24/10/2021 [Thematic Message 136]                                                                                                                                                                              www.lifechurchmissions.com

The Importance of Church Discipline <Mt 13:24-30; 36-43; 1 Co 5:1-2, 5; 2 Co 2:6-8, 11>

Prelude: The church is a place which shows God's grace and mercy to sinners, but at the same time, God's holiness in the church cannot be ignored. Therefore, even if the church has a full range of pastoral and counseling work, we must understand the importance of church discipline. If a church continuously emphasizes love and grace, but without discipline, those who come to the church (even many who have yet to be regenerated and saved) will abuse the love and grace that the church gives. Slowly, we will not only see that people do not repent, but even many of the Lord’s sheep are not protected. Most believers often have the concept that the Lord Jesus came to earth to protect His sheep. He spoke up for the tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners but He also loved His disciples so much, and never emphasized any discipline to them. It may sound like this, but can we be sure that all people in the church are believers who are loved by God, blessed and saved? Can we be sure that everyone who enters the church wants to know and follow the Lord? In addition, even those who belong to the Lord, without discipline, will they be able to come out of their weaknesses and sins? Of course, no one likes to be disciplined, most people are attracted to love, but have we ever wondered why Paul’s words in the Bible are related to teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness <2 Ti 3:16>? Because it is not that our fallen human nature does not require love, but that we are ignorant of the truth. When we do not know the truth, and are not taught the truth, rebuked and corrected, we continue to pursue and be satisfied with a love without truth. That is not love, but a lie. That can lead a person farther away from God's love, make the person only accept principles that do not rebuke. Such people only choose to listen to what conform to their hearts. Not just people in the church, even if people in the world speak positive things to these people, they will be happy to accept them. Therefore, this group of people will not accept truths that do not conform to their hearts. Such people cannot bear the fruit of repentance not because they have not received enough love, but because their conscience has become numb to the truth of God. Therefore, in the love of the Lord, there must be rebuke and discipline, and in rebuke and discipline, then people can be strengthened to choose the holy path and do good works. Therefore, <Heb 12:11> says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Think about it, which one of us parents can make our children improve automatically without teaching them? There may be some children who do not need a lot of teaching, but if their parents never correct them when they grow up, they may be law-abiding when they grow up, but they may not be able to understand the hearts of their parents. Similarly, after a sinner is saved by grace, if he is not disciplined or rebuked, he may not do wrong for fear of people or the law, but he will never know how to act in God’s righteousness, nor will he be better in loving God and others. Indeed, the human heart can only be strong by being disciplined. But we do not discipline for the sake of disciplining, and in disciplining, we do not destroy a person's image. Our discipline is to arouse a person's conscience and make him know he is wrong and repent such that his feeble arms and weak knees are strengthened to walk in the holy path of the Lord <Heb 12:12>. Here, church discipline has a very important significance. If the church is a group in which God is present and a place where the holy God works, how can the church tolerate unholy behavior unceasingly? In that unholy and immoral behavior, if the church does not have a stand and practical discipline, the conscience of many people (especially the people of God) will be hurt. Because they cannot see God's holiness, they may treat sin lightly, which makes them easy to fall into temptations. Otherwise, they may feel some injustice and think that the church is biased toward some people in its actions. Today, the church has two errors with regard to disciplinary matters. The first is failing to carry out actual discipline because of love. The other is excessively strict discipline, such that some leaders abuse church discipline with their personal prejudice, excommunicating members they do not like from the church, or disallowing them from serving. Both of these are wrong actions before God. Today, let us talk more about church discipline.

1. The reality of weeds among wheats

1）Weeds among wheats

The Lord Jesus used the agricultural things here to bring out a mystery of the kingdom of heaven. He mentioned about a good farmer who sowed good seeds (wheats) in his field, and went to rest. But in the nights, his enemy came to sow bad seeds (weeds) in the same field. So when the plants came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared also. Actually, in the past, such scheme was used when someone was seeking revenge. This is because during that time, people’s livelihood depended on agriculture, such strategy would have completely destroyed people’s crops. Therefore, in Roman’s empire, such attempt would be punished under the law. Why such strategy was extremely evil? Mainly because both wheats and weeds look similar. Therefore, in the early sprouting stage, their difference could not be distinguished, until the plants came up – which would then be too late. Not only are these weeds not beneficial, but they are also poisonous and pose dangers to the animals. They grow with the wheats, and fight for nutrition with the wheats. When the servants saw this, they asked the master if they should get rid of them? The master said no! It was because he was concerned that in removing the weeds, the servants might accidentally take the wheats for weeds, and removed them together; or the wheats which were sown in the same soil might be strained when uprooting the weeds. Therefore, the master instructed for both seeds to grow together until the harvest, and the reapers would come to gather the weeds and bind them in bundles to be burned first, only keeping the wheats into the barn.

