Biblical Accountability / Discipline

Sunday, we finish our series on the church. I hope you have found this study informative and helpful in understanding why we, as a church of Jesus, organize and function the way we do. We have examined Scripture’s teaching on the church’s nature, purpose, governance, offices, and ordinances. As we examined the church’s structure and the authority of the congregation, we made reference to Christ giving the "keys of the kingdom" to the local gathered body (Matt. 16:13-20; Matt. 18:15-20). We also showed that Christ has given authority and responsibility to the congregation to protect its doctrine and membership. In those passages (Along with Paul’s application in 1 Corinthians 5) we showed the congregation’s authority regarding what has historically been called church discipline. When many hear that term, they immediately think of formal proceedings to remove someone from church membership, but that is only a small (and usually rare) part of true "church discipline," which is happening all the time between believers. I prefer the term biblical accountability, most of which happens in private between Christians. The commands of Christ are clear in Matthew 18, however "how" and "when" to exercise this accountability are questions often left unanswered. We cannot ignore the clear commands of Jesus in this area, but we also cannot use Jesus’ command as a sledgehammer to break the bruised reed and harm the struggling believer. There are significant guardrails given in these commands to prevent wrong application. So, we must not only know "what" to do regarding biblical accountability, but also "how" and "when" to do it. Biblical accountability is a grace given to the body of Christ. All of us, at one time or another, need brothers and sisters to pull our hearts away from the deceitfulness of sin. None of us is immune and we need each other. This past year, the world has seen three or four high profile pastors disqualified from ministry because of unrepentant, ongoing sin. If biblical accountability had been in place around them, the devastation to those churches may have been prevented.

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)

Proverbs 12:1

I. The Practice of Church Discipline (Matt. 18:15-20)

II. The Process of Restoration (1 Co. 5:1-13; 2 Co. 2:5-8)

III. The Purpose of Church Discipline (James 5:19-20)

1 Co. 11:30-32

Rev. 2:20-22

Rev. 2:14-16

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The Lord's Supper

We are quickly coming to the end of our series on the church and what faithfulness as a body of believers entails. Last week, we examined Baptism as one of the ordinances given to the church and were blessed to participate in the ordinance itself. This Sunday, we will examine and observe the Lord’s supper, the other ordinance Christ commands of His church. Earlier this year, we began observing the supper on the first Sunday of every month rather than quarterly. Not only did the change in frequency allow members to participate in the supper more often, but it has also heightened our awareness of the supper’s intent and purpose. We observe the supper at the beginning of the second service so that we are able to participate in this covenant meal as a whole body together. In preparation for this ordinance, one of the pastors briefly explains the significance, the warnings, and the purpose of the supper. This Sunday, the sermon will examine all these things at length. On the night Jesus was betrayed, while observing the Passover with His disciples, Christ transformed the meaning of the Passover’s cup and bread to signify the salvation and institution of the New Covenant in His blood. Now, much like the Passover, the Lord’s Supper is the New Covenant sign of ongoing participation, remembrance, and celebration of the New Covenant as the body of Christ communes with Christ and one another. As we receive the Lord’s supper, we proclaim and display our response to the gospel before God, the church, and the world, declaring in a visible way that we belong to Christ in the New Covenant.

I. A Sign Of The New Covenant (Luke 22:15-20; Exodus 13:8)

II. An Act Of Communion (1 Corinthians 10:14-22; Highlight 16-17)

III. An Act Of Remembrance (1 Corinthians 11:17-25)

IV. An Act Of Proclamation (1 Corinthians 11:26)

V. An Act Of Expectation (1 Corinthians 11:26; Rev. 19:6-9)

VI. An Act Of Examination (1 Corinthians 11:27-34)

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The Ordinance Of Baptism

This Sunday, we begin studying the two ordinances Jesus commanded the church to observe. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the signs of the New Covenant. Together, these two ordinances proclaim the gospel in visible form. Baptism testifies that one has entered into the New Covenant by grace through faith in Jesus, and the Lord’s Supper portrays one’s ongoing life of repentance, remembrance, and communion with Christ and His body. This Sunday, we will focus our attention on Baptism, the first act of obedience for a new believer, and the commanded ordinance by which new believers testify to their new life in Christ. Baptism is also a church proclamation to the new believer and the world. In Baptism, the church affirms a believer’s profession of faith and marks them out from the world. Jesus commanded the church to make disciples, partly by baptizing them in (literally “into”) the name of the Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit. As believers are baptized “into the name,” baptism is the sign identifying one as being united with Christ and His people. Although Baptism does not save or complete one’s salvation, baptism is commanded as the sign proclaiming one’s entry into the New Covenant and picturing one’s death and resurrection with Christ, an internal reality given by grace through faith alone.

