Protecting Our Fellowship Through Church Discipline

1. The Need for Discipline in every aspect of life:

a. At work & school

b. At home — Ephesians 6:4

c. In Government — Ecclesiastes 8:11

d. In the Church — Titus 3:10; 1 Corinthians 5:6-7

2. What is Church Discipline?

a. What it is NOT — It is not . . .

i. "kicking people out of the church."

ii. a tool to punish folks we don't like.

iii. an act of ill-will or hatred.

iv. only withdrawing fellowship from unrepentant Christians.

b. What it IS:

i. God's plan to win sinners back to Christ - 1 Corinthians 5:5

ii. God's plan to keep the church pure - 1 Corinthians 5:6-7a

1. God's plan to remind us of the beauty and purity of the church for which Jesus died -

Corinthians 5:7b

2. God's plan to remind us that church membership is a conditionalprivilege which can

be revoked & not a right - Revelation 2:5

3. God's plan to bring fear upon the church in order to provoke us to greater holiness in

daily living:

(1) Acts 5:1-14

(2) Galatians 6:1

(3) 1 Timothy 5:19-20 — this includes ELDERS

vi. God's Plan for us to prove our love - 2 Corinthians 2:6-8

vii. Church Discipline is GOD'S PLAN!!!

 

 

3. Scriptures Relative to Administering Church Discipline

 

a. Matthew 18:15-20 — Personal Sins Between Brethren

i. Keep PRIVATE matters PRIVATE - v 15

ii. Keep involvement of UNBIASED parties to MINIMUM - v 16

iii. Keep it in the FAMILY - v 17

 

b. 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 — Prominent Sins Known to All

i. The SIN - v 1a

ii. The SINNER - v 1b

iii. The SOLUTION - v 2, 5a

iv. The SOVEREIGNTY - v 4a

v. The SETTING - v 4b

vi. The SPIRIT / STIMULUS - v 5b

vii. The SANCTIFICATION - vv 6-8

viii. The SCOPE - v 11

ix. The SEPARATION - v 11

 

c. 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15 — General Admonitions of Discipline

i. The PROCEDURE - "withdraw yourselves"

ii. The PERSON - "from every brother who walketh disorderly"

iii. The PURPOSE - "that he may be ashamed"

iv. The PRECIOUSNESS - "count him not as an enemy"

4. The PRODDING - "admonish him as a brother"

1. What do these texts have in common? The AUTHORITY of Christ — Matthew 18:20; 1