2）Such is also the real situation of the church

Even though our Lord Jesus had explained the meaning of the parable, there still remain some traditional disputes in the church today. That is the “field” the parable is referring to – is it referring to the world or the church? The Lord Jesus explained that the sower was Son of Man, i.e. Lord Jesus Christ. This is not disputable. As for the field, the Lord Jesus said this refers to the world. But if we study the parable closely, it is more aptly referring to the church in the world, or the visible churches in the world today. For this world only have weeds, no wheats. Furthermore, our Lord Jesus commanded the church to bring gospel to the ends of the world. Hence, the field refers to the visible churches in the world today. Saint Augustine said that there were two kinds of church – the invisible church, and the visible church. The invisible church includes all the elected people who are known by the Lord, and they are saints who will be recognized and taken into rapture by God in future. But the visible church refers to the church which remains in the world and can be seen. According to Augustine, “This is a mixed body”. In these, there are genuine elects and church-goers who do not believe genuinely. In these, there are saints who are born again and saved, and they will see the Lord; but there are also people who worship God with outward godliness <2 Ti 3:5>, yet they do not repent and belong to their father the devil <Jn 8:44>. These people are mixed within the body of saints, and though they have not met the Lord, they remain in the church for their temporal benefits, so that they receive the love and concerns from church and the saints. Perhaps they have never realized their disbelief, only to know the truth at the end.

3）Why are there so much weeds in the visible church?

Firstly, the Bible has told us that the devil Satan has never stopped working, and he does such things when people are sleeping (when one’s spirituality is unconscious). We ought to ask what are the churches unconscious of today? How have the church allow the enemy to creep in and sow the weeds among us? That is when man is not enlightened by the Truth. In particular, when the church is not enlightened by the Truth, she will run according to the way of the world. The pulpit message, worship, hymns and songs, programmes, and atmosphere, will be centered around the faith seekers. This is the situation of the church today – the pulpit message is getting shallower; God’s blessings are like the world’s blessings; the preaching mentions lesser about the sin of man, repentance, suffering; the necessity to deny self and carry the cross are not emphasized as the path to holiness; the small groups only focus on bringing people happiness rather than shepherding with God’s word, etc. Some people asked is it not a happy thing that more unbelievers are attracted into the church through such simplified running of church? But we have to ask ourselves – when did our Lord ever say that He want unbelievers to enter the church? Our Lord only instructed us to bring His sheep back to the church (sheepfold), and the sheep know the Lord’s voice, not the world’s voice <Jn 10:16>. Hence, if the church adopts worldly ways, and preaches syncretic messages, we will see that those who flock into the church are not the Lord’s sheep but wolves or goats. When such weed-like people increase in church, they will greatly influence the church. The sermons and operations of the church will slowly yield to their requests. Along with these, God’s sheep will be deprived and thus suffer, and many may gradually leave the church. It does not mean that we should not have gospel rallies, but a church can never change the nature of the pulpit message and its operations in an attempt to lure new people. If not, it will distort the priorities and cause the downfall of the church. There are timetable and principles for church growth, and if we obey and submit to them, and attract the sheep with the faithful preaching of God’s word, God’s sheep will be drawn one by one, and the church will gradually become strong.

2. The necessity of church discipline

1）Because the visible church is in the world, it will inevitably have weeds

There is no one church without weeds. Even if the teachings of the church are very pure, once the numbers in the church grow, all kinds of people with all sorts of motives will come into the church. Among these people, some are wheat, some are weeds, and this is what human eyes cannot see through. Thus, in the parable of the weeds and wheat today, the Lord tells His servants not to act rashly, otherwise they may recognize wrongly and hurt those who belong to the Lord. Indeed, if we have accumulated experiences of judging people, we will realize some seemed to be weeds at first but later were found to be wheat; some appeared to be wheat now but were proven to be weeds in the end. Therefore, when the numbers grow in church, a church which is faithful to the Lord’s word will know that her responsibility is ultimately to find and shepherd the Lord’s sheep. In particular, when a church’s direction is more and more God-driven, she will slowly see that many who do not belong to God will gradually leave, and those who belong to the Lord will continue to come among them. Thus, in such a church, we must not neglect church discipline. Because church discipline not only can demonstrate God’s righteousness, but it also can protect the Lord’s sheep.

