Why are there some churches that do not believe in serving communion?

Sincerely,
Where’s The Bread?

Dear Where’s The Bread,

There are lots of churches that don’t serve communion because there are lots of churches that don’t serve Christ.  False teaching is rampant in this world, and not all churches are equal.  Peter warned that there would be lots of false teaching in this life (2 Pet 2:1-2).  John said that it is our job to test all churches and teachings against the Bible (1 Jn 4:1).

The Bible teaches that the Lord’s Supper is to be taken every Sunday (Acts 20:7).  Any church that doesn’t do that isn’t paying attention to the Scriptures.

I hear a lot of people saying that men have authority: is that in a marriage, a relationship, just when the Bible speaks of authority… what is it referring to?

Sincerely,
What’s My Job?

Dear What’s My Job,

Men do not have authority in all situations, but they do have authority in some.  Men are authorized by God to be the leaders in the church assembly (1 Cor 14:34).  It is their job to lead prayers, lead singing, teach, and preach in the public church setting.  Men are also authorized to serve as elders, deacons, and preachers (1 Tim 3:2, 1 Tim 3:12, 1 Tim 2:12).

Men are also responsible to be leaders in a marriage (Eph 5:23).  Leadership in marriage does not mean bossing your wife around!  Being a leader means that he must set the tone and direction for the family and be spiritually responsible for his household.  The man must love his wife with a sacrificial love that always puts her first.  He must put the needs of the family above his own… just as Christ does for the church (Eph 5:25-29).

In short, all men are not in authority over all women… men only have specific authority in specific situations, such as marriage and the leadership of a local congregation.

I belong to a Baptist church.  The pastor calls himself a “shepherd”… but don't care about his sheep.  He tells every one to hug everyone's neck but don't do that himself.  He do not shake anyone’s hand.  Don't even know the names of people and don't care.  It is not a big church, only three hundred members.  It is a fully-paid church with a capacity of 750.  Now he wants to buy a larger facility and wants every one to pay extra for it and told the congregation that those who do not wish to support him should leave the church!  He fired the associate pastor because he did not agree to his idea.  His wife is the music minister, and he gets a fabulous salary between the two.  He also sells his personal CD’s and his wife's music CD’s to make extra money.  We were paying for his luxurious house with swimming pool.  In this economy, people are struggling to make both ends meet.  There are people in our church who lost their homes to foreclosures and got their power cut off, but all he cares is for the people to contribute more money for his idea.  What can we do to get rid of this money and power-hungry preacher and his family, so that we will have a quiet place to worship?  We have contributed to this church heavily in the past but don't think we should do it any more.

Sincerely,
Fed Up

Dear Fed Up,

Our advice is to take this money-grubbing false teacher’s advice – LEAVE.  All you can ever do is work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12).  We get buckets of questions from people asking for help because every church they find seems to only care about money… it’s horrid what people have done in the name of religion.  Unfortunately, there is nothing new under the sun (Eccl 1:9).  Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for the same greedy behavior (Lk 20:46-47).

In the end, you want to be a christian – not a Baptist, Methodist, Calvinist, Lutheran, etc.  Baptist churches only make Baptists, Methodist churches only make Methodists, and so on.  You need to find a church that belongs to Christ, not men.  This preacher has warped and twisted the Scriptures to make religion all about him… and not about God.  Such men have a very strict judgment awaiting them (Jas 3:1).  We would be happy to help you find a faithful church that will teach the Bible and leave all the manmade garbage out.  E-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org if you would like help finding a peaceful, faithful, and godly church to attend in your area.

What does God's Word say about a woman preaching in the church?

Sincerely,
Chatty Cathy

Dear Chatty Cathy,

It says she can’t do it.  1 Cor 14:34-35 makes it clear that women are not supposed to be in leadership positions during the church assembly.  Women have a zillion different roles within the church, but leading the public assembly isn’t one of them.  Men have the responsibility of preaching, teaching, and leading the worship services (1 Tim 2:12).  In today’s politically correct atmosphere, this can be hard for some to swallow, but as Paul said, “We have no other custom” on this topic (1 Cor 11:16).  There is simply no Biblical precedence for women preachers.

My wife does not want to attend the church we go to now; I think it is because she was offended, but she wants to change churches.  If she does, do I have to go with her (because I like the church we are in now)?

Sincerely,
Disconnected at the Hip

Dear Disconnected at the Hip,

One of the great misconceptions about churches is believing the way to find a good church is to find one that fits your personality, lifestyle, and desires.  This is wrong.  Paul teaches that those who search for teaching that “tickles their ears” will always end up falling into false doctrine (2 Tim 4:3-4).  Most churches cater to the desires of the culture and society… this is wrong.

When searching for a church, you must ask the question, “Does this church follow the New Testament pattern?”  The local church needs to be the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim 3:15), ground zero for basic Bible teaching.  A church that will buy the truth and not sell it (Pr 23:23) is a church that will help you get to heaven.  We recommend you read “Finding The Church” and “Preacher Interrogation” for further details on the topic of finding the local church.

You and your wife need to work as one unit (going to separate churches is a sign of a real marital problem - religion is a huge factor in marriage problems) and make sure that where you are going isn’t based off of how you feel, but grounded in Biblical truth.