Last updated on 1/1/99

Viewpoint Brief Bible Study #36
		JESUS calls US to be members of His church
The Christian religion is the worship and service of Jesus Christ. It’s not Mary we worship, but her Son. We worship neither saints, angels, a law code, nor even God’s Spirit. It’s JESUS who is to be honored. The Bible is our guide.

A Brother Says Wineskins Is "Denominational"
And Works to Tear Down the Church of Christ

Some Who Judge Have Evil Thoughts! A loving brother writes to say that WINESKINS writers are fighting against God. As edited by Ray, he writes --

> From: A Missouri brother in Christ
> To: OCS Ray Downen
> Subject: Re: Lynn Anderson's remarks about leadership (Viewpoint #9)
> Date: Friday, July 18, 1997 3:18 PM

Ray, I do not intend to begin a debate with you on these matters, however, I feel very convicted in the fact that I should make known to you what you may or may not already know.

I have read, at least, the last couple of years of Wineskins magazine. I find the material both denominational in nature (for the most part), and an all-out effort to destroy the church of our Lord. I cannot possibly remain true to the pure Gospel of Christ and still fellowship the men who edit Wineskins, or those who are prominently writing the error-filled publication.

(Ray--Note the clear charges that WINESKINS writers are promoting denominationalism, their publication is filled with errors, and they're engaged in an all-out effort to destroy the Church of Christ to which they belong. In a later note, this writer accuses ME of beginning an attack on HIM in my reply to this note).

I have personally written several times with Rubel Shelley, and have spoken to him personally, and as I have told him, when a man goes beyond God's Word, fellowship with God ceases, and as a child of God I must recognize this and also cease the fellowship I would have with him (2 John 9-11). I am not the judge, God has already judged heresy, and revealed it to man. I pray that Rubel returns to the Lord someday, and I pray that the other false teachers involved in the publication of Wineskins also return to the Faith.

(If forced to choose between friendship and fellowship with Rubel Shelley and this good brother, which I would not want to have to do, I'd surely have to choose to be friends with the one I've learned to admire as a loving man of God -- Rubel Shelley).

I hope that you are not aligned with the teaching of Shelley, Lucado, Lynn Anderson, Mike Cope, Jeff Walling, or any of the other false teachers so prominently known today, or for that matter, the Christian Churches. If you are in fellowship with error, you are not in fellowship with God.

(Has the judgment been delivered, or has it not? Are these men I greatly admire and respect as disciples of CHRIST really FALSE teachers? No, they're not).

I have a friend of my family who preaches at the 26th and Connecticut church of Christ in Joplin by the name of Don Deffenbaugh. Also Ervin Hill, one of the elders there, is a personal friend of mine and my family. There are several members of that congregation who know my family and me, and are considered friends. If you would like to study these matters further, I know that either Don or Ervin would be more than happy to discuss these matters with you.

<<I replied -- Debating is in fact a vicious sin, whether practiced in the name of truth or otherwise. I attended a debate at Hillside church in Neosho while Don (Deffenbaugh) was ministering there. I there saw one man bring great dishonor on the Christ in whose name he spoke. He attacked and vilified me and my brethren, and proved himself in no way to be a loving Christian servant.

<<The debater claimed to be a judge, and surely proved he was judgmental as if he had a right to be the final judge of God's people. In daily life he judged others concerning secular matters. If he understood human beings and logic no better in his daily duties than in that debate, how sorry we must be for those poor people who are brought before his court. So, I'll not join him in debating and vilifying those who serve Christ as best they know how, and I'm glad you also want not to do so. GOD is our judge!

 <<I've known Don, now at 26th & Connecticut (church here in Joplin), for many years. My Dad's family came from Goodman, just south of Neosho where Don preached for many years at Hillside church. Don was a frequent visitor in Goodman, and preached for the funerals of my great-aunt who died there, for my cousin's wife, and (in early 1997), my cousin's funeral.

 <<I've been well acquainted with his teaching during that time, and with his character. A finer Christian person I never hope to see than Don and his good wife, both charming and careful in all things to honor Christ. I count Don Deffenbaugh a close friend and a brother in Christ. It's good that you also know and can recommend him and his Christian character.

 <<But Don's influence is not commendable in one matter. He judges and despises brothers who do not fully agree with him in matters where God has NOT spoken. In your note above you also do so. And as your friend and mine, Ervin Hill also is judgmental. Ervin is strongly sectarian, faithful to a set of doctrines that some men impose on the Bible and claim they found there.

 <<It's not the ones YOU judge, that are lost and Hell-bent, but their judges who are in the wrong.

 <<I also know Rubel (Shelley, of Tennessee) and with great pleasure have heard him preach more than once. He knows Jesus and preaches Him as Lord of all. Then YOU come along and call him a heretic!

<<He's all right. He's fine. He's glory bound. He is following the teaching of the Nazarene whose death atones for the sins of the world. He's given up the legalism and insistence on his own ways that characterize some in the anti-musical-instrument Church of Christ sect. He's trying to obey Jesus who wants all who believe in Him to be in ONE BODY where He is exalted and obeyed. That's Rubel, and Max (Lucado), and Mike Cope, and many others who write for WINESKINS. They love Jesus and honor Him by their lives and witness.

<<I assure you that they're on the right path -- the Way of the Cross. You assure me that you're sure, since they don't agree with your opinions, that they condemn themselves to perdition. Many think as you do. If they had read the Bible more and consulted sectarians less, they would have very different ideas.

<<Denominationalism is sin. Are there worse sects than the anti-musical-instrument Church of Christ? It may just be because we know these brothers so well that their faults are so obvious. But few groups have split SO well and so often as this one!

<<Rubel and many like him who were once sectarians as you now so proudly proclaim yourself to be have chosen to walk a different path. It's the path that leads to God. Their path recognizes Jesus as Lord and men as His servants. He has set us free to disagree on any matter where He has not spoken clearly to reveal a clear command (to require) or a prohibition of (to forbid) any matter we might question.

<<You set yourself up as judge to condemn. This says something about YOU, and it's nothing good. Don Deffenbaugh does also. So I can love and admire him (I do so), but I can't appreciate his or your narrow-mindedness and sectarianism in the name of faithfulness.

<<It's not JESUS to whom you are faithful. It's Satan who wants Christ's church fragmented in the name of being "pure." You talk about your brothers, who love Jesus at least as much as you do, but who differ with you about what Jesus wants of us, as if they were enemies of God.

<<YOU are the enemy of God as is proved by your words about these good brothers! Your crying shame on them is shameful of YOU. They deserve your love. They receive your scorn. You don't understand the message of Jesus, or you'd never speak as you do below about these fine Christian brothers you name as heretics because they won't join you in hypocritical judgment against other Christians.

<<If you cared to READ the studies I've prepared, you would see that I am one like Rubel Shelley although lacking much of his great talent and ability in journalism and teaching. You think hatred of any who don't fully agree with YOUR opinions is being faithful to Jesus.   How very much we all do need to read God's Word, the Bible.

<<I've read each recent issue of WINESKINS. It's no more DENOMINATIONAL than is the Bible. Just the opposite of denominational, in fact. Critics of the positions there espoused are the ones who are being sectarian.

<<Being denominational is naming YOURSELF and YOUR BUNCH as the only bunch who know God. Rubel makes no apology for holding all the same major doctrinal positions you hold, and then you seek to label him as a heretic because he chooses to also seek to love all others who love Jesus as he does, such as me and all us saints who realize that it isn't GOD who made a law against use of musical instruments in Christian congregational singing. He sings a cappella, as you insist he must to please you. His congregation sings a cappella.

<<Yet, since he won't join you in saying that all who do NOT do so are fighting against God (which we are surely not doing), you say that HE is terribly wrong. All he actually is doing wrong" is not joining you in defying God's requirement that all who love Christ must also love one another.

<<Or has he begun beating his wife? Or secretly drinking strong drink? Or going to dirty movies? Your charge is that he's writing things that condemn your judgmentalism and sectarianism, not that he's become a sinner before God. Because he knows God better than you do, you speak of him as your enemy and God's enemy. He isn't. Rubel Shelley walks closely with God. He loves you and Don Deffenbaugh and all his brothers who are today's Pharisees. But he refuses to bow to your decrees and turn back to narrow legalism. You claim he has offended against God. But that's NOT who he's offending against at all.

<<I've never held to the anti-instrumental-music position. From the day I became a Christian, I've seen that the Bible doesn't condone that law. And I've always PREFERRED a cappella congregational singing because I want to hear words rather than noise. I have almost as many friends in the non-instrumental church of Christ as I do in the instrumental churches of the Lord. The only ones of us who are NOT serving Christ in truth are those who make and attempt to enforce their human laws as if those laws were truly the Word of God. I'm proud to know Jesus as my savior. I despise and repudiate law-makers who think they know the mind of God better than the apostles did.

<<Rubel Shelley and those who join him in proclaiming liberty to God's people are my brothers. Don Deffenbaugh is an erring brother (a loved brother) because he adds to the inspired word and claims his additions are verily the will of God, and then names as heretics all who can't agree that Don's will and God's will are synonymous.

<<Your sending out without comment a very good exposition of a matter of interest to God's people led me astray -- I thought you also were one who humbly walked with God. I've been wrong before, and no doubt will be again. I'm glad you INTEND to serve Him in truth, and appreciate your warning me against things I love and you find hateful.

<<The Way of the Cross is a way of peace based on love and obedience to what God SAYS rather than to laws some men create based on what He didn't say. The Bible very clearly DOES say you have no right to say what you say below about brothers who love Jesus not one bit less than you do. Will God need your help to judge these brothers? I think he'll call on neither you nor me to form His opinion on judgment day. HE will do the judging, and the naming of those who are right and those who are wrong.

<<Yet we realize He directs us to be fruit inspectors in our day. Do you charge that these good brethren do not name Jesus as Lord? Do you claim that they refuse to seek the guidance of God's Spirit? Do the attitudes Paul (in Galatians 5) lists as works of the Devil better characterize the lives and ministries of these men (those devilish fruits DO appear here somewhere!), or do the men you condemn show fruit of the Spirit of God? What I see in their lives and hear from their lips and pens are godly fruit of life and truth.

<<I'm sure that if you want to be honest you'll admit that THEIR fruits are not what Paul says would identify those who serve the Devil but instead those who serve our loving Father God and Jesus, God's unique Son.

<<I've inspected the words, and the "fruit" as far as I can see it, of the men you name as enemies of God. I see that YOUR judgment is contrary to mine, and, I believe, contrary to every sign God has told us to look for in those who are led by His Spirit. Rubel is one of God's holy saints. Max Lucado is an inspired teacher of truth. I've heard Mike Cope only twice, but I can testify that then and in every article by him which I've read, that his doctrine can't be faulted by any true reading of the Bible.

<<These men base their ministries on the Bible, and are serving God honorably and extremely well.

<<Your affirmation of my synopsis of the Max Lucado (or whoever) article proves that on the subject of baptism you have studied God's truth and stand firm for what is taught in God's Word. I further know, from your admiration for Ervin and Don that you intend 100% to be faithful to God and no one else. Yet I've spoken harshly to and about you in the text above. Forgive me if my judgment is less loving than God would want it to be. You can't send me or the others you list below to Hell. You claim we'll go there unless we come to accept your anti-scriptural laws. We won't. But those very laws may send YOU there. I warn you in advance. We MUST base our doctrine on what God has SAID, not on what we think He must have meant by what He DID NOT say. He calls for us to humbly serve Him as best we understand He wants us to. I'm positive that's your intention as well as mine and Max's and Rubel's, etc.

<<Since the men you condemn are known by me to be ones who trust in Jesus for salvation, I'm confident they WILL be saved. I'm equally confident that men who trust in their great intellectual powers instead of the grace of God have very insecure foundations for their faith.

<<I'm sure that I, although weak and far from perfect, will be seen by God as perfect because of the perfection of Jesus when I'm called before the judgment seat of God. And if he asks me to sing a solo anthem of praise on that day, he'll be glad to furnish a heavenly band to accompany the song!

<<You write well. I can see that you intend only to praise and honor Jesus. I am very well acquainted with the doctrines held and taught by your good friends (and mine) Ervin Hill and Don Deffenbaugh. I totally agree with them that Jesus is Lord and the Bible is His Word, to be faithfully followed by all who seek salvation through Him.

<<Thanks for sharing!>>

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Additional NOTES from Ray -- I'm a life-long member of what my new friend calls the "Christian Church." So far as I've noticed, none of my friends, either in the Church of Christ (anti-instrumental) or in God's churches which freely use musical instruments and also love to sing, could rightly be accused of being perfect either in life or in doctrine.

    I freely confess that I share fellowship with "error" and little else. If we who are imperfect are sure to not be found in Heaven, who WILL be there? Those who think themselves better than they really are?

    How much we each should LOVE one another. If we judge everyone (except those who closely agree with US) as imperfect and we're too good to have fellowship with imperfect people, we'll find few indeed worthy of OUR friendship! I'm sorry to have to admit that NONE of my friends are obviously perfect (what HAVE I said?)... If this good brother becomes my friend, I doubt that I'll think HIM perfect either...

    Every Christian should (likely) subscribe to at least WINESKINS and the CHRISTIAN STANDARD. Others also are excellent, but I'd run out of space to list ALL here that I should recommend. Wineskins in late 1997 is $16 for six issues (intended to be bi-monthly) to U.S. addresses. Address is P O Box 129004, Nashville TN 37212-9004.

      In an article in the WINESKINS for April/May 1997 is an article with which I'm not 100% in agreement. It's by Joseph Shulam, a brother who was born a Jew and was won to Christ. Click to visit a study about his article "Restoration--Through Jewish Eyes." There also is a brief statement by Don Deffenbaugh explaining his view that God is opposed to everything He has not "authorized" for Christians to do when they meet together.

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Brief Bible Study #36 from Ray Downen. To go back to Viewpoint's first page, click < here.   Or here to go on to Viewpoint Study 37.
                      For Ray's concluding remarks, click HERE.