Ministers and Church Discipline

1 Cor 5:1-13

When I was in college, the churches of Christ received national attention when a congregation dis-fellowshipped a woman for Adultery. In fact, she sued the church for dis-fellowshipping her and WON! Not only did it become a national headline, but Donahue wanted someone to explain how they could do such a nasty thing as humiliating this woman for a private act that was no business of the church’s. The church made the mistake of sending someone on the Donahue show to explain why they did what they did. I said it was a mistake because Donahue wouldn’t recognize the Bible as the authority for such matters. Without that agreement, church leaders can only look mean spirited and cruel to those outside of the church.

That case has had huge ramifications in every church across the nation. Church leaders are terrified of being sued over following what God teaches. Our congregation has to carry an insurance policy in case someone sues over a matter of church discipline. The question that all church leaders now struggle with is how far do we go with discipline and is it an issue worth being sued over?

PRAYER

I. The Role of the Minister

A. preamble

1. Let’s back up to chapter 4 first and deal with the role of the minister briefly.

2. I feel uncomfortable teaching this section because I don’t want to sound like I should be the boss of the church.

3. Yet, it is also important to understand that the minister like the elders has a certain amount of authority in spiritual issues.

4. READ 4:1-5

B. Servant

1. Paul uses two words that set up the role of a minister in a congregation.

2. The first word is servant. The Greek word here means underrower. Or one serving under.

3. All church leaders need to remember we are servants of the church and of God, first and foremost.

4. Without that understanding you have tyrants, not the spiritual servant leader God desires.

C. Steward

1. The second word used is steward.

2. In Roman times and before, the steward was a slave who held the highest position other than the owners of the household.

3. It was his job to make sure everything ran as it was supposed to.

4. Joseph was a steward of Potipher’s household.

5. In this light, Paul is saying that he is a servant as we all are, but a servant that carries the authority and responsibility to make sure the church is going as it should.

D. Proven faithful

1. Paul tells them he must be proven faithful to God.

2. Not man, not the congregation, but God.

3. In fact he tells them he doesn’t care how they judge him he is concerned on how God will judge him.

E. Preacher as a hireling

1. In the religious world today, churches often treat preachers as hirelings.

2. They decide his salary so they think they have the right to tell him what to do.

3. Paul lets the Corinthian congregation know that he is accountable to God. Everyone else’s opinion is secondary even his own!

F. Accountable before God

1. As you read vs 5, Paul is saying that While no one on earth can judge the minister, God knows his motives and the day will come when he will be shown for what he truly is.

2. If he is a man desiring to be God’s servant, that will show.

3. If he is preaching for the money or prestige that will show.

4. It doesn’t take too long to know what kind of spiritual character a minister has.

G. Rest of chapter 4

1. Chapter 4 finishes with some very sarcastic remarks by Paul to show the Corinthian congregation just how off they were in their thinking.

2. He ends with a incredible challenge.

3. You are arrogant in thinking I won’t come, but I will. And believe me, you will know it if I have to deal with you. It’s your choice I can come with the whip or come as the man who loves this congregation. (my paraphrase)

II. Church discipline

A. Too big a study

1. I want to say that we could spend weeks in a discussion on church discipline.

2. It is far more that disfellowship.

3. God sees disfellowship as the last resort when every other possible way to bring someone back to him has failed.

B. Sin in the church

1. According to research I did, during the Roman time, the only country that allowed incest was Egypt and then only between brother and sister.

a) Every culture at that time abhorred parent/child relationships and made it illegal.

b) Here we have a congregation with one of the most despised practices in the known world going on and they are proud of their “open mindedness”!

2. Congregational witness

a) How can a church ever expect to reach out to the world if what they have going on inside them is just as bad if not worse that what the world tolerates.

b) We all sin, but this is beyond the scope of Christians who are trying but fail from time to time in their spiritual lives.

c) It is open unrepentant sin.

3. The church can never condone sin and say everything is okay.

4. We need to deal with it lovingly, but firmly.

5. Remember we aren’t worried just about feelings, we are worried about someone’s soul.

6. If they remain unrepentant, then for the good of the church as well as the good of the unrepentant Christian, we need to withdraw fellowship from them.

a) READ vs 6-7

7. The world sees that the church is concerned about its integrity, and if handled properly, the sinner sees that they miss the fellowship of their brothers and sisters.

C. Do not associate

1. Paul gives a short list here of who we should not associate with.

2. Notice the types of sins listed here. They are sins that are of a public nature and can reflect badly on the church and God.

3. READ vs 11

4. Eating here is dealing again with fellowship

a) Sharing a meal was an act of friendship

b) In the middle eastern world, you are responsible for anything that happens to someone under your roof or at your table.

c) Sharing a meal indicated sharing an acceptance of that person.

d) That is why the scriptures teach us to be hospitable to one another because we are to accept one another as family!

D. Judgment

1. Paul points out that we don’t judge those in the world. That’s God’s job.

2. But we are to judge those in the church. Why them?

a) Because how the world acts in dealing with each other doesn’t have an impact on the witness of the gospel.

b) How Christians act has a very direct and positive or negative impact on how others accept the gospel.

c) How many times have you heard someone say, “and this guy claimed to be a Christian!” by someone who isn’t.

d) Even the world recognizes that we have been instructed to live to a higher standard.

III. Conclusion

A. Hang in there

1. I know that it seems like my sermons so far have been very negative.

2. I don’t like doing that, but we need to cover the hard convicting parts of scripture as well as the positive loving parts of scripture if we are to understand what God wants of us.

a) In a couple of chapters we’ll get into some good encouraging things as well.