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Discipline This is a subject that certainly genders a lot of controversy. I am relatively sure that the word itself is the reason that many a "red flag" is raised. There are those who equate discipline with "throwing someone out of the church" (I have had someone tell me this). Others equate discipline with that letter sent by the elders. Of course, both such instances are at the end of the process and are not the entire process. Nevertheless, some do have that idea. I hope to dispel such a notion in this article.I have two children. They are now adults and have families and children of their own. Whilst Martha and I were raising Jenny and Daniel we practiced discipline as others did with their children. Now, let me make this clear. When I say we practiced discipline I am not saying that we whipped them every time discipline was administered. I have never imagined that all other parents did that either regardless of what some flaming liberals might think. Discipline was administered when they were scolded for something inappropriate or for outright disobedience. Sometimes discipline might be administered by the withholding of certain privileges and/or opportunities. Corporeal punishment was the last resort. That is how we administered discipline. Am I telling you something you do not know? I doubt it. I am fairly sure that this is how you practiced or are practicing discipline with your own children.Now why is it that we lose sight of these principles when it comes to church discipline. Why is it that church discipline is only sending that letter? I have no answer for this except to say that some apparently think that is what discipline is. For those with such narrow vision, consider the following. We are to admonish one another (Rom. 15:14). To admonish means " to caution; reprove gently." Is that not discipline? If it isn’t, what is it? Suppose there was a need to rebuke some Christian (Titus 1:13). Rebuke means to "convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove." Is that not discipline? If it isn’t, what is it? What about exhorting one another (Heb. 10:25)? To exhort is to "implore, beseech, entreat." Is that not discipline? If it isn’t, what is it? I think you can see from these few examples that there are other things involved with church discipline than "writing the letter." I have heard, and I am sure you have heard it too, how church discipline "just doesn’t work." What, exactly, does that mean? Does that mean we haven’t written enough letters? Does it mean the letters have been too harsh or too lenient? I don’t know what "doesn’t work" means because there is never any explanation from the critics on how to get it to work. There is just the criticism. Well, let me be bold enough to offer an answer as to why church discipline sometimes does not work. It may have nothing to do with "writing the letter" (whether harsh or lenient). Church discipline may not work because we think the letter is all of it, when it is not! Church discipline may not work because there is not enough admonishing/rebuking/exhorting of one another going on.And another point. It is easy to blame the elders for the failure of church discipline when we think such discipline is only "writing of the letter." However, if we look at the big picture of church discipline, we just may see that "one another" means all of us are involved in church discipline. So that becomes a horse of another color. Church discipline may not work because I/you/we are not doing what we should be doing individually! Have you ever thought about that? There are multiplied cases over the years of elders sometimes being rebuked for practicing discipline. The amazing thing is that they are usually rebuked by those who should be administering discipline themselves, but seldom do. Little do they realize that they are part of the problem and that their rebuke is not the solution.Please think on these things. ~Terry Sanders~ |