# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S180 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 160 CHURCH RELATIONS infallible, errorless Word of God — that Jesus is perfect, but not the written text of the Holy Scriptures. 2. They openly tolerate members of unchristian, un- scriptural lodges to be members of their congregations and to commune at the Lord’s Table, which the Lord Jesus in His infallible Scriptures forbids and says is impossible: Ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s Table and of the table of devils.” (1 Cor. 10:21) 3. They confess they not only commune all Luther- ans but even non-Lutherans! 4. They have openly declared and practice fellow- ship with other groups that have false doctrines and practices, as the (a) Lutheran Church in America; (b) the Lutheran World Federation; and (c) the World Council of Churches: which the Lord Christ forbids: “Have no fellowship” (Eph.5:11): “Come out and be separate” (2 Cor. 6:17); therefore be it Resolved, That the Missouri Synod be herewith re- minded and warned by its Lord and Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, that this proposed fellowship with The American Lutheran Church is forbidden by our Lord Jesus Christ and is therefore not eligible to be voted on or even discussed! For whatever the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord and Head of the church, has forbidden is not votable! We do not vote whether to kill) commit adul- tery, steal, or violate anything Christ has commanded or forbidden. Here we have nothing to decide! Christ has fully decided it for us. And every time we pray, “Thy will be done,” we have accepted all His decisions in all matters! To vote on this matter or even to discuss it is pre- sumptuous, is nothing short of blasphemy, is nothing less than idolatry! For it is to ignore Jesus Christ and His Word as our only and final authority! It is to set Jesus Christ aside as our only Lord in all matters. It is to set ourselves and our Synod up as Lord and God in Christ’s stead. Remember, the majority may decide a lot of things: but the majority never makes a matter right in God’s sight, even if all vote for it! Nor who does it or how many do it or how long it was done! Only one thing ever makes a matter right in God’s sight, and that is Jesus’ Word: “The Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him on the Last Day” (John 12:48). This alone will judge all men and all their affairs! Remember also, the only present duty we have to- ward The ALC is as the Holy Spirit commands, “Re- prove them” (Eph.5:11b) for their works of darkness, for their false doctrines and practices, that they may repent and amend their evil ways. In all the fellowship meetings I attended here in Minnesota South with The ALC, and some LCA, 10 or more meetings, this reproof was never heard, except through me and then it was always brushed aside and even resented! Furthermore, once we are in fellowship with The ALC, we will become partakers of all their false doc- trines and practices, and fully responsible for every Mason and lodge member they commune and send to hell, as the Lord warns all His followers in 2 John 9-11 and Ezek. 3:17-18; 33: 7-8. Sr. JoHN LUTHERAN CONGREGATION Rapidan, Minn. HERMAN KLEEN, President R. E. KuEHNERT, Pastor (3-229) To Abstain from Fellowship and Offer Counsel Instead Wuereas, “God ordained that His Word only, with- out admixture of human doctrine, be taught in the Christian Church” (Brief Statement): If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. (1 Peter 4:11) In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matt. 15:9) To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not ac- cording to this word, it is because there is no light in them. (Is. 8:20) If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples in- deed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:31-32); and Whereas, Accordingly, “all Christians are required by God to discriminate between orthodox and heterodox church-bodies” and “to have church-fellowship only with orthodox church-bodies” (Brief Statement): Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1) Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves (Matt. 7:15); and Wuereas, On the one hand, acceptance of the one doctrine of Christ in all its articles of faith is the Scrip- tural prerequisite to fraternal recognition and exercise of fellowship; Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment. (1 Cor. 1:10) Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus; that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore re- celve ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. (Rom. 15:5-7) Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3); and Wuereas, On the other hand, Scripture requires separation from those who “cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine * which ye have learned (Rom. 16:17): “It should be noted, for a proper understanding of this passage, that the term doctrine in Scripture, when ap- plied to the truth, is almost always in the singular. On the side of the truth Scripture knows of one doctrine of God or Christ. On the side of error it knows of doctrines, e. g., doctrines of devils (1 Tim. 4:1). The Formula of Concord similarly uses doctrine in the singular for Gospel (FC, Ep. V; see also FC, SD, X, 31) [Footnote 9, CTCR, Theol- ogy of Fellowship]