Church Disciplines

Paul wrote to the church in Galatia and said, "My little children" — this is chapter 4, verse 19 — "of whom I travail in birth again, until Christ be formed in you." That was his goal. He wrote to the church in Rome in chapter 12, verses 1 and 2: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Paul said clearly that his effort, his work, was to see Christ formed into the believers and to see them transformed by the renewing of their mind, so they could prove the will of God. He also clarified what the will of God is in First Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 3, when he said, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification." The will of God for the children that belong as part of His church is that we be renewed in our minds, transformed, that Christ would be formed in us, and that we would be sanctified — set apart to this new calling of living for Jesus Christ. That's the mission of the church. It's the mission of every leader in the church. Every pastor wants to see the people in his church transformed into the image of Christ.

Every organization that you could ever be a part of — even some you wouldn't wish to be a part of — has a collective identity. If I were to say to you, "Hell's Angels," what image comes to your mind? Your mind would immediately see a burly, maybe unshaven, unwashed, tattooed guy on a Harley, leather vest — all that image, everything you see, immediately comes to mind just by the mention of that group. Or how about, if you're familiar with this outfit, the Red Hat Society? You see them in restaurants. It's a group of ladies who are over fifty years old; they get together for fellowship, but they all wear purple dresses, they all wear red hats, and as soon as I said that, if you're familiar with that group, your mind immediately had an image of what a representative of that group would look like. That identity will involve the organization's values and its practices, but we would be absolutely silly not to understand that it also involves how we would expect a representative of that group to appear.

So that begs the question: what do people envision when we say "Apostolic Pentecostal"? What's the image that comes to their mind? What values do they expect a person in that group to have? What kind of spirit do they expect that person to have? What appearance is anticipated for a member of a United Pentecostal Church? What disciplines of life would someone anticipate to be present in the life of a member of the New Testament church? And then the next question, of course: how do we go about teaching, presenting, and maintaining those disciplines within the local church?

Let's analyze for just a minute that phrase "church disciplines," which is what this session is about. First, we must recognize that we are attempting to be the church, and that is defined by the Scriptures. The church is not bounded by an organization; the church is bounded by doctrine. And the doctrine that empowers our church disciplines is the doctrine of separation. I don't have time to completely establish this foundational principle today, but we see it from the very earliest days of creation. God separated the waters above from the waters beneath. He separated dry land and the seas. He separated light from darkness. He has consistently demanded that there be a separation between good and evil, between righteous and unrighteous, and thus between His people and other people. This principle of separation is woven throughout the Bible.

Note Second Corinthians chapter 6, verses 17 and 18: "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." Because He intends for His people to be distinct from other people living on the planet, He has tasked spiritual leadership with drawing and demanding this distinction. He said this through the prophet Ezekiel in 44 and 23: "And they shall teach my people" — talking about His servants — "they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean." Our job as those who lead His people is to make sure that those who follow can discern between what is clean and what's unclean, and can discern between what's holy and what's unholy. We are tasked with the responsibility of giving guidance and direction about how to live a separate lifestyle in this world.

The Bible gives us two very valuable commodities to carry out that mission. We are given precepts, and we are given principles. Precepts specifically tell us what to do. Principles guide us in making righteous determinations when the Bible is silent on a particular matter. He gives us precepts about specific things — He says, "Do this; don't do this." He gives us principles that should shape our values, so when the Bible doesn't have a precept on a particular matter, we have principles by which we can make righteous determinations about what we should and should not do and be, in living separate for Jesus Christ. Both these precepts and principles are to be utilized by pastors and spiritual leaders in framing church disciplines.

Consider with me just for a moment the assignment given to Adam. I've long thought that Adam is a very good picture of what a pastor is charged to do. He was told to keep the garden and to name the animals. Now let's think about that. Some things God planted — He put them down, they have roots; those are precepts, and Adam is commanded to keep those things. But then you have these animals running around — they were mobile, they were fluid, they were moving — and God said, "Adam, you call them, you name them, and whatever you name them, that's what they will be named." Pastors are required to keep some precepts; they are required to apply some principles and name some things that aren't previously named and are fluid and mobile in this society. In our world, as technology advances at such a rapid pace and the mores of our society are just crazy — things we never thought we would even consider are now common in the societal fabric — things are fluid, they're moving. Pastors have to take the principles of the Word of God and apply them to these fluid, mobile situations. Things that God has planted, we keep. Things that are mobile, we are tasked with using principles to name them.

