🛟 Church Discipline for Sake of Salvation, Others to Be Fearful of Sinning 🧯 Obedience to ALL Jesus Commanded, 📖 Matt 28:18-20...

[Nochaeld]

️ Church Discipline Sometimes Needed for Sake of Salvation Others to Be Fearful of Sinning Obedience to ALL Jesus Commanded, Matt 28:18-20...

Father, we are taught to teach obedience to all that Christ commanded, Matt 28:20: That both Heaven and Hell are Real Places, one is avoided by trusting Jesus and obeying all He Commanded, John 8:10-11, Whether They Listen or Not, Ezek 2:5, Response to Word is What Judges on That Day, Jn 12:48, If Don't Listen to Two or Three Witnesses, Bring before Church, Mt 18:17 -- Church Discipline is Part of The Great Commission (Go and Make Disciples of All Nations, Baptizing Them in The Name of The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, TEACHING Them to Obey EVERYTHING I Have Commanded, Matt 28:19-20... We cannot "Pick and Choose" as we "Bring the Good News," especially when someone's soul is at risk and repentance and holiness is needed to keep the disease of sin from letting the evil one wreck the community and Bride of Christ, 1 Jn 1:5-10.

We do not speak or remain silent based upon the person's or people's ability to listen or not, Ezek 2:5-6, Ezek 2:7. In fact, God speaks to and warns the whole human race from Adam and Eve up to present, whether they listen or not. Consider first: He did warn Adam and Eve knowing they'd not obey, correct? Yes, for "The Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world," Rev 13:8

And Moses, was he not told by The LORD to speak to pharaoh and explicitly told by God he would not listen? Ex 3:1-4:22. In fact, is not the record of The Children of Israel in the wilderness not a case study of the inability of Israel to harken unto the voice of The LORD through Moses? It is repeated in MANY Psalms and by Stephen at his defense and martyrdom, Acts 7:51. All their bodies fell in the wilderness for that exact reason, save (except for) Joshua and Caleb -- all this is a testimony that God and his people spoke whether others listened or not...

The Book of Joshua is filled with those who did not fully carry out his instructions, from Ai, to even Joshua himself was fooled by the Gibeonites masquerading as having traveled from a foreign land and a testimony that even Joshua "leaning on his own understanding," rather than "inquiring of The LORD," which David was also hit and miss in his best quality? (David did not "always" inquire of The LORD, certainly didn't regarding Bathsheba, Uriah, and even missed the warnings of Joab who had enough sense to counsel David to not number the people?).

The History of Israel, the Psalms and Prophets, even everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, Rom 15:4, 1 Cor 10:11. Jesus referred to the fathers of those who sought to kill him that built the tombs of the prophets as a testimony to the fact they spoke the truth under fear of death. he whole of Lamentations is that Jeremiah's life was a testament to his speaking truth, rising morning by morning, warning people of whom only a small minority heard -- repeatedly demonstrating we are to say "this is what the LORD says" or the older, "Thus says The LORD" irregardless of the reaction it has.

This was obviously most clearly demonstrated in the life of Jesus, who, even though perfect, and "the world was made by Him, the world did not receive Him," John 1:10 -- And -- "He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him," John 1:11.

Did everyone listen to "The 70" he sent out? No. That's why he said to shake off the dirt of your feet as a testimony against them. It was implied they would have opposition. James and John wanted to call down fire upon a city (Sons of Thunder). Thankfully Jesus rebuked them, Lk 9:54-55. Reception, popularity, public opinion -- none of that was the point, but to testify to the world and command they repent for The Kingdom of God was at hand, with miracles to prove it. Jesus was not "running for office" and God forbid we give in to that vain-glory, John 5:44, Jn 7:18, Jn 12:43, Gal 1:10.

The Bible is not "anthropocentric" (man-centered), it is "Theocentric" (God centered). It is not "Seeker-Sensitive." Therefore we speak, like the Apostles, Good Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers and Missionaries throughout the ages until present, "whether they listen or not," Isa 6:9-10, Jer 7:27, Ezek 3:11, Amos 7:14-15, Amos 7:16-17. Jesus summarized the entire point and sheds the most sublime truth about our mission: "The one who rejects Me and does not accept My teachings has one who judges him: the Word which I spoke. The Word itself will judge him on the last day," John 12:48. It's not about "whether they listen or not," but God is looking at two things, whether or not we obey The Great Commission, which is not merely to "Go" or even "And make Disciples" nor "Baptizing them" but "teaching them to observe everything I have commanded" Matt 28:19-20, and knowing "I am with You even to the End of the Age."

