Quote:
Originally Posted by OBW
I understand your preference for meeting around no externally ordained creed, distinctives, etc. But when we say “according to the New Testament pattern,” are we saying that we meet, or are we saying that we meet somewhat the way the Local Churches did before the corruption surfaced and made it clearly unholy?
The only reason I go through this discussion (actually repeated several times in different ways over the past years) is that I see in some people the sense that, although the LC as we knew it is no more, many still believe that the general way they met is somehow “God ordained” and would argue that as a point of contention.
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OBW, when I say New Testament pattern it is in the receiving
unconditionally. I'm sure there are some assemblies where receiving is conditional upon becoming an official member of that assembly. In the LSM based local churches, receiving is conditional based on ones standing with the eldership.
This ground of locality remains an emphasis for some. That there are assemblies that take a name which is considered meeting in division. Same can be said for assemblies that don't take a name. An insistence on a certain flavor.
When you or I say to take the ground of locality, what exactly does that mean? You have to take the name of "the Church in ______". To call an assembly "the Ecclesia in _____" or the "______ Assembly" are considered to be taking a name? I still go back to a post on another thread where each assembly that has a tax id has to be registered by a name.
http://dor.wa.gov/content/doingbusin...ty=#brdResults
Terry