The following is a copy of a letter written to a young sister in Christ who, for a considerable length of time, had absented herself from the meetings and from remembering the Lord with His gathered ones. It is now published with the wish and prayer that it may be used of God for the blessing of some who may not have given serious thought to the Lord’s desire in this precious privilege accorded to us and what is due to Him in the response of our hearts to His undying love.
Dear —:
You may be surprised to receive a letter from me after so long a time but my silence until now has not been through choice nor because we have been unmindful of you for we have frequently spoken together of you since you ceased to come to the meetings. I have been aware of brother —’s correspondence with you and trusted that it would have the effect of awakening a desire in your heart to again be remembering the Lord with us.
We have been deeply sorry for your long absence from among us and for your apparent decision to give up your place among us as one gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus and our sorrow on account of this is not only because we miss you from being with us but most of all because it deprives our blessed Lord Jesus of that joy of having one of His own, who has known and enjoyed the privilege, continue in that privilege of responding to His desire, to His dying request, “This do in remembrance of me.” I wonder if you have thought of it from the standpoint of grieving the Lord Jesus to see, as it were, your place empty at His feast of remembrance on the Lord’s day? Let us keep in mind that this is, for Him, and surely it is for us too, a very special occasion and He observes with concern and sorrow, the empty place of each one who is not there. Even King Saul when he sat at his table during the feast of the “new moon” observed that David’s seat was empty not only the first day but also the second, at which time he made inquiry as to it. See 1 Samuel 20, verses 5 and 24 to 27. How much more then is the Lord Jesus, who loved us and gave Himself for us, concerned over the empty place of each one who fails to respond to His precious desire and blessed provision when he or she knows that it is their place.
But perhaps you have not thought of it from this standpoint. It may be you have overlooked the Lord’s tender love and His concern in the matter and have considered that it was only a personal matter to you. Can it be that you have considered only your own—shall I say selfish reasons in this solemn and important matter? To do so without having considered the Lord’s part and His desire is, or would be indeed sad, but how much more so and how solemn, if after having carefully considered what is due to Him from these poor hearts of ours, one should deliberately turn away from Him and choose a course of self-will!
Please be assured, dear sister, that I am not charging you with having done this for I am not informed as to your reasons for having pursued the course you have taken. But I feel the responsibility of plainly putting before you, things connected with this precious privilege that is given to us, that you may not have thought of before. ... In your case you have not been put away, but have voluntarily left the place, and so far as I know, without having stated your reasons for doing so. Let me assure you, dear —, it is our earnest wish and prayer that you should weigh these matters most carefully before the Lord and that there may be awakened in your heart an earnest and longing desire to be again in your rightful place, seeking to gratify the heart of the Lord in remembering Him in His death in the partaking of His supper.
The time has come, however, when in our responsibility to maintain godly order in the house of God, we shall be obliged to announce openly in the assembly, that you have left your place among us and are no longer to be considered as in fellowship with us unless we hear from you that you have reviewed your course and are desirous of being restored in your soul before the Lord, and restored to your place and privilege in remembering Him. We do trust it will be the latter alternative and not the former.
Please let me hear from you soon and believe me, sincerely and faithfully your brother in Christ,