I. A Sign Of The New Covenant (Col. 2:11-12)

II. A Sign Portraying Death & Resurrection With Christ By Immersion (Rom. 6:3-4)

1. Evidence of Immersion - Matt. 3:16, John 3:23, Acts 8:38-39

III. A Sign Not A Saving Work (1 Co. 1:12-17)

IV. A Sign Commanded Of Believers (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:38)

     1.  NT assumes every believer has been baptized (Col 2:11-12; Rom 6:3-4; 1 Co 12:13)

      2. Baptism is for believers only – (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 16:14-15; 18:8)

V. A Sign Identifying Us With Christ & His People (Gal. 3:26-27; 1 Co. 12:13; Acts 2:41-42)

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The Office Of Deacon

As we continue studying what the Bible commands for every local church, we come to the second office God has commissioned in the body. The office of Deacon. The word “deacon” simply means servant or minister. In one sense, every believer is called to serve – “to deacon.” However, God has ordained the office of deacon as a gift for the church as an example of the heart of Christ, who came to serve. Just as we studied the office of elder last week, this Sunday we will examine the duties and qualifications of deacons in Acts 6:1-7 and 1 Tim. 3:8-13. Though the duties of this office can vary depending upon the specifics of each local body, the purpose and goals of this office are clearly articulated in Scripture. Acts 6:1-7 shows the early formation of this office and the general duties associated with it. Deacons are ordained to serve the physical and tangible needs of the church and its members and protect the unity of the body. Likewise, the qualifications for those called be deacons are given right alongside of elders in 1 Timothy 3. And just like elders, the qualifications necessary are not expertise in skill or ability, but character. Christ has demonstrated His care for the body by giving us living examples of how we are called to serve and leaders who model that service in the body.

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Pastors/Elders/Overseers

As we have studied the doctrine of the church, we have talked a lot about church officers and the importance of the congregation’s authority in choosing their leaders. Therefore, it is only fitting for us to also define the duties and qualifications required of such offices. This Sunday, we will focus on the office of pastor/elder/overseer and the following week, the office of deacon. First, we will see that the New Testament refers to pastor, elder, and overseer (or bishop) as the exact same office. These are not three different offices in the church, but three aspects of the same office. Pastors are elders, elders are pastors, there is no distinction. Then, we will examine the duties and responsibilities of those called to be elders that the congregation might know what God expects of this office. Finally, we will assess the qualifications of one whom God calls to this office, and we will see that while these qualifications (most of them) are elsewhere commanded of all Christians, they are necessary for those called to the office of pastor as an example to the flock.

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Church Membership

If someone said, “The Bible nowhere says that God is a Trinity.” How would you prove that person wrong? No verse in the Bible says, “God is a Trinity.” So, could you demonstrate it from Scripture? Of course you can! You would take all that the Bible says about the nature of the Father, The Son, and The Spirit, and when you put it all together, the only way to make sense of it all is the doctrine of the Trinity. Sunday, we will see the same is true with church membership.

Last week, we discussed the authority and responsibilities that Christ has given to every local congregation. We highlighted that every local congregation has the authority and responsibility to protect right doctrine, install and remove officers, and protect its membership and ministry. This Sunday, I will explain why we have formal church membership at FBC and why churches throughout Christian history have believed it scriptural. While it’s true that there isn’t a specific verse saying, “Thou shalt join a local church,” the concept of an identifiable membership in a local congregation is everywhere in the New Testament. The word “member” is used by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12, as Paul describes the local church in Corinth as the body of Christ there. However, we often associate the word “member” with joining a club. When we look for that kind of membership in the New Testament, we certainly don’t find it. The New Testament picture of a local church’s covenant membership is more akin to embassies of a grand kingdom rather than a club or organization. When all of Christ’s commands for the local assemblies are brought together, having a defined, mutually understood membership is necessary for a church to obey all that Jesus commands for the gathered congregation.

Church Polity: Who Has Authority?

