God’s Assigned Place of Protection - Part III
The Blessings Of The Local Church
by Dr. John Tetsola

Last month we observed that in order for the Israelites to enjoy the benefits of God’s protection, they had to be in the place of God’s provision—within the confines of the blood-marked door posts. Venturing outside this Godly ordained perimeter would leave them vulnerable to satanic attack. Today, commitment to a local church has its own divine perimeters which entails God-ordained aspects of discipline. Part of the blessings of joining a local house is the fruitfulness that yielding to correction, rebuke, and discipline produces in your life.

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness…

Galatians 6:1a

All discipline must be administered with a view to restoration. God does not want any to perish, but He wants all come to the knowledge of the truth. Unfortunately, most people don’t come to the knowledge of the truth without some form of external stimulus. For this reason God has an assigned place in the earth (the church) where His Body may be trained and disciplined for greater levels of maturity and fruitfulness. Keeping the view of restoration in mind, discipline is to be administered where there is a persistent following after the wrong ways of God. When a man claims to know Jesus as his Lord, but will not follow the ways of the Lord, his negative lifestyle must be challenged. And that is what takes place in the local church. Many are not part of local churches because they don’t want their lifestyles challenged. The church must be free enough to challenge lifestyles of believers that run contrary to God’s Word so that true maturity and faithfulness can take place in the lives of believers.

Protecting the Family of God

Who concerning the truth have erred…and overthrow the faith of some.

2 Timothy 2:18

Discipline must be administered where there is danger of harm to the rest of the family of God. In 2 Timothy 2, false doctrine was being taught which was “undermining the faith of some.” Problems such as this left unchallenged will never work themselves out. God in His mercy never disciplines severely unless an individual has been given warning or instruction in the mouth of two or three witnesses. God has given us a natural progression in the local church of how to bring discipline which involves four stages: First, go to the brother alone. Second, take two or three others with you when the first step does not work. Third, when there is no change and repentance, tell it to the church. Fourth, when there is still no change, the individual must be expelled from the fellowship (Matt. 18:15-17).

To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

1 Corinthians 5:5

Expulsion from fellowship is more severe than most people realize. To be removed from fellowship immediately opens one up to the attacks of the enemy. In 1 Corinthians 5:5, Paul stated that this act of discipline was in effect delivering the individual to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. Even this most drastic measure of discipline is administered in the hope that the person’s spirit might be saved. True biblical discipline is pain plus impartation. If God’s people are ever going to be fruitful and mature, discipline is essential. You will have opportunity to be offended as you submit to local church discipline, but if you press past the pain you will receive the impartation and blessings of the local church—God’s assigned place of fruitfulness and maturity.

by Dr. John A. Tetsola