2）The slowness and abuse of church discipline

In <1 Co 5:1-5>, Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for tolerating a man who slept with his father’s wife, and instructed the church to put the man doing this out of church fellowship. This is like handing him over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord Jesus. Thus, such church discipline is God’s blessing. That is not for revenge, and it is also not merely a form of punishment, but it is to let the sinner (if he is elected by God) have a chance to repent. However, in <2 Co 2:6-7>, we see that this person repented, thus Paul instructed them, “The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.” From this, we know the slowness of the Corinthian church. First, they did not carry out church discipline when they should. Second, they were also slow in restoring this brother who sinned and let him return to their midst. Certainly, we also know some church leaders also abuse their authority because of their prejudices, and they excommunicated the Lord’s sheep or suspended their serving in the name of church discipline, bringing much hurt to the rest of the brethren. Thus, it is best for church leaders and shepherds to reach a consensus in carrying out church discipline, instead of doing it based on own personal subjective opinions.

3.  The execution of church discipline

1）Under what circumstances should church discipline be carried out?

Certainly, church discipline is a last resort, especially with regard to excommunicating someone. This is definitely related to a grave sin a person commits. First, this sin slanders the good name of God and the church, and this sin also stumbles many people. Under such circumstances, we know the church must carry out discipline. Otherwise, the word of God preached by the pastor on stage will lose its due authority. It is like the pulpit talks about the holy word, but the people offstage are sinning freely. Thus, if the church has no discipline, it is as if it does not have Christ. But from another angle, if we say everyone who sins must be disciplined and excommunicated, then how can the church be the place to accept sinners? We must know that the church is the last place to ostracize sinners, but it should be a place to save and heal sinners. Thus, only one kind of sin warrants the necessity of harsh church discipline, and that is “the sin of unrepentance”. Indeed, there is a difference between one who does not repent and one who is weak and sins. God does not forgive a person who is unrepentant, thus through John, He instructed us not to pray for the sin that leads to death <1 Jn 5:16>. Even if a churchgoer preaches the false word, commits adultery, steals, etc., if he is willing to repent after being rebuked, the church should still forgive him. But if he does not repent, the church has the duty to carry out discipline to demonstrate God’s righteousness.

2）Difficulty of carrying out church discipline today

Actually, before the 20^th century, church discipline was very common in church. In American Baptist Church, about 2% of the people were being excommunicated yearly. This was also passed down from the early church. However, in today’s context, it will be difficult to do what the early church did. Mainly, in the days of the early church, there was only a single denomination, and when the church did this, the believer would have no church to go. However, today, there are so many churches with different denominations. Therefore, an unrepentant believer does not need to be excommunicated, he can easily leave the church and go to another church, and bring the problem to another church. Also, our society is now more democratic and values individual freedom, so the shepherds usually find it hard to intrude on the privacy of believers. Therefore, even though many church leaders know there is something shady about their church members’ private lives, they are unwilling to dig deeper. Of course, if a person intends to hide, it is hard for us to probe. However, if the shady things that they have done become more open, and the members in the church have doubts on these things, then the church leaders cannot remain silent. Especially, for those who hold positions in the church or are serving in the church, they must not leave the devil a foothold in these matters. If such a person is involved in a very significant ministry, such as teaching work, it will affect the heart of holiness of those who are being taught. 

3）But the church cannot have no discipline

When we apply the principles of <Mt 18:15-17>, we must know that the position of the church is to continue to give people chance. Just as when our brothers offended us, we should not immediately complain to the church, but we should have the heart to restore the brethren who offended us. However, if you and a few other brethren have also spoken to the brother and he still refuses to repent, then you have the right to escalate the problem to church leadership and tell the church. If the brethren who committed the sin still refuses to repent after being admonished by the church, the Bible tells us to treat him as we would treat a pagan or tax collector (or a non-believer). From then on, till the person repents, the church will not actively exhort the brethren or expect from him, neither will the church allow him to serve in any capacity. This is the church’s principle and position in dealing with those who do not repent of their sins.

4）Ultimately, we must protect the holiness of the church, and where possible, enable those who are disciplined to repent

Regarding church discipline, it may not be a pleasing thing to hear about, but we must know that whatever the church does is out of love. Firstly, the love of the Lord will surely protect God’s holiness. Because Christ is the head of the church, when we protect the holiness of God, we are protecting the holiness of the church. Therefore, when church discipline is carried out appropriately, it will cause the whole congregation to revere God’s holiness, and not mock God <Gal 6:7>. In facing the presence of weeds in the church, church discipline is a critical factor in protecting the church. Also, in carrying out discipline, at some level, we are also trying to restore the brethren who falls into sin. Sometimes, when a genuine believer sins, what he does is no different from a non-believer. But if he is someone who is truly loved by God, after he received the rebuke from the congregation, he will be filled with sorrow from his remorse. At that time, the church must act according to the principles Paul had given to the church, to quickly forgive him and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow <2 Co 2:7>. We must remember the words of James: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. <Jas 5:20>