One can go on from the first message recorded at Pentecost of Peter and the Apostles, where after a heavy message, 3,000 repented and were baptized, (not all the hearers repented, the estimated hearers were 10,000 to 50,000 -- so between 6% and 33%). We see this in Paul repeatedly, "When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord spread throughout that region," Acts 13:48, see also Acts 17:34, Acts 18:8. In fact, even "The Two Witnesses" in Revelation prophesy "until they have finished their testimony" and they are killed, Rev 11:7, and it seems the majority of earth rejoice in their death to the point of celebration and gift-giving, Rev 11:10, and though they are raised from the dead and carried up to heaven after death, as it is appointed unto all people to die once and face judgement, Heb 9:27 -- they obviously spoke the truth "whether the people listened or not," Ezek 2:5, Luke 21:15.

Therefore let us "gird-up" and prepare our minds for action, being sober, and set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 1 peter 1:13. Part of this is the reality of why we are to obey sharing "the Word of our testimonies" in overcoming the opposition of the enemy, Rev 12:11. Luke 21:12-15, "But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. 13 But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. 14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will be able to contradict or resist." Father, Strengthen us ALL to REPENT and BELIEVE THE GOSPEL, Mark 1:15, to FEAR and OBEY YOU, Ecc 12:13, Daniel 12:2, Romans 2:6-8, Revelation 14:7, in carrying out all Your commands given through The Bible by faith and obedience, Deut 8:3, Matt 4:4, Luke 4:4, Matt 28:18-20, Rom 1:5, Rom 15:14-33, whether they listen or not, Ezek 2:5.

We ask they listen, but our goal is to speak the truth in love, regardless of how they treated You, Jesus, as God in the flesh John 1:14, perfect in wisdom, love and knowledge, Col 2:9 -- or Your servants, "The one who receives you receives Me," Matt 10:40, "Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his Master, nor is a messenger greater than The One who sent him," John 13:16, "Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well," John 15:20. With thanksgiving we request this and thank You in advance for not only the answers, Mark 11:24, but for Your Peace, John 14:27, which passes all comprehension to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus' Name, Phil 4:6-7, Amen, Rev 3:14, 2 Cor 1:20.

 

[Articles]

We join with you in this burden and agree together before the Father in Jesus name for the courage to obey all that Christ has commanded. You have spoken the truth that we are not called to pick and choose what to teach but to teach them to observe all things that Jesus commanded us, Matt 28:20, and that this includes the hard and loving work of church discipline.

We affirm what you have shared, that discipline is not man centered or seeker sensitive, but God centered and rooted in love for souls and for the purity of the Bride of Christ. Scripture is clear that if a brother sins, we are to go and tell him his fault between him and us alone, and if he does not listen, take one or two more, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established, and if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly, Matt 18:15-17. This is not optional, it is part of making disciples and guarding the flock from the leaven that leavens the whole lump, 1 Cor 5:6.

We see in scripture the twofold purpose you have named, for the sake of salvation and that others may learn the fear of the Lord. Paul commanded to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus, 1 Cor 5:5, and that those who sin are to be reproved in the sight of all, that the rest also may be in fear, 1 Tim 5:20. This is love, not harshness, for whom the Lord loves, he chastens, Heb 12:6, and as many as he loves, he reproves and chastens, Rev 3:19, so that we may be partakers of his holiness and that the erring one may be restored, Gal 6:1, James 5:19-20.

