And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. Acts 9:26
Most of the Christians in Jerusalem were terrified of Saul of Tarsus, and for good reason. Most knew first-hand of his powerful opposition to the Christians, some had been arrested or beaten, others had loved ones who were imprisoned or killed. No name was more feared than that of Saul of Tarsus. Now, out of the blue, this butcher, this tormentor, this scourge of the disciples, wants to come in among them as a disciple himself. For most of them, this was an impossible transformation, beyond their ability to understand and accept. All they could think of was this was a ploy by Saul to get inside and discover who all was in the Jerusalem Assembly, so he could clean them all out. Given the risk, they were wise to be cautious, although the risk turned out to be false. We also need to be cautious today about who we receive.
Saul was eventually able to fellowship with the saints in Jerusalem. He did not have a letter of commendation, which is the common practice today when Christians are visiting or relocating to another Assembly. But he had the good word of Barnabas, who was well known and highly respected in Jerusalem, to support him. In Saul’s case, a lesser than Barnabas would probably not have been enough. Saul had been far too dangerous, and the risk was far too high. What are the risks today when someone wants to come in among us for fellowship? Life and liberty are not in danger, as was the case in Jerusalem. But the integrity of the Assembly might well be. And the integrity of the Assembly is far too important for us to allow it to be compromised. So we are careful.
A friend told me of an assembly where a visitor came one Lord’s Day morning and asked to be allowed to break bread. He had no letter of commendation, and said he was from a distant Assembly, and recited the names of those on the oversight there. He was allowed to participate. But within a short time, he caused so much disruption and chaos with his charismatic behaviour that he was asked to leave. In that case, no real harm was done other than a nasty disruption of a meeting. But unscreened visitors can cause more damage in other ways.
Hospitality often accords a visiting brother an opportunity to speak at the breaking of bread. If the visiting brother is someone who holds to false doctrine, or who has a habit of stirring up controversy in his home area, or who lacks wisdom in handling the Word of God, that brother could be the cause of leading people astray, of unwisely passing on gossip from elsewhere, or of sowing the seeds of confusion. Such problems can be passed along even if the brother does not speak publicly.
The saints in Jerusalem were edified by Saul’s visit. Let us be careful that visitors today are also edifying to us. -Jim MacIntosh