As I finished out my chapter through chapter re-read of the book of Acts, I see believers and non-believers in various settings:
- hearing the word of God proclaimed,
- gifts of the Spirit are manifested,
- elders are chosen,
- people getting saved, etc.
The biblical DESCRIPTION of what happened in the NT church involved these elements. It gets mighty confusing to look at the book of Acts and to say
- “that’s not a church meeting” but “that assembly is a church meeting.”
- That’s not church, that is church,
- Paul’s preaching in the synagogue is outreach, but teaching in a different place is a church gathering.
What is obvious is that people were being regularly and daily saved. This no basis to say that these conversions were occurring within or outside of the gatherings.
Acts merely describes what was happening.
It does not define a how the church will function following this particular era.
The church as a gathering PLACE is in development.
The earliest glimpses in Acts shows groups of people meeting in synagogues, public squares, and in houses. Today’s PLACES of gathering is very different than the gatherings in the book of Acts. Most of us meet in a dedicated space or building set apart for church meetings.
The church as a gathered PEOPLE is still a theological concept in development.
It is later spelled out in Paul’s letters.
The church gathered for the PURPOSE of a particular expression of worship is not the same.
It does not look like the weekly gathering of God’s people for worship as we know it in nearly any form today.
To ask the book of Acts for evidence about inviting non-believers to a church is ultimately a practice that will fail.
As the remaining passages deal with the missionary expansion of the early Christians there were no “churches” in these towns for the gathering of the saints They were being created as the apostles went forth, so looking at these passages for evidence of church practices may be pointless.
Objections I have encountered:
As I’ve discussed this with people, I’ve encountered a few uses of Scripture and examples that attempt to prove the point that we should not invite unbelievers to church.
I want to touch a few of those points below.
1. Don’t be unequally yoked.
2 Corinthians 6:14 reads:
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
I’m not convinced that applies to inviting a unsaved person to church hear the gospel message. Inviting a unsaved friend to church is not spiritually uniting with them. It is not asking them into membership. It is not offering them a leadership position. Instead it is inviting them to come and hear the word of God proclaimed, where they can evaluate the message for themselves.
The underlying imagery from the OT is two different animals walking together.
I see this passage applying to marriage, business partnerships, church leadership and other places where two would walk together in close unity. I’m not sure Paul talks specifically about church gatherings, but a lifestyle.
In terms of church life, I’d see it applying to membership, church leadership positions, pastors etc.
They are the leaders of the church. Members who have joined a church should of course profess faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We do not have atheists as church members, unsaved as elders, etc.
I don’t think this “yoking” or spiritual mixing occurs when we invite a non-believer to hear the word of God proclaimed in our worship services. If I invite a non-believer into a leadership position – to help me lead the church in some way – THEN that line is crossed.
2. Unsaved Visitors were Rare.
1 Corinthians 14:22-25
Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
Paul challenges the Corinthian church to be sensitive to visitors. At this point in the development of the church meetings as a gathering of people, unbelievers are in their midst.
This passage ASSUMES their presence, but doesn’t indicate the manner in which the non-believer arrived. The verb is simply “COMES IN” but gives no indication of the manner: by invitation, by curiosity, by advertising, nothing.
I’ve seen this passage used to share that the presence of such visitor was RARE. That assumes facts not in evidence. The one clear mention of a non believer being present doesn’t mean it was rare. It is an unprovable assertion. Paul’s point is addressing the misuse of tongues, not church invitations. Likewise, I cannot prove from the texts that it was a COMMON practice. I’d have to assume facts not in evidence.
One cannot say the practice was RARE or COMMON without assuming facts. What we can say is that Paul does not prohibit the presence of non-believers in the midst of the assembly, nor does Paul specifically command that we give invitations.
The point of this passage is that the Corinthian church should be sensitive to the non-believing visitors in their midst. I believe this should be part of every church’s DNA, whether you speak in tongues or not. You want your unsaved visitors to declare that God is in your midst.
3. Jesus as an example.
The assertion that I’ve seen is that Jesus did not have a non-believer in his group of 12, then we shouldn’t have them as well in our churches.
However, the particular question we are discussing – can we invite the unsaved to our church services – does not seem to be answered by Jesus as an example. This is a straw man, I think, for this discussion.
There was no church to invite people to. He lived in a different time than an organized church.
Of course he didn’t yoke himself with a non-believing sinner who advocated for things not of the Lord. But he did hangout with people who needed him. He clearly hung out with people, welcomed people who sought him out etc.
I don’t see him rejecting people who don’t yet believe based on a meeting place or specific type of gathering.
Coaching Corner
Let me ask you this:
For what reasons SHOULD we invite our non-Christian friends to church? Answer in the comment field. . .
Invite Non Believers to Church?–Part 5
I’ve pondered and prayed about this question for years. I think scripture is clear that the “Church” is the Body of Christ–not a brick and mortar building. Even though there are no NT scriptures that describe the early church inviting non-Believers to their gatherings, I believe they probably did even though THAT was not the main purpose for their regular meetings.
Here’s why– Remember, the early church did not have the New Testament scriptures in one place yet, so it makes sense that while the new converts were spreading the Good News, they might encounter seekers with questions. Naturally, the new Believer would invite a seeker with questions to come hear Paul speak or to join them at a gathering where the latest letter from an Apostle would be read–and where elders were available to answer questions.
Plus, Here are a couple of NT scriptures that lead me to believe that non-believers were in fact mixed in with Believers at the early church’s gatherings:
“With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. ” (Acts 2:46-47) [who WERE BEING saved]
And in Jesus’s parable about the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30) He specifically says, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
I think the main points in this discussion are the answers to two questions:
1. What is the purpose of Church?
Ephesians 3:10: so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
2. What is her chief function “when gathered?”
Ephesians 4:11-16: And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pshepherds3 and teachers,4 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,5 to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
I don’t see a role for unbelievers in either the purpose or her function when gathered. Inviting unbelievers en masse eventually weakens the body and blurs the lines between Christians and non-Christians. Evangelism is the work of the Church when not gathered.
