When it comes to oversight in the church, the question always comes as to “who is the head of the church?” Is it the pastor, the deacon’s or official board, or the congregation? The reality is that according to Hebrews 13:20-21 The true head of the church is Jesus Christ. Everyone, Pastor, deacon’s or board, and the congregation, only has delegated authority and they are all answerable to Him and the truths of God’s Word. He is our shepherd, our sovereign, and our Sanctifier, and as such we must never do anything that is contrary to HIs Word. Although we are to do everything we can in the church, it is the power of Christ that makes everything work. We must understand that in each of the tree people or groups, they are all subject to the same authority. While they have different roles based on their gifts, they are all equally important in the body of Christ. In Hebrews 13:20-21 we see three things that points to the saving work of Christ for His church. First, His Name: “Lord Jesus!” – This makes Him our Shepherd. Acts 4:12 reminds us that “there is no other name under heaven given … READ MORE

The hardest and most misunderstood, part of the Restoration Principle outlined in Matthew 18:15-20, is found at the end of of verse 17 through the end of this section (v20). Most people see this as harsh treatment of the one in sin, to remove them from the membership of the church. This has lead some to go to the extreme of “shunning” those who are removed, and acting in a very judgmental and ungracious way toward the one who is enslaved in sinful behavior. That is when we are to remind ourselves that the principles here are restorative, not punitive. When you look at verses 18-20, we get a better picture of the purpose of that exclusion. When we become a member of a local church, we join together with a redemptive community, who says, based our on confession of faith we believe that you have a relationship with Christ and therefore, are a member of the family of God. James 2 reminds us that our relationship with Christ is not based upon simple words, but rather it is built upon a life that manifests obedience. Just as the testimony of those in the church confirms our decision to follow … READ MORE

As we focus on the purity of the church, and necessity to lovingly encourage all to live obedient lives. We have been looking at Matthew 18:15-20 to understand the process that Jesus set forth to help the church maintain a body that is living in obedience to the Lord. We have seen that the first two steps are private exhortation (v15) and Private Conference, if the person in question still refuses to repent of their sin, what do you do. The next step, is one that must be addressed carefully. That is Public Announcement. Here we are told that if a person has refused the quiet and consistent exhortation of those who have spiritual oversight over a person, the next step is to make the church aware of the behavior, and that those who are able can privately approach the sinner, and attempt to draw them back to Christ. How is this to be practice? A practical approach is to call a private “members only” meeting where you share the attempts that have been made to bring restoration to the sinning member. After working through the principles of Matthew 18, it has become apparent that the one living in disobedience … READ MORE