Dear Bro. Don,
Reading Brother Tim Drepaul’s letter under the above title (June, 2002) causes concern.
He raises two objections to allowing meeting room doors being left open during our meetings. The first seems to be that the arrival of someone shabbily dressed and smelly is an inconvenience. The second is that given that one church has had one incident is sufficient reason for us to lock our meeting room doors during our meetings.
With respect to the first reason, we have to ask ourselves why we are at the meeting in the first place. Surely the arrival of someone to whom we might be able to speak the gospel is a blessing, not an inconvenience. With respect to the second, life is full of risks.
“We should not fear …Yet” is an interesting juxtaposition of words. Either we trust God or we do not. Society has always had “no fear of God” and there has always been crime.
In conclusion I wonder what Scripture one would use to justify locking the meeting room door during our meetings.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One