Comments on: Church Discipline, the Kingship of Christ, and the Gospel http://shepherdtheflock.com/2009/07/23/church-discipline-the-kingship-of-christ-and-the-gospel/ "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you...” Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:19:27 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Doug http://shepherdtheflock.com/2009/07/23/church-discipline-the-kingship-of-christ-and-the-gospel/comment-page-1/#comment-3693 Doug Sun, 09 Aug 2009 02:09:01 +0000 http://shepherdtheflock.com/2009/07/23/church-discipline-the-kingship-of-christ-and-the-gospel/#comment-3693 I feel you Nathan! I was in a very similar situation for 10 plus years as an adult. When God finally opened my eyes to the doctrines of grace and I realized what kind of church I had been attending (one where I was personal friends with the pastor who never said a word when I moved in with my girlfriend!), I too was bitter and saddened by the wasted years spent sitting in that purpose driven morgue. I believe and affirm that God ordains all things which come to pass, but from my perspective, looking back, I wish as you do that someone would have had the spiritual guts to obey God and confront me with my sin and to tell me the gospel of Christ. I feel you Nathan!

I was in a very similar situation for 10 plus years as an adult. When God finally opened my eyes to the doctrines of grace and I realized what kind of church I had been attending (one where I was personal friends with the pastor who never said a word when I moved in with my girlfriend!), I too was bitter and saddened by the wasted years spent sitting in that purpose driven morgue.

I believe and affirm that God ordains all things which come to pass, but from my perspective, looking back, I wish as you do that someone would have had the spiritual guts to obey God and confront me with my sin and to tell me the gospel of Christ.

]]> By: Nathan White http://shepherdtheflock.com/2009/07/23/church-discipline-the-kingship-of-christ-and-the-gospel/comment-page-1/#comment-3657 Nathan White Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:50:44 +0000 http://shepherdtheflock.com/2009/07/23/church-discipline-the-kingship-of-christ-and-the-gospel/#comment-3657 Actually, Hue, I think I got you mixed up with someone else. My apologies. Simply put: I don't have the time to get in deep discussions about God's eternal decrees. If that's what you're aiming at, then I'm going to pass on engaging you. Nevertheless, I mourn how Christ's decrees are ignored and my blatant sin was allowed to be so blasphemous for so long. And that despite that God used the sin of my former church and the circumstances to ultimately work His good in my life. Actually, Hue, I think I got you mixed up with someone else. My apologies.

Simply put: I don’t have the time to get in deep discussions about God’s eternal decrees. If that’s what you’re aiming at, then I’m going to pass on engaging you.

Nevertheless, I mourn how Christ’s decrees are ignored and my blatant sin was allowed to be so blasphemous for so long. And that despite that God used the sin of my former church and the circumstances to ultimately work His good in my life.

]]> By: Nathan White http://shepherdtheflock.com/2009/07/23/church-discipline-the-kingship-of-christ-and-the-gospel/comment-page-1/#comment-3656 Nathan White Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:47:16 +0000 http://shepherdtheflock.com/2009/07/23/church-discipline-the-kingship-of-christ-and-the-gospel/#comment-3656 Hue asked:

How can you say this knowing God’s sovereignty over providence?

Hue, judging from you other comments on my blog, I have no interest in engaging you. I gather that you’re probably an open theist or some kind of inconsistent arminian, and I just don’t have the time or the patience.

God is sovereign over every single affair and detail of life; man is also responsible for all his actions. A profane man would rejoice when Christ’s authority and the scriptures are openly ignored; and a idolatrous man would say that God has not ordained the end from the beginning.

Good day

]]> By: Hue http://shepherdtheflock.com/2009/07/23/church-discipline-the-kingship-of-christ-and-the-gospel/comment-page-1/#comment-3619 Hue Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:06:01 +0000 http://shepherdtheflock.com/2009/07/23/church-discipline-the-kingship-of-christ-and-the-gospel/#comment-3619 Church discipline is misunderstood and its omission has done much harm to the church. Its absense helps in the perpetration and perpetuation of sin throughout the body.

“Of course God is sovereign over providence and my conversion, but I was furious as to why my gross and at times blatant sin was never challenged in the 15 years I attended church as a professing believer. Maybe, just maybe, if I’d been kicked out of the church years earlier, I might have repented long ago. It took years before the bitterness and anger wore off, but needless to say I still consider church discipline to be one of the most important doctrines of a true church.”

How can you say this knowing God’s sovereignty over providence?

]]> By: Gordan http://shepherdtheflock.com/2009/07/23/church-discipline-the-kingship-of-christ-and-the-gospel/comment-page-1/#comment-3603 Gordan Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:36:03 +0000 http://shepherdtheflock.com/2009/07/23/church-discipline-the-kingship-of-christ-and-the-gospel/#comment-3603 A dangerous idea that, this notion that Church Discipline is one of the indicators, or marks, of a true church. For if that idea is itself true, then there are truly precious few churches left, so few in fact that we must confess with Isaiah that if the Lord had not left us but a tiny remnant, we would have become as Sodom...a pile of ashes. I think for instance, just going by this one indicator, that there are no churches in my little town of 5,000. Lots of church buildings, and some people in those buildings come Sunday mornin'; but no true churches. A dangerous idea that, this notion that Church Discipline is one of the indicators, or marks, of a true church. For if that idea is itself true, then there are truly precious few churches left, so few in fact that we must confess with Isaiah that if the Lord had not left us but a tiny remnant, we would have become as Sodom…a pile of ashes. I think for instance, just going by this one indicator, that there are no churches in my little town of 5,000. Lots of church buildings, and some people in those buildings come Sunday mornin’; but no true churches.

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