"In case I am delayed, SO THAT YOU WILL KNOW HOW PEOPLE OUGHT TO CONDUCT THEMSELVES IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD, which is THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, THE PILLAR AND FOUNDATION OF THE TRUTH."
1 Timothy 3:15 (AMP)
- “Moreover if your brother sins against you, GO AND TELL HIM HIS FAULT BETWEEN YOU AND HIM ALONE. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
- But if he will not hear, TAKE WITH YOU ONE OR TWO MORE, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’
- And if he refuses to hear them, TELL IT TO THE CHURCH. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."
Matthew 18:15-17 (NKJV)
• The Church of Christ has principles that guide its operations, hence there must be discipline in the Church (1 Timothy 5:29).
- God set order in His Church. THE church is empowered to act for God—on God’s behalf.
- If believers had differences, or DISPUTES, they need not go before the unbelievers to settle the disputes (1 Corinthians 6:1,2).
THE first move to be made is to endeavour settling the issue between the two aggrieved parties (Matthew 18:15).
AND if that move does not yield any fruitful result, other people, one or two Believers, should be involved and intervened in settling the matter (Matthew 18:16).
IT is when the second move to solve the issue does not produce any fruitful result that the matter could be taken to the whole church (Matthew 18:17). - Those who are concerned should allow the church to be involved and settled the disputes between them [aggrieved parties]—instead of taking the matter to the law court (Matthew 18:17; 1 Corinthians 6:4-7).
WHATEVER the church says on it should be accepted by both parties.
WHOEVER disagrees on what the church says should be considered an unbeliever, a heathen or a tax collector: “If the person still refuses to listen, TAKE YOUR CASE TO THE CHURCH. THEN IF HE OR SHE WON'T ACCEPT THE CHURCH'S DECISION, TREAT THAT PERSON AS A PAGAN OR A CORRUPT TAX COLLECTOR" (Matthew 18:17 NLT). - The Bible also says instead of taking the matter before the unbelievers you should rather let yourself be WRONGED AND CHEATED: "The lawsuits that you have against each other show that you are already defeated. IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR YOU TO LET SOMEONE WRONG YOU! IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR YOU TO LET SOMEONE CHEAT YOU!" (1 Corinthians 6:7 ICB).
- It is wrong for Believers to take their disputed matters before the unbelievers to be settled (1 Corinthians 6:1-7).
• In addition, whoever did wrong should be corrected and disciplined in love by the church (1 Corinthians 5:1-5).
- A man in the Corinthians church was having an affair with his father's wife, his step mother, and the church was aware but did nothing about it (1 Corinthians 5:1,2).
- The matter later got to the hearings of Apostle Paul, he reprimanded the church for not to have done anything on Such a sensitive issue (1 Corinthians 5:2).
- He said such a Sin is not even named among the Gentiles, the unbelievers, not to have mentioned it in The Church (1 Corinthians 5:1); THEN he gave a command that the person concerned should be disciplined: "YOU ARE TO HAND OVER THIS MAN TO SATAN FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF HIS BODY, so that his SPIRIT may be SAVED in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Corinthians 5:5 AMP).
- A Sin in the life of someone which the church is aware of, but unchecked and uncorrected, would spread and permeate the entire Church—pollute the lives of others (1 Corinthians 5:6).
- Uncorrected Sin in a Church would have a negative influence on other Believers in that local church and the body of Christ. It would automatically spread or permeate the whole Church like a leavening agent in a dough: "Your boasting [over the supposed spirituality of your church] is not good [indeed, it is vulgar and inappropriate]. Do you not know that [just] A LITTLE LEAVEN FERMENTS THE WHOLE BATCH [of dough, just as a little Sin corrupts a person or an entire church]?" (1 Corinthians 5:6 AMP).
READ: 1 Corinthians 5:6-13 - Whoever rebels but would not accept or listen to what the church has said should be put away, shunned or ostracized: "Hymenaeus and Alexander are men of this sort, AND AS A MATTER OF FACT I [Paul] HAD TO EXPEL THEM FROM THE CHURCH TO TEACH THEM NOT TO BLASPHEME" (1 Timothy 1:20 PHILLIPS).
READ: 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14,15
• Those also who cause divisions in the Church and upset people's faith should be ostracized: "And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. WATCH OUT FOR PEOPLE WHO CAUSE DIVISIONS AND UPSET PEOPLE'S FAITH by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. STAY AWAY FROM THEM" (Romans 16:17).
- It is all right to stay away from whoever will contaminate your faith.
- It is not on the basis of hatred but to keep yourself from being corrupted: "DO NOT BE DECEIVED: “EVIL COMPANY CORRUPTS GOOD HABITS" (1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV).
- It also would help the person being ostracized or shunned because he or she would be ASHAMED and turn over a new leaf: "14 And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, NOTE THAT PERSON AND DO NOT KEEP COMPANY WITH HIM, that he may be ASHAMED. 15 Yet do NOT count him as an ENEMY, BUT ADMONISH HIM AS A BROTHER" (2 Thessalonians 3:14,15).
• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!