DISCIPLINE AND CARE:
Texts: "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now, I have written unto you not to keep company if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one no not to eat." (I Cor. 5:9-11)
"And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." (II Thess. 3:14,15)
"Against an elder receive nor an accusation but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality." (I Tim. 5:19-21)
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Problems often occur between pastors and churches on account of the discipline and care of members. The result is often a conflict in love.
Consider first, the church member who is under the discipline of his church (let us call it "A") but who seeks the aide and comfort of another church (let us call it "B"). What should be the response of a godly pastor, or a godly congregation?
It is a grievous fact that in this generation when success is assessed by the size of a congregation, church discipline has long been excommunicated from our churches. An erring brother, one with whom the Holy Spirit forbids us so much as eat, need only walk to another church to be received with open arms.
The cardinal issue to be considered by the pastor and members of church B is whether church A has followed divine injunction in exercising the discipline. 1.) If they have, Church B has absolutely no right to welcome the erring member, much less to console him. It is positively pernicious to do so. The discipline must be respected because God respects it who said, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven." (Matthew 18:18)
It would be an affront to God Himself. Such an action would place in danger the entire congregation. The practice, however, is gravely common, and it is little wonder that God leaves such people to play church without Him.
If the member gives evidence of repentance, he should not be received until he seeks to e reconciled with the members of church A whom he has wronged.
2.) The authority of Church Discipline lies in its being properly exercised. Sometimes, one or a number of men become arrogant, and try to impose their pretended authority over a dissenting member. If church A has improperly exercised itself in placing the member under its censure, God does not acknowledge their action. Their discipline is not Scriptural.
In such a case, the soul of the member is much too precious to be slighted. He should be received with open arms.
Without a doubt such an action will incur the wrath of the pastor and the congregation of church A; and this is unfortunate, but church B would be very wrong to sanction the unbiblical discipline of church A in order to have good communications with them.
Second, consider the church member who is dissatisfied with his church (A) and seeks the care of another church (B). 1.) The pastor and members of church B will play the fool if they throw open the doors of the church without investigating whether the member is a Korite, i.e. a schismatic, or a whisperer, or a backbiter, or one of a growing number of people who loves when the rent is due.
2.) If church B finds the member is of a godly character, and that no problem exists between him and church A, his soul is too precious to dawdle with: by all means welcome him.
People have different personalities, different educational and cultural backgrounds, etc. No church satisfies everyone, but some pastors and congregations cannot accept this fact, and when the pastor and members of church B receive the member, they may incur the wrath of the pastor and members of church A. Unfortunately such acts of pettiness may have to wait until the Days of Judgment before they will be straightened out.
Third, consider the church member who removes to another place, and seeks the care of a local church. In our day, most people use the pick and choose the method to find an assembly, but if we follow Scriptural procedure, it would appear from Romans 16:1,2 that church A ought to give a "church letter" recommending the member. And, if finding a Gospel church is vital to a believer, it is ideal if a church can be settled upon before he moves.
Although a church member may be transferred by his employer, it is still a sad reality that some pastors and churches cannot accept this fact, and use such and occasion to take personal offense. Some things cannot be resolved in this life because of the hardness of the hearts of men.
Text: "this wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me; There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built Great bulwarks against it: now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, "Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard." (Ecclesiastes 9:13-16)
The city was on the verge of collapse. A great king had laid siege to it intending on taking it as his own. It was no great citadel, no great fortress, so it was no great prize to an already great man. Scripture does not record the name of the city, but its significance is so great the Holy Spirit moved Solomon to immortalize the event that transpired there.
The great king prepared great bulwarks against the city. The men of the city were few, and feeble and fearful. Danger lay all around and destruction appeared certain.
Now, there was a poor man in the city, who was renown for his wisdom, but the men of the place despised him because he was poor; and although he possessed profound wisdom, yet the people had no appreciation of it because the man was poor. It was not until it appeared all hope for deliverance was gone that they finally decided to ask advice of the man.
The man was so poor he had nothing to lose if the city fell. He might have turned from their cry for help because they had continually treated him with contempt. Yet, he comes to the rescue of his neighbors.
The advice was precious for the city was saved along with the souls of that place, but no sooner was the deed done, than the people forgot. No man remembered the man because he was poor. There was no man to look after his welfare, or to watch over his family. He was swallowed up in forgetfulness, or as the hymn writer expressed it,
Forgotten in unthankfulness,
And without praises die(d).
The man and his wisdom was despised. His greatness lay unrecognized, and all because he was poor. While others passed him by, however, Solomon memorializes him, and leaves us several lessons.
First, "Wisdom is the principal thing", Solomon said:
"therefore get wisdom, and with all thy getting, get understanding." (Prov. 4:7)
Second, Wisdom is better than wealth, for all that the men of the place had acquired was not able to deliver them.
Third, Wisdom is better than the strength of numbers.
Fourth, Wisdom is better than the weapons of war.
Fifth, The poor are rich if they are wise.
Sixth, Outward prosperity does not argue the presence of wisdom, nor does the apparent lack of prosperity argue the lack of wisdom.
Seventh, Wisdom is despised when people would rather labor to amass their fortunes than to labor to be wise.
Eighth, Feeble means are no impediment to God who can work with a few as easily as with many.
Ninth, Men are fickle and unstable creatures. For this reason, Jesus did not commit Himself to them.
Tenth, The servants of God must labor expecting nothing in return, as Margaret Clarkson wrote,
So send I you to labor unrewarded,
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought unknown,
To bear rebuke, to suffer scorn and scoffing--
So send I you, to toil for Me alone.
Eleventh, Neither praise nor gain should prompt us to do what is our duty to do.
Twelfth, Others may benefit at our expense, but what have we that we have not received?
Thirteenth, Honor is sweetest when it comes only from God.
Fourteenth, Recognition is often withheld from the deserving and given to others.
Fifteenth, The honor that men give is as unstable as man.
Sixteenth, If it be a great travesty of justice for a city to be so ungrateful as to forget her deliverance and him who effected it, how much greater injustice is it if we neglect so great a deliverance as our Lord effected who washed us from our sins and delivered us from this present evil world, and from the wrath to come!
AUGUST
7, 1776 --Connecticut. Joseph Trumbull, Governor of the state, calls out nine more regiments to aid General George Washington in the struggle of Long Island. He charges them, "Play the man for God and for the cities of our God: may the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel be your Leader."
23, 1724 --Maine. Sebastian Rasle is killed along with seven Indians who have undertaken to defend him. On October 13, 1689 he arrived at Quebec as a French Jesuit missionary to the North American Indians. He first labored among the Abenaki, then traveling to Illinois, he worked among the Algonquins. He acquired so much influence among the Abenakis; however, that he is believed to have incited their attacks upon Protestant settlers on the coast. Therefore a price was fixed upon his head.
26, 1349 --England. Thomas Bradwardine dies of the Black Death while at Lambeth. It was under his teaching at Oxford that John Wycliffe was awakened to the Gospel, and brought to the Bible. Mr. Bradwardine has been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, but death has prevented his taking that position.
"Whatever things come to pass, they are brought to pass by the Providence of God," he said. "If you allow that God is able to do a thing, and that He is willing to do a thing, then I affirm that thing will not, cannot go unaccomplished.... "
"In the school of philosophers," he said, "I rarely heard a word concerning grace, --but I continually heard that we are the masters of our own free actions."
29, 1792 --Connecticut. At Warren, Litchfield County, Charles Finney is born. As a young man he will enter a law office in Adams, New York "almost as ignorant of religion as a heathen." His curiosity will be excited by quotations from the Bible in his law books. He will purchase his first copy of Scripture and will begin to attend prayer meetings and church services. Following what he calls his conversion experience, he will forsake the practice of law and will be received under the care of the Presbytery.
"Instead of telling sinners to use the means of grace, and pray for a new heart," he said, "I called upon them to make themselves a new heart and spirit, and pressed the duty of immediate surrender to God."
He instituted the "altar call" inviting his audiences to go forward to the "anxious bench", a practice unknown in the Christian Church until now.
He denied the doctrine of imputation and espoused the universality of the atonement. His doctrinal divergencies were vigorously opposed by Asahel Nettleton, and Lyman Beecher.
