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DUTY OF THE CHURCH TOWARD DISORDERLY MEMBERS

INTRODUCTION: That God wills that His church shall be kept pure and clean, and to be a working church, reaching out with the gospel and saving the lost, and edifying, training, and strengthening her members will not be disputed. To do this, R becomes necessary to deal with those who walk disorderly, a very serious, though exceedingly important matter. It has been greatly neglected, and what little has been done has not always been done wisely. Here we need teaching.

1. On Purity. - II Cor. 6:17-7:1; 13:7; Gal. 6:16ff; Eph. 5:25-27.
2. Purpose of Discipline. - Why this work? To save the erring one. See I Cor. 5:5; Gal. 6:1; James 5:19; 1 Thess. 5:14-15.
3. Personal Offenses:
   1. Difference between personal and public offenses:
      1. Drunkenness, gambling, taking God's name in vain, etc., are public offenses.
      2. If I offend, insult, injure one individual, that is a personal matter that ought to adjust itself or be adjusted without any action upon the part of the church. BUT, this may become an offense to the church.
   2. Example of the above: Jesus, before the church is established, while training the apostles how to carry on when the church is established, gives this instruction. - Matt. 18:15-17.
      1. Go tell him - between him and thee alone. The church need know nothing about it yet.
      2. Take one or two more. And if they fail,
      3. Tell it to the church. If he hear not the church, "publican, heathen."
   3. Everything that can be done in righteousness, should be done before the final step is taken. Does anyone know anything further that can be done to save him?
4. Authority for withdrawing fellowship. - (Never say 'turn one out of the church.')
   1. Specific authority: II Thess. 3:6; Rom. 16:17. - "withdraw", "turn away from."
   2. What the meaning? I Cor. 5:9-11; 2 Thess. 3:14-15; Tit. 3:10,11. - (One who causes trouble by featuring some untaught question. - Discuss).
5. Is willful neglect of duty a ground for withdrawals
   1. Is ft disorderly conduct? Certainly. - Heb. 2:1-4; 10:25-31.
   2. The church should try faithfully to reclaim the negligent, but if it can not be carried out, then carry out God's directions.
   3. "You cannot force people to attend the services or worship of the church."
      1. Certainly not.
      2. Neither can you force people to live a godly life.
      3. Does God tell us to attempt doing this? No.
      4. But he does tell his church what to do when every effort has been made to this end, and failure has been made to induce them to repent.
      5. "Well, suppose we try to induce men of the world to attend the service and to obey the gospel, and they refuse?" You have done all that God commands, if you have lived as you should in the meantime. - I Cor. 5:12,13.