Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Debelak
If we all adopted your take, that each and every person in the LC is idolatrous by the definition that Paul spoke so very strongly about, then - at least for me - there are many meals and invitations to dinner by LC members I must decline. According to the Word of God and your definition of idolatry (as rooted in the Pauline definition), don't you agree I should decline these invitations to dinner?
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Peter,
First of all, I always appreciate what you have to say regardless of whether we are in agreement in our thinking. You are very thoughtful and provoke others to consider things carefully.
I only saw one question in your post, so I am addressing it. If I missed something please point it out to me.
I was not talking about a physical dinner. I was talking about spiritual food. When a diehard LCer says to you, "Brother Lee taught me this and brother Lee taught me that" in reverence to Lee and then begins to share with you the things that they are appreciating from Lee's ministry isn't your conscience offended?
This isn't about eating physical food. It's about partaking of things offered to idols. The parallel that Paul sets in 1 Cor 10 shows that the children of Israel who ate the manna and drank water from the rock were partaking of Christ (spiritual food). We partake of Him through His Word to us. If we partake of His Word from another man after He has offered it to his idol then there is a problem. This is the core of what Paul was addressing.
Due to the fact that in Paul's time there were still physical idols it was easier for him to paint this picture. Paul made it clear that the object (the idol) was nothing. It was the fact that it had been offered to an idol. It was the act of idolatry on the part of another that made it a problem for those of the House of God to partake.
I've been invited to dinner by the main LC elder in my current locality. By God's amazing arrangement me, my wife and my mom went to their house for dinner. I was free to do this before the Lord. No idolatry. However, there was one portion of our fellowship in which this elder went on a Lee-tangent. He began praising Lee for how he had brought truths into the Body of Christ. He almost quoted portions of the historical progression that you find in the little book called "History of the Local Churches". This was offensive to me. We all sat silently until he finished and then we moved on. I did not receive what he was saying and I was offended inside by it. The rest of our time was good and we had fellowship about other things that were completely unrelated to LC.
Looking back I have thought about whether or not I should have spoken up and let him know that I could not receive what he was speaking about Lee. I am not 100% clear.
However, I am clear he was offering something up to his idol and in my heart I knew it was wrong.
Does this explanation clarify what I am talking about?
Matt
P.S. You mentioned LCers as
idolaters in your post. Personally, I have tried to be careful not to use that label. I am pointing at the sin of idolatry. I believe we are justified in Christ and must view each other in this light. However, this does not extend to ignoring sinful deeds. We are asked to confront sinful deeds in sincerity and truth with a right heart towards one another and the Lord. I know my addressment of this subject has brought me into question on this point (my heart towards others). I can't really defend myself on that issue.