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The Body of Christ Needs the Local Churches for Its Practice
Watchman Nee goes on to illustrate and explain the
local church’s responsibility to exercise the necessary discipline over the members, as the Lord leads.
We often use this illustration: When a boat is at
sea, the boat and the sea cannot have fellowship. As soon as they begin to
have fellowship, the boat will begin to sink into the sea. Likewise, if a hole
is drilled in the church, the line of separation between the church and the
world will disappear. Therefore, the local church must exercise discipline; it
must have disciplinary action in order to be a local church.
What is disciplinary action? First Corinthians 5
speaks of six different kinds of persons who are saved and have God’s
life, but they have indulged themselves and become a fornicator, a covetous
man, a reviler, a drunkard, an idolater, and an extortioner (v. 11). Paul told
the church in Corinth to “remove the evil man from among yourselves” (v. 13).
The command in 1 Corinthians 5 does not say that we must put a brother away
from among us as soon as he has sinned. But it does say that we must put him
away when he becomes such a one. It does not say one who commits fornication,
but “a fornicator”; not a brother who reviles, but “a reviler.” When a man
becomes such a one, the church must put him away; it must excommunicate him.
Whomever the Lord does not want in the church, we also must not want in the
church. If we keep one whom the Lord does not want in our locality, this
retention will cause trouble. The Lord said that such a one is like a little
leaven which will leaven the whole lump (1 Cor. 5:6). Before long, the whole
church will be moldy. The whole church will no longer be pure flour; it will
have leaven. Therefore, the church must have discipline. Moreover, the church
knows what kind of person a brother is. This is reflected in the words of
Sister M. E. Barber: “The oneness of the church is the voice of the Holy
Spirit.” If all the brothers feel that a brother is such a person, then it is
certain that he is such a person. We cannot say that all the brothers have
misunderstood him. Therefore, a local church must execute God’s discipline in
its locality.
…Matthew 18:15-17 says, “Moreover if your brother
sins against you, go, reprove him between you and him alone….But if he does
not hear you, take with you one or two more….And if he refuses to hear them,
tell it to the church; and if he refuses to hear the church also, let him be
to you just like the Gentile.” Some churches are very lazy and do not care to
handle troublesome matters. But the Lord said that the church must take care
of disciplinary matters, if it is to be a church at all. The Lord’s teaching
in chapter eighteen is regarding the local church because it refers to a place
in which we can “tell.” The local church must take care of these matters. If a
local church does not take care of these matters, she is neglecting her duty.
If we are a church in a locality, we must bear all the responsibility in that
locality.
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