Before disciplining, teach those five principles

Pastor: “Then, because of all this, it is with great sadness that I make the decision that we, as a church, will remove Joe from membership as an act of discipline. Is there anything to say?

Sister Sue 😕 Pastor, I have something to say. I don’t see how we can do that. What right do we have to say if Joe is a Christian?

Pastor: Yes, of course, it’s true. But 1 Corin . .

Brother Bill: Well, come on! I believe in the Bible and everything, pastor, but a lot of that won’t work now.

Deacon Doug 😕 And we’re all sinners, why should we exclude Joe?

Pastor: It’s okay. Does everyone in favor say “Yes”?

[his crickets]

Pastor: “Those who are against?”

All:? No!!!?

[After the meeting] President Charlie: Pastor, deaco want to meet you tomorrow night. Do we have any concerns?

This scenario, or something, has happened in many churches; Pastors with admirable love for the scriptures and their congregations, but with an unfortunate lack of prediction and wisdom, are in trouble because their people are not ready to take a step into practice. of ecclesiastical discipline even after I met her.

Almost every pastor knows that he will have to negotiate well to teach the discipline of the church before his congregation is prepared for it. What may not be so obvious, however, is that you will have to teach the Church more than a mere ecclesiastical discipline before. she’s ready for discipline. In fact, a biblical understanding of ecclesiastical discipline?What is it, its purpose, and how does it work?

To put it another way, there are some things you need to teach in your church long before addressing the issue of church discipline. It’s really that simple. You must teach a child to walk before teaching him how to climb a mountain.

Let me list some things a church must understand and adopt before it can administer church discipline.

1. The authority of the deeds

This is, of course, where it all begins. If your church is not convinced of the biblical authority over them, about their lives, and about the life and practice of the church, you will not be able to lead them to a biblical understanding of ecclesiastical discipline. Our authority, our right, and our responsibility for the practice of discipline is given only by the Word of God.

If you do not teach your congregation to look and submit to the scriptures, the argument?We’ve never done it, pastor, this will devastate any attempt to practice discipline. So, the argument: do we have the right to do that?Is it that bad?Etc.

2. What is a Christian?

For the idea of ecclesiastical discipline to make sense, your congregation must first understand what it means to be a Christian, and you must understand the gospel. They will have to cling to the fact that being a Christian is not just about making a decision, but about continuing to believe in Jesus and repent of sin.

They need to know that the church is for Christians, not just legal people. They need you, pastor, to show them the difference.

3. La reality and meaning of ecclesiastical affiliation

Your church will not be ready to evict someone from the church unless they understand that there is an entrance and exit. The Bible is very clear about this fact. From the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27) and who are from outside?(1 Corinthians 5:12). Does your church need to understand that as well, or the idea of excluding someone else?Something that doesn’t have inside, will seem ridiculous very understandable.

Not only that, but the church must understand that ecclesiastical belonging involves more than being a beloved member of the community or being a member of a certain family in the city. Being a member of the Church means publicly affirming a person’s profession of faith in Jesus, as well as his decision to submit to the supervision of the church. When our churches begin to understand this, the idea of church discipline will begin to make much more sense.

4. The difference between the Church and the world

God wants His people to be different from the world; He wants me to live in holiness and free the war against sin; that’s what it means to repent. Repentance does not mean that a person has stopped siding, but it does mean that he has declared war on sin. Your church needs to understand this before you can expect it to understand discipline.

Is it clear that there is a world of nuances that needs to be talked about here?The difference between sin that does not repent and repentant sin, or the difference between outrageous sin and private sin, to name a few. These are important conversations to have, but it will only make sense if we understand the fundamental fact that God wants his church to be different from the world.

5. The Church’s responsibility to judge

Many pastors face opposition to ecclesiastical discipline when a member of the church quotes Matthew 7. 1: “Don’t judge for fear of trial. “This is an uncomfortable subject in our hyperactive age, but pastors must teach their congregations that although Jesus does Not give them the right to determine who should be inside or outside heaven, it gives them the right to determine who should be inside or outside the church in heaven. Is this what Jesus meant when He gave his church the keys of the kingdom of heaven?(Matthew 16. 19, 18. 17). This is also what Paul meant when he asked, “Don’t you judge those inside [the church]?”(1 Corinthians 5:12). Your church must understand and accept your responsibility for discipline before you can exercise it.

These are just a few examples of the truths a pastor will need to teach his congregation before reaching the particular theme of church discipline. I’m sure you can think of many others. However, I hope that as you meditate a little on this subject, you will remember that the pastor’s work is that of a long patience, you do not want to guide sheep in the field of ecclesiastical discipline, you want to guide them inside, step by step, correcting them, rebuking them and encouraging them with great patience and careful instructions (Timothy 4. 2).

Authorizations: You are authorized and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that the author, his ministry and translator are no longer no longer modified and not used for commercial purposes.