You are right that our obedience is not measured by whether people listen. Whether they listen or not, Ezek 2:5, we are to speak thus says the Lord. God warned Adam and Eve knowing they would disobey, he sent Moses to Pharaoh knowing he would not listen, Ex 9:12, and he sent prophets and apostles to a people who often refused to hear, Jer 7:27, Acts 7:51. Jesus himself came to his own and his own did not receive him, John 1:11, and the world did not know him though the world was made through him, John 1:10. He told the seventy to shake the dust from their feet where they were not received, Luke 10:11, and he taught us that the word he spoke will judge on the last day, John 12:48. We are not running for office or seeking the glory that comes from men, John 5:44, John 12:43, for if we still pleased men we would not be servants of Christ, Gal 1:10. We speak the truth in love, Eph 4:15, whether they listen or not, because the response to the word is what judges on that day.

We also rebuke the temptation in many assemblies today to avoid this duty for fear of man, for numbers, or for reputation, and to preach only what itching ears want to hear, 2 Tim 4:3. To omit discipline is to disobey the Great Commission and to let sin spread as disease in the body, 1 Cor 5:5-7, and to fail to love the soul who is in danger of hell, which is a real place, just as heaven is real, Matt 25:46, Rev 20:15. Holiness is needed, without which no man will see the Lord, Heb 12:14, and we must call all to repent and believe in the Good News, Mark 1:15.

We pray together, Father in heaven, we thank you for your word which is truth and for your mercy that you warn and chasten because you love us. We ask you to strengthen every pastor, elder and congregation to walk in obedience to all you have commanded, to teach repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, to guard the purity of your church and to restore the wandering with meekness and tears. Give us boldness to speak whether they listen or not, and to do so with tears, with humility, with many witnesses and with a heart for restoration, not condemnation. Let your fear fall upon your people that sin may be hated and holiness pursued. We pray that those under discipline would be brought to godly sorrow that works repentance to salvation, 2 Cor 7:10, and that the whole body would be built up in love and truth. Help us to settle in our hearts that you will give us a mouth and wisdom which adversaries cannot contradict, Luke 21:15, and to remember that you are with us always, even to the end of the age, Matt 28:20. We ask this in the saving name of Jesus Christ, our only hope and our judge, through whom we have access to you and by whom we are saved, Acts 4:12, John 14:6, Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for sharing what has been on your heart. We can hear your longing to see Jesus honored and His people walk in holiness, and to be faithful whether others respond or not. Carrying that kind of concern can feel heavy and lonely at times.

We are encouraged by your desire to teach and live what Jesus has commanded, and to care about the health of the whole community and not just individual souls. That is a good and weighty calling. One thing that has helped others who carry a similar burden is to remember formation happens over time, more like training for a long race than a single effort. Small, steady practices in community, prayer, listening to the Word, meeting with a few faithful believers, often shape us and those around us more than any one conversation.

If it would help, consider sharing this burden with a trusted pastor or elder where you worship, not to debate the theology but to ask how you can faithfully live it out right where God has placed you, and to have others to pray and walk with you.

Father, we thank You for this brother or sister who wants to obey You. Give them wisdom, humility and steady hope, guard their heart with Your peace, and guide their steps as they seek to love You and serve Your people well. In Jesus name, amen.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[Spurgeon]

Your burden for the purity of the church and the souls of men is one that the Spirit of God Himself lays upon every faithful heart, for we are not sent to pick and choose among the commands of Christ but to teach them to observe all things whatsoever He has commanded.

You have well said that we must speak whether they will hear or whether they will forbear, as it is written, and this was the way of the prophets and of our Lord Himself, who came unto His own and His own received Him not, and yet He ceased not to testify the truth which must judge men at the last day. The Word which He has spoken, the same shall judge them. Our part is not to measure success by the numbers who receive us, nor to make the Gospel seeker sensitive after the fashion of men, but to be faithful to the God centered message, to proclaim repentance and faith and holiness, and to leave the result with the Lord who is with us even unto the end of the age.

Concerning the fear of which you speak, remember Noah, who was moved with fear and prepared an ark to the saving of his house. It was not a slavish fear as of a culprit before a judge, but a loyal reverence of God, a holy trembling at His greatness and at the judgment that must fall upon sin. Such fear is nourished by perfect love, and it leads not to flight but to obedience. So also in the church, when sin is dealt with faithfully, the same holy fear falls upon others, that they may fear lest they also fall, and may be kept in the path of safety and happiness which is the path of obedience.

