Community and Church Discipline

Church discipline is a subject that is seen in many different ways by different people and different churches. We are given general guidance in Matthew 18 and in Paul's letters to the Corinthian church. Over the centuries, it has been misused by those in authority and been ignored by others.

While I have always believed that the concept of church discipline is Biblical, the way that concept is carried out has always been a bit fuzzy. In some churches, a person can be subject to discipline for things like not attending every time the doors are open, or going to movies. Some churches don't hold their members accountable at all. Other churches carry out discipline only to see those folks go across town to another church. There have even been cases where those who have been disciplined have sued the church.

In the last year or so, I have gained an appreciation for what church discipline was in the early church, and for what it can be today. In the institutional church, things are structured in a way that prevents people from really getting to know one another and forming a real community. Even the small group is usually conducted in a way that keeps folks from knowing and being known. This not only allows folks to put on a good front and hide what's going on, it also prevents people from being able to speak into the lives of others because that close relationship isn't there.

In a simple church, such as St. Thomas, one of the most important things is community, a sense of family. The gatherings are for the purpose of building one another up, and transparency is not only encouraged but worked for. The goal is to be open and honest with each other, and allow others to speak into our lives. It can be a messy process, but it is also vital to spiritual formation. In the time we have been meeting together, I have grown in my relationship with the Father, and closer to my brothers and sisters. They have become my family along with my physical family. If I ever did something that would cause me to be removed from the fellowship of this grace filled group, it would break my heart. I can see how Paul's instruction to remove the sinner from fellowship could be so devastating and how it would cause the person to repent.

Maybe church discipline would be effective if more congregations really were communities of faith and not just organizations.

Weekend Wanderings

It's been an interesting week. It seems that the Middle East and parts of Africa are about ready to explode. It remains to be seen how all this is going to shake out, and hopefully the U.S. government will come down on the right side of freedom in that region. My own week was a bit frustrating. I'm learning that I can't fix the kids that I work with, that the only thing I can do is love them and leave the rest in God's hands. That's hard for me to do, because I want to see results. I guess that's where trust comes in. :)

So anyway, here are the links for the week:

We don't agree, but....
The song we were made to sing.
Resisting your own little world.
Our intimate God.
When it doesn't make sense.

Chaplain Mike says, "All are welcome."
Someone has way too much time on their hands.
Ronnie McBrayer on monkeys, church, and cold showers.
Here are some beautiful and sad pictures (HT: Scot McKnight).
Scot McKnight starts a series titled, "Is God Ever Surprised?" Part 1.

Caricatures.
How to avoid conviction Part 1.
Health care in Sweden.
Jesus pronounces God's blessings.
The New Testament is plural.

Tim Hill learned something from the Beatles.
Alan Knox's dogs don't know who they are.
Jonathan Brink on big love.
Alan Knox on gathering and dispersal.

World Vision Wednesday

Gluttony

One night a couple of years ago we went to Ci-Ci's for dinner and I realized that one of America's biggest sins is gluttony. In the traditional sense of overeating yes (I admit I was rather stuffed when we left), but also in the larger sense of over consuming and wasting. As we were eating, Jan pointed out the amount of crusts and entire pieces of pizza that were left on plates. People go into a place like Ci-Ci's and see the tremendous amount of food displayed before them. So they load up their plate and begin to eat. Since this is an all-you-can-eat buffet, they go back for a second plate. Then, if they don't go back for a third plate of regular pizza, they have a few pieces of dessert pizza. The problem is many of those people find that they can't eat all they have taken. So they leave it. They leave it to be thrown away and wasted.

Then I thought about our culture. Gas prices keep going up, and how many really change their driving habits. There are many examples of wastefulness in our society. Most of you could come up with a few.

My question is: What does this say about our culture? More importantly, what does this say about those of us who claim to belong to Jesus? Are we doing what we can to conserve and not waste the things God has given us? These things include gas, food, natural resources, time, talents, relationships. Christians should be the best environmentalists. Not in a worship Mother Earth, man is a virus type of way, but in a way that recognizes that this world was created by God for us to wisely and compassionately use for the Kingdom. God didn't give man the right to abuse creation. We are stewards and are to take care of the gift we have.

Weekend Wanderings

Last week saw normal weather make another appearance here in the sunny South. It was nice to be able to spend some time outside. This weekend has been a busy one, with a ball game on Friday, and two games yesterday. Today we celebrated Josh's 28th birthday. I don't know how he can be that old.

Here's a bit of the good stuff:

Dan Edelen is talking sense.

Why do we love superheroes?

Donald Miller wonders how wise is honesty.

Where are the peacemakers?

Pam Hogeweide has written a poem.

Why doesn't the church talk about domestic abuse?

Jeff Dunn writes about surrendering to His teeth.

Interesting story (HT: iMonk).

Jake Belder on the cult of personality and the church.

A missionary's perspective on the American church.

John Armstrong wants Sarah Palin to stop.

This ad was not accepted for the Superbowl. That's a good thing.

Ronnie McBrayer says we should walk in the light.

More than the mind.

Jonathan Brink on exceptions.

It's Not My Fault campaign.

Scot McKnight asks, Will you?"

Balcony-type Christianity?

Dan Allen on an interesting documentary project.

Upon further review.

Alan Knox has a good series on edification. The introduction is here.

This is pretty cool.

World Vision Wednesday

On January 9, Southern Sudan help a referendum on breaking away from the northern section and becoming an independent nation. While there is a great deal of potential good that can come from independence, there is also a chance that armed conflict could increase as a result of the vote. There are also many challenges that a new nation would have to face. For more, read this.

Weekend Wanderings

This has been an interesting week. It snowed here in the sunny South ( about 4-5 inches), and we were off school for three days. On Thursday we had a 3 hour delay, and Friday was a teacher work day. It was nice being off, but we will have to make up the days, so some of the regular holidays will be spent in class. Oh well.

Here is the good stuff:

Kansas Bob quotes Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fun stuff from the Merry Monk.

This might make you a bit uncomfortable.

A good example.

Patches of green.

Why the birds and fish are dying.

Learning from Thomas.

A good reason to read the directions first.

Alan Knox asks good questions about the local church in Scripture.

Don't try this at home. Or anywhere else.

Scot McKnight on Christian art.

Jeff Dunn rants.

Chaplain Mike has a series titled, "Why Jesus?" Part 1 is here.

I don't know. This seems like just more of the same old same old (HT: iMonk).

David Fitch on leadership.

J.R. Daniel Kirk on deacons (HT: Scot McKnight).