The Tyranny of False Fellowship
12/28/06 - 5th Day - mid-Morning. The prognosticators say the rain should roll in tonight, and that we are most likely to have rain for the next 24 hours. We certainly need the rain, but I hope this does not make it more difficult for the folks moving down this weekend. I keep saying I will get pictures posted and I keep not doing that very thing, so today, after I finish this post, I am intending, if the Lord wills, to get some new pictures posted here. We have been working on my root cellar, Josie's cabin, and the foundation for the new milking shed. I am trying to get the door on the root cellar today before the rains hit. Yesterday I slipped and took a tumble into the entrance tunnel of the root cellar. I received a slight hip bruise, but landed on my feet on the ladder about 5 feet down and was basically unhurt.
Careful around big holes in the ground!
This is the big weekend upcoming, when the newest homesteaders will be joining us here at the ranch. The Antes from Iowa (5) and the Sustaires from Ft. Worth (2) will be added to the numbers here in the community.
An interesting note about Separatism
We have, in great depth, explained and taught the Biblical doctrine of separatism. The Bible is clear just from what and from whom we are to separate ourselves. Yet I have noticed something interesting. The world (specifically worldly "christians" - which we call "professing unbelievers") gets very upset when you separate from them. While they claim to love God's
Word and to read it and heed it, they are quite put out when you choose to have nothing much to do with them. World-loving "christians" not only want to disobey God's commandments and ordinances themselves, but they want YOU to disobey God's Word too. For example: We have had people leave or stop supporting the ministry due to what we teach, or due to the ramifications or practical application of what we teach. But no one has ever formally separated from us because they could show us our error and prove that we were teaching something that is wrong. We have had people say, "Oh, you believe in predestination and election, or in limited atonement, or in God's sovereignty... we don't believe that so we aren't going to listen to you or support you any more". We have had people say, "You are teaching separatism and we disagree with that, so we aren't going to participate on your forum or websites any more". But no one has ever come to show us our error Biblically, and then separated from us Biblically because we don't agree with them. Although it has never happened, if someone said to us, "Hey, here is where we believe you are wrong, and here is what we believe the Bible teaches, and if you continue in what we believe to be error, then we are commanded to separate from your company and have no fellowship with you", then we would agree that, according to their understanding, our separation from one another is commanded in the scripture. We would not be offended in the least bit if someone Biblically separated from us. But that has never happened. Not once in all these years. Why not? And why are people offended when we separate from them? Don't they read their Bibles. We do not demand that they agree with us at all, but can't they see that if we believe what we teach, then separating from the ungodly, and from worldlings, and from those who carry another gospel is something that our conscience and the Word of God demands? Why would they be offended at us obeying our understanding of God's Word? I mean, I am not offended when a Mormon, a Carpenterite, a JW, a Seventh-Day Adventist, or some other person or group refuses to have fellowship with me. They shouldn't. We believe completely different things! Can two walk together except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3) Why would I be offended that someone is living according to their convictions?
The problem is that modern religious worldlings have no convictions and no conscience. They want us to be forced to fellowship with them, based solely on their profession and not on the details of what we actually believe. They believe that two should walk together, even if they are not agreed. Fellowship is forced and communion is mandatory because of cultural and societal pressures. We are, then, slaves to convention, emotion, and tradition - and not to Christ.
If we separate from you because we believe you are in gross error, or because we believe you are a heretic, or because you live an ungodly life, or because we are not agreed on the fundamentals of our faith, or because we desire to protect ourselves and our families from being tainted by worldliness, or because the Word commands us to reject, mark, and avoid you... you should be glad that someone out there really believes the Word of God, and that they are applying it according to their understanding and according to their profession of faith and according to their conscience. I am pleased to see people live according to their convictions instead of according to the rudiments of the world. Do I care if a heretic separates from me? NO. It saves me the trouble of separating from him. So why be hurt if we separate from you? Why force fellowship with someone who doesn't desire fellowship with you? Will you be a tyrant too?
Just something to consider.
Michael Bunker
Careful around big holes in the ground!
This is the big weekend upcoming, when the newest homesteaders will be joining us here at the ranch. The Antes from Iowa (5) and the Sustaires from Ft. Worth (2) will be added to the numbers here in the community.
An interesting note about Separatism
We have, in great depth, explained and taught the Biblical doctrine of separatism. The Bible is clear just from what and from whom we are to separate ourselves. Yet I have noticed something interesting. The world (specifically worldly "christians" - which we call "professing unbelievers") gets very upset when you separate from them. While they claim to love God's
Word and to read it and heed it, they are quite put out when you choose to have nothing much to do with them. World-loving "christians" not only want to disobey God's commandments and ordinances themselves, but they want YOU to disobey God's Word too. For example: We have had people leave or stop supporting the ministry due to what we teach, or due to the ramifications or practical application of what we teach. But no one has ever formally separated from us because they could show us our error and prove that we were teaching something that is wrong. We have had people say, "Oh, you believe in predestination and election, or in limited atonement, or in God's sovereignty... we don't believe that so we aren't going to listen to you or support you any more". We have had people say, "You are teaching separatism and we disagree with that, so we aren't going to participate on your forum or websites any more". But no one has ever come to show us our error Biblically, and then separated from us Biblically because we don't agree with them. Although it has never happened, if someone said to us, "Hey, here is where we believe you are wrong, and here is what we believe the Bible teaches, and if you continue in what we believe to be error, then we are commanded to separate from your company and have no fellowship with you", then we would agree that, according to their understanding, our separation from one another is commanded in the scripture. We would not be offended in the least bit if someone Biblically separated from us. But that has never happened. Not once in all these years. Why not? And why are people offended when we separate from them? Don't they read their Bibles. We do not demand that they agree with us at all, but can't they see that if we believe what we teach, then separating from the ungodly, and from worldlings, and from those who carry another gospel is something that our conscience and the Word of God demands? Why would they be offended at us obeying our understanding of God's Word? I mean, I am not offended when a Mormon, a Carpenterite, a JW, a Seventh-Day Adventist, or some other person or group refuses to have fellowship with me. They shouldn't. We believe completely different things! Can two walk together except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3) Why would I be offended that someone is living according to their convictions?
The problem is that modern religious worldlings have no convictions and no conscience. They want us to be forced to fellowship with them, based solely on their profession and not on the details of what we actually believe. They believe that two should walk together, even if they are not agreed. Fellowship is forced and communion is mandatory because of cultural and societal pressures. We are, then, slaves to convention, emotion, and tradition - and not to Christ.
If we separate from you because we believe you are in gross error, or because we believe you are a heretic, or because you live an ungodly life, or because we are not agreed on the fundamentals of our faith, or because we desire to protect ourselves and our families from being tainted by worldliness, or because the Word commands us to reject, mark, and avoid you... you should be glad that someone out there really believes the Word of God, and that they are applying it according to their understanding and according to their profession of faith and according to their conscience. I am pleased to see people live according to their convictions instead of according to the rudiments of the world. Do I care if a heretic separates from me? NO. It saves me the trouble of separating from him. So why be hurt if we separate from you? Why force fellowship with someone who doesn't desire fellowship with you? Will you be a tyrant too?
Just something to consider.
Michael Bunker
posted by Michael Bunker at 12/28/2006 04:09:00 AM
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