How to Handle Church Discipline
"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother" (Matthew 18:15).
An unrepentant man attends church while continuing a porn addiction; a wife leaves her husband for a boyfriend; a gossip continues belittling and slandering ... the lists goes on and on.
No matter how small, sin, like cancer, can grow and destroy the whole body. James 1:15 tells us that when a sinful desire is born it grows until it consumes and overcomes. God is clear that a church cannot allow unrepentant sin to continue.
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The Apostle Paul provides an example of a man living with his father's wife while the church remains silent. He responds, "Remove this man from your midst" (cf. 1 Corinthians 5) with the goal being repentance and restoration.
Sadly, many churches take the easy route by avoiding confrontation. But saying nothing is saying something — we are condoning sin by our silence.
Granted, we should not rush to judgment — grace, mercy, and forgiveness must be underscored. God's patience with us is a good example to follow. If someone is caught in sin, we should restore that person gently while being careful not to fall into temptation as well (cf. Galatians 6:1).
Here are a few ways:
Examine your heart first.
Jesus encourages us to remove the plank from our eye first because our sinful tendency is to point out the flaws in others. This doesn't mean that we should look the other way, but that we should refrain from eager judgmentalism.
Research the facts.
Proverbs 18:13 says that we should not make a decision before hearing both sides. Be patient and ask God to reveal what's really going on. Don't be quick to assume.
Don't move too quickly.
Those handling the situation need to pray and wait on God. Often, God is convicting the person who is walking in disobedience. Moving too quickly can hinder this and damage communication. But on the flip side, moving too slowly has pitfalls as well. Sometimes we must intervene immediately as in the case of drug use, abuse, etc. Wisdom is needed here.
