I recently noticed that on the front page of the site the piece about their Rescue Efforts at Ground Zero has been removed to make way for another piece about the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal. The Ground Zero piece does though still appear on the Leadership page.
I do not question the rightness of helping our fellow men (Christians or not) for Paul says: " As we have occasion, let us do good towards all, and specially towards those of the household of faith." (Galatians 6:10). The household of faith is itself a wide expression and might well cover others than those we actually fellowship with in the things of God.
However, I note that the amount of the financial giving of Exclusives to the Rescue Appeal is stated as being above A$3 million (nearly 1.5 million pounds sterling) Christ said when on earth that we should not proclaim our almsgiving (Matthew 6:1-4). We should not seek to get glory from men as He said. Ananias and Sapphira apparently wanted to get credit for their giving though they gave less than the full amount of the value of their property sale (Acts 5:1-10).
I am not aware of any New Testament passage where the amount of giving is mentioned save Christ's reference to the widow's two mites (Mark 12:41-44). Many rich apparently cast in much and must have done it openly for Christ was watching them. When I was young the Brethren had a basket (or box) with a hole in the top so that what was put in the box when it was passed round was more or less secret. This was probably based on 2 Kings 12:9. Later an open basket was used which would have made it more evident whether coins or notes were being put in.
The story has been told of the Sister who went up to the Brother who was counting the money that had been taken in the collection box and informed him that she had put in a shilling when she meant to put in a halfpenny, hoping that the Brother would give her the shilling back and accept the halfpenny. However, the Brother's comment was: "Its all right, the Lord knows you only meant to put in a halfpenny !" The Brother I understand was Mr. Charles Coates. I can't vouch for the accuracy of this story, in particular, the amounts involved. The incident happened many years ago when inflation had not made the value of money depreciate to the value it has today.
On a more serious note we need to see that what the Lord said in the so-called Sermon on the Mount is important teaching for us today. If we do not heed it then we may well find that the fall of our house will be great (Matthew 7:27). Paul tells us that we should "accede to sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the teaching which [is] according to piety" (1 Timothy 6:3). It has been pointed out that the instruction found in Titus 2:12 that we should "live soberly, and justly, and piously in the present course of things", is really in summary form what we get in the Sermon on the Mount.
Although there is no suggestion in Scripture that it is a sin to be rich there are a lot of warnings connected with riches. Consider 1 Timothy 6; James 2 and 5 and in particular Revelation 3:17.
Reverting to the matter of separation, one has no doubt that Satan's object is to get the whole idea of separation from evil discredited. Separation has a place in Scripture which should not be ignored because of the unscriptural way some have applied it. Consider such a passage as Jeremiah 15:19 which speaks of separation in a right sense. We don't want to become like the Pharisees. "The word 'Pharisee' means 'separatist'"(J. N. Darby, Collected Writings Vol. 28 page 332), or those spoken of in Jude 19. Regarding the Pharisees Mr. Darby said: "Ezra, a faithful man, devoted and confiding in God: instructed in the law... brings order into their walk. Yet it seems to me that under the influence of the natural soil of the human heart, this order degenerated into Pharisaism." (Collected Writings Vol.34 page 33) This is separation, or had become separation, in a wrong sense. In my booklet: 'Why it has become necessary to separate from those commonly known as The Exclusive Brethren' I ended with the following: "The re-emergence today in large measure of what was found and removed at Plymouth can only involve the setting aside of Brethren as a whole. The word (so often quoted by them) to us therefore is: "Come out from the midst of them, and be separated" (2 Corinthians 6:17) and "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord withdraw from iniquity" (2 Timothy 2:19).
It may be said here that some years ago now there was a case in the newspapers of a policeman who was taking his holidays with a bank robber. This was frowned on, but it shows that even many who would not necessarily be Christians see the need for separation from evil people in some degree at least.
As to the case of a wife whose husband is put out Mr Darby said: "It may seem awkward, but her action is not keeping company with him as a case of will; it is one of subjection to authority" (Collected Writings Vol.26 page 220). Put another way, it is what is obligatory because of the marriage tie. What Mr Darby is speaking of here is the case of a person excluded from fellowship for the sort of things which Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 5, though not limited to the things mentioned in the list because thieves and murderers are not mentioned as he goes on to say. However, they are mentioned in other passages - see 1 Corinthians 6:9/10 and Revelation 22:15. I think it likely that Paul did not mention murderers as there were not such persons in fellowship at Corinth anyway, or at any rate he would have given the assembly there credit for not having them. What Mr Darby did not have in mind was everyone not walking in fellowship with him in the things of God. He never pressurised persons into fellowship or kept them in with threats. He wrote: "I never could and never did make one Christian leave the systems. I believe that there are people among the poor Roman Catholics that will go to heaven" (Collected Writings Vol. 27 page 80).
The reader may find my piece ‘The Straight Way’ on my other web site interesting, particularly the piece on 2 Timothy 2.
July 2009