Introduction

The pattern laid out in the New Testament for our churches is often far different than the practice of our churches today. Early in the book of Acts the church in Jerusalem is presented as a unified, growing and going church. Later in the Book you find the Antioch church sending out missionaries and generally making such an impact in the community that it was there that the disciples were first called Christians. Unfortunately for the us and for the world around us many folks assume that birthing building and maintaining churches today can be done completely independent of the Bible principals for church organization.

The following verses from Matthew 18 are perhaps the most ignored in the entire Bible: “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto

the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” Perhaps the biggest problems with this is that the concept of Biblical church discipline is totally and completely opposite from human nature. But then again so is most everything worthwhile. And then again II Timothy 3:16 is still in the Bible.

A number of years ago we were holding a revival at South Heights Baptist Church in Sapulpa, OK where Todd White is the pastor, it was there that I picked up a paper he and written on church discipline and read with interest. What I read there blossomed into a set of Sunday School lessons, however the problem was that I went huge blocks of time without being in the same church for more than one Sunday School class at a time so the information set and went unused for a big Block of time. If I am not mistaken I have taught this material in one church in two successive Sunday School classes (it was a Sunday to Sunday revival) and then in another church that was without a pastor I taught it on a Sunday Night and the following Wednesday. Other than that, I have not done much with it. It is one of the decent number of things I had intended to put into booklet form but before I got to it I made the decision to quit printing and selling booklets and use our website for the vehicle to get this information out. Now (February 2006) I hope to get all of it up this month but we will do it in two stages.

Before we move any further it is important that you understand this: The verses in the Bible regarding Church discipline are in the Bible for a reason, that reason is that the Lord expected His churches to practice discipline. Therefore Failure to do so on the part of a church constitutes disobedience and will effect the church in a negative manner.

I. The Principle of Discipline Defined

Understand at the outset that the idea of church discipline is totally consistent with the two basic purposes of the church, Evangelism & Edification.

Evangelism: This is the process and practice of winning the lost who are in bondage to sin. Our purpose is to bring them to Christ where the transformation process begins. II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Edification: This is the process of building up believers so that they can be conformed to the image and character of Christ. Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Discipline: Is the part of the edification process that ministers to those who dominated by some area of sin in order to liberate them from the grip and control of sin.

One writer summed up church discipline like this “Church discipline may be broadly defined as the confrontive and corrective measures taken by an individual, church leaders or the congregation regarding a matter of sin in the life of a believer.”

This one fact must be made very clear. Discipline in the church is not punishment. It is discipline, and discipline is designed to train and to restore. Discipline practiced correctly will have those two goals in mind always. If the primary focus is punishment or excommunication so to speak, then the discipline is not being practiced is not Biblical and the methods, motives and goals must be examined.