Three Current Examples - 2

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No Laptops in the 1st Four rows

You may ask, "How does the rule 'no laptops in the first four rows' nullify Gods commands? Since, three valid justifications for this rule can be presented, the answer will present three potential means by which God's words would be nullified by rules of etiquette.
  
A. Prevent inappropriate material broadcasted inadvertently:

If inappropriate material is inadvertently broadcast, why is Matthew 18:15-19 not applied against the individual viewing such material on his laptop in the first place? Why is the fact that person is using their laptop to view such material not brought before the entire body to cut that person off in accordance with Jesus' command? Did Jesus not define love as keeping his commands, John 14:15, 21 even when His commands seem to us to be harsh? Is the fear of man a snare to the leadership, Proverbs 29:25? Or is it that "kindness" or "gentleness" are used to justify the lack of obedience to the hard commands?

How can a group of people who profess to seek a Holy God be unified in a holy place for the encounter of their Holy God when logs are not removed from their own eyes? How can they call for forerunners to cry out for repentance to an ungodly world but are too afraid to call their own body to repentance in accordance with God's hard commands? The fear of man proves to be a snare because rules of etiquette are made to avoid trusting in God's ways through literal obedience. 

B. Appropriate non-sanctioned material inadvertently broadcasted with or without implied approval

The inadvertent broadcast of articles, drawings, photography or other marketplace type works performed on laptops while prayer is accomplished is indeed an issue for houses of prayer that broadcast their prayer rooms live. But, what is the issue? Is the issue the desire to protect FDC from lawsuits due to the broadcast, reproduction and distribution of copyrighted material? Or is the issue that leadership does not want outsiders to find out that members are turning FDC facilities into a marketplace instead of a place of encountering God through prayer?

The former issue returns to the idea of the fear of man and will not be discussed further. The latter issue ignores weightier matters of love, Matthew 23:23. Love is obeying God, John 14:15. People called to the market place and performing their market place duties in obedience to that calling can indeed encounter God while praying and are even more likely to encounter God's guidance and skill for their computer work while praying. Furthermore, they become an example of seeking God in prayer for the production of the marketplace skills and guidance.

Does love deny this encounter in order to appease complainers about which it is written, "The righteous see and are glad, And the innocent mock them," Job 22:19. Such rules of etiquette passed to appease mockers or complainers literally strains out gnats and swallows camels, Matthew 23:24.

The later issue also touches indirectly on the concept of doing good works to be seen by men, Matthew 6:5. God already knows laptops are being used behind the cameras, in rows five through the back of the room Matthew 6:6; Colossians 3:22. If it is not wrong in rows 5-whatever, why is it wrong in rows 1-4 just because a camera is involved?

C. Appropriate sanctioned material is not shown favoritism by FDC

Why not show favoritism for appropriate sanctioned material? Would this favoritism not keep the command in Ezekiel 44:23?
Moreover, they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. Ezekiel 44:23
Furthermore, it is the very duty of a kingdom of priests to make a distinction between clean and unclean.
Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Ezekiel 22:26
Do not the Jews today profane the name of Christ because of our own hypocrisy of rewriting God's words for the sake of our own form of traditions, opinions, and perceptions?




Copyright (c) 2012 by Diane Pebley All rights reserved, no use granted without the express written permission of the author, Diane Pebley

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