This Sunday, we continue our study on the doctrine of the church and how we are called, as a congregation, to make disciples for God’s glory. If you have not heard the previous two sermons on the church, I would encourage you to listen to them on the podcast or the church’s website. The first sermon dealt with the nature of the church, and the second, the church’s mission and purpose. Each of these sermons builds upon the previous foundation. This Sunday, we examine what Scripture says regarding church polity, a crucial aspect of our understanding of the church. Polity refers to the church’s organization and governance. If you surveyed 100 churches, you would find vast differences in how the church is organized and governed, even among godly, Bible-preaching churches. If we all read from the same Bible, why is this so?

Simply put, two sets of texts speak of human authority and governance in the local church. One set speaks of the congregation as the earthly authority, and the other speaks of the pastor or elders’ authority, calling the congregation to submit to them. There is so much variation in how churches govern themselves because some elevate the congregational texts over the texts that speak of elders. Therefore, some churches refuse to follow the pastors that God has given and are characterized by divisions and disunity. These churches fight or split because of the carpet color, the photocopier, or any number of day-to-day decisions.

On the other side, some elevate the texts about the pastor - elders’ authority over the congregational texts, and you have pastors who rule like kings. The pastor’s word is law and imposed on the church, which leads to cult-like dictatorships and often ends in leaders abusing authority & damaging the church in a myriad of ways. This is not the model of authority that Jesus intended for His church. This Sunday, we will take the biblical texts regarding congregational and pastoral authority and show how they harmonize with one another to give us the complete picture of Jesus’ commands for the polity of the local church. Christ has given the local church as His instrument to make disciples; therefore, seeing the whole picture is imperative. This Sunday will be far more informational than exhortative as we examine the authority and responsibility Jesus has given us all in order that we may function as a body, every member working together.

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The Mission & Purpose Of The Church

Last week, we examined the nature of the church and saw that the New Testament overwhelmingly stresses the local church rather than the universal in its teachings. The Bible does speak of the church as the invisible, worldwide, universal body of all believers everywhere, but never to the exclusion of the local churches, which are the only place the exhortations, commands, and blessings can actually be lived out. We also studied several descriptions of the church (body of Christ, bride of Christ, temple of God) and saw how they apply to both the universal and the local church. This Sunday, we ask, "What is the church’s mission," and, "Why does the church exist?" Jesus succinctly gave the church’s mission right before He ascended into heaven. At the very end of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus provides the church with her marching orders (Matt. 28:18-20). We are to make disciples. That is the church’s mission. Therefore, everything we do must contribute to that mission or spring from it. Sunday, we will discuss what making disciples means and how we do that as a congregation, not just individually. Making disciples is our mission, but that is not why we exist as the church. Our purpose in all things is to glorify God. God created everything, including His people, to glorify His name. To demonstrate this, we will examine several passages (Isa. 48:9-11; Eph. 1:3-14) but focus on 1 Peter 2:9-10. There, Peter calls the church God’s chosen race, His royal priesthood, and His holy nation - Then, he tells us why the church has been given these titles and responsibilities. "...that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (v.9). Finally, we will see how the church makes disciples and glorifies God as a congregation in the example of the first local church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42-47). I understand this is a lot of information to absorb in one sermon, and I tend to talk fast. So, below, I have given my outline and verse references (also attached to this email in printable form) if you want to take notes easily or study the passages beforehand. May God be glorified in our hearts and assembly this Sunday

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The Nature Of The church

For the next few months, we will be doing something very different from our regular practice at FBC. Over the past seven years (with a few pauses), we have worked expositionally through the books of the Bible. The preaching of God’s word in this way must remain the steady diet of the church as we strive to feed on the whole counsel of God. That is not going to change. But, for some time, I have been convicted about neglecting to teach what Scripture says about the church, who we are called to be, and what we are responsible for doing as a congregation. So, over the next seven or eight weeks, we will examine what the Bible says about the nature of the church, its governance, its mission, offices, ordinances, membership, and discipline. To do this, instead of taking a book and work verse by verse, we must do "systematic theology." Systematic theology is examining a subject or doctrine that is taught progressively all through the Bible by bringing all the relevant texts together to understand it as a whole. This approach, while necessary, is not without its challenges. It is easy to take verses out of context when we are not studying straight through a book. But this type of study is necessary to get a full orbbed, view of what the Bible says about certain truths. One of which is the church. Our ultimate goal in this series is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the church as revealed in the Bible, and to be faithful to what God has called the church to be and do. Jesus is passionate about His church and we must be too, for the church is God’s chosen instrument to glorify Himself in the world. In Ephesians 3:9-10, Paul says that God appointed him to bring the gospel to the Gentiles, and continues saying, "9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

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