The Ground Of The Church

[Cal]

Originally Posted by Gubei

Igzy,

So, are such practices as the Lord's Table, baptism, head covering just superfluous to you? If these things are really superfluous, why did Paul ordered to repeat these?

They are important because Paul commanded them. Paul never commanded the local ground.

Which brings up an interesting point. LCers see the head covering as optional, yet it is commanded. But they see the local ground as mandatory, yet it is not commanded. Makes sense? No.

"if we all genuinely receive and respect, then real oneness has been achieved"
why not having one set of elders AS THE RESULT?

Please rethink my position. Having one set of elders cannot be attained by forcing it. That state is just a natural outcome from genuine oneness among Christians - so fragile given human nature. That's why I regard that state as an "ideal state."

Jack Nicklaus once said the perfect golf score would be birdies on all par 3 holes and par 4 holes, and eagles on all par 5 holes. On an standard 18-hole, par-72 course (4 par 3s, 10 par 4s, 4 par 5s), that would be a score of 54. That's an ideal.

In all of golf, the lowest golf score ever recorded is 55--once by then amatuer Homero Blancas, in 1962. 56 has been recorded once. 57 once. However, a couple of 58s are the lowest scores recognized by the Guiness Book of Records. Millions and millions or rounds of golf are being recorded by amateurs, and thousands and thousands by professional. Rarely do they begin to approach the ideal. Does this invalidate them? Is golf lessened as a sport because the ideal is out of reach. Not a bit.

My point, of course, is that ideals are all well and good, but what practical person spends a whole lot of time fretting about them? And what sane person says, A 64 is not a very good round of golf because a 54 is the ideal?

It is possible that the Lord may bring all Christian in one city somewhere together under one eldership someday. In the meantime, I'd rather focus on what he actually is doing, and stop making the good the enemy of the ideal.