So there are precepts — there are things that are hallmarks of the Apostolic church that are immediately what should come to mind when we think about an Apostolic and how they appear. So things like uncut hair on women and short hair on men, clear and consistent gender distinction in our dress, avoiding the adorning nature and function of jewelry, avoiding the artificiality of painting and decorating oneself with makeup — these kinds of things are precepts. The Bible speaks to them clearly, and they must be kept. The Bible clearly condemns certain things; they must be avoided.

But then there are principles that have to guide us — principles about modesty, of separation, of evil associations, of not letting our good be evil spoken of, of not affirming or encouraging false doctrine. These kinds of things will be applied by a wise pastor as he sees best for his setting and for his community. The position of a local church must be clearly communicated by its leaders. A truth that is not taught is a truth that's not believed, and it will absolutely be a truth that's not practiced.

Every tide of this world will seek to pull God's people away from the cross, away from the altar. There is not one voice out in our society which commends to us the way of righteousness. The only voice that is going to consistently lead us for righteousness is going to come from God — through His Word, through His Spirit, and through His man. We can't even trust our own internal moral compass, because the Bible says in Proverbs 16 and 2, "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes: but the Lord weigheth the spirits." Each of us will find a way to justify what we want to do, but that doesn't necessarily make it right. The real question is not, "Is this what is right for our church?" The proper question is, "Is this what is best for our church?" We can't get caught up in the whole thing about, "Well, what will send us to hell? What will God just absolutely condemn and kick out of His presence?" That can't be the threshold we live by. What's wise? What's best? And so a pastor must present the precepts, but then he has to take the principles of God's Word and set boundaries for his congregation based on what is best for us. I heard an elder among us one time say, "I would rather the people I lead get to heaven with a dump truck too much than a thimbleful too little." When we get to that point of facing eternity, boundaries that were set for us — even if maybe they could have been set lesser and maybe we would have been safe, I don't know — but if a pastor feels best, if he feels comfortable in the Holy Ghost setting guidelines for his church, he has to set those in a manner that he feels good will get the people that he leads to heaven. So the questions are things like: Is this what gets us close to God? Is this what puts our church on a spiritual plane? Is this what facilitates what God wants to do with us, through us?

These precepts and principles have to be taught. Obviously, this has to be done wisely, harmlessly. Second Timothy 2:24 says, "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient." We are called to present these precepts and principles, but in a way that's not ugly. Holiness is not ugly. It's not bitter, it's not hateful, and it's not competitive. We aren't better than someone else just because our application of principles is different than theirs. The precepts have to be taught, but when we apply principles, we're not better than another pastor if, in our setting, in our conscience before God, we set the boundaries defined by those principles a little differently than someone else. We should never strive to out-holy someone else, because the measure of how holy I'm living is not you. I am called to be holy as He is holy, and I'll never reach that place — not fully, not without the grace of God in operation in my life. So it's not about being more holy than someone else; it's striving to be like Him.

I believe the principles can be preached — I can preach principles in any setting, with any guests in the house — but the application has to be taught in the setting that best suits and works in your church. Many do that in new converts' care or in discipleship care, and that's good. But I would also maintain that these precepts, the application of these principles, has to be taught again and again to the folks who are members of the church — not just when they first join the body. So some will have a special Saturday once a year where they call the church together, without the guests in the house, and they teach how these principles will be applied in their church. They teach these principles and how they're going to be applied in that church, and they teach these precepts. Some do it on an off night, on a night when there's not an otherwise service, or they'll call special saints' meetings — wherever and whenever you choose to do it, do it. These things must be taught.

These precepts and principles have to be taught; they also have to be patterned. One of the keys for new converts is to see that model of what an Apostolic looks like being promoted. Now please understand: in any church, when I was pastoring, I wanted people in my church that did not look like a classic Pentecostal. I wanted folks in all stages of spiritual development. If you don't have any ladies in your church with short hair, or any guy who's stepping outside occasionally for a smoke break, then you probably need some new blood. However, to me, the clearest line of demarcation is what is allowed in leadership and what is put on the platform. I have long maintained that if you show me a platform — you show me what the platform staff looks like — I'll generally show you the values of the pastor, and I will show you where the church body is headed. Sooner or later — usually sooner — we will get what we promote and what we pattern. Many times in pastoring I was privileged to be able to say to a new convert, a lady that might have questions, "If you want to know what a lady, an Apostolic lady, should look like, just look at my wife." You can observe her. The patterning of how those principles should be applied, the patterning of those precepts being embraced, was visible in someone they could see.

