What I Would Do Differently
Letter 3: Inactive for Less than Three Years Dear Church Member,
D. Communicate expectations
1. Teach the statement of faith.
2. Utilize a church covenant.
Conclusion:
We are not capable of seeing into the heart of another. Yet the Bible is clear that regenerate church membership is the only proper form of church membership.
Ensuring the regenerate nature of our membership goes against almost everything we have ever been taught in revivalist circles. Of course, we are glad to hear when someone realizes they are not converted and then become converted.
But why are so many people on our church rolls obviously not converted to begin with?
Closing Illustration:
As a boy I remember hearing the names of church members who were considered
“backslidden.” That word must be a Baptist word because everywhere I have gone, I have heard it. Through the years it has occurred to me that most of those people were not
church. It is my opinion that most of them who stayed out of church for decades were unregenerate. I can’t see into their heart, but I can see the testimony of their life.
Until the church takes this problem seriously, we cannot expect to have integrity in the world or an impact on the world as God would desire.
Week 6: An Accountable Church (Matthew 18:15-20) Introduction:
Imagine with me for a moment that you live in a country other than the United States. In this country there are no laws. None at all. Everyone does as they please. Unrest is almost constant.
Imagine with me another scenario. You may have actually seen this one. Imagine a family with several young children. None of the children are ever disciplined…ever.
They are allowed to do whatever they please, whenever they please. They fight all the time.
Now imagine sitting in a doctor’s exam room. You are waiting on his diagnosis of some pain you have. He walks in and informs you he has identified the very microbe that is causing your problems. The microbe will almost certainly lead to your death. He tells you the microbe can be handled with medicine but the medicine might make you a little sick on your stomach so he doesn’t think you should bother with it because he is against causing his patients any discomfort. You sit in stunned silence.
You may think me silly, but do you realize that each of these scenarios perfectly depicts in one aspect or another the church that refuses to make accountability a part of church membership?
In the passage before us Jesus gives His followers a glimpse into the future when they would be gathered into groups. After Pentecost those groups sprang up everywhere the gospel was preached, and people believed. These churches would be comprised of people who had surrendered and submitted to the Lordship of Christ, but they weren’t perfect.
Some of the members of those churches would even turn out to be fake, that is they never surrendered to the Lordship of Christ and they were never born again. Some members would fail miserably even though they were born again, and they would need to be restored after they had repented. Each of these situations has existed throughout the church age and they still exist today.
Jesus gives His followers instructions on how they should handle sins and conflict among the body of the church. Those instructions describe what we would call church discipline.
In His instructions He alludes to three defining characteristics of church discipline that would be developed both here in this passage and in the yet to be written letters of the New Testament.
I. THE ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE CHURCH Matt. 18:15-17
A. When we first read these verses it might appear that Jesus is only giving practical advice on working out personal differences.
B. Then we get to verse 17 where the focus changes. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
C. So things in this scenario have escalated to the point of getting the church involved.
Why the church? The only answer must be that Jesus is teaching an accountability of every member of the church to the other members of the church.
D. What is said here in the sparsest of terms is developed in other places as churches
1. Gal. 6:1 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
2. 1 Cor. 5:1-2; 12-13 “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife.And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you ....For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you.”
3. 2 Thess. 3:13-15 “As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy but warn him as a brother.”
Each of these verses describes some way in which church members are accountable to the church as a whole.
II. THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH Matt. 18: 17-20