Is an "Appeal to Caesar" Really the Scriptural "Second Principle"??

[kisstheson]

Hello dear ones, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

I recently came across the LSM/LC-affiliated web site entitled "FAQs Concerning the Local Churches" at http://www.ltm.org/index.html. One of the FAQs is a well-known bone of contention between LSM/LC and other Christians: "What is your view of lawsuits between Christians?". Of course, we have discussed this topic thoroughly in the past on other threads, but my burden lies not so much with lawsuits themselves but with this question: What is the real teaching of the Scriptures regarding relationships between believers when fellowship has deteriorated and has completely broken down?

I believe that we would all agree that the "first principle" to apply when problems exist between believers is found in the well-known portion in Matthew 18:15-17. Of course, how wonderful it is when every heart involved is soft and there is openness, forgiveness, and reconcilliation! And yet, what to do when there is no forgiveness and reconcilliation, when "your brother" refuses to hear you, refuses to hear you when you take one or two others with you, and refuses to hear the church? What then?

In LSM's FAQ, they state that when reconcilliation through fellowship does not take place, "the second principle" to be followed is found in Acts 25:10-12, which is Paul's famous "appeal to Caesar". But is the "appeal to Caesar" really the "second principle", or do the Scriptures teach another, totally different, approach as the "second principle"? I would very much like to hear anyone's thoughts on this matter! My preliminary seeking on this matter has led me to conclude that the "second principle" to follow amongst believers is to be found in Matthew 18:18-22 and Matthew 5:21-26 and 5:38-48. Call me a dreamy, starry-eyed idealist, but I firmly believe that the Lord's "second principle" among believers is not the law court, but is mercy, forgiveness, and love.

Here is a parital excerpt from LMS's FAQ (the entire FAQ can be found at http://www.ltm.org/lawsuits/index.html):

"In Matthew 18:17, the Lord Jesus Himself anticipated that situations would arise between believers in which the principle of fellowship would be rejected by one of the parties: 'If he [the offending brother] refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile [unbeliever] and a tax collector' (NASB). This word implies that such a situation has deteriorated beyond the scriptural bounds of reconciliation through fellowship, necessitating a second principle, found in Acts. Acts 25:10-12 is an account of Paul's “appeal to Caesar” (the ultimate civil authority of his time) when unlawful actions by unbelieving Jews threatened his ministry."