Challenges for the Church As We Enter the 21st Century

Church Discipline

 

When people speak of church discipline the first thing some people think of is the withdrawing of fellowship, but there are a number of other ways churches can and should do first to deal with “out-of-step” members.

 

Teaching

2 Tim. 2:24-26   And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

      Correcting: to train by discipline, to instruct

 

Heb. 12:11   All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

     

Counseling

      Rom. 15:14  And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you           yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able also to admonish (to         instruct)one another.

      Admonish:  to warn, to appeal to the mind where opposition is present.  The person here is             led away from a false way through warning, instruction, reminding, teaching and      encouraging and his conduct is to be corrected.

 

Confronting

      Matt. 18:15   "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you,   you have won your brother.

1.     rebuke:  The word denotes the idea of censure and sharp rebuke.  It demands serious speech and warning.

2.     reprove:  show him his fault, expose the fault. In private!  “It is so to prove with demonstrative evidence, to convict, to reprove.  It is so to rebuke another, with such effectual feeling of the victorious arms of the truth, as to bring one, if not always, to a confession, yet at least to a conviction, of sin.”

Tit. 1:12-14  One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." This testimony is true. For this cause reprove them severely that they may be sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

      Tit. 2:15  These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard           you.

 

Restoring

      Gal. 6:1

      James 5:19.20

 

Exposing

      1 Tim. 5:20  Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also   may be fearful of sinning.

      Gal. 2:11-14   Paul opposed Peter and Barnabas for their hypocrisy and error “before them           all.”  Peter stood condemned.

      Matt. 18:17  "And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to     listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer.

3 John 9,10 I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, neither does he himself receive the brethren, and he forbids those who desire to do so, and puts them out of the church.

      Call Attention:  John was going to expose this selfish, obstinate bully for what he was. 

 

Withdrawing:  Reasons for Withdrawing

 

1.     Personal Offense and an Impenitent Attitude

      Matt 18:15-18  when a person won’t listen

      Regard as a Gentile:  treat as an outsider, exclude; do not eat with, travel with or associate            with him. It does not mean cease to show kindness to or aid in affliction or regard as an     enemy.

 

2.     Immoral Behavior

      1 Cor. 5:1-13

      Immoral:  fornicator, covetous, idolater, reviler, drunkard, swindler

      Remove the wicked man from among yourselves

 

3.     Disorderly Behavior

      2 Thess. 3:6-15

      do not associate with him, so that he may be put to shame;  admonish him as a brother

 

4.     False Teaching That Causes Stumbling and Division

Rom. 16:17, 18    Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

      Keep your eye on:  watch and mark

Turn away from them:  shun them, avoid them

      1 Tim. 1:19,20  Paul turned over Hymenaeus and Alexander to Satan for false teaching and            blasphemy.

      Turning over to Satan is a way of rejecting, driving out, disfellowshiping.

Tit. 3:9-11  But shun foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law; for they are unprofitable and worthless. Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.

      Factious:  “heretical”   one who advocates a “self-chosen” teaching which divides

      Reject:  to avoid is one sense; but to discharge, to dismiss, to drive out is another

 

Can One Church Disfellowship another Church?

 

1.     We do not have any Biblical record of one church disfellowshipping another.

2.     But we do have records of groups being rejected

a.      Rev. 2:14,15 `But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam,… `Thus you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.  (Pergamum)

b.     Rev. 2:20 `But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.  (Thyatira)

c.      Matt. 15:13,14   But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be rooted up.  Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."  (about the Pharisees)

3.      It is the nature of false teachers to draw away disciples after themselves

a.      Acts 20:29- 31   I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

b.     2 John 9-11 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

c.      Anyone who supports false teaching participates in the evil deeds of the teacher

d.     Churches who support and approve false teaching are guilty of evil

4.      When the Boston Movement was led astray by its presumptuous teachers, we had to break fellowship with the whole movement and its churches.

 

Conclusion:

      If the church fails to do its duty and allows sin to go unpunished, it can lose its own place with God.

1 Cor. 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?

Rev. 2:5 `Remember therefore (Ephesus) from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place--unless you repent.

 

What about you my friend, how do you stand with the Lord?