On Wednesday Night, September 10^th, we will discuss “Apostasy.”  According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, “apostasy is the act of rebelling against, forsaking, abandoning, or falling away from what one has believed.” The reasons for apostasy may be temptation, deception, or persecution.

In the early church, many believers became apostates through persecution. For example – during the reign of Roman Emperor Decius (~AD 250), he required all people to sacrifice (or burn incense) and declare “Caesar is Lord”. Once you had “sacrificed”, you would receive a certificate (called a libellus) which proved your loyalty to Rome. Christians who refused to “sacrifice” faced confiscation of their wealth, torture, and/or death. Decius focused special attention on Christian leaders. In order to save their lives, many Christians and Christian leaders “sacrificed” to the Roman gods.

Later, many of these people tried to return to the church. This issue was refered to as “the problem of the lapsed.”  What do you do with Christians who lapsed – who at some point professed Christ – then under persecution denied Christ – now want to profess Christ again?  What do you do with Pastors who preached Christ – then under persecution denied Christ – and now want to return to the church? What about the people who were led to Christ by these Apostate Pastors?  Is their Salvation and Baptism valid – or do they need to be converted and baptized again?

Recently, a contemporary Christian singer/songwriter, Vicky Beeching, announced that she is a lesbian and that she disagrees with the Biblical Christian ethics concerning sexuality. Before her announcement, Vicky has written several songs that are used in worship in evangelical churches – at least one has been sung at Northlake which is “Glory to God Forever” (co-written with Steve Fee). One that we have not sung, gives the impression that she fully understands and appreciates the work of Jesus Christ. It’s called “The Wonder of the Cross” -one stanza is copied below :

Behold the God-man crucified, The perfect sinless sacrifice.
As blood ran down those nails and wood,  History was split in two,  yes, History was split in two.
Behold the empty wooden tree, His body gone, alive and free.
We sing with everlasting joy, For sin and death have been destroyed, yes,Sin and death have been destroyed.
May I never lose the wonder, The wonder of the cross.
May I see it like the first time – Standing as a sinner lost,
Undone by mercy and left speechless, Watching wide eyed at the cost.
May I never lose the wonder, The wonder of the cross.

So, what is the church to do with apostate church leaders and worship leaders? Vicky is not a member of our local church, so church discipline is the responsibility of the church that she attends – but the question for the evening is:

 Loading ...