"Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us." 2 Thes 3:6
Paul wrote his second letter to the Thessalonians in an effort to address the fact that many of them had ceased to work due to what they believed was the imminent second coming of the Lord. During these times, there were those who evidently ceased to obey the will of God.
Everything we have been taught as Christians lends itself to reaching out to others, giving of ourselves, practicing forgiveness and bearing one another's burdens. This is certainly where the majority of our spiritual efforts should lie. It is just as important, however, to protect the body.
When a brother turns from the Lord and begins to have an influence on others, it is time for drastic action. Paul also wrote in 1 Cor 9, 11, "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people...But actually I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler-not even to eat with such a one."
It may seem harsh, but "a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough." The amount of bad influence it takes to do a great deal of harm to the body is relatively small. Unchecked, it grows and grows until it is out of control. Nothing should be allowed to put souls in jeopardy. This is why something you hear very little about, church discipline, is so critically important. It can surely be painful, but surgery often is. The benefit to the health of the body should always outweigh our aversion to discomfort.
Beloved every effort should be exhausted to bring a reprobate brother or sister back into the fold. In fact many of these measures are designed to make them feel so ashamed and so isolated that they will repent and return. But if they do not, we must, as Paul once did, "give them over to Satan," 1 Tim 1:20. Sometimes the truth hurts but it will always make us free.
In Revival,
Lee
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