Have a great day, all. Grace and peace to you.
Hi Chris,
I would have to more agree with Nigel on this one but do agree that we do “not” see the Apostles as you said excluding non believers. As we see in 1 Corinthians 14, that it is possible for unbelievers or outsiders to have wandered into a church gathering. “23If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?” “If” doesn’t mean necessarily that they were invited. Nor in my opinion should it be used to make presidence now to invite the unbelieving and or outsiders into our Church gatherings. There are a plethora of scriptures to point to being separate from the world. Yes, in the world, not of the world… Also the warning of Paul to keep things orderly was for the protection of the Church’s reputation as well as not to cause the unbelieving “if” they were present, not to be freaked out if you will by what was taking place in that gathering. Again, not presidence in my opinion to support inviting the world into the Church gathering as we are called by Jesus in Matthew 28 verse 19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
I think Chris if you take the whole point Paul is making in 2 Corinthians 6 verse 1-18, you’ll see that he is being very clear about his intentions of not intermixing with the world. In addition for our friend above Esther, Paul is including and quoting an “OLD” Testament passage in keeping with his point of being separate. I’d be careful in making that statement Esther, as Jesus quoted many times from the Old Testament as some of His commands are still in force… So here’s the whole passage and you be the judge. “14Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
17Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
18and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”
Now the unequally yoked if you look at Deuteronomy 22:10 which states,
“You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.” This passage if taken in context, is speaking of not intermixing which is the same point the Apostle Paul is making.
If the Church did what it was supposed to do by loving one another within the Body of Christ as the whole New Testament reiterates, then we’d see people drawn to the ways of God and the churches would burst at their seams. But instead of loving as we ought, we look for worldly ways to entice unbelievers to come to church to hear a message that may or may not include the actual Gospel of Jesus and we think we did our part. Actually our part as I see it, is to share the Gospel with them ourselves and let our lives after that be a testimony of the Jesus that dwells in us. Now if our friends desire to repent of their sins and be baptized into the family of God, well then I say, invite them in. Read Acts 2 as I think it gives a good picture of how it is to be done. Just one mans opinion. Blessings all.
Niki You experienced the right answer: where would you be if a church didn’t welcome you as you were?
That story is probably the greatest argument about why invite and welcome unbelievers into your church – it is where they can hear the word, encounter the Lord, and experience the Holy Spirit draw them to a relationship with Christ.
I actually had this same discussion with a friend today. I believed that unbelievers should not be allowed ‘in the gathering of the saints’… but so nicely Holy Spirit reminded me, that I was going to church as a drug addict looking for Christ. If I was told to leave or where not welcome… I dread where I would be today.
Sometimes we miss the elephant in the room. We as individuals are the Church, the bride of Christ, the ekklesia, the called out ones. . Strongs 1577 ekklēsía (from 1537 /ek, “out from and to” and 2564 /kaléō, “to call”) – properly, people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom. As a general rule, the building where the called out ones meet is not open to unbelievers. The evangelist brings the lost to Christ and sends them to the Pastor for discipleship.
Thank you for your reply. I will have to think on that and read more scripture. At least if Pastor says something like if anyone has questions I will be here after service. We know that all church goers are not always saved. Thank you
@Lawrence
When I do workshops on a person’s testimony and invite people to share their story to faith, an invitation to church is one of the many stepping stones in many stories that God has used to bring a person to faith.
I remember one class with 8 students in it. Every single one mentioned a friend’s invitation to church that helped them to discover the grace of Jesus Christ.
Chris
@ Claudette While “Altar Call” is not a biblical term, the idea of calling for a response is approrpriate. This is an appropriate response when preaching evangelistically in a church setting. I do it every now and then.
But if you as the preacher know that you are preaching to believers, the altar call should be something to invite believers to respond in some way. No point in giving an evangelistic altar call if there are no unsaved people there, generally speaking.
Preachers have different ways to allow people to respond to an altar call: raise hand, come forward, talk with me after the service, etc. . .the form is not important as much as calling for a response in a non-manipulative way.
I agree with you on this subject. I have known several people even friends of mine who are saved today as a result of having been invited to church. Also I am amazed at the people I meet who say that you should not invite unbelievers in and they are not out winning souls.
If we invite non believers to our church and they come, shouldn’t there be an alter call (can’t find alter call in bible) so if the non believer wants to know anything about JESUS he could go forward if he chose to. Without an alter call maybe the unbeliever would just go away And forget about the whole thing.
Well said Esther
Nigel,
We are in a different covenant. Thankfully, a new, better covenant. The old mosaic covenant is obsolete and does not apply to us nor has it ever. It was made between God and the nation of Israel at that time.
http://www.padfield.com/2004/covenants.html
I have considered it, and don’t think it applies.
I simply don’t see the apostles or the disciples excluding non-believers from their assemblies.
Hi Chris
Just skimmed your info on church and if we should invite unbelievers etc
Have you ever read Ezek 44 You will notice in verse 6-10 “Now say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “O house of Israel, let Us have no more of all your abominations. “When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it–My house–and when you offered My food, the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations.
“And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but you have set [others] to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.” ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who [is] among the children of Israel.
Chris how should we as the temple of God (the church) allow the uncircumcised into to have fellowship with us?
Answer we can’t and should not.
Our work is to Go into all the world. God’s work to to the church those being saved. Period.
Then we are to disciple the babies until they are mature.
That’s it
Nigel
“And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity.