At the present point, I believe the leadership in the church are going beyond what is written. I met with the leading evangelist about his teaching, and even met with an elder on the same topic, discussing the basis of the doctrine. I shared with him my concern and told him that anyone teaching/preaching should preach/command only what the scriptures command. In the areas of opinion, conformity should not be demanded. For example, "Love one another," and "Be devoted to each other" are clear commands in the scriptures, whereas "You must have a discipling partner" is not a biblical command. I do believe this is a good recommendation, and yet no one has the authority to go beyond the scriptures. Since I was not happy with their response, I have decided to go see if there is something better "out there," where the Bible is the only basis of conformity... I wanted to share this with you to hear your opinion on the matter. --Labi
I am sorry you are in such a position. Teaching as commandments the traditions of men is all too common in the religious world (Mark 7:6-9). But I would be patient. See if you can't go along with the program. Especially as you agree that what is being suggested is a good idea. Even Jesus said (Matthew 23) that people should do what the Pharisees taught--insofar as they passed on the teachings of Moses and the Law--though not necessarily imitate what they do personally. Is this not so? Does this help?
Update: Thanks for your reply. It does help. I have decided that for myself and whoever I reach out to, I will ensure to my utmost that the scriptures are the standard. I believe that I cannot control who preaches, nor their convictions (in any church). I also agree that I need to be patient. I have made a decision to be committed to helping my church be defined by the scriptures, starting with my own life and speech.
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