IS YOUR CHURCH WILLING TO KICK YOU OUT?

I read a book by Joshua Harris last night, Why Church Matters.

In chapter five, he lists the ten things that matter most in choosing a church. 
Number nine is:  "Is this a church that is willing to kick me out?"  (pp.83-84)

When a person who claims to be a Christian lives in a way that blatantly contradicts all that it means to be a disciple of Christ, a faithful church's responsibility is to begin the process of removing that person from membership and to treat him or her like an unbeliever in the hope that he or she will repent and ultimately be restored (see I Corinthians 5;  II Corinthians 2). 

This practice is called church discipline and was instituted by Jesus (see Matthew 18). 

Why should you be excited about the potential of being expelled from a church?  I gain a wonderful sense of protection in knowing that if I committed a scandalous sin and showed no repentance, my church wouldn't put up with it.  They would plead with me to change.  They would patiently confront me with God's Word.  And eventually, if I refused to change, they would lovingly kick me out.

Radical, huh?

As a pastor, I've repeatedly been involved in this kind of activity.  It's always hard - never fun.  You're always accused of being judgmental - even though the actions you've taken are out of love for the person. 

The issue is:  Does a church care - or not? 

If a church (which is the people, remember, not a building or its leaders) genuinely cares, then the people will:

• pray for the person who wanders from God's ways,
• find ways to speak the truth in love to them (Ephesians 4:15),
• use God's Word to teach, reprove, correct, and train in righteousness (II Timothy 3:16), and
• not coddle, ignore, condone, or accept willfully sinful behavior!

Is your church willing to kick you out?