Numbers 32:23 “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.”
God wants us to all understand His will for us in this
life on earth. Our life is one purpose, to serve the Lord our God with
everything we have been blessed with. We know that our sins were all paid
for by the blood of Jesus, however, it is because of this glorious gift of
forgiveness we owe God everything. We could never possibly return to God what
He has given to us who are saved, He gave His own Son to the wicked hands of
hater for our sins. God hath cleansed us, bought our redemption, and gave us
sonship, and ordered us to go into the world and do His work for His glory. God
has given us the blessing or working with Him in redeeming lost sinners,
allowing our work of planting, and watering the field for Him to give the
increase in everything. The Lord’s churches have the greatest work of getting
the gospel message to the world, which is to every living soul. Mark 16:15 “And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature.” In the Old Testament times God had many chores for His people,
from building a ship by hand, to being the father of many nations, to
sacrificing their life, family, and churches as martyrs, so please do not allow
the work in our time be a burden to any of us. However, throughout time people
blessed of God have failed God, and many never returned to the service of God.
God speaks of scourging us, rebuking us, and even chastening us, all in the
name of love. Heb. 12:7 “If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with
you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” Christians
sometimes believe blessings are only in the good things in life, but they are
wrong, God’s blessing to His children are also in our rebuke, and chastening of
God. God’s chastening is God’s love for His children, God’s correction to His
children whom He loves so dearly. As one writer put it, “badges of our
sonship.” therefore, it is an honor for God to correct us. Always remember
“God corrects none but his own” therefore, when we are corrected, we need to
remember God is just tweaking us to be more righteous in our earthly walk. God
also need to remember that God uses the church as a corrective tool, and that
tool is expulsion. While many churches baulk at expulsion it is a scriptural
tool to correct undisciplined members. God said of expulsion, “And if he
shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear
the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” Matthew
18:17. Albert Barnes said, “The meaning of this is, cease to have religious
contact with him, or to acknowledge him as a Christian brother.” The
purpose of discipline is not about hate, but love. All church members love one
another and pray for one another, and help one another, but the goal of a
church is to be in unity and our service to the Lord. Paul wrote in Philippians
2:1, 2 “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of
love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my
joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one
mind.” Then there is an entire church, Jesus will chasten an entire church
if we as a unit fail in His word and service. Jesus warned disobedient
churches, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and
do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy
candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Revelation 2:5. But notice Jesus said,
“except thou repent.” Discipline whether it is from God, or the church
is an act of love and not of hate. It is to bring a disorderly member or back
in line with the Lord or the church in their earthly walk. Beloved, we all need
correcting, we all walk disorderly at times, the question is how much
correction does it take to return to righteousness. Beloved, please remember
that God knows everything and nothing is ever hidden from Him. Our live and our
hearts are an open book to God, and if the church does not know to discipline a
disobedient member the Lord does. None of this discipline is designed to hurt a
believer, we are all God’s elected family, but what kind of Father would our
God be if He just let us walk in disobedience, or what kind of a church would
we be if we also just let our members live in open sin? Christians that let
their pride get in the way of discipline do not care about the Lord. They
rebuke corrections and allow themselves to lose most if not all crowns and
rewards in glory because of pride. The question is, are you prepared to stand
before Jesus in judgment and to be in heaven for eternity as an excluded member
of the Lord’s church? If not then it is time to fix it, if the Lord has
disciplined you, it is time to fix it, after you leave this earth, that time
has expired. It is time to be restored by the Lord and the churches.
