When you flush your toilet the waste contained therein finds its way into the sewage system.  That waste then eventually ends up somewhere such as a water treatment plant.  Satan has a similar sewage system, but a different ending place.  When faithful congregations purge out sinful members (I Corinthians 5:1-7), those who have been purged end up in Satan’s desired sewage churches.  That is, they often find themselves in other local churches that are often fraudulently referring to themselves as a local church of Christ.  Since the first century Satan has prepared for himself such groups of apostates who are willing to be the sewage safe haven among those proclaiming to be God’s children (Revelation 2:12-28).

     Most areas of this country seem to have at least one congregation that is a safe haven for unfaithful Christians who leave or are purged from faithful congregations.  These sewer churches love to take in the erring without regard for their sins or what effect they might have on the other members of the congregation.  They will violate the Scriptures through fellowship with the erring (II Corinthians 6:14-17 and Ephesians 5:11).  These sewage waste groups do not contact the faithful saints to enquire of their prospective members who have departed or have been purged by the faithful congregation.  Most of the time, these waste dump groups think the congregations they absorb members from are too strict or simply too demanding anyway.

     Here in El Paso, we know that Eastridge (which by their terminology is “a church of Christ” meeting on Pendleton Rd.) is the sewage reservoir for the unfaithful who need a place of refuge from the truth.  We have seen them take in the erring without question, such as Paula Garcia, of whom the congregation here has had to practice scriptural discipline because of her unfaithfulness (Romans 16:17 and II Thessalonians 3:14-15).  Satan’s sewage group on Pendleton Rd. did not at all enquire of us her status with the saints here or the Lord.  When Joe Wright and others at Pendleton Road were told of Paula’s unfaithfulness, they passed off the report and said she did not agree with the leadership at Sunrise (written evidence available upon request).  Of course, her supposed disagreement with the leadership at Sunrise is not what she wrote and told the brethren here when she ran for safety from disciplinary action (written evidence is linked here to support this charge).

     Satan takes pleasure in knowing there is a safe haven for his children.  While the Scriptures clearly warn of wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15-16 and Acts 20:28-31), these dumps allow the wolves in figuring they won’t eat the sheep there.  Ignorance is a fertile soil for the erring to continue to grow in the ways of their father the devil (I John 3:8).  Ignorant brethren are desirous of numerical growth so much that they do not care how that occurs.  Thus, these sewer congregations will take the unfaithful and encourage them in a way that the unfaithful never feels he or she has done any wrong.

     The Holy Spirit inspired Jeremiah to write these words: “I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah” (Jeremiah 23:14).  These sewer churches of today are like those prophets of old.  They make strong the hands of those who do evil.  This is not what the faithful of the Lord would do.  Consider what Isaiah wrote: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20)!

     The faithful of the Lord would be more like the Psalmist: “I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked” (Psalms 26:5).  The Lord does not come to the aid of the evil doer (Job 8:20), so why would His children?  The answer, those who accept the ones who have been disobedient to the Lord are not the Lord’s children.  God’s children know that the Lord expects to have a body of believers that is a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27).  Thus, faithful saints are the ones who are protecting the local church from accepting those who will cause the whole body to err by way of fellowship (II John 9-11).  The faithful would never offer escape to one who is running from God’s plan of local church discipline.

     Sewer churches provide a back door escape route from congregational discipline.  When one has erred and fallen out of step, a local congregation must practice disciplinary action (Matthew 18:15-17, Luke 17:3-4, I Corinthians 5, and II Thessalonians 3:6).  This is a command of the Lord that cannot be overlooked.  When another congregation will take in those who are being or have been disciplined that group is stepping all over God’s plan to restore the erring and protect the faithful which scriptural discipline accomplishes.  This makes Christians feel as though they are not accountable to the brethren as long as they can hop from one congregation to another.  The fruits of this error will be seen in division here on earth and most of all, on the Judgment Day!

     It is a shame that there are churches that name themselves after Christ, but take into their membership the children of the devil.  A congregation cannot commune with Christ and Satan at the same time (I Corinthians 10:21; cf. Matthew 12:30).  Furthermore, fellowship between brethren is clearly limited to those walking in the light (I John 1:3-7).  Congregations who act as a catch-all for the scripturally disciplined are no more walking in the light than Satan himself.  However, let us remember that Satan’s workers sure do act as though they are in light (II Corinthians 11:13-15).  The faithful must be aware of sewer churches and stay clear.