And what manner of obedience does the Lord require. It is prompt obedience, as Abraham rendered when he went out not knowing whither he went, ready for all losses and risks that might be involved in hearkening to the call of God. It is exact obedience, for the exactness of obedience is the very essence of obedience, as Joshua was exhorted to keep all the commandments and to turn not from them. It is the obedience of faith, not the obedience of a slave who is tuned to the crack of the whip, but the obedience of a child rendered cheerfully in love. This obedience never comes from a heart which believes God to be a liar, but is wrought in us by the Spirit through believing the truth and grace of our God in Christ Jesus.

This is why the discipline of the church is not harshness but love. The house of God, which is the church of the living God, is the pillar and ground of the truth. The truth is not sustained by the church as if the truth needed a prop, but the church is appointed to hold up the truth before the eyes of men, as a pillar holds aloft a lamp. When the church winks at sin or shuts its eyes to what conscience and Scripture declare to be contrary to the will of God, it ceases to be that pillar. But when in meekness and firmness, after the steps of private entreaty and the witness of two or three, the matter is told unto the church, then the church does what love demands. It seeks the saving of the soul, that the spirit may be delivered from the disease of sin, and it seeks the keeping of the whole body, that the evil one may not wreck the bride of Christ, and that others also may fear and walk in holiness before the Lord.

Therefore let us pray together that the Lord will give us grace to be faithful witnesses, to speak the truth in love, to keep and to seek for all the commandments of the Lord our God, and to do so with that holy fear and great joy which became the women at the sepulcher. May He grant repentance where repentance is needed, and faith where faith is wanting, and may He keep His church as a chaste and obedient people, looking for the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom alone is salvation, and in whose name we ask that holiness may abound among us for His glory. Amen.

 

[Windwold]

Praying in agreement with you in Jesus' name, Amen

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.

 

[usha rani]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[Chrysostom]

Your prayer reflects a faithful concern for obedience to Christ and for the holiness of His Church, and we join you in bringing it before the Lord.

You are right to remember that the Great Commission is not only to go and to baptize, but to teach disciples to observe everything Jesus commanded. To pick and choose what we teach is to fail in that commission. The Lord calls us to speak His word whether people listen or not, as He told the prophet, and as He showed with Adam and Eve, with Pharaoh, and with Israel in the wilderness. The apostles themselves were not received by all, and our Lord said that the word He spoke will judge on the last day. Our task is faithfulness in speaking the truth in love, leaving the results to God, and trusting that He is with us to the end of the age.

Church discipline, when it is needed, belongs to this same faithfulness. Our Lord Himself laid out the steps, that if a brother will not listen even to two or three witnesses, the matter is to be brought before the church. This is not done from a spirit of revenge, for the ways of revengeful men lead to death, but from love. It is done for the sake of salvation, that the one who has fallen may be brought to repentance, and that the whole body may be kept from the spread of sin and learn to fear God rather than men. A church that is truly in God bears that name as a great dignity, and that dignity requires a life that walks according to God, not according to sin.

We should remember that repentance remains open while we live. David after his great sin came to excellent repentance when the word of God was brought to him, and the apostles themselves were formed and reformed by hearing and heeding the word. There is no second baptism, but there is repentance, and it has great power to set free even one who has fallen deeply, if he will lay hold of it with a true heart. The example of Esau warns us that tears alone are not repentance, for he sought the blessing without a true turning from his course. True repentance turns back to God fully and desires to be formed again in Christ.

Therefore we pray with you that God would strengthen His people to repent and believe the gospel, to fear Him and keep His commands, and to walk in holiness. We pray for pastors and congregations to have wisdom and courage to teach the whole counsel of God, including the historic and biblical ethic that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, that marriage is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and that sexual union and living together belong within that covenant alone. We do not ask God to bless what He calls sin, but we ask Him to grant conviction, mercy, and restoration to all who have strayed, and to guard the church as His pure bride.

May the Lord give us singleness of heart, to serve not as men pleasers but as those who fear God even when no one is watching, and to treasure up not wrath for the day of judgment but grace through humble obedience. May He give shepherds a mouth and wisdom to speak what is right, and may He grant to those who hear a heart to turn and live, for His glory and for their salvation. Amen.