Is it wrong to bring a drink into church?  I know in 1 Corinthians it discusses this, and I think it's clear cut, but I've noticed members bringing in water bottles, then it became flavored/colored waters, and now I've seen coffee and whipped coffee drinks in the church building.  This bothers me, but maybe I should not be so worked up about this either...

Sincerely,
In A Froth

Dear In A Froth,

1 Cor. 11:22 addresses how the Corinthian church was treating the Lord’s Supper like a common meal.  It is always wrong for the church to become a social organization and add social functions to the work of the church or the worship services.  However, we would not go so far as to use that verse to bar all food or drink from the church building.  Bringing in a bottle of water or a baggie of Cheerios for your child is not the same as having a social meal.

Where the line is between a handful of raisins for a fussy child and a sinful situation that involves a feast replacing the Lord’s work… that is a matter of wisdom.  That is what you are asking about.  It takes wisdom and maturity to discern between good and evil (Heb 5:14).  If not careful, a congregation can easily drift into liberalism (Heb. 2:1).  A congregation’s leadership, which is hopefully an eldership, should be ever vigilant to protect against such drifting.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT DIFFERENT YOLKS?  I AM SEEING A GUY THAT IS A BAPTIST, AND WELL, I’M CATHOLIC, AND HE STATED TO ME THAT HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP BECAUSE OF OUR RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES!  HE THEN MENTIONED ABOUT THE BIBLE WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT THE DIFFRENT YOLKS BUT DID NOT EXPLAIN.  I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT HE IS TRYING TO SAY.  WHAT DO DIFFERENT RELIGIONS HAVE TO DO WITH LOVING ONE ANOTHER?  IF POSSIBLE, I WOULD LIKE FOR A BAPTIST PREACHER TO EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE DIFFERENCES IN A RELATIONSHIP HAVE TO DO WITH LOVING ONE ANOTHER?  WHAT IS THE INTERPRETATION OF THE DIFFERENT YOLKS IN THE BIBLE?

Sincerely,
SOMEONE THAT REALLY LOVES HER PARTNER REGARDLESS OF THE DIFFERENT RELIGIONS

Dear Someone That Really Loves,

You aren’t going to get an answer from a Baptist preacher here (we are just christians at AYP), but the Bible agrees with your Baptist boyfriend on this one.  God says that we should never be “unequally yoked” (2 Cor 6:14).  Our relationship with God needs to be the central focus of our life (Matt 22:37-38).  Marriage, which is the potential end result of your romantic relationship, is the most intimate union this side of heaven (Eph 5:31).  Marriage to someone that doesn’t have the same values as you is compared to two oxen being yoked to the same wagon with each oxen pulling the cart in a different direction – it will never work!  Solomon is the great example of this.  Solomon was the wisest man on the earth (1 Kgs 4:30-34).  Yet, even with all his wisdom, Solomon’s idol-worshipping wives tore his heart away from serving God (1 Kgs 11:4).  If it can happen to Solomon, it can happen to anyone.

But here is the bright side!  Catholicism isn’t following the Bible… BUT the Baptists aren’t either.  You can tell your boyfriend that he isn’t doing what God says.  Both Catholicism and the Baptist denomination are man-made religions that only take pieces of the Bible and disregard the rest of It.  It is only when we accept the whole Bible that we can be pleasing to God (Ps 119:160).  The world is full of religions that are leading people astray with false teachings.  God tells us that there is only one pattern for His church, and that pattern can be found in the Bible (Eph 4:4-6).  God is not the author of the religious confusion that we see in the world today (1 Cor 14:33).  If you and your boyfriend want to get on the same page spiritually, we would be ecstatic to help teach you about the church of the Bible and how to find one in your area.  Simply e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

This scripture is intriguing... it implies we won't be able to tell when the kingdom of God comes.  What do you suppose it means?

Luke 17:20 The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Sincerely,
Searching For Secrets

Dear Searching For Secrets,

The kingdom is already here.  The kingdom is the church.  Paul says that all christians have already been transferred into the kingdom (Col 1:12-13).  Both John the Baptist and Jesus preached that the kingdom was coming very soon (Matt 3:1-2, Matt 4:17).  Jesus told the disciples that some of them would see the kingdom come within their lifetime (Matt 16:28).  What large organization was Jesus in charge of that started within the lifetime of Jesus’ apostles?  That would be the church!

In Lk 17:20-21, Jesus is addressing one of the common misconceptions about His kingdom.  It wouldn’t be a physical kingdom with castles, fortresses, and armies.  Jesus’ kingdom would grow within the hearts of those who followed Him.  That is because His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom… a kingdom not of this world (Jhn 18:36).  On the first day of Jesus’ kingdom/church, three thousand people entered that kingdom through baptism (Acts 2:38-41).  An entire nation cropped up overnight… without a single shot being fired.

Is there any particular order that church services are to occur in?  In some congregations I've been to, the Lord's Supper is at the end of the sermon, but most other congregations I have attended have it prior to the sermon.  Is there an example of how church services should be conducted down to this detail in the New Testament, or is this up to the leaders of the congregation?

Sincerely,
Out Of Order

Dear Out Of Order,

There is no particular order that services must occur in – only particular elements that need to be included.  The Bible gives us examples and commands for five different elements to the public worship.

1. Teaching/Preaching (1 Cor 4:17)
2. Singing (Eph 5:19)
3. Prayer (Acts 12:5)
4. Taking A Collection – Sunday only (1 Cor 16:1-2)
5. Lord’s Supper – Sunday only (Acts 20:7)

Of these five elements, two of them are specifically allowed only on Sundays.  The others can be done any time the brethren get together.  God is specific that these are the things He wants us to do, however, He never stipulates what order He wants them done in.  Every Bible command has specific elements and general elements to them.  For example, Noah was told to build the ark out of a specific type of wood – gopher wood (Gen 6:14) – but he was free to use whatever tools or procedures he liked to collect that wood because God wasn’t specific about that detail.  In the case of worship, God is specific on what elements He wants, but He leaves what time of day to meet, arrangement of pews, order of services, which songs to lead, and other details up to us.

Was it God's intention for the pastor to be both a pastor and an evangelist who travels and holds weekly meetings in other churches?

Sincerely,
Ramblin’ Man

Dear Ramblin’ Man,

A pastor is not the same office as an evangelist.  Timothy was an evangelist (2 Tim 4:5), but he was not a pastor.  In fact, Timothy was told to appoint pastors in the congregation where he preached (1 Tim 3:1).  A pastor is the same as an elder (1 Pet 5:1-3).  An elder/pastor is also called a bishop (Tit 1:5-7).  An elder/pastor/bishop is appointed to oversee the work of a local congregation.  He only has authority in that particular congregation (the church “among them” – 1 Pet 5:2).  The qualifications for a pastor are laid out in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.

An evangelist is an entirely different position.  ‘Evangelist’ means ‘proclaimer of a message’.  An evangelist is the same thing as a preacher.  Preachers and evangelists have no decision-making authority within a local congregation.  They are only tasked with preaching and proclaiming God’s Word from the pulpit (2 Tim 4:1-5).

An elder may also serve as an evangelist, but the two jobs are separate.  Peter was an apostle (Matt 10:2), an elder/pastor (1 Pet 5:1) and an evangelist (Acts 2:14).  Peter fulfilled all three roles, but each role was distinctly different.  A man can go preaching and holding meetings as an evangelist at multiple congregations, but he is not a pastor outside of his home congregation.