When Do You Mark and Avoid
 

Have you ever "marked" certain individuals and "avoided" them like Rom 16 instructs? When did you do it, how did you do it, why did you do it? Is "marking" and "avoiding" the same as "excommunicating" like Paul suggests in I Cor. 5? Did you ever "mismark" someone and had to apologize or make it right later with the individual that you avoided?

Done all of the above many times.

Any suggestions? I too would be interested in reading your input!

Input would of course be an opinion...just one of many, I'm sure.

However, after all the salutations in Rom. 16 Paul then makes this statement:

17Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

18For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Even at that early date in church history, there were already many deceivers that had gone out and were circulating heresies in the churches of God. Paul defended the Gospel of Christ vigorously but left this warning in Acts that after his departure that wolves would come in not sparing the flock. So it happened. Paul was already aware of these things even earlier than his writings to the Romans.

What heresies would he be talking about? Paul lamented over the fact that so many were so easily removed from the simplicity of the Gospel of Christ. Unless we are on guard, there are those who will slip in among us sowing tares of NEW REVELATIONS which are subtilly contrary to the Death, Burial and Resurrection and that of our neccessity of being identified with it/Him in our own Jn 3:5/Acts 2:38 obedience and experience.

If the devil cannot subvert us into not obeying the simplicity of Christ, he will subvert us by adding all sorts of other requirements, usually fleshly requirements on those who are not properly prepared for them, destroying and subverting those souls from the simplicity of the gospel of Christ.

Recently, I saw a family destroyed in this manner. The Father of three had repented, been baptized but had not received the Holy Ghost as yet. The mother quickly prayed through at her fist trip to the altar. The children were happy in their little country church. Father took the family to a movie. Mother had not learned to love the ourward appearance of holiness. They were not asked to leave but they were frozen out while the phony appearance of love for them became so apparant.

Mark them! They subvert from the simplicity of Christ.

I will add a few comments later... The wife just served some Apple Flitters and Coffee. Good woman!

I feel that if someone continually sits on the pew and despises the preaching
and stays living in sin you have to part ways.You can pray for them and try to encourage them but as for hanging out its not a good idea.Especially if that person is always downing the church or ministry of the church.I don't think it has to be public but some assemblies do this publically.I have heard
of some that call the person up before the pulpit and warn them.If a person has a right heart this would be the time to repent and ask forgiveness.I would hate it done to me but I am told it does work.

I have done so. Rarely but I have done it. I did it when someone repeated sins they did to me and continued to justify themselves. I don't think it is the same as excommunication. That is an official act by the church.

Those who try to bring division or bring discord are definitely ones to mark & avoid.

The Bible does say that if ye have ought against your brother go to him "ALONE"
and try to work it out.

90-95% of our problems can be fixed that way.

The avoiding and withdrawing of ones self as spoken of by Paul in I Cor 5 is an obvious defensive mechanism lest one becomes influenced by such railings, drunkeness, fornications, on and on. Associations with sinful influences will corrupt good manners if those defensive mechanisms are not in place.

Sometimes sin becomes so greivous as Paul stated, that it was not even mentioned among the Gentiles. In such cases, there are those rare times that one must be excommunicated. I've only seen it happen once in all of my life. It was not a pretty sight, but all were warned, all were exhorted to holiness and righteos living. All received the fear of God. It served its righful use when it exercised by a very wise and godly man together with the church elders and officials in attendance.

Long before that ultimate end comes, as individuals, we need to be wary of sin in the church lest it corrupts first the saint and eventually the church.

If there is an adulterer in the church, another adulterer will stiff the wind and pick it up like a RADAR. That spirit will circulate around the church and very possibly corrupt the very pulpit. The same with other sin and vices too. I've seen churches corrupted by avarice. It might start off small such as someone promoting a multi-level program that the church eventually gets involved with. Though the intent may be innocent, yet the spirit of avarice creeps in subverting the unwary away from Christ being thoroughly infected with that seditious spirit.

On and on could I go speaking of these things that subvert the unwary and beguiling unstable souls.

Were the Apple Flitters and coffee any good?

That's what I want to know!!

:donuts

Yes, in fact they were quite good. It is an old Cajan breakfast recipe that my little Cajan wife fixes now and again. I'm looking forward to some cush-cush which I have not had lately. Maybe she will fix me some soon.

A joke:

"Hey Boudreaux, what do you have in your sack?"

"Chickens, Thibodeaux."

"Boudreaux my coosan, if I can guess how many chickens you have in your sack would you give me one of them?"

"I'll do better than that Cousan Thibodeaux, I'll give you both of them."