THE DUTY OF DISCIPLINE

 

As concerning church discipline, when all is said and done, there is often more said than done. We may be hearers of the Word, but not doers of the Word—and that is self-deception. Too often we use grace as a license to tolerate the intolerable. That is what had occurred in the Corinthian church as we hear Paul forcefully confronting a matter of egregious promiscuity in 1 Corinthians 5. 

Paul underscores the duty of THE ASSEMBLY, “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit,” (v. 4a). The saints assemble in the name of the Lord to proclaim the glory of His name. All that occurs in that assembly is to honor Him. If we tolerate that which He would never endorse, then we defame His name. Notice that Paul calls on the church to take action. He does not act on his own, nor tell the pastor to excommunicate the unrepentant member. The sin was public and so the correction was to be public also. 

Church discipline does not begin here. There is a process as our Lord declared in Matt. 18:15-20. But if one on one confrontation does not bring repentance, then there must be two or three to communicate the seriousness of the sin, and should that fail it is the duty of the assembly to demand repentance, or else the member is to be removed.

This action rests in THE AUTHORITY, “with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (v. 4b).  When the church assembles, the Living Lord Jesus Christ is present with the congregation. It is not human authority, but heavenly authority that is foundational to such a grave action. In Revelation, we see Jesus walking among His churches, (cf. Rev. 1-3), and over and over He calls out to them, “Repent, or else!”  

The church is not the pastor’s church.  It is not the people’s church. It is the Lord’s church—and He carries absolute authority. So, the body of Christ can act with authority in directing and disciplining the membership as those who are under His authority. The body cannot be healthy unless its immune system defends against the infection of iniquity. Failure to do so brings the eventual death of that congregation.

The seriousness of church discipline is seen in THE ACTIVITY, “deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus,” (v. 5‬‬). When a member is excommunicated from the body, they are moved from the church’s spiritual protection and thrust into the domain of Satan. They will suffer physically in order to be saved spiritually. 

The activity of discipline is not ultimately punitive, but restorative. The church’s responsibility is not ended when the wayward member is removed. Through intercession and compassion, they may be led back to the fold as they confess their sin. The act of discipline reveals whether they are a straying saint or a stubborn sinner—the difference seen in Peter’s repentance after denying Jesus and Judas’ recalcitrance after betraying Jesus.

COMPARISON, COMPETITION, AND COVETOUSNESS

 

The quotation here from the Olfords is a reminder of a cancer of the spirit that can consume a preacher with malignant thoughts. It is a viral disease of the soul, ever seeking an opening in our spiritual immune system whereby it can penetrate and destroy a man’s ministry.  I battle it.  Sadly, there are times I succumb to it. We must ever pray for God to deliver us from comparison, competition, and covetousness.

There is the cancer of COMPARISON. One of the first questions you will hear at a Monday ministers’ conference is, “How many did you have in attendance yesterday?”  The temptation then is to pout that we did not have more or to pride that we did. We may brand ourselves a failure and want to quit because others seem to be advancing while we are declining. Then, if we have the higher statistics in how many bottoms we put in a pew and how many bucks are placed in the plate, we may be headed for a fall that pride produces.  Let us just be who God made us to be—the best we can be—where He has called us.

Further we face the cancer of COMPETITION. This is where comparison becomes a passion to see others fail and a desire to see ourselves succeed. In competition, there are winners and losers. The winners are adding to their attendance and the losers are seeing subtraction from their flock. While it is important to be used to grow the church, it is God who gives the increase. Truly, He uses us, but only the Spirit of God can birth new believers. But, it may not be that we are seeking the lost sheep but stealing the sheep from others!  In a competitive spirit, we may profit by transfer growth while others are made poor from it. A test for us is, “How do you react when another church is reaching lost souls?”  Can you rejoice with them? So long as the Kingdom progresses, we should be glad for we are on the same team!

Comparison and competition are really the cancer of COVETOUSNESS. In the Mosaic code, expressing God’s fundamental laws, the sum of obedience to the other nine is in that of the spirit of tenth. Covetousness causes us to seek to supplant God with our own authority. We may covet our own ideas of worship that become idolatry. We want to promote our own name at the expense of bringing glory to His name. We covet the time for our own pleasure that should be devoted to the refreshment of worshipping God. You get the point. Preacher, do you speak against covetousness from the pulpit while harboring it in your heart?  It is such a subtle thing, and therefore all the more deadly.  It can lead a man to assassinate the character of another pastor, to open himself to immorality because of his egotism, to become a rustler of someone else’s sheep, to engage in slander of another brother.  Let us repent of covetousness!

May the Great Physician heal us from this cancer if it has invaded and strengthen our spiritual immune system with grace to prevent its incursion!  I pray that the scalpel of Scripture will cut out this malignancy from me and all God’s servants!

TOUGH AND TENDER

Picture in your mind, an NFL linebacker with rippling muscles and hands of viselike grip, who on Sunday afternoon can bring down a quarterback on a blitz—and on Sunday night can rock his newborn to sleep and caress his wife with those same hands. That is illustrative of the balance between tough and tender needed in a pastor leading a church to confront sin among the membership.

There has been a lack of toughness to tackle this issue in many churches. It is in part a reason for the anemic faith and compromised testimony of a significant number of members.  Yet, there are pastors who are leading their church to confront spiritual malignancy in the body of Christ.  Obviously texts such as Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 5-6, and 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 are prominent in guiding the church in this matter. But, do not forget Galatians 6:1. It reminds us that we must deal with the erring not only with toughness, but tenderness. 

Think of a doctor setting a broken bone to heal. Someone was running, they stumbled and fell, fracturing their arm. They are in pain. Sin can do that to any of us. That is why Paul warns the church to be gentle in dealing with such brokenness. We all can be tripped up by temptation. Pastors are not immune. The competent doctor does not just grab the arm and roughly yank it here and there, for such would bring further hurt and not healing. Skillfully, he sets the bone. He does not ignore the problem, but he does not exacerbate it either.

Discern the cause and cure for correcting the stumbling soul. Apply the proper measure of church discipline with the right mix of toughness and tenderness. The church elders must teach and model this for the church members to follow. It is part of preaching the whole counsel of God.

BIBLICAL BOLDNESS

“A minister, without boldness, is like a smooth file, a knife without an edge, a sentinel that is afraid to let off his gun. If men will be bold in sin, ministers must be bold to reprove.” (William Gurnall)

That kind of boldness was manifest in the prophet Nathan. Imagine walking into the throneroom of a powerful monarch, pointing your finger in his face, and declaring David’s guilt before God!  Nathan knew he had a greater King that he served. He had an assignment from heaven and he would discharge that duty with courage and conviction. It took such rebuke to bring David to repentance. 

Will there be some in the congregation today who will need such bold confrontation?  Are they power brokers in the church who might well run you off?

THE GOAL OF GODLY GRIEF

Someone has well said that the object of our preaching is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. It is the second dimension that I want to focus on in this study. There are times when our preaching needs to have as its goal to incite godly grief in the congregation.  

The ultimate aim, of course, is repentance.  Without the conviction of sin—turning to the Lord and from the world—there can be no genuine salvation. For any sinners in the sanctuary seats, we need to use the law of God to bring the full weight of wickedness and impending judgment upon their minds and hearts, so to drive them to the sweet relief of justification. 

But, the saints need to repent also—to a salvation without regret. I think Paul alludes to being saved as by fire as he discussed in a previous letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor.3:11-15).  These will gain heaven, but lose reward. Pastors dare not let the flock settle in for a carnal, compromising, complacent life. Although there is much to say about the need for repentance for salvation in the New Testament, there is also significant content on the matter of repentance for sanctification directed to the churches (see Rev.2-3). 

A lack of godly grief can produce death—the second death for those who have not truly become broken over sin and birthed by the Spirit. It can also lead to death in the church—a spiritual deadness without vitality, “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power” (2 Tim.3:5a). Jesus said to the church at Sardis, “you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead,” (Rev.3:1b).

What is the evidence of the efficacy of such exposition?=

Vindication, “eagerness to clear yourselves.”  They wanted a clear conscience before God and clean conduct before men. 

Indignation, “what indignation.”  They responded with a righteous rage against evil in their own hearts, first, then in the church, and also the world—a holy hatred of sin.

Trepidation, “what fear.”  This is the fear of a holy God before whom we must all someday give account.

Anticipation, “what longing.”  Looking for the blessed hope when we will be saved to sin no more—not merely being saved from sin’s penalty, nor even just its power, but its very presence!  This has a purifying effect, “And everyone who thus hopes in him [Christ] purifies himself as he is pure,” (1 John 3:3). 

Consecration, “what zeal.”  Godly grief that leads to repentance kindles a fire of consecration on the altar of our hearts. As was said of Jesus, “Zeal for your house will consume me,” (John 2:17; cf. Ps.69:9). 

Mortification, “what punishment.”  Taking sin and self to the cross. Elsewhere he put it, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Col.3:5). They had witnessed this in Paul, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified,” (1 Cor.9:27).

“Earnestness,” and “eagerness,” to pursue holiness was the result of Paul’s preaching to them. May we pray the Spirit to so work through our proclamation, as we recall our sacred charge, “reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching,” (2 Tim.4:2).

 Such preaching will not gain the approval of men (2 Tim.4:3-4), but it will gather the applause of heaven (1 Pet.5:4)!  In the end, both preacher and those he has impacted will rejoice together in glory!

RESTORED TO USEFULNESS

We seem to hear increasingly of some well-known pastor who has fallen. For those who don’t make national headlines, there are others in small churches who resign in disgrace.  Is it more rampant, or more publicized? I suspect the former.

Be that as it may—how does it happen and can such a man ever be restored to usefulness?  2 Kings 6:1-7 gives us some guidance.

Consider, THE USEFULNESS THAT IS REQUIRED.   “And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, ‘See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.’ So he answered, ‘Go.’ Then one said, ‘Please consent to go with your servants.’ And he answered, ‘I will go.’ So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.” (v.1-4).  We need servants of God who are usable for there is much to be done. Our usefulness for God requires vision and vigor.

There was VISION (v.1-2).  They saw the need and were moved to meet it. Do you have a burden for the work of God to progress? They called upon Elisha to oversee the project (v.3-4a). Leadership is pivotal for progress to be made.

There was VIGOR (v.4b).  The vision is pursued with vigor! There comes a point when inspiration must give way to perspiration. You need a dream, but a dream isn’t enough. Daydreamers never accomplish anything.

Then, we find THE USEFULNESS THAT IS REMOVED.  “But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, ‘Alas, master! For it was borrowed.’” (v.5).  There will be no success without activity, but activity alone doesn’t insure achievement.

Ponder THE LOAN OF OUR ABILITY, “it was borrowed.”  The ability of the man to chop the tree wasn’t his own, but it was borrowed. Every now and then I’m listening to Rush Limbaugh and he says of himself, “Talent on loan from God.” Well it is. We are stewards—our gifts and abilities are on loan from God. We are going to give an account one day.

Then comes THE LOSS OF OUR ABILITY  “the iron ax head fell into the water.”  He became lax. He didn’t notice that the head of the ax was loosening. His laxity led to looseness and his looseness to loss. We can get so busy working that we stop watching. Jesus warned, “Watch and pray lest you fall into temptation.” If we are so busy in the work of God that we neglect the worship of God we are headed for a fall. Little by little this leads to loose living and loose living eventually leads to lost usefulness.

Thankfully there is THE USEFULNESS THAT IS RESTORED,  “So the man of God said, ‘Where did it fall?’ And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. Therefore he said, ‘Pick it up for yourself.’ So he reached out his hand and took it.” (v.6-7).

Restored usefulness requires A REPENTANT CONFESSION  (v.5b-6a).  He mourned over his loss. He confessed and acknowledged the place where it was lost. There is a godly sorrow that leads to repentance. After Peter denied Jesus, his bitter tears were the seeds of fruitful restoration. You get back on the road of righteousness where you took the devil’s detour. Where did you fall? Confess it to God with sincerity.

Then there follows A RENEWED COMMITMENT (v.6b-7). The stick causes me to think of another piece of wood—the cross. That cross is the source of our cleansing, but it is also the standard of our commitment. You must die to self to be useful for God.

We can be restored also. Where did you fall? How did it happen? Will you repent and seek God’s forgiveness? Come to the cross and you can be restored.  It might be a difference place or a different position, but you can yet make a difference IF you will do DIFFERENTLY.

FALLEN!

“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭9:27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

In the front cover of my Bible I have this reminder:

“The better the man, the better the preacher. When he kneels by the bed of the dying or when he mounts the pulpit stairs, then every self-denial he has made, every Christian forbearance he has shown, every resistance to sin and temptation will come back to strengthen his arm and give conviction to his voice. Likewise every evasion of duty, every indulgence of self, every compromise with evil, every unworthy thought, word, or deed, will be there at the head of the pulpit stairs to meet the minister on Sunday morning, to take the light from his eye, the power from his blow, the ring from his voice, and the joy from his heart.” (Clarence Macartney)

Men, it’s bad if we fall, but what makes it worse for the pastor is that many others will trip over him when he does.