There Is A Difference in Congregational and Individual Activity

Gary Grizzell is quoting Dan Jenkins (both are “institutional” preachers) following: … God has limited the area in which the church can work … It is time that we clearly focus on two divine institutions, the home & the church … There is nothing wrong with Christians being involved in youth camps, sports activity, banquets, etc. There is nothing wrong with them using their money to accomplish anything that is not sinful. However, when money is given to the church it becomes special, for then its use is limited to the areas in which the church is authorized to work! Consider Acts 5 and the money of Ananias and Sapphira. Peter said to them, “Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?” The answer is obvious. Before it was given to the church it was under the … authority of those who had it. But after it was given it was under the authority of the church! There is individual activity … and there is church activity. (CFTF, 10-93)

There is more Bible for this distinction:

· two or three individual Christians aren’t the same as the church – Matt 18:15-17

· the individual was told to do something so the church wouldn’t have to – I Tim 5:16 – “If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.”

It’s not good enough to find authority for the individual for our church practice; we must find authority for the church (Col 3:17).

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