Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
5/21/2021
How does God discipline an Adult Child Part II?
Jesus and Paul were very specific about the sins of pride, covetousness, adultery, unbelief, unforgiveness, stubbornness, anger and our unwillingness to repent for having a hard heart.
God wants His people to give a good testimony in the world. Romans 2:24 has got to be one of the most tragic verses in Scripture. It reads, “For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written”.
What is the example we display for others, our spouse, children, co workers?
Do we magnify God in how we live?
Scripture is clear that the person should be approached privately and if necessary with two or even bringing in the elders, and then brought before the congregation and ultimately what they call excommunicated. (this may take many months and attempts at counseling). And not all sins need to be publicly dealt with.
That doesn’t mean they can no longer attend the church, (unless there are extenuating circumstances) they too need to hear God’s word. That doesn’t mean they are going to hell, or declare with certainly that the person is not a Christian. It just means that a church no longer affirms a person’s profession of faith. The bible set forth a due process. They are innocent until proven guilty.
I have seen people approached by ones and twos to help restore them and love them, but in our culture today going beyond that rarely happens anymore.
But what about other believers in the church? As Paul aptly put it, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6) Don’t they need protecting from others who go to church, profess one way but outwardly speak and live another way? Who is to protect the sheep?
Pastors…and you and I.
We cannot forget that the purpose of church discipline is to restore the offender. The intent behind church discipline is to win our brother (Matthew 18:15), restore the sinner (Galatians 6:1) and to save his soul in the day of Christ
(1 Corinthians 5:5).
As Calvin put it, “It is needful for their wickedness to be reproved so that, by means of the rod of the church, they recognize their faults in which they persist and grow hardened when they are treated sweetly”.
Paul said, “After beginning in the Spirit, are you now to end in the flesh?” —Galatians 3:3
The greatest tragedy possible is to end in the flesh. Jesus died and rose to make us new creations. It would be better if we had never existed
(see Mt 26:24), than to die still trapped in our fallen nature and refusing the total newness of life in Christ (see 2 Cor 5:17).
Don’t you agree that God should use whatever means possible to discipline you? Listen to the Apostle Luke. “If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” —Lk 11:13
CONCLUSION
We would do well to revive this forgotten practice of church discipline. It doesn’t matter whether it’s popular or not. What counts is that it is biblical.
After all, the Lord Jesus instituted church discipline. And He sure knows how to edify His church a lot better than us. And the greatest of all of these is LOVE and sometimes love has to be tough.
Will you not stop and pray with me one hour this week with your family that the Holy Spirit will open the door for some accountability and discipline in our lives?
Hillsong When my soul knows very well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3HLK7sQHDs