These things have to be taught, they have to be patterned, and they have to be celebrated. So much can be accomplished with positive words of affirmation. When a believer — a new believer — starts making some positive choices about appearance and lifestyle, those choices need to be affirmed, and not just by the pastor. We've all heard the horror stories of someone cornering a new convert and excoriating him or her for not conforming as quickly as some busybody thought that person should have. But let's think on the other side for a moment. How empowering would it be for an elder to tell a new convert who took her first stab at putting her hair up in a Pentecostal do that she looks nice? What would that do for that new believer? Compliments can be so effective at affirming what we want to see. A note expressing admiration for choices someone is making can do more than beating people up from the pulpit.

We should also celebrate these disciplines from that standpoint — that they are not a burden to bear but a privilege. We should elevate this idea of living for God in distinction from this world: that it's a great blessing. It's not a burden to be Apostolic; it's a privilege. The Hell's Angels that I mentioned — they look different, and they're glad to. They don't feel like that's a burden. If you've ever seen a group of those Red Hat ladies in a restaurant, they're not the least bit bashful about it. They come in, in their bright purple dresses and their red hats, and they're glad for anybody to see them and go, "I know who they're with." Well, by similar fashion, we want to elevate and celebrate in the lives of our believers that having someone look at you and go, "You're an Apostolic," is a great blessing. That's a wonderful thing. If we love the church, then it is not a burden to obey His precepts and to apply His principles. First John 5 and 3 says, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments" — this next line — "and his commandments are not grievous." The person that's in love with Jesus Christ, the person who is so overjoyed to be set free from sin and born again in the power of the Holy Ghost, will not view — if they are presented right, if we teach them well, if we pattern them, if we celebrate them — they will not see or view church disciplines as something that is arduous or onerous. It's nothing they will despise or resent. They will want to be aligned with the church. They want to be identified as an Apostolic, because the power of the Gospel has changed their lives.

These principles and how they're going to be applied, these precepts, have to be taught, they have to be patterned, and then they have to be celebrated. And I know I've heard folks say, "Oh, well, those are just traditions; those are man-made traditions." Well, number one, they need to look in the Bible, or they need a well-balanced, reasonable, gentle pastor to teach them how these precepts are laid out, and how these principles are there, and how we're going to apply them. But there will always be some that try to fight against things and say, "Well, they're just traditions, and traditions don't have any value." Well, that's a fallacy, and it's not even scriptural. First, they're likely just focusing on the application and not the underlying principle, which is indeed scriptural. But beyond that, traditions in and of themselves are not bad things. I know over time our culture can render certain positions outdated — I'm willing to admit that — but we can't ignore verses like these. Second Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 15: "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." Paul said: whether or not I taught them to you in person, or whether I wrote about them in letters I sent you, do not readily just cast aside traditions. Or how about this verse in Second Thessalonians 3 and 6, to that same church? He says, "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us." Paul said: if you see somebody that's just casting aside tradition and is not wanting to be submitted to his spiritual leadership, not wanting to walk like I've taught you to walk, you need to withdraw yourself from that person; that is a dangerous individual. Well, maybe we should listen to Paul a little bit there.

There are things that have been handed down to us by our spiritual elders, by godly men who handed us some traditions. Yes, I understand — applications of principles, precepts, and some traditions — and that doesn't make those things bad just because they are traditional to Pentecostals. They identify us. They mark us as a part of the Apostolic church. And just like the Hell's Angel is not ashamed to be associated with them — he's glad to look like them; just like the red hat lady is not embarrassed when she walks into the restaurant for everybody to look up and go, "I know what she's here for" — it would be wonderful if the Church of the Living God, the Apostolic church, the New Testament bride of Christ, could embrace the principles and how they're applied, the precepts, and yes, even the traditions our elders have given us, to say: "I'm glad to walk through this world and be immediately associated with the church. I want Christ to be formed in me. I want to be transformed by the renewing of my mind."

So a distinctive look is not unique to the church. Every group has it. Ours just happens to be based on Scripture — on the principles to be applied to our life, on the precepts that God gives us, and yes, on some traditions that our elders have handed us. To help establish these in your church, we must teach them publicly, intentionally, gently, and scripturally. We must pattern them by what we put on the platform, by what our leaders look like, what they embrace. And we must celebrate them by affirming wise and good choices that folks make, and by heralding the blessing of being part of the church.

Church disciplines can have a connotation of something that's difficult or painful, but in reality, all this is, is the process of Christ being formed in me — of my life being transformed from what this world tries to make it into what Jesus wants it to be. That process is not ugly. It's not difficult. It is embraced and loved by every pure-hearted person. Church disciplines — they're good things, because they make me more like Him.