means should you stay in that congregation.
CALLER: I should use my conscience and my knowledge of the Word as a guide then?
HC: You should use your knowledge